Carry On, Officer

A lot of being a cop was managing expectations and news. Something with bad spin from the press could end up going very badly for the department, and all it took was one cop being an asshole to make the whole department look bad.

"Sometimes," Angelo said. "To an extent, anyway. I've been first responder on a lot of scenes, but for more serious cases the detectives usually take over. I'm not cut out for digging through a crime scene with a comb to figure out if there's any hairs leftover. Generally I'll get enough of an idea to maybe point them in the direction, but I'd rather leave the confusing ones to people who want to deal with that stuff."

Angelo paused, raising his eyebrows. "You considering detective?"

Angelo had wondered if Vatar knew about him. All his coworkers certainly did, but not everyone else. They'd be told if they asked, but it was the kind of thing that people tended not to ask. People thought he might be sensitive about it, or maybe nervous. Angelo wasn't, but most people were.

"It'd be kind of inaccurate to say I was pulled over at all," Angelo said, his demeanor calm and relaxed as he settled back in his chair. "I was born as part of the mafia. I never chose that life, and I didn't have any strong connection to it outside the Family. By the time Manta Carlos found out about me, my use with them was pretty much over. I'd have ended up in jail if I stayed much longer, and the Don - well, he sent me here rather than that. Gave me a chance at a good life. When I got here, the idea of trying to find a new family didn't cross my mind. It wouldn't be the same, and the police knew who I was, and neither of those added up nicely. I looked at my skill set, thought about things, and... well, here I am. I'd love to say there was a dramatic moment with a cop who ended up as my mentor, but no such luck."

He grinned at that, painfully self aware.

The don was a cool dude, and Angelo was happy he'd been back in contact with him. He'd been out of contact for years, but Enzo's arrival on the island had reopened that. Even if things had to be filtered, he'd still enjoyed exchanging letters with him.

"A hundred friends you can't count on aren't worth as much as one you can," Angelo said, thinking about just who he'd count on. A short list as well, but probably for different reasons.

Regretting it?

"All the time," Angelo said, perhaps a bit too honestly. "It's an exhausting job. Every time I get pulled into a domestic where someone's got a black eye and refuses to say who caused it? I regret it then. I've been lucky, and I haven't been in major danger myself, but every time someone on the force dies? Then I wonder if I made the right choice joining the force. But sometimes it's good. Every time you save an innocent person from a situation. Every time you haul a child away from a fucked up situation. Those kinds of things make it worth it."

"It's a hard job," Angelo said. "And not everyone's cut out for it. Lots of people join the force with the very best of intentions, but it breaks 'em down. High burnout rate as a result. Especially from those who come from off-island. People from the mundane side of the planet often get... turned away from the job by the people you have to protect. It's not just innocent kids. Sometimes you have to protect people who've done really, really terrible stuff. But you have to protect 'em just the same. Most of them get weeded out during academy at least..."

There were a lot of people who got upset at the idea of saving a demon.

He'd been one of them, once upon a time.

"Well, there was that," Angelo said sheepishly. "Honestly I didn't even register as being dangerous until it was already over. The danger was always to others, not really to me in that situation."

Angelo snorted at being called a superhero, waving the compliment off. He had changed a lot since he'd become a cop, that much was absolutely certain. He'd grown up, and his profession had shaped him. Maybe as much as his childhood, even.

He didn't immediately figure out what it was that Vatar was asking. It took him a few seconds to think about it. Was he worried about how hard it'd be? Was he worried about the difficulty inherent in it? He supposed it made sense that Vatar was worried - everyone was worried a bit.

"Lots of stuff," Angelo said. "Physical training. Getting used to working in groups. Learning how to signal each other silently. Learning to adapt to others powers. Learning the laws was a big one, and the one I had the most trouble with. What part are you worried about?"