Monday 14th February, 2011 http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFk1JbEZpcGc0NEJHZExpQ0FrUmRyc3cAAAACaWQKAWwAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg

" ....this is your office, although I doubt you'll be spending much time in it with Mr Granger as your immediate superior, and this is your company cell phone." Rebecca Hillard, the most senior of the office staff in the financial department of the GrangerGuild Conglomerate, handed Brynne a top of the line cell phone with a long suffering sigh. "Do not lose it, do not break it, do not forget to keep it turned on at all times. The battery is magically charged, so the ambient atmosphere of the city should keep you easily contactable at all hours."

Brynne Granger, newly returned to Rhy'Din after an eight year absence and newest employee, nodded slowly, taking the phone from Rebecca in silence.

"Now then," Rebecca chewed on her lip, looking down at her armful of files, "I understand you're another relative within the family' Well, don't expect any preferential treatment; we work for our pay here, and we earn respect, we don't expect it by virtue of birth. Mr Granger is expected in at 10 o'clock, so that gives you twenty minutes to familiarise yourself with his schedule for the day, and the computer system. And if you have any problems, any problems at all, do not come to me, I have my own to deal with."

And just like that, she was gone, closing the office door behind her. Brynne stared blankly into space for a moment, blinking to clear her already stressed mind as she looked around. It was a nice office, she had to give them that; a space intended to act as a buffer for the main office of Mr Granger, and a connective barrier. The message was clear; anyone who wanted to see him had to go through her first.

Shaking her head, she moved over to the desk, sitting herself down on the remarkably uncomfortable chair before the neat surface area. The cell phone, she laid down beside the keyboard, picking up the large, leather-bound dates diary beside it. Flicking open to today's date, she scanned the list of appointments.

"Oh gods," she snorted quietly to herself. "Manicure/pedicure ....executive board meeting ....lunch with Juliette ....review of family stipends ....meeting with Humphrey ....seaweed wrap ....dinner with Hagar ....This is work?"

Rolling her eyes, she put the diary down, laying her new cell on top of it, and turned her attention to the computer. There was a post-it note stuck to the monitor. State your name.

"Uh ....Brynne Granger?" she offered, and jumped in surprise as the machine leapt into action, turning itself on and loading up its software. "Okay, that's weird. Cool, but weird."

There was some sort of commotion going on at the far end of the corridor outside her office. Someone was arriving, it seemed; someone important enough to put an end to the good-natured chatting that had been going on between the cubicles when she'd been given her tour. And Brynne didn't have long to wait to find out who that someone was.

Oliver Hudson Granger, Jnr, slammed open the door and stalked through the office to his own executive space, barely sparing a glance for her sat quietly behind her desk. Uncertain, Brynne followed him with her eyes until the door closed behind him, hands nervously assembling notepad, pen, diary, and cell together in front of her. The intercom crackled.

"Come in, for goodness' sake!"

Alarmed, she leapt to her feet, gathering her armful of supplies, and hurried into the big office, attempting a smile in greeting to her new employer. Junior frowned, dismissing her smile with a wave of his hand.

"Put those things down and come here," he ordered, and as much as Brynne might have liked to have thrown everything in his lap, she did as she was told. Junior surveyed her with a critical eye. "Turn," he ordered again, and again, she did as she was told, gritting her teeth silently. There was a long pause while her new employer looked her over before pronouncing his judgement. "You'll do nicely."

Relieved that she wasn't about to be fired on her first day, Brynne gathered her belongings from his desk once more as he began to speak.

"When I enter, you will follow me. You will have coffee and a croissant waiting for me when I arrive, no matter what time I arrive - cream, four sugars, jam and butter. When I say jump, you will be in the air before you ask how high. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mr Granger."

He nodded, still frowning at her in that cold, critical manner of his. "Polite. That's good. An improvement on the idiot child you were when you left. Now, to business ..."

As she opened the diary, relaying to him the details of his day, Brynne fought to keep from grinding her teeth. It was a job, just a job. So what if he was the employer from hell" She needed this. __________

Oh, man, what a day. Three days back in Rhy'Din, first day at the new job, and I'm exhausted. Who'd've thought that being a secretary was so tiring" Not that the boss is any kind of dream come true, unless we're talking nightmares here. Swear to gods, I think Junior's actually gotten worse since I left. Do this, do that, you will jump when I say jump ....a**hole.

Lila seems like she had a good day, though. She was up at the crack of dawn this morning, all excited about spending the day with her gramma. I wonder how long that'll last' She hated me working all day back in New Zealand; how much more is she going to hate that I'm on call twenty-four seven now" But we have to eat, and I don't want to live off my parents if I can help it. I have to prove I can do this, or they'll suck me back into that whole dependent generation problem the family's got.

