N stood outside of the factory, waiting for the Once-ler. She spotted him walking down the stairs of his office's balcony, checking his pocket watch.
"Hey," she said as he got near.
"Are you ready?" he asked, putting his pocket watch away. N nodded in reply and he took her by the hand, leading her to a parked taxi. He opened the door for her and she got in. He then followed after her, lowering his head to fit in the vehicle.
"So, where are you heading?" the taxi driver asked.
"Thneedville," Once-ler replied as he put his seat belt on.
As the car began to move, N looked at the Once-ler. He wasn't wearing his top hat, gloves, or sunglasses; she hoped that would make him less recognizable.
"I found this place in town that looked amazing," Once-ler said quietly. "I made some reservations for seven o'clock."
"Ooh, fancy," N replied.
She turned her attention to the window, staring out. There were plenty of tree stumps, but there were a lot more Truffula trees that were still standing.
I hope that soon, she thought, the Truffula Valley will be as beautiful as it used to be.
After a short drive, the car stopped at the entrance of the town.
"That will be twenty dollars," said the driver.
The Once-ler reached into his pocket and N sat there awkwardly, trying to decide whether she should offer to pay or not. She opened her mouth to tell him to wait, but he was already handing some money to the taxi driver.
"Well," he said, opening the door. "Let's go."
N nodded and opened the other door, stepping into the warm sunlight. She walked behind the car, and it rumbled and sped off.
"I guess we still have some time to kill," N said as they entered the town. She looked around, seeing some construction being done as they neared the town center. Nearby, a billboard with a drawing of the Once-ler holding a Thneed was being set up.
The Once-ler followed her gaze and stopped, examining the advertisement.
"'Everybody needs a Thneed'. Cool," N said after reading the words on the billboard. "Anyway, there sure has been a lot of construction lately."
"Yeah, I have plans for this city," Once-ler said as they continued on their way. "Big plans! Plans of a perfect city filled with Thneeds. It's going to be huge!"
"You really do have a lot of power over this city," N replied quietly, looking back at the billboard. "It's like you're the mayor or something."
"Mayor, huh?"
"Don't even think about it," N said, glancing at him. "You already have your business. Ooh, what's that?"
Hearing the sound of a guitar being played from a nearby building, N headed over and stood outside of a music shop, listening. The Once-ler stood beside her, not saying anything as N peeked through the glass part of the door.
"Look, that man is playing the guitar! Oh, it sounds so pretty," she gushed. "Aw, he stopped..."
"I can play the guitar," Once-ler said.
YOU ARE READING
The Secretary {Once-ler x Reader}
FanfictionYou have been working for the Once-ler as his trusted secretary for one year. However, you have grown tired of his ruthless deforestation and decide to try and sabotage him. When your plan fails, you expect to get fired, but you remain his secretar...
