Hey guys (and girls). Sorry I've been so long since I updated. Between an intense state of distraction and having forgotten where I was at in the story's timeline, it's been hard to progress on this story – one reason I'm still none too fond of working with any kind of set outline. Regardless I'm back now, and with events pretty well worked out from here to the big climax of the fic plus getting back into territory better covered in pre-writing, hopefully I can update more consistently from here on out.
For those who'd rather not backtrack, quick recap: Judy and Nick are working to tie up loose ends from the Bellwether Conspiracy, but investigations have been hampered by a shady skunk named Olivia Poisson and a terrorist ringleader known only as Obearon. The case is closing tighter as Nick taps a reluctant helper from his past, but the stakes are high as Obearon's schemes continue to escalate… and with Nick's deranged ex-girlfriend, Vanya, now openly working against the ZPD and the city they have to protect.
For as long as he lived, Nick didn't think he'd ever understand the strange way in which a mind could work. In movies and books, usually the lead-up to a major event (good or bad) was accompanied by mounting tension and uncertainty. Weddings brought butterflies in the stomach. Funerals brought grief. Fights brought tension, fear, and anger. Always there was a kind of energy that charged the lead-up, making every moment as stark and clear as a professional photo.
Instead of all that, the weekend preceding Nick's meeting with Poisson seemed blurred and unreal. He was aware of working with Judy, Catano, and even his mom (on a "don't tell me anything but what my son needs done" basis) on getting everything ready; updating paper work, preserving and copying over his dad's old documents, strategically selecting a few John Wilde originals for Poisson to 'accidentally' find in with the new, crisp sheets still warm from the printer, and memorizing figures and jargon to make it seem like he'd been in fashion rather than connivance for the last couple of decades. His mother fussed over him endlessly with an assortment of his dad's suits, still remarkably well-preserved, and Judy quizzed him endlessly on the things he had to remember not only about his faux business goals but also about his mark. Catano, though helpful, mostly kept to herself handling the numbers side of thing, and what little Nick saw of her involved a lot of intent staring at a laptop screen while biting her lip.
All in all he did remember three things. One was the plan: use the interview with Poisson to drop a few names connected with the case and see if Doug Ramses was the only one she noted in any wise. It was a risky plan, of course, but unless she had an involvement with the case all three investigators doubted she'd have made much note of the other parties involved. Failing that, Mesha had mentioned that Poisson was having guests to her house later – often an occasion to get better acquainted with potential startups or let them vie for her attention and financing. If he could get himself invited there, he would have the best chance of finding something they could use to investigate her farms and other facilities.
The second thing he remembered was a phone call – Saturday night if he wasn't mistaken – from Taelia. Apparently her brother and his family had had to bow out of coming to the concert on her comp tickets. Her niece had come down with a bug, and apart from taking care of her none of them wanted to risk getting other mammals sick. Her parents didn't usually go for major events, but were planning to attend instead, leaving one ticket still open. It was hardly a major incident, but after everything else that had gone on lately Nick couldn't help thinking that a few dances and some good music would be just the thing to break the tension of investigating.
The third thing that always stuck with him was the final meeting with Judy and Catano Monday morning a few hours before his appointment with Poisson. Judy had little to say, having – against Catano's advice – put in one last all-nighter making sure all was ready. As well as she'd proven able to stay awake for inordinate stretches when there was action to keep her busy, apparently standing around was another story. Before they'd been talking for five minutes she was leaning, barely conscious, against Catano's leg. The cheetah glanced down at her with a look that seemed to say 'rookies' before picking her up and depositing her, as gently as if she were an infant, in the cruiser's passenger seat.
"I'll totally deny saying this," Nick remarked, "but she's pretty cute when she's sleeping."
Catano glanced at him. "Pretty sure only rabbits are allowed to say that about rabbits," she pointed out. "Are you ready?"
Nick shrugged. "Conning info out of a head of business? Should be easy enough."
She gave him a look. "Don't get cocky, Wilde. This is serious-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," he defended, raising his paws. "Just trying to lighten the mood."
