Chapter 2: Technophobic

"Annya, what is that?"

"You know what a computer is, Sir."

"Stop calling me 'sir'. Zack will not stop teasing me about it and I cannot take it anymore."

"All right. You know what a computer is, Sephiroth."

"Of course I know what a computer is. Why is this one here?" He pointed at the offending object on his desk.

"I put in the request to IT a few days ago and they brought it today. I got one too," she pointed to her own.

"Why?" He looked at her blankly.

"Because it's my job to make sure you're as efficient as possible. The computers will make that easier."

He looked slightly offended. "I am already very efficient."

She smiled. "Yes, of course you are. You'll just be even more efficient now."

He eyed her suspiciously before sitting cautiously in front of the offending piece of technology. As a child, he had seen more than his fair share of computers in the labs. He had not been allowed to touch them, however, and had been punished if he so much as looked at them too long. He pressed the power button and watched the boot screen for a second before he felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked up to find Annya watching him with great interest.

"What?" he asked curtly.

She shrugged. "Nothing really. It's just cute how hard you're glaring at it."

He didn't think he liked being patronized so he redirected his glare at her.

Her smile subdued. "Would you like some help?"

"Yes, please."

She got up and moved to his side of his desk. She leaned over his shoulder to point out the most important things for him to know such as his calendar and his web browser. He listened attentively as she opened his email client to show him she had already set it up for him, all while ignoring the small voice in his head that was trying to draw his attention to the parts of her anatomy that were pressed innocently against his shoulder.

She straightened up and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Well, that should be good enough to start with. You'll learn as you go. At least now you won't be sending me around with handwritten notes anymore."

"So you just wanted the computers because you are lazy."

She laughed and returned to her desk to finish the email she had been typing.

He started on an email himself. It took him about ten seconds to realize something was amiss.

"Why do you type so much faster than me? And how are you not even looking at the keyboard?" He sounded indignant.

She laughed. "Practice. I've been on computers since I was tiny. Zack used to let me use his laptop. He's the one who taught me to type. I'll bet he'll teach you too, if you asked."

Sephiroth grumbled.

"Want me to ask him?"

"Why can I not just write drafts for you to type up?"

"You can. That's what I'm here for. But I'm sure at some point you'll have to send an email with information I'm not supposed to know. You'll need to be able to handle it yourself then. And you don't want to take half-an-hour to type one email or whatnot."

"I suppose."

She stood up. "I'll go see if Zack is busy."

xXxXxXx

"Hey, Seph!"

"Hello, Zack."

"Moving into this century, I hear."

"Why is Annya not with you?" He had been hoping that with her here, Zack wouldn't be able to focus on him fully.

"She didn't feel like cookin' today so she went out to pick up lunch for us."

"Oh."

Zack grinned. "Ready for your first typing lesson?"

Sephiroth sighed. "I do not have a choice, do I?"

"Of course not, Seph."