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Starfall: Chapter 21: Love, Loyalty, and Lies: Part Two

‘Thank Karma the door has a lock.’ Vivian slams the lock shut on the small mammal female restroom door with a relieved sigh.

“I assume the googly eyes, your swinging tail and rear end with your over all infatuation is all an act for the Human?”

Nearly jumping out of her fur, Vivian reels around and glares at a reverse-marble-fox Vixen wearing the restaurant’s waitress uniform as she walks out from one of the stalls. Not to mention the scent of the large amount of perfume, which wafts her way that she has no clue how she didn’t notice the vixen in here.

Said waitress stares at Vivian, arms crossed over her substantial bust while her tail’s held stock still behind her.

Raising her lips, Vivian begins to snarl. ‘First other mammals and now other foxes!? Can’t I ha..’ Only for her to slam her mouth shut upon the vixen in front of her raising her shirt, showing a small branding mark.

The mark of an inner circle skulk enforcers, a snarling vulpine head, sits prominently on her belly, above her hip on her belly in a small patch of white fur.

Vivian’s ears pin to her head as her tail tries its best to phase though her dress and stick itself firmly between her legs in sheer fright.

‘Shit shit shi…’

“That text wasn’t a courtesy call or a suggestion Vivian Janna Wilde. It was a warning, you ‘should’ve’ had the tablet at the dead-drop last night for the Skulk as you were asked to. Our client is getting impatient and the leadership of the Skulk wants to be on his good side for what he has planed.” Taking a panicked and hasty step back, Vivian’s poor attempt at a retreat’s foiled as the Reverse Marble vixen steps forward, matching her gait.

One hand-paw of hers reaches into the space between her breasts, pulling out a rabbit sized derringer, the other into her tail fluff for a similarly scaled silencer.

Backing into up against the door, terror freezes Vivian in place instead of her quickly unlocking the door and bolting into the crowded restaurant, which her brain is desperately trying to tell her body to do. All the while the Reverse Marble vixen attaches the silencer to the weapon, then points it at Vivian’s head.

“My br…”

The Enforcer Vixen cuts Vivian off with a snarl. “Your brother’s deal with the Skulk does NOT extend to you anymore. It only covers family whom keep their muzzles out of Skulk business, and he’ll keep his muzzle shut on ours. Now tell me why you should walk out of here alive instead of it looking like you ditched your date as your cold dead body’s dragged out of that window over there by me?”

The tail of the Enforcer vixen points to the only window in the room made of frosted glass.

“I’LL GET THE TABLET TO YOU TONIGHT!” The words flow out of Vivian’s muzzle in a panicked scream. Whereupon the instant they leave her muzzle, she collapses against the door, her bracelets clattering to the bathroom floor along with her purse. The weight of her choice of betraying someone she’s come to love taken from her by a simple threat on her life causing her legs to lack the power to stand.

Pointing the gun away from Vivian, the Enforcer vixen grins. “See, now doing what you’re supposed to do wasn’t so hard, wasn’t it?”

Dissembling the firearm takes a fraction of the time the Reverse Marble vixen took to assemble it, further scaring Vivian as to whom she’s dealing with. A few moments later, both the derringer and the silencer disappear on the enforcer’s body with no trace they’re even their.

With one quick stride towards Vivian, the Enforcer Vixen grabs her by the shoulders. Lifting her back onto her feet with care that stands in stark contrast to the murderous intent she just had. She occupies herself with fixing up Vivian’s dress once the youngest Wilde sibling’s on her feet.

Followed by her slipping Vivian’s bracelets back on her wrist, then using her grip on Vivian’s shoulders to guide her in front of the sinks and mirrors.

The sound of her placing Vivian’s purse on the edge of the sink snaps her out of the stupor she’s in.

“Good thing your date’s nose is far too dull to smell how terrorized you are right now, so that’s one less thing to fix to make it look like this never happened. Be a good girl and touch-up your make-up before you go back out please.

Stepping back, the Enforcer lets go of Vivian as she grabs a hold of the sink to keep herself from collapsing again. Adjusting the waitress’s uniform she’s in, the Enforcer grins lacking any warmth what so ever at Vivian.

“Because you took so much time to do such a simple job for a Vixen with your looks, the dead-drop location’s changed. Remember the guard-house of the warehouse complex near the bridge your brother likes so much? That tablet better be inside it, under the table before morning or Nicholas will be an only child by the end of the day.”

Plastering that fake customer service smile on her muzzle, the Enforcer Vixen flicks the lock open on the woman’s restroom with a claw tip, slipping out while Vivian fixes her make-up with trembling hand-paws.

Once out the door, she blends into the crowd of wait staff. All busy handling the dinner rush to pay attention that she may or may not actually work there. Passing by the marble rabbit, she takes his empty drink like an employee would, only to slip a micro-recorder to him with her other hand-paw under the table before slipping away to the kitchen, and out the back door.

Tapping his fingers on the table Mark seems oblivious to this before his attention’s quickly drawn to the sight of Vivian making her way back over to their table.

Only for his eyes to be drawn past the perfectly re-applied make-up and the quick brush job on her fur to her tail. Lacking the movement it had on her way out and her eyes having a bit of that vacant look clues him into the fact something happened in the short few minutes she was gone, something unpleasant.

Being a gentleman though, Mark helps Vivian back into her seat in their booth. “Are you okay Viv?”

Plastering a hustler’s smile on her muzzle, one much less refined than her brother’s and easy for the human to see through. The Vixen nods. “Yea… Just, I shouldn’t have drunk all that wine as fast as I did. Even if everyone’s a lightweight compared to you, I’m still a lightweight in general.”

‘No something else happened, and I have a good idea what it is.’ Politely smiling, Mark nods. Then with one hand, he flags down a passing waiter, asking for the bill and carry-out boxes for the remainder of their food, after all for what he’s paying, he should be able to take it with them.

“Alright, I’ll just pay the bill, and we can head back to your place.”

Vivian fights a losing battle with her ears in place of making sure her tail doesn’t give her fear away to Mark. “No. That’s alright, I’m sober enough to walk back myself.”

“Sorry, but I insist, If that wine isn’t agreeing with you Viv, they wouldn’t be happy if I left you to your own devices. Nor would your brother or sister-in-law will mind if I stay overnight before telling them we’re moving in together.” Smiling at the vixen, Mark makes quick work of putting their meals in the styrofoam bins, before handing his new charge card to the waiter.

Ignoring the fact that even without paying for their drinks, the meal is well into the triple digits just for the both of them.

‘Hopefully we can patch this up.’ Thinking about it reminds him of the feeling of the two concealed items in his current outfit.

Standing once the waiter returns with his card, Mark helps Vivian off of the bench before donning his suit jacket. Picking both styrofoam containers up, be balances them in a single hand and thanking the waiter for the meal. On their way out, both the Human and the Vixen ignore the Snow leopardess watching them go.

Fluffing out of her fur from stepping back into the brisk night air allows Vivian to let her tail twitch in distress rather than force it still. Something that also doesn’t go unnoticed by Mark.

“I have work tomorrow, so I won’t much of a hostess…” ‘Why am I protesting him staying the night? I can steal the tablet, drop it off at the new dead drop and get the hell out of town while keeping my fur intact… Though, If he isn’t there, I won’t have to steal it. I can just slip away into the night unnoticed without betraying him, other than up and disappearing on him.’

Shrugging, Mark leads without Vivian protesting. “Doesn’t matter. I’d like to see more of your apartment, and I wouldn’t mind spending what little of the evening with you before you have to go to bed.”

Vivian’s genuine smile hides the warring emotions beneath her copper fur as they make a quick journey back to her apartment. Slowly, she feels what little she drank start to affect her. If the slight sway in her walk that Mark notices and the buzz in her head is any indication.

‘Why the fuck did that Enforcer show up tonight rather than tomorrow? Who asked the skulk for Mark’s tablet? Why do they want it so bad? Can’t they wait like another day or two?’

Opening the apartment entrance for her, Mark smiles as Vivian enters. The buzzed Vixen’s tail lightly rubbing against Mark as she enters. He repeats the gentlemanly gesture for the entrance to the stairwell, and her tail again rubs against him before he helps her up the stairs.

