Author's Note: Okay, this is my first Final Fantasy fanfiction. So let me go ahead and get all of the disclaimers out of the way. I don't own anything except the plot and Lynn. I'm not making any money off of this and I'm sure Square Enix has better things to do than attack penniless fanfic writers. So enjoy the story and review if the urge hits you!
Worth Its Weight In Gold
So far, it had not been a very good day at all for the Great General Sephiroth. Of course, it had not been a very good week, or even month to be honest. Hell, if one really wanted to get technical, he hadn't had a good day since he was born. And today was shaping up to be no different.
His faithful, loyal secretary had died. Old age had finally caught up to the formidable lady and she had passed away peacefully in her sleep three days ago. The funeral had been particularly lovely and Sephiroth had to admit he would miss the crotchety old woman with her steel gray bun and sensible shoes barking at him for eating so many jelly filled powdered sugar donuts even when it was her that brought them to him covertly. After all, it wouldn't do at all for the general public to know that the mighty General was a closet sugar fiend, would it? In Myrtle Worley he had found the closest thing to a family he had yet to find, and he would miss her, even if she did show a definite lack of deference to him. It was like having a grandmother, except she had never wiped his face before going to a meeting, though once she did try. Then again, if he had just let her wipe his face he wouldn't have had to make up some outlandish story to explain the white powder on his upper lip. ShinRa's top executives probably thought he had a cocaine habit. Well, better that than a craving for sweets. At least cocaine was somewhat manly.
However, with the passing of Myrtle into the afterlife, Sephiroth was left with a very disturbing problem. Work was piling up on his desk and he had no secretary to take care of it. Ohh, he'd had plenty of interviewees, mostly girls between 21 and 35 who wore skirts entirely too high, blouses entirely too low and heels that he could swear he had seen on the feet of the "ladies" in the Honeybee Inn. They were always giggling and flipping their hair and giving him looks like he was the next prize Chocobo up for auction and it creeped him out to be honest. It wasn't as if he had an aversion to the fairer sex; far from it, he enjoyed feminine company as much as any other man. It was just…well… uncomfortable when they looked at you like they were expecting you to rip their clothes off and ravish them right there on the desk. Or ravish you; after all, he was acquainted with Scarlet unfortunately and she wasn't the only raving nympho dominatrix in the world he was sure.
He sighed, tossing aside another underqualified resume. Why on earth did ShinRa insist on hiring from outside of the military for assistant staff for top executives? While he doubted he would have as much fun baiting them as he did with Myrtle, a nice, serious, libido-challenged young cadet (male preferably) would be far better than some hair twirling coquette intent on getting him in between the sheets. The last thing Sephiroth wanted was a mental breakdown and if one more girl giggled and batted their lashes at him, he would set fire to the whole damned building! Well, one more applicant. Then the day was over. The name on the resume was fairly ambiguous, Lynn Shaunessy. As he had known male and female Lynns, he had his fingers crossed. Well, Lynn's appointment was in ten minutes, better try to regroup before the arrival.
No sooner had he settled back in his chair and closed his eyes that the security intercom crackled. "General, there is a Lynn Shaunessy here to see you. Shall I send her up?" Ahh blessed Nera Irby! If only he could lure her away from her post at the front desk of the ShinRa office, he would be a happy man! Nera and Myrtle were members of the OBC, or Old Battleaxe Club as he called them, and if he couldn't have Myrtle back, he'd have jumped at the chance to get Nera. A towering white haired lady with such bad eyesight she had to wear glasses to see her fingernails, Nera was a legend around here. Terrorists intent on destroying ShinRa had quailed under her steely gaze and on more than one occasion she had not bothered waiting for security and had tossed out ruffians herself. One might laugh, but the sight of a nearly six foot tall grandmother dragging some street punk out by the ear was one sight Sephiroth would not give up for all the tea in Wutai.
"Yes please, thank you Nera." He said, sighing longingly for his lost relaxation time. Well, at least the mystery person was punctual. Ten minutes early was a good sign. Five minutes later there was a buzz at the door of his office. Impressive. Obviously the elevators weren't too crowded today. With an office on the fifty fifth floor, no one came by the stairs to visit him. Which was just as well, since the last thing he wanted was some health nut who came in smelling of sweat because they just ran up all those flights. He made his way to the door and glanced out to see who the new applicant was. He had to admit that whatever he was expecting, it hadn't been this.
It was not recognizable as a woman at first, the dark grey suit and blue tie threw him off at first. Then he noticed that the body had a slightly feminine look to it, and the person did in fact have breasts, though the suit coat and tie drew attention away from that. Her hair was brown and shaggy, not unkempt but not looking like something that she bothered with much. Her eyes, grey behind her wire rim glasses, were intelligent and appraising, but not in the would-be seductress manner he was accustomed to seeing. It was more of a sizing glance, looking him over to weigh and measure him in the same manner old soldiers did at first glance, not even realizing they did it. Whoever she was, obviously she had some sort of military or organized background. There was the faint, discreet bulge of a sidearm under her coat in a shoulder holster and he could only assume that she had passed security and had a license for it if she still had it with her up here on the floor.
