I suppose I should probably, you know, address/reply to the reviews I've received. Meant to do so for a while, just... Haven't.

Sorry!

Fox in the hen house: I swear, this pirate costume is a disguise so that I can sneak all this delicious, delicious coffee in to him! (Real-life note: about a week after I posted about *cough* totally not joining a pirate crew, *cough* a coworker of mine came up to me out of the blue, saying that he remembered my mentioning being into musicals in highschool and happens to be part of a group putting on one, would I be interested in auditioning for none-other than Pirates of Penzance? MY REALITY-WARPING WRITING STRIKES AGAIN!) Glad you're enjoying the story, and the new faces. They're gonna feature a fair bit in this arc (Surprise, I know!), so I figured a proper introduction was warranted for them. Also, an author friend of mine suffers from a similar condition - we should form a support group, 'Authors Against Wayward Brains'.

Uranium235: I explain my stance on Plasmids in this story a bit later in the chapter, but in short: In game (and book, going by 'Rapture') Plasmids were developed initially for their mundane, suburban aspects. 'Jump-start this generator!' 'Warm up your coffee!' 'Pollinate these trees!' It wasn't until the fall of Rapture that they became so wide-spread in their use in combat. Never fear, though, more Plasmids will show up in later chapters (read into that what you will, muahaha). Also, despite what this totally non-piratical shipping manifest says, there will be no romantic relations between Judy and Nick in the main story. The side-shoot I mentioned last author's note? Maybe. But here? Definitely not.

Now, onto the story.

"And that, children," Judy looked down with a smile at the gaggle of mammals before her. She felt a flush of warmth as she took them in, with all their wide eyes and slack jaws, obviously enthralled by the story she was telling them. Grin growing, she continued with her tale, "Is when I knew your father was the mammal for me."

Vera, her eldest daughter, frowned. "But Mom, if you knew then that Dad was, well, Dad, then why'd you make him sleep on the couch?"

Chuckling as she ruffled the fox/rabbit hybrid's fur, Judy leaned in conspiratorially. "He needed to learn a lesson that all males should know - their mate is always right."

"But what about when they're wrong?"

Nick's voice came from the kitchen of the family's apartment. "Especially when they're wrong!"

I SAID NO SHIPPING FLUFF! AWAY, YOU CRETIN OF A STORY, YOU'RE GETTING IN THE WAY OF THE ACTUAL PLOT!

One of the aspects about life in Zootopia that many of its residents greatly appreciated was the lack of sun. True, the sensation of having one's fur warmed under the bright light of the celestial object was missed, as was the moment when the dark clouds overhead parted, letting the promise of a better day shine through. No, what was appreciated about the star's absence was the fact that it didn't come crawling in through their bedroom windows to drag the unwilling mammals from their sleep at ungodly hours.

As a bunny who grew up on the farm and was used to waking up before the sun rose, Judy never had a chance to appreciate this fact.

Instead, as was her norm, the grey doe woke at 5:30 on the dot. Normally bright eyed and bushy tailed, Judy instead found herself regretting her drinks from the night before, as her entire body felt leaden. Much to her consternation, she found herself still garbed in her dress from the night prior, and groaned as she recalled her impetuous decision to leave her other clothes in the band room downstairs.

As quietly as she could, Judy edged the bedroom door open. Much as had been the case the night before, the main room was mostly undisturbed; a small kitchenette, complete with a stove, oven, sink, and dining table, completed one half of the room, while the other was taken up by a couch, coffee table, and a bookcase. And there, slumped face-down on said couch with his head hanging over an armrest, was her co-worker. Somehow, the fox had managed to scrounge up a blanket to cover himself with, but it had partially slipped off during the night, revealing that the russet and cream coated mammal had decided to shed his outer wear. Much to the rabbit's relief, the fox was still asleep, else she was sure she'd hear no end of teasing from her companion.

Shutting the apartment door behind her, Judy quickly double checked that she still had the key in her purse before heading down to the band room to collect the rest of her clothes. Fortunately, given the early hour, there was no-one around to see her still dressed in last-nights getup, and it gave her time to consider the case.

We've got Carmelita, Neyla, Connor, Otto, Sylvester… Anton? Yes, Anton, and… Oh, darn it! Briefly digging the list of names from her purse, the doe nodded to herself before tucking it back away. Herman Preysing and Elizabeth Concol. None of them strike me as having much of a motive; if what Nick said is correct, Mr. Kringelein, Mr. Preysing, and Mr. Neer are all independently wealthy, and so wouldn't need the money, and neither would Baron Barrelsmith or Lord Arnway, seeing as they're both nobility... but there's still something off about the Baron. From what I know of her personally, these thefts go against everything Carmelita stands for, and by proxy Neyla as well. Really, Miss Concol is the only one who'd need the money… But that's assuming it's for the money… Judy frowned as she reached the band room, no closer to solving the mystery. I'll have to have a talk with security, she mused as she gathered her new garb, before returning to her shared room. Maybe the stolen items all have a theme, or history, something for a collector, perhaps? Judy resolved to ask Nick for directions to the security chief's office as soon as the vulpine was awake.

