A question for Farrah and Kellen on Cascade Hall

Clark Dill

February 08, 2017 12:48 PM

A question for Farrah and Kellen by Clark Dill

Clark stopped a few feet into the Cascade Hall and looked around, scanning the heads bent down over their lunches, hoping to spot - there. Clark smiled, feeling successful in nailing his perception check. He'd also rolled high in luck because both people he wanted to talk to were sitting together. He headed over to join them.

He still felt ridiculously large beside the two second years, but after working with them on the fair project all semester the weirdness of it barely registered as he claimed the seat across from them. "Heya, folks," he greeted Farrah and Kellen cheerfully. "I have New Zealand stuff I want to talk to both of you about," he said, in case they were wondering why a seventh year had just plopped himself down near them, "But first I wanted to float an idea, see what you thought about it." He would forgive them for thinking the idea was fair booth related, given his introduction, but it wasn't.

He had been thinking about the future of the Science Club for a few months now. Under other circumstances, he would have fully expected to pass it down to John Umland who was both his best friend and his biggest Science Go-To Geek if he had a new theory he wanted to discuss.

Unfortunately, there were a few minor things wrong with John doing so, that by themselves wouldn't make a difference, but all added together, became rather imposing. The first being that John already had Book Club. The second being that John would be taking over as Quidditch Captain and possibly Head Monitor of the library as well. And then he'd need time for independent research (because he was John and Clark thought he might need independent research the same way most people needed food, sleep, and water.) And then he'd still need time for RATS prep, and, well, Clark did not want turning John into the next Chaslyn on his conscience.

So instead he was sitting in front of a pair of second years who had far fewer time commitments counting against them and just as good an attendance record to Science Club meetings. The way he'd run it, Science club was basically an elective class that only met once a week, with no tests, and an optional attendance policy. It was a lot for one person to do, which was why he had skipped over Jack and Louis and instead chosen a pair of kids who tended to attend meetings together as a united pair in Science. Load distribution was a good thing.

"What do you two think of taking over the Science Club next year, together? No obligation to accept or keep the same format if you want to do something different with it. I mean, I know I was really ambitious in the last year or two, so feel free to scale back on the lectures or switch focus or whatever you need to do to make it work for you guys. Just, well," he hesitated, trying to explain how much he didn't want to see Science end at Sonora without being pushy about it, which was difficult because he was pretty sure they might be mutually exclusive goals. "Any Science Club is better than no Science Club, right?" he asked, and hoped that didn't come across as guilt tripping or begging, which wasn't what he wanted to do at all.

1 Clark Dill A question for Farrah and Kellen 277 Clark Dill 1 5

Farrah Welsh

February 09, 2017 12:23 AM

A half answer by Farrah Welsh

Farrah had taken a seat at a free table with Kellen like she did just about every day and would wait for Georgia to arrive to have lunch with them. It was always so strange to her how much of a normal cafeteria this place was (if one didn't think about the waterfall walls or magically appearing food) because of the separation of groups that eventually formed. As weird as it was, it made Farrah feel better. It felt familiar. She was embracing the Magical part of her life but it was still sometimes it could be so overwhelming to her. Any sort of familiarity was welcomed.

What wasn't familiar to her during meal times was Clark taking a seat across from her. What was Clark Dill sitting at her table? Farrah's heart skipped a nervous beat at the sight of him and she tried not to think about how cute he was or let her mind wander off into some insane land where she believed he was there to declare his love for her and promised to wait for her until she graduated. She knew of his girlfriend and how beautiful she was. There was no point in allowing her that indulgence.

Clark quickly put a stop to any possibility of thought any way when he announced that he wanted to discuss their Fair project. Farrah tried not feel the disappointment in this but crushes were called that for obvious reasons. Farrah wouldn't openly admit to such a thing though because she was sure her friends would just think she was crazy.

Farrah gave him her full attention when he said he wanted to run an idea by them. She wasn't sure what opinions they could provide and wondered if he needed backing before bringing it to the team (it might have to do with LOTR since the three of them mentioned it), but that was not at all where Clark's next statement took them.

He wanted the two of them to run the Science Club? They would only be third years next year, surely one of the older students would be better suited for that role? Farrah gave a side glance to Kellen to feel out what his feelings on this was before trying to work out what exactly her feelings were on it. She felt honored, of course, but she wasn't sure if they could convince people to join them...

