Admission for Apprenticeship

And there she stood, in front of the door of the detective bureau. It's finally happening. She wasn't coming here to report a crime. No. This time it was different. This was her first time here as an intern. The police school was nice enough to assign her an actual detective to help her in her journey towards detective...ism! But what'd they look like? Zephyr...Zephyr....would it be a bird? Nah. That would be WAY to literal...right? She wasn't entirely sure.

What this squirrel also wasn't sure about was if she should open the door. She just stood there, frozen in place, in front of the door. She was afraid. What if there were people that'd judge her on the way in? Gasp! What if there were corrupt detectives in there and they'd SHOOT her! Get your mind out of the gutter Alina! She tapped her forehead, trying to slap out the thought. And just at that moment a man opened the door for her.

"O-oh th-thanks..." Now she had to walk through it. That's it. One step forward....two....three...Okay she was in. The reception. Yes. Let's walk to it. "H-H-Hello...I-I-I'm here for an i-i-internship????" She paused for a second and shook her head. Geesh Alina. Calm down a bit. You're almost not even understandable. "I'm l-looking f-for Zephyros Dumiso-I mean Dumisa!" Saved yourself there Alina.

She got some direction but quickly got lost between all those desks. Who to actually look for. She anxiously looked around, but she didn't know where to exactly go. OH WOE. WHO COULD HELP HER IN SUCH A BAD SITUATION???

"Alina, right?"
And walking towards the confused squirrel was a squirrel that was significantly less confused! She was a much older woman, with brown and cream fur. Despite the aged wrinkles under her eyes, she was delightfully fashionable. She was dressed in a fair bit of red, with both her long coat and her large hat sharing the colour. Her eyes were a gentle emerald, or more eye, as the right side was covered by a flow of pink hair. Upon her lips was a gentle smile - Alina's confusion and equal curiosity was something she deeply recognised. A first day on the job. Each time she saw it, it was adorable. Newcomers always warmed her heart.

"Name's Detective Willow! Word around the office is that you're looking for Mr Dumisa, right? To be his apprentice?" she asked, giving a wink. An apprentice was always exciting talk - having someone to train up to become a future defender of the law was a big deal! Well... not a big big deal, but everyone loved to gossip about it. Not even the police offices were safe from that sort of talk.

"You're looking a little lost, so if you just follow me, I'll take you right to him! He's just in his office."

Ahh Tuesdays. 

They were better than Mondays on so many levels. For one, there was no gigantic stack of paperwork awaiting whomever came through the doors to the office that detailed events that transpired over the past weekend. 

That's not to say the job in and of itself was a pain, it was just Mondays. 

A Midnight blue bird was mumbling incoherent words to himself as he was sitting at his desk, his dual coloured wings twitching in apprehension every few minutes. Today was the day where he was going to be assigned an intern, an apprentice, whatever you wanted to call them. 

It was safe to say he was nervous. 
He had been on the force for going on eight years now, and never before had he been designated a person to take on. He never deemed himself as good an investigator as many of his colleagues, but if the higher ups called for it to be so, he would have to live with it.
He hoped whomever it was were capable, but then again, if they were studying and straight out of the academy at least they wouldn't have any lingering habits from a previous place of employment.

The male looked at the clock in the spacious room before filling in some pieces of paperwork and standing up shortly afterwards. It was about now that he was due for his morning hot drink. Tea or coffee? He would let fate decide!

Leaving most of his things at the desk apart from his phone and pager, The blue avian casually left the room, making a beeline for the drinks dispenser just a little ways along the hallway. He hoped he wasn't too far away, and he hoped that his intern didn't arrive looking for him when he was away. Best make this trip a quick one.

"H-huh?" Another squirrel woman came up to her. This squirrel was way older than her though. Way more fahionable as well. Wow! She must have been a real femme fatale back in her days. Not that she looked THAT old now. Nevertheless Alina was still very impressed by her walking up to the shy squirrel. "O-O-Oh ehm...w-well I w-wouldn't say a-aprentice....More l-like an intern."

