Peeking through the door, Aida saw Levi and Ezra glaring her way. Caleb and Sue were hovering in the background, Caleb looking distressed as he tried to calm Sue down. Ah, they must have heard the commotion…
“Hi, guys. Were you waiting for me?” Aida asked brightly as Dev stepped past her. He casually raised his hand in a salute.
“We heard what happened,” Sue fumed, reaching Aida in three strides. She gripped Aida by the shoulders, looking over her intently as if she was expecting Aida to have been injured. “Are you okay? I swear, the next time I talk to that Healer—“
“I’m fine now,” Aida reassured Sue. “Dev and the rest of Class 2 stood up for me, so I’m feeling a lot better than I was before.”
Sue relaxed, finally glancing at Dev, who hadn’t left Aida’s side. “Thank you, Dev. You’re pretty okay.”
“I was just correcting the record,” Dev responded courteously. “Healer Vega’s words were deliberately inflammatory, in addition to being blatantly wrong. It made no sense to let her speak her mind unopposed.”
“Speaking of opposition, doesn’t the Flau family have the power to ensure Healer Vega doesn’t slander a Maglica student who hasn’t even graduated yet?” Levi asked loudly. He was still standing in the middle of the hallway, his arms crossed as he glared derisively at Dev. “You know, since your family is the main patron of Fortune Favors. Surely you can put in a word to the head Healer to make sure his employee faces disciplinary action for her transgression?”
Dev turned frosty eyes onto Levi’s heated bronze ones. Sparks flew between the two, making Aida shuffle uncomfortably. This is an effect I haven’t seen before.
“Guys—“
“For your information, even though we are the primary patrons of Fortune Favors, that does not mean we have any say over how the clinic operates.”
“Really?” Levi’s voice dripped with disdain. “You mean to tell me that all the Flau family members who seek to work in the Healing industry and thus get funneled into Fortune Favors all have no pull in the clinic? Or are you just saying you don’t have any influence in the family?”
Everybody stopped breathing. Even mana stopped flowing. Aida’s eyes darted between the two boys.
Levi’s hostility was a bit excessive - in the context of his goals, she could understand why he might be frustrated at how Dev professed to having no power despite his family’s reputation, but his anger seemed unreasonable and misplaced. What kind of pull was a teenage boy supposed to have, especially when the insult wasn’t directly targeting their family name?
“That’s enough,” Ezra commanded. “This petty argument serves no purpose other than wishful thinking.” He turned probing eyes onto Aida. “You truly are fine?”
Aida nodded vigorously, grateful for Ezra’s intervention. “Yes, I know Vega is only making assumptions without the details. Although I am grateful that she was so straightforward with her biases…I’m not going to work with her if I can help it.” Her stomach clenched as she thought about how that argument might have affected her chances with the other Affiliates.
“Don’t worry, Aida, she was the only Healer I saw today,” Sue said soothingly, draping her arm around Aida’s shoulders. “It’s a good thing the other Healer Affiliates are too busy to come early, huh?”
“Do you think they’ll hear about what happened when they get here?” Aida asked, trying to keep the gloom out of her voice. She tried for a joke. “Or do you think Vega’s reputation is so poor that they’ll automatically support me?”
Instead of laughing and reassuring her with exaggerated agreement as she expected, everyone looked to Dev. He looked uncomfortable.
“Well…to be honest, her reputation is that of a knowledgeable, conscientious Healer with a strong work ethic, who worked her way up from humble origins. She may not have attended Maglica, but that in itself fed into her reputation of a dependable Healer who gave her all for her profession.”
Aida sighed heavily. Teena Vega’s motivations for such an aggressive confrontation made a lot more sense now. She likely saw Aida as a privileged and lazy student who wanted to become a Healer for the respect, and was planning on coasting up to the position with her pedigree. She felt anger stir at the unjust assumption. She knows nothing about me.
“How is that professional of her?” Aida burst out, startling everyone. Sue quickly resumed patting Aida on the back. “Surely treating me the way she did will reflect poorly on her professional reputation too, right?”
Everyone’s eyes turned back to Dev, who by now was looking like he regretted hanging around. “Unfortunately, she has already established her reputation as one who…’calls it as she sees it,’” he said reluctantly, sketching the phrase in air quotes with a grimace. “So despite Class 2’s support of you today, it’s likely she will have a good amount of her own vocal supporters speaking out and backing her opinion.”
Aida groaned, burying her face into Sue’s shoulder.
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“Don’t worry,” Sue said soothingly, brushing her hair comfortingly. “You’ll prove her wrong.”
“I just hope the other Healers will give me a chance when we have to do sponsorship assignments,” Aida said, her voice coming out muffled.
“I’m sure they will,” Levi said brusquely. “And if not, I’ll have a word with them. I might not have the pull of some of us here, but I’ll put in a good word for you.”
“Me too,” Sue said quickly. “I’ll make sure to talk you up!”
“No, don’t do that,” Aida interrupted, lifting her head from Sue’s arms. “If too many people say it, that will just make Vega’s case against me - and the school - even stronger. It will be emphasizing her point that I can’t get by on my own abilities.”
Ezra clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. “I hate to say it, but Aida’s right. We shouldn’t interfere, because people like Vega will take it as a sign of weakness.” He leveled his eyes on her. “But I believe Aida will be able to prove to everyone else - if not Vega herself - that she can make an excellent Healer.”