Only to wait for Vivian to fish out her keys from her purse at her apartment door.

“They gave me the key to the wolf sized part of the door in case I had anyone over who needed it. Now where did I put it…” Fumbling through her purse, she smiles as she finds it. With a shaky hand-paw Vivian reaches up and places the key-ring in Mark’s free hand with a smile.

The Vixen internally fumes as the full door opens smoother than the smaller mammal door cut into it.

Once open, Vivian slips in, dropping her purse where she normally does. Turning to look at Mark, she holds up a finger. “Give me a moment.”

Smiling at him before pushing aside the divider to the living room, the Vixen goes about pulling down the sheets and blankets used to enclose each section. Sauntering back to the front door, Vivian giggles a bit and gestures for him to enter with a slight bow. “Alright, come in.”

Gently pushing the door open enough to let himself in, Mark quirks a brow. ‘Pretty creative in sectioning off unneeded space like this. She’s smarter than she gives herself credit for even if she my not be as smart as her brother.’

Closing the door behind himself, he only catches Vivian’s fully tail as she disappear into the still sectioned off bedroom area. “Where’s your fridge?”

“Next to the small kitchenette that’s next to that ancient wood cooking stove!”

Easily spotting it, Mark places the two take out containers into the fridge. The two styrofoam boxes easily fitting with the lack of food inside it.

Remembering Vivian stating the place has no heat or AC, he grabs a few logs of wood from the nearby wood pile, some paper, and the box of matches sitting on top of the ancient cast iron behemoth.

‘Nineteen-hundred’s era wood cooking stove. I bet once heated up it makes the place nice and cozy. It’s no central heating in that we may have to crack a window open, but I can’t deny the atmosphere it has.’

Slowly opening the main fire chamber as its hinges squeak, he works in starting a fire. The sounds of Vivian rummaging through stuff and pulling out a blanket echos in the apartment, through the makeshift walls.

‘No sound-proofing obviously. I guess it will be a pain to not accidentally wake her if I have to do something.’

“I don’t exactly have a couch you can sleep on, and my bed is too small for someone your size…” Walking out of her bedroom wearing a long t-shirt that can double as a dress and sweat pants Vivian drags a large blanket into the living room. Her ears flat with effort allowing her tail to show how scared and nervous she.

Her back stays turned to Mark as she works on setting up the thick blanket as a bed for him.

“Thank you for starting a fire…” The Vixen’s tail continues swish nervously while listening to Mark grab her repurposed large mammal chair. Placing his suit jacket on the back, he sets it next to her coffee table.

Sitting down, Mark reaches into one of the concealed pockets in his outfit and pulls something out.

“It’s not an issue, kinda rustic in a way if you ignore that this is an apartment and not a cabin or farm-house in the woods. The blanket’s fine for a bed as long as you have a pillow or two, I’ve slept on worse.” He smiles as Vivian stands there with her back turned to him. The vixen’s ears and tail moving like she’s at war with herself.

Turning to look in the direction of her bedroom, Vivian’s ears settle on laying back in distress with her tail sending mixed signals due to her buzzed state. “I think I have a spare pillow or tw…”

Freezing mid word upon the subtle sound of something metallic clinking against glass. Something compels her to turn around. Fur standing on end, the sight clears the buzz of alcohol from her system.

Sitting, without a hint of malice in his eyes or face, Mark has his hands in his lap. On the glass of the coffee table in front of him is the object that’s at the root of the entire issue. The object that her job was at the start to steal, sitting there, within reach if she so desired. Seemingly as if the human is offering it up to her.

She doesn’t want to though as her eyes stay locked on the tablet in its rolled up form.

“It’s what you originally wanted, well up till a few weeks ago, isn’t it Vivian?” The edge in Mark’s voice has no malice in it, no anger nor hate.

It still cuts through Vivian like a knife with her posture collapsing, crashing onto her knees on the floor her tail places itself firmly between her legs. No amount of will she can muster now can move it.

Meekly squeaking. “Why?”

“Because I genuinely do love you Vivian despite what this relationship started as. I’ll be honest, it hurt, a lot, when I learned last week. From your brother no less, that this was at the start the only reason you wanted to see me.” Mark pauses, remembering how the ex-hustler learned it, then continues.

“With my crash course in learning vulpine body language since moving in with your brother at least soothed the pain knowing our relationship had moved well beyond this to something more genuine. Still, we need to address it, now, before we go any deeper.”

‘Better put all my cards on the table. We need to trust each other, fully.’ Pulling up one of his pant’s legs, Vivian recognizes one of the ‘Plasma-Stunners’ he’s talked about. Placing next to the tablet with a clink as metal meets glass.

His hands go back to his lap, fingers intertwined. “Had your body language this past week not been one of genuine affection. I may have had to use this on you and turn you over to your brother and sister-in-law earlier. The reason I have it now though is in service of your protection. Because, correct me if I’m wrong, you no longer ‘want’ to steal this and give this to Mammal’s who’ll do bad things with it. It’s the most powerful piece of computing equipment on the planet after all. It’s electronic warfare suit can make quick work on, or get into any system.”

“No…” Vivian squeaks, crawling on hands and knees closer to the coffee table. With great effort on her part, she uses it to pull herself up onto her foot-paws.

“You, you are right. At the start of the whole thing I was only focused on getting that… Tablet for the money the Skulk promised if I did so. A LOT of money.”

Having gone through the crash course of Human body language over their short relationship, Vivian forces herself to keep eye contact with Mark. Compared to her Vulpine instincts telling her that’s a sign of aggression rather than a sign she’s telling the truth.

The mental effort of the task drains her ability to control her ears and tail, leaving herself an open book of confused and warring emotions and thoughts to her Human boyfriend as he watches her.

“Now though… The thing I fear the worst is the sight of hurt and disappointment on your weirdly expressive face Mark. It’s odd to say, but if I was still the Mammal I was when we first met, and not the mid twenty-year old Vixen acting like it’s her first crush, like I did this evening before our date. I would’ve lifted the tablet from your possession right after we agreed to see each other every other day if possible. Except, now the money isn’t worth it. I can’t think of any sum of money that would.”

Breaking eye contact, she looks down at the tablet. Following her gaze, Mark using a finger slides the tablet in front of her.

Gesturing at it, Mark gently smiles. “Go ahead, pick it up Viv. I trust you but I want you to know that it wouldn’t have worked out anyway if you had tried to steal it.”

Looking him in the eyes again, Vivian flexes her hand-paw before forcing herself to pick it up. Only to drop it with an involuntary yelp back onto the glass. Pulling her hand-paw back and across her chest, she rubs feeling back into it.

“Wha…”

“The entire outer shell is a bio-metric sensor for fingerprint and basic DNA matching. The tablet’s registered to me and the rest of the now dead crew of the ship I was on. Without this, all any pirate or border would have to do is grab a hold of a tablet, and they’ll have an easy in to the ship’s computer.”

Picking the tablet up, Mark opens it with a flick of a wrist, allowing the rolled up screen to come out and stiffen. He places it back on the table as the screen lights up.

‘Meaning I was doomed from the start to fail, though to be honest, falling for him doesn’t seem like that much of a failure compared to the alternative.’

Thinking back to the still fresh incident in the restaurant bathroom, her body language prompts Mark to reach over to reassuringly place a hand on her tiny shoulder.

The kneeling whine of fear she let out still echos in Mark’s ears.

“Blame the people, I mean Mammals that set you up on this fool’s errand, not yourself. Still, what happened back there? You went from love-struck to terrified in those short few minutes in the lady’s restroom. Then you do that, please tell me what happened.” Letting go of her shoulder, he crouches closer to her.

Looking back up into his pained, but caring and loving eyes. ‘Damn him. Damn how much I love him now. And damn my own stupidity.’ Vivian mentally mutters, whining louder.

“A Skulk Enforcer… I was taking to long, I got a warning text from them that I should’ve delivered the tablet to them already. I rationalized myself to ignore it thinking I could have one last good date before betraying you. They don’t seem to wanted to wait though!”

‘If she was Human, she’d be crying.’ Mark watches as Vivian, the youngest Wilde, and a Vixen quite out of her depth take a tentative step around the coffee table towards him.