The doe wasn't surprised to find her companion still passed out on the couch upon her return. In fact, aside from a slight twitching of his nose and a swish from his tail, she didn't think he'd even moved at all. Foxes ARE nocturnal, after all, Judy figured, shrugging as she entered her bedroom. Now, I'm going to take the longest, hottest bath in the whole world. She felt like she needed it; performing on stage, trying to appear unconcerned while dealing with most of the suspects of her case, coupled with the drinks and sleeping the night away in her dress and jewelry… I'm looking forward to getting out of all of this, Judy thought as she reached for the clasp of her bracelet.

…

…

"SON OF A BISCUIT!"

A sudden thump came from the main room, as well as muffled cursing. The door to the bedroom burst open, revealing Nick, naked from the waist up, looking around in startled panic. "What is it? What's the matter?"

"It's my bracelet!" Judy's muffled voice responded from under the bed. A slightly dusty bunny emerged from beneath the furniture, quickly flinging the sheets from the bed. "It's gone!"

"What do you mean, it's gone?"

"Just that!" Convinced it wasn't on, in, or under the bed, Judy threw down the sheets in a huff. "It's gone! I was wearing it last night, and now I'm not!"

Nick began poking about the room, examining the beside desk and its drawers. "Did you take it off? Put it in your purse, maybe?"

"No, of course not!" Despite her assurances, Judy frantically pawed through the bag. "No, it's not here. And why would I have taken it off but left the necklace on?" Her paw strayed to her neck, once more checking that the jewelry piece remained.

"I don't know how you bunnies do things!" Briefly poking his nose into the bathroom, he turned to Judy. "Think the thief snatched it?"

Judy gave pause at that. She'd been so focused on figuring out who the hotel's thief was, she hadn't thought that she herself might be targeted. "I… I hope not…" The doe blinked, trying to fight the moistness of her eyes. The fox, seeing his companions distraught state, took a step towards the doe, holding his arms out.

"Come on now, Fluff, no need to go emotional bunny on me," Nick chuckled as his bunny companion entered his grasp, shaking her head against his chest. "It's just a bracelet, right? We'll find it, and the no-good son of a jackal who stole it."

"Don't be rude to jackals, Nick," Judy's indignant voice came muffled from the vulpine's chest. Ignoring his chuckling, she briefly looked up, meeting his gaze. "And it's not just a bracelet, it was my nana's. My pop-pop, he… he gave it to me as a graduation present. And I… I…" Feeling another wave of emotion threatening to overtake her, she shook her head into her companion's chest again, appreciating the way his paws rubbed her on her back.

"And you thought it would be a good idea to wear it, when you knew there was a thief around?" Judy didn't even have to look up to feel Nick shaking his head at her.

"I really am just a dumb bunny."

Nick retreated a step, hooking a knuckle under Judy's jaw to get the doe to look up at him. Meeting his viridian gaze, Judy was surprised at the serious look he was leveling at her. "None of that, Judy, you hear me? We all make mistakes. Besides," he said, his signature smirk emerging, "look at the bright side!"

Sniffling, Judy brushed an arm against her twitching nose. "Wha… What bright side?"

"We now have an item of our own to track down. The bracelet's unique, right?" Nick's smile grew as Judy nodded. "Well, I'll cash in some favors, put out my feelers in pawn shops and black markets for the bracelet. It would be suspicious, looking for someone else's stolen stuff, but our own?" Shrugging, Nick ruffled the fur between Judy's ears as he took a step back. "We may just be able to put a name and face to this thief of ours."

Nodding as she composed herself, Judy couldn't deny the logic behind her co-worker's words. "We could also check in with the security footage," she said as she gave one last sniffle. "See if we can see where and when I last had it on."

"There's the Fluff I know!" Nick pointedly took a sniff, playfully cringing as he took a step back. "May want to wash up first, though, Carrots; you smell like you slept in that dress. But don't worry; I'm sure we'll find something."

"I can't believe we didn't find out anything!"