"I, er..." Farrah started, fully looking to Kellen before looking back at Clark. "I'm a bit surprised that you are asking us, to be honest." Farrah stated. "If you feel that we can best represent the Science Club in your absence, I would of course do that as long as Kellen agrees, but are you sure one of the older students wouldn't prefer to take it over? They might not appreciate someone younger teaching them science."

6 Farrah Welsh A half answer 344 Farrah Welsh 0 5

Clark Dill

February 09, 2017 9:36 AM

Showing my work by Clark Dill

Farrah hadn't immediately turned him down, so that was moderately promising. She did have questions and concerns though, which was entirely reasonable, so he shared his justifications for his choice of the two second years over older and more experienced members.

"John," Clark began, because John was obviously the first older student other than Clark himself who would pop into anybody's mind when it came to the Science Club, "has a lot of other things going on. I'm sure he'd be delighted to help you out and even lead a couple meetings if you asked him, but I didn't want to drop another club on him on top of Book Club and Quidditch. Don't hesitate to ask him for help though; he's a great resource on all things Science. Plus, he'll be graduating in a year anyway, so I thought it would be better to have someone lead who could be with it a while, provide stability and consistency, you know?"

Because she had specified older students in the plural, he did continue, but mostly as an afterthought. It was pretty clear that, while he had briefly considered some others, his strongest choices had always been John, Farrah, and Kellen. "And Jack and Louis have Quidditch obligations, too, and Louis's running orchestra as well. I don't know Arthur well enough to ask him, and Sammy . . . Well, quite frankly, none of them really give me a very strong science nerd vibe." He paused a moment, hoping they'd realized the implication that he thought they did was definitely a compliment coming from him.

"And every else is more of an occasional attendee rather than a dedicated member. So that's why I picked you guys. I know you're still pretty young, so I was hoping you might want to do it together, so neither of you gets overwhelmed trying to do it by yourself. And if you'd like, you can help me with the rest of this year's meetings, to see how I do it."

1 Clark Dill Showing my work 277 Clark Dill 0 5

Kellen Mormont

February 14, 2017 4:24 AM

Analyzing the data... by Kellen Mormont

Kellen’s initial reaction to Clark’s offer had been to decline. He wasn’t the biggest fan of social situations, though this year he’d made progress in that respect. He suspected it had a lot to do with Farrah. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to impress her, or if being around her just gave him courage. The fact that Clark had suggested that they run it together was definitely tempting as well--Kellen wasn’t about to turn down a chance to spend more time with her. Science Club without Clark was a weird thought as far as the second year was concerned, but the idea of Sonora without it seemed just as unappealing.

He was glad that Farrah spoke up first, and seemed to have questions as well. When the Seventh year explained his reason for approaching the two of them, it made more sense. Kellen didn’t really consider himself to be particularly outgoing, and friends were a rare commodity. Farrah, on the other hand (and mostly in Kellen’s opinion) seemed to be spreading her wings this year. Maybe they couldmanage it between the two of them. At the very least, and if they could use John as a resource, he didn’t see why they couldn’t at least keep it going for another term.

Assuming people weren’t completely deterred by him, of course.

A knot was beginning to form in his stomach as Kellen considered the possibility of failing to sustain the club. What if everyone decided to quit based on the fact that it was run by two third years? What if John quits ? It finally occurred to Kellen that he hadn't said anything to either of them, and they were likely looking to him for a response. No matter what his anxiety riddled brain was telling him, he wasn't about to let Clark down, and would rather go swimming than let Farrah down.

“Sounds good to me.” He answered finally. It might have been a half truth, but with Clark's guidance, he was willing to give it a go. He looked to Farrah for approval before turning back to the older student. “I'm still a little stunned, but also really flattered. I mean, I never would have considered running a club, so, thanks. I'm definitely willing to help out the rest of the year to try and absorb more of your knowledge.”

“Assuming, of course, that Farrah wants to.”