Then another.

Until just dashing forward and jumping onto his lap, burying her muzzle into his chest. Her whining doesn’t cease as she clings to him.

“She pulled a gun on me, I was moments away from dying, so I had to promise to get them the tablet tonight! They’ll kill me otherwise!”

Mark embraces the distraught vixen, one arm under her, pinning her tail to her legs, the other rubbing up and down on her back carefully. “It’ll be fine.”

“No, it won’t! I’m… Not as smart as my brother. I can’t talk my way out of any situation like he can. He was right, I shouldn’t have gotten myself involved with the Skulk. I can’t even go to him for help! They have Mammals everywhere and I’d be dead shortly after.”

Squeezing her reassuringly, Mark just lets her get it all out. Only when Vivian quiets down to light whimpers does he speak further. “Vivian it will be fine. I have an idea or two, but….”

Gently pushing herself up off his Mark’s slightly damp shirt, Vivian looks up at him. “But what?…”

Smiling down at her, Mark places a hand behind her head. “You’ll have to trust me. Trust that I’m not perfect and I’ve made mistakes here and back home. Trust that I have a plan on getting you out of this. You’ll need to come clean to your brother and sister-in-law, tonight. That’s the first step. Both have resources that they can use to help.”

Swallowing, Vivian sniffs, then sniffs him. Ears pinned back and eyes staring into his. “I.. I trust you Mark. What’s your plan on this?”

Petting her head. ‘Wow her fur really is soft…’ Mark smiles.

“Well, first. I kinda expected someone to try stealing the tablet and I should’ve expected it to be those two. Considering they signed off on the paperwork on confiscating the other plasma-stunner. So over the past month I’ve made a decoy or two with my spare time. In between looking for work as the city and state mandates for my pardon.”

The chuckling sound from Vivian makes Mark quirk a brow. “I admit it’s not the best plan, they’d quickly find out it’s fake. Still, it’s better than nothing.”

Shaking her head, Vivian pulls herself closer to Mark’s chest by grabbing his shirt with no intention of letting go. “No. Its, well, the only idea I could come up with was to also make a fake one to give them, then get the hell out of the city. The Skulk is mostly foxes, so they have resources where there are large groups of us. I was going to drop by Judy’s family for a few days and figure it out from there.”

“So you were going to leave and not say goodbye?” Wanting to frown, he keeps a Stoic face as he looks down at the vixen laying on his chest. Not wanting to show his disappointment, though Vivian still whines loudly as she senses it.

“I can smell that you’re disappointed or at least not happy…” She’s interrupted by him chuckling once.

Smirking, Mark shakes his head slightly. “I can already tell I’ll have a hard time hiding stuff from your due to that nose.”

“Not my fault Humans have such a stunted sense of smell. Anyway…” Vivian sighs, then lets go of his shirt to smooth it out.

“I figured it would be for the best. You wouldn’t have to see me due to me betraying you, I’d at least have a chance to stay ahead of my brother and sister-in-law for being a potential threat to you as they’re still technically tasked with protecting you. Not to mention, the Skulk’s customer won’t get the tablet.”

“I would’ve come looking for you Viv. Wouldn’t have stopped till I found you.” Smiling a bit, Mark lifts Vivian off of himself and places her on her foot-paws next to the chair, so he can sit up a bit.

The vixen’s ears fold against her head. “What would you have done when you found me?”

Sitting up and picking up the tablet. Mark taps a few places. “Have this heart-to-heart talk. Maybe be a bit angry you didn’t come forth with the idea first.” The tablet beeps a few times.

“Alright, since we’ve both laid our cards on the table and neither of us lost since you trust me enough to tell me what’s actually going on. I think I should show you that I trust you as well.”

Smiling at her, Mark places the tablet onto the glass coffee table and slides it to the side so it lays in front of her.

It shows a generic blue screen with a black outline of what she knows as a human hand. “Put your hand-paw on the screen till it beeps, be sure to put some pressure into it. Then grip the metal part similarly for the same amount of time.”

Vivian tilts her head at him. “Wha?”

Shrugging, he returns the look. “Adding you as a user so the tablet won’t shock you again. Can’t make your account have the same privileges as mine since it would require the approval of the dead captain of the ship I was on. So the account will be limited.”

Blinking, she stares at it. ‘That’s a large amount of trust compared to me just telling the truth.’ Vivian places her hand-paw onto the screen and gently presses into it.

The tablet loudly chimes, Removing her hand-paw, she grips the metallic shell till it repeats the sound. “So I’d be able to access all the movies from your world it has?”

Gently taking the tablet from the vixen’s hand-paws, Mark taps a few places. Confirming the rights of her account. “Now you can.”

Shaking his head slightly at the time displayed on the tablet, he continues. “Anyway, With your brother and sister-in-law out on an emergency backup call for a protest turned riot, I’m going to assume it will be a bit later till they may be back home. Talking to them will allow us to kill two birds with one stone. So to speak. You can come clean with them about being involved with the Skulk and I can pick up the decoy. That is, if you’re not willing to do it at their precinct with someone they trust?”

Fur bristling at the latter of the two options, ears pinned, Vivian vigorously shakes her head. “I at least know for a fact the Gray Fox janitor employed by them has ties with the Skulk.”

Trying to rack her brain about the other precincts, she fails to come up with anything so dismisses them outright.

“Considering they threatened my life, I don’t think they’d be shy about silencing me to keep themselves and their client safe. So I’m sure the entire group’s been told to look out for me. I wouldn’t last the night in precinct one holding, nor any other’s.”

Glaring fearfully in the direction of the closest window. “Nor here to be honest…” Noticing this. He gets up and uses one of the blankets Vivian took down to cover it before sitting back down in the chair as Vivian works her fur back down into something reasonable. Even if her tail thrashes about fearfully and her fur refuses to comply.

Throwing some wood into the fire, Mark picks the tablet back up. “So what should we do to pass the time till they may be back? They forgot to hand me a key on their way out as I was also on my way here.”

Watching Vivian think, her ears rising up and gaining the slight twitch he’s learned that tells him as much, he jests. “I mean I can try to get in, but I’m trying to not make any more mistakes.”

Only for her to glare at him.

Reaching behind himself, he pulls out the wolfdroid phone from his suit-jacket. Placing his tablet down, he texts Nick that his sister has come clean to him, and would like to do so to him and Judy. Exchanging the phone for his tablet, Mark oofs and lets the vixen crawl onto his lap. Her back leaning against his chest as her tail tries to curl around his leg.

She grabs one of his arms and holds it close to her chest, tightly, as if something bad would happen if she let go.

“Okay, then tell me how closely does our world mirror yours? Can you tell me the winning lotto numbers?” Grinning up to her boyfriend, Mark senses it’s a bit more bravado than anything. So taking the hint to talk about ‘anything’ else than the cloud of doom over her head. He thinks for a moment before answering.

“It doesn’t mirror mine ‘that’ closely. Just the over all flow of events up to and after the start of the troubled times, so far. Minus one or two historical events in the twentieth century.” Tapping a few places, he brings up some videos. ‘I also hope this shows her the end stage of ‘Herdism’ since it mirrors ‘that’ ideology from home, even if it didn’t exactly take root here.’

Setting the tablet in her lap as she sits in his, Mark watches her body language relax as her attention’s glued to the screen.

He though, does eye the other windows and the door.

---

The morning before.

---

“Do you honestly want me to believe you do not have money in the betting pool on whose going to be the new Precinct One Chief slick?” The duty obsessed Rabbit doe glares at her ‘todd’ as she pulls the emergency brake, parking their cruiser in the precinct parking complex.

Returning the glare with his nearly patented smile, Nick chuckles. “Of course I don’t, it would be unfair to the rest of the mammals here since I have it on good authority Higgins is being seriously considered due to his experience.”

Opening the passenger side door, he slips out of the cruiser moments before Judy follows suit. Hopping around the cruiser, she keeps Nick’s pace as they head into the Precinct proper.

Idly swinging the vehicle keys between her fingers, she cocks one of her long ears at him. “This coming from the same Fox who routinely cleans Mammals out on poker night outside the one time you foolishly challenged Mark to a drinking contest.”