Judy was fuming. She and Nick had spent several hours in the cramped security office, scouring the footage from the night before. Somehow, implausibly, impossibly, they had come up with nothing. They could easily see the doe wearing the bracelet in question while on stage, but thanks to her relative height when compared to the other late-night patrons, the positions of the cameras, and just dumb, blind misfortune, the rabbit remained off screen for most of the night. Those few rare times that she was on screen, it was only in portions, and never her paws. To make matters worse, the two security guards in charge of surveillance were next to useless; one, a squirrel, wasn't quite right in the head, believing that everything he saw on screen was in fact a TV show. He, at least, was quite affable, if a bit star struck that his new favorite 'actress' was before him. His partner, on the other hand, had barely spoken a word to the two detectives, seemingly affronted by everything about them. And so it was that with this unhelpful morning behind her, the young doe had departed, meeting up with the band and performing for the lunch crowd, all the while stewing on the loss of her heirloom and lack of information gleaned.

"Really? I found it quite informative."

Looking at her companion in disbelief, Judy felt her ire growing at the fox's omnipresent smug expression. "How? How did you see something that I missed?"

Nick raised an eyebrow at the smaller mammal's tone. "Ah, right," he turned back to the hallway the pair was travelling down, "I forgot, I'm just a pretty face, along for the ride. You're the detective here. No, no, please," the vulpine held up a paw as Judy made to speak, "I'll remember my place from now on."

Letting out some of her tension with a sigh, Judy's shoulders slumped. "Sorry, Nick, I didn't mean to snap… I'm just… That bracelet means a lot to me. I want it back as soon as I can." She grimaced slightly, holding a paw to her stomach. "That, and I'm hungry." The grey bunny gave the fox next to her a playful glare. "You pulled me away so fast, I didn't even have a chance to grab a bite for lunch!"

"Ah, you bunnies," Nick sighed theatrically, "Always so emotional, only ever thinking about your stomachs… Or, well- Ow!" The fox grimaced, rubbing his side. "Help! Security! I'm being assaulted!" Winding up for another punch, Judy gave Nick a look that dared him to continue. "I'll have you know, madam, that I was going to say 'valuables'." Nick's grin grew at the exasperated look that crossed his companions face. "Anyway, there's no need to spoil your appetite; we're heading to lunch right now."

"Oh?" Judy's ears perked up at the mention of food, but she quickly shook her head. "No, wait, food can wait; what did you see in the security footage?"

"Hmm? Oh, right, that. Well, while you were looking for your bauble, I was keeping an eye on the suspects, and I think we can safely rule out one, possibly two."

"Really!" This piece of news did wonders to perk up Judy's mood. "How do you figure?"

Nick began listing off the suspects, ticking off a digit on his paws with each name. "Well, you danced with Connor, before being pulled away by Carmelita to her table. Neyla sat next to you, and then you were served by Sylvester. After numerous drinks, shame on you, by the way, drinking while on duty? Tsk tsk. Anyway, at the end of the night, you bumped into Herman and Elizabeth." The fox looked briefly at his companion. "Sound about right?"

"M-hmm," Judy nodded.

Nick tossed his paws in the air, scattering the imagined names to the air-conditioned wind. "And there you have it! Of all our suspects, Anton was never even near you, and Otto was as good as passed out on the table the entire night!"

There was a definite spring in Judy's step as she considered the information. "You're right!" She concluded. "There's no way it could have been Mr. Neer, and unless Mr. Kringelein is a magician, it couldn't have been him, either!"

"My thoughts exactly. And besides, we probably would have noticed your bracelet floating around mid-air."

"What? Oh, right, plasmids." Judy's brow furrowed in consternation; in all of the hubbub about the case, she'd completely forgotten about the technical marvel inherent in Zootopia. They'd been flashy and new when she'd first arrived, but in the months since, they'd grown almost common place; a mammal would light a cigarette with a flick of a paw here, a waiter would have an extra tray float along behind him there… They'd become just another aspect of the Zootopian lifestyle. "We'll have to keep an eye out for that…" the doe mused, before shrugging with a smile. "At least there's not one that lets you walk through walls!" Hearing a 'hrmm…' from beside her, Judy looked at her companion with concern. "Right?"

"Well, teleportation doesn't technically let you walk through walls…" Nick mused, before shaking his head. "It only lets you travel from point 'A' to 'B', it's hardly inconspicuous. You need line of sight, and your arrival and departure is basically announced with an explosion of confetti."

"Ugh… I hate it when you're right…" Judy could have kicked herself; she'd seen an example of teleportation up close and personal. True, it had been a while ago, and true, she'd been more concerned with getting the insufferable Mr. Wilde to accept her as a business partner, but when she'd interrupted their little 'poker' game, it was that plasmid which had allowed Sly Cooper to escape. Remembering that raccoon, with his smug charm and cheeky little wave as he'd left gave the rabbit reason to pause.

