“Hello! Yes I am!” Aida said, reflexively pasting her service smile onto her face. The woman had a sheaf of papers in her hands; Aida supposed it wasn’t so surprising for the school to give every Affiliate a profile of their graduating students.
“Excellent! My name is Teena Vega, with the Fortune Favors Clinic. I’m very interested in speaking with you, if you don’t mind,” the Healer said, her grin not relenting.
“Of course,” Aida said politely, pulling her own lips into a close-lipped smile. The Affiliate’s blatant display of teeth made her uncomfortable.
“My first question is: What makes you think you’re qualified to be a Healer?”
Aida was able to answer without too much of a hitch. “Currently, I know the skills Heal and Regeneration. I’ve been practicing Healing whenever I can, and I’ve been able to help Heal one of my classmates after our placement matches - he had some internal bleeding, and the only thing that stopped me from healing him all the way was that my mana was exhausted, but I was able to keep him stable until Healer Luk came to take over.” The Healer’s eyes didn’t blink, and Aida soldiered on.
“For my Regeneration skill, I’ve only recently learned it, but I have been using it whenever I can to help Class 1 recover more quickly during their training sessions. I believe with my aptitude in learning new skills, I can learn other healing quickly, especially if I am provided with the opportunity and mentorship.”
Teena’s teeth remained on full display as she spoke. “Thank you, your self-confidence is something to be admired. My next question: in your file, it is noted that the development of your mana pool capacity is…significantly behind, shall we say. Closer to the capacity of a child being considered for entry to Maglica Academy, even. After two and a half sun cycles of intensive training, what would you say about the, ah, ‘progress’ of your development?”
Aida felt her lips quiver at the implications. Fighting to keep her face as smooth as possible as all the nearby Affiliates stilled, she tried to come up with a response that wouldn’t sound petulant. Teena tilted her head inquisitively, the squinting of her eyes from her smile looking more ominous than ever.
“I acknowledge a smaller than average mana pool can make things more challenging,” Aida said slowly, careful to keep her voice steady. Her heart was thrumming solidly in her chest, ready to begin hammering at a moment’s notice. Stay calm, stay focused. “However, I have been working hard to improve my efficiency, so that I can utilize all my skills to the best of my ability.”
“Ah, of course,” Teena said, nodding vigorously, as if she was in full agreement. “There is evidence that you’ve been working hard - you started off the first two school years at the bottom of the class, and then this year you were able to make it to the very respectable rank of fifteen, for example. It is a marked improvement, certainly; a sign that, perhaps, you can work hard if you are truly desperate and driven to a corner. However,” Teena coughed delicately, lowering her voice and leaning towards Aida as if she was imparting advice, though her words still carried through the courtyard to all the other Affiliates, “do you believe this is the kind of mindset any employer is after? It is consistency and determination that matter in the long run, after all.”
Aida pressed her lips together tightly, fighting the outburst that was coming. I didn’t beg to be in this position in the first place! She glared at Teena, unsure what she could say. She agreed with the Healer’s words in principle, of course, but it wasn’t like she had been deliberately slacking since the beginning.
“I see,” Teena said softly as Aida struggled to come up with a response. One corner of her lip curled in a sinister smirk. “It seems you disagree with me on that point. Let me ask you this: perhaps you think, because of this burst of achievement, that you are such a genius that you can overcome your classmates’ well-earned progress in fundamental skills with your more efficient control of your mana?”
“That isn’t what I said and I don’t think–”
“No need to shout, miss Loreh,” Teena interrupted smoothly, her calm cadence infuriating Aida even more. She ground her teeth together, fighting to maintain some veneer of professionalism as she saw all the intrigued expressions around them. Teena continued speaking, golden eyes glimmering in triumph as she solidified the fact that she had the upper hand - and knowing that Aida knew that. “We’re just having a conversation. I’m just trying to understand how you earned your fifteenth rank. Were there any…extenuating circumstances that allowed you to make such a drastic jump?” At the last question, Teena raised one hand to casually simulate an obscene motion while under the guise of brushing a blonde lock of hair behind her ear, simultaneously raising her voice to catch the attention of anyone who wasn’t already paying attention by this point.
Aida stared at Teena, stunned. Teena was smiling sweetly back at Aida, melting back into a kind-hearted Healer persona. When Aida still hadn’t responded, Teena shook her head slightly.
“As I said, this is just a casual conversation, and won’t be held against you. I’m just curious as to how you managed to improve so dramatically in the matter of a few moon cycles.”
Glancing around, Aida could see that Teena had successfully managed to draw everyone’s attention. The tension was beginning to spread through the courtyard, eliciting whispers as it rolled through the crowd like particularly powerful flatulence.
“The professors decided to alter the ranking system for the placement matches,” Aida said stiffly. She tried to keep her voice quiet, but it seemed to echo through the stillness. “The new system allows for evaluating student aptitude in more ways than one, and rewards cleverness and risk-taking. Don’t you think part of being a successful practitioner means taking risks others aren’t willing to take?”
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“Of course,” Teena agreed brightly, her voice ringing. There was no doubt that everyone in the courtyard could hear her. “I completely understand the allure of taking risks and being clever. I suppose my question was really: what kind of cleverness did you employ? And what about your risks? Are they of a more…risque nature?” Teena’s tongue flicked out between her lips in a vulgar representation of what she was hinting at.
Aida felt blood slowly boom through her head. She straightened, so that she was staring directly into Teena’s predatory gaze. Aida saw a glint of mirth pass through Teena’s eyes as the Healer waited to hear how the pitiful student would respond.
