Wolf stood before Olivia's desk which was much more impressive than any other desk he'd seen so far. Made of natural maple wood, it was at least six feet in length, with two fold out computers, and numerous holographic projectors. To put it simply, it had it "all". It was practically its own communication center. She sat in the large high back chair like a queen, her office being her kingdom. The kingdom was quite large, had matching cabinets, roomy floor space, plenty of floor to ceiling windows overlooking Corneria City from afar, Wolf was almost distracted by these qualities. There were several blue holographic windows floating in the air that the cardinal leader was poking through, schedules, itinerary, and other items dealing with travel but Wolf could hardly pay attention.
"The goal," Olivia continued as she poked around, "Is to somehow get Chancellor Leto of Zoness to sit face to face at a table with Xavier Zan." Her tone suggested she was just as distracted as well. Thoughts of that egg criss-crossed through her mind. How was it doing? Was it safe? She trusted Katt and Falco with it but was she more concerned with whether it was safe from the media or safe from harm? She didn't know which was more important.
Wolf's eyes followed a few flying specks outside the window, hovercars and aircraft in the distance. Olivia glanced from her own distractions and noticed he wasn't paying attention. "Wolf?" He shifted from the daze and lifted the eyebrow above his patch to show she got his attention. "Are you alright?" she asked.
"I'm sorry," He tugged down on his jacket. "I have a lot on my mind. Now...Xavier who?"
She smirked, "Xavier Zan, the terrorist we're supposed to be so concerned about?"
He laughed, "Right, does it concern you how only a small percentage of Cornerians can actually name him?"
Olivia had to pause and think about that one. "Well," she poked around some holographic windows above her desk. "I know the terrorist attack a few days ago got plenty of media coverage. It probably still has full headlines. 12 people did die you know. However I think the people might be numb to that."
"Numb? As in how we just came out of an essential take-over in which thousands upon thousands were killed?"
"Yes," Olivia lightly answered. "But I'll still check headlines. Besides, once Xavier Zan's name gets out, I know the people are going to want action taken." She paused to think about how to deal with that response, slowly turning her head toward the window. "And action will be taken. Just not necessarily the violent action some people crave."
Wolf's PDA beeped from his jacket. "Hang on, I got a call." Olivia nodded and continued to poke around the windows, pulling up main headlines from various publications, drenching herself with information as though she were trying to distract what was on her mind. He turned around and answered the call.
"Wolf?!" came a frantic voice. It was all too familiar.
"Fox? What's wrong?"
"Wolf! It was that BASTARD Daniel Karona! It was all him!"
"What? Fox what are you talking about? What's wrong?"
"Where are you?!" came the hot reply, Fox's frantic frame of mind not allowing him to answer Wolf's questions.
"Chancellor's Office. It's at the Gov. Center in Uptown."
"I'm coming to get you!"
Wolf took a step away from Olivia's desk, still keeping his back to her. She was too absorbed in the colossal amount of holographic windows to notice, dozens of projected square windows surrounding her now.
"Now wait just a minute Fox," he whispered harshly. "I have a job that I'm doing here. Unlike you, I have priorities and responsibilities that need to be attended to at the moment." Wolf heard the sound of cars honking and an engine revving. He knew Fox was driving like a maniac on the skyway. Something was definitely wrong. This wasn't some random rendezvous Fox was trying to set up. There was a problem.
"Fox, tell me..."
There was a silent moment as Wolf waited, listening to Fox breathe on the other side of the line. Fox realized, as he sped past cars, that he didn't know how to soften the blow. He didn't know how Wolf would react. Would he react like how he was reacting? Disheveled, and desperate to escape?
"Wolf, everyone will know about us by the end of the day."
He felt the PDA almost slip from his hand. Wolf's composure faltered until he found his footing again, resting a hand on a chair next to him. He swallowed hard, listening to Fox almost pant as he drove. "How?"
"Daniel Karona, the news guy, that green haired twerp. He did it all."
