The Romantic - tag Gabe

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy had had a full day earlier and was now just trying to wind down. With her notebook open to the latest set of lyrics she had been trying to flesh out, Sammy started to tinker with her little ukulele.

She was also waiting for Mr. James to arrive, seeing that he was supposed to help her with the music. He wasn't late, however, she was just very very early.

So in the meantime, she tried out her new lyrics:

I miss you and I want you
To be right here next to me
Just to hear you and to breathe you
Cause I can't keep my mind off you
Just to tell you that I love you
But it's never gonna be this way
Cause you're not here with me

Scratching her head in embarrassment, she shook her head and laughed at how the words seem so...dramatic. But it didn't change the fact that they were for Callie. Sammy sighed and strummed her ukulele lazily.

[Gabriel James]

Gabriel hadn't expected he'd be doing much teaching on the retreat. However when he was approached by a student who wanted some help with a song he couldn't say no.

As a student the retreat was a time to get your head out of the books and training and into the clouds - and for Gabe that meant tons of time to write and play guitar. So when the girl - Sammy - had asked him for help he beamed. She reminded him a bit of himself in the way that it seemed she wouldn't be happy until she could work something out with whatever was on her mind.

He had brought his guitar with him on the retreat - because who didn't love a little campfire sing along? It seemed like an even better idea now that he had a student in need. He found Sammy exactly where she said they would meet. "Hey Sam," he said with a smile, hoping it was ok to shorten her name further. They hadn't talked a whole lot, since Gabriel was a new teacher, but he hoped to get to know her and her musical abilities. "How's the song coming?" he asked, excited to hear what she had come up with.

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy looked up at the even shorter version of her name with a smile, scooting over so Mr. James could have a seat.

She was so glad he agreed to do this because she really was stuck. Hopefully by having another musical person, she wouldn't have much problems with it.

"I've got the chorus down." Sammy said proudly. She grabbed her notebook and slid it over to her music teacher. She placed her ukelele on her lap and strummed it a little. "I just can't seem to get the rest out. Like...I'm just stuck here." She grinned sheepishly as she ruffled her already messy neck-length hair.

[Gabriel James]

"A chorus is always a good place to start," Gabriel said with a little smile, peeking over Sammy's shoulder to read what she had scrawled in the notebook. He smiled lightly, remembering what it was like to be 'in love' at 17 and struggling to get those feelings out - trying to do so through song. Gabriel knew it was easier for him to get his thoughts out by singing them, and perhaps Sammy was the same way. She seemed to second guess herself though by the way the page was full of scribbles and eraser marks.

"So... what exactly do you want to accomplish here? I mean do you need my help with music? Lyrics? both?" Gabriel mused as he looked up from the pages and over toward the blonde who was plucking at the strings of her ukulele. "I mean... either way I can only help you to a certain extent. Teaching somebody how to write their music is like teaching somebody how to feel. Obviously that's not a concept we as humans should ever embrace." Gabriel loved diversity and individuality and doing things that made you special. And for this song to be special Sammy would have to find its voice on her own - but Gabe had no problem giving her small nudges in a direction that might lead to discovery.

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy beamed at Gabriel's reassurance. She was banking on the fact that he would completely understand her reasoning behind her wanting to write this.

At his question, she pondered it over before answering. "I need help with both. I mean...is it okay for you to walk me through the process of your own writing? It could definitely help me in terms of writing. I mean...I know how I feel about her...I just...need help in putting them down." She answered, completely agreeing to his philosophy.

[Gabriel James]

"I totally understand," Gabriel said with a nod. "What works for me may not work for you though, so stop me at any time." The creative process wasn't an easy one by any means. Everybody was so different, and handled their emotions in their own unique fashion. And to Gabe that's all music was really - an expression of emotion.

"So... I guess the first thing I think about after I have a basic idea about a song is how I feel. And then I think about the audience - whoever that may be - and how I want them to feel. It's amazing how you can write a song with depressing lyrics but if you pair it with some sort of happy upbeat melody... most people won't even realize what the song is actually about," Gabe explained. "So the way I tend to approach songs is to make sure that the lyrics match what I feel and that the music matches what I want my audience to feel... does that make sense?" he asked, scrunching his face as he confused himself. Gabriel tended to get lost in his own little world once he started talking about music. He was never sure if what he was saying would actually make sense outside of his head. "It's at least a good starting point to talk about what you're trying to convey. What story are you trying tell? And what reaction do you want?"

