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Downtown - Tail Hollow Orphanage - Happytown District - Corner of Deluge Ave and 34th St. Friday - 1:30 PM - Sunny, Clear Skies / Variable Winds

Max weakly crawled up the embankment, having been slushed out of the piping at the base level of the Rainforest District. He had lost track of all time as he was swept with the current, the rock sidings transitioning to concrete and metal and finally ending up in a tributary of the overall riverway that led him here.

He collapsed onto the muddy ground and rolled over to gaze up at the canopy rising high above him, with criss-crossing walkways and platforms interspersed by tram cars carrying their passengers to their various destinations. The air was so humid and stifling that even the murky water he was in felt refreshing and cool to him. While most other mammals would be repulsed by mud in their fur, Max didn't mind it at all. It was a stark, yet comforting reminder that this was his home and the place he belonged.

His breathing now returning to normal, he rolled over onto his paws and knees and worked his way up to standing. He looked around and tried to figure out where he was. He wasn't that far from the Tinderspire apartments. Using that Kopok tree as reference, he managed to work his way up to street level and began heading in a southerly direction that would take him back to the place he was more familiar with: Happytown.

Most civilians didn't give Max a second glance and swept right past him. It was as if he was invisible. Max was used to this, having dealt with it most of his life as an orphan. He was dirty, muddy and wretched-looking, resembling the trash panda slur that he hated so much. It didn't faze him at this very moment, so he kept trudging along. The few that did notice him had looks of pity, but still did nothing to assist him in his plight.

The pungent odor of soot and decay began to funnel into his nostrils as the familiar sights and sounds of Happytown filled his awareness. Max wasn't really paying attention where he was going, his muscle memory directing his feet on where to go. However, he did begin to notice several things that were different about his neighborhood that he had grown accustomed to. There was a lot more police tape, and scorched houses dotted his street because of the fire originating from Tail Hollow.

Max was so preoccupied staring at the glaring changes to the environment that he didn't realize the bum laying on the street next to him until he coughed loudly. Shaken a bit by the sudden sound, Max set off down the sidewalk again and could see his orphanage on the left a few blocks down. The debris sprawled out on the street was more visible than the front façade of the structure.

His focus on the building ahead, his paw kicked over a drum that rattled vociferously across the pavement before coming to a loud rest in the street gutter. His eyes were drawn to the makeshift drum set he had forgotten was there. Tucked away behind a trash dumpster were remnants of a series of metal buckets and trash can lids complete with a pair of metal rods he used as drumsticks.

Max had always loved music. It was one of the few things that brought him solace and comfort during his days being beaten and bullied in the orphanage. He would sneak out oftentimes and set up his venue just down the street to begin making some sweet beats to the rhythmic tune in his head. He would sometimes get the occasional ZBuck or coin for his work, but he really did it for the music. His cares would just fade away whenever he was at his drums.

Shrugging as he figured those days were long since gone, he padded on, his own mind deep in thought as he tried to recall the last song he had played on those broken cans. He didn't notice the maned wolf in his path until he literally bumped into him, almost knocking the tawny wolf off his paws. He struggled to regain balance on one crutch. He had on a loose-fitting pair of camo pants and white tank-top, red arms bare to the elements.

"Whoa, watch where you're going there, little guy!" The fox-like wolf admonished, giving the raccoon a once-over.

"It's alright." Max replied, not really thinking of a proper apology.

"It's alright? You just about bowled me over. I don't think that's alright. Where were you going in such a hurry, then?" The maned wolf was very interested for some reason in Max's affairs.

Regarding the crutch that supported one of the maned wolf's lanky legs, Max pointed out, "You're injured. Looks like from a nasty fall and quite possibly a fire." His eyes darted around to each of the singed patches of fur on Chris's arms.

"You're intuitive, but that still doesn't answer my question." The wolf seemed a bit put off with Max's seeming attitude.