It seemed like word was going around? Was it special that she was here? Was having an intern special? Or was it specifically her that was special? What was so special about her. Yeah, she scored amazingly well on tests, but that couldn't be too inpressive. Did they know that she was sisters with...her? Or even worse! Maybe they knew she was an emotional mess? Oh god. They were already talking bad stuff about her before she even entered the building! Her face turned slightly red.

Well great. She also knew that she was terribly lost in this simple room with offices. Nice job Alina. But at least she did get some help from her. She followed the other squirrel to Zephyros' office. She was being offly quiet, but eventually had enough courage to ask her a question. "S-so h-how is it b-being a d-detective?" Yeah. Great question. She probably never heard that one before nice conversation starter. Go pet yourself on the back you loser.

Alina was the cutest. She was nervous and skittish, which perhaps wasn't the best trait if she wanted to be a detective. After all, the job was about talking to people! Interacting and interrogating! She needed a lot more confidence and self-esteem if she wanted to get out there, but thankfully Zephyr would totally help her out with that! But her nervousness and mannerisms for her first day were so sweet! Willow couldn't help but give a motherly smile as she chuckled.

"Heh, you'll still be under his roof!" she responded, slipping her hands into her coat pockets as she spoke. As they walked through the halls, there was still the sound of footsteps, phonecalls and typing. As was there the occasional curious turn of the head - eyes wandering to see the new, fresh intern.

Thankfully, it wasn't that far of a walk. But it still gave her some leeway to actually make a small conversation. And yes, she'd heard it plenty of times, but Willow was always eager to answer it. The squirrel tilted her head back, giving a tiny laugh, "Exciting! Dangerous! But rewarding!" she declared to the young girl, "I started off as a police officer actually - most detectives do. There was never a slow day, I was constantly on my feet and constantly being challenged - that was important. So much better than being a physicist, y'know?" She grinned, tipping her hat with a raised hand. 

"But a detective was a different experience when I got promoted," she explained with a nostalgic sigh, "Being a police officer is like... a board game. A game where you're racing the other person to the end. Simple, but it's all about that single goal - catching the moron who decided that breaking the law was a good idea."

Passing by a water cooler, she took a moment to get herself a drink of water before continuing to guide the poor intern who was now listening to this old woman babble, "Working as a detective... it's like... a puzzle, than a game. One big puzzle with multiple routes and paths with twists and turns, all... interlinking and firing off in all sorts of directions. There's hundreds of possibilities, but there's  only one that's right. If you get it wrong, the results are disastrous. Being a detective isn't easy, it's a challenge. It pushes you to your physical and mental limits, but..." gripping the fabric of her collar, she tugged at it with a smile and a wink at the lass, "...I wouldn't have it any other way. There's no better feeling than solving that complex puzzle, and knowing you've made a difference to somebody's life."

And as she finished that sentence, she noticed a blue figure at the end of the hallway - how delightfully convenient! Having drank the water from her little plastic cup, Willow scrunched it in her hand and called out: "Hey Zeph! Come collect your new intern before I babble her ears off!"

The trip to the tea and coffee machine was uneventful. Zephyros pressed a few buttons after deciding a coffee would suffice for keeping him more alert for whatever was going to happen today, and whomever he was going to meet. 
As the cup under the tap was slowly filling up with his choice, he wondered exactly what type of person he would be under the care of. Would they be young and naive? Or older and possibly have a Napoleon complex? As long as he could manage them and they were not too overbearing, he knew this would be a manageable task. Nearly everyone else in this force has taken someone under their proverbial wing, (Mind you he had actual ones, so big bonus there) so he knew his time had to come sooner than later.

A familiar voice rang down the hallway he was in, making his spatules twitch before he looked up to the voice walking down towards him. It was Detective Willow Andre, one of the more known faces of them. She had a standing as a detective, but he had admittedly never fully met her other than in passing for work. Being just over half the age of herself, he looked up to her and the work she did. She would never know of that however, as everyone had to come into their own in this line of work.
Beside her was a rather young squirrel. She was definitely younger than himself, and she looked quite nervous. He felt exactly how she did at that moment. Not that he was in any way sexist, but he actually half expected a guy to be his intern. Maybe it was because he was softer spoken that they may have thought it would help ease the girl into her new position here.
Either way, she appeared to have some potential if she was recommended here, so he simply nodded as he joined with the two females in the middle of the hallway.

