The morning came, as it did in any other day in Zootopia.
However, instead of getting ready for work on the early morning, Judy Hopps spent her morning as she would in one of her days off. However, this was not a day off to her. It was simply a day in which she had a different kind of work to do.
She ate calmly during the morning, enjoying her breakfast the best she could. She traded some messages with Nick through chat, and she spent the morning relaxing and getting herself ready for the rest of the day. She even had the chance to eat her lunch in a calm pace in her own home, instead of eating it from some stake out place or at her cubicle back at her work.
Quick conversations with her neighbors was something that helped her pass her time. The thin walls granted very little privacy, but they allowed conversations to be held with little problem.
Most of the conversation consisted in her neighbors asking her about this party she was going, and Judy answered the best she could without giving it away that she was going in there on duty.
"I can't believe you are going to the Manechester mansion!" Bucky said through the wall, "These parties are legendary! Everyone in Zootopia talks about them!"
"Yeah, I heard some say that!" Judy said back, "But, it is not really the party that happens in Halloween! It is just a reunion of friends that Chandler Manechester is making for a few people!"
"Hah! I knew it!" Pronk said, "I knew that it could not be the actual party! She is too much of a prude for that!"
"Hey! I am not a prude!" Judy said, and Bucky said back:
"Sorry, Hopps, but you are! You get flustered very easily with things!"
"Yeah, you even bought those earplugs for the two of us are having a romantic night!" Pronk said.
"Because you two get even louder when you are at it!" Judy said, blushing at the mere memory of the kinds of things that she heard through that wall one or two times a week. She totally accepted that they had a relationship and loved each other, but still...
"She is right." Bucky suddenly said in a normal voice, although it could still be hear through the wall. "Maybe we should try to tune it down, some other neighbors have complained about that."
"About the screams of about the other noises?"
"About everything, maybe we should tune it down a bit."
"Then you would complain that I was not putting very much effort into it. We both know that you like it rough."
"Yeah, but the neighbors all hear!"
"You don't seem to mind when we are going at it! Actually, it seems that you like the fact that they can hear!"
"Hey! Shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
Judy heard this development, and suddenly, her phone buzzed. She looked at it and saw a message from Nick.
Nick: Carrots, you have to see the limo. It is as big as Mr. Big's! And I can enjoy it since I don't have to worry about being iced. By the way, look through the window. We have just arrived at your place.
Judy looked at this, and she immediately looked at her window. Her neighbors were still at it, and she could look out to see a limousine that was park in front of her building. There was a fancily dressed donkey on the side of the limo, and he looked as if he was just waiting for the cue to open the door.
Well, Judy did not intended to leave everyone waiting. She grabbed the small luggage that she had prepared with all that she could need for the party, including a toothbrush, a chew toy, her costume for the party, and also a portable Taser and a dart gun. After all, she would be in there to keep everyone safe in case of an emergency.
"Boys, my ride has arrived!" She said, her voice raising about the bickering of her neighbors. "I'll be back in a few days! Please, don't let anyone invade my apartment!"
"Alright!" Bucky said, "Don't worry, we will be watching your apartment! Have fun in the party!"
"Yeah, even if it is not the Halloween party!" Pronk said, "I really wish that I could go in one of these!"
"Oh, you are not! I'm not in the mood for losing my husband for someone else! I know full well what happens in those parties!"
"Oh, shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
As they continued their bickering, Judy walked out of her apartment, locked the door and soon she was walking down the stairs, going out of the building, and walking to the limo that was parking in front of her door.
As soon as she got close, the donkey butler opened the door, and a small stair came from the inside, to allow the bunny to climb inside.
In there, she found four familiar mammals waiting.
Nick was sitting on there, taking sips from a fancy cup with a stylized M imprinted in it. Judy looked at him, as she wondered just what he was drinking, to which the fox answered that it was "fancy orange juice", and he continued to sip on it. At that moment, Nick looked like he was enjoying himself already.
Sitting by his side was Ben, who was eating a big box of donuts, looking a bit nervous.
On the opposite seating, were Marcy and Josh. The muscular cheetah was on the same clothing of that night on the Tipsy Lion, leather jacket included, and he was smoking on a cigar as he blew the smoke through the open window. Meanwhile, Marcy seemed to be looking at some papers, and she looked focused on these, but she put them down and placed them on her purse as she realized that Judy was looking.
All of them had small luggage with themselves, as all of them seemed like they had gotten ready to spend a few days in someone else's house, like Judy.
Once inside, Judy sat right by Nick's side, and then, the door closed. Soon, the limo was going its way.
When she was a kit, Judy felt really amaze by the sight of a limousine. To her young mind, it was the symbol of success and of prestige. It was the kind of fancy car that mammals would have when they made it in life and achieved all that they could have in life. Of course, most of it came from watching series and movies. But it was still the kind of thing that really impressed a kit her age.
At a certain point, during the time that she and other of her siblings were on their graduation time, they had a prom (or as similar as it could be in a place like BunnyBurrow), and Stu had somehow managed to get a limousine to drive them to the prom. That was a chance for Judy to ride inside a limousine for real, and while she had been thrill by the prospect of such a ride, she found the experience itself to be underwhelming in a way, as the limo was nothing like these super fancy ones in movies. Either way, it did not made her feel like a champion like the movie characters often seemed to feel when they were inside of a limo, even if she was still thrilled for going to the prom, even if she only spent it with her own sisters.
From that day on, Judy went back into dreaming about driving a police cruiser. That experience was as fulfilling as she always thought it would be.
This limo, however, was more like the ones that she saw on the movies and series, from the finely furnished seats and tinted windows to the mini-fridge that it had in a corner full of ice and drinks for the guests. It even had a bowl on the center that was full of snacks.
Judy caught herself wondering if she would still think that limos were a symbol of achievement and status if the one from her prom had been like that one...
"So, you've never been on the mansion before?" Josh asked his twin. "You and this Chandler have been friends for how long?"
"Five years." Ben said, "We made friends right after I moved into Zootopia."
"And you guys never visited each other's houses?" Josh asked, and Ben rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah, I couldn't invite him to my home because Slizz and Zass were in there all the time." Ben said, looking at his twin. "Also, I never really felt like I could go at his home, because of his family..."
"Huh? What about his family?" Josh said, looking at him, and Ben looked to the side.
"Benji." Josh said, looking at his brother, "Do you have a problem with these guys?"
"W-well..." Ben said, looking at his twin. "It is not really a problem... I mean... kind of... actually..."
Josh was looking at him as he spoke that, and now so was Marcy. Judy also looked at him with a certain interest.
"H-his family didn't really trusted me back when Chandler and I became close." Ben said, looking at his siblings and at his two cop friends. "They always saw me as a stranger, and... they never really warmed up to me. I've always felt like things were a little tense between them and me, despite Chandler and I becoming friends. Chandler moved out of the mansion and started having his own place right after his careers as a confectioner took off, so I never truly worried about that anymore. But now..."
