Hello, readers! My apologies for chapter 2 not being readable for so long. A kind reviewer brought it to my attention and I believe all has been fixed. Thank you!
Good Changes
Before going home, Evie decided to go buy the store for actual food to cook and a bottle of wine. She was tired of eating noodles out of a cup, honestly, and had decided much earlier that whether she got the job or not, she could use a glass of wine. She couldn't help but wonder if one of the other ladies got the job over her and it annoyed her. It wasn't just because she would still be jobless, but also because the Marshal would have picked one of them based on how they looked and dressed. After all, they were much more to look at. She mentally slapped herself for her jealousy and insecurity. Why should she care who the man was attracted to? She just needed a job.
She carried her groceries carefully up to her apartment and got started cooking. Once she was done with dinner, she poured a second glass of wine, which she had determined would be dessert and pulled out a book she had been meaning to read about the history of Insomnia. A few pages in, her phone rang.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Miss James?" She knew that voice.
"Yes, sir, this is her."
"Cor, here. Sorry for calling so late. I wanted to see if you could start as… my assistant tomorrow morning?" He asked, hesitating at the word 'assistant.'
"Yes, sir, I can definitely do that."
"Great, be here at my office at 8 am. I've got some newbies to start training, but I'll have someone take you on a tour and get your credentials taken care of."
"Sounds great! Thank you, I'll be there!" Evie was trying hard to contain her excitement, but nearly spilled her wine.
"See you tomorrow, Miss James."
As soon as the call ended, she jumped out of her seat and spun around (nearly falling as she was now starting to feel the effects of the wine). Her luck was finally starting to turn around.
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Evie arrived to the Citadel early again, much too excited to sleep in. She knew a tour of the Citadel would mean quite a bit of walking, so she chose another pair of dress pants (black this time), a red blouse, and dark red flats. Her hair sat below her shoulders and was clipped back enough to not get in her way.
She walked through the front doors and saw the same guard at the double doors ahead of her. She smiled as he nodded towards her.
"Good morning, Nyx"
"It is good to see you again, ma'am," he replied smiling.
"Please, call me Evie. I am supposed to be meeting someone in the Marshal's office."
"Of course. Have a good day, Evie," Nyx bowed and gestured her through the doors behind him.
"You, too, Nyx."
Upon reaching her destination, she saw a tall young man wearing glasses standing in front of the door. He looked up as she approached and smiled politely.
"You must be Evolet James," he stated confidently, extending his hand toward her.
"Yes, sir," she replied, shaking his hand.
"My name is Ignis Scientia," he explained, adjusting his glasses, "I'll be showing you around the Citadel and grounds." The man glanced at his watch, before continuing. "I've already delivered any paperwork needed for your security clearance and credentials, so hopefully after our tour, we can just swing by the admin offices and pick up your name tag and key."
"Thank you, sir," Evie said, impressed at how organized this man seemed to be.
"Please, just call me Ignis. I am sure we will be seeing quite a bit of each other."
"Thank you, Ignis."
The tour lasted a few hours and Ignis was both knowledgeable and helpful. They got along well and were quick friends. After taking her to get her name badge and card key to access the training rooms and such, Ignis escorted Evie back to Cor's office.
"The Marshal informed me that he would be back in his office by 11am. I am to leave you here to wait on him. Do make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you for everything, Ignis," Evie said, truly grateful for the tour and for a new friend.
"My pleasure, Evie. If you ever need anything, please let me know," He adjusted his glasses as he turned to leave the office.
Evie sat in the chair in front of the Marshal's desk and pulled out her phone to check the time. It was just now 10:30. Not too long of a wait, she thought to herself, still feeling a bit restless. Her phone vibrated and she saw a new text from a number she didn't recognize.
"Ignis here. Just wanted to give you my number in case you have any questions or need help with anything. Welcome aboard to Citadel life!"
Evie smiled and replied with, "Thank you! :) ," before saving his number in her phone.
Cor was a few minutes early getting back to his office and Evie could tell that he had just showered. His short, dark hair was still wet and she could smell hints of citrus and spice near him. His shirt was wet in some spots as if he had tried to towel off quickly. That shirt fits him well, she though before shutting herself up. You are here to assist him, not drool over him, she reminded herself. He grunted quietly as he sat in his chair.
"Morning," he greeted gruffly before even looking at her, "I hope Ignis was able to show you where everything is."
"Yes sir, he was very helpful," she replied. He looked her over quickly then glanced at his watch.
"Are you hungry, Miss James?" The question caught her off guard, she had not thought much about food in all the excitement of her morning, but she was feeling peckish.
"I can certainly eat, sir. And you can call me Evie, if it is easier," she didn't know why, but her voice made her sound nervous. He only stared at her for a moment as if thinking about something.
"Only if you stop calling me, 'sir,'" he replied cooly, "and how about some lunch? There is a nice sandwich place nearby and we can discuss some of your daily responsibilities and anything you may have questions about."