[Sammy Wilder]

"I understand that." Sammy grinned, nodding in understanding. She did understand that not everybody's minds work the same but she wanted and needed any help she could get. And who better from than a music teacher?

Sammy nodded, actually taking notes as Gabriel spoke. She looked almost star-struck as the older meta spoke, completely enraptured by him and his words. "Oh yeah. Like Sara Bareilles! "Gonna Get Over You" is like...the best song to listen to when you're in that state." Sammy interjected before continuing to listen to Gabriel.

She blushed slightly when Gabriel basically asked what her song was about. "I uh...well, it's a fantasy of mine to have her swoon at my feet after she hears the song." She joked, though it held truth in it. Of course it did. It was Callie after all.

"But in all seriousness. I just...I want people to know how beautiful she is. And...how beautiful it is to love her. Like...she's that bit of happiness you can take out from your pocket whenever you feel low." She spoke softly. "And...and how much it aches whenever she's not around." Sammy added, avoiding Gabriel's gaze a little. She was a little frightened that Gabriel would know exactly who she was talking about even though it had always been a well-kept secret of hers.

[Gabriel James]

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Gabriel said with a little chuckle when Sammy started to divert her gaze. Before she was asked to talk about her feelings her eyes had been locked on the teacher, absorbing ever bit of advice he was throwing at her. Then suddenly it was like she was shrinking away. "Trust me, I know what it feels like to be young and in love. And I wrote some songs about it too... they were kind of lame but I didn't have an awesome musical mentor to help me out so you're ahead of the game," Gabe offered with a little smile.

He glanced over the words Sammy had written again. "So... I guess my first impression of what you have written gives me this sense of like... desire. And maybe desperation... but not necessarily in the negative sense," he offered, trying to determine if Sammy was creating the message she wanted to send. "I think if you kept this chorus a little more upbeat it would steer you away from that desperation aspect. Because in my experience desperation doesn't lead to swooning..."

Gabe had written a song once that was so raw with desperation that it even made him a little sick of the girl he was writing it for by the time he had finished. Only a little though. And it didn't make the girl want him any more. Everybody else thought it was gut wrenching and beautiful, but in the end he was still lonely and miserable.

[Sammy Wilder]

Blinking up at Gabriel's response, she gave him a little hesitant smile and kept to herself a little. She knew she didn't have to be embarrassed but she was. She was still trying to wrap her head around the emotions she had for her schoolmate. She knew she was still a little too young to be in love but it didn't change the fact that she was. Or rather, she was very sure she was.

Sammy nodded slowly when he evaluated her lyrics, tucking her hair behind an ear. "Yeah. Definitely. But yeah, I get the whole upbeat thing and I actually have this idea sort of like how Sara Bareilles is really good at making her songs really upbeat? Even though they're actually a little sad? I was gonna do that with this. I just need to tie the first verse and then the consequent verse and bridge and then end it with this line: But all I wish is for you to be here." She sang the part with a little lilt at the end.

"But yeah, I mean of course there's desperation." Sammy nodded. "I mean it's ridiculous for sure but I've had this crush on her since I got here." She chuckled a little before scribbling that last line into her notebook.

"I definitely don't want to scare her off but I figure the chorus isn't so bad." She smiled sheepishly.

[Gabriel James]

"I agree, what you have definitely sounds good so far," Gabriel agreed with a nod, smiling when she sang the last line. Her eyes lit up when she sang in a way that showed her sincerity. Gabriel loved seeing passion for music in people of any age, but now that he was a teacher he was appreciating it even more in his young students.

"Sara Bareilles seems to be the perfect inspiration for this song music-wise," Gabe added, taking note that Sammy seemed to completely understand his advice. "I think you just need to trust your gut, really. That's probably the hardest part about song writing. At least for me... I tend to spend so much time thinking that everybody, or a specific somebody is going to hate my song that I forget that I'm the most important person. If you don't love the song, then it'll suffer. But if you love the song it'll show." He gave a promising nod to the girl who clutched her notebook in her hands and occasionally fidgeted nervously and gave him a sheepish smile.