"Now you are going to their house." Nick concluded, "And they still haven't warmed up to you."
That was a euphemism. Nick knew that. Judy knew that. Benjamin himself knew that.
"Not to mention that the Manechester family still has some problems with the ZPD." Nick said, and this caused the muscular cheetah and attractive hybrid to look at him.
"What kind of problems?" Marcy asked, and Judy was quick to intervene.
"Just a thing that happened five years ago." She said, causing the two to look at her. "We hope that this will help improve things a little bit."
The two looked at her, and then they relaxed on their seats. Josh was looking at his brother, who continued to eat from his donut box.
"Well, I just hope that none of them starts making problem with you." Josh said, causing Ben to look at him. "Because if they do, then they will surely have a problem."
"Two problems." Marcy said, "Maybe more, depending on how much trouble they make."
"Oh, guys..." Ben said, looking at his siblings, and Judy and Nick shared a look. Neither of them had any doubt that the two would certainly not take well if Ben started being mistreated by that family. If that was the case, they had the impression that they would have to protect the Manechester from these two.
"So, what costumes did you guys chose?" Nick asked, looking at the two.
"Oh, I brought Robin Hood." She said, letting them see the bag that she had brought.
"Really?" Nick asked, looking at the bag with interest.
"Yeah, I know what you are thinking. A half-fox hybrid dressing up like Robin Hood? How cliché. But, I found this gender-bent Robin Hood costume that was just the cutest thing, and I had to buy it. Besides, I've always loved Robin Hood's history. Mom told me this story to sleep every night before I moved with the Clawhausers."
Nick and Judy both nodded, and they then turned to the muscular cheetah.
"What about you?" Nick said, "Did you also found a costume that was just the right for you?"
The cheetah looked back at him, and opened a smirk.
"Oh, I did..." He said, that smirk still on his face, "I found just the right thing, and surely all eyes will be on me."
The mammals around the muscular cheetah looked at him, and traded looks between themselves. For some reason, the way he spoke made them a bit... unsettled.
Still, the group soon was going back into engaging in conversation, and the limo, meanwhile, moved across the streets of the city, moving through Downtown and in direction to the center of the city, passing through bridges and streets, until it stopped into great gates, which had sayings on top:
VOLE GARDENS – ZOOTOPIA
One quick word with the guard on the front, and soon the gate was open, allowing the limo and its occupants to pass and enter the place.
Inside the gates, there was a huge place, which seemed to be compose nearly entirely by huge properties. Each of them had a big house, going as big as a mansion or somewhat smaller, and each one with a great terrain as its land. It was like a separate area of the city that had been reserve solely for the rich mammals to live in. It had streets in between the gardens of the properties, as well as what seemed inner parks. Actually, some of these parks could very well be part of the terrain of a certain mansion.
"Wow! This place is so big!" Judy said as she looked through the window. "I mean, I already heard a lot about Vole Gardens, but that is the first time that I've been in here."
"Yeah, it is my first time as well." Nick said, looking at the window as well, but with a little more indifference, or feigned indifference. "This is not the kind of place that a fox, a weasel or a raccoon would visit normally. Let's hope that the rich guys in here don't want to make a scandal because of this."
"Nice place." Marcy said, looking through her window as well.
"Yeah, this must be nearly as big as our state." Josh said, as he looked outside as well, "The houses are smaller, though."
While the other four looked through the windows, Benjamin was eating his donuts while he didn't looked at the windows. He seemed to be quite nervous for being approaching their destination.
Soon, they reached it, as it was clear by the fact that the limo was slowing down as it approached one of the mansions. This one was situate in a nice place inside of the Vole Gardens, near the center. It was definitely the house of someone rich, as it was a big mansion should have around twenty rooms inside, maybe more. It was finely build on a Victorian style, and it had an open area that allowed the limo to maneuver in there. The front had two fountains, both with statues of horses in them, and the front gates had a great, stylized M in them, much like the cups in the limo.
As the limo stopped, the butler, who was on the passenger's seat near the driver, got out of the car and walked to the back of the limo. His hooves clopped into the floor as he walked to there and then he opened the door.
Judy was the first one to look outside, and she was somewhat impressed by what she was seeing.
"Wow... this place is so-"
"YOU INVITED WHO!?"
The voice suddenly cut Judy's exclamation, as she and everyone in the limo could make out the male voice saying this. It was follow by the familiar voice of Chandler Manechester.
"Do you have to be this loud?"
"Yes I have!" The other, unknown male voice said, "What were you even thinking by inviting him!?"
"I was thinking that he could be a good company for the night!" Chandler said back. "After all, in case you have forgotten, he is my best friend!"
"Well, you best friend just happens to be a fat, inconsiderate homewrecker! As everyone in this family knows!"
Everyone remained silent as they heard that, and all eyes ended up turning to Ben who, in turn, started to gobble up his donuts even more voraciously.
"I really appreciate if you do not talk about my fiend like that!"
"But he is! I cannot believe that you have invited him over! I am going to tell your father about this!"
"Dad already knows." Chandler said, "I talked to him before sending the invitation to him, and dad agreed to have him over."
"That's not possible! No way Adrian would allow that fat-ass in here!"
"Well, you can go and ask him yourself, if you want." Chandler said, and it was possible to hear a certain smugness in his voice. "By the way, maybe you should also know that I invited his twin brother and his older sister."
"TWIN!?" The male said, "Sister!? There is more of them!?"
Ben was eating at a very fast pace, so much that the ones around thought that he could maybe choke from eating so fast. Josh and Marcy were trying to get him to eat slower, while Judy and Nick finally decided to step out.
"My, my, won't you look at that!" Nick said loudly. Maybe louder than it was needed. "So this is the famous Manechester mansion! Wow, the guys surely put their money to good use!"
The two horses stopped discussing to look at the fox. Chandler stood in there, dressed in casual clothing, while the horse that stood by his side was dressed more elegantly, with a fine blazer and a pair of elegant long pants. He was nearly as tall as chandler himself, standing just one or two inches shorter, and being stockier. The fur on his body was splash of white and brown, and his mane was of a blonde coloration. His blue eyes were focus on the two newcomers, the fox in particular, and that look was not of the amicable kind.
"And who are you?" The blonde horse demanded, looking at the two newcomers.
"Officers Hopps and Wilde." Chandler answered, "I invited them as well."
The horse looked at Chandler, before turning his gaze to the other two, and it was clear that he did not liked that Nick was in there.
"Officers, I'd like to introduce you two to my brother-in-law, Charles." Chandler said, although it seemed that he didn't really would like to introduce him to the cops, and was doing so mostly out of politeness. "So, where is Ben?"
"Right now he is in the limo, stress-eating." Nick said, and Charles snorted.
"As if he does anything else." He said under his breath, and this granted him some not friendly looks from everyone, Chandler in particular.
