"Mr. Smith" At Your Service

I liiiive! It's been a long time since I actually published anything, but I promise I haven't left the plane of reality quite yet. Just learning how to balance my hobbies with all the responsibilities that come with running a classroom of hyperactive 5th graders. This was mostly written because parent-teacher conferences = suffering. Please enjoy!

"So... you're Nya's father?" Ms. Adams asked from across the table. Kai stiffened.

"I sure am. Were you expecting someone different to show up for this conference?" he replied, clearing his throat awkwardly. Ms. Adams flushed.

"No, no. Of course not. You're just younger than I expected, that's all."

"It's my height, isn't it?" Kai said, pretending to be embarrassed, "I used to spike it up when I was younger to compensate, you know? But nowdays that just seems too... childish. Yeah."

"... oh," Ms. Adams said, looking a bit like a parched fish, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Smith. Nya talks a lot about her brother, Kai, but she doesn't mention her parents much."

"Ah, yes. Kai Smith Junior. He's a good kid."

"I can tell Nya really looks up to him. You must do a good job of raising them both for them to be so close." Nya's teacher observed. Kai held in a snicker. She had no idea.

"It's not always easy, but I'd say we manage." Ms. Adams nodded in agreement.

"So, tell me," Kai continued, without letting Ms. Adams think of anything else to ask about his family, "how is Nya doing in 5th grade?"

"Oh, she's a joy to have in class. Very bright and a hard worker," Ms. Adams began, "she tends to be far more proficient than her peers when it comes to stem related subjects."

Kai hummed in what he hoped was a thoughtful and attentive way. He already knew Nya was smart – smarter than him, probably. As much as he hated to admit it.

"In fact, I've had to make her my teaching assistant for math because she finishes her work so much earlier than the others."

"Wow," Kai interjected. All that time crunching numbers for their blacksmith shop had clearly paid off.

"Indeed. Nya shows promise with writing, too, but I think her perfectionist side makes it difficult for her to finish her writing projects on time. I do occasionally have to collect her work before she is complete happy with it."

"That... sounds like Nya." Kai had often heard the sounds of pencils being thrown across Nya's bedroom in frustration. Remembering that he was supposed to be playing the part of a concerned parent, he asked, "is there, uh, anything I should be doing to help her?"

"I'm sure she'll grow out of it with time. For now, just keep reminding her that it is okay to make mistakes sometimes. Unlike math or science, writing is very open ended. I think her perfectionist nature just... doesn't do well with something where there isn't always a single right answer."

Kai nodded thoughtfully. "I'll do my best with that."

"Thank you. That's all I ask. Nya really is a wonderful girl, though," Ms. Adams assured him, "I see great things in her future. She's got plenty of good friends and a wonderful family to support her and a brilliant mind."

"I'm glad to hear she's doing so well overall," Kai replied with a grin. His sister might be a pain sometimes, but it was good to know that she was getting to have a relatively normal school experience. And that she was making friends. The amount of time she spent cooped up helping him run the blacksmith definitely wasn't a great way for her to live her life.

"Of course, Mr. Smith," Ms. Adams said, returning his smile.

"Nya speaks very highly of you. I really appreciate how much you've done for her," Kai told the teacher. He glanced at his watch, beginning to wonder if his 20 minute time slot was almost over. Ms. Adams seemed to be wondering the same thing, for she broke the silence almost immediately.

"It is my pleasure. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about your daughter. Thank you for your time."

"You, too,"

And with that, Kai bid Ms. Adams a good evening and headed for the door.

"Your spiky hair is too childish? Bwahahaha," Nya cackled when she saw him coming. She was sitting cross legged on a bench outside her classroom and had clearly been eavesdropping.

"Cmon, Nya. Let's get out of here," Kai said, rolling his eyes.

"Sure, dad," Nya replied teasingly. She looked her arm through his as they walked down the hallway.

Kai groaned. He was never going to live this down.