Chapter 2: A Disruptive Transfer
A new transfer revives old friendships and conjures new feelings.
Judy wanted to die. She knew that her hangover would hinder her day, but this daze was unexpectedly harsh. The usual loudness of the bull pen was normally bearable, even welcome. Now, though, it sounded like the metal grating of a chain being drug across concrete. Maybe it's not like it was when I was younger, Judy thought, when did hangovers get so bad?
All around her the day officers of Precinct One talked, argued, and joked. McHorn and Manely accidentally bumped into her from the side, their size nearly knocking her off the chair over to Nick who sat on her left. Judy's brow furrowed and with a deep sigh of acceptance sat her head onto the table before her. You can do this. Just get through the day.
Needing morale support, Judy reached for her nearly empty cup of coffee. When she did, the fox in her peripheral vision caught her eye. Looking up at him more directly, Judy saw that his attention was drawn toward the back of the meeting room, his persistent, smug smile even more pronounced than usual. With his head leaning against his arm on the table like a photographer's bipod, Judy had the notion to knock it out from under him; a nice bit of payback for this morning. However, the feeling of lethargy was overpowering still. Too much motion would be involved with that, not to mention the annoyed protest from the victimized fox, Judy reasoned. She took a sip of her 'black gold', instead.
Judy noted that Nick had been rather silent about her current condition. Judy had expected the teasing fox to milk her hangover for as much annoyance as he could. The bunny wondered what had preoccupied him enough to spare her.
However, before she could turn her gaze in line with his, Officer Higgins gathered the attention of the room with a quick, but powerful, "Attention!"
The door at the front of the room opened promptly and the hulking, blue figure of Chief Bogo walked through. The heavy, commanding hoovesteps of the bull echoed through room, even the sound of raucous hooting and thumping of fists from the officers couldn't draw from his tread. Judy winced as each paw hit the table. Please, someone, kill me, she thought, cursing her acute glanced to her left to see Nick coolly leaning against the table. At the very least he was not adding to the dreadful drum of excited mammals. Through her seemingly perpetual pain, Judy wondered if the preceding interjection of the hippo officer was necessary; the Chief only needed to walk into a room to gather its attention.
Bogo neared the podium at the head of the room, carrying a few red folders. "Settle…" he muttered, but when the energizing beat of officers continued, he raised his voice and repeated, "Settle." As the officers ceased their pounding, Judy breathed out in relief.
However, when Chief Bogo started the morning check-in with his deep, projecting baritone, the brief reprieve of quiet was shattered. "First order of business… Today we have a new addition to the precinct that I should introduce."
Judy briefly wondered what new recruit he was talking about until she remembered back to earlier that morning. That cat in Bogo's office, Judy wondered as she looked at Nick and then glanced toward where he was staring before. As she suspected, at the last table of the bull pen sat a small, brown and black furred cat, Most likely an ocelot given his size and fur pattern, Judy deduced. The rabbit smiled mischievously and turned to face the front. She recalled her own treatment upon arriving at the precinct. It was a hazing all new recruits went through and this ocelot would be no different, Judy thought.
Bogo looked up at the ocelot in the back and then returned to the report on the podium with a tired gaze, "But, I don't care."
The mammals in the room grumbled with taunting laughter. Judy smiled and looked to Nick. He gave a smile and a shrug back. However, a curt cough from the back of the bull pen interrupted the mumbled laughter.
An uneasy silence emerged with the interjection. All eyes in the room turned to the back where the ocelot from before was standing on his chair, hands held behind his back and chest puffed outward. With a slow nod of affirmation, the ocelot addressed the whole of the room, although his steady gaze was focused directly at Chief Bogo, "Good morning everyone, I am Detective Lorenzo Felidus."
For a moment, all that seemed to exist in the crowded bull pen were the ocelot and the chief. Judy looked from the cat to the relatively huge bull. The air in the room suddenly felt heavy and oppressing. Judy looked to Nick and could see him glance between the two and gulp nervously. She briefly wondered why Nick was unusually invested.