She opened her mouth to respond scathingly, professionalism be damned - because Teena could disparage her ability, her work ethic, if she wanted to - since other people might have higher standards - but the one thing she refused to let anyone belittle was her integrity.
Aida stopped, trapped in the gaze of all the Affiliates in the courtyard. The wide, judgmental eyes of the surrounding Affiliates seemed to be daring Aida to talk back, to spice up the event - and embarrass herself even more. Her courage faltered, and she felt herself shrivel despite her best efforts to stand proud. If I speak up, that would be taking Teena’s bait - I’ll look emotional and overly sensitive, and nobody will want to hire someone who loses their cool so easily.
If she walked away right now, she could preserve the illusion that she was unruffled, and that Teena’s words were obviously false. She already had a poor track record, so she couldn’t afford to risk looking like trouble. If she acted out even more, then rumors about how unhinged she became on New Sun Day could spread among the rest of the Affiliates - and completely decimate her chances of getting a job from among these recruiters.
“Stop it.” Aida’s spiral into angry, helpless compliance was interrupted by the forceful voice behind her. Whipping her head around, she saw Dev’s name tag in her face. Raising her head, she saw Dev glaring icily at Teena. “Your slandering of Maglica Academy - and Aida - is offensive. If you have any concerns with the school’s conduct, I recommend you take it up with the professors instead of taking it out on students.”
Teena bowed, hiding her face. “My apologies, Mister Flau - I wasn’t trying to slander you or the school, I was just trying to understand—“
“Suggesting that sexual favors are a way to earn ranking at Maglica is an insult to the school and everyone in it. And even suggesting that all it takes to get to the middle of the rankings is a little last-minute desperation is an insult to everyone in this class.” Aida was gently moved aside as Dev stepped closer towards Teena, towering over her deferential figure. “As you’ve noted, our hard work is not so easily overcome. Aida has practiced with a single-minded dedication that many of us admire, and her cleverness and talent in executing mana might be unmatched in Class 2 for her to have achieved so much with so little. Every deficiency you point out she will overcome with time, and all that will be left will be her talent and hard work.”
Aida was stunned at Dev’s words. She didn’t realize he had been watching her so closely, with how much of a distance he kept. Teena kept her head lowered, but made no move to apologize or admit fault. Her mana was still steady. Dev seemed to notice that she was just waiting out the storm, because he continued talking.
“It’s easy to judge someone on paper. On their statistics. When you haven’t seen the effort that goes into achieving that record. But for the ones who have, we’ve watched Aida work hard, and give up so much of herself in order to get to where she is now. She went against all odds and expectations, and I can confidently say that everyone in Class 2 agrees that she belongs in this courtyard with the rest of us.”
Flabbergasted, Aida looked up at him. His initial words made sense, because he was protecting the reputation of the school. But doubling down? Especially to try to preserve her reputation?
“That’s right,” Tera said loudly. “She’s been able to hold her own in all of our training matches.”
“And she’s also very cooperative,” Natalie added. “Even though she’s Water, she’s still been able to assist me so that we can do some pretty awesome things during Lloyd’s mana applications classes.”
“She deserves her spot here,” Abedi agreed in a low growl. “Putting her back in the bottom of the class would make no sense.”
Aida was dumbfounded, listening to every one of her classmates chime in to stand up for her. The frustration and hostility she had been accumulating from Teena’s attack clashed with the shock and gratification from her classmates’ support. The overwhelming mix of conflicting emotions broke through the remainder of Aida’s control, and the tiny teacup in her hand shattered.
The tears of anger she had been holding back spilled out. Almost instantly, Dev grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd, away from the school. As she passed Teena, the woman lifted her gaze briefly, a triumphant smile on her face - and Aida was able to get some amount of satisfaction in seeing the smug woman blanch as Aida kept her murderous gaze fixed on her until Dev pulled her completely away from the crowd.
Dev didn’t stop walking until they reached a secluded corner of the school, where there were no windows and no other students. He finally turned to face her, concern in his blue eyes.
“Are you all right?”
Aida nodded, wiping her eyes with her wrists. She paused.
Dev was still holding onto her hand.
Dev released her, lifting his hand the rest of the way to wipe away her tears gently with his fingertips. His hand rested lightly on her cheek, his fingers blessedly cool against her hot skin.
Aida didn’t know when Dev had gotten so close, but all she knew was that she had her back pressed against the wall with nowhere else to retreat. Dev’s eyes, normally so flinty and cold, were looking at her with compassion.
Quickly ducking her head, Aida wiped her eyes, brushing away Dev’s hand.
“Thanks for standing up for me,” she mumbled.
“Of course. That Healer was insulting all of us.”
That’s right. It’s not about defending me specifically, it’s about protecting their reputation as a whole. Aida gave him a watery smile. “Either way. I appreciate it.”
“You know what Teena Vega said about you is completely wrong, right?” Dev asked quietly. Aida looked up at him. The way he said it - so calmly, so confidently, as if he was just stating a fact, and not merely sympathizing with her - it made her want to agree with him.
The corners of Dev’s mouth lifted in a rare smile. His normally cold and intimidating facade thawed, and his eyes softened, causing a shiver to run through Aida’s body; like stepping out of a freezing air-conditioned grocery store into the warm summer breeze, the shiver reminded her she didn’t have to be wound so tightly, be so on guard anymore. Aida parted her lips.
“You really were serious about wanting to be friends, weren’t you?”