"Lunch sounds great," she replied, feeling a both excited and shy at the notion of having lunch with him.
"I'll drive," he offered, opening a drawer and grabbing some keys. She shook away any invading thoughts that were not professional and followed him out of the office.
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After ordering and paying for their food, they found a table in the corner. Not a fan of awkward silences, Evie asked the Marshal how his morning was.
"We have a lot of work to do with the new Crownsguard recruits," he sighed, looking her in the eyes. He seemed pretty tired, honestly, but his eyes still shone with determination.
"Well, I imagine they will either 'shape up or ship out,' as the saying goes," he nodded, thoughtfully.
"How was your first morning?" He asked, continuing the conversation, even though she could tell he wasn't used to conversing over lunch with anyone.
"It has been great so far," she replied, "Ignis was very helpful and kind."
Cor listened to her intently. They ate their sandwiches continued their small talk. Cor then began to discuss her responsibilities as his assistant.
"I won't lie to you, Evie, the paperwork can be rather dull, but it is important to keep things running smoothly. I'm sure you understand that, having worked at the power plant."
Evie nodded as he went on.
"I may need you to run errands while I am training recruits and when I am in some meetings. Most meetings I would actually like you to be in with me. You can take notes and I'd like to hear your opinions."
"My opinions?" She was taken aback by that.
"Yes, I welcome your opinions. One of the reasons why I hired you, was your bluntness in our interview. You questioned my demeanor, and to be frank, you were right to. Having an assistant was not my idea. I honestly did not want help, but his majesty and Clarus were persistent about it. When you called me out on my lack of enthusiasm, it actually made me realize how much of an asset you could be."
Evie was shocked. She thought she had screwed up when she did that. She couldn't help but laugh at this revelation. He cocked his head at her, he didn't smile (she imagined that he rarely did), but he did look fairly amused.
"I'm sorry," she said, still laughing, "I honestly thought I had offended or disrespected you when I asked that, though I had not meant to."
"Not at all. I admire you for your honesty and courage to speak your mind. I knew if I were to have an assistant, it would need to be someone I could trust to be honest with me."
"That makes sense," she said, smiling.
"So, I know many technical things about you from your interviews, including what you believe your strengths and weaknesses are. What is it that you enjoy doing in your free time?" He asked, again throwing her off. He didn't seem like the time to be interested in her personally.
"Oh, well, I enjoy reading, especially mysteries, fantasy, and history. I like running and exercise. When I have the time and resources, I like to cook. I'm pretty simple, I suppose," she shrugged and felt somewhat vulnerable at having told him her few hobbies.
"Is the rest of your family still in Lestallum?"
"No," she started, not sure about how much she should say, "Well, my parents died during the invasion at Gralea. My father was from there, before Niflheim gained power, obviously, and they were visiting some friends when it happened. My brother and I were young, but we made it okay with the help of friends. My brother, though," she stopped for a moment to make sure her emotions were in check, "he disappeared a few years ago, on a hunt near Meldicio. So it's just me, now." She looked down at the table, feeling awkward about sharing so much.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said softly. She hoped she hadn't made him feel bad for asking. She tried to give him as reassuring smile, but he was hard to read. After studying her for a moment, he asked another question.
"Can you fight?" Yet another question that caught her off guard.
"My brother did teach me some fighting and hunting skills, for protection really. I'm not anything special, but if I had to, I could defend myself against certain foes," she answered honestly. She could tell he was considering something, but before he could mention it, his phone rang. He sighed as if brought him back to some reality he wanted a break from. He answered it and made a few noises of approval to the person on the other line, said a quick, "thanks," and hung up.
"I guess we should be getting back," he said, more solemn than he had been a few minutes ago.
After they returned to the Citadel, the Marshal had to attend a meeting with the Captain of the Kingsglaive. He gave Evie any information she needed as they walked down the training quarter's hall to the Captain's office. Cor knocked on his door and a man who Evie had yet to meet answered.
"Thank you for coming, Marshal," the man said gesturing them inside.
"Of course, Titus. This is my assistant, Evie James," Cor placed his hand lightly on her back while introducing her."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. James," he smiled and nodded at her. They all sat down and the Captain began informing Cor of the current status of different groups and classes within the Kingsglaive ranks. They also discussed recent conflicts with Niflheim. Evie took notes as they spoke. Titus went on to say that certain needed glaives who had been on guard duty as punishment for disobedience would be returning to usual duties. Cor nodded his approval and asked Titus to send him reports of the whereabouts of certain Nif camps and conflicts as well as needed glaive resources.
After they said their goodbyes to the Captain, Cor led her back to his office and showed her how he needed her to organize paperwork and prepare reports to be sent. He watched her closely as she performed these new duties with care. He couldn't help but admit to himself that having her help might not be as bad as he originally thought.