5 Kellen Mormont Analyzing the data... 341 Kellen Mormont 0 5

Farrah

February 14, 2017 1:57 PM

Providing my results by Farrah

Farrah listened intently as Clark explained his reasoning for his choice. She could respectfully understand why John wouldn't be the best replacement. Farrah enjoyed him as a person but he did seem a bit busy and since he was going into his final year there was also the chance that he could obtain the Head Boy badge and be even more busy. Farrah did like the idea of being able to go to John for help and possible assistance because Farrah's science knowledge only sent so far and incorporating magic into it was something entirely knew for her altogether.

She knew the others even less than she did Clark and John (being members of their clubs and being Library Helpers together really helped her feel comfortable and confident around the older Aladren males). Jack was a library helper so she felt less awkward around him, but Louis wasn't one she interacted with. She was fairly certain that Madeleine knew him personally and that he was famous, which made Farrah rather nervous around him.

She supposed she and Kellen were logical choices; she just never really ever considered running the science club as a third year. Farrah was not a good public speaker and when she became excited over things, she had a tendency to speak really fast. She was terrified about the idea of failing. Clark was such an amazing host that Farrah just wasn't sure that people would want to learn from her or Kellen.

Still... She didn't want to let Clark down.

"If you think we could really make it work..." She said hesitantly. "I would definitely only do it with Kellen and working with you through the remaining meetings would be helpful.". Farrah stated, mostly to herself for encouragement. "Do you think you could maybe talk to John with us and the other members about your decision so that no one has any hard feelings in case they were hoping to take over?"

6 Farrah Providing my results 344 Farrah 0 5

Clark

February 16, 2017 2:51 PM

Glad that's settled. Oi, John! by Clark

Clark found himself grinning as both second years agreed, albeit a bit hesitantly and without much outward confidence of their abilities. "Oh, absolutely," he promised, in regards to approaching John about his mentorship role in the club next year, and making the succession public knowledge at the next club meeting. "I want this to be an easy and comfortable transition for everyone, as much as possible. If I thought anyone was chomping at the bit to take over, I would have asked them first, so I don't think you have anything to worry about there, but letting everyone know what to expect is definitely a good idea, if only so nobody is surprised by John not doing it."

"You'll do fine," he promised, "Telescope nights are always popular and don't require much work or leadership. You we're here when I started the club up, but we had more guest lectures then, either older students willing to talk about their science of interest, or a professor who agreed to discuss one of theirs - I recommend Professors Xavier and Ammon and Carter as good bets given their backgrounds, or even getting permission for an outside scholar to come in to talk to you. Older siblings, parents, or alumni are great resources to ask who probably won't charge anything if you know the contact information for any. Then you guys don't have to deliver any lectures of your own if that's the part that bothers you."

"And, hey!" he raised his voice, half stood, and waved a hand to get John's attention as the sixth year walked into Clark's field of vision. "John!"

Having successfully gained his best friend's attention, he sat back down and got right to the point, "I'm thinking you have too much going on next year to run the Science club, so I'm asking these two to take the lead on it, with you as kind of a mentor figure for them, and maybe an occasional lecturer. Does that work for you?"

1 Clark Glad that's settled. Oi, John! 277 Clark 0 5

John Umland

February 17, 2017 11:43 AM

Time for peer review, then? by John Umland

John had been thinking about something, he was sure, but it left his head when he heard Clark call his name. He started to smile, but the expression faded into something like concern as he realized that his friend had company already and that said company was junior enough to them both that it was possible there was a problem.

“Yeah?” said John, joining the party and looking between Farrah and Kellen. Those two had always seemed like good friends when he’d seen them, so if they were having a falling out, it was probably not something they would bring to a pair of prefects to arbitrate, was it? John thought most people just stayed angry in those situations. Was someone else bothering them? John supposed he could help with setting such an individual straight, but really, that seemed like something Clark could do on his own, unless he just didn’t have time….”Everything all right?” he asked nobody in particular.

The actual issue was not one John had thought of. He nodded slowly. “I was thinking I’d give the Book Club to Laila or Gia or someone, but I – suppose that works, too,” he said, trying not to think that it felt vaguely as though they were making arrangements to divide up Clark’s estate. “Better than someone just being around for one year. Yeah. I like you two. I can help you, if you want.” This was a key consideration. A surprising number of people at Sonora were willing to work with John in various capacities, but plenty…were not, for various reasons.

16 John Umland Time for peer review, then? 285 John Umland 0 5