Let's Play!)
Sebastian really had just wanted to show off in front of Klavier. Yeah, maybe he had taken things a bit far back there, but how was Sebastian supposed to know that Klavier would take him seriously! And now Pops (no, we’re in the office so it’s Mr. Edgeworth) was glaring daggers at Simon and Nahyuta was talking about their experience with a classical Daymelon while Aunt Franziska ordered a violin off of I-Bay and Klavier locked himself in his soundproofed office.
And Sebastian was sitting at his desk with his headphones on, playing Megalovania on his work-computer with the piano software he and Kay had pirated off of the internet. How did the situation end up like this? Oh, right. Sebastian had wanted to show off in front of Klavier and...
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Coming into work with a mission, Sebastian made a beeline for Klavier’s office the instant he stepped through those old wooden doors. He didn’t care that they both had work to do. He didn’t even think about the potential consequences of this action. Sebastian just wanted to make Klavier think he was cool, and that meant capitalizing off of his one true talent.
Sebastian had always loved music. His bio-dad had told him that his mother used to play Beethoven and Mozart for Sebastian while he was in the womb. Apparently, there was a rumor that it made kids smarter. That didn’t quite work out for Sebastian, but it definitely made Sebastian love music. From the age of 9, he was excelling in his piano lessons and was beginning to write his own original pieces. It was the one thing he was truly proud of.
But that dream wasn’t made to last, and Sebastian started attending Themis. His bio-dad said that his son wouldn’t have time for stupid interests like music, so he forced Sebastian to quit. Though he was very sad, Sebastian understood. If he wanted to be the best prosecutor, he would need to study hard and ace all of his classes. He’d do anything to make his bio-dad proud, even if it meant getting the top scores in his entire grade! And he somehow managed to pull it off, even with another prodigy prosecutor following closely at his heels. He earned that red jacket, quitting piano was worth it after all!
Only, it was all a big lie. Sebastian hadn’t earned that jacket. He hadn’t passed his classes, let alone aced them. And that same prodigy prosecutor who Sebastian had unwittingly cheated out of becoming valedictorian was the person Sebastian was approaching right now.
Klavier smiled and immediately drove Sebastian out of his harsher thoughts, “Guten Morgen Herr Bestie! What brings you to my desk so early? Besides the natural pull everyone feels towards me, of course. I tend to have that effect on people.”
Sebastian couldn’t help but smile back. Klavier was in rare form today, giving Vongole to Aunt Franziska must have really helped him somehow. Mr. Edgeworth had told Sebastian to not mind Klavier’s self-aggressiving statements. That’s apparently just how he is; a flirt who loves to revel in his own charm.
But that never stops Sebastian from blushing, “Well, um, I have something to show you! It’s at my desk. Can you come over and take a listen?”
“Ja, of course! Based on your phrasing, can I assume that this ‘something’ is a song?” Klavier slid from behind his desk to the front of it, grinning down at Sebastian.
Sebastian grinned as he led Klavier to his desk, “Yeah! I’ve been getting back in the habit of practicing piano, y’know, and I wanted to see what you thought of a cover I’ve been working on.”
“How could I not want to see what my nett Herr Bestie has been up to? As the other music aficionado in the office, I’ll always be happy to see your work!”
Mr. Edgeworth had told Sebastian that Klavier put up an affectionate, dramatic persona in front of everyone. That Klavier, while a good person, was probably way less ‘extra’ in private. But there was something so genuine about Klavier’s excitement and kindness to Sebastian, Mr. Edgeworth’s words went in one ear and out of the other.
“Ok so, I’ve been converting some guitar riffs into piano sheet music! And I’ve been trying to find one that simultaneously converts well into a piano’s sound AND also is actually fun to play. So I tore through like 100 different famous riffs and wound up finding some that I really enjoyed playing, especially a lot from more classic-rock styles! I was kinda hoping that you would listen to my takes on the riffs, y’see, and maybe let me know where I could tighten some things up or if they’re good then just tell me that they’re good or…” Sebastian suddenly realized just how long he had been talking for and turned over to Klavier in order to apologize.
Instead, he saw Klavier beaming at him. His eyes reflecting...something that Sebastian wasn’t quite sure about.
Klavier waved his hand, “Please, keep going. I love hearing from people who are as passionate about music as I am!”
Taking a breath to continue his spiel, Sebastian suddenly noticed the rest of the office staring at the two of them. Mr. Edgeworth’s unusually soft smile turned into his usual blank expression as he pointed to the stack of paperwork on Sebastian’s desk.
“Oh, crap! Maybe we should do this later…” Sebastian trailed off.
Klavier all but leapt out of his seat, “Absolutely not! Herr Bestie, you can’t talk up an idea like that and then ask me to wait until later! Show me what you’ve got! Put those hands of yours to good use!”
Simon, Nahyuta, and Aunt Franziska looked like they were about to burst out laughing. Mr. Edgeworth moved to interrupt Sebastian and Klavier, but Aunt Franziska yanked him back.
Sebastian pulled up his illegal piano software, plugged in his USB keyboard, took a breath, and began to play.
