The next day saw Maka sitting across from the most cheerful lady she had ever met. The woman had sunny blond hair and wore a lot of yellow. The one odd spot was her eye patch. No, scratch that. The immense cheerful attitude billowing off the woman was also odd. How could a psychiatrist be that peppy?
"So Maka," the woman began. "My name is Dr. Marie. Please call me Marie." Maka was absolutely stunned as the woman's large, megawatt smile shone out at her.
"Maka," Marie said, suddenly serious. "You've gone through five partners in two years. You aren't even lasting five months with them. Why?"
"Because they were bad." Maka stated matter of fact.
"But they've all gone off to be successful with other partners." Marie countered. Maka raised an eyebrow. Was this woman insinuating she was the weak link?
"I'm aiming to be the best detective team in this city." Maka explained. "I need a partner that can keep up and certainly not get in my way." Marie nodded, writing something down in the small journal she held in her hand. She leaned forward.
"Why do you want to be the best?" The psychiatrist questioned.
"My mama was the best. I want to surpass her record." Maka stated. Her mother had been a star detective. She could crack just about any case and rarely got hurt in the line of duty. She had fallen in love with her partner and they had Maka. Eventually her partner and husband's cheating became too much and Maka's mother had left. Left her husband, left her daughter, and left the city. Not before she got her partner to the prestigious position of Police Commissioner. At Maka's comment, Marie wrote something else in her journal.
"You don't want to pass your father, the commissioner?" The doctor asked. Maka's face immediately broke into a scowl.
"No." She said bluntly. "I don't need to surpass that useless man." Marie's pen was flying across the journal now. Maka's scowl deepened. "Anyone that cheats or lies is not worthy of the position they cheated or lied to get." Maka spat acridly. Poor Marie was going to need another pen. And another journal at this rate.
"You're a very upstanding detective," Marie commented, hoping to calm the young woman down. It worked. Maka's face no longer bore a deep scowl.
"Yes." Maka agreed. "I worked hard to deserve my position." And Maka did work hard. She graduated top of her class at the academy in both academic and women's fitness. That had helped fast track her to detective status at a young age. She had done is all on her own too. No help from her father.
"That's true," Marie agreed. "I saw in your record you refused all help from your father and told your teachers to ignore him if he went to them." Maka nodded.
"Yes. Like I said, I worked hard to get where I am." Marie jotted things down in her journal for a bit.
"No one can argue with you there Maka," she said as she closed her journal. "Our time is up, but I'd like to see you again next week." Maka sighed.
"Same time?"
"Yes." The doctor confirmed. "I'd like to talk about your mother next time." Maka blinked. Her mother was her inspiration. Her influence helped Maka be disciplined enough to get this far in life. Maybe this psych time would take longer than she anticipated.
One week later, Maka was finishing up the paperwork Sid had given her. It was a financial fraud that laundered money through a website. Maka had organized the finances by products billed for versus products delivered and found massive discrepancies. She was also tasked with writing recommendations for follow up as the case what being handed over to the FBI. The police force of Death City didn't have the man power or facilities to cover the case. The fact that it crossed state lines made a federal case and FBI jurisdiction anyway. Maka was finishing up the recommendations when Sid called her into his office.
"Maka, come here immediately." Sid's head disappeared back into his office. Maka minimized the word document on her computer and walked off to the office.
"What's up?" she asked, closing the door behind her. "I'm almost done the paperwork you requested." She was smiling at her success. Sure it had eater up a few of her nights and maybe her day off, but it was done.
"This is your new partner." Sid barked. Maka's smile fled her face. Her new 'partner' was a young guy, maybe a year or two older than her 26. He had shocking white, shaggy hair and bright red eyes. He could've been an albino except that his skin was tanner than her own pale white.
"What?" She asked flatly. Her partner grinned at the expression on her face, showing off jagged teeth. Maka scowled and narrowed her eyes at Sid.
"Meet Soul 'Eater' Evans." Sid explained. "Your newest, and last, partner."
"Last…partner….?" Maka said breathlessly. What was Sid talking about? More importantly, what was Sid thinking? How was she going to partner up with a hooligan?
"Yes." Sid commented rustling through his desk for papers. "Eater is a good detective from Homicide. We can use him here at Major Case. Since you're the only one without a partner; have fun." Sid dismissed them both with a wave of his hand. As Maka led Soul to his new desk, Sid was still searching his desk for a wayward paper.
"Here's your desk," Maka said with a sweep of her arm towards the desk across from her own. Soul dropped his box of personal effects on the desk and started setting up. Maka sat down at her desk, brought her recommendations back up and got to work again as Soul was unpacking. Five minutes later, she was printing off her paper, stapling the packets together and passing in her assignment.
"Here Sid. I'm done." Maka said as she slung the folders back onto Sid's desk. She was still a little distracted by Sid's comment of 'last partner'.
"What did you mean by 'last partner'?" She asked. Sid looked up at her over the stack of paper she had just deposited on his desk.
"I mean, he's your last partner. No more coming in here pleading for a new one. If you can't work it out with Eater, you either suffer through it the rest of your career, or you leave Major Case." Sid explained. Maka was flabbergasted. She was stuck with Soul.
"Just watch Maka, this'll be good for you." Sid commented as he watched his detectives face go from pale to snow white. Maka shuffled out into the common room with all the desks again. She plunked herself down on her chair and stared off into the distance behind Soul's bright white hair. Her new partner saw the dazed look on her face and couldn't help but comment.
"You pregnant?" He asked. The only time he saw a face like that was when his cousin Elli had gotten pregnant.
"What? No!" Maka exclaimed, coming back to earth. "I just got some startling news is all." She looked at the clock and jumped. "Oh no! I'm gonna be late!" She grabbed her coat of the back of her chair and ran out of the room while putting it on. Soul just watched on in confusion and mild amusement.