Pocketing the keys, the bunny sighs. “To be fair, he’s a good choice, and maybe we can finally get charges to stick to the criminals we arrest under his leadership. He won’t have the political stigma Bogo had.”

‘Other than when a mammal violates a ‘hate’ law for some reason.’ mentally shrugging, she dismisses the thought.

“A miscalculation that I won’t make again.” Nick points a finger into the air.

“Who knew Humans were freaks and could drink alcohol in such amounts!” Nick hops up and grabs the door handle, opening it and holding the door for Judy as they enter the building.

For any other Mammal his mask would be perfect, but Judy sees the slight ear and tail twitch upon her mentioning charges.

“You still think it’s not our responsibility? That it’s something other than us and our coworkers failing to live up to higher standards?” Standing just inside the precinct as the door closes behind Nick, she hears and watches him sigh.

“Carr.. Judy. We’ve been over this before. I know you don’t agree with me but it ‘is’ the district attorney ‘not’ that we’ve not been doing our jobs well enough, or political blow-back because of how Bogo treated you that arresting mammals in this city became a joke.”

The revolving door skit of one online yewtuber comedian comes to the vulpine’s mind before he lowers his mask. Just long enough to smile at the rabbit he loves as they make their way to the auditorium for roll-call.

‘Other than those who’ve done nothing but post speciest slurs online or those who’ve offended Mammals who think they’re other mammals… Then again Judy did fall for the whole ‘Fennik’s a kid that wanted to be an elephant bit.’’ So he mentally chastises himself for holding it against Judy.

The female Leporidae rolls her eyes. “And I said that the D.A. would lose their job if they just flat out refused to prosecute.” Sighing, Judy smiles back at Nick. “Lets not start arguing, we need to get to roll-call, or we’ll end up with parking duty for being late.”

Lovingly smiling at her, he nods. ‘Yea we’ve done enough arguing over the past several months, and more than I would like over this past month alone. At least the make-up cuddles and sex is nice.’

Latching his emotional mask back into place, Nick plasters a small grin on his muzzle all the while walking side by side with Judy to the auditorium. Just so he can hide that his old hustler’s instincts are screaming at him. Trying to warn him something’s ‘wrong’, very wrong about the feeling of the city the past few months.

‘Or maybe it’s just the weird feeling of seeing my sister go straight simply because of her falling for Mark…’ The Vulpine internally muses.

‘Then again like I’m one to complain, I’d still be on the streets if it wasn’t for this little rabbit here taking me on her wild adventures.’

“Not wanting to try to best your old, and still unbeaten record of parking tickets in a day Carrots?” Nick teases her with a grin to break the silence.

Glaring back at the now annoying Vulpine. Judy wickedly grins, tensing her leg muscles. “I seem to remember Higgin’s standing orders till a new chief’s selected is anyone late or the last one in every morning gets traffic duty. Try to keep up Slick!”

Shooting off like a rocket down the corridor, the vulpine holds his muzzle open for a moment before smirking and taking off after her.

Down the corridor the Leporidae races the Vulpine. Past the gray fox janitor, who texts some mammal after they pass by. Various coworkers, and even past the nearly proper body-weight cheetah sitting at the front desk.

Waving at them, Clawhauser has a smile on his muzzle as Judy tosses their cruiser keys to him as they pass by. Only to slide to a stop by Delgato and the pride who follows her.

“Whoa, where’s the fire you two?” Delgato smiles.

“I bet they just don’t want to have to do parking duty again.” Kora scoffs but smiles all the same. ‘I don’t blame them, I never want to be in that joke mobile again!’

Mara opens the door to the auditorium having already had her hand-paw on the handle. Only to look over as Kalia and Siambia frown at her.

‘How unprofessional.’ Kalia takes a step closer, but Siambia steps in front of the door. ‘Bogo wouldn’t have been fired if it wasn’t for both of them and the shit that let them in.’

Nick smiles and points finger guns at Kora. “Got it in one, now would you please let me… ack.” The vulpine rubs his arm after Judy lightly wacks it with a grin.

“Good morning girls. Mind letting ‘us’ in?” Judy smiles up at them, putting emphasis on both of them.

“Spoil sport” Nick mutters playfully back at Judy.

“And what’s in it for us?” Siambia speaks up, earning a glare from Delgato. It’s her prerogative as the leader of the lioness pride of Precinct One give orders to the pride, not Siambia.

“My respect?” Nick grinning a hustler’s grin at each of the lioness. Knowing just how to move his body and show the right amount of teeth to make the smile one of social respect in Lion culture.

“Enough for me.” Kora smiles back and moves aside along with Mara. Delgato softens her face a bit and steps aside too.

Siambia glares down at Nick and Judy while Kalia fidgets in place next to her. “Not enough for me though ‘officer’ Wilde. We still have a few minutes and a few Mammals before any of us are the last ones in, and we were here before you two. Why should we risk getting parking duty over the stupid antics you pull? Aren’t you two still on kit-sitting duty for that fur-less alien?”

“Siambia…” Delgato lowers her tone as a warning and only Kalia heeds it. Moving out of the way.

Judy glances at Delgato and Siambia, hardening her glare at the obstructing lioness. Deciding on how she could slip by or move the big feline, only to stop when Nick lays a hand-paw on her shoulder.

Stepping aside, she lets the vulpine walk up to the lioness as he holds his hand-paw out at Delgato. Stopping her from moving her defiant half sister.

“Yes, you are technically correct, as of this moment none of us are at risk of getting parking duty from simply being late or last into the auditorium.” Keeping an easy going tone and body language like his old hustler days. He stares up at Siambia with a confidant smirk.

“So it doesn’t matter if you and your pride go in first, or Judy and I go in first. Except, for one tiny fact.” Pinching his fingers till they’re just barely apart.

“You’re causing a scene over your own sense of pride while your Pride leader has already said we can go in. In front of the ‘open’ door. Within earshot of the rest of the precinct, including acting Chief of Police Higgins.”

Siambia gulps, ears lowering as she turns. Looking through the open door all she sees is all the eyes and ears of her coworker’s focused on her.

Including one hippo acting as interim Chief of Police for the precinct.

Slinking out of the way, Siambia puts the rest of her Pride mates between herself and the glares. Letting Nick and Judy into the auditorium before Delgato the other Lionesses enter.

Followed by a raccoon straggler just as the door closes behind them.

Politely coughing while the pride and the dynamic duo takes their seats. Higgins watches as the doors close for the final time as the straggler takes his seat next to weasel.

“Cooper.” The Hippo glares at the new-ish raccoon recruit.

“If it wasn’t for Siambia ‘graciously’ volunteering to do parking duty for the rest of the month.” Said Lioness shrinks further into her seat, glaring at Nick.

“You’d be doing that today for trying to sneak in late. Be sure to be on time tomorrow or you’ll be joining her. Bogo may not be here anymore, but I will do my mammal best to run as tight of a ship as he did. Until city-hall and the state government get their heads out of their tail-holes and appoint a new chief.”

With no need to stay in the auditorium till the end of the morning roll call, since her ‘appointment’ has already been decided. Siambia does one final glare at Nick before heading back out of the auditorium. Only to shiver a bit when she realizes she’s going to have to deal with all the strung out druggies they’ve been unable to arrest as of late.

‘Or if they are arrested, we have to let them go within hours.’ Shaking her head, Siambia slips through the auditorium door.

As it closes behind the Lioness, Higgins calls out whose on what new case for the day. Only to stop upon reaching Nick and Judy.

“Officer Hopps.” Higgins waits for the Leporidae in question to hop onto the table after her name’s called.

“Mayor Lambdon’s requested you meet with him at your earliest convince today, considering you and Officer Wilde will be patrolling the east side of happy town. You might as well get it done first thing. The construction companies working there have been finding tires slashed, tools broken, and graffiti sprayed over windshields so keep and eye and an ear out when you’re on patrol afterwards.”