"You mean the question of where I'm going?" Max was very articulate for his age, but he didn't really like speaking much to people to show it often. He pointed off towards the doomed visage of Tail Hollow, its roof blown off. "Going back to my home there."

The wolf glanced over to where Max was pointing and cringed, "Oh, buddy...yeah, you probably don't want to go back over there. They cleared that place out yesterday."

"I don't understand. That's my home. I'm going back." Max stated plainly, not getting the obvious implication.

Again, another look of pity from the wolf. "Look, kid, maybe I can help you find a place for now. The name is Christopher Guará. What's yours?" He held out a paw to shake.

Not really accepting the gesture, Max answered as he walked past him down the sidewalk to Tail Hollow. "The name is Max Thrash."

"H-hey!" Chris sputtered as the raccoon completely ignored him. "You can't just bump into someone, especially if they're injured, not apologize and walk off like that. Didn't your mom ever teach you any manners?"

This stopped Max in his tracks. He turned to the side and addressed the street, "I live in an orphanage, Chris. I had no mom to teach me these things."

Chris's ears flattened down at this, "Oh, right. Sorry about that." Recovering quickly, Chris caught up to Max using his lone crutch and hopping on one leg. "Look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot." He paused a brief moment to laugh at his unintentional joke. "I know what it's like living on the streets growing up and with no place for you to go back to. Things can get pretty hairy out here in Happytown. I can offer a place for you to stay, if you'd like."

Max continued on as if he hadn't heard the maned wolf. He stopped abruptly at the wrecked orphanage and looked up at it. "I'm already here."

Tail Hollow's sign was crooked, and part of it was completely blasted away. The interior was charred and the place looked more miserable than it previously was. There seemed to be no one currently living or working in the building since a jumbled mess of police tape and a sign labeled 'Condemned' had already been put up across the entrance. The place was no doubt slated to be demolished, and something not even resembling anything useful to the community would most likely be put up in its place, if anything was going to at all.

Max didn't budge when Chris put a paw on his shoulder. "Aw, man. I'm sorry about your home, but you can't really come back here. If you want, you can stick with me for a bit until we find you a place." The maned wolf offered sincerely.

Trying to logically think it through, Max figured that if Tail Hollow had been shut down due to the pirates ransacking it, he and all the other kids stolen were off the grid. He doubted that anyone would miss or care about paperwork at this point for getting him or any other missing kids adopted.

With no legal restrictions now binding him to the orphanage, he could go and find the mom of his choice. Sure, she did seem to have a busy life and probably wasn't the best alternative at the moment, but lacking any other options, she seemed to be the only choice.

"I'm going to find Murana then." He nodded, confirming to himself this course of action. "At the very least, I think she would give me a place to stay for a while."

Chris's fur ruffled, "Excuse me? I just offered you my pad to crash at."

Max finally turned to the maned wolf and addressed his chin, "Chris, you seem like a nice guy, but I don't know you." He moved to say something further, but thought better of it, deciding instead to just nod his head and begin walking down the sidewalk.

Chris just grumbled his irritation at this obstinate kit, "Again? I'm trying to be nice here, because I know what it's like to be abandoned without a home to go to. Granted, I didn't really get myself into a better space, given gangs and all, but I still managed to scrounge a living. That and...wait, did you say Murana?"

Although he didn't stop walking, Max's ears did flick back towards Chris, "Yeah, probably no one you know. I'm sure there are a lot of mammals named Murana."

Chris seemed immediately interested, "How about many wolves named Murana?"

That got Max to stop twice now, this time pivoting around to look Chris directly in the eye. "Murana Wolford?" He queried, his placid expression never wavering.

Although he was doing his best to hide it, Max could tell Chris was hiding a shimmer of exhilaration, "And you know where she lives? Is that where you are going?"

