18:00 Hours - Zootopia Police Department, Precinct One

"Nick! We can't."

"Uh uh, right, then we can't solve this case either."

"It's not a case!"

"It's a case, carrots. Now, do you have your garter belt on?

"Yes."

"Did you put your gun in it?"

"...Yes."

"Thatta girl. Okay Jude, let's go."

The details of the case were tenuous. Investigate the mayor - at this point it seemed like a formality, a necessary evil of modern Zootopian life. The last two mayors weren't very... Let's just say they weren't on the up and up.

It had been a year since the Night Howler Incident. Zootopia, as much as it had recovered, still bore the scars of those months spent engulfed in a conflagration of fear and prejudice. In some ways, it was still divided. Officers Hopps and Wilde saw this manifest in organized anti-predator protests, riots, and rhetoric from talking snouts who thought they knew better than the average mammal.

That election cycle was tough. Rushed, to fill the office, and full of pandering. Pandering to the fears of the mammals and of individual species as if trying to separate them. But one candidate? She had campaigned on unity. Togetherness. Returning to a proud Zootopia, and improving on things from there. I had to admit, I liked her.

As much as you can like a politician.

But really, she talked a good game. What was her campaign slogan again? Oh, right. "Canidae cares." It really seemed liked she did. Goodness knows I suffered the kind of discrimination she rallied against. What kind of free city would it be if "certain" mammals couldn't have "certain" jobs? On that, at least, I agreed with her. That made it all the more disconcerting with Bogo assigned Nick and Judy to the case. An "unofficial" case.

Judy wasn't really into it. "You want us to tail the Mayor?" She said, her little frown knitting her brow. She must've liked her more than Nick did. But Bogo? Bogo wasn't having it.

In typical big lug fashion, he replied, "I don't need to repeat myself, you obviously heard me. You're no new arrival anymore, Hopps. You'll do it because I trust you to do it." That got her. Her ears went down like she was seeing god, and it was all Nick could do to go along with it, even if he didn't like it either. Funny how the chief could win her over with three words.

I wonder what other three words could affect her that much?

Before they knew it, Nick and Judy were investigating the mayor beyond city hall's back, tailing her to try and prevent Bellwether Part Two from happening under their noses.

19:00 hours - Outside the Lycaon Bar & Grill

Downtown Zootopia was home to countless fine dining destinations, and the mayor, Canidae, was no stranger to them. She was, you could say, a connoisseur of elegant eating. Nick, meanwhile, was eager to get his paws on some three Micelin star food and have the department pay for it.

"I'd hardly call this plainclothes." Nick chuckled as he stepped out of the plain vehicle he and Judy had arrived in. His eyes couldn't help but drift to Judy's attire - the way the dress had a slit to reveal her powerful legs was hard to miss. Nick's tail swished as he took a knee, knowing without a word that Judy would want to fix his bow tie.

"It's all crooked, where'd you learn to dress yourself?" Judy chided, deftly fixing Nick's tie before patting him on the chest. The silk of his tuxedo felt good on her fingers. She lingered for just a moment there in front of him before turning away. She pushed both paws back over her ears to ensure they'd stay down - the last thing they wanted were those antenna-ears drawing attention.

"Nick, have you ever eaten here before?"

"Uh, no - pretty sure they don't accept crumpled handfuls of hustled cash."

"Hmmm... Hope I don't use the wrong fork."

The interior of the restaurant glowed like a warm oven. If orange was supposed to make mammals hungry, the decor was making these folk starve. The walls were a textured white and light orange, crown moulding giving them a sophisticated look while the white tablecloths, made to look like pearl from the warm light given off by chandeliers and candles, meant spilling food was a no-no. To Nick, this all felt like a hustle - and he couldn't help but grin as the maitre'd led him and Judy to a table for two.

"Would you stop grinning?" Judy said in a hushed tone as she sat down across from Nick. "Do you have eyes on the mayor?" She had a habit of asking him what he saw while out in the field. His added height gave him a bit of an advantage over her.

"I'll stop grinning when you stop liking it." Nick fired back, eyes down on the open menu in front of him. "Ooh! Lemon-braised sole. Carrots, you sure you wanna stay a vegetarian? Let's see what they have for you. Sautéed carrots in sage butter. Good stuff, hope you enjoy."

Judy rolled her eyes. This early into the night and she was already so done. As Nick continued reading the menu aloud, she turned, peering around. Most of the tables were for larger mammals - bears and rhinos, a horse or two. Still, Judy could see a few tables for mice and voles. A quick scan yielded fruit - the mayor was sitting to their twelve o'clock, across the table from a wolf.

Mayor Canidae was a wolf too, but the timber-colored fellow across from her was a good eight inches taller than her. From what Judy could see, they were on a date. She paused, using her peripheral vision to keep the mayor in her sights. Judy admired her; that's why she felt like she and Nick should be giving her the benefit of the doubt instead of following her around. Preemptive crime solving. Was the future really the ZPD's jurisdiction?

Judy smiled to herself as she watched the mayor. A black-furred wolf, always in refined, elegant clothing that made Judy a bit jealous with how well she pulled it all off. Her eyes were in the fuchsia spectrum, and she had hair to match. The hair was a stunner - long and pink. She wore it in buns with little pins holding them together, the rest hanging down her neck. Judy hoped she looked as good in her thirties.

"Got the directional mic, Nick?" Judy asked, still keeping her eyes on the mayor.

Nick, not even looking up from his menu, pulled a carrot pen from his pocket and set it on the table, pointing in the mayor's direction. He reached up to scratch his ear and adjust the listening device inside. "Got it, Jude."

Judy turned back to face Nick, and opened her own menu so as not to look suspicious. A fuzzy humming in her ear switched over to an amplification of the table several meters away. She heard the voices of the mayor and her date.