"Alina Marilayra, am ah right?" He began, holding out his free hand to shake hers formally. "As Detective Willow has probably informed ya, In Zephyros Dumisa, please to make your acquaintance."

Once the hands were shaken, he took a sip of his beverage and sighed quietly. 
"Right, best be makin' our way to my office to get you properly enrolled here, don't wanna lose ya in the database after all, heh. Will ya be joinin' us, detective?"

People would expect Alina to feel threatened after what Willow told her about her job, but instead, her eyes were twinkling of excitement. This was exactly what she imagined the job would be. Not some boring old job, but something exciting. Your choices would matter, they'd do justice! It's like a big puzzle you have to solve! Alina excitedly nodded to everything the older squirrel said to her. "R-Right!....E-Exactly!..." Man did she already look up to that woman.

'A physicist...' That was something she thought about becoming as well in the past. It seemed interesting. Heck, one of her friends wanted to become one since the dawn of time. Did Willow not like physicists? Alina hoped that she didn't mean it. Physics are really useful and important to understand how the world works. She wouldn't tell her now of course. That'd be super awkward. Not that it mattered anyway, because it seemed like Willow saw someone.

The bird walked towards them. Wow why is everyone so fashionable and classy? She should've worn something more formal. But no. She with her dumb head rushed to the detective office with her most casual wear. She was wearing a simple teal vest and her regular black jeans.  Maybe next time she should come in a blouse as well. If there is a next time, because right now, she was coming over very unprofessional.

"A-Ah..." She shook Zephyr's hand with a slightly clammy and weak one in return. Shivers ran down her spine. Man. This guy was so cool. She expected a grumpy old guy or something, but this Hummingbird looked young and excitable. He did seem to be quite sad however. Was he dissapointed on first look? Oh no. That's not good. She started to blush, then scratched the back of her had, having a minor grin on her face as she looked downwards. "S-Sorry if y-you exp-pected someone e-else...heh..."

She shook her head. Don't think like that. You had to show what you're worth to him. Remember the basics of socializing. Stand tall and proud, but not too much. She raised her head and held her hands behind her back. "R-Right...I-I'll follow you." This was going to be a mess.

She couldn't help but smile herself as Alina's face beamed with excitement - that girl looked ready to go! It was so sweet, and the older squirrel chuckled as Zeph called her over. She was so genuinely excited, it was the most adorable thing. Slipping her hands into her own pockets, the woman watched Alina approach and give an awkward handshake. Bless.

Willow was about to turn and make her leave, but the avian's voice grounded her feet. Join them? Well... she'd already completed her paperwork for the moment (admittedly, she'd cheated and worked on it at home) and had a significant amount of free time compared to most others here, so who was she to say no?

"Hah, of course!" Willow laughed, walking forward towards the two, "Do you think I'm gonna miss out on you getting your first ever intern? No way! Count me in, bucko!"

The midnight avian couldn't help but find a smirk on his face as he heard Willow decide to join them at his offer. His inner fanboy fistpumped and did a little victory dance as he maintained a somewhat professional air before slowly turning back to the direction of his office. 
"You're just what I hoped for, Alina. Nobody to see coming in that's more reassuring than a fresh young face to liven it up in here."
Okay, sure he wasn't too much older than her by any means, but he had been in here for a while now and fell into a typical routine with not the biggest load of excitement. Fieldwork until he was notified of his intern enrolling was pretty dried out, so he was immediately thankful that she was assigned to him. It just meant they both would get to go out into the world and get work done. No paperwork until afterwords was a wonderful thought. 

The walk back to the office was short and sweet. Before anything started, Zephyros pulled a spare chair over for Willow to sit at, then hauled out a rather thick book from his drawer and all but slammed it on the desk in front of them. 
"Whoops, heh sorry 'bout that." he apologized as he opened it up to get into the files he needed to get this enrollment over and done with. "Here we go, Alina Marilayra..."
Quickly separating the file from the book, he set the thin file down and opened it up to the first page to make sure all of her details were done correctly and they had everything needed to get her stuff all ordered in ASAP. "Right, well before we get to anything excitin' such as tours and administerin' your uniforms, we gotta get this annoying paperwork outta the way first, wouldn't ya agree?"