"Charles." Chandler said, looking at him, "If you will keep this attitude throughout the night, then I'll be right now uninviting you to my party."
The expression that the horse had was serious as he looked at the other one. Charlie looked at him for a few moments, and he sighed.
"Okay. Okay, fine!" He said, sounding exasperated. "Fine, so I won't badmouth your friend! If Adrian can tolerate his presence in here then so can I! Just make sure that he stays away from me until he leaves!"
With this, Charles turned around to leave, retreating inside the mansion. Behind where left all of the three mammals, looking at him as he passed through the door, and remaining in silence for a while.
"Charming fella, ain't he?" Nick asked, and Chandler sighed.
"You have no idea." He said, and soon, the three remaining mammals were coming out of the limo, and all of them looked at Chandler.
"Hey, Ben."
"Hey, Chan."
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
"So... let's get inside?"
It was brief, and soon the six mammals were moving in direction to the door.
The mammals were surely not disappointed. The mansion was as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside.
Only the entrance hall was bigger than both Judy's whole apartment and Nick's living room, and it was finely decorate with works of art. Paintings on the wall, statues on the corners, as well as vases and other decorations on pedestals.
"Man..." Nick said, looking around, "Now that is a nice décor." He said, and Chandler shrugged.
"Dad loves works of art. He collects all kinds of art on his free time. His favorite ones are the ones that have historical value." He said, and all of the members of the group stopped to admire the entrance of the house.
"Yeah, and he sets up a whole lot of them already in the entrance to let everyone know that he owns a lot." Nick said, "Typical rich guy, no offense." Nick said, looking at Chandler, who shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess dad likes to let visitors know that he owns a lot of art. Still, this is nothing compared to what you will be seeing inside the house." He said, and then a female voice suddenly came:
"It might be a little ostentation, but he surely has good taste."
Everyone turned to see who the one who spoke was. They saw a female horse who stood around a foot or so shorter than Chandler. She had chestnut fur on her body, with a mane of lighter chestnut coloration, with a flower-shaped prehensile holding her mane so it was not falling over her eyes. She had hazelnut eyes that were looking at the mammals in there as she stood with a sympathetic smile on her face. She was wearing some clothing that would be good for going out on the street, with a blue blouse and skirt, carrying a bag over her shoulder.
Everyone looked at the newcomer, and Chandler, in particular, smiled bright as he saw her.
"Hannah!" He said, walking to her, "Honey, when did you arrive?"
"Just now." She said, as the horse approached, and they traded a quick kiss on the lips. This surprised Ben, who looked at them with wide eyes.
"And I missed it! Darn it, I wanted to be there to receive you at the front door."
"Well, we are still at the front door, aren't you?" She said, calmly, and the horse smiled back at her. She then looked over, at the mammals who looked at the couple, in particular at the chubby cheetah who looked at them with wide eyes.
"So, you gonna introduce me to the others?" She asked, and Chandler seemed like he suddenly remembered that they were there.
"Oh! Yes! Of course!" He said, turning to the others, and starting the introductions.
"Hannah, I'd like to introduce you to Judy Hopps, Nicholas Wilde, to my good friend Benjamin Clawhauser, and to his siblings, Josh and Marcy."
"Hey there." Marcy said, the mare nodded back at them, and she looked at the fat cheetah. "Benjamin. Chandler speaks a lot about you."
"Yeah..." Chandler said, blushing a bit. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce all of you to my girlfriend, Hannah Hoofsteeter."
"Nice to meet you." Hanna said, looking at all of them. Ben still looked at him.
"Girlfriend?" Ben asked, and looked at Chandler. "You have a girlfriend? How come I didn't knew?"
Chandler looked away, blushing a bit.
"Well, it never really came up in any conversation..."
"How long have you two been going out?" Ben asked, and Hannah answered:
"Around a year. We met last Halloween."
Wha...?" Ben said, looking flabbergasted, and Chandler smiled sheepishly at his friend.
"This is... so cool!" Benjamin said, looking at the two.
"O. M. Goodness! Chandler, I am so happy for you! You two look so adorable together!"
Chandler looked at his friend, and cast a look at his girlfriend, before he adopted the same excited tune that Ben was using.
"I know, right?" He said, and he kept saying:
"She is just the best! You have to get to know her better! She is all of that and much more!"
"And you have been with her for a year! I am a little upset that you didn't told me, but I am so happy for you two!"
"Yeah, I've wanted to tell you for a while, but the occasion never came! I kind of feel sorry for not sharing this with you sooner, dude! I still can't believe how lucky I am! O. M. G!"
The mammals around looked as these two grown men talked to each other just like ten-year olds talking about their crush.
"Oh, Chan..." Hannah said, a smile to her face as she looked at the endearing scene that was developing.
"Any chance that you guys could be triplets?" Nick asked Josh, causing the cheetah to look at him, "And that one of you was separate from the others at birth?"
Josh laughed a bit at it, and he looked at the way that his twin and his best friend interacted. He had to admit, personality-wise, these two were actually quite similar. No wonder that they got so well along.
"So, it seems that there is a little reunion happening in here." A new voice said, making everyone turn at it. "So, I assume they are all your guests, Chandler?"
The newcomer was a tall horse. While the ones that they met until now were shorter than Chandler, this one was actually taller. He stood on 7.5 feet tall, being quite impressive for a horse, and the fur of his face was of a dark coloration, with his mane being even blacker, and his dark eyes were focusing on all of the guests. He wore a black jacket with a curious logo in it, a pair of long jeans pants, and a white shirt underneath his jacket.
The horse walked inside, and he was removing his jacket, revealing that he had a fit body, with arms that were thick with muscle. As he walked, everyone could sense something about him. The horse seemed that he had a certain presence to himself.
The horse walked to them, and stopped when he was in front of the plump cheetah, who had stopped smiling, and was not looking up at the tall horse, much like a fly would be looking up at a spider.
"Benjamin Clawhauser." The horse said, looking at him with an unreadable, but severe, gaze. "Never thought that I'd see the day when you would be inside my house."
Ben looked like he wanted to shrink out of sight, and he said, meekly:
"H-hi, Mr. Manechester." He waved, looking like a child who was seeing a strange adult for the first time. The horse said nothing in return and continued to look back at him. The tension that had suddenly build up was palpable, and it seemed that everyone was ready to do something about it. Judy was the one who acted first.
"So, we were just admiring the works of art." Judy said, causing the big horse to look at her. Judy was used to having to interact with mammals much bigger than herself by now, and she did not let the size of that horse intimidate her, although his presence and posture both inspired respect in her.
"There are some very interesting items in here." She said, looking at a few of the paintings and vases. "I particularly like that one over there." She said, pointing at a painting that depicted a horse in armor kneeling in front of a lioness, she was touching his shoulder with a sword as she looked down at him with a gentle expression.