Losing himself in the keys, Sebastian glided his right hand across the 3rd and 4th octaves, lightly tapping each key before quickly transitioning to the next, while keeping his left hand on that droning D2. He clicked his tongue within his mouth to ensure he stayed within the 4/4 time signature. This is what Sebastian loved, almost more than he loved prosecuting; playing the piano and feeling like he was floating above everything.
Finished with his first riff, Sebastian looked over at Klavier. While he was pretty sure that he’d translated the riff to piano rather well, there was no way of knowing how Klavier would like it.
“That was excellent, Herr Bestie! A good bit of Bon Jovi always works as a good warm-up, though the piano really can’t get across the naturalistic vibe of an acoustic guitar.” Klavier responded.
Sebastian...figured that was a good sign? Klavier had kinda just insulted the whole foundation for this idea, but also complimented Sebastian on his work. So it was a mixed bag. Rather than back off, Sebastian decided to push things a little further.
“Yeah, that’s why I chose that riff. A warm-up. Now I’m gonna go for something a little more metal.”
At that, Klavier leaned forward in his seat. Was that a challenge or was he interested in what Sebastian was saying? The ex-valedictorian had never been great at reading people, so he was hopeless at trying to figure out what was happening.
But one thing Sebastian could do was play. He conjured up one of the harshest metal songs he could make a translation of and banged out the quick, jarring notes. Unlike the last riff, there were no droning lows. It was these kinds of pieces that reminded Sebastian how percussive a piano could really be, with chord progressions rounding onto each other and any semblance of a consistent time-signature now out the window.
This piece felt ugly. Sebastian couldn’t bring himself to admit it, but it felt bad to play. And Klavier’s reaction certainly didn’t help.
“It’s a really faithful translation, and honestly I didn’t think a pianist’s hands could move that fast. But still, it’s missing the raw harshness of the electric guitar…”
“Or maybe the piano gets rid of that awful, gravely sound! Maybe that’s the issue, because the piano sounds nicer.” Sebastian shot back.
Klavier looked stunned for a second, then he leaned further forward and grit his teeth. Sebastian really wished he knew more about how to read people. Trucy and Dad were both really good at it, Kay and Mr. Edgeworth were both at least average, but Sebastian was downright awful. Was Klavier actually mad or was he just being playful with Sebastian?
But Sebastian had no more time to think as Klavier pointed a finger in his face, “So what I’m hearing is that you think the guitar is an ugly instrument, ja? That your piano can do better on songs that were specifically designed with the guitar in mind?”
Now Sebastian understood that gesture: the point. Mr. Edgeworth and Dad do it all the time together, and it’s never a serious argument. It’s one of their playful ones, like about what’s for dinner or whether it’s a ladder vs a stepladder! So if Klavier was just teasing Sebastian, then Sebastian would tease him right back!
“What? Are you mad because the piano is the best instrument, and the guitar is just chopped ham by comparison? Or do you really think that rock is anything compared to classical music? I can turn a guitar riff into a piano solo any day, but I doubt you can do the same but reversed!” Sebastian smirked, then looked at Mr. Edgeworth.
Mr. Edgeworth looked back and he responded, “This pointless detour has gone on for long enough. Everyone, get back to work. Klavier, I’m assigning you a new case-”
Klavier interrupted, “I’m not taking on any new cases at this time. In fact, clear my schedule entirely. If Sebastian thinks the piano is better than the guitar regardless of the genre of music, he should be ready to prove it.”
And with the lack of a nickname, Sebastian realized that he’d just messed up. Suddenly, he could recognize that fire in Klavier’s eyes. He saw the way Klavier’s entire body was tense and that the hand opposite to the one pointing was clenched into a fist. Klavier was angry, furious even. Would it be better to apologize or should he rise to it?
“Oi, if we’re getting into a debate over musical genres, I’m with Klavier. Rock is more energetic than anything classical music has to offer.” Simon stepped into the conversation.
Aunt Franziska shot back, “Someone has clearly overestimated his genre. You fools are telling me that some foolish alternative genre is better than the bedrock of all music?”
Sebastian had no clue what to do. Should he step in and look like a jerk or keep quiet and look like an idiot?
“I agree with Prosecutor VonKarma. Rock has singlehandedly corrupted so many souls, especially that awful Heavy Metal. It’s like they’re asking the Holy Mother to outcast them with those lyrics…” Nahyuta responded.
Wait, Sebastian didn’t mean for this to escalate. He’d just wanted to impress Klavier, then misunderstood what Klavier was feeling. Maybe he should-
Klavier put the final stone in the coffin, “Fine then! If you all think that your music is so much better than ours, prepare yourselves for a fight.”
OH NO WAIT SEBASTIAN DIDN’T WANT-
“A Battle of the Bands with Classical and Rock going head to head! I expect you all to be ready by tomorrow.” Klavier continued.
Sebastian stammered, “Um, w-wait, what do you mean by ‘ready’?”
“Ready with your instruments and pieces rehearsed! You love Classical so much, you should at least know a few pieces by heart! I’ll be rehearsing all day today. Simon, you are welcome to join me by 12:00. The rest of you, good luck.”
And with that, Klavier stormed off. He slammed his office door shut. Suddenly, Sebastian was grateful that Klavier’s office was soundproof.