Catano regarded him, eyes half-closed. "Don't mess this up, Nick," she advised in a no-nonsense tone. "You've got a lot riding on you now."
He blinked. "You called me Nick," he said slowly.
She shrugged. "Motivation," she answered, covering her tracks.
"But you did call me-"
"Wilde, this does not mean I've forgotten you have things to answer for," she cut him off. "I'm just saying that right now the city is in danger and we're counting on you, so everything else goes on the back burner. Capiche?"
The change in her tone would have convinced a less experienced mammal. To someone with his background, it was all too clear of a tell.
'Okay, from Carrots it could be naivete, but this is too much,' he admitted to himself. Judy was no dummy, but she was still green. Catano, on the other paw, knew crooks – even ones like him – like her own face in the mirror. If she was starting to like him, then it couldn't just be wishful thinking.
These two trusted him. His mom trusted him. Meesha… well, okay, she was totally misled but at least she believed he could make up for his past transgressions. Even words of assurance from memories of his dad, and from conversations with Taelia and her band, cropped up in his mind as if pulled up just to give him a lift.
He was going to justify their trust. Even, somehow, Meesha's when he was done taking advantage of it.
One subway ride later (Mesha had advised against coming in his spiffy car) Nick sat in Poisson's outer office at a center in Savannah Central, close to the hub of Zootopia's top business hub. In stark contrast to her mansion in the Nocturnal District, her business offices in the city occupied the top floors of Impala Tower, a twisted-looking building resembling a chrome-and-glass antelope's horn.
Waiting there would have been less awkward if he hadn't been sitting across from Meesha, who kept glancing his way between clicking away at her keyboard. He couldn't help noticing how nicely dressed she was for a secretary, even one literally in the uppermost levels of big business. Her dress wasn't exactly flashy – just a simple blue cotton one in fact – but it fitted her figure well enough that it had to have been picked out to be eye-catching. Adding to that, he noticed a nice necklace and the same perfume she had worn on their date. He, on the other hand, wore fairly basic cologne, a wool tie, and a gray suit; simple, but neatly pressed as a note of support from his mother, who as it turned out had been party in her own way to Catano and Judy's late-night preparations.
The suit added a sense both of assurance and carried load. It had been his dad's.
He wanted to thank Mesha, or ask how she had arranged an appointment for him so quickly. Both, however, seemed ill-advised when they were so close to her employer and his mark.
After what felt like forever, the intercom on Meesha's desk buzzed. "Is the eleven o'clock appointment here?" came Olivia's low and somewhat sultry tone.
Nick adjusted his tie as Mesha answered that it was and nodded for him to enter. 'Show time.'
In his time as a con artist, Nick had played all manner of business mammals, from the experienced materials buyer to the downtrodden startup who just needed that one little boost. The important thing was to size up the target and stick to what would most likely draw out their sympathy. Once Poisson found the laminated sheet from his dad's portfolio, the hook was officially in the fish's mouth.
"I thought you would want to see that," he admitted, skipping the obvious 'Oops, did I leave that in there' line. Placing his paws pads together, he looked at her deeply and explained, "Mesha told me you especially like to sponsor family companies. That's why I came to you."
Poisson eyed the paper, which had a dress at its center – eye-catching yet respectable, with definite Victorian elements – surrounded by patterns for the various parts and closely-written notes about how the parts should be modified for different body types. "Did she also tell you something of my clothing preferences?" she probed. She'd sat across from wannabe fashion designers in the past, and more than one had tried to bait her with select designs as if they expected her to collect her investment returns in product.
Nick blinked in surprise. "No, why?"
She shrugged. "No particular reason," she lied.
He cleared his throat. "Actually, that one was one of my dad's favorites. My grandmother – on my mother's side – used the original for Mom's wedding dress after the old heirloom one was lost in a house fire."
"Hmm." It wasn't a half-bad story. It might even be true. "And you say it was your father's favorite?"