"Carrots?"

Judy blinked, giving her head a quick shake. She hadn't noticed that her steps had slowed to a halt, leaving her standing alone in the hallway as Nick carried on. It was only when he'd come to a halt in front of the elevator that he'd noticed he'd left his companion behind. With a sudden clarity, Judy locked eyes with Nick. "I know who did it!"

Nick stared at his companion in silence for a moment. "How?"

"It's Sly Cooper!" Judy's enthusiasm was dampened when her companion burst out laughing, quickly turning into indignation as the fox's mirth carried on far longer than was necessary. Doubled over with a paw on the wall to keep himself upright, Nick's guffaws slowly died as he wiped at his eyes.

"Whoo… Thanks for that, Carrots, I needed that!" Looking back at his companion, his expression turned serious when he saw the barely contained anger hiding beneath the bunny's features. "Oh, wait, you're serious."

"Of course I'm serious! It makes perfect sense!"

Nick cut off Judy before she could launch into her tirade. "Sorry, Fluff, but actually? It makes no sense." Once more, the fox began ticking off his points. "First, he's not even one of the suspects. Second, he wasn't there last night, and the most important third, it's not his M. O."

"First," Judy countered, "Yes, he is, and second, yes he was!" The rabbit tossed her paws in the air with a look of absolute befuddlement. "It's the Baron! It was always the Baron! He's a raccoon, Sly's a raccoon, they both seem to have a thing for Carmelita, heck, it's right there in the name! Short version of Sylvester? Sly! What's a Cooper? A person who makes barrels! Like a barrel smith! I can't believe it took me this long to figure out!" A look of dawning disbelief appeared on the doe's face. "I can't believe the Inspector hasn't figured it out!"

Looking back at her companion, Judy was surprised that she couldn't get a good read on him. From what she could decipher, there was confusion, surprise, comprehension, and… something else. She didn't know what it was, but it worried her. As soon as the fox noticed that his companion was examining him, however, his face quickly cleared. "Be that all as it may, it still doesn't explain away point number three. Sly's a thief, yes, but a thief with a code. He doesn't steal from just anyone, he only ever steals from other thieves."

"Oh, so he's what, a modern-day Robin Hood?"

"Basically," Nick nodded as he stepped forward into the lift. "And last time I checked, you haven't stolen anything, have you, Fluff?"

"Only your heart, I'm sure."

The fox visibly recoiled as the doe smirked. "That was bad, Carrot's. Leave the cheesy one-liners to me."

"Well," Judy huffed, crossing her arms and turning up her nose, "I can tell when my talent isn't appreciated." Her playful tone dropped as she cast an eye in the direction of her partner. "I'm serious, though; pretty sure it's Cooper."

Nick shook his head as lift rattled upwards. "It still doesn't fit his style!"

"People change! Just look at us!" Seeing her companion un-swayed, Judy tried for a compromise. "We should at least report him to Carmelita."

"Why?"

Taken aback by Nick's tone, Judy struggled for the words to explain what was so obvious to her. "He's broken the law! It's the right thing to do!"

"So have I." Gone was the fox's casually cheery expression, replaced by one much more serious, and much, much harder. "I've jaywalked, I've sped, I've stolen, occasionally partaken in illegal drugs… heck, most of my hustles bent the law so hard, it screamed. Are you going to turn me in, too?" His expression lightened somewhat as he turned to his friend, but he pressed on. "It's as you said, people change. Maybe he's gone legit now, just as I have. All I'm saying is innocent until proven guilty, right?"

"But he has been guilty! His rap sheet's probably longer than I am tall!"

Nick's expression lightened even more as his mouth quirked into a smile. "That isn't that hard, Fluff." Chuckling lightly as the rabbit beside him huffed, Nick turned back to the elevator doors, watching as the needle indicating their floor slowly rose. "Yes, sure, he's done some questionable things in the past, but it's always been for the greater good."

"How?"

"Sure, he may be near the top of almost every agency's 'Most Wanted' list on the surface, but the reason he's that high is because he's helped take down those above him." Noting the look of surprise on his companion's face, Nick's smile returned in full. "He's been instrumental in overthrowing eco-terrorists, mafia empires, cults, warlords, drug rings, corrupt officials… You name it, and I'm pretty sure somewhere along the line Sly's taken them down. I seem to recall a certain cute little bunny telling me once upon a time to not be so quick in judging her; all I'm saying is return the favor."

