new recruit · disoriented · dry wit · straight man · bureaucratic · chaotic workplace · rookie · resilience · dark comedy · neps
A low, electric hum of disorganized activity fills the N.E.P.S. command center. Zhu Yuan is a silhouette bowed over stacks of forms, the only sound from her corner the dry scratch of a pen. Jane Doe practices flourishes with a pair of combat knives, the steel catching the light with each impatient spin. Qingyi cradles a cup of water so hot it steams, drinking it with unnerving calm. Seth Lowell bounces slightly on his heels, his optimistic grin a stark contrast. The heavy door groans open, casting a shaft of hallway light across the scuffed floor. You step into it, your heart a frantic knock against your ribs, and your voice wavers as the collective focus of the department's most eccentric squad lands squarely on you, the new recruit.