Wisdom and Madness

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

“There is a wisdom
that is woe;
but there is a woe
that is madness."
- Herman Melville

Cara drew in a deep breath as she entered the main office, she knew exactly what she wanted to say, and had arranged the appointment with the principal before hand, so she was well and truly prepared... or at least as prepared as she could possibly be, as the outcome could still not come out in her favour.

She bowed her head as she directed through to the hallway with the offices of Ms Hart and Ms McDermot. She swallowed hard as she stepped toward the door that belonged to the former and knocked against the wood before stepping back; forcing herself to take even breaths, breathe in, hold, release. Anything to try and steady her racing heart as she kept her nerves at bay.

---

And just because I like it, here's the complete quote that I used above:
“There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness.
And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges,
and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces.
And even if he for ever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains;
so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than other birds upon the plain,
even though they soar.”
― Herman Melville, Moby Dick

[Jennifer Hart]

Jen had left Jazz at home that morning, knowing which appointments she had during the day. As the time for one of those appointments drew near, she finished off a last email and had pulled up the student's file in question. She wasn't sure what this meeting was about, but she liked to be prepared.

As there was a knock at the door, she looked up, "Enter." She smiled at the girl who opened the door and stood as the girl entered the room, "Cara. I hope you are well?"

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara closed the door behind her, biding her time. "I am well thank you, Ma'am." She replied as she approached the woman. "Thank you for letting me come and see you." It was now, that she realised that no matter how well she had practiced what she was going to say, she was still unsure now that she was here.

[Jennifer Hart]

Jen nodded at the girl's response, gesturing at a chair, "Of course. I'm here for that. Would you like to sit?" She didn't really know what the girl was going to ask about, but still - Part of her job was to be here for the students to come and talk to should they wish to. With this student, though, the request had been a bit of a surprise.

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara graciously shook her head at the offer for a seat, she was happier standing, and she knew that she would bounce on the balls of her feet when seated. She pressed her lips together, silently going through the bullet points of what she wanted to ask of the woman, and preparing herself for the worse. Drawing a deep breath, she commanded herself to start talking. "I don't age out until I am eighteen, and I can not move into the housing building in Lexington until the end of the summer." She cut herself off as she pressed her lips together, she was rambling. "Sorry." She closed her eyes and started again. "Upon graduation, as a seventeen year old, without somewhere to go, I would be required to go into an institution, normally a juvenile centre, until I age out. However, if there was a chance I could remain here, and work for food and board, I wouldn't have to."

[Jennifer Hart]

Jen listened to the girl's request, keeping her face blank as she considered it. Cara certainly wasn't the type to cause trouble, and she didn't think there would be anything wrong with it. Perhaps less than the proper situation, but her snap decision would be to allow it. She didn't want to get into the legalities of employing a 'child', under eighteen, though - Students helping was different from a graduate, in a way.

Finally, she settled on a solution that would hopefully work, "Since I don't know about employing minors, and we usually don't do this, how about a compromise. You are welcome to stay in the dorm, and eat at the cafeteria, and use the barn for your mounts. Any work you do in assisting is voluntary and you are not required to do so." She could easily let someone stay on campus, after all. That was her choice. And Cara, if she was so inclined, could help around the school if she wished. "How does that sound?"

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara's eyes widened as the principal answered and she felt like she could breathe again when it seemed that she was given the affirmative. She blinked quickly and nodded her head just as quick to the question. "That sounds wonderful, thank you, Ma'am." She said with a ghost of a smile. "Thank you." She released a slow breath, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her. "Thank you." She blushed at the repeated words, now at a loss of what to say, as hadn't worked out what was going to happen if the woman agreed.

[Jennifer Hart]

Jen nodded as the girl seemed relieved at the response. She smiled at the repeated thanks, "Of course." She paused, thinking, "I will inform Ms. Simone and Ms. Robinson about the arrangements, so you don't have to worry about that." She could find the time to talk to them, she was sure. "Was there anything else?"

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara nodded her head again. Approaching the barn manager would have been a problem, as it would have been about the ponies; the Head of House though? Andie scared the girl, and Cara approached her as little as possible. "Thank you, Ma'am." She shook her head at the question, as she hadn't thought of anything else she may need to talk about. "There is nothing else. I thank you for your time." She wondered if people hated the words thank you, coming out of her mouth as much as people seemed to hate her go-to answer of I'm fine? Though she was getting better at not saying that.