Chief Bogo and the ocelot locked eyes, the tension between them like a pair of blades drawn at one another.
The silence persisted.
Finally, Chief Bogo sighed, his broad shoulders slumping in exhaustion, "…To replace Detective Tuskovich we have received Detective Felidus, a transfer from Las Lluvias." All eyes fell onto Detective Felidus as he stood adamantly on his chair. With his chin held high, the cat maintained eye contact with the Chief, his expression nearly tired, but holding an edge of pride. However, for a very brief moment, Detective Felidus' icy blue eyes fell onto her before darting back to match Chief Bogo's.
Chief Bogo leaned over the podium, brown eyes piercing as they seemingly stared into Detective Felidus' core. Then, with punctuated articulation, he asked "Did I miss anything, Felidus?"
Felidus' eyes squinted for a brief moment before blinking slowly. "It is Fe – Li – Dus, not Fee – Luh – Dus," He said nodding and then sat down, "That is all."
"Duly noted." Chief Bogo's response was quick and dry, dispelling the correction immediately.
"Now that our phonics lesson is over…" The room grumbled with low laughter once more, the tension beginning to cease, "We have nothing out of the ordinary for today. Central is quiet apart from a possible Prey Protection Party protest outside of the Mayor's Tower later today. Officers in the area will be tasked with overseeing the tower if it turns out they decided to protest. We will keep notifications current throughout the day." Chief Bogo finished the daily read off of events with a grunt as he closed one folder and opened another.
"Now for assigned patrol routes…" Bogo picked his reading glasses out from his shirt pocket and placed them upon his snout. "Officer Snarloff and Trunkaby: Pack Street patrol," was the first pair he read off, the two heading out of the room.
Chief Bogo continued, "Higgins and Delgato: you will take Peak Street…" However, Judy was not in the state of mind to focus on too many things at once. Chief Bogo's voice faded into a series of unintelligible low background sounds. The new detective at the back held her attention now.
Judy noted first that Detective Felidus obviously put some thought into his appearance. Detectives at Precinct One wore plainclothes with a form of identification on person. Although, he could have dressed more casually, Detective Felidus wore a long-sleeve, baby blue, button down shirt with beige dress pants and a black, silver buckled belt. Judy could only call the outfit immaculate as it looked as if it had just come out of an iron. She reasoned that he must have wanted to make an impression on his first day at the precinct.
All over his rather lithe body, from his head to his paws, the ocelot was covered in the light brown fur with a distinctive pattern of dark black rosettes and longitudinal streaks. At his lower back protruded a long tail. However, unlike Nick's, Detective Felidus' was narrow and long; certainly not as bushy as the fox's. At the tail's end was a black tip, as if it had been dipped in an ink well.
Black markings and brown fur continued to his face and muzzle. Lines of sable ran along from his pink, triangular nose, around his eyes, and to his oddly rounded ears for a cat, Judy noted. Before she could even fathom calling the combination of his pink nose and rounded cat ears cute, the expression on his face stopped her.
The stunt Detective Felidus was bold; Judy would even go as far to say insubordinate. She reminded herself that she had been rather insubordinate herself when she started out, but she also didn't challenge the Chief directly in front of his officers. Judy couldn't begin to decipher the statement he was trying to make with that, but the expression that adorned his face explained some of where the boldness came from.
Felidus' eyes were half-lidded- No, Judy corrected, not half-lidded. Narrowed. The eyes, combined with his set eyebrows and narrowly frowning mouth gave him a nearly bored appearance. However, Judy had been around people with the same bored expression he had on his face before, her encounter with Mr. Big coming to mind. He wasn't bored, she recalled, he was confident. This same feeling came across in his accented voice. Judy had never encountered someone from Las Lluvias before, but the exotic accent reminded her of Mr. Manchas. I wonder what 'Judy' would sound like with that accent…?
Striking blue eyes met Judy's own, breaking her out of her daze. Crap, how long have I been staring?! Judy looked away quickly from the new detective and looked down at the metal table. In an attempt to mitigate the tingling sensation at the back of her neck and her rapid heartbeat, Judy began analyzing every intricate detail of the smooth metal table.