Max shrugged before continuing down the street, "Not really. I'm sure I will figure it out one way or another." He put a paw in his pocket, took out a library card and flashed it back at Chris. "She gave me this. On the card it has her as my sponsor. If I go to the library in question and claim to be her adopted son, especially since my name is on the card, they should have her address on file and give it to me."

Chris leaned on his crutch as he checked his watch, "Well, unless you plan on waiting until tomorrow, the library is closed on Fridays. Didn't you know?" The wolf couldn't help but smirk at this.

"I didn't." Max admitted.

He was always taken to the library by Murana during a few of her visits, but he never really bothered to pay attention to their schedule. If she ever took him on days other than Fridays, it never really mattered to him. He was far more concerned with spending time with her, hoping beyond hopes that she'd finally adopt him and have someone to call Mom. She was his best chance at getting away from the hell hole that was Tail Hollow, and now his easiest option to find her was denied for today.

Chris snapped his fingers, "Tell you what, I can do you one better." Trying to stabilize himself on one hind paw, he dug around until he found his cell phone. Flipping it open, he began tapping keys to locate the contact of choice. "I actually happen to know Murana's son. He works with me at ZNN."

This got Max's attention. He knew Murana had another son, but he barely knew anything about him. The subject just simply never came up in conversation, nor did he think to ask it. "ZNN? What's that?"

Chris just blinked, baffled this raccoon wasn't aware of the place he worked at. "Zootopia News Network? ZNN? Nothing ringing a bell? Didn't Tail Hollow have any televisions or computers to stream the news?"

"We're in Happytown, Chris." Max stated flatly. "I don't think Tail Hollow had any money for that. Besides, I wasn't interested in the news anyway."

Chris winced at his error. He should have known better, having been raised by his fellow gang brothers here. Living in the city at a reputable job had spoiled him something fierce. "Ah, right. Well, the person you are looking for, Murana, right? Her son is my colleague. We're friends and I can get you in contact with him."

Max was staring oddly past Chris, which caused him to turn around. Seeing nobody there, he looked back to Max, who was still gazing beyond as he spoke, "Why would you help me? You don't even know me."

"Do you always do that? It's kinda wigging me out a bit." Chris pointed out.

"What is?" Max wasn't really sure where Chris was going with this, and he still hadn't answered his question.

"It's like you're talking to everyone and everything but me. It's starting to get on my nerves." Chris was being patient with this kit, but there were certainly a lot of oddities about him.

Max's tail and ears drooped at the accusation. "I'm doing it again, aren't I?" He tried extremely hard to look Chris in the eyes, but it was stressful to maintain eye contact for any length of time. "The Matron called me 'special,' but the rest of the other kids called me retarded or dumb. There's something supposedly wrong with me where I don't always...say the right things or do the right things. I wasn't really wanted in Tail Hollow, but no one else would have me."

"Except Murana?" Chris was started to put the puzzle pieces together.

"Yeah, except her." Max stared at Chris's tanktop. "You never answered me. Why are you helping me?"

Chris scratched his chin a bit before advancing a few hops towards Max, "Let's just say we have a mutual interest in finding Murana, and since I'm a good friend of her son, I think we can help each other. May I?" He held up and shook the phone a bit.

Max nodded. "Be my guest."

Chris acknowledged him as he speed dialed Steven's number. He kept his eye on the raccoon, who just stood there and watched him with eyes nearly unblinking. Max certainly was not like any other cubs or kits he had encountered in his life. That was for sure. Turning to the side slightly, he held the phone up to his ear until a youthful voice picked up the phone.

"Hey, Stevie! Buddy! It's me, your pal, Chris!" The wolf's face became really animated as he talked into the phone.

Max could barely pick up what was being said by Steven at this distance. "What do you want, Chris? Now is really not a good time."

"I'm sorry, but I got a favor to ask of you! Can you give me the address of your mom's flat? I can show up there and tell you what's going on." Even Chris knew this was a weak opening to the request, but he hadn't really thought it through how he was going to get the information out of Steven.