"Ah, that one..." The horse said, looking at that one, "It is a reproduction of a painting of Sir Lancecolt and Queen Lionevere." He said, looking at the painting with what seemed to be an indifferent kind of interest.
"It is beautiful." Judy said, and she looked back at the horse. "Everything in here is really beautiful. You seem to have an amazing collection, Mr. Manechester."
The horse looked back at her, shrugging.
"Well, I admit that it is beautiful. But, this collection is not mine, but my son's. He is quite obsessed with works of art. A bit too much, for my taste."
Judy looked up at him, a raised eyebrow.
"Your son? You mean, Chandler?" She asked, looking at the horse. "But, he said that the collection of art was yours."
The horse looked at her for a few moments, and then he realized it.
"Oh, I see." He said, folding his jacket, as he carried it in his arm. "You think I am Adrian, don't you? Well, cannot really blame you for this, since we never properly met before. Believe me, you are not the first one to make this mistake."
Judy looked at him with a confused expression, and then Chandler cleared his throat to call the people's attention.
"So, for those who don't know." Chandler said, gesturing to the tall horse. "This is my grandfather, Yahya Manechester."
Judy blinked, and she looked back at the dark horse.
The horse that didn't had a single wrinkle on his face or a single strand of grizzly fur on his mane or on the fur of his features. The horse who had thick arms that denoted that he frequented the gym regularly and seemed like he was on his top shape. She would never have said that he was past his late-twenties to early-thirties.
Was this horse Yahya Manechester?
The one who founded the Beastar Corps over fifty years ago?
As Judy looked at him and saw how youthful and strong he looked, she couldn't help but think:
Is this horse really on his mid-seventies?
"So, you decided to come home, Grandpa?" Chandler said, looking at the dark horse. "Dad said that you were going to stay at the Beastar Corps, working."
"I came to refresh." Yahya said to him. "I need to eat and bath, and maybe catch a few hours of sleep. Then I'm going straight back to work." He said, and looked around. "So, all of the guests for your little party have arrived?"
"Well, pretty much all, save for two." Chandler said, "Ogami and Horne had to go out again, but they said that they would come back soon."
"They have been getting out a lot lately, haven't they?" Yahya said, "Well, let's hope that they come back in time for your party."
"Yeah, let's hope." Chandler said, "Oh, by the way, did you already met Ben's siblings?"
Yahya looked at him, and soon, the horse was introducing him to Josh and Marcy. Yahya looked at the two with a certain interest.
"So, you and Benjamin are twins?" He asked Josh, and the cheetah nodded.
"You can bet, hot stuff." He said, winking at the horse, who looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, before his gaze shifted to Marcy, who was smiling friendly at him.
"I see you have an interesting family, Mr. Clawhauser." Yahya said, looking at the corpulent cheetah, and then he looked at the others. "Well, welcome to the Manechester mansion. Hope you enjoy your stay." He said, "Now, if you excuse me, I haven't made a proper meal on forty-nine hours, and I'd like a carrot salad."
With this, Yahya walked inside the house, leaving the six other mammals behind, before they too walked inside.
The rest of the house was as interesting as the entrance hall. The place showed that Adrian Manechester really seemed to have a deep love for art, as the furniture as all very aesthetic in nature, with vibrant colors that perfectly harmonized with the walls. Said walls were decorated with more paintings and with tapestries all of artistic nature, all of them depicting some scene, like a battle, a coronation, or another kind of thing that you could find in some book of old tales. They also had beautiful chandeliers on the ceiling, each one seemed like it was fabricate to be a work of art on itself. Not to mention the amount of vases and other works on pedestals or on the ground, near the corners.
"Dad loves works of art. Maybe more than he loves Mom." Chandler said, "He would could very well turn the mansion into an art museum, if someone could talk him into it."
"Some of these things look like they belong in museums." Marcy said, as she looked to a funny-looking vase that was pretty beautiful to look at.
"Yeah, some of the things in here are old artifacts." Chandler admitted. "Dad sometimes borrows them to some museums. His collection is really famous."
"Bet he is really proud of it." Nick said, looking at some of the paintings. "And of the fact that a lot of mammals out there get green with envy from it."
As they navigated through the rooms of the place, they passed by a game room with pool tables, by a fancy tearoom, and by what seemed to be a guest room to receive visits, each one filled with works of art that indubitably belonged to Adrian Manechester's collection. They eventually arrived in the place where they intended, which was some kind of big living room, and there were mammals in there already.
Gazelle and Tyson were in there; being serve by a butler who had brought snacks to them on a silver trail. Gazelle's manager was in there as well, and he was busy receiving a phone call while he worked on his tablet on something. They noticed at once the coming of the other mammals, and Gazelle was particularly happy for seeing Ben again. After all, he had saved her life back in the mall.
Ben stiffened, tail included, as Gazelle hugged him saying her thanks. She was so happy that she even slipped into her mother tongue as she talked to the cheetah, who stood in there with wide eyes and unmoving face as he was hug by his idol. Josh laughed a bit at the face that his brother was currently making. As soon as Ben recovered, he introduced Gazelle to his brother and sister, and she, in return, introduced all of them to her manager, Simon Blackson. Josh soon was making acquaintances with Gazelle and with Tyson, and he didn't waste the chance to hint on them, although they both made it clear that it was not happening.
"So, we are all in here?" Nick asked, and Chandler looked at him.
"Well, all save for Charles, my sister, and the two guys that started working for my dad two weeks ago." Chandler said, looking at his guests. "All of you will be my guests in this party."
"Not your grandfather?" Judy asked, "Neither your mother and father?"
"Yeah, they are not very keen on this party I am making." Chandler said, "Dad and Mom are more worried with the party that will happen in Halloween night. Dad is arranged the violin quintet that will be offering the music, and Mom is taking care of the food. Not the mention that Grandpa has been up to his neck in work with the recent events, and that he was never much of a party mammal."
"I can't believe that he still works." Tyson said, looking at Chandler, "He should have retired already. How old is he, seventy-three?"
"Seventy-five." Chandler corrected. "And Grandpa doesn't really believes in retirement, not when it comes to the Beastar Corps. He still works both in the management and on street duty. He will probably continue to the rest of his life."
"He is so youthful, ain't he?" Gazelle asked, and Chandler agreed with her. The group continued to chat among themselves for a while, save for the blackbuck, who remained busy with his work and did not engaged in any interaction, it should have been thirty, thirty-five minutes, before another butler, an alpaca, came saying:
"Master Chandler."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Yes, Clarence?" Chandler said, and everyone could see that the alpaca was follow by two mammals. Mammals that Nick, Judy and ben thought to be quite familiar.
"I found Misters Ogami and Horne trying to find their way to this room, and I had to help them." The alpaca said, as the wolf and the gazelle both stood by his sides. "I do believe they are guests to the event that will start tonight, is that correct?"
"Oh, yes. Thank you, Clarence." Chandler said.