Nick scoffed to her left, "How cute."
Judy shook her head and looked at the smugly smiling fox, "Huh?" Part of her knew exactly what he was referring to, but she was insistent about not giving him the upper hand.
Judy cleared her throat and brought her forepaws together on the table. Judy glanced around and noticed that she had zoned out long enough for most of the other officers to have been giving their assigned patrols.
With only a few parings left in the room Chief Bogo called out theirs. "…Hopps and Wilde, you will take the patrol route around Troop Street." Nick sighed and swung off the table in a lackadaisical manner. Although, Judy didn't sigh, she agreed with her partner. The Troop Street patrol was a dull one with little to no crime occurring in the area. She knew that she should be glad that the place's worst offenders were a few repeat speeders and careless drivers. However, part of her wanted something exciting.
As Judy and Nick walked the podium and headed toward the door Bogo pointed at them warningly, "Keep it clean. No wild chases." His eyes narrowed authoritatively.
Nick nodded and gave him a thumbs up, "Wilde is my middle… Well, it's my last name."
Bogo rubbed a hand down his face and pointed a steady finger at the door, "Out!" Nick shrugged and continued walking. Judy spared one last glance behind her at Detective Felidus before following Nick.
Once outside of the bull pen, the bunny and fox made their way to one of the lounges close by. When they entered the white and red painted room and noted the absence of anyone else, the two decided to sit down on one of the red couches against the wall.
Nick huffed as he all but threw himself onto the couch. "And things were just starting to get boring around here," he said as he placed his arms behind his head.
Judy sat down beside him and stretched her arms, "I can't believe Bogo put up with that."
"Maybe they're going to have some steamy hate sex afterward. You know, to clear the air."
Judy rolled her eyes, raising an eyebrow at the fox, "How old are you?"
Nick winked back at her condescension, "Old enough."
Judy took a moment to enjoy the silence of the lounge. The coffee had helped ease the pain of her headache, but there was still a constant feeling of sickness. She felt like she was on the deck of a boat at sea.
"So what was with that look before?" Judy asked, recalling the fox's cruel manipulation to get her up the stairs.
Nick raised an eyebrow in question, "Hmm?"
"When you saw him in Bogo's office? What was that for?"
Nick's eyes gleamed, but he closed them as he spoke, "Oh nothing, was just trying to pin down what species he was."
Judy knew he was acting suspicious, but had no evidence of any scheming. So, for now, she added, she decided to play along, "I'm pretty sure he's an ocelot."
Nick smirked largely, "Yep, I think so too."
Judy shook her head. She decided that whatever he was planning, which she suspected was probably a teasing joke, was not worth the effort this morning to figure out. "I got our keys so I'm ready when you are," she said fishing the patrol car keys out from her utility belt.
"Wanna hold back and meet him? You were giving him lovey dovey eyes back there. Don't want you to miss your opportunity for love." Nick drew out the sentence into a lower, sultry voice.
Judy poked his shoulder, "You're just jealous that you aren't as exotic."
"I bet it was the accent."
"He was like a fresh dragon fruit to your moldy apple."
Nick got up from his lying position on the couch and pointed at the door, "Oh, I'm sure he'd love to hear about his new admirer."
Judy followed and elbowed him in the side, eliciting a quick yelp from the fox, "I swear if you say anything weird…"
"I'm just making friends, Carrots. Nothing malicious," Nick promised, drawing his hands up in a sign of peace.
Judy shrugged and nodded toward the door, "Fine, we can stay, but that's only so I'm here to defend myself."
Nick winked and patted her back, "Of course."
Nick and Judy made their way from the lounge to one of the benches next to the bull pen and waited for Detective Felidus to exit. It didn't take long.