The pair remained silent for the rest of the ride up. Judy wasn't sure what was going through the fox's head, but inside her own was a maelstrom of thoughts. Was what Nick said true? Could there be more than black-and-white, right-and-wrong to Cooper? What did that say about Carmelita, and her hunt for the criminal? What about herself? Was she just looking for a convenient scapegoat, or were her instincts correct? If not him, then who? The list of suspects was down to seven, possibly six, and yet she felt as though they were no closer to solving the case. Aside from Cooper, none of the suspects seemed to have a motive, and if what Nick had said was true, then not even Cooper did.

Before she could delve even deeper into her mental quandary, Judy was shaken back to consciousness as the doors to the elevator slid open. The doe blinked as she followed the fox out into the halls of the resort, briefly taking note of the floor they were on. They were so high, it was hard to believe that they hadn't breached the surface of the ocean yet. "Where are we going, anyway?"

The fox beside her was silent for a minute as he drew a shuddering breath. "If the mammal we're about to meet is who I think he is, then we're about to enter the last place on Earth I'd ever want to be."

Judy eyed the door before her warily as her companion raised his paw to it, an ordinarily innocuous, but now ominous, thud sounding as he knocked. "Just who is it we're seeing?"

"Officially, he's one of Zootopia's most prominent artists. Unofficially, he's the latest victim of our thief. Personally, he's-"

"Little Dicky Nicky!" The fox stifled a groan as the door swung open, revealing the rather rotund form of the goat within.

"John G!" Nick mustered a rather forced grin as he turned to face the newcomer. "Long time!" The goat in question had already disappeared back into the apartment. "And yet, still not long enough," the fox grumbled.

Judy couldn't contain her smirk as she followed the fox into the apartment. "Whatever you say… Little Dicky!"

A groan escaped the fox, much to the rabbit's amusement. "Please, Fluff… Never use that name again.

The rabbit merely raised an eyebrow at his request. "You do realize how much of a hypocrite you are for saying that, right?" Her attention wasn't held for long, however, as she took in the room surrounding the pair.

The first word to come to mind upon entering the goat's residence was 'stark'. The walls, the floor, the furniture, even a fair number of the decorations weren't just white, they were a severe, harsh white, illuminated by an unnecessary amount of light. Nick had claimed that the apartment belonged to one of Zootopia's foremost artists, and to Judy's eye, the owner wasn't afraid to proclaim the title. Ceramic sculptures, both in fluidly abstract forms and more concretely representational, cluttered the open spaces, while the walls were packed full with shelves containing all manner of items; smaller clay creations, photographs depicting performance pieces, masks and plaster faces alike leering down upon the interlopers, and books covering all forms of art were just a few of the objects to draw the eye. In fact, surveying the room, there only seemed to be one thing missing… "Where'd he go?" The room held such an air of an almost holy devotion to art that Judy found herself unwilling to speak in anything louder than a whisper.

Nick, for his part, looked just as uncertain as Judy. "I don't know…"

Despite how quiet the pair were, it seemed that their conversation didn't go unnoticed. "As the prodigal son returns to the fold, the welcoming feast must a proclamation of the ages! And it is not! Quite! Ready!" The old goat's voice seemed to resonate from all directions at once; Judy wasn't sure if it was just the acoustics of the room, but the whole affair was beginning to unnerve her. "Go! Prance like saucy antelopes, visit my disciples, and critique their works! You will be informed when the exquisiteness that shall be our sustenance is sufficiently prepared!"

"How's he doing that?" Judy slowly backed out of the room, eyes darting to all corners and yet finding nothing.

"Still don't know," her companion hissed back.

The pair simultaneously heaved a sigh as the door to the apartment-turned-gallery shut behind them. "What the heck was that?" Judy spluttered, waving a paw behind her.

"That, Fluff, was the vivid personificated effervescence that is known as John G. Bovine." Nick's eyes widened in alarm as he began spitting, making a face as though he'd just tasted something revulsive. "Oh gods, less than five minutes in his presence and I'm talking like him again!"

"Deep breaths, Little Dicky, deep breaths." Hearing the name seemed to calm the fox, who fixed the doe with a glare. Judy, for her part, briefly smirked. "What was all that about the 'prodigal son returning'?"

Nick heaved a sigh. "This may come as a shock to you, Carrots, but this charming, suave, and debonair fox before you wasn't always the brilliant detective you know him as today."

"U-huh."

"No, really, contain your surprise!" Seeing his companions unimpressed look, Nick continued. "I think I told you before about how I wasn't the most… book smart kid in school, right?" Judy nodded. "Well, as it would so happen, drama was one of my better classes."

"You don't say."

"I do! And ol' John G. back there? He was my teacher."

"Really?" That piqued Judy's attention. Briefly looking at the sealed door behind her, she turned back to the fox. "And his 'disciples' that he was talking about?"

