voidtreckernet | Video; Afternoon Catfish Day 23

Good afternoon, Voidtreckers. If I haven't met you yet, I'm Tony Stark. I have a few matters to discuss with all of you.

For those who are new to this train, please fill out the questionnaire that was attached to each ICP in the 'welcome packet'. Yes, these answers are kept strictly confidential and the only purpose for me collecting them is to find some kind of pattern in being brought here. For those who have been here longer, please check if you've completed all the questions as I've added a few. If this irritates you, blame Peter Parker.

Anyway, as requested, I'm going to be giving the Train Council a debriefing on my findings so far in the next few days. Spoiler alert, I've found very little patterns.

For anyone interested, I'll be posting a list of currently offered classes and at what time per week on the door going into the dining carriage. As of right now, there are yoga classes every morning at 8:30, people offering various types of sparring lessons, and I'll be starting school with a class on math and a class on science later this week. If you're interested, let me know so I can give you a pre-class test to see where your current level is.

Does anyone garden? I've been working on an update ventilation system since we have kids on the train and those who potential have compromised breathing. It occurred to me, we might benefit greatly if we started to add small gardens throughout the train. I'll create proper lighting. If someone can build some gardening boxes, that would also be appreciated. As of now I have a list of the items in the kitchen that can be planted for those who would enjoy such activities.

Lastly, is the damn book-demon idiot still occupying and being a pain in the ass in the garden carriage? You've got one hour to cut that out.

Feanor, come find me. We need to talk.

[ooc- The bold is OOC so people can skim this easier.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

We'll certainly get into that subject too. It's important to have a solid understanding of chemistry for a number of reasons, especially if your interest is forensics.

[He would happily tailor some discussions toward what these kids were interested in.]

I appreciate it.

[He looks like he was about to turn the feed off, really his attention span was only so long, but then he thought of something else.]

Oh, I've made some headway with your skateboard. If you have some time, I'd like it if you'd stop by. There are a few measurements I need to get just the right balance for your weight and size.

And that news definitely cheers Conan up. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone, since of course he kept everything that was actually bothering him to himself, but knowing that he was limited to how fast he could run right now had been a concern dragging on him ever since he'd arrived on the train. Especially after all the events on the two planets he'd visited.

"Really? You're that far along already? Of course I'll come by later."

"I'll get a test ready for you too so we can get both of those out of the way. Come find me at the lab." He got up from where he'd been lounging in the dining carriage. "About how long do you think you'll be?"

"I can come over now if you're ready."

All he had to do today was reading through his books for the fifth time.

He glanced at his watch and nodded.

"Give me about five minutes." And just because he likes you..

Whenever Conan showed up at Tony's workspace, the door was open and a fresh iced coffee sitting on the table with a clean handkerchief underneath it. Tony was adding the last few questions to the test on a piece of notebook paper, before turning the page around and offering it to the boy.

"Normally I'd allow calculators for some of this, but the only one I have is on my laptop."

Conan was actually rather looking forward to this. It wasn't often that he got to stretch his brain on problems not related to cases.

So he shows up right on time.

"That's okay. I don't usually use calculators." Usually on cases there wasn't time to pull out a calculator, so he'd practiced until he could do most calculations in his head.

"Alright well that right there earns you a few bonus points," he joked. He offered a pencil and eraser so Conan can take the test.

For someone who was prone to being very verbose, Tony actually shuts up really well when he wants to. The kid needed concentration and he had plenty of other things to work on. Conan was the first to come in for a test, so he didn't have anything to grade yet. He wondered just how best to keep everyone engaged in a classroom full of different skill levels.

Toward the middle, he does interrupt with one question. "Do you think some people would be too embarrassed by their lack of education to be in the same class as those who are doing advanced math or would most people not worry about that and just work at their own pace?" It had been quite a while since he'd been in a 'regular' classroom setting.

Conan had had a little trouble on the first few questions. It had been a long time since he'd had any reason to use advanced math outside of cases and major disasters, and he was more than a little rusty. But after the first few questions it starts to come back to him.

"It depends on the person," he answers absently, with most of his attention still on the problem in front of him. "Some people would prefer to be in a lower level class with others at the same level. Others would take it as an implication that someone thought they weren't capable of keeping up."

Tony tilted his head to see Conan's test around his computer screen. He smirked approvingly when he saw the current question being worked on was taking the kid some time but the answers being written down were correct. By the last question, he'd hope the kid would get something wrong or he'd have to come up with another test to find where Conan's skill level was.

The remark hadn't been too helpful, but he supposed it was accurate. People were so different about their skill levels and their embarrassment or comfort in other people knowing where that level was.

"How did your teachers back home handle your advanced schooling while being in.. what first or second grade?"

"First grade. And I didn't have any."

His teachers had known he was smart. He'd never tried to conceal that. But he'd also made an effort to make sure they didn't guess just how advanced he really was.

Conan frowns as he gets stuck at a step on the current problem, and goes back to run the calculations from the beginning again.

Tony frowned, unsure what to say to that. "You mean you just pretended to be on the same level as the other kids? That's sounds awful!" No wonder Conan could be so cranky. He had to be almost crazy from boredom.

He was definitely distracting the poor kid, which he was sure wasn't going to help the boy's mood any but this new reveal was too much not to address. "How long have you been dealing with this and why?"

And that was different question to answer. School had never really challenged him. Japan didn't have programs for gifted students, like the American programs he suspected Tony was thinking about. He could have gone to a more advanced school, but that would have meant leaving Ran behind. That wasn't an option he was willing to take.

But that wasn't the question Tony had asked. "I've been at Teitan Elementary School for a year." Here he pauses in thought. He suspected already that Tony had guessed that he was hiding from something. But how to answer without giving anything away. "As for the reason, consider this. The best place to hide a tree is in the forest."

He considered that response for a moment, before nodding in agreement. It didn't matter all that much why Conan was holding on to his secrets or had secrets to begin with. The point was the poor kid felt he needed to do that.

"Sorry you're hiding, kid, Wish I could help." And that was going to have to be his point for now. "At least it won't be like that here. You can actually learn at your level just as soon as we figure out what that is."

And Conan gladly drops that part of the conversation. He really didn't want to get into the specifics of why he felt the need to hide his intelligence.

And that did not seem likely to change any time soon. Especially as long as he was stuck here and had no way of making progress.

"I'm not entirely sure what my level is," he says as he goes back to the test. "I've done a lot of extracurricular study."

That was one way to describe ten years of developing extra skills.

"No kidding," Tony remarked with a chuckle.

He went back to reading and working on other things quietly till Conan was done. When he handed it in, Tony was impressed by how well the boy did.

"Looks like I'm starting you with trig and you have a good grasp on physics, but we can go deeper on that. Thanks for taking the test."

Video; Afternoon Catfish Day 23

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