Just as they arrived, a large tiger in a brown overcoat exited with an aggravated gait. Judy hadn't had much interaction with the feline, but she knew that Detective O'Clawnell was one of the most senior members of the precinct. Apart from an awkward first meeting, Judy didn't talk to the tiger much. This was partly because every time she saw him he had annoyed scowl. However, now it seemed that his scowl had deepened considerably.
As the door to the bull pen was about to close, Detective Felidus came through the threshold behind O'Clawnell.
Judy opened her mouth to catch the ocelot's attention, but the deep, tired voice of the tiger cut her off.
"You just had to mouth off on your first day and get us both office duty," he asked, turning around to tower over the comparatively tiny Felidus. Even though Detective Felidus was only a few inches shorter than Nick, the ocelot didn't flinch as the tiger chastised him. Judy noticed that his paws squared off into a more solid stance when O'Clawnell started speaking.
Felidus put his right forepaw in his pants pocket and gestured slowly with the other, "There were not any cases to be put on."
O'Clawnell shook his head and roughly gestured a hand at the door of the bull pen and then down at Felidus, "Now, I'm caught between your smart mouth and Bogo's glare. Great."
"All I did was introduce myself," Felidus explained, a hint of edge running into his blank tone.
"No, what you did was mouth off like a rebellious child in class," O'Clawnell shook his head and glared at the younger detective.
Felidus responded to the glare by squinting his own eyes and pointing a single finger upwards, "'What I did', Detective O'Clawnell, was state my name and how to pronounce it so if I am needed by the precinct they will know what my name is. If you choose to let your fear of the chief's power influence the assumptions you make on my actions, then so be it. However, I hope you do not let this same attitude follow you into future cases or your deductive abilities will prove to be suspect in the field. I am not going to fight with you on the first day, but I will not let false assumptions be made about me without my interjection to the contrary-" Before Detective Felidus could continue his unrelenting explanation, O'Clawnell sighed heavily, turned around, and walked away.
As he walked past the eavesdropping bunny and fox, toward the offices, he muttered under his breath, "Fuck me…"
Judy looked to her side at Nick who was trying his best to hold in a laugh. Judy didn't know what Detective Felidus was trying to accomplish, but already he had gone toe-to-toe with the Chief and then, not fifteen minutes after, challenged his supposed partner. Whatever it was, Judy thought, making friends wasn't in his plans.
Judy was about to signal to Nick that introducing themselves after the fight was not a good idea, but the fox moved ahead toward the ocelot before she could. You idiot, Judy face palmed, yet followed anyway.
Nick sauntered up to Felidus as the ocelot rubbed at his brow, "Making friends already, huh?" Judy came up to the left of the fox, slightly behind him. She wasn't going to take the brunt of Felidus' retort if Nick pissed him off.
Detective Felidus sighed softly and pulled his paws down from his face, "Acquaintances for now, it seems."
"I think that may be a tad optimistic," Nick pointed behind to where O'Clawnell had walked off to with an incredulous laugh.
Felidus' brow pulled together into a minimal scowl, "Maybe. But, it gave him insight into my character at the very least." Judy was surprised. She thought that, given his defensive behavior before, he would be much more confrontational. Nick was talking to him with ease.
Nick stuffed his paws into his pockets causally, "Oh, I think he got plenty of insight."
Felidus turned to face Nick directly, the squared stance from before dissolving into one that was more relaxed. Then, the corners of his mouth curved upwards ever so slightly, "Nearly three years."
Nick's smirk grew and he nodded, "Just about."
'Three years'? Judy looked between the two. Now she knew why he had been surprised to see him in Bogo's office and why he had been giving him teasing smirks in the meeting room; they already knew each other. Beginning to feel like a third wheel, Judy nudged Nick's leg side and coughed.
Nick inhaled sharply, "Oh, right. I almost forgot. My partner here was dying to meet you." The fox gestured at her loosely.
Judy shook her head disappointedly as she took a step toward Detective Felidus, paw on her hips, "Can't even expect a proper introduction from you..."
"Nice to meet you Detective Felidus, I'm Officer Hopps, but you can just call me Judy," the bunny introduced herself cheerily. Judy extended her right paw, with her other held behind her back professionally.