Steven's voice was already guarded, "I don't think that's possible right now. Why do you want to know?"

Grimacing at how badly this conversation was going already, he sheepishly smiled at Max, "Well, I have this raccoon here saying he was looking specifically for your mom. He doesn't really have a home anymore and I was wondering if you might know anything about this?"

"I don't know of anyone who could be...wait, did you say raccoon?" After a grunt of affirmation from Chris, "Ask him if he used to live in Tail Hollow!" Steven's voice had a twinge of excitement to it.

"I don't have to! I already know he lived there. He doesn't now, but that's why he is looking for Murana. I'm guessing she was planning on adopting him or something?" Although it was never stated, that was the best assumption Chris could come up with.

Both Chris and Max could hear a nervous giggle emerge from the phone speaker, as if Steven had a small giddy attack of something. Suddenly, an older, stronger voice boomed through the phone. "Steven, who is that you're talking to?"

"It's Chris, Mom." After a pause, "Christopher Guará? From ZNN?"

"Get off the phone now, Steven. We're leaving." The female voice commanded.

Steven's voice lowered to a small hush, "Okay, Chris, I don't have much time. The address is Den 23A in the penthouse floor at the Red Lion Apartment Suites." His voice continued to speed up; as it appeared he was being forced to hang up immediately. "I'll put my key up on the sill of the door for you when you get here. Just keep him there until we get back and please...don't touch anything!"

"Stevie, you know me! What kind of wolf do you think-" The phone clicked off. Chris stared at it for a few seconds before snapping it closed and dropping it into his pocket. "That could have gone better, but at least we now have an address, which is what you wanted."

"Thank you for doing this." Max bowed his head, completely sincere in his appreciation.

Adjusting his crutch under his arm, Chris waved a paw to dismiss the formalities, "Please, I'm good friends with Steven. If it's true you were going to be adopted by his mom, then that makes you my friend too!"

"I guess." Max seemed unenthused. Chris couldn't tell if it was how he was feeling or if it was because of his 'special' qualities that he had referred to.

Hobbling along beside Max as they made their way down the sidewalk, he reached over and patted him gently on the shoulder, "I don't normally believe in fate, Max, but I think we were meant to find each other today. I think we're going to be good friends."

"If you believe so." Max rejoined.

Chris scowled at the raccoon. "You really need to work on your people skills."

"Sorry." Max intoned.

Savannah Central - The Red Lion Apartment Suites - Forest Penthouse Suite - Den 23A Friday - 03:41 PM - Sunny, Spotted Wisp Clouds / Variable Winds

_ _

Even though Max didn't show it outwardly, he was in awe at the majestic place. A luxurious tribute to utmost decadence, the Red Lion Apartment Suites was a stereotypical place for the powerful and wealthy. He could scarcely believe that Murana lived in such a grand establishment. Even Chris seemed impressed and gave a low whistle as the bellhop gave them an irritated look and opened the door for them reluctantly.

The floors were of polished tile, the vaulted ceiling held up by marble pillars shaped like mammal heroes of old. The scintillating glass chandelier high above them moved and undulated in a pulsing rhythm as its crystal rings moved up and down its length to plaster the entire room with a menagerie of rainbows. The extravagant furniture placed in the foyer, clustered around a stone fireplace, only served to reinforce its reputation as a place of indulgence.

"May I help you...er, kind sirs?" The dhole service clerk asked, being quick to notice they were out of place and moved in to intercept them.

Grabbing Max by the paw to urge him to follow, Chris beamed a toothy grin as he tottered along on one crutch. "Don't worry! We know where we're going!"

Without waiting for a response, he tracked their dirty footprints across the primary vestibule, much to the chagrin of the host. Flouting the judging looks of those around them, they finally made it up the steps. Chris grumbled about wishing Max had helped him up the stairs, but the raccoon was as oblivious to this need as expected.

Reaching the elevators, Chris pushed the up button and waited for the cabin to arrive. "So I take it you've never been here before?"