Higgin’s tiny ears twitch, showing his agitation before he can clamp down on it. ‘Not that it will do a splash of water worth of difference. That idiot mountain goat Stallhoof appointed doesn’t press any charges nor sets any bail for anyone other than Mammal’s who defend themselves or say mean words to these ‘protestors’. I still can’t shake how sleazy it was for him ordering the Meadowlands precinct to confiscate those historic crochet dolls. They’re one hundred and fifty year old and are beloved by every patron, so it was uncalled-for to call for the arrest the current owner. Calling it a hate crime to have them displayed, what a crock of shit! The damn place dates back to the founding of the port town Zootopia grew from, and they’re stylized renditions of the first owner and his original patrons. Not some speciest representation of the species they were.’

Shelving the thought before it gets away from him, Higgin’s turns his focus back to the docket. Continuing to hand out new assignments or telling partners to continue the one they were assigned previously.

Upon hearing their assignment, Nick slips off the large mammal chair, helping his Leporidae partner in more than one definition of the word down to the floor. “Wonder what the sleazy ball of wool wants you for carrots.”

Smiling at him in thanks, Judy shrugs. “Can’t deny it’s unsettling to have another sheep mayor, even if he was legitimately elected. Unlike the last one.” Judy politely waves to her female coworkers as they pass by them. She does have to quicken her pace to keep up with her Vulpine partner as he moves quickly for the exit.

“Can’t deny he’s done a lot to help the city. His and Stallhoof’s plan to refocus our efforts to more serious crimes than shoplifting’s has paid off in my honest opinion. We haven’t had to arrest many predators for falsely stealing by speciest store owners for one. I mean other than that Raccoon who tried using a motorized cart and dumped everything on the shelf into it as he passed by that is.” Lovingly, but annoyingly glares at Nick while he holds the door for her. Gesturing like a gentle-mammal with his hand-paw that she should go first instead of him.

Out right skirting the rules of no public displays of affection on the job, but not crossing them.

Following after her, Nick lets the door close behind him before speaking. “Prices have gone up and two big chain stores are pulling out of the city, citing increased theft with more threatening to unless we do something to stop it. I even get more dirty looks than normal wherever I go, even in uniform. I wouldn’t call that a good thing Judy.”

Both Leporidae and Vulpine wave and smile at Clawhouser after the former hops up onto the counter via the small mammal steps. “Mind handing me back the keys to our cruiser? We’ll pick it up after we walk over to city hall.”

Reaching under the desk the mostly correct BMI cheetah grabs the key ring for the two of them and handing it to the rabbit. “Any reason why you have to go over to city hall? Other than arresting another mayor.” He chuckles, if a bit nervously hoping it’s not another mayoral arrest.

‘Please don’t be, the last two meant protests, riots, and lots of overtime. We don’t need any more riots.’

Taking it and smiling at Clawhouser, Judy shakes her head while her ears stay confidently up. “Other than Lambdon wanting to see me, no.”

Smiling up at the feline before climbing up the steps, Nick places a hand-paw on Judy’s shoulder. Gently squeezing it to show his support.

“See you later Spots, we shouldn’t keep someone like Lambdon waiting.”

‘Especially since there are only two possibilities as to why he wants to see carrots; It has to do with our resident alien, Mark. Or there’s something about the Bellwether case that came up. That waste of wool hasn’t used up her appeals sadly.’

Removing the Vulpine’s hand-paw gently with one of her own, Judy pockets the keys with the other. “Yea, we gotta go. Keep up the good work on your weight Clawhouser! You’re almost to your goal!”

Giving the Cheetah an encouraging thumbs up with a smile, she follows Nick down the steps.

Then out of the precinct’s front doors, before her smile fades.

Sighing and knowing the Vulpine won’t let the subject go, Judy picks up right where they left off.

“As I said before slick, it’s just Speciest chain owners and Mammals who’re angry they can no longer pin false crimes on the maligned predator population. Nothing more. Those stores will come back within a few years, or others will take their place once it all dies down. You of all Mammals should know change takes time and often it’s messy.” Glaring at the vulpine, she follows Nick for a moment before hopping up next to him.

Having to move at a slight jog to keep pace with his fast walk like usual.

Figuratively biting his tongue, Nick ignores the new clusters of tents that have popped up on the street since yesterday. Other than for where they’ve been placed, situated where they’d be sheltered from the wind weather. Against buildings where space can be found or trees on the street side of the sidewalk for smaller mammals.

“I mean sure, it’s going to hurt for a bit before everything settles down, but you’ll see Nick, once it does no one will give you any more trouble for being a fox.”

‘Come on Judy I know you’re smarter than this… He’s inflamed predator-prey relations in the guise of helping predators. More than bellwether did when she had them convinced a predator could snap and kill some mammal at a moment’s notice.’

Taking out his shades and donning them as the sun breaks through some clouds. Nick leads Judy onto the walking path through founders' fountain park. Gently grabbing her hand-paw here for a moment, and a slight nudge there. All to Avoid most of the Mammals that don’t seem all ‘there’ to him, who’ve also over the past several months been steadily increasing in numbers as many turn to drugs.

An offense he ‘knows’ most of his coworkers have been lamenting being unable to arrest mammals for anymore.

“Well, something just feel’s ‘off’ to me Judy. Like some Mammal has a hustle going on but I’m missing the pieces as to what their goal is, or who the target is.”

Smiling while she tries, and fails to keep the level of her annoyance down. Over having to have this conversation ‘again’. After all it would be bad form for them to be seen arguing, in uniform no less. The Leporidae mentally counts to ten.

Feeling her eye twitch in annoyance, Judy fails to disguise it with a shrug. “Well I know a certain ‘Vulpine’ who’s a ‘bit’ resistant to change. Especially once he’s set in his ways! So I guess it must be scary for him when a lot of change, even for the good, happens. So I see no point in arguing over this as these laws are doing good. We’ve not arrested anyone who’s stolen food feed themselves for one example.”

Noting the eye twitch, Nick though feels a bit too much invested into this conversation to back down and let his mate calm down. “Says the bunny who, to quote that old TV show, turned my world upside down. I think I handled all that pretty well considering what a roller-coaster of a time it was.”

Resisting the urge to grab her hand again and try to calm her down, The vulpine instead leads the two of them through the park with his tail. Gently brushing up against his Leporide mate when they should change course.

“Showing your age there slick?” Forcing a subject change, Judy chuckles a bit as they exit the park a block or two from city-hall. Quickening her pace to a run, forcing Nick to run to keep up, she leads the two across the crosswalk as the light changes in their favor.

‘You know I’ve always wondered… why is the walk animation a fox? If mammals hate foxes so much shouldn’t it be something else?’

“Just means I’m wiser than you carrots.” The elder vulpine grins, dodging a play punch as they make it to the other side of the crosswalk.

“No it means you have pop culture references no one understands anymore.” Grinning back, Nick groans.

“Kits these days have no style.” He playfully counters. Inwardly smiling as the change in subject has lightened Judy’s mood.

“You’re only a little over a decade older than I am Nick.” The rabbit doe returns the grin while eyeing the towering form of city hall. With no other jabs to throw back at her Vulpine mate, her mind wanders back to their frequently trodden argument.

Suddenly realizing she’s dismissed his point of view before, though not without merit in her mind. Her curiosity prods her to ask. “Is there a reason everything feels off to you? Or is it just something that does and you don’t know why?”

Twitching his ear from the u-turn back into the subject, Nick fails to hide the annoyance it conveys under his mask.

Looking at her, then their destination, he sighs and resigns himself to the fear Judy won’t accept his reasoning.

“Well, as you know, a hustle. Even a political one has to have a ‘mark’, a ‘goal’ and a system that appears believable to said ‘mark’ to achieve the goal. With the popsicle hustle the marks were hot and or thirsty mammals and builders who wanted to cheap out on materials. The system was a technically legal operation repurposing a jumbo pop and popsicle sticks. With the goal of course being money.”

He idly counts off on the fingers on his hand-paw as Judy listens. Her ears though remain half erect. Telling the Vulpine while she is paying attention, Judy isn’t quite buying it yet.

‘If I was a little faster in following the tow of them that day, I would’ve seen Nick clean out that drain-pipe. A Mistake Nick and Finnick corrected me on later when I had to correct my report.’ Judy motions her own hand-paw for him to go on. Despite having an idea of what he’s going to say regardless.