"Yeah, thank you, Clarence." The gazelle with the surgical mask and sunglasses, as he pulled removed his jacket and gave it to the alpaca, nearly tossing it into him. The wooly butler caught it in his arms, and the gazelle removed something from his pocket, and placed the hundred-zoolars bill on the pocket of the alpaca. "Here is something for you, buy something nice."
The alpaca looked back at the gazelle for a few seconds, before he said:
"Most generous of you, Mr. Horne."
With this, the alpaca was soon leaving, while the gazelle turned to look at the room full of mammals.
"So, I see that everyone is in here, right?" He said, looking at them, "Hey, guys!"
"Uhhh... Hello, everyone." The wolf said, bowing his head respectfully to the mammals in the room. They only kept looking at the two mammals who now had joined.
"Hey, officers." Melon said, walking to the bunny and fox. "Fancy meeting you guys again."
"Oh, you've met before?" Chandler asked, and Nick answered:
"Oh, yeah. A while ago, we caught these two for possession of catnip." The fox said, causing some surprised expressions, and they looked at the two mammals. Melon was harder to read because of the glasses and mask, but Legoshi looked like he was uncomfortable, as he looked away in apparent shame.
"Catnip? Really?" Chandler said, looking at the two, and Melon had a dismissive gesture.
"Oh, don't give too much attention to that." The gazelle said, looking at everyone through his shades. "That thing got solved on the same day."
"Oh, it sure did." Nick said, looking at the two of them, "When you made a phone call to Adrian Manechester and asked him to bail you out."
"It got solved, nonetheless. So, what you guys talking about?" Melon said, and soon, the two newcomers joined in the conversation.
Judy had been cautious with these two, once she could remember very well on their apprehension, and on how the gazelle had tried to bribe his way out of trouble before recurring to the help of Adrian Manechester. Still, within a few minutes of conversation, she found herself warming up to the two, somehow.
"Melon", as the gazelle was call by the wolf, was actually name Melor Horne. Melon was a nickname, as she had suspected. The gazelle was showing to be the more sociable kind of guy. He was a bit of improper in certain areas, however, he was sociable, and he was quick to make conversation with everyone. It seemed that he had particularly got along with Marcy, and they both engaged in active conversation, and Marcy seemed to think that he was nice, despite him not removing his shades or his mask.
"He never takes them off." Chandler whispered to Judy. "Not even during the night. At least that according to my sister. He is always wearing mask and shades everywhere he goes."
Judy could believe that, and she wondered what could be the reason? Could it be to avoid eye contact? He didn't wanted to be recognize? He had some scar beneath that mask that he was ashamed of it? She made a mental note to pay attention to that gazelle during her time at the mansion.
She would also keep her eyes on Legoshi, once the wolf was clearly with the gazelle. However, he seemed to be quite different from his friend. While Horne was outgoing and talked what was on his mind, the wolf was more soft-spoken, and he seemed to be quite shy. His answers were polite but short, as if he didn't really liked involving in long conversation. Judy had the impression that the wolf wanted to get into a corner and for everyone in there to forget that he was present. It clearly seemed that he was not comfortable in a situation where he would be in the center of attention.
Still, the bunny noticed that the wolf was looking at her every few minutes. This made her a tad bit uncomfortable.
"Oh, you don't have to worry too much about Legoshi." Melon said, suddenly popping right by the bunny's side, startling her slightly. "He would never hurt you. He doesn't have a single mean bone on his body. As a matter of fact, he really loves prey, bunnies in particular, if the kind of dreams he have are of any indication."
Legoshi was sitting nearby, and he seemed to have heard that for he immediately looked at the direction of the gazelle and bunny, his mouth agape, his eyes wide, and a blush forming on his face.
The talk continued for a while, until Chandler told than that they would be see to their rooms.
"You guys need to rest a bit for tonight." He said to them, "Also, you have all to put your costumes, right? The festivity starts at seven p.m., during dinner."
With this, the group was soon dissolving. Legoshi and Melon were the first ones to go up, as they wanted to get to their room to try their costumes.
"So, they really live here at the mansion?" Gazelle asked as she saw the two going up, while the rest of them waited for the butlers who would guide them to their respective bedrooms.
"Yeah, ever since dad hired them, a while ago." Chandler said.
"Hired them to do what?" Hannah asked, and Chandler looked back at her.
"Dad has been on his toes ever since mages started appearing around." He said, looking at his girlfriend. "He had been worried that a mage could come for him or for someone of the family. So, he followed grandpa's advice: 'if you have something you can't truly understand to face against, find someone who understand about this and get them to help you'."
"In other words, he hired mages." Marcy said, butting in the conversation, and Chandler nodded, as he looked at her.
"Yeah, Dad found these two freelancers who were willing to work for our family in exchange for money. Don't ask me how he found them." Chandler said, and he looked at the two mammals. "They have been working in here for a while, and apparently they are putting a lot of magic protections around the house. Making it curse-proof, or whatever."
Judy looked at the two mammals who disappeared as they climbed up the spiral staircase to the second floor. It was now officially confirmed what Honey had said about these two being mages hired by the Manechester family.
Soon, the other guests were all take to their rooms. Ben's room was on the east part of the upper floor, just like his siblings. Gazelle was taken to a personal guest bedroom, that apparently was reserved to the VIP guests, with Tyson and her manager both getting rooms that were right next to hers'. Nick and Judy also got rooms that were close to each other, in the south part of the mansion, and they soon could see that their rooms were quite fancy, like the rest of the mansion, and they seemed like they were decorate by someone who truly had passion for the arts. The beds and the rest of the furniture were beautiful, with very fancy sheets. The walls were ornate with many paintings, although these seemed to be cheaper than the ones of the rest of the house (maybe in the case someone decided to steal those?), but they were beautiful nonetheless. That not to mention the huge televisions that had satellite connection and were able to access internet and FurFlix.
They both could keep themselves entertained for a while until it was time for dinner...
"So, basically this is it." Bogo said, looking at the enforcers, who were standing on the chair as they looked back at him.
"While Hopps and Wilde are on their new assignment, I'll be in charge of accompanying you two on your own assignments, that in conjunction to my own duties as the Chief. It will not be something easy, but I am sure that I will have no problems, as long as you two don't cause problems."
There was a silence, and he looked at the two mages, who shared a look, before they looked at each other.
"Well, it seems like it can work." Marceli said, and Emilia asked:
"By 'causing trouble', you are referring to...?"
"To Blackwall's fiasco. Yes." Bogo said, looking at the two vulpines. "That happened because both of you didn't followed our protocols, even after Hopps' insistence on the matter. Due to this Blackwall and his accomplices escaped, while you two, my two officers and a civilian were all left in danger."
Bogo was having no qualms in admonishing these two, pretty much as he would do with any of his officers. After all, these two did a huge screw up that could have ended much worse than it did. Bogo didn't even wanted to think what would have happened if they had not managed to subdue the elephant on time.
