Sanctuary

A fanfic by Iridal

An Unassuming Past

For, like strains of martial music,
Their mighty thoughts suggest
Life's endless toil and endeavor;
And tonight I long for rest.

The Day Is Done - by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The incessant beeping of her clock radio jolted Aislinn out of her restless sleep. Glancing dubiously over at the clock face, the red digits forming the time 6:15 am, she rolled out of her bed, grabbing the business suit she picked out the night previous on her way to the shower.

A short hour later found the newest Shinra employee doggedly fighting her nervousness and the slightly queasy feeling in her stomach. Nevertheless, the young artist-turned-secretary dashed out the door, pausing only to grab a coffeecake to munch on as she hit the street level to hail a taxi.

Aislinn Corliss was terrified...but she was determined to show Rufus Shinra that she was qualified for the job.

The early morning visitor found Rufus Shinra relaxing with his cup of coffee and the morning newspaper. Having been up for hours, Rufus looked awake and alert - freshly bathed and dressing in his usual immaculate suit. Barely glancing up from his paper to acknowledge his blue-suited guest, he nodded at the chair across from him before affectionately rubbing the broad head of the large, panther-like beast lounging beside his seat.

Never one to stand on protocol, Reno of the Turks helped himself to a cup, dropping a sheaf of documents on the table in front of the young president. "Tseng said you wanted that," the red head stated, dropping into a chair and lazily propping up his heels on the table. "Don't know why, though...that kid's a goddamn angel."

"You know as well as I do not to trust appearances," Rufus murmured, scanning the report. It was as Reno said - Aislinn's background and past were spotless. Collected together in the file were everything that the Turks could find on Aislinn and her family - medical files, business reports, school and academic records.

According to the background check, she was born nearly twenty years ago in the quaint village of Kalm, the only child of a modest businessman and a one-time Midgar socialite. Her doting parents denied her nothing growing up, and supplemented her regular education with training in all the classics - records showed she attended classes in drama, classic literature, and the fine arts. Showing promise in the areas of drawing and painting, her instructors recommended that she go on to study those fields in the Fine Arts Academy located in Midgar. However, just a few months later, when Aislinn was just 17, an official report stated both parents died in a plane crash. Shady business partners of the deceased Mr. Corliss acquired his business and all its assets, leaving the grieving daughter without an inheritance.

Turning the page, Rufus saw something he did not expect to see in the unassuming young woman's file - police records filed in her name. "A restraining order?" he said, looking to Reno for clarification.

The rumpled Turk nodded. "Yup, seems some guy who hired her as a painter for his apartment in Kalm couldn't take 'no' for an answer. She cracked his head with an unopened gallon of paint an' ran off to the cops...tried to press charges for attempted rape and assault."

Rufus dropped his gaze back to the document. "I take it he got off?" he questioned as he scanned the papers.

"Yeah, the police couldn't hold 'em," Reno snorted. He removed his legs from the tabletop and leaned forward, a slightly distasteful frown crossing his face. "Seems the guy worked for Don Corneo. He put a call inta his boss, and that fat pervert dropped in, throwin' his influence and a hellova lotta money around. The guy got off with only that restraining order an' he skipped town."

Rufus closed the file and dismissed the Turk, his thoughts elsewhere. As he had thought, Ms. Corliss' record was sterling...the only cloud that hung over her was the police file. No matter, he thought. What goes on in my employee's private life is beneath my notice...just as long as it doesn't effect her work performance. Taking a last swig of his coffee, he left for his office.

Aislinn breezed in the office with a few minutes to spare. Her new employer didn't seem to mind, but merely pointed out her desk and the duties he expected her to carry out. As she approached her new workstation, she realized what the first order of business was.

Although she assumed that it was quite spacious for a secretary's desk, it was buried under a mountain of paperwork - literally. Files, loose papers, and memos covered ever inch of the surface, obscuring her computer keyboard and even her telephone. In front of the cluttered desk sprawled a huge black beast with a whip-like tail.

Noting her slightly stunned expression, Rufus paused before entering his office. "I tried to organize it a while back, but it seems to have re-accumulated. That's just the day-to-day progress reports."

She blinked, a helpless look on her face. "Just progress reports?"

"Of course," he smirked pleasantly. "All the top secret documents I handle personally." He called back over his shoulder before shutting the door. "If it looks like it's important, file it. If it's the meaningless drivel that Heidigger and Palmer are always sending me, shred it."

"Shred it?!" she softly inquired. The vaguely feline creature by her desk bared its teeth in a feral grin, a growling purr rising from its throat. Maybe I should give them to HIM to shred... she mused.

Sighing softly, Aislinn rolled up her sleeves to clear away the mess. This is going to be a LONG day...

At the end of the day, Rufus had to admit that he was impressed with Aislinn's work. Somehow, she had accomplished clearing away and filing or shredding all the paperwork on her desk by lunchtime, in addition to answering the phone, making appointments, and screening visitors for meetings with him - all without the slightest complaint. She took the fact that she, as the President's secretary, had to work later than other personal assistants normally did in stride, agreeing to work until suppertime without a hint of irritation. She had even somehow managed to relax around Dark Nation, as she had been under the watchful eye of the intelligent beast most of the day.

When her day was finally up, she gathered her things, and with a hasty farewell to Rufus, left the building. The taxi ride seemed extraordinarily long, as she caught herself nodding off several times.

The young woman scampered up to her room as soon as she was dropped off. Grabbing a bite to eat, Aislinn drew a warm bath to soak in. She had never been so completely exhausted in her life. She had done more bending and lifting than anyone would expect a secretary to do, and Rufus made sure to keep her on her toes with his errands and odd jobs.

When the bath water turned tepid, it was all the worn out girl could do to empty the tub and roll into bed. Her last though before drifting into sleep was that it could only get better.

Meanwhile, in the presidential quarters, another was soaking in a steamy bath...

Rufus sighed as he stretched out in the opulent tub. Everything seemed to be going wrong. The terrorists known as AVALANCHE were still at large and he didn't have the manpower to spend to track them down. The Turks, minus Reno, reported in to say that Sephiroth was last seen heading to Junon and they were heading there via the Mythril Mine to intercept him. Reno himself, although recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital earlier in the week, was still too weak to do any fighting.

As far as he was concerned, this all couldn't come at a worse time. In one short week he'd be officially inaugurated as the new president, and the last thing he needed was a psychotic general or a band of militant radicals loose to wreak havoc.

About the only thing that was going right was Aislinn. She worked quietly and efficiently, without fuss or argument. What the previous secretaries were too incompetent to finish, she had accomplished in record time. I'll have to keep her around, he thought to himself as he rose dripping from the tub and slipped into a robe. If she proves useful enough, I might take her with me to the Inauguration Ceremony.

Yawning, he retired to bed, for once eager to see what the next day held in store...