Awakening: Prodigy

09: Unfit to be Our Captain

POV Seth

"You stated you were concerned about infighting and politics. Is this a result of your sudden appointment to captain in your second year?"

There were two questions there. The first as a statement, meant to be ignored and therefore confirmed. The second question was loaded and required more attention.

Seth sat back, feeling the low back of his seat as the chair gave a precarious wobble. He widened his stance to balance himself, and sat up straight. Leaning back may have been an indicator that he wanted distance from the question. She was on the offensive.

He was tempted to stand and kick the stupid chair over, but such a harsh reaction would be viewed as unwarranted by those who were never tortured in that model. He casually searched for something to lean against. It would improve his comfort and it would annoy the hell out of the therapist.

Not wanting to leave the first implied statement alone, he replied, "I'm not concerned with team politics and infighting. I'm barely concerned about one member in particular. The rest of my squad has been supportive. To your second question," he cut her off before she could make yet another generalized false statement, "My second captain offered me the position when he found out he had to return home in the second term. He never said why. He was in his fourth year. Assuming you did your due diligence, you already know that. You may even know why he left."

Her mouth twisted in a sour pucker as she ran her tongue across her teeth. "They challenged your new leadership position."

"They did." Seth offered a smile, hoping to show that he was pleased that he was challenged, and that he had come out of it the victor. As far as he was concerned, he had done everything by the book.

"Have your members expressed dissatisfaction with your leadership?"

Seth knew the active challenges were logged, and to date, there were only two challenges from the same member.

Erick had caused a fuss because of Seth's lack of qualifications for the role. What he meant was, Seth didn't have the lineage of multi-generational participants. Every member of Erick's family had been players. Not one of them had ever won a leadership role, despite the many challenges set against their squads. Getting a leadership challenge from Erick and his ilk was a rite of passage.

Meanwhile, Erick felt that leadership was his birthright. Erick was the case for delusion and entitlement. Seth chuckled at the irony.

"Given your breeding, you feel we denied Erick his entitlement." Seth countered, using her tactic against her.

"Which one is Erick?" She sounded bored.

"The perpetrator of the series of incidents that you're actively bringing up to prove I'm not worthy of leadership."

A sly smile touched her small lips. "I never said you weren't worthy of leadership."

"No, no you did not," Seth admitted. He got a little too ahead of himself and played his hand prematurely. Would she change tactics?

If Erick and his lot had any genetic predispositions, it was as tyrants. They were intimidators, aggressors, blackmailers, bullies. Everyone was lesser than them. Unfortunately, mostly, it was true.

Erick's family was the fifth most prominent family in the Nation. Everyone knew it because he and his siblings made sure of it. "He may have been born a generation too late. He would have fit in with your creed while you were attending; as in winning by any means necessary, just so we're clear." This time, he was careful not to project too much of his dislike of her through the statement. He hated that it sounded like he was praising Erick's perseverance, suggesting that he supported his underhanded dealings.