For the short time she had seen him, Felidus' expression had been marred by a scowl or simple ambivalence, but when she went to shake his paw the soft, amiable smile that appeared on his muzzle dissipated any negative feelings. "It is a pleasure, Judy, as you already know I am Detective Lorenzo Felidus," he greeted, bowing slightly as he shook her paw with his own.
Judy returned the pleasant smile with her own, "Sorry if I butchered your last name."
Lorenzo shook his head and held his paw up, "No, you pronounced it just fine."
Nick leaned in over Judy's shoulder, "In case you were curious, Cottontail here thinks you're hot."
Judy's eyes widened and looked between Lorenzo and Nick. She offered Lorenzo a sheepish smile and then glared at the offending fox, "Nick!"
Felidus sighed, shaking his head, "Sounds like you haven't changed a bit; just picked a new victim for your dumb jokes." Oh, sweet, sweet retribution, Judy mused.
Nick looked taken aback, his hand over his heart, "So soon with the meanness. I'll have you know, I put a lot of thought into those jokes. I thought we were being friendly here?"
Lorenzo's smile weakened and he raised a single, skeptical eyebrow at Nick, "That wholly depends on you."
"I'll behave," Nick promised with big eyes and a pursed mouth.
"That is unlikely-" Lorenzo said.
"Yeah, right-" Judy said at the same time.
The two glanced at each other. Then, the two offered each other a smirk. Judy was glad she now had someone who deflected Nick's teasing. Nick grinned at the two, slumping his shoulders in defeat.
Lorenzo turned to Judy, giving her a quizzical expression, "So, you are Judy?"
"Uh, yeah," Judy answered, question tinting her own voice.
"The same one from before Nick's training?"
"Probably?"
"Yep, this is the one that you saw on the billboards and recruitment pamphlets," Nick stepped in, clearing up the confusion, "Judy Hopps, Hero cop!"
Lorenzo looked at Nick with wide eyes and a close-lipped smile, "I was convinced you were teasing me about her."
"To a point." Nick looked very satisfied until he yelped as the bunny fist hit his side.
"What did he say about me?! Don't believe a word he said!" Judy swiped her paws in front of her, hoping to ward away any possible negative thoughts Felidus had of her.
Lorenzo looked away sheepishly, bringing his paw to cover his mouth, "It would be rude of me to say…"
Judy punched Nick's side again, "Nick!"
Nick grimaced and glared at Lorenzo, "You sly bastard. You're paying my medical bills."
When Judy looked back at the ocelot, his embarrassed countenance had been replaced with satisfactory smirk, "Do not worry, Judy. He did not say anything embarrassing. I never believe what he has to say, anyway."
Nick crossed his arms and pouted theatrically, "You've already joined her side against me?"
Lorenzo raised one eyebrow and frowned at the fox, "Did you think I would join yours?"
Judy laughed, placing a paw on her hip. She turned to Lorenzo, with an apologetic expression, "We just wanted to come over and welcome our very first ocelot to precinct one." The ocelot's eye twitched at her statement. Judy's smile fell. Did I say something wrong?
"Um, is…" she began asking.
Lorenzo help a paw up, cutting her off, "No. It is fine." The cat held a paw up to his chest, gesturing to himself, "Though, I am not an ocelot. I am a margay."
Judy looked at him quizzically, "A… margay?" Then realizing how rude she was being covered her mouth, "Oh, crackers, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to insult you or anything. You just look so much like an ocelot. I assumed-"
The margay put his paws in his pockets and let out a small, breathy laugh at her rushed apology, "No offense taken, Judy, it is a simple mistake to make. Regardless, I appreciate your welcome."
Judy's ear twitched at the word 'simple'. Something about the way he said it garnered her attention, but she brushed it off and nodded at him, "It's no problem."
