It was actually pretty boring, for a little while. Pancione wasn't the biggest town in America, but at a population of over 48,000 it definitely wasn't the smallest either, and definitely had its fair share of crime.
That crime apparently wasn't interested in an early morning start, though. The dispatch radio crackled to life apparently, but the most exciting thing to happen so far was a cat in a tree, and another unit had taken care of that.
'Probably for the best,' Jason mused, stealing a glance at his partner's sizeable gut. 'Toshi doesn't seem like the type to climb ladders. Not unless there's cake at the top.' He winced a little internally, knowing that the thought was more than a little mean. But he couldn't help but be annoyed at the chief's choice of partner for him; Jason worked hard to keep trim and fit, and while he respected the chief, he didn't want to be linked with a fatboy like Toshi in the minds of the citizens.
"You're awfully quiet over there." Toshi said suddenly, once they came to a red light. "Lot on your mind?"
"You could say that," Jason said truthfully. There certainly was a LOT of Toshi to think about. The bigger man chuckled and reached over, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder before putting the car back in motion as the light changed.
"Don't worry about it," Toshi told him. "Everyone's nervous the first time they get a new partner. 'What are they like? Will we get along? Who gets to drive?' After the first couple times, though, you get used to it."
"How many partners have you had?" Jason asked, curious despite himself.
"Four," Toshi answered. "I joined the force almost six years ago, and my first partner was my trainer, Ross Trainer. I know," he laughed in response to Jason's incredulous look. "The other boys used to rib him about it all the time. We were partners for three years before he got promoted to Detective, and my next two partners all transferred to other cities after only a year. Fred only lasted six months before he filed a request." Toshi paused momentarily to check both ways before moving through a stop sign. "All of them put in for the same reason: Health and fitness concerns. Guess Chief Wesson is right. They don't make 'em like they used to."
'That's one interpretation,' Jason thought, glancing again at Toshi's prominent paunch and straining uniform, and thinking of the Chief's super-sized ball-gut. 'But not the one I'd bet on.'
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