A/N: So I've been working on some drabbles to go with "Run." These short pieces are not necessary for the plot of "Run"; rather, they explore some other points of interest in the story. Since they're not part of Judy's campaign, we can consider these drabbles to be off the campaign trail :).

Some will (hopefully) be funny, others may be more serious. Overall, they're the pieces that didn't have a place in the story but that I think are worth a read :D.

Each drabble ties back to a specific chapter in "Run". Though these pieces are not necessary for the plot, it still helps to go and check out that chapter in "Run" first so that these drabbles make sense!

This fic will update in between new posts to "Run".

Hope you enjoy,

Euphonemes

Off the Trail

A Little Bit of Blueberry (A Companion to Chapter 4: Part IV)

Weaving between the crowds of wary mammals was a task made impossible with Izabella Lobos around his arm. Nick ducked and dodged, but all eyes were locked onto the wolf in the fiery sequined dress. She giggled, a breathy and indescribably alluring sound, as each group of mammals they passed was smitten.

Finally, she took initiative and broke away from Nick. This did not surprise the fox; she did not strike him as one who wanted to be tethered. Like a fire to fresh air, she raged ahead, slicing through two clusters of mammals and leaving them shocked in her fiery wake. Nick muttered an apology — and then a few choice expletives — as he followed her.

She dallied long enough for him to reach her in the open. She laughed as he panted and tried to adjust his bow tie (it very nearly came apart in his paws). "So, Mr. Wilde, shall we head to the bar? I'm feeling something with a little bit of blueberry in it." She twirled, and her dress came alive.

He caught his breath only to lose it again. To his own mild surprise, Nick was duly impressed. "Yes; let's."

The bar was only a few steps away and almost all the other partygoers had cleared the space. Here along this nearly empty back wall seemed the place to be to avoid the monsters lurking about the fancy hotel room. The bar was not meant for mammals the size of Nick; he waved his paws and barely got them over the bar top. Mrs. Lobos was easily two heads taller than Nick, but he doubted that to be the reason why she was served so quickly.

Now, Nick was a proud fan of blueberries. Few things in this world could excite him as rapturously as blueberries could. So when he smelled the muddled fruit in her bubbly fuchsia drink, he let out a hum of ecstasy.

He had kept it a quiet hum, but it seemed she had been paying very close attention. Her laugh was soft and inviting. "I adore blueberries as well. I'm especially fond of the ones that start mostly sweet and stay that way right until the end, when the tartness finally punches through. It's really delightful."

Words escaped him as he fantasized about such a perfect blueberry. "Mhm."

"I could get you one of these if you'd like." Her drink's ice clanked against the thick glass of the tumbler.

Any other night, he would've snapped up that offer (and wiggled his way into two or three more free drinks). But tonight was going to be different. "I'm alright. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on Ms. Hopps."

"Ah, the dedicated manager! That's very noble of you, Mr. Wilde. It's so unlike many of these creatures in this room with us."

"Like a wolf, perhaps?"

Many emotions would not have surprised Nick here; shock, anger, derision, he was ready for just about all of them. Her amusement, however, did catch him by surprise. "Hah! I see. You're not a fan of my husband's, are you?"

Nick thought to say something clever and witty, a real zinger that would leave Mrs. Lobos speechless; instead, with the scent of blueberry still trapped in his snout, he nodded. Well, it was barely a nod, if it could be called that at all. But, Mrs. Lobos seemed to grasp its meaning.

"Good."

"Good?"

"You're not one of the tiresome sycophants who surround him daily. It's rather refreshing." She spun the thin red straw floating in her beverage. "As much as I love Arturo, it's exhausting to pander to his political aspirations. And I'm not even running; I cannot fathom how he must feel."

A sequin on her dress had sprung loose. While the others glittered gold in the room's light, this sequin shimmered with a dazzling emerald color. He felt like he was looking into his own eyes…which wasn't all that bad, all things considered.

"I can understand that, Mrs. Lobos."

"Oh, please, Izabella is just fine." She flashed a gorgeous smile; Nick was left breathless again, but only for a moment. "But I must say: You have been doing a fine job with your candidate. Where did you go to school?"

Nick debated lying his tail off, but something about Izabella drew the truth from him with great ease. "I was never one for book learning…though that wasn't necessarily my choice."

"So you're a street fox through and through, then."

He pinned his ears and snarled. "Hey!"

She was quick to defuse him. "Ah, I don't mean it to be derogatory, Nicholas – may I call you that?" He wasn't sure yet if she may, but he didn't stop her. "It's admirable, actually. What you've done so far, without any real training…you truly have accomplished something impressive."

It was odd. Compliments were not typically bandied about in his presence. And out of anyone in this room, the wife of the politician running against Carrots was certainly not the one to say something nice about Nick. But oddest of all, she sounded genuine when she said it. That brought forth Nick's smile. "Yeah, I have."

Izabella's soft laugh carried well over the noise of the many sycophants chattering away in this room. And for the first time in a long while, Nicholas Wilde was truly at ease. His many late nights tapping away on his phone, the favors he called in for his candidate, the struggles he had faced and the balance he had yet to find, everything left for a fleeting but amazing few moments. Every muscle relaxed as he leaned against the bar (his ears barely grazed the edge of the bar top). Enough about politics, Nick decided as he stared at that lone sequin, which had moved on to a brilliant sapphire hue.

"So, eh, where did you meet Arturo?"

She snatched her drink's straw and stabbed it five times; ice cubes slammed into one another. "At a bar, actually. I was having something with a little bit of blueberry in it." She sipped and smiled.

Frustratingly, it was the type of answer he would give to Carrots. He now saw why she always wanted to pummel him (though that in no way would inhibit him in the future). He figured out what Izabella was trying to do, and he fell for it anyway. "Why him?"

A thought was bubbling on the tip of her tongue; that was plain to Nick (his police training was actually proving useful). But, she reined it back in and smirked instead. "That's a lovely question, Nicholas. Unfortunately, that answer will need to wait. We are being summoned."

Over his shoulder, Nick saw Arturo's paw waving, even though he was still chatting with Judy. Nick was actually quite sad to see that. "Oh, already? Okay then."

"You've been splendid company, Nicholas. I hope to see you again soon."

He had plenty more to say, but as Izabella continued talking about something, Nick watched one particular rabbit's ear flop backward. Invariably, it would make him laugh; even now, in front of Izabella, he was forced to restrain a snicker. It always brought forth a strange combination of feelings that Nick could not clearly express. He simply knew that he liked watching her ear flop backward; everything looked brighter after it happened — including Izabella's stunning dress.

And as Carrots turned the rest of her head toward the bar, he remembered his final task for the evening. "There's, um, something I gotta go do. So, I'll, uh, see you around, I guess?"

It was not his smoothest exit, but it still drew a friendly wave from Izabella Lobos before she settled at the bar, waiting for Arturo Lobos to join her. "In time, Nicholas Wilde. In time."

As he sprinted from the bar, he peeked back over his shoulder. Her scarlet dress was alive, even from clear across the room. Between the sparkling flames that Izabella wore so gracefully, the lone sequin still hung out; it now glinted with an undeniable lavender. That color made him grin the widest.

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