Lorenzo's icy, blue eyes looked from Judy to Nick, the previously hard brow becoming softer, "As much as I loathe it, I should go up and get started on that office work with Detective O'Clawnell." The margay offered a slight bow to Judy, smiling, "Judy, it was a pleasure." Then, when he looked up at Nick, he glared for a brief moment before it faltered and he sighed. "Nick, I never thought I would say this, but it was good to see you again," he admitted, offering the slightly taller fox a smirk as he began walking off to the offices, paws in pocket.
Judy waved back while Nick yelled back to him across the atrium, "You too. Be good on your first day, Lory!"
Judy giggled as Lorenzo sighed at the nickname, but kept walking.
Judy smiled warmly and looked up at Nick who's eyes held an unusual brightness in them. Detective Lorenzo Felidus, huh?
After her introduction to Detective Felidus, the two started their patrol on Troop Street. It only took a few minutes to get to the start of the patrol from the Headquarters. Now, they sat in the patrol vehicle as it lay on stand-by near a busy intersection. Already, Judy was beginning to feel restless. The bunny knew that her headache would flare up if anything strenuous happened, but sitting around doing nothing was potentially a worse fate.
Judy sat behind the wheel of the vehicle drumming her fingers against the black leather. In front of the car, a swarm of cars and pedestrians went about their day. And all I get to do is ticket them if they speed, Judy thought. Nick sat beside her, flipping through his phone. She'd long ago dropped any attempts to get him to take the job more seriously and not get sidetracked. As long as he got results, she reasoned, him playing on his phone wasn't that bad.
Judy glanced at the clock. '10:32 A.M.'
Judy leaned on the window with her elbow, propping her head up, "When were you expecting on telling me about Detective Felidus?"
Nick tore his eyes away from his phone to look at her, "Who…? Oh, right. You mean Lory."
Judy rolled her eyes, "Sure."
Nick leaned in and looked around suspiciously before whispering to her, "Well, I had this elaborate plan set up to announce our clandestine knowing of one another, but Small Spots back there had to let the cat out of the bag."
"Very original. Cat jokes," Judy said with a slanted brow.
Nick smirked and leaned back in his seat, "I'm a humor revolutionary."
"Where do you know him from?"
"From the ZPD Academy."
"Wait, though he's from the Las Lluvias department," Judy asked.
Nick nodded and itched his ear, "Yep."
"So, how'd that happen?"
"Secret police conspiracies," Nick explained with a deadpan expression.
Judy snorted and turned away to look out the window at the vehicles moving by, "Yeah, the same conspiracy that let you get through the academy, I guess."
"It was some cross-department program, apparently. Lory said something about 'evaluating the integrity of the academy's rainforest biome course'.," Nick explained, impersonating Lorenzo's particular tone. "And I'll have you know that I passed just fine. Actually, that's mostly how we met."
"Ha," Judy exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the red fox, "I knew you had to have cheated off someone!"
Nick waved a finger at her in denial, "More like tutored by. Don't let his age fool you."
Judy gave him a cheeky grin, "So you got tutored by someone thirteen years younger than you?"
Nick opened his eyes wide and cupped his paws around his mouth, "New press release from Officer Judy Hopps, 'Age defines you!'"
"Fine, fine. Well, I'm glad he helped you out. Who knows who I'd have as partner if you failed?"
"Probably Francine. Maximize the size-difference joke, Nick offered.
"Hmm, maybe I'll have to ask the chief for a partner transfer…" Judy pondered as she brought a paw to her chin.
"But she's not nearly as charming as me."
"Not nearly as annoying, sure."
Nick winked, "Touché."
Judy ran a claw down the pattern of leather on the steering wheel, "So, is this the first time you guys have met up since you graduated?"
"Yeah, didn't really keep in contact after," Nick shrugged.
"Bad break-up, huh?"
Nick raised an eyebrow, "Need to make sure he's single, Carrots?"
Nick leaned back in his seat, and pulled his paws behind his head, closing his eyes as he spoke. "Wasn't bad blood or anything. Las Lluvias isn't exactly a short metro trip away, though. There's a reason those beans cost so much."
"They're delicious!"
"Plus, foxes aren't known for being sociable pen pals."