Wolf slowly turned around to see Olivia staring at him from behind one of the holographic windows. He could see the information that was on it, the headlines. The text appeared backwards from his position, mirrored, but he could still read them. It was everywhere, on all the windows surrounding her. Pictures of him and Fox, headlines, pictures, words, truth, it was all so dizzying. Olivia was simply looking at him with her dark eyes, the words covering her face. Wolf closed the PDA and put it in his pocket. He wasn't sure what her attitude was going to be. He didn't know her well enough. It was an unpredictable situation.
"Olivia?"
She stood where she was, arms folded, glancing around at the other windows and headlines. "Congratulations Wolf," He saw the hint of a smirk on her beak. "Apparently you and Fox have surpassed the current terrorist threat in terms of media exposure."
"I didn't mean for this..." Wolf felt defeat in his voice.
She pushed a button on her desk and all the holographic windows fizzled out, the words and images disappearing. The room suddenly felt cleansed. "Hey, I don't mind it at all. It's your business. I think it's..." She paused and searched for the right word, fumbling with the gold pins on her arm cuffs. "Interesting."
"Interesting?"
"Actually," she sat down at her desk. "I don't mind it as long as this doesn't become a 'distraction' for you." She stressed the word distraction greatly, holding it out so it got his attention. "I'm confident your duties will remain professional right?"
Wolf nodded and sat down in the chair on the other side of her desk, still surprised at her open-mindedness. He realized she was the first person, besides Fox, that he felt open to. Open in the sense that she knew about him. She knew about 'it'. It was very awkward, the feeling of vulnerability. He was almost at her mercy. "Of course," he pleaded.
"Wolf, relax. I'm honestly not bothered. I'm actually glad to know I'm not the only person getting bitten in the ass by the media."
Wolf made a nervous laugh.
"I do have questions though."
"Questions?" Wolf asked curiously.
"Well...just the usual questions. I only knew one other guy like you and that was years ago. I don't have to bother you with them if you mind."
Wolf shook his head. "No I don't mind. Really, it's just something I always knew. Fox was simply someone who..." It was Wolf's turn to search for the right words and suddenly he felt like he was incapable of explaining himself. He never was good at expressing his feelings outloud, especially this. For the past few months he found himself in newer and newer territories. He looked around as Olivia curiously watched him from behind her massive desk. "He helped me figure things out...to figure myself out." He flushed and looked down at his lap. "I'm sorry, I'm explaining this horribly."
"Wolf would I make a good mother?" He quickly looked up, the seemingly random question catching him off guard. She sat with her head cocked back, eyes studying the ceiling tiles as though they were the most important thing on Corneria.
"That's one of your questions for me? You find out I'm sleeping with Fox and you ask me if you make a good mother?"
She stayed looking up. "It's just something I'm curious of. I'm not getting any younger...It could happen some day." Wolf found her tone to be awkwardly contrived. She was probably alluding to something, but Wolf thought it best not to open that can of worms. He figured all women talk like this eventually, and he was too bogged down with other issues at the moment to call her on it. Frankly he was frustrated and agitated. He gripped his armrests and rose from the chair.
"Look Olivia, I have to head out. Fox is picking me up any minute now. As you know now, we have sort of a situation to worry about."
The cardinal was still looking up at the ceiling. "What did I say about distractions?"
Wolf huffed. "You're the last person who can talk about distractions."
Olivia snapped her head back down to glare at him, but she found her office empty, the door just coming closed. What she had just found out started to settle in with the other messes going on in her life, but she still had to smile when she realized that at least Fox and Wolf would help keep the spotlight somewhat away from her and Max. She frowned, suddenly feeling dreadfully sorry for them.
Falco wheeled a cart into an aisle in the grocery store, letting it roll down by itself. The wheels rattled as it came to a stop in front of shelves of baby items, specifically for birds. He figured to start packing up on supplies now since the thing was going to hatch in just a few weeks. As he put a sack of bird feed down next to a few six-packs in his cart, he could hear a commotion growing at the front of the store. With curiosity he slowly wheeled the cart to the end of the aisle to see what was going on. Looking down the line of checkout lanes he saw people were clamoring for the tabloids.