"That's why, while you two are partnering up with me, I expect total compliance to the protocol. This means, that from now on, you will be acting as if you two were officers under my command."
The two enforcers looked at him with raised eyebrows, and Bogo glared at the two.
"You will be speaking to me and share any information that is relevant, no matter how little." Bogo said, as if he was lecturing the two in something that they should just know. "You will follow my instructions in how to deal with evidence and with suspects, including apprehending them on the right way and following the specific procedure. In other words, no more taking chances with apprehended suspects. Any suspect is to be correctly treated, they will be bring back to the station where they will be booked, and then they will be interrogated in a prepared room, where we will make sure that they will have no chance to try anything. Do you two agree?"
There was a silence, as the two foxes shared a look among themselves, before they looked back at Bogo, who looked at them with a hard glare.
"Sounds rather reasonable." Marceli said finally, and his niece looked at him, before she nodded.
"Yeah, sure. Your city, your case, you are the boss." She said, and Bogo didn't quite liked her attitude. However, it was pretty much like the witty but friendly remarks that Wilde often made. So, Bogo decided to let it slide, and relax a little, as he knew that he made a point with the two. However, there is one more thing that he needed to make clear...
"Also..." he said, looking at the two of them, "I'd like to talk to both of you about that thing that the MTC wants back."
Silence followed these words, as they both looked at the buffalo.
"Oh... Hopps and Wilde told you this?" Emilia asked.
"They placed it on their reports." Bogo said, "It was in an annex, but it was another thing in that report that really worried me."
"You don't have to worry about that." Marceli said, to him, "It will not cause an event similar to the Darkest Hour. It does not have enough energy for something like that."
"But it does have some energy, doesn't it?" Bogo said, looking at the black fox. "It is still dangerous to the ones around it."
Marceli hesitated in this, before he answered:
"Only if it falls on the wrong paws."
"Like the MTC's?" Bogo asked, looking at the fox, and the black vulpine only nodded back at him.
"Alright, so the goal is to keep it far from the wrong hooves." He said; looking at the two foxes. "So, you guys have it with you?"
"Well, not anymore." Emilia said, and Bogo rose his eyebrow.
"We have given it to another mammal." Marceli said, causing Bogo to look at him. "A mammal that will be better able to keep it safe."
There was silence following these words, and Bogo looked at them. He wanted to say a few things on the matter; however, he limited himself to ask a few questions:
"And this mammal would be...?"
"Someone competent and who will definitely keep the package safe and far from the paws of the MTC." Marceli said, and it was obvious that this was not what Bogo wanted to hear, however, the buffalo sucked it up and asked:
"Is this mammal trustworthy?"
Marceli looked back at him, and he said:
"He most definitely is."
Bogo and the tod locked eyes for a few moments, before he sighed.
"Alright then." The ZPD Chief said, now looking at the two. "Hope that the three of us can work well together."
"Yeah, I hope so too, Chief Bogo." Marceli said, looking at him for a few moments. "Are you still trying to forget it, Chief Bogo?"
Bogo resisted the urge to raise up from his seat, as he would normally do in answer to something like that, that nearly sounded as if it was a threat. However, he did glared at the fox, and this one returned his gaze with a cold intensity that matched the fire in Bogo's eyes.
Emilia, on her end, was looking in between the two males, looking quite lost.
"Keep me in pair of anything that happens." Bogo said, looking at the two, "We will need to better improve communication and trust, if this partnership is going to continue."
Marceli looked at him for a few more moments, before he closed his eyes and nodded.
"Yes, Chief Bogo."
With this, he hopped out of the chair, and Emilia went right after. So, the two foxes were leaving the room and Bogo was then alone with his thoughts.
Bogo sighed as he slumped on his seat. If interacting with Mieczyslaw was going to be like that, it would be quite hard to work with him. Who says get him to speak more about what happened thirty years ago.
One thing at a time. Bogo said, Right now you must focus on your work. Focus on solving this case and getting everything back to normal as soon as possible. Or as normal as things can be after all of this. Focus on this and leave all of the rest to later.
However, it was easier said than done. With so many things happening, all at the same time, it made hard to focus on only one thing.
As Bogo let his thoughts wander, they invariably would move to other subjects. One in particular that they moved to was Clawhauser. Bogo would not say it aloud, but he did hoped that the chubby cheetah was doing okay in that mansion.
After an afternoon of snacks and FurFlix, Judy now was putting her own costume to attend to the dinner.
Once she had been sure of what she was going to wear, finding the costume was not that much of a challenge, especially because she went to a really good store. It was actually surprisingly easy to find a costume that was just right to her size, and with a matching mask to boot.
Judy was now standing in front of the mirror, looking at her own reflection as she admired her costume, just as she did on the mirror of the store. She had chosen a jester outfit composing of a jacket that was half-red/half-yellow, a half-yellow/half-red skirt, a pair of leggings stripped in red and yellow, and a harlequin red and yellow mask with little jiggling bells on the sides, which made little sounds with each movement that the bunny made.
It looked like a perfect thing for her.
"Oh, my. Would you look at that..." Said a familiar voice behind her, which made Judy turn around to look. The bunny looked down at the fox that was standing behind her, and at the costume that Nick had chosen.
Nick had gone for Cy-Clops, from the X-Mammals. More specifically, Nick went for the classic 90s cartoon. A blue suit with a yellow speedo and yellow belt and strap on the chest, with red and black X on them. Complete with the iconic visor of the comic book character, yellow with red lens.
Nick reached out for the visor, and pressed a button, lowering the lens of the visor with a spring mechanism and looking at the bunny.
"You look like you came right out of A Zoo York Hare in King Arthur's Court." Nick said, as he looked at Judy, and the bunny continued to look at him and at his costume.
Of course, she knew the X-Mammals, and she knew their outfits, especially since some of her siblings dressed up like them for Halloween quite a few times. She was no stranger to what they wore, but still, none of these costumes looked as tight as the one that Nick was wearing.
"Seeing anything you like?" Nick said, and Judy snapped out of it.
"Sorry... I just that, your costume is a little snug." Judy said, and Nick shrugged.
"Well, it is a superhero costume, ain't it?" Nick said, "These things are snug by nature, to help show their muscles. Of course, I am not a big and strong horse like the original Cy-Clops, but I do have a little body to show." He made a pose as if showing his muscles to the bunny, "Especially on the back." He said, turning around and sticking his butt out, his tail swishing over his tush.
Judy looked away from this, hoping that the mask would help hide her blush.
"Y-yeah, your costume looks great." Judy said, "Look, it's nearly seven, so, what about we go down and join everyone for dinner?"
With this, the two cops were moving out of Judy's bedroom, and both walked across the hallways, striking some conversation as they did.
"In the end we did what the app told us, right?" Nick said to her, "I am a member of a superhero team, and you are a jester, which is kind of a clown of the Middle Ages, right?"
Judy was about to say something on the matter, but at that moment they crossed paths with someone.