Judy held a paw to her heart, "Aww, fate has obviously reunited you two."
"'Obviously'," Nick repeated mockingly.
Detective.
Judy leaned back and looked up at the blue, Savannah Central sky, "He's five years younger than me and detective. That's… damn impressive. I thought that Fangmeyer was just blowing smoke again."
Nick nodded in agreement, "If anyone could do it, it'd be him."
"He's that good?"
Nick opened his eyes to look at Judy, "Brain over brawn. He's pretty shoddy as a sparring partner."
"I see."
"You have him beat there, Thumper."
Judy turned to look at the fox skeptically, "Oh, yeah?"
Nick affirmed his comment with a nod, "Plus, I only saw him work in the academy. I still think you could give him a run for his money."
Judy huffed, "Nick, this isn't a competition. We're on the same side."
Nick poked her shoulder with the blunt side of his claw, "Sure you are, Ms. Ambition."
Judy batted him away, "Shut up."
Nick smirked and pulled away. The fox's green eyes moved from her to the window on his side, "He has gotten more…"
"More what?"
"Confrontational. The Lory I remember would have just ignored Buffalo Blue's introduction; not waste his energy," he answered with a hint of serious edge.
Judy's softened her own voice in response, "It has been three years and he's been on the force since then. People change. You went from con to cop." Judy elbowed his arm.
Nick smirked at the rabbit, clarifying, "Under duress."
"I always knew you had a heart of justice underneath that tacky, green shirt."
Nick's eyes narrowed playfully, "How dare you insult my style?"
Nick pulled back. Judy noted the slight wrinkle in his brow, "Yeah, maybe we'll have to catch up some time. Although, I'm not the only reason we didn't keep in contact. He's not exactly an uptown socialite, either. Hell, I'd say even more so then me."
"He seemed nice enough." Besides herself and Finnick, Judy knew that Nick didn't have any 'real friends', as he called them. As annoying and sarcastic as he could be, Judy still wanted him to open up more to others. Rekindling an old friendship is exactly what he needs, she thought.
Nick scoffed, "Oh, he's polite when he needs to be. As long as you don't trigger him, apparently. Just don't expect him to be partying the night away at Bill and Goat's." Judy ceded that she couldn't imagine the articulate margay at the local Savanah Central bar.
"So, bribe him with coffee and then see what we can pull out of him," Judy suggested.
"Sorry, I don't remember what kind he liked. Plus, I feel ethically conflicted on helping you get in his pants," Nick said, his oily smirk returning.
Judy sighed and shook her head, "You're projecting again, Wilde." Then, she glanced at him with a smirk of her own, "Maybe his place is even bigger than Finnick's. You could mooch off him instead."
"Jeez, you are never going to let that go are- " Nick raised a finger to defend himself, but the dispatch on the dashboard clicked on as a call came through.
"Hopps, Wilde, please respond. Over." Clawhauser's voice said over the radio.
Judy reached for the radios transceiver, but Nick swiped it before she could with a charming wink, "10-4, Benjy."
Judy sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. The bunny reached over the seat and pulled the transceiver in his paw to her level, "Over." Nick mouthed 'opps'. She just shook her head at his forgetfulness.
"There's a 459 at an apartment near your position. Respond with code three. Over." Clawhauser's upbeat voice made the report of a burglary sound optimistic and cheerful.
"Send us the address and we'll be right over… Over," Nick affirmed, sliding the vehicle mounted laptop around so he could access the address.
"Sending. Over and Out."
Nick placed the transceiver back into its holster as Judy got into position to drive, "A burglary. How exciting."
Judy flicked on the lights and siren, "Focus, fox."
Nick nodded, taking the aviator sunglasses hanging from his shirt pocket and flipping them onto his face smoothly, "Yes, Ma'am. Let's show these assholes why you don't mess around with WildeHopps on the prowl."
Judy grimaced at Clawhauser's nickname for their 'partnership' as she pulled into the street and began speeding toward the address of the burglary, "Oh my gosh, will you shut up?!"