Nick shrugged. "No idea. He always was an eccentric old goat, likely picked up some like-minded followers over the years." He turned to examine the hallway; to Judy, it appeared no different than any other in the resort, but Nick apparently saw something else. "From what I gleaned from security after you left," he mused, "John G. and his crowd own this entire floor."

Judy whistled in surprise. "They make enough to afford all this? Little Dicky, I think you and I are in the wrong business!"

"What did I say about that name?"

"Consider it payback for all of your nicknames, sweetheart!"

"This? This right here? This is why people think we're dating."

"Come on!" Judy began skipping down the hallway. "Who knows, maybe I'll get to meet your old classmates, find out what you were really like back in school!"

"Ugh, I hope not…"

Visiting the other resident artists on the floor turned into quite the affair for the pair of detectives. Keeping in mind that they were there for work over pleasure, they decided to divide and conquer; while inside the artist's apartments, one would distract the occupant while the other would scour the place for clues. The first disciple they found was a rather taciturn moose named Robert; while Nick discussed the sculptor's proficiency with plaster and how his pieces captured the 'essence of the self' and invoked 'self introspection', Judy poked around the rooms. Aside from large quantities of the white globs in more places than she thought physically possible, the doe found nothing pertinent to their case.

Across the hall was the residence of Colin Buchannan, a buck who Judy at first willingly distracted while Nick slunk off. A fellow rabbit, Colin was primarily white furred, with umber highlights around his eyes and ears. As opposed to Robert's works, Judy had great appreciation for Colin's paintings; the works were breathtaking in their realness. The doe could almost smell the earthiness of the mud, imagined she could see the wind blowing through the trees, and track the clouds as they moved along the sky in one painting of a dirt-track road through a forest, a church barely visible through the trees across the creek to the left… She very quickly came back to reality, however, upon feeling just how close Colin had crept up behind her. The buck's smile was sincere as he talked about how he wouldn't mind doing some figure drawings of his new muse, but there was something in his eyes that made Judy almost leap to Nick for safety when the fox reappeared.

Fortunately for the doe, the next artist they came upon was much more agreeable. A petite otter named Sonja, the artist practiced performance art, more interested in how to bring her message across to the mammal masses than the mammals themselves. Sadly, her apartment, much like Colin's and Robert's, turned up nothing.

It was in the final 'disciple's' residence that Judy found their first clue. Immediately upon entry, Carley, an arctic vixen, had taken a disinterest bordering on disdain to Judy, and attraction bordering on obsession to Nick. Suffice to say, Judy had no problems separating herself from the pair, instead giving herself a 'self guided tour' or the artists apartment. As opposed to the others, Carley used a variety of mediums; there were paintings in acrylic and oil, drawings done in charcoal, sculptures in metal, wood, and fabric, and clay works scattered about the rooms, some complete, some merely rough sketches or ideas.

Finding nothing out of place in the main room, Judy poked about in the adjoining rooms; a quick tour of a bathroom turned up nothing unexpected, and she had been about to leave the kitchen when something made her stop. Turning, she re-examined the room. Table and chairs off to the side, island in the center with a plethora of drawers, counters ringing the room. Appliances were all along the outer wall; refrigerator, stove with a built-in oven, sink… Judy's eyes tracked back to the fridge. Nothing there… Slowly, her gaze lifted. "A-ha!" There, above the fridge, was an air-vent. Normally inconspicuous, what had drawn her attention now was the fact that the cover was slightly askew. Furtively glancing behind her, Judy sighed in relief; conversation still drifted from the main room, indicating that her companion was still doing a decent job of keeping Carley distracted. Counting her blessings, Judy hopped up onto the counter, and from there scrambled on top of the fridge. "What do we have here?" The bunny mused, examining the vent cover closely.

Oddly enough, all the screws still seemed at first glance to be in place, but the cover came off easily enough at Judy's prying. Flipping the lid around, a surprised whistle escaped the doe detective; the screws had been melted off from the inside, melding them to the cover but separating them from the wall. A hard breeze would have knocked the grate off.

Setting the cover aside, Judy peered into the dark maw of the apartments ventilation system. Dark though it may be, the doe was certain that this was how the thief had travelled throughout his target's domains; if she was to uncover any clues indicating the thief's identity, it would be within. And so, with merely a breath to ready herself, Judy ventured forth.

Cold was a thought that came to mind while travelling the ductways of the ventilation system; cramped, claustrophobic, and dusty were also thoughts. Fortunately for the doe within, small, enclosed spaces had never been a bother for her; growing up in a warren in Bunnyburrow, much of her rearing had been underground; if anything, the doe was slightly agoraphobic, not that she ever let it interfere with her work. Inch by inch she wormed her way forward, pulling herself along with her elbows. Never thought I'd be crawling through air ducts when I got up this morning, she pondered as she inched onward. Judy counted her lucky stars that her path was quite well illuminated; the duct opened along regular intervals into the room, primarily to provide the abode within ventilation, but also giving the detective within much needed light.