"Not once." Max was continuing to look all around him.

"Me neither." Chris said out of the corner of his mouth.

As the sliding doors opened, they funneled into the fancy elevator, complete with an installed television that showed off advertisements to the various amenities the suites had to offer its tenants. They turned their backs to the TV and gazed up at the rising floor number, counting higher to the penthouse suites on the upper levels. They stood awkwardly side by side, fidgeting and flicking their tails as the music from the speakers above droned on softly.

Chris broke the silence first, still facing straight ahead, "So...did Murana visit you often?"

"A few times." Max said succinctly.

"What did you all do when she came by?" Chris was curious now about this wolf who was a cold-hearted vigilante, yet had the time and patience to spend her days with this raccoon.

"We did stuff." Max responded curtly.

Chris's hackles bristled. These short responses were getting irksome. "Did she say anything about where she worked and what she did?"

"Not really." Max yawned, wanting the conversation to be over.

Chris had to look down at the raccoon just to make sure the kit wasn't messing with him. It turned out he wasn't, he was completely calm and not even aware he was vexing Chris. Trying a different tack, Chris smiled as he posed haughtily on his crutch. "I met her a few times myself. She's quite the force to be reckoned with."

"I guess so." Max agreed.

Chris looked put off. He was at first excited to be meeting the potential, future brother of his best buddy, Steven, but now it seemed like Max would be nothing like the fun, easy-going skunk of a friend at ZNN. What was more concerning was that connecting these two was Murana, and even then Chris wasn't entirely sure if either one of them knew of her moonlighting as the Dark Flame Wolf. Steven possibly, but Chris didn't want to accuse his buddy like that just yet.

The elevator doors opened and they silently walked out together. They navigated the suite numbers until they came to Den 23A. Furtively glancing at each other, they could hear some loud slaps with the occasional moan. Unsure of what to make of it, Chris rapped on the door and awaited a response. The sounds ceased for a brief moment before resuming. Knocking a little louder, they finally received a more firm response.

"Who the hell is knocking at the door?" A gruff, male voice boomed. It was obvious he had said it loud enough for Chris and Max to probably take the hint and shove off. In a more hushed tone, "I thought you said she'd be gone for the next few hours?"

After a few moments, the slapping continued, to which now Max banged on the door and kept banging until a tiny, female voice bellowed, "You freaking kidding me?!"

A small thump was heard followed by a lot of pounding paws as the door flung open, revealing an extremely naked mongoose. "Oh geez! My eyes!" Chris literally had a spastic attack as he flung himself into the nearest wall, covering his face with his arm as he stumbled trying to gain some distance from the nude mammal.

"What the hell is your problem?" Even the mongoose was surprised at this violent reaction.

Max regarded the hyperventilating maned wolf with some degree of interest before turning back to the mongoose, "I'm Max. I'm here for Murana."

Her eyes snapped back to the raccoon, "And you are?"

"I already said my name is Max. What's yours?" His eyes were fixated on anywhere but her face, chest or nether regions. Even he knew that it was impolite to stare at such places.

"Zoey." She responded without thinking. Shaking her head, "What do you want with Murana?"

"Can we please get back to fucking?" The wolf sprawled out on the couch behind her growled.

"Not now, Trevor!" She roared back.

"I'm looking for Murana. She's...looking for me too." Max didn't really know how to really state what it was he wanted to say to Zoey. So instead, he flipped up his library card and handed it to her.

"Please tell her to put some clothes on." Chris whimpered, now slumped down with his knees to his chin, face in his paws.

Ignoring the maned wolf, Zoey looked over the card. It was to a library located in Happytown. What was more interesting was the fact that not only was Max's name on it as the benefactor of the services rendered, but Murana was his sponsor. She scrutinized the raccoon again, and realization dawned on her face.

"Hey, you're that raccoon she was looking to adopt!" Zoey's eye lit up with delight.