"Oh, hey guys! Cool costumes." The figure said, with the voice of Benjamin Clawhauser. Nick and Judy stopped on their tracks, as they looked at the creature that stood before them. The cheetah had chosen for a form fitting, nearly skin-tight, black and red outfit, with long red glove, black leggings, and a covering for his tail that went nearly all the way to the base and ended in an arrow on the tip, making his tail look like that of an imp. The finishing touch was the mask that he used on his face (which had red paint over his cheeks and jaw), which was red and gleaming, with an impressive set of demoniac horns.
"Wow..." Judy said, as she looked at the costume that Ben was using, and Nick was looking at it also.
"Our costumes are cool?" The fox asked, looking up and down the cheetah with a smirk on his face. "What about your costume? Seriously, you did an awesome job in this." He said, and the cheetah blushed underneath his mask and fur paint. Meanwhile, Judy continued to look. She too felt impressed by the costume, and on how good it was. The cheetah really outdone himself. She also noticed that, just like Nick's, the form fitting costume that Benjamin was wearing was quite snug...
Soon, the three cops were going down, where a butler was waiting for them, and he guided them in direction to the dinning room. This was just another room that showed how rich the Manechester family was, with a big space that was filled with more works of art, including paintings on the walls and some big vases around, one of them, in particular, so big that it looked like a medium-sized mammal could fit inside with no problem. There was also the chandelier on the ceiling, which was bigger than all of the ones that they'd seem until now, save for the one on the living room where Chandler received them. There was also the dining table, which seemed that it was fit for a feast with many guests, and nearly all of them were in there already.
Gazelle was sitting in there with a beautiful black and purple dress and wearing a black masquerade mask. Both her bodyguard and her manager were by her sides, with Tyson wearing his bodyguard suit and a mask with lenses over the eyes, while the blackbuck wore the same clothing that he was before plus a very simple black mask, perhaps only to say that he was dressing the part. Hannah was sitting right next to Marcy, the mare wore a long pink dress, which looked fit for a teenage prom and a glittery pink masquerade mask, while the hybrid wore a set of dark-green skirt and vest clothing, and ochre hat with a robin's feather in it, and a black bandana-mask over her face. Truly, a gender bent Robin Hood.
Melon and Legoshi were in there as well, and the gazelle was wearing military-camouflage shirt and pants and wearing a gasmask over his face, while the wolf was dressing plain white shirt and pants with a masquerade mask that looked like a white face of a stag with big antlers and with silvery markings. Charles was also in the table, and he was wearing what seemed to be elegant 1600's clothing, with an elegant golden masquerade mask.
By his side was sitting a female, who was probably taller than he was, and who looked to be quite attractive, what was possible to see even despite the mask that she was wearing over her face. The fur of her body was of a dark-brown and gray coloration, with a long mane of gray fur on her head. She was sitting in there while wearing an elegant black dress, and a fitting masquerade black mask with black feathers on it.
Sitting at the table also were two horses who were not wearing masks. The first one was a male who had a fur of a brown so dark that it nearly looked black, and his mane was of a pure black coloration. He was wearing an elegant outfit, and was sitting in his place with a bored expression, as he passed his eyes by the ones on the table. By his side, there was a female, who looked attractive, had gray fur and mane, and looked quite bored as she drank from a glass of wine.
Finally, Chandler was in there, wearing a fine clothing that looked like something a noble would use in a dinner with the Queen. Fine blue and golden vest, white pants, and a black and golden masquerade mask over his face.
"So, we meet the rest of the Manechester family." Nick said, and Judy looked at him, as the fox approached her and whispered:
"The horse without mask is Adrian Manechester, and the mare sitting by his side is his wife Carolyn. Carolyn has a bit of a drinking problem." He said, looking at the mare, and then shifted his gaze to the one with the mask of black feathers. "That one is Euphemia, their daughter. She was chosen to be the heir of the family's businesses after her brother decided to become a confectioner."
Judy looked at him as he said that, and the fox looked back at her.
"Just for you to know."
The butler announced their presence, the three cops approached the table and were soon greet by everyone in there. Well, by most everyone, once Charles, Euphemia, Adrian and Carolyn only looked at the cheetah. It was hard to see the eyes of the ones with masks, but the ones who didn't had masks were clearly giving him evil glares. Benjamin shrunk a little under these gazes, and he sat himself near his sister.
"You alright?" Marcy asked, looking at her brother, "Are these buttholes bothering you? Because I have some arrows here with me." She said, tapping the quiver strapped to her back, as well as to her amazingly realistic bow.
"N-no. It's alright." Ben said, a bit afraid of what his sister could do. "So, where is Josh?"
"Last time I saw him he was saying that he was going to wear his clothing for the night." She said, looking at her younger brother. Meanwhile, Nick and Judy had both got seated, and were looking at the table in front of them.
"Look, they even have a menu!" Nick said as he picked the piece of paper laid before them, in a manner quite similar to how it would be in a restaurant.
"Okay, let's see what we have..." Judy said, looking into the menu. "Okay, so, the options are kale and mint salad with a side of fried broccoli, spicy mango ginger soup, vegetarian tabbouleh with edamame and feta, and sun-dried tomato risotto. For the carnivores, there is white bread with caviar, foie gras with a side of starred benedict eggs, bouillabaisse soup with a side of Pawan shrimp, and a special gyro sandwich. For dessert we can choose between spekulaas gelato, white chocolate manjari and truffle mango bonbons."
Nick looked at her for a few moments, and she had the impression that, behind the lens of his visor, there was a blank expression on his eyes.
"I didn't got half of that."
"Yeah, honestly, me neither."
"So, since everyone is here, I guess we can start this dinner, can't we?" Adrian said, he sounded like he was eager to start this at once. Maybe because he wanted it to end soon?
"Not yet." Chandler said, "There is still one guest who hasn't arrived?"
"And where would this guest be?" Adrian asked, and soon after, a voice said.
"Uhhh... Mr. Joshua Clawhauser."
The voice was of the butler, and he did sounded as if he was a bit uncomfortable. Everyone looked at him, and they noticed that he was looking at the side and looking pretty flustered. However, they hardly gave it any thought, for something else called their attentions.
"What in the world!?" Adrian said.
"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy said.
Gazelle gasped.
Tyson's jaw dropped.
Nick lowered the lens of his visors to stare with wide eyes.
"What the heck!?" Charles said, as everyone else just stared.
Standing in there, was Joshua Clawhauser, and he did chose a rater... interesting costume.
He was entirely clad in black leather. Over his chest, there was an X-shaped harness; consisting in leather straps connected to a metal ring; and he was wearing a leather vest over his body, leaving his bare chest and arms exposed. His muscular arms had leather straps on them. He was wearing a pair of leather pants, cut in a way that it left his crotch and the behind exposed, and the only thing that actually preserved his modesty was a leather thong. On his head, he used a hood of leather that covered all the upper part of his face, leaving only his ears and eyes exposed. He was carrying a whip in one of his paws, and he looked at all of them with a grin.