“Well. This whole situation makes no sense to me as they present it. Helping Predators? Decriminalizing shoplifting, drug use and vagrancy, despite being sold by Lambdon and Stallhoof as helping them by taking tools of discrimination away from speciest mammals?”

The vulpine’s emotional mask cracks, ears folding back and his tail fully broadcasts his annoyance. A part of Judy’s touched as it shows how her mate actually feels, maybe because this is the first time she’s seen him so animated compared to their previous fights on the subject. It still plants a tiny seed of doubt, even if she’s still stubborn in her own views and refuses to see it.

“These ‘improvements’ have done the opposite despite what the media says. I’ve been denied entry to more stores than I have before bellwether, let alone how Finnick’s been treated. Spot’s has been having issues with store management having security follow him as he buys his food supplements. Doesn’t matter what store, it has happened in all of them. Even Delgato’s larger pride as a whole has been having issues with the apartment complex management. Being painted with more suspicion considering charges no longer stick to prides who trash complexes.”

Taking off his shades, nick rubs his eyes in wryness. The look of his mate standing there with the same face as she has had the last time they had this argument. Its grinding him down despite his love for the Leporide.

“All the while the media’s been calling both of them hero’s as the nation’s in turmoil during this president’s reformations. Putting a hoof down to prey supremacy they call it, yet I’ve not met a Mammal other than those who are stubborn.” Pausing for a moment, Nick gives Judy a genuine smile.

“A quality I love about you by the way, so don’t get me wrong about that.” Sighing the Vulpine continues.

“I’ve not met a Mammal, predator or prey, yet whose liked what they’ve been doing, nor thought it was a good thing. Except those who have a stubborn streak over the idea that all that stands between a predator and success are speciest mammals and speciest laws. So what’s their angle in this? Politicians always want power, but pissing off all but a vocal subset of voters doesn’t make sense to me.”

The vulpine looks into Judy’s amethyst eyes and bites his tongue figuratively to prevent himself from saying something that would get her angry at him. ‘Said subset being mainly mammals who are prey who seem to have a chip on their shoulder over ‘helping’ predators, like they’d drown or the country would implode if they didn’t.’ Shielding his eyes with a hand-paw as the bright daylight starts to hurt his eyes. He’d rather not put the shades on just yet.

“Lets not forget our resident alien, supposedly from the future, says to be cautious of most of the politicians of our time. That they may be more than they seem.’

Judy looks back at Nick, ears about half cocked as the vulpine treads over land covered by their arguments, still she’s curious about his reasoning here. “So this is based off a hunch and a warning from Mark?”

Raising that half cocked ear all the way up, Judy muses. ‘Granted that he is supposedly from the future does add weight to what he says. Despite his world only having ‘humans’.’

“To put it bluntly Carrots, yea.” His ears fall a bit and his tail goes still. His mind barely registering they’ve stopped not to far from City-Hall.

“But, my hunches from when we faced off against bellwether were right on. Same with some of our other cases.”

She looks him over, opening her mouth than shutting it. Thinking for a moment to say something other than her normal responses when they have this, or similar arguments. That seed of doubt still there. ‘You’re just not looking at the bigger picture’ and the one she just used. ‘It’s just temper tantrums of speciest mammals, in time it will get better.’

Putting her hands on her hips, the rabbit doe unknowingly, glares at Nick, whereupon she relents and instantly grabs his hand-paw in respite. He squeezes hers lightly to show no hard feelings.

“Okay Havoc’s advocate. To Use the hyena’s phrase. You think their entire goal is to worsen relations like bellwether? To what end? Both of them ran on, and implemented reforms that are supposed to prevent another Bellwether. It doesn’t make sense to me that they would pull something like that.”

Glancing at the front doors to city-hall from where they’re standing, he sighs. “It’s an old hustler trick to appear honest when your intentions are anything but. After all, the old saying is why would an honest mammal cheat? Applies here. As to what end, I don’t know and that’s what’s bothering me. Remember the three parts of a hustle. I only see a mark and a system, not their goal, so the two don’t exactly make sense together.”

Letting go of her hand-paw, Nick by sheer mental will reassembles his emotional mask, ears going back to their casual position and his tail going still.

“Bellwether had a typical plan of a tyrant and not a hustler. The ‘savage’ attacks would continue till she got collars implemented in the city. Then as they were challenged in the courts, up to and including the Supreme Court. Incidents outside the city, and even in other states would increase while those inside Zootopia would decrease. Giving the illusion that it’s working to the general populace. She would then use this to work her way into the governorship of the state and have it put state wide. In either the original form or a slightly different one to have to go through the courts again.”

Nick looks up to the building as Judy watches him ears up and forward. ‘I mean Bellwether was shockingly likeable, maybe that’s why I didn’t suspect her at first.’ She muses.

He continues. “Then she would have pushed it to the other states as a solution to the problem her group was creating.” Lowering his gaze to Judy, he watches as her ears twitch, conflicted between staying up and going flat against her back.

“Eventually she would then use the same method to segregate off predators.” The slightest twitch on one of Nick’s ears gains the rabbit doe’s complete focus. A hole in his mask that nick can’t plug from her. ‘He’s realized something.’

“Carrots… Judy. I think it may be power, the same goal as bellwether, but instead of using the typical tyrant’s method of fully fabricating a crisis, they just adjust the rules and let the population do that part for them.”

One of the rabbit doe’s ears falls slightly. Not impressed by her vulpine mate’s reasoning. “That doesn’t make too much sense slick. You said it yourself that they have little support from mammals in general. So doesn’t that mean Stallhoof will lose his bid against the recall vote? What about Lambdon? If Stallhoof goes, then Lambdon will soon follow in the next mayoral election in Twenty-Twenty.”

Reaching up and scratching one of his own ears, Nick does stumble over the hole in his logic that Judy pointed out. ‘How would they keep power if the electorate is on the verge of voting them out anyway?’

Only for a mammal passing by them to pull out the latest model Wolfdroid phone that looks like a tablet in the ferret’s hands. The vulpine’s tail bottle brushes, ears flatten, while baring his claws. His mind instantly making connections and assumptions, not all of them nice.

“Who says he’ll lose? Now hear me out Car.. Judy. We have staying in our home an alien with a piece of tech that he has shown at lea…” Only for his brain to answer his unasked question, ‘how did they know’.

“When we get home we’re tearing the Karma fucking walls apart!”

Confused and a little scared of Nick’s sudden changes in mood. The Leporide’s ears lay flat against her head as she moves closer to the vulpine. P.D.A. Rules be dammed, his sudden burst of anger emotionally hurts her. “Look, I’m sorry for bringing the subject up Nick. Just calm down and let’s just go talk to Lambdon and get on with our day. I.. I don’t want you to be angry with me.”

Ears up, and tail still. Nick’s eyes go wide as he realizes how it must’ve looked for Judy. Instantly hugging her, he shakes his head. Thoughts of the last time he actually got angry at Judy, that ill-fated press conference, fills his mind as he realizes that it must’ve looked the same to her.

“No... No, I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at myself and the property managers. That first day we had Mark over. After you went to bed when we were told to stay home? That human used his tablet, the most powerful piece of computing technology on the planet right now to instantly jailbreak my pawstation four.”

Both of them separating, the Rabbit doe looks up into his eyes. ‘Come to think of it. No matter how heated our arguments have gotten before, those emerald eyes. They’ve never wavered in their affection towards me.’

“The one where you came up and cuddled me for hours? That was nice.”

Nodding, nick makes a mental note to have the conversation of what Mark showed him to Judy later now he’s been reminded of it.

“Yes. That’s the one. No one could’ve seen Mark use his tablet to do that as no window directly faces the entertainment center. Mark’s kept the device on his person and has done an extraordinary job at not letting mammals know he has it. Well, then why did the Skulk set up my sister of all mammals to try to steal it? And for who? I can think of two Mammals that could use that hacking ability for personal gain, and we’re going to see one.”

‘Which blew up in their muzzles.’ Nick mentally smirks as remembers seeing how ga-ga like a teenager his sister is over the human and how he can tell it’s not an act.