"You know me?" Without warning, his eyes shot open and his body went rigid as the mongoose surged in and gave him a huge hug. Max squirmed against Zoey, her warm body pressing up into his with this unexpected show of affection.

Realizing her brazen forwardness, she backed up and smiled, "Sorry about that. I just wasn't expecting something like this to ever happen. I mean, I heard about you from her the other day, but I didn't really think you'd actually come here on your own to find her. Wait...weren't you supposed to be in an orphanage? How'd you get them to let you go?"

"They didn't." Chris responded for Max, his eyes trained directly on the ceiling of the hallway. "Tail Hollow was destroyed and he has no place left to go to."

"Does Murana live here? Is she here?" Max persisted.

Zoey gritted her teeth, looking back at the muscular wolf in the den, his expression clearly indicating he was just about done with this whole debacle. "Well, you see...you just missed her a few minutes ago. She headed out with her family to deal with a few things." Even though this was undoubtedly the raccoon Murana was going to adopt, she still wasn't sure how much she should say.

Trying his best to avoid eyesight with her chest, Chris focused on her face, "Is it possible we could stick around and wait for her to come back?"

Her stroppy expression turned firm, "That's not exactly possible. Things are a bit complicated and I was kind of in the middle of something."

"If this is her place, what were you doing on that couch with that wolf?" Max asked innocently.

Zoey's eyes ratcheted back to him, "Wow, you're forward. I'm just housesitting for Murana and what I was doing is none of your business!"

"He's a growing boy, tell him!" Trevor suggested, now finding this whole situation hilarious.

"Not helping!" Zoey fumed, shaking her head at the lout. "Look, I'd like to help, truly, I would. However, I was under strict orders not to let anyone into the apartment until she returned."

"Well, can't we just wait out here in the hallway or something?" Chris still seemed beside himself due to the blatant lack of modesty from this mongoose.

"No...that would be rather awkward." Zoey scrunched her nose at the prospect of these two standing outside the penthouse door listening to her and Trevor.

Chris's ears perked up, "Why? Is there a rule against waiting here outside in the hallway?"

Zoey groaned as she facepawed at the naivety of this maned wolf, "We were having sex! I'm going to have sex! You happy now?! You want to come in and watch?!" She thrust a finger back towards the den as she stared down Chris.

"Ahhh, no! Please, don't make me do that!" Chris buried his face back into his knees again.

"Hey, that's one of my kinks!" Trevor tapped a claw to his chin.

"And you're about to lose the rest of them in just a second!" Zoey rounded on him.

"So...you're house-sitting for Murana and you're having sex in her own home. Was that part of the orders she gave you to do?" Max had a curious look. He was exploring the room behind Zoey as best he could from the doorway.

"No! I mean, that wasn't part of the...you know what? Fuck it. I wasn't doing anything right now!" Zoey threw her arms up in the air in exasperation. "You might as well throw a cover over yourself or something, Trevor. This is going to be a minute."

"Sure thing, toots." He sniggered as he tossed the throw from the back of the couch over himself, settling in to get comfy at the ensuing conversation.

"Anything I can assist with?" A calm voice echoed down the hall as all of them jumped at the sudden introduction of a spectacled otter. Taking his glasses off briefly to rub out a smudge on his left lens with his shirt, the otter waddled down the hall towards them.

"Freaking hell! Who else in this damn city wants to show up at our doorstep?" Zoey grumbled as she left the doorway to go at least put on a thigh-length shirt to finally attain some form of modesty. By the time she returned to block the entrance again, the otter had already reached them and was giving the quivering maned wolf a concerned look.

"Is he going to be alright?" The otter gestured to Chris.

"Apparently not. It seems like he's never seen a naked female before in his life." Zoey rolled her eyes.

"Well, it's a good thing you're not my type." The otter joked, adjusting the glasses on his little snout.