"How can people read that junk?" He stared in awe. "What has become of this place? Sheesh." He left his cart, pushing through the crowds to get himself a copy. Might as well figure out what all the hoopla was about. People usually don't go ape-crazy over magazines like this. There was chatter all around.
"Can you believe it!?" uttered a badger.
"Oh I know! Who would have thought!" added a female voice.
"Oh c'mon it was so obvious I knew!" a younger male poodle surmised.
Falco became irritated with getting through the crowd and simple snatched one from a random person reading. The instant he saw the cover and headline, he laughed.
Some of the chattering people stopped and turned to look.
And he laughed some more. "Oh man, this is great!" he cried. "They actually went through with that joke!" There wasn't anyone in particular he was talking to, but the crowds quickly recognized who he was, knowing he was close friends with the guys on the cover. "Whew!" He made a deep sigh as though tired from laughing. "Man! I can't believe they actually published that JOKE story!" He made another vociferous laugh, one that sounded fairly forced. People stared at him as he wheeled his cart out the store still chuckling to himself.
"Maybe people will think it's a joke!" Fox reasoned as he sat in his parked car, Wolf next to him in the passenger seat. His companion lifted an eyebrow.
"A joke? But this isn't a joke. This is real. Every vague detail of that tabloid story is still true."
Fox held the steering wheel and stared into it while thinking. Wolf simply watched him. He knew Fox was embarrassed of course, and maybe he was a little bit too, but after seeing Olivia's reaction, a positive reaction, he felt a renewed sense of confidence in it all. But it was clear that this was testing their relationship. Was Fox willing to accept and be open about this? His present attitude suggested not.
"What's happening here Fox?"
He looked up from the steering wheel. "Huh?"
"I mean, what are we going to do? You sound like you want to hide this."
Fox twisted his face. "That's not necessarily what I meant," He found saying that to be difficult to the point where the words sounded forced out of his own muzzle.
"Oh really?" Wolf chided. "Then why does the fact that everyone will know bother you so much?"
"Because it just...hey you sounded just as upset on the phone earlier!"
"I was upset! It's shocking news, but I'm coping and right now I can say I feel confident in myself and in this. Confident enough to where I feel I can adequately defend my attractions for you."
"There is no defense against the media!" Fox shouted. His claws dug into the steering wheel.
"How would you know? In the past all you did was run away from it."
"Because I could!"
"And now you can't because you have dead weight like me around?"
"What? No I can't because I don't have a Great Fox to get away in."
"And because I'm anchored here." Wolf topped off the exchanged with that, bringing a silence to the car. Fox gritted his teeth and traced his claws over the steering wheel as Wolf watched, arms folded with an angry grimace. "Unlike you I can't just get up and runaway, I have a job here." Fox looked over at him, his eyes clearly saying 'give me a break'. "Yes a job, a real one!" Wolf added. "In the government too, so don't think I'm getting some easy ride situation. I might not have any established popular background here on Corneria, but I saved the damn place too. I existed as a name on a wanted list for eight years and suddenly people have to like me, people have to trust me. I think this is going to affect plenty of people's opinions. And does that bother me? Yeah a little. What am I going to do? I'm going to deal with it. I'm going to stick with the guy I love as long as he sticks with me. That's what I'll do. I just need that guy's help."
Fox sighed and let go of the steering wheel, moving a paw to rub his forehead. "You have it easy Wolf you know that."
"Please tell me how that is possible."
"Because you don't have to worry about answering to the people you grew up with. What will Bill think? Falco?" He scoffed. "Peppy?" Fox shook his head. "I can only imagine their reactions."