Judy’s Amethyst eyes blink a few times, looking back and forth in thought. “Our home’s bugged? How, when.. WHY?! How much have they seen? Oh, when I get my paws on them…” Clenching her hand-paws and her jaw, she has no willpower to resist the urge to beat the living daylights out of the mammal’s responsible.

Her home, Her den, Her warren. All their private moments laid bare for some unknown voyeur.

Eyes wide with surprise, and a part of him he won’t admit the existence of that is a little aroused at how, predatory, Judy seems. Nick places his hands on the rabbit doe’s shoulders to calm her down.

“Calm down. We have little actual evidence and barging in there half cocked is not going to help anything. So take a deep breath.”

Standing there he watches Judy do so, calming herself down after a few minutes. “Good, now let’s just head on up there and see what Mr. Lambdon wants first before we go on the warpath.”

Nodding once, Judy raises her ears. “Alright, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt since your hunches do turn out rather valuable, but if Lambdon and Stallhoof are not behind this. Or at the very least bugging our home. I expect an apology.”

“I’ll gladly give one compared to what we’d have to go through again if we arrest yet another mayor, and a governor on top of that.” Donning his shades signals to the Leporide that the conversation has reached its end. Followed by him leading her to the front door of city hall.

Being a gentle-mammal he holds the small mammal door open for her.

Keeping his shades on, Nick follows her inside and up to the reception desk. A Capybara in a sundress observes the two walk up to her desk as she’s the receptionist for small mammals. The Ibex in the medium to large mammal desk next to her glares at Nick as she uses a file on one of her keratin covered fingers.

“How may I help you today Officers?” The large rodent offers the fake service smile all public service and service industry workers learn to Nick and Judy.

Returning the Ibex’s glare at her mate, Judy turns her attention to the large rodent. “Officer Judy Hopps, Mayor Lambdon wanted to see me at my earliest possible convenience?”

The Ibex snorts at the two as the large rodent taps away at her computer. Nick only grins with his hustler smile at both receptionists. He does note the Ibex’s disdain for him, considering he was welcome here not too long ago. Yet, now he’s not anymore.

“Right. I have note right here for him to see you Mrs. Hopps. I think you already know the way to the elevator.” The large Rodent continues smiling as she nods to the elevator as Judy returns it.

Only for the Ibex to politely cough the moment Nick starts following the rabbit doe to the elevators, stopping both in their tracks.

“The request, as given to us. Only asked for Officer Hopps, no one else. ‘Officer’ Wilde, you’ll need to stay down here please.” Her glare intensifies at the Vulpine.

Laying her ears back, Judy starts to turn and face the ungulate, fully intent on giving her a piece of her mind. Only for Nick to quickly stop her, again with a hand-paw on her shoulder. “Don’t. Please don’t. Not worth the effort Carrots. Go up and talk with Lambdon, I think I’ll use this opportunity to make a call or two. I need to ask a few questions to some ‘friends’.”

Doing her best to bury the Ibex with her glare alone, Judy sighs, nodding to her Vulpine mate. “Fine, but I’ll register a complaint with the mayor himself over this.”

Then to Nick. “Hopefully this won’t take long.”

“Oh I’m shaking in my hooves.” The low muttering of the Ibex nearly causes Judy to lose it. Biting her tongue to keep herself focused, the Rabbit doe walks off to the elevators as Nick saunters back to the building's entrance.

Waving goodbye to the female Ibex just to irritate her. Having the desired effect, he grins to himself.

Ignoring the ‘how dare he’ rant the Ibex gives to the Capybara, Judy presses the button to call the elevator set in the wall for small mammals such as herself. Not having to wait long, the elevator’s doors, sized for mega-fauna, open with a ding.

Seeing the way’s clear, she jogs in, quickly pressing the button for the floor for the mayor’s office. ‘I trust Nick’s instincts, but… There ‘are’ mammals who have to steal food to survive. So there has to be some way to both help them, and go after actual thieves and shop lifters.’

Tapping her foot she sighs as the elevator doors slowly close, followed the tug of gravity as it ascends. Judy does weigh other possibilities and explanations.

‘On the other paw, Nick’s been treated badly for years. Technically before I was born to be honest. There’s the possibility he’s seeing things that aren’t there.’

The Leporidae’s left and right ears alternate between partially up and laying back against her head, pondering this possibility though also not feeling she’s giving her vulpine mate the trust and respect he deserves. Stopping this train of thought the moment the elevator chimes, slowly sliding the doors open.

Exiting onto her desired floor, Judy looks around at the exquisite lavish decorations. ‘This feels a bit weird. It’s the only time I’ve been up here not to see a psychotic sheep, or talk about either mayor Nick and I have arrested with whomever is holding the office till a new election can be called.’

Without needing to focus on where she has to go, Judy walks over to the mayor’s actual office. Waving at the fellow rabbit secretary, his dirt common marbled fur coat not grabbing her attention in the slightest. Her mind mulling over the argument between her and Nick.

She does politely thank the buck as he opens the door to Lambdon’s office.

“Officer Hopps!! I was expecting you later in the day not first thing in the morning!” Genuinely surprised, Lambdon shoves paperwork and a few other items, including his mobile phone, into a drawer.

Tilting one of her ears slightly back, Judy notes to herself that the phone screen was on when he did this. “If I’m interrupting something I can wait. Higgens, Nick, and I figured it would be best to get it out of the way first thing. In case something happens on our patrol today making us late.”

The sheep nods. “Good idea, with your kind of position, you don’t know what’s going to happen from day to day.” Intertwining his thick digits, he smiles at Judy. The surprise giving him an idea on how to approach her over what he and Stallhoof were discussing.

“However, what about the opportunity to change that? We recently had a position open, which can give you a more regular schedule. You would also have the opportunity to make the world a better place in more of a fashion than the position you’re in right now. It would also allow you to have more time with your mate, and your family. From what I understand both are very important, even for an independent Doe as yourself.”

Chuckling, Lambdon shakes his head to himself. “Bogo put a bad spin on the position by staying there at all hours of the day, rather than the set schedule it has. Giving us a hard time finding suitable candidates, even within the same precinct, as few want to put in hours that they assume are required.”

The seed sprouts in her mind upon hearing this. ‘He couldn’t be?’ Blinking, Judy’s ears give away her surprise and uncertainty away to Lambdon. Though he either seems to misinterpret it, or ignore it.

“Yes I’m of course talking about the Chief of Police position in Precinct one. You’re not technically qualified, at least on paper since you not having risen high enough in the ranks or have enough years under your belt. Yet, lets be honest here. We’re in unprecedented times, where the old guard needs to go and the new needs to take its place. Especially with an old Prey Mammal in the presidency, firing people like when he was on that stupid show. So in my honest opinion, whom better than the mammal fill the role who’s proven size doesn’t matter? Especially when it comes to Police work. Compared to Higgens or Delgato, both are the standard and top candidates for it. Both because they’re either Megafauna or a large predator. The choices the system encouraged over the systemically victimized and oppressed smaller prey.”

Opening her mouth to protest before her brain can catch up, judy’s quickly hushed by the sheep as he seems to be on a roll.

“Please, you don’t have to answer right this moment. I know it’s a large and tough decision that affects more than just you. Give yourself some time to think over. Personally, I think you would be perfect for the job compared to the other two. Having been on the receiving end of the discrimination the system can do to a small prey like you gives you lived experience neither of the two can match.”

Laying her ears back, she can’t help see in her mind the whole scene of Bellwether trying to claim she’d be perfect poster-mammal for the ZPD, after she hurt nick so badly. She’s still kicking herself over it and having to deal with one to many riots over the fear that sheep caused. “But Bogo regretted what he did, he also did a formal apology to the department. Same with several other officers that are now friends of mine.”

Lambdon smiles like one would to a child at her, which further heightens the Rabbit’s suspicion.

“Yes he did, though let’s not delude ourselves into thinking it wasn’t because he faced consequences for his actions. It also doesn’t change the fact that ‘he’, a privileged large ‘male’ prey, illegally relegated you to a parking violation monitor for your career.” The sheep politely gestures at Judy. Emphasizing both physically and verbally that she’s more than that.

