I'll top the bill, I'll earn the kill [Conrad]

Kaliady was coming up at the end of the month, and Erik had been tasked with finding someone to lead the school play Sevastyan wanted performed in Dottrar Vik as soon as the winter holidays were done. How Erik, the Nautica professor, came to be involved in a play was beyond him, but Erik was relatively laid back and interested in helping. He was planning on offering extra-credit in order to entice some people into it, but he still needed a student in charge. He was tempted to ask Venera, but knew she already had a reputation for being a teacher’s pet after all the things he and Aldemar picked her for. She was busy, too, and that was difficult for them. So, he began looking at other students.

Conrad Strum wasn’t the best student, but he was decent enough at Nautica. Erik got the feeling from him that he really needed some friendly adult interaction and tried his best to provide that. He didn’t really do extra-curriculars, but Erik liked him anyway. He saw some of himself in Conrad, the lack of adherence to school rules, the mediocre performance in things he didn’t like. He knew Conrad had potential, so he was eager to help him out the best he could. As his Head of House, he had some difficult conversations with him, but he knew that the student really needed guidance and help, not punishment. This was what brought Conrad to mind in the first place.

He had invited him to his office after class. He was certain the boy would think he was in trouble, even though he tried his best to make this sound friendly and comfortable. Casual, even. He put the kettle on and let it heat up. Conrad was a bit late, so the tea was ready before he even heard the knock on his office door. Perfect, he was here.

“Come on in, Conrad.” He offered, using the other’s first name, as he often did with his students. He rarely called them by their surnames. It felt so impersonal. He wanted them to know he knew who they were and cared about each of them as individuals.


@Conrad Sturm

He was late, which wasn’t good under usual circumstances and which was outright bad when he had an appointment. It was Fisker, so there was an even chance that this was nothing, or that this was a huge deal that would ruin the rest of his day, or week, or year. Conrad had never wanted to be in Klyk Vampira, but he couldn’t deny it would probably be easier to deal with his head of house there. He got plenty of grief from adults he didn’t like, but it was always worse from adults he did. And he did like Fisker.

Conrad took two seconds outside the office to catch his breath -- he didn’t want to look like he’d been running in the corridors -- before he knocked. Fisker didn’t sound angry when he answered, but Conrad was a little nervous opening the door anyway.

For a moment Conrad hesitated in the doorway and tried to decide whether to not mention his tardiness and hope Fisker hadn’t noticed it, or to apologise and hope he would get points for honesty. He never got points for honesty, though, so after an awkward moment he just shut the door behind him and rubbed the back of his head, too uncomfortable to sit until he was ordered to. His gaze drifted around the office in case there was something here that would clue him into what he’d done -- a ruined cauldron or a stack of his latest essays or something -- but all he could see was a cup of tea steaming pleasantly on the desk.

He cut to the chase: “Did I do something, sir?” Or had he not done something? -- that was just as likely.