"They'll react," Wolf declared. "Let them. You can't stop them from reacting. Whether it's good, bad or indifferent is entirely up to them. Their initial response is not something you can help. However what you can help is how you feel about it. If you show them that this is something you're ashamed of, they'll pick up on that lack of confidence in you and feel the same way."
Fox growled and snapped suddenly. "Wolf we're two guys sleeping together!" he cried. "They already think it's something to be ashamed of!" He snarled showing his sharp canine teeth. "They think it's wrong! Wrong wrong wrong! Society teaches us that you know! From day one, you're supposed to be right. From day one you're supposed to like this and that. You're supposed to be like everyone else. Don't you get it? We're freaks!"
"Since when were you the pessimist and I the optimist?" asked Wolf with a harsh tone.
"It doesn't matter to you." Fox mumbled. "You're used to being the freak." There was silence as he stared at the steering wheel some more until he heard the click of the car door opening and saw that Wolf was already stepping out the car.
"Wolf wait." Fox begged with a tired voice, but the door slammed shut. "Shit," he whispered. He watched him walk away through the parking lot, heading for the sidewalk along the street nearby. The rain began to pour but Wolf didn't seem to react, just aimlessly walking.
As he trotted on, he didn't bother to turn his head when he heard the sound of a hovercar floating slowly next to him. "Go away," Wolf grumbled.
"I didn't mean that Wolf," came the voice from the car window.
Wolf kept walking, "No, you're right Fox, I should know. I'm just the one-eyed freak remember?"
Fox sighed, "Look, get in the car, you're getting soaked now."
"Nah, I like this rain. There never was rain on Venom, just acid. And this is pretty fitting right now." Fox wasn't sure if it was a joke but he wasn't going to take his chances. It sounded more as though it was scolding him.
"Wolf I'm sorry. I promise I can deal with this situation. Now please...could you get in the car?"
Wolf stopped on the sidewalk and looked up seeing a few hovercars coming toward them a block away. He turned and looked at Fox who had stopped his car as well. "You know this is a one-way street?"
"Right so can we at least turn around together?" Wolf stayed staring at Fox while hugging himself. He shivered from the cold rain and figured this wasn't worth getting angry over. Fox was dealing with the same problems he was and it wasn't fair of him to screw with Fox like this for something he said. He surrendered and walked over to the passenger door getting in, out of the rain. Fox swirled the steering wheel around and they were soon on their way.
"Where to?" Wolf asked.
Fox pondered as he drove along the city street. They stopped at a red light. He looked up and saw a large billboard on the side of a building with an 'Action News Team' on it. A green haired squirrel was one of the suited men in the group ensemble. He was smirking at them as Wolf and Fox stared back from their car below. Fox finally looked over at Wolf. "I think we should pay Daniel Karona a visit." His PDA suddenly beeped.
Fox flipped it open. "Hello?"
"Fox!" It was Slippy's tinny voice.
"Uh yeah?"
"Have you seen the tabloids?! People are saying you and Wolf are some kind of couple! They're doing a huge cover story on every news and entertainment channel tonight! Where are..."
Fox snapped the phone shut, his face turning deathly white under his fur.
Wolf glared at him, expecting to hear something awful. The light had already been green for a few seconds but the car just sat there under the rain. "Who was that?" Wolf carefully asked.
"Slippy," Fox mumbled staring ahead at the road. The car still hadn't moved.
"And...?"
"And...I think we should go home instead. Maybe staying away from the news station would be best."
Wolf nodded. "By home do you mean my place or yours?"
"Whichever one has less reporters."
He pulled through the green light and drove down the empty street as Wolf sat silently in the passenger seat. His PDA beeped again. Fox held the wheel with one paw and slowly pulled the beeping device from his jacket pocket with dread. It was Peppy's number on the ID. Wolf blinked as he watched Fox shut the device off, and before he could ask his PDA suddenly beeped too. Fumbling through his pocket, he quickly did the same as Fox, silencing the beeps without answering it. The two clearly saw how frustrating this issue was going to be.