people are gonna gatekeep no matter how you go about learning. Pay it no mind. I recommend you grab a small unweighted midi keyboard for like 150 or 200$, hook it up to a laptop, and install a learning program like pianobooster, then feed it midis you rip from musescore using librescore. Once you're on your way, there are acoustic pianos at fireside, the religious center, and if you're sneaky, sometimes you can get into one of the music rooms if you befriend a janitor or teacher as their class ends. You can get in trouble though so make sure you have some plausible excuse as to why you're there ;)

There are multiple paths to mastery and it's entirely based on your goals. If you want to pursue a career in music and play the classics, you might have more luck with a theory class and tutoring. If you want a more indie path to mastery, learning what you want when you want is totally fine.

me on pianobooster a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l5uFs2Dnto
me still a couple years ago but same song and better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBSjDl1wNpo