Aida sighed, pulling away from Sue’s warmth. “Thank you. All of you, for worrying about me.” She met everyone’s gazes. “I already knew I would be against numerous odds in getting the job I want. The good thing about having Vega come at me like this is…now I can prepare for when we actually meet the full roster of Affiliates. I won’t be caught off-guard like today.”
“If you ever need to complain about a stupid Affiliate, you come to me, okay?” Sue said hotly, grasping Aida’s hands tightly. “Come on, let’s go do something fun…Professor Lloyd said we’re going to be seeing them during meal times, so let’s get your mood up before you see her again.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Despite her friends’ best efforts to cheer her up and her own logic reminding her that Healer Teena Vega’s judgment of her character was unfair, Aida was still in a bad mood when they finally went for dinner. Fortunately, the dining room was crowded enough that Aida was able to avoid crossing paths with Vega, though she did see her sit at one of the large central tables with several other Affiliates who seemed to have no qualms with her, and were in fact quite friendly.
“Don’t worry,” Caleb murmured to her, blocking Aida from Vega’s view as they walked towards their own table. “I think if she gets a chance to get to know you, she’ll realize you two are more alike than she thinks.”
Aida appreciated his sentiment, though she could only bring herself to acknowledge his words with a tight nod.
If it was a typical faceless “stranger,” Aida would be inclined to believe Caleb’s words. But having her first encounter with Vega happen the way it did, where this literal stranger went out of her way to seek her out and humiliate her, Aida didn’t share Caleb’s optimism. The woman came here with a chip on her shoulder, and there was no denying that Aida Loreh made the best target for this woman to push her agenda against the elitism that Maglica Academy embodied.
Aida had doubts about her ability to navigate the political situation, especially since it extended beyond the school at large. When she first came here, she thought she might have had the upper hand compared to her peers purely because of her additional work experience, but given how tight-knit the local politics was - there were even such things as clan inheritance disputes, for goodness’ sake - she was beginning to realize she had even less ability to climb the social ladder than she had first thought. She was a lot more dependent on her affiliation with Maglica than she expected if she wanted to be taken seriously.
The agonizing thing was that Aida understood where Vega was coming from. Having to work three times as hard just to prove herself because she wasn’t part of the “old boys’ club” or have anyone to vouch for her - and seeing people who were her peers by title, but receiving preferential treatment despite subpar work…Annie could empathize. She had heard enough stories from gymbros bragging about how they managed to land their cushy jobs, all because their fathers or mothers knew someone…Their parents might have gone to a good university, but they themselves just went to a party school.
Her mind whirled as she realized she might have enough social standing to inadvertently step on people’s toes just by existing. It was a heady feeling, one that made her realize she had to reevaluate her position more precisely. How much power do I really have here?
Aida glanced around the table at her friends. Her friendship with Ezra and Levi were the most valuable relationships if she wanted to climb the social ladder. Same with Sue; she had the natural charisma and talent to easily attract patrons. She sucked in a breath.
She didn’t like this way of thinking. Viewing her friends through such a cold, utilitarian lens made her feel scummy.
Levi nudged her. “Are you all right?” She gave him a wan smile.
“Yeah, I’m fine…just trying to get used to the idea that I might be perceived as privileged and entitled.” Aida spoke quietly to avoid drawing Sue’s attention on her other side.
Levi raised an eyebrow. “You know what the best way to handle that kind of perception is, right?”
“Ignore it?”
“Lean into it.” Levi popped a piece of fruit into his mouth. “Give the people what they want. They’ll build an image of the kind of person they think you are, and treat you that way.”
“But I don’t want them to treat me as privileged and entitled,” Aida hissed.
“Let me finish,” Levi said, poking a multicolored berry into Aida’s mouth. She bit down, savoring the sweet juice as she waited impatiently for Levi to finish his thought. “You know how you would treat someone who is entitled, right? So that means you know how Vega will treat you.”
Aida frowned thoughtfully, nodding at him to go on.
“And since she’ll have you pegged as a one-dimensional spoiled girl from Maglica Academy, she won’t have her guard up on how you might subvert her expectations. That means,” Levi pointed his chopsticks at Aida’s nose, making her sit up straight to avoid being skewered, “You have the opportunity to catch her off-guard whenever you decide to show your true colors.”
“So I should bide my time with Vega,” Aida said slowly, trying to make sure she understood what Levi was saying. “Let her think I’m exactly what she thinks I am, until some opportune moment shows up for me to undercut whatever her agenda might be.”
Levi’s eyes gleamed. “Exactly. You’re still an unknown quantity, and Vega’s words will weigh more than yours. The more she slanders you, the heavier her downfall will be when you prove her wrong.”
“You really are familiar with the social game, aren’t you?” Aida marveled, looking at him with new respect. She squinted at him. “Do I need to be more careful with you?”
Levi smirked at her. “Not at all! What you see is what you get with me.” He winked.
Aida laughed, getting Sue’s attention.
“What are you laughing at?” Sue asked curiously, turning away from Caleb.
“Levi’s being silly,” Aida said, smiling. She began digging into her meal, her mood greatly improved after having a plan of action in place.