Nick was assaulted by the intoxicating scent of too sweet opium mixed with too sweet liquors as soon as he walked through the door. A few steps in the smell mingled with the heady scents of other animals. It was so strong it was almost disorientating to Nick. The heavy, low hanging smoke gave an almost surreal feeling to the room as Nick took in his surroundings. The room before him was a carbon copy of the room he had just left. He entered on the business side of the bar, a door to his left would let him out onto the floor. He noticed, with a sense of shock, a weasel was the bartender on this side of the club. He was serving polar bears, jaguars, and sheep. There was a band playing music in the background, but no beautiful young animals (specifically a certain bunny) singing. The band has a heavy bass that slightly muffled the sounds of the many conversations happening throughout the bar. In a quick moment, Nick jumped from one side of the bar to the other, ready to approach the weasel for a drink.

"Weasleton's the name. " The weasel said, ignoring Nick's snicker at the irony. "What can I get for you?"

"Brandy." Nick muttered, wondering where his digging would start, "on ice" he added as an afterthought.

"You're new here," the weasel added, giving Nick a strange side eye, didn't he have mugs to clean? Manchas was always cleaning a damn glass of some kind "who're you?"

"Nobody important. Just a fox looking for a drink." Nick states, slightly annoyed. He breathes a sigh of relief when the weasel grabs a spotted glass, drops a few ice cubes in it, pours the brandy and (finally) hands it to the fox.

"Don't I recognize you?" A different voice said. This voice was honey on a warm day compared to Weasleton. Nick turned to see the amethyst eyed bunny performer from the night before. She was dressed in a tight red dress, with black stiletto heels, white-gloved paws wrapped delicately around a shot of some amber liquid.

"You performed in the main portion of the club the other night?" Nick asked, trying to keep his eyes from roaming over the fabric that clung to every curve the bunny had to offer, and there were plenty.

"Yeah, and you're the stud that tried to climb on my stage?" She threw back her shot in a way that Nick found admirable. A small smile teasing her lips. "What's a fox like you doing here?" She continued, waving to the weasel to signal she wanted another drink.

"Honestly?" Nick replies, "hoping to see you perform again."

The bunny, Judy, suddenly turned to Nick with a look he couldn't quite place. She seemed curious, but there was something else there. An emotion deep in her eyes that Nick couldn't place. Deeply unsettled, Nick watched as her nose gave a slight twitch and her eyes took in him, summing him up. He felt like a specimen under a microscope as Judy started at him intently for 45 more seconds.

"Weselton,"

"It's WEASEL-ton."

"Whatever, I'd like a martini, apple, straight, hold the olive. And the fox would like?" Judy stopped talking, raising a perfectly shaped brow to the red fox. She ignored the perfectly good drink sitting by Nick's paws.

"Brandy," Nick maintains eye contact with Judy "make it neat this time Weselton."

Ignoring the deep sighs from their bartender Nick and Judy maintain eye contact in a standoff Nick doesn't fully understand. Judy's eyes are filled with various shades of purple, sharp shards of gold and silver are visible in the gorgeous bunny's eyes. As Nick stares into her eyes, refusing to break contact and let her win this... whatever it is, the rest of the club seems to fade away. The heavy smoke surrounding them isn't burning Nick's lungs any longer and the bass from the stage is nothing compared to the beating of his heart and why is he acting like this? It's just him, and Judy and those crazy amethyst eyes with flecks of gold and silver and what seems like the knowledge of the universe, seizing him up.

"Brandy. Neat. Martini. Apple. Straight." The weasel presents the two with their orders in a clipped staccato. Snapping Nick out of his reverie.

Judy grabbed her drink and took a small sip, maintaining eye contact with Nick. Nick, losing the battle, looked away to take in his surroundings again.

"So," the fox says "how does a bun like you end up in a joint like this?"

Nick's eyes wonder back to Judy's and once again he is drawn in. The noises and music of the club fade out as the scene, in his head, spotlights to just him and the bunny. Subconsciously he leans in closer wanting, craving, any information this enigmatic bunny will give him on her life. Not yet understanding his drive to unravel her secrets and piece them together like a puzzle, just knowing he needed to.