After several minutes of worming her way forward, Judy was almost ready to give up when a little fluttering object ahead of her caught her attention. Squinting, she could barely make it out to be a two-toned tuft of fur; likely, the suspect had snagged it while crawling along these same vents. Gotcha! Judy mentally proclaimed, crawling forward. Wriggling through a still fan, the doe paused as words from within the room caught her attention.

"Your little friend seems to have disappeared."

"Oh, she'll likely turn up sooner or later; she may have gone back to… Colin? Colin's studio, the pair of them seemed to hit it off earlier." Judy shivered at the thought.

The vixen made an inelegant sound. "That little rodent? Although, I can't say I'm surprised; she didn't seem to have much appreciation for true beauty." Her voice dropped in tone, undoubtedly trying to sound seductive, but Judy thought Carley sounded more like she had a sore throat. "Tell me, Nick, what do you feel when you see my piece?"

The room was quiet for a moment before Nick hummed. "Well… it's definitely… unique. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it before."

"I wouldn't think you would have," Carley purred, before her voice faded slightly. "Although, it's not as it should be – it's an ethereal, moving piece, meant to represent the wind."

Artists, Judy thought as she shook her head, continuing to wriggle through the fan blades. I'll never understand them. The doe paused for a moment as what the vixen had said ran through her mind again. Moving piece, represents wind… The airflow in the room had been practically non-existent. If Carley was wanting to show Nick the piece in the way it was meant to be, there'd need to be wind, which meant- "Oh sweet cheese and crackers!" With renewed vigor, Judy struggled to pull herself free of the blades. She was almost free when a sharp tug pulled her short. Looking back, the doe groaned; her dress had gotten wedged between the blade and the vent wall. It's fine, it's fine, she thought, desperately working at the fabric. Just then, with a metallic groan, the blade shifted. It's not fine. Not even sparing a moment of regret, Judy worked her small claws into the fabric at the level of her knees, raggedly tearing the material. The doe backpedalled not a moment too soon as the fan picked up pace, quickly whirring up to a potentially deadly speed. Judy's gaze briefly tracked the scrap of fabric before it was rendered little more than scraps, quickly cast away by the breeze. So much for wearing this dress again, she mused. Turning back to the clue which had brought her so close to her demise, Judy bit off a curse; in her haste to escape the fan, she'd not noticed that the tuft of fur had blown away in the breeze. "Arrgh!"

Grumbling as she worked her way further into the vent system, Judy was simultaneously relieved and dismayed when she found another tampered cover; true, it meant that she'd found the thief's point of egress, but she'd not been able to find any other indicators as to their identity. Huffing slightly as she worked at the grate, Judy carefully set it down inside the vent, daintily crawling over it so as to not rattle it too much. Reaching the opening, she awkwardly turned herself about, holding on to edge as she lowered the rest of herself down. Unfortunately, she wasn't tall enough to reach the floor, but fortunately, her foot did make contact with something. Settling more of her weight on whatever it was she was standing on, Judy let out a squawk as it shifted, losing her hold on the vent and tumbling to the floor.

"What was that? Hello?"

Judy sat bolt upright as she heard a set of footsteps approaching the room she now found herself in. Leaping to her feet, she hurriedly set the toppled canvases back upright against the wall, counting her lucky stars that none of them had torn from her fall on them. Taking a step back, she quickly struck a pose, pretending that she'd been admiring the artworks the entire time.

"Ah, my muse! You have returned to me!" The voice behind her caused a shiver to run up Judy's spine; she hadn't considered just whose room she'd tumbled into.

"Mr. Buchannan!" Judy turned, eyeing the smock-covered buck in the doorway behind her with her best grin. "I'm sorry to drop in unannounced like this, but I just found myself falling for your paintings; I just needed to get another, closer look." Not… technically a lie?

The white rabbit nodded, his gaze sliding briefly to the paintings around Judy. "Well… Thank you. That's pretty much the effect I've tried to have my works show; a sense of realism that captures the viewer, draws them in to the point where what they see before them is their reality, rather than the world around them."

"M-hmm… And these ones?" Tucked to the corner behind the door, Judy noticed a set of paintings that were quite drastically different from the others. Stark black and white, they were still fairly representational, but far less crisp and concise than his others. Even better, they were against the opposite wall from the open vent.

