You decide that Smug's offer is probably the best course of action. It would look better on a resume, to say the least, and will allow you to save up your money since you won't be paying rent... at least until Smug decided to rescind that offer, but you hope it will be at least enough time to get yourself on your feet.
True to her word, Smug take you out and you get a few nice fitting suits, white shirts with khaki pants with black belts. After a shower and short grooming session, you definitely look the part of an upstanding member of society again, if still looking a bit scrawny. Your first night in the apartment is fine, though the bed, like the rest of the apartment seems oversized. But it is comfortable, and a way better alternative to concrete. Your room is basically bare save the closet with your few clothes. Maybe when you've made some money, you can invest in some decor.
You go to the station the next day and sit down for an interview. With Smug vouching for you, they agree to let you work there for a trial period to see how you manage. They won't let you handle any important case files, but they'll allow you to greet people and work the phones under supervision and training, and you'll run errands around the station.
The first week of this involves a lot of training as you learn the proper way to greet people, answer phones and redirect them to the proper offices, and a lot of running around. People call you to go for coffee and snack runs, which you quickly pick up and provide. It's very demanding, and you receive little thanks at first, but you bear with it for the sake of the promises made and the pay you will eventually receive.
As you get into the swing of things, you make the effort to predict the needs of the officers and pick up on patterns in their behavior. The rhino in 108 likes a coffee first thing in the morning, black with cream and 2 sugars, and a coconut donut. The wolf in 203 prefers a latte at lunch with a bagel with ham and cheese. Smug likes Columbian roast, with milk, no sugar, but will take whatever snack is available. You also get good at greeting people, assuring them, before suggesting they wait until the correct person becomes available, and sending the messages and calls to the correct office.
After about 4 weeks, you are informed that you have done a great job, and granted a permanent position.
----
"Congratulations", says Smug, as you return to your desk, wiping a bead of sweat from your forehead after returning from the news. "Knew you had it in you, dig in!" she slides a box of donuts in front of you. For the most part, she has been supportive of your efforts but likes to bust your chops from time to time. But you gladly dig in, enjoying the reward for your hard efforts. "Thanks for giving me the opportunity," you say between bites. With a steady job now, you can probably afford to get more clothes, maybe spruce up your room a bit. Maybe now you can relax a bit, maybe see what the city has to offer. Of course, if you do really well here, maybe you could get a raise and really begin getting some good cash reserves. It would be nice to get your own place eventually, or your own stuff for the apartment, Smug has little in the way of entertainment except for her own collection of DVDs, which mostly consist of old Noir and detective stories and police action flicks, and her laptop is for her own personal use. Your own would be nice to get an actual entertainment system and a computer of your own, which of course cost money...
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