"It get's easier.... songwriting that is. Love only gets more complicated, unfortunately."

[Sammy Wilder]

"Oh yay!" She exclaimed with a grin, clapping her hands at the compliment given by the music teacher. She was glad he was so supportive.

"Mmhmm!" Sammy nodded when Gabriel mentioned one of her favourite artistes. She had a faraway look when Gabriel dispense more musical knowledge, nodding absent-mindedly as she thought of how she could make this song seem less...desperate. She hadn't gone the dark route to begin with so that was a start.

"Yeah, I think I just need to get out of my head sometimes. I tend to overthink things especially when I want it perfect." She grinned in mild embarrassment. "And this song is for someone I really, really love. I don't wanna mess it up with her." She said quietly, a small smile adorning her face.

"Oh gosh, thanks for the vote of confidence." She giggled, swatting Gabriel's arm playfully.

"But really, Mr. James. Thank you so much for being my soundboard. I figured I needed a second opinion on whether I'm going the right direction with this. It's good to hear that you think I'm doing fine." She beamed up at him, relieved.

[Gabriel James]

"We all need a little reassurance sometimes," Gabriel assured Sammy when she thanked him. She seemed a lot less anxious now knowing she was headed in the right direction with her song. "And I'm always happy to help. You can pick my brain any time. I haven't had a whole lot of muse lately, so it's nice to know that somebody out there is still making music."

Gabriel smiled, feeling like for the first time he had actually impacted a student in an exceptional way. Sure, the classes he was teaching were effective in presenting information to students, but instilling confidence in a student was something far outside Gabe's job description. He thought he accomplished it though.

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy nodded, humming in agreement at his statement. She actually was less anxious to know she was in the right path. Especially from someone who was making a living out of this. "Well, this is hardly making music but I'll take what I can get." She giggled softly as she strummed a few chords.

A little inspired, she wrote down what she thought would be a good start to the song.

You taste just like the summer breeze
You remind me of the fallen leaves
That autumn brings into the year
But time is fleeting now my dear

I keep on trying to catch a glimpse
Wish I could keep you in my embrace
To feel your warmth across my skin
If only I told you deep within

Biting the end of her pen, she looked down at the words and then up at Gabriel before she started to chew. "What do you think?"

[Gabriel James]

"It is so making music. Never belittle your work," Gabe said authoritatively as Sammy began scribbling some stuff down in her notebook. He used to do the same thing, of course, but he learned that even 'failed' attempts at a song qualified as music.

Gabriel glanced down at the words and smiled. "I think you know exactly what I'm going to say," Gabriel noted. "I'll say it anyway, though. It's perfect, because it's coming from the heart. That comes through in your words. And I think that's what all musicians want - to share a piece of what's inside them."

Gabriel slid the notebook back to Sammy, and reached for his guitar case. The instrument was like a lifeline to him. Gabriel barely went anywhere without his guitar and it was only ever the shortest amounts of time he didn't have it out and in his hands. He sat the body of the guitar on his lap, and started to strum, and hum the melody that Sammy had already played for him. "It's beautiful, really. It's nice because I feel like anybody could relate to it, as well. That's important in songwriting. The more your audience can relate the better your lyrics will be received."

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy looked at Gabriel and nodded when he reassured her that what she was doing was indeed making music. She was glad some people had the confidence to tell these things to her face and actually mean it. She certainly didn't, and it helped her develop her own sense of self-confidence.

The fire manipulator smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear as she ducked her head a little. "Thanks...I guess I just needed a soundboard. You're proving to be quite the good choice." She teased, nudging him lightly with her shoulder.

She hugged her uke and notebook close to her as he started to play her song. It sounded a little bit better than hers but she felt proud of her own accomplishment.

"I'm glad. Okay...I have to go. I promised my bunkmate that I'd go swimming with her. Thank you so much Mr. James." She pulled him in a sideways hug and squeezed him a little before standing up and looking down at him with a huge smile.

"We should do this again some other time, kay?"

[wrap?]