"Some of my first forays into the medium; I tried to paint what I perceived my teacher wanted, rather than what I felt right. I should honestly get rid of them; they're failures in my eyes, but remain a reminder of what to avoid."

"I see…" Judy tried to edge towards the open doorframe, but a bare white arm wrapped around her shoulder, bringing the doe further into the room.

"This one, however, I consider my first masterpiece, inspired by my original muse."

Despite herself, Judy found that the painting did draw her in. It was an urban scene, displaying a row of tall buildings overlooked the ocean. The building in the forefront was obviously a residence, as windows showed a lushly decorated room within, with a balcony overlooking the water, enclosed by granite railings. Copper roofing trailed abutted against stucco walls, a corner of which had partially crumbled, revealing the brickwork underneath. Behind the residence, the buildings shifted to more industrial, terminating at a brick warehouse along the docks in the distance. "It is quite lovely," Judy agreed. "Where is it?"

"The City of Dunwall, along the Wrenhaven River."

Judy frowned, still examining the painting. "I don't think I've ever heard of there."

"Me, neither." At the artist's words, Judy turned to him, surprise evident. "I've tried finding it, but to my knowledge, no such place exists. It came to me, clearly and vividly in a dream one night, though. I just had to capture it." The buck pointed with a paintbrush to the corner with the exposed brickwork. "I was here, crouched, waiting, when my muse revealed himself." The brush shifted to the window. "He came from further within his house, stopping by this window here, but looking out the opposite window. I struck."

"Hmm?"

"Through the window. I still remember how the glass shattered around me as I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him back onto the roof. I left him there," again, he pointed to the corner by the brickwork, "as I pulled my knife out of him. It was… exquisite."

The buck had spoken plainly, as though he'd been discussing the weather, or what he'd had for breakfast, that it took Judy a moment to grasp just what he was saying. "I see!" She squeaked, subtly trying to wriggle out from his tight grasp.

Seemingly ignorant of his guest's discomfort, Colin continued his tour with another painting. "Part of the reason I'm convinced that Dunwall is a real place is that I saw it again." What once might have been a restaurant's outdoor patio was displayed in dilapidation on the canvas; furniture covered with cloth, crates placed here and there, the scene had obviously been untouched for quite some time. Oddly, the painting was unfinished – the canvas had been primed, the scene sketched out, but only a few portions of it had any paint on it whatsoever. The buck frowned as he considered the piece. "It was… wrong, though. This place wouldn't have existed in the Rudshore District, and why was I some diseased beast? My muse came, but he was… unformed, forgettable, easily dispatched." Judy shivered as the buck's brown gaze shifted to her. His eyes narrowed and he took a step back, examining Judy more closely. "But your dress! What's happened?"

Startled by the sudden shift of topic, Judy looked down. Lost in worry at being alone with the crazed artist, she'd forgotten all about her ruined outfit. "I… found it too constricting?" She tried, giving a weak smile to the white buck.

"Ah, yes," Colin's smile returned as he gestured down to himself. "I know the feeling." Judy's gaze briefly followed the artist's gesture before snapping back up to his face; aside from his painter's smock, the buck didn't appear to be wearing a stitch of clothing. Colin tilted his head as he examined Judy. "Perhaps I should paint you unconstrained…" Fortunately for Judy, Colin's ears snapped upright, his head turning to some sound that she didn't hear. "Bah!" He grimaced. "I'm afraid our session will have to wait, my muse, for lunch is prepared." Locking gazes with the doe once more, he bowed over her paw, planting a kiss on the back of it. "You go on ahead – I must prepare."

Judy had never left a room so quickly in her life, exploding out into the hallway and slamming the door behind her.

"Oh, joy, she's still alive."

"Gah!" Judy clutched at her chest, starting slightly at the unexpected voice. Turning, she spotted Carley glaring at her, the vixen circling behind a surprised Nick.

"You disappeared so fast, we'd thought you'd fallen off the edge of the earth." Eyeing Judy's torn dress, the vixen sniffed. "Oh, and I found these fluttering around in my kitchen." A pile of torn purple scraps of fabric were tossed Judy's way, separating a fluttering impotently less than halfway to the doe. "It's a pity that that's all that I could get; I'll try and be quicker next time."

Judy locked eyes with Nick as the vixen pushed past her on the way to Bovine's door. "I've changed my mind; I don't want to be an artist anymore."

A/N This chapter is my longest yet, and OMGOODNESS it was almost so much longer! That skimmed over security meeting? 2,000 words, before I realized it didn't really contribute much that couldn't be summed up later. All of the artists were going to have a one-on-one discussion/examination of their apartments, as well as the overall lunch, but I decided to give y'all a rest.

Hope you enjoyed!