“Then, when a case feel into your lap. Ironically one of the few good thing's that psychotic sheep ever did. Bogo, again broke the law, illegally demanding your badge after illegally setting a time limit on a case. Considering you’re the victim of his sexist and speciest bigotry, it would mean that you would know how demeaning this kind of discrimination is. Thus making you a good candidate for the position as you wouldn’t think to inflict it on others.”

Drawing on what she’s learned of how her vulpine partner uses an emotional mask to hide her feelings. She hides the hurt in her chest over the imagined face of her friends. Friends like Delgato, Clawhouser and the like as they watch her jump the ranks completely over them, over Nick, through sheer political favor.

‘So this is why he wanted to see me alone. Nick would know what to say here to say no without outright saying no. Yet here I am, mostly clueless.’

Feeling the silence now stretch on a second or two longer than what she feels comfortable, Judy meekly replies. “I’ll… I’ll be honest here it’s a large decision that I shouldn’t make on my own Mayor Lambdon. I need to talk to Nick at the very least.”

Nodding in understanding, Lambdon looks over his desk as Judy has a hard time containing the shock he just bought what she feels is the worst attempt as a bold faced lie she’s done yet.

The sheep then rummages into some of his desk drawers. Muttering about where he misplaced his business cards before finding them. In the drawer where he dumped the things he had on his desk earlier. Under his phone with a frowning face of Stallhoof, as he was on muzzle time with him before the rabbit doe showed up.

Ignoring him and the phone, Lambdon grabs a card. Closing the drawer casually, he hands it to Judy. “Of course. You have to talk about it with your mate Nick, considering if you say yes, he would have to transfer to a different precinct per regulation. So he has a right to have an opinion in what ever decision you make as it would impact him just as much.”

Smiling, and figuring, rightly that letting Lambdon pull his own tail, Judy takes the card. “Yea. He and I have come to enjoy being partners. Both on the force and our marriage outside it.” She puts it in her pocket, mentally making a note to not get back with the sheep over this.

‘Does he want the police force imploding? Sure if I had the same seniority of Higgins with all Lambdon said, he would have a point but I’m only a few years in the force. No one, even me, would take a Chief of Police with that little experience seriously.’

Nodding to the rabbit’s smile, Lambdon lets his body posture relax while trying to not let it show to the Rabbit Doe. Yet it does, so poorly Judy has no trouble telling it’s an act.

“I’m going to be honest here, I apologize on dumping such a heavy question on you before the start of what has a good chance of being a stressful shift. You’re supposed to go help watch the construction crews as they renovate the blight that’s tarnished this fair city, am I right?”

“Yea. I’m going to be honest and say it’s about time happy town got some focus and funding from the city. It should help the residents there. Though I don’t understand why some of them protest it.” Returning a much better practiced fake smile with her ears up as she gives a polite chuckle to the sheep.

‘It couldn’t be because they’re displacing low cost living they can afford. With stuff those same mammals couldn’t possibly afford, now could it?’ Judy mentally grumbles to herself.

“Then far be it from be to keep you any longer Officer Hopps.” Lambdon Politely gestures to the door.

“Just do me a favor and tell my secretary I’ll be busy for a bit on your way out.”

“Alright.” Quickly, but politely, Judy backs out of the mayor’s office. Closing the door behind herself, she informs the male marble rabbit secretary to hold the Mayor’s calls.

Task completed, Judy makes haste to the elevator. Doing her best not to run and thus raise suspicion as she’s desperate to get to Nick. To apologize, and for them to figure out what’s going on with whom she now suspects is the city’s ‘third’ corrupt political official.

The vulpine in question, stands just outside the building, looking in with a phone to one ear and the other one quirked to the side upon the sight of his Leporidae mate.

Trying and failing to do a hurried, yet casual walk to him.

---

Lambdon sighs, rubbing his keratin covered fingers over his muzzle as the door closes. ‘That was close, still it worked out in the end. Thank my Grandfather for starting it and my Father for finishing in capturing the education system. If it was Nick, he would’ve seen right through those hollow buzzwords. Judy bought them hook line and sinker like she was programmed to.’ Pulling the phone out of his drawer he drops it onto the table in surprise.

“Lambdon!!! You cud chewing idiot!” On the screen Stallhoof angrily scowls at him. ‘For being an idealist he can be such an imbecile at times.’

Taking a breath and narrowing his eyes at the sheep, the deer continues. “You were supposed to lightly ‘suggest’ to that herd dammed Doe to throw her name into the ring for consideration. Instead, you just outright say she’d get it if she so chooses! If that wild card of what is normally a dull and easily manipulated species is ANYTHING. She isn’t an idiot! Combine that with the fact she’s mated to an unusually intelligent pelt of a fox long enough to have some of his skills rub off on her. If she had ‘any’ doubts about what we are doing is ‘good’ for the city, based on the arguments we’ve captured via our bugs. You JUST FUCKING CONFIRMED THEM!”

Rolling his eyes for a moment Lambdon stares back at his ‘colleague’ as the deer digs rents into the surface of the Governor’s desk with his hoofed digits.

“Unlike Nick, who went through public education before we completely ideologically concurred the institution, Judy did. I played to the key phrases our group’s been using to cause our revolution and got the expected answers from her. Strong-willed as she is, but she still has been taught that she’s a helpless small prey that’s been unfairly discriminated by the rest of the world. She’s internalized that and I just used that to get her to do what we want.”

“SHUT UP!” Stallhoof yells loud enough the speaker distorts the noise, gritting his teeth as he tries to kill Lambdon by sheer looks alone through the camera.

“We’ve played this by ‘your’ schedule since before little miss bellwether went rouge on us. taking our plan A and horribly butchering it because she was greedy. Wanting to rule the herd rather than do things for the herd rather than herself. We both agreed plan B was our only option, letting that unnaturally colored specimen that I’m ashamed to call a fellow member of my species get elected. Simply because you claimed it would make it easier to spot those against us and our ideology after our fellow grandfather’s failed their attempt of a similar plan of revolution in Purrussia.”

The deer snorts loudly. Wondering what came over him to even think such a stupid plan would ‘ever’ work.

Must’ve been a lapse of his superior judgment, compared to the head in the clouds' sheep in front of him.

“Only for him to systematically tear apart the edifices of power we erected to survive administration after administration just in case plan ‘A’ failed. I now sit on the cusp of losing a seat of power because that freak of a deer has by fiat outlawed what we planed on using to stay in control here till we can replace him. The only way for us to stay where we’re at is that damn alien’s tablet, and we’ve YET to have it in our hooves. Despite your reassurances to the contrary those good for nothing pelts can do it!”

Taking a moment to compose himself, lambdon finds it terrifying how quickly Stallhoof can go from enraged to calm. Like flipping a switch, even though his eyes look like they would kill him if he had the power to do so.

“Like all Idealists you have your snout in the clouds and miss the steps in between A and D. We’re doing it my way from now on! Have the Skulk bring me Vivian Wilde, tonight! It’s obvious those pelts failed in their task, having them send some two bit vixen like that. Make it so it sends a message to the alien, the tablet, or that slut’s life. Also have those useful idiot predator rights group or what ever the hell you named them do a ‘protest’ tonight. Time for that dynamic duo to have an accident since you JUST FUCKING ALERTED THEM to our intentions.”

Tapping a keratin covered finger on his desk, Stallhoof thinks for a moment. Last thing he needs is the two most famous mammals in taking down ‘corruption’ breathing down his antlers. Just the image alone is something he can’t afford, even if it’s technically true.

After all to the gullible idiots that make up the majority of the population, he’s removing the oppression from the system. He’s the good guy.

The grin on the deer’s muzzle shows nothing ‘good’ about it. “And just in case Serendipity and Karma themselves for what ever damned reason. Show up and decide to allow those two to survive. Well, lets just say large families make awfully large targets. Activate the cells in Bunny Burrow, time for the largest family farm to be given to the rightful paws of the herd rather than the few. We need to consolidate our power before any more’s stripped from us.”

Nearly smashing the phone screen as he disconnects the call. Stallhoof sighs. ‘And I’ll need to have someone eliminate Lambdon as well. He’s bumbled things for the last time and will become a loose end I cannot afford.’