"I'm sorry, who are you again?" Zoey snarked. "You're like the third weirdo to show up at our doorstep to supposedly watch me ride that fine specimen of wolf behind me."

"I'm Ronald Latrinae." The otter cleared his throat, tightening up his tie and smoothing down his blue suit coat. "I'm Mrs. Wolford's secretary at the Lemming Brothers bank. I've only been working there for a few days though."

"And why would her secretary be here, of all places? Didn't know she took her work home with her that'd she'd require any assistance from her secretary." Zoey was getting annoyed now and her impatience was showing.

"I was wondering if she was in. She's not been at work for the past couple days, and you have no idea how hard it was to track down an address that is unlisted in the yellow pages." Ron chuckled amicably. He went to ruffle the head fur of Max, only to be met with a pointed look that caused him to back off from that action.

"Like I told these two yahoos, you just missed her. I'm house-sitting and nobody is to be allowed into her apartment without her say-so." She put a sassy fist on her hip as she regarded the three of them, "And frankly, it is getting a bit too crowded all of a sudden, and I'm not liking it one bit."

Ron looked slightly flustered at this news, "Do you have any idea when she's going to be back? This is very important."

"Who knows? She never said!" Trevor chimed in helpfully from the background.

Zoey's brows lowered, "Whatever!" She tried her best to smile at Max, "You seem like a good kid, but right now is just not a good time. I'm sure either one of these nice, fine gentlemammals will be able to assist you for the evening. Check in tomorrow and see if she's back. Until then, don't knock again. I will be ignoring you all."

She gave each a singular glare, making sure each one understood her intent. Without another word, she slammed the door in their faces. Within a few moments, they could hear the resumed slapping sounds and excited giggling. Ron and Max looked a bit put out, their eyes flattened and faces downcast. Both of their shared hopes of finding Murana were dashed.

"That was quite rude." Ron prickled, propping his paws on his waist.

Sensing that the lewd mongoose was finally gone, Chris peeked out from between his knees and noted the closed penthouse door. "Phew. I guess better luck next time!" Seemingly back to his old self, Chris used both the wall and the crutch to get back onto his long good hind paw. "Where did you say you were from again?" Chris addressed the otter.

His gaze lingering on the door a moment longer, he looked up at the maned wolf. "I'm Ronald Latrinae, Mrs. Wolford's secretary. Actually, I'm not sure anymore these days since she's never around."

"When did you see her last?" Chris edged forward with a crutch-assisted hop.

Ron beheld the two of them with interest, "And who is asking? As her secretary, it is also my business to know who comes to call."

"Isn't that only at her job?" Max reasoned.

The otter shot the raccoon an odd frown, "That's true, yes. However, since it is clear you weren't welcome at her own place of residence, I have to call into question whom you are and your intentions."

"Excuse me? What makes you-" Chris began, pointing a finger at the otter.

"That's fair." Max interjected, his expression hard to read. Without waiting for either to react, he continued, "Name is Max Thrash. I'm an orphan from Tail Hollow who is looking for Murana because she was thinking of adopting me."

Nonplussed at his response, Ron had to reorient himself in the conversation, "That certainly does explain a lot of things, but curious why you'd come here all of a sudden. Are you adopted already?"

"No. She didn't adopt me. Said she couldn't at the time, but I'm here now." Max explained briefly.

"I don't think that's how adoption works." Ron raised an eyebrow. He turned to Chris, "And you? You with Max here?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes." Things were getting stranger by the minute for Chris. He was looking for Murana. Max was looking for her. Now this otter was too. So many things seemed to be revolving around this mysterious wolf who ironically enough happened to be the mother of one of his friends. "Since I knew Mrs. Wolford's son from work, I figured I could help Max find out where she lived."

Ron folded his arms with unease, "You do know that even if you are a friend of the family, it is still quite a breach of privacy to bring strangers to a person's home."

"Even if she was going to adopt him?" Chris reasoned, leaning forward on his crutch.