"So, did I arrived in time for dinner?" Josh said, and everyone could only stare at him, baffled.
"J-J-Josh!" Benjamin said, looking at his twin, blushing furiously. "What in the Earth are you wearing!?"
"My costume." The buff cheetah said simply, looking at his twin. "The invitation said that we could wear a costume, if it fit the mask." He tapped the hood that was his "mask" as he said that, grinning as if he was a champion.
"Uhu..." Marcy said, looking at her brother up and down, "And what exactly is your costume?"
"Ever heard of Leather Face?" He asked, still grinning, "I am Leather Daddy." With this, he cracked his whip, causing many of the present mammals to jump back a bit.
"Dear God..." Simon said, as he looked away.
"You know." Marcy said, looking at Ben. "In hindsight, we should have predicted something like that."
"This is an absurd!" Adrian Manechester said, getting up from his seat and looking at the muscular cheetah. "You cannot wear something like that at the dinner table! Remove it immediately!"
Josh looked at him for a few moments, and his grin widened. Ben and Marcy's eyes widened as well.
"Well, if you insist..." He said, and reached out for his jacket, and he slowly started to remove it, in a manner that was nearly provocative. Most of the mammals around quickly understood, and so did Adrian, who realized that his words could be misinterpreted.
"Josh!" Ben said, getting up and looking at his brother. Josh stopped and looked back at him.
"Y-your place is right in here!" Ben said, gesturing the empty seat that was near him and Marcy. "W-why don't you take a seat and we can all eat?"
"Food? Count me in!" The muscular cheetah said, as he readjusted his leather vest and walked to sit with his siblings.
Everyone was left reeling from what had just transpired, and some of them still had blushes on his face, as an example of Judy and of Legoshi. Some seemed a bit entertained by this, in the example of Melon, who was letting out muffled laughs through his gas mask. Adrian was glaring at Josh, while his wife was donning another glass of wine all in one go.
However, this soon was forgotten as the food started coming, although some of the servants seemed visibly flustered by Josh outfit, even because the cheetah kept winking at them as they came close.
"So, where is that hunk of a grandfather of yours?" Josh asked to Chandler, who looked back at him. "Isn't he going to join us for dinner?"
"My father." Adrian said, cutting in before his son could answer. "Is currently resting. This means that he is not to be disturbed."
"Okay then." Josh said simply, apparently ignoring the angry glare that Adrian was still giving him, clearly not amused that the cheetah came to the dinner table dressing in that.
"Yeah, Bogo did warned us not to wear anything inappropriate." Nick said, as he took in another spoonful of the very expensive soup. "Guess he could have gave the same warning to Ben's twin."
That was something that Judy could agree. It really looked like Adrian Manechester was quite angry with Josh in reason of his outfit. The expression on his face made it clear, as well as the way that he demanded Josh to remove it and on the way that he looked completely scandalized when Josh teased him by interpreting his order literally.
Ben was making conversation at the table, just like the rest of the presents. Despite him being talking mostly to his siblings, who were sitting close to him, he also tried to strike conversation with the Manechesters, like asking Euphemia and Charles what they thought of the food, however, it seemed that these two had chosen to ignore the cheetah. This was something that did not bode well with the ones who liked Benjamin.
After dinner, everyone was satisfied.
"Best food I've had in years." Nick said, tapping his belly. That was when a sound of a spoon tapping on glass could be hear.
"Attention." Chandler said, as she tapped his glass with a spoon, "A moment of your attention, please."
Everyone stopped talking, and soon all eyes were on the horse, who looked back at his guests.
"First of all, I wanted to thank all of you who had taken some time from your schedules to come here in such a short notice." He said, looking at all of his guests. "I hope that all of you can remain comfortable during the course of the week that you will all be spending in here."
"A whole week?" Judy said, asking to Nick.
"Maybe we should have packed more clothes." Nick said to her, and Chandler continued:
"Which reminds me, I want to as thank my mother and father for allowing me to make this reunion in their house."
Adrian said nothing, but he nodded at his son, while Carolyn only remained to his side, still taking sips from her glass. She was starting to sway a little bit, but no one said anything.
"So, I'll be having all of you as my guests for the next week, until the day 31st of October. During this time, I'll be making sure that you receive the hospitality of the Manechester family, and I'll offer many activities to help past your time." Chandler said, looking between his guests. "And by the end of it, one of you will receive something very special..."
As he said that, he looked at one of the butlers, and he nodded. The butler nodded back, and soon, something was being bring to the room.
The thing was being wheeled in a cart, and it was something that impressed the ones present.
It was an eight feet tall sculpture, completely made out of white and dark chocolate. It depicted two fishes, each one in a flow of water on its own, one of white chocolate, and the other in dark chocolate. The fish on the white chocolate flow was made of dark chocolate, while the fish on the dark chocolate flow was made of white chocolate. They looked like they were each swimming in their respective flow of water, and like they were actually swimming after each other, as the flows connected forming a continuous circle.
"Oh, my goodness!" Ben said, looking at the sculpture. "Chandler, that is gorgeous!"
"Thank you." The horse said, seeming to be proud of himself. "I call it Yin-Yang – the Endless Flow of Life, and by the end of the following week, one of you is going to be getting this as a prize."
"Only one of us?" Judy asked, looking at him, "Why?"
"Did you said 'prize'?" Marcy asked, also looking at the horse, "Prize for what?"
Chandler looked at the two of them, and he smiled, before he turned to Simon Blackson.
"Mr. Blackson, are you feeling okay? You don't look well."
"What?" Gazelle said, looking at him, and then she looked at her manager. As if on cue, the blackbuck's eyes bulged, and he made out sounds as if he was choking, as he took both his hoofs to his neck, and then he fell to the ground, convulsing.
"SIMON!" Gazelle cried out, and soon, everyone in the table was reacting:
"Seriously?" Josh said, getting up, and so were Ben and Marcy.
"Everyone stay put!" Judy said, as her cop training immediately kicked in, and she and Nick rushed to his side. Others were also rushing to him, all of them aiming to help, only for them to find out that there was nothing wrong with him.
He simply was in the ground, sighing and rolling his eyes as he looked at the mammals that gathered around him.
Everyone was a bit confused, and some of them looked at Chandler, as if waiting for an explanation from his part. The horse simply smiled back at all of them.
"Yes. To win this sculpture, you will have to solve this murder."
Here it is. Hope you guys have enjoyed it.
Once more, I'd like to remember all of you that this story is heavily inspired in "Zootopia: File 2", wrote by EmpressImperia. Go give it a read, it is a very good story.
Also, I hope I have not gone too much over the line with Josh's costume. Luckily it is not something that will require that I change the rating of this story, but if it is, you guys let me know, okay?
As always, R&R and no flaming.