Nick broke gaze, hardly having to fake emotion here. "He died. I was just a pup."
Poisson didn't flinch at the sympathetic story. "And you're trying to get the business going now because…?"
"I've tried everywhere I could think of," he admitted, "but a lot of businesses aren't interested and it's hard to find models who will work for what a startup can afford."
"Because you're a fox."
Nick had known that to emphasize this point would be overplay. Poisson might appreciate the underdog, but she had a legendary distaste for self-pity. Answering, though, was a surefire point if he played it right. "Yeah, that might have something to do with it."
"I see." She looked over more of the designs and information, even noticing subtle differences in the artistic styles which Nick explained as some having been his work, some his dad's, and some from Mom. Actually, a lot of the newer ones had been redrawn by Judy and Catano. It turned out that although no artist, Judy knew her way around diagrams from working on the farm. Catano, meanwhile, adapted well enough after having trained as a suspect sketch artist in case an injury put her off the front lines for a while.
The interview went on, with Nick periodically dropping a name here or a remark there relating to the Night Howler fiasco's suspects. He carefully calculated these to elude the notice of anyone not linked to the incident, but to pique a conspirator. If Poisson took any notice of these, she hid it with skill that even he had to envy. She did, however, seem to show an increasing interest in him… right up until her phone beeped to announce that she must get ready for a meeting. "My apologies, Mr. Wilde. I'm afraid that will have to be all for now."
"Oh, hey, it's no problem," he replied. This was the critical moment. "So, when can I expect to talk with you again?"
She scrunched her chin in thought, and then raised exactly the matter for which Nick had been hoping. "Well, I do have a little gathering planned for tomorrow night at my… oh, that's right. I had to cancel that party to make way for the concert," she mused, frowning.
Nick could have facepawed. So close, yet so far away. Leave it to a bigwig to not mention that to her secretary.
"But I do have this evening free," she added, brightening slightly. "We could discuss it over dinner."
If not for his experience keeping a straight face, Nick might have blown it. "Uh, sure," he answered, caught off guard. "What restaurant?"
"My home, of course." She tapped one of the forms he had brought. "Is this address current? I can have my driver pick you up at five if you're free then."
'Don't overthink it, Nick,' he told himself. It didn't help that the last female to ask him to wrap up business at her place had been Vanya. 'Do not overthink it.' "Yeah," he said, letting only a moderate amount of surprise show. "Yeah, that's… fine with me."
She smiled a wry little smirk so reminiscent of his ex-girlfriend that it became almost impossible not to read into the invitation. "I like you, Mr. Wilde. You know an opportunity when you see it."
Nick nodded numbly. In the back of his mind he could already hear Judy laughing that this attempted business probe had turned into a dinner date.
By the time Nick met up with the officers at the end of their shift, Judy had gotten over the work lag of the previous night. To Nick's all too pleasant surprise, she kept a lid on things when he told of the latest development. Catano, for once, reacted more strongly, making a face and pinching the bridge of her nose – not as if to fend off an odor, but in a 'this can't be happening' kind of way.
"Tell me your cases aren't all going to go like this," she uttered.
Nick bit his lip. Under most circumstances he would have replied with something glib like, 'What can I say? The ladies love me.' Between the absurdity of the situation and the present company, it would not be a good idea. Instead he just promised he'd do his best to keep out of entanglements like that on the job.
"Of course he will," Judy jumped in to support her friend. "And if we're going to find out what she's really hiding, we need to make sure he's ready for his… his big night."
'Uh-oh,' thought Nick, trying not to show his dismay. Judy was starting to crack. "And on that note, I filled Mesha in once Oliv… Miss Poisson," he pressed ahead, trying to keep things businesslike, "went to her meeting, and she suggested I should dress and groom like someone more on Olivia's level. You know; ambitious but not pretentious, like someone she'd be working with a lot."
Judy hopped down. "In other words, we need to get you back to the ZPD. Once Catano and I punch out, you and I have some shopping to do."
