jay cooper | first day on the job
@agelessrp
jay’s nervous when he crosses the threshold of the fire station, but he doesn’t want to show it. he puffs out his chest and holds his head high, daring anyone to ask him why he’s here. he’s the new guy, but he knows he belongs already. he’s earned it with his barely passing written exam marks and his much more impressive physical exam score. lafd, his badge says, and he wants to wear it well.
jay makes it all the way into the well of the firehouse, and no one says anything. in fact, there’s not even that many glances toward him as the rest of the crew go about their day. easy banter fills the air; he hears snippets of their conversations about spouses, kids, last night’s reality tv rundown. the firehouse operates as a well-oiled machine…one that doesn’t seem to need him. it irks him after a while, the total lack of a response to his presence, and he approaches one of the firefighters who is hanging back and watching the others. “excuse me, I’m looking for captain nichols’s office. i’m jay cooper, the new hire,” he offers as explanation, watching the man’s expression change to one of amusement. confusion crosses jay’s face—what’s so funny? “cooper, huh?” the man repeats before nodding to a hallway, “down that hallway is nichols’s office.” jay gives his own nod in thanks. ”great, appreciate it.” and he heads that way until he reaches an office marked “captain,” the door half ajar. knocking gently, jay makes his way in but no one’s there. he sits in a chair across from the desk and waits. and waits some more.
the minutes pass slowly, and his impatience bubbles up. still, he sits there, expecting that the captain will come in and greet him, maybe even give him a tour. nothing. the sound of the firehouse alarm jolts him from his repetitive thoughts (which are mostly “should I keep waiting? where is this guy?”), and he jumps up, instinct kicking in. racing back down the hallway, he joins the crew as they gear up and jog to the trucks. gently barking orders amidst all of this is the same man who directed him to the empty office. puzzled, jay makes his way back over to the man, who smirks at jay. ”cooper, decided to join us finally, huh?” jay starts to explain himself, “well, there was no one in—” before he’s cut off by the older man. “you said you were looking for nichols’s office, not nichols himself.” the smirk stays put as captain nichols nods toward an untouched locker. “if you hurry, i’ll let you ride along for this one.”