"Even then, it still isn't standard protocol." Ron was calm to Chris's agitation.

"What about you?" Max pointed at Ron's tail, drawing a confused squint from both of them. "You said you've only been working at the bank for a few days. I don't think you would know her well enough to be coming to her house for business."

Ron marveled at the boy's intelligence. "You are a smart one!" He beamed at the raccoon, sulking only when the expression wasn't returned. "As I said, I'm new to the job and she hasn't been around for several days. Being the CEO of a prestigious bank, that does raise a cause for alarm. As her secretary, it was my duty to figure out what had happened to her or if I needed to file a police report. The least I could do was track down where she lived and stop by to see if she was sick in bed or something."

"So now what do we do?" Chris looked balefully at the locked door. "Ms. Skank in there won't even tell us where Murana is. Now we got nothing else to go on!"

"Her named is Zoey." Max corrected, drawing a glower from Chris.

Ron scratched an itch on his neck as he considered, "Barring the fact your presence here is highly unorthodox, what was your original plan?"

"I bumped into Max here back in Happytown. His orphanage had been destroyed recently and he had nowhere to go." Chris began, drawing a look of pity from Ron. "Since I happened to know the son of the wolf he was looking for, I figured one good turn deserves another and I decided to help him find her."

"That's very admirable of you, and doing so injured no less!" Ron complimented, gesturing towards the crutch Chris was leaning hard on. "How did that even happen?"

"This?" Chris looked down at his injury, taken aback at the sudden question. "I...uh, ran into a criminal the other day and managed to escape just in time." He recovered.

"That's unfortunate." Ron nodded. "I'm glad for your safety then." His attention focused on Max. "I've got an idea. If you don't mind hanging out with boring old me, you can come stay at my place for the time being until we can locate Murana and get this whole business sorted out. It's no trouble at all."

"That's very generous of you, but I think I can take him from here." Chris seemed adamant about his resolution in his responsibility over Max.

"I think I'm going to go with Mr. Latrinae here." Max took a few steps over to stand beside the surprised otter.

"What? Why?" Chris's mouth was hanging open.

"Mr. Latrinae works with Murana every day. He will probably see her soon. If I am with him each time when he goes in to work, I'm bound to see her one day." Max laid out logically.

Max didn't like lying to Chris, but it seemed the best solution for now just to get away from the overly friendly maned wolf. He seemed a good guy, but he couldn't trust him or anyone else with what he knew about Don Karnage and how Murana was some sort of masked hero. He didn't know where she was since her escape from the Iron Vulture, but he knew he couldn't have Chris tagging along wherever he went to look for her. Ronald seemed a far better proposition to be with. Max might be able to more easily slip away from him.

Chris looked like he was pouting, "Fine, kid. I thought we were cool. If you change your mind, I'm living near her son, Steven, down by the Docks. I'm in building 3405, apartment A115, across from the boardwalk. You can't miss it." He shifted sideways, looking askance at the raccoon. "I hope you find her, Max. I really do."

Shaking himself from head to tail, Chris shuffled off down the carpeted hallway back to the elevators. Max dawdled a bit until the maned wolf was out of sight before directing his attention to Ron, who was observing him intently. The intensity of his gaze was making Max really uncomfortable, and he shifted uneasily in place as he looked away obviously.

"I can't imagine what you're going through, Max. A kit without a home, I can almost relate." Shaking his head as if breaking out of some internal rumination, Ron focused more directly on him. "I'll take you out to some dinner, how's that? I know a fantastic noodle place just down the road we can try. You up for that?"

"Sure, I guess." Max shrugged.

Clapping his webbed paws with excitement, Ron smiled, "Capital! Very well, I will lead on."

Max followed along behind Ron, who seemed to be humming to himself. He was quite agile on his feet, and Max had to keep pace with the surprisingly fast otter. He didn't seem to be too attentive to his surroundings though, and most likely would be very easy to slip away from. Max just needed an opening.