Went to the Red Dragon tonight, too. No one I used to hang with was around, no sign of anyone I knew at all until the Grangers started turning up. And dear gods, there were loads. Ollie, of course, son of the dreaded Mr Granger at work - still a stuffed shirt, but I guess he must have mellowed a bit, because the others were talking to him. Bridget hasn't changed; still loud and too merry for her own good. She remembered me, too, so I guess I didn't fall completely out of the Granger collective conscious.

Let's see, who else? Jonathan, I saw, and from what I've heard, I'm guessing the kid with him was Correy. I haven't seen that boy since he was just a kid, no wonder he didn't have a clue who I was. I think I saw Helena as well, but I could be wrong. I mean, everyone's a lot older now. And there was another guy, too, seemed to be having Nexus issues. He says he's a Granger, but he doesn't think he's one of our Grangers. I dunno, though - he's got the look.

I don't know if I'm glad to be home or not. I don't know if this is home. Earth wasn't, that's for sure. Even if this is just another stepping stone, at least Lila gets to spend some time getting to know her grandparents and such. That's got to be good, right"

I'm starting to ramble. Bed time for me.

Monday 28th February, 2011 http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFlhzUW9kb3hENEJHSHNhUFppb3BXdmcAAAACaWQKAXgAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg

One day at a time. Two weeks in the job, and Brynne was finally relaxing into her routine. She was also developing her own less than subtle means by which to undermine Junior in her own mind, though he was unlikely to realise that the reason his coffee was so frothy had rather more to do with saliva than effort put into making it. Alright, so it was juvenile, but the knowledge that he was drinking coffee contaminated by her own spit had certainly helped to keep her from arguing with him over some of the 'little jobs' he kept sending her out on.

Like this one, for example. She was standing outside the changing rooms in one of the more expensive boutiques of the city, with an armful of horrendously priced clothing, trying very hard not to lose her temper with the airhead Junior had decided to wine, dine, treat, and generally charm into his bed in the coming days. This was the third one Brynne had met in two weeks - she'd even had to cut the last one loose on his orders.

"Bastard doesn't even have the courtesy to dump someone himself," she muttered to herself, scowling at her own reflection in the full-length mirrors.

"What was that, Bray?" a ridiculously self-involved voice enquired from behind the nearest set of curtains.

"Brynne," she corrected from between clenched teeth, and raised her voice to answer, keeping her tone as neutral as possible. "It's was nothing, just talking to myself."

"Oh. Well, you should be careful about that, Junior might decide you're just too much trouble to keep around."

It was far more likely that the bimbo getting changed would bore Junior long before he decided Brynne's attitude was more trouble than she was worth. But Brynne gritted her teeth and made a faint sound that might have been agreement as the owner of that voice stepped out to admire herself and be admired.

This one was called - of all things - Cyndi, and she was possessed of the usual blonde-haired, blue-eyed, vacuous good looks that Junior seemed to gravitate to. Good in bed, but unable to think for themselves, that was his type. She posed in front of the mirror in a dress that was far more suited to masquerading as a negligee than a gown for the theatre, awaiting the praise that Brynne and the store attendent duly gave, both sharing a weary look that was completely missed by the object of their formulaic adulation.

"You really think he'll like it?" Cyndi batted her lashes, no doubt practising her come to bed eyes on herself in the mirror.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll love it," Brynne assured her, privately adding, Once he recovers from the apoplexy that price tag will give him. Must remember to make up the loss in Lola's allowance from somewhere else.

"Oh, you're so sweet," the blonde bimbo giggled, reaching out to ruffle Brynne's hair as she gritted her teeth once again. "Don't worry, I won't tell him about your bad attitude. He'll never hear it from me."

And this was part of her job description. Brynne groaned quietly as Cyndi slipped back behind the curtain to change back into what passed for her day clothes. Junior had better cover this in that bonus he was constantly promising, or Brynne was going to have to start looking for a better offer. __________ Oh my god, my life is so dull. Well, my work life is. Home life, not so dull. Especially not when I come home to the terrifying sight of Lilah-bear wearing an apron and wielding a wooden spoon, declaring that she's making dinner. I do love my little girlie - she always makes me smile after a horrible day at work.

That awful parasite of Junior's has the world's worst taste. In everything. I mean, obviously she has terrible taste in men - she's with Junior, isn't she? - but the clothes she was picking out ....I think my tongue has bruises from all the biting I had to do. Since when is babysitting his latest squeeze part of my job' I'm supposed to organise him, not his shag-dates.

Not that he can possibly have any complaints with my actual job. Two weeks, and I'm finally one step ahead of him with whatever he asks for. Unfortunately, that also means dressing to distract that disgusting Julian Fuller whenever he has an appointment with Junior. Swear to god, if that man so much as thinks about touching me, I will rip out his spleen and make him eat it.

I just wish I knew where he was getting the money from. I don't want to be arrested if he's up to anything illegal. Oh, well ....have to cut this short, Lilah's in the bath. Time for Mommy to go and scrub her down for bed.