"I like to sing." The young bunny says, twirling her martini glass in her paws. "Once upon a time I thought I would hit it big ya know? I could be like Gazelle. All the fans, backup dancers, lights, the whole shebang."

"Why- I don't understand," Nick says, uncertain of what to say. "your singing is amazing!"

"Not good enough, sly." Judy says. She stops twirling her glass and quickly swallows the rest of the drink before giving Nick a long, withering look. "Why are you really here?" This time she emphasizes her words, and for a moment, Nick thinks she knows.

The fox's heartbeat quickens for a moment, scared the bunny can see straight through him. Judy leans a little closer and now there is only a hairs space between the two mammals, Nick can hear Judy's heartbeat.

"I find myself quite enamored with a certain singing bunny who goes by Amethyst." Nick says, hoping his half-truth is enough to cover the big lie.

Judy looks up at Nick, and once again he isn't sure if she is able to see right through him and his façade, but instead she offers him a small smile.

"Well," she says "you're in luck champ. I'm on in about ten minutes. I think you're gonna love what I got ready for tonight."

With a wink and instructions for the bartender, Weasleton, to put both their drinks on her tab Judy walks off. Leaving Nick unsure of what exactly is happening. She was only steps away, the red material of her dress clinging to her hips in ways Nick thought was sinful when she turned back to him.

"Ya coming, big guy? I'll give you a front row seat, right next to the boss if you want."

The mention of a boss, the real reason Nick was the bar, sent a shock of clarity through him. He wasn't here to flirt with pretty bunnies that had untraceable accents, hips enough to drive a fox rabid and a voice like honey. No, he was here because of the drugs. Nick was here to work. With a shake of his head, he slid his trademark smirk back on his face.

"That sounds great, Carrots." Nick sauntered after Judy as she led him passed the stage to a set of hidden stairs on the other side.

This set of stairs were different than the ones that lead between the bars. These stairs were soft and plush, muffling the sound of Judy's heels. Judy leading the way had put Nick in a very, optimal, position for the viewing of those damn hips he is trying not to think of. With a shake of his head, Nick reminds himself not only are interspecies relationships considered a disgusting kink but he is here for a job. After what seemed like an eternity they reached the top of the stairs. Nick found himself in a soft, cream colored room accented by blood red furniture. Around the room milled several large polar bears, all of them dressed in slate gray suits with ice blue ties. The room felt both comfortable and stuffy at the same time.

"So, which bear is the boss?" Nick asked as they milled around. Eyes growing with wonder as each bear that passed in front of him seemed to grow larger and larger. Judy only laughed.

"Oh, you're in for a surprise, sly." She mumbled, her voice was low now, almost sultry. It didn't remind Nick of honey any longer, it was something more potent, this voice was thick and lusty. If her normal voice was honey this version of her voice was pure tree sap.

As Judy began to cross the room many of the bears cleared out of her way, stopping short of stepping on the petite bunny, she walked without fear and without issue. She had a direct path to the large, plush seat in the center of the room. Nick's heart accelerated a little as Judy led him around the front of the chair.

Nick was completely underwhelmed when he saw a small arctic shrew sitting in the chair. Rather the shrew was sitting in a smaller chair that was placed on a box in the larger chair.

"Ahh, who did you bring here Jude? What has this man done to earn the favor of my favorite singer?" The Boss said. "Why did you think he is worthy of meeting Mr. Big?"

A/N: Sorry babies life has been crazy. I have been hit by the strange knowledge that some authors write ahead? Say whaaaat? I think that is something I should start because honestly, I just leave you poor ones hanging.
Anyway, small run down of why this took so long: dropped out of nursing school (realized I hated it), decided to pursue what had been my passion in the first place (psychology), got accepted into my first choice university for advanced studies (Rock, Chalk! Hopefully somebody gets it) and began moving.
I love you all! Tell me how you're doing! What's happening in your life?