She inclined her head politely. "General Sephiroth. Lynn Shaunessy. Very honored to meet you." She extended her hand to him to shake. He placed his leather glove clad hand into hers and was pleasantly surprised at the firm, friendly grip. Well, at least he knew she wasn't a prissy, simpering girl who expected him to kiss her hand and such. "Of course, likewise Miss Shaunessy. Thank you for arriving so promptly. Please come in and have a seat." It was the first time he had made the speech without an ounce of sarcasm in the words. She nodded and stepped forward and he watched her eyes move in a quick once over of the room. If he were to guess, he would think she was checking for exits, escape routes, defensible positions, everything a soldier would look for. There was a faint swell of relief in his chest as he dared to hope that she would be a suitable secretary.
"I assume my resume has met with your approval." She said as she sat in one of the wood and leather chairs in front of his desk as he took his seat behind it. "Is there anything I should clarify on it, or that you wish for me to explain in greater detail?" She was every inch the professional, and that made him exceedingly happy. Usually within moments of sitting down double entendres were flying his way and it was relaxing and refreshing to be able to not have to worry about that for once.
He picked up her resume from the top of the stack and allowed himself to glance over it once more. Impressive. Very impressive. Graduating from high school in Kalm top of her class, came to Midgar for university and graduated there with a bachelors in business administration and finance. Entered the ShinRa army as a commissioned officer and served a five year tour in the army. Served in Wutai and commanded a squad of regulars, discharged honorably as a lieutenant colonel, worked for two security companies and three temp agencies, mostly in an administrative assistant position, and very often with ShinRa. Had held positions on military bases in Kalm, Costa del Sol, and here in Midgar. She had C level security clearance after her time in the military and working in ShinRa, was certified in quite a few software applications, had a little programming background and had worked tech support briefly in university to make ends meet. Her references were very good as well, and quite a few of the names he recognized as lower level ShinRa management.
"Very impressive resume indeed. It says here that you served in the army during the Wutai campaign. Were you active duty or support specialist?" He had not remembered seeing her; of course, he had not had time to make the acquaintance of all the lower level officers in the vast ShinRa army. She nodded in response to his question and began to explain.
"I did serve active duty in Wutai. My squad was artillery, so we were usually pretty far from the infantry that you had direct command of, General. We worked more closely with your subordinates, sir." Well, that made sense. It was general policy to keep the heavy artillery away from the infantry, so that they didn't have to worry about friendly fire casualties. He made a note to call a few of the references and see what they had to say about her, but so far it all checked out fine. She had impressive education, good credentials, military background and hadn't tried to seduce him in the entire few minutes which he had been sitting here speaking with her. In short, she was exactly what he had been hoping for; a real gem of a find in light of recent applicants.
"Your resume is most impressive, Miss Shaunessy. Your credentials are above reproach, your training for the position is impeccable and I am confident in your ability to work well in this office. Based upon my review of your resume and general presentation of yourself, I would like to extend the offer of the position of my personal assistant. In light of your military background and service record I have full confidence in your capabilities to assist me in the field as well as the office." He smiled to himself, pleased at the day turning out like this. Not only had he managed to fill the irreplaceable Myrtle's position but he had managed to wrangle a secretary who would do more than take notes and type letters.
Lynn bowed her head in thanks and smiled, offering her hand to him once more to shake. "I accept the offer and thank you very much sir for the opportunity. When would you like for me to start?" Conversations about benefits and salary and such were not necessary; one didn't work with ShinRa as long as she did and not know already what was offered. ShinRa had the best benefit packages in the world, bar none. And working for someone as high in status as General Sephiroth, she was sure to hit the next pay tier.
Her smile was quite nice, open and friendly and Sephiroth found himself returning it, though quite a bit smaller and more reserved. "Today is Wednesday, and I prefer to have things start properly. You will report in Monday morning at 7 am so we can go over the basic run of the office. Your hours will be from 8 am to 5 pm and you'll have an hour lunch break at noon. Your attire is perfectly suitable for the position, so feel free to continue in the same vein. I look forward to seeing you Monday, Miss Shaunessy. Congratulations." He stood as she did, extending his hand to her across the desk. She took the proffered hand firmly and shook it, smiling slightly.
"Thank you very much, sir. I look forward to working with you." And with that, she inclined her head politely and turned, heading out of the door. After she left, Sephiroth sat back down at his desk and considered this. She was more than competent, she was formerly military, and she had not made a single pass at him. Of course, looking and dressing like she did, he was fairly certain she probably preferred the charms of her own gender to a man's anyway. Still, as long as she did the job, he couldn't care less where her preferences lay. Yes…this would be a most advantageous situation for everyone concerned.
He did so love it when things worked out smoothly.