Life Finds a Way

Chapter 80

Sephiroth ended up not calling a meeting until the next morning. He was surprised at the smirk his friend wore. It was unexpected after their conversation the day before. Genesis had told him about both attacks as well as the fact that Hollander had been sighted with Avalanche. It hadn't improved Genesis' temper when he confronted him about his injury. He had heard from other sources that it was not healing properly.

Genesis had been bitter about it, even if he wasn't as angry as Sephiroth had imagined he would have been. He finally managed to get Genesis to admit that it was only because he already knew there was a solution. It was only a matter of time before it could be implemented. That didn't mean he was happy about it by any means though.

Genesis' attitude the previous day made his obvious improvement that much more questionable. It was made even stranger by the fact that Clarissa would not look at Genesis. When her gaze passed over him as he offered her the chair, her face blazed red. The sight was fascinating for a moment, at least until a realization struck him. He was suddenly surer than he had ever been about anything else that he did not want to know what their interactions were about, ever. Especially as it had been suspiciously quiet the night before. Not that he was upset by that, but it had been unexpected after Clarissa had been gone for more than two weeks.

He pushed those thoughts aside. None of them had the time to be worried about other's personal lives. He spoke up once he had everyone's attention, including Angeal since he had already been waiting in the office. "Good morning. I'm sure we are all aware that many things are happening all at once. I have made sure we are all up to date on the circumstances in Nibelheim and Junon as well as the steps we are taking here to get through the current changes."

He paused and gave Clarissa a long look before continuing. "There are a couple of things we needed to talk about this morning. First, I wanted to tell you that after your involvement in the ending of the war with Wutai, you were recommended for a promotion to First."

He paused again to let that sink in. Her eyes had widened, and she looked like she was struggling to find words. He continued while he waited for her to figure it out. "You showed exemplary leadership skills as well as exceptional tactical thinking and determination. The approval was unanimous. Even though this has been delayed due to a string of unusual circumstances, the promotion is being offered to you now."

She finally managed to find her voice. "Thank you, all of you. I'm not certain that I should qualify for First because of that, but I'm honored that you all think I should."

He quirked a brow at her words. "Are you turning it down?"

She paused for several moments before she responded. "I'm not certain. I'm sure that it would mean a lot of extra responsibility. I want to make sure I'm ready for it."

He finally smiled at her words. "I'm glad to see you considering it at least. There is one other thing I would like you to think about while you do. The offer to become First will continue to stand, but the board has decided there is something else that you might be better suited to. While we are trying to start the changes needed to make this company better poised to help the planet instead of hurting it, we found that there is the need to add a position to the board that was not there previously. I have been authorized to offer you the board position to head the team to find better power alternatives and ways to best distribute it to everyone."

She was so stunned that she didn't notice all three Firsts were smiling at her. She finally looked up. "I think that is even more than becoming First would be. I'm not sure that I would be up to it. Do I have time to think about it?"

Sephiroth gave her a nod. "Of course. While we would like to get started as soon as possible, nothing is going to change overnight. Take a few days if you need to."