Alina was content with the older squirrel joining them. That meant there wasn't one on one time. That made it way less awkward if she didn't talk for a moment. She smiled at the joy and thrill detective Willow showed. At least someone could visibly show their excitement here. Alina was still trying to get a full fledged sentence out.

Zephyros said that he was actually happy with her showing up. It seemed like he wasn't lying. It gave Alina somewhat courage. Good. She wasn't unwanted here. Zephyros accepted her at first glance. That's good. Yeah good. "Th-Thanks....for....saying that..." She was holding her left arm, tightening grip on it. Man. Talking is stressful.

As soon as the squirrel sat down on the chair that was appointed to her, she let out a tiny squeal as she held her arms in front of her face. Nice job Alina. Now even books scared you. You're doing great. QUICK RECOVER YOURSELF SAY SOMETHING. "U-Uh oh no paperworks...my only weakness." FUCK did she hate herself right now. "I-I mean uh...sure yeah! P-paperwork h-has t-to be done at some time a-anyway." Okay this was going slightly better. Just eh...fail somewhat more and you'll get there.

Alina's excitement honestly just kept Willow's smile right on her face. Even as she walked through and politely sat down on the chair Zeph had offered her, she couldn't stop grinning. Brushing her coat out from under her, the older squirrel crossed her legs and observed. She'd seen this so many times, but it didn't make it any less exciting. A fresh face is what the office needed, too.

Noticing Alina's nervousness immediately come to light, Willow decided to help her out! She huffed, putting her hands on her hips, "Yeah, paperwork is the true weakness of detectives," the woman chimed in with an agreeing nod, "That's the real reason we wear gloves, right Zeph? We're just prone to paper cuts and headaches. It's a curse."

The idle chatter about paperwork seemed to be a small icebreaker for the trio, which made a chuckle escape Zephryos' gold beak. Everyone - well at least himself and Alina - were nervous about this whole thing. He knew Willow had been through this before, seeing as she had been here for much longer than himself. She was his idol; did he ever mention that to himself? Most likely.

Alinas squeal indicated the poor squirrel was so nervous that her instincts were on very high alert right now, and he felt quite bad for her. "Hey hey hey, just take a seat and take a breath for yourself. We can't do anything if you ain't ready."

The midnight male took a deep breath for himself after that statement. Clearing their heads before starting this partnership would be best for both of them to do. It didn't help that sleep had completely eluded him last night due to whats was happening right now. He needed to show some professionalism, but he didn't want to come across as a strict higher-up either.

Being here was stressful, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Just as Willow spoke of wearing gloves, Zeph opened a drawer and withdrew a pair of really ugly looking elbow length yellow gloves. They didn't really get used, but he remembered the office had a running gag telling newcomers that they all wore really bad rubbery gloves to avoid cuts on their hands. Sure, they wore actual gloves, like the typical ones, but this was quite funny to gauge reactions from newcomers.
"Right here. Ya wanna use 'em to fill in your parts?" He gave a somewhat cheeky grin to Alina, then winked at Willow.

Luckily that stupid joke made the other two smile. And that in return make her smile herself too. Okay good. This was good. They liked her jokes. Then Zephyr tried to comfort Alina, while she could clearly see with her amazing reading skills that he was as nervous as she was. "R-Right! N-no I'm f-fine I-I can do this!"

"B-Better take s-some gloves with me n-next time." She said just as the Midnight bird showed her a really, interesting pair of those. She couldn't help but giggle. Should she? Her handwriting was amazing, so it wouldn't matter anyway. It wouldn't make her handwriting go terrible. Let's do it. She snatched the gloves from Zephyr's grip and put them on. "H-Here w-we go t-then..." She said, hiding her face, but carefully looking up to see a reaction as she filled in her name and other personal information.

It took her quite some time. She wanted to carefully read everything that was on the paper, afraid that she'd miss anything important. Then she eventually finished. "S-Sorry for t-taking so long. I ehm...had t-to...read everything through....to be sure you know!" She fiddled with her hair. "S-So what now s-sir?" Did she say sir? SHOULD she say sir? She had no idea. She'd find out later anyway.