Catano nodded, stated her agreement, and felt some relief when Nick spared her from adding that the unconventional turn of this investigation should be kept strictly need-to-know. For one thing, she didn't want the fox getting any more clues that she was warming to him.
For another, it had crossed her mind that any such gossip would likely find its way to Clawhauser – and with the shape he was in she had to wonder if he could literally die laughing.
By the time they got to the store, Judy had worked out a basic time table to get Nick ready for his quasi-date. Much to his chagrin, they didn't have much time – especially since she insisted that they needed to not only have him ready, but make it look like he hadn't rushed to get that way.
"So," she said, wrapping up their game plan, "your mom knows we're coming, she'll pick out a dressier suit from your dad's things, and all we have to do is get you some better shampoo and scents. Any questions?"
"Yeah. Why do we have to buy new toiletries? I've charmed my way through life on the store brands."
She shook her head. "Blue-collar, maybe," she pointed out. "Poisson's on a different level, and besides, you'll want to stoke her ego to get on her good side."
Well, Nick had to admit that made a lot of sense.
"Besides, while I was looking for intel on Poisson last night I saw a notice about a buy-one-get-one sale on her products and Walrus-Mart. If you want to make a good impression later with Taelia…"
Ah. There it was. "You are never going to let that go, are you?" he asked, laying back his ears in moderate annoyance.
Judy considered for a moment. As fun as it was needling Nick, on a deeper level she did want to know. He had quickly become her best friend, after all, and she knew a relationship could have a huge impact on someone's life. It was one of the reasons she'd all but avoided romance after a couple of false starts in middle school. It wasn't exactly her business who Nick dated outside his professional pursuits, of course, any more than it had been anyone else's business that she chose not to date at all over her plans. At the same time, as a friend… yeah, she was curious.
She toyed with, and eventually pushed aside, the idea of asking Nick if he was really serious about the business of casual dating as he described it; if he decisively wanted to never invest in anything more than just a lunch here and a night out there. It was up to him… even if it would probably be hard on Taelia if it turned out she was looking for something more solid.
Of course, if she had to break off the matter, she was going to have some fun about it. "Oh, I won't hog all the fun," she promised. "I'll make sure Ben gets his share."
Nick laughed sarcastically as he parked at the store.
"I thought you said we were in a hurry," Nick complained fifteen minutes later as Judy put back yet another bottle of cologne.
"I'm looking for scents not geared specifically to romance," she explained as she pulled out another and scanned the label. "Ugh. Especially not that one. Let's see, she said there were ones focused on confidence; things like that…"
Nick perused the options and plucked one off the shelf. 'Alpha Male,' it read. 'Dominate the playing field…'
"Got one," Judy announced, triumphantly holding up a bottle marked 'Leader of the Pack' from a line dubbed 'Father's Finest: The Classic Blends that Started It All.' Businesslike; nostalgic; it couldn't have been any more perfect.
"Me too," Nick answered, glad to have that out of the way. They deposited their picks in the cart and set about finding Nick some shampoo and conditioner to match. In a generous mood, he suggested that she use the sale to get herself some fur products outside her usual range.
"Sure you don't want something along those lines for dating too?" she teased.
He smirked. "Carrots, I can charm the heck out of any female I want without all that. I'm just going for this because Olivia's going to want to know I'm a team player, alright?"
She rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that." She remembered dating a guy with his kind of confidence once. It had gone swimmingly right up until her brothers had sighted him taking some binoculars up a tree outside her window. Once he realized they were dancing around the tree with war paint, toy bows and arrows, and some lighters as if to burn the thing down with him in it, his charm – and nerve – had quickly abandoned him. Her parents had been… somewhat placated over the lighters once they found out the reason, and only grounded the tribal warriors for one month instead of the usual two. More importantly, that was one buck who never tried chasing after her again.
With a name to work off of, and Judy's much better knack for picking out good female-oriented products, it took only a short while to find what they needed. In ten minutes flat they were on their way out of the store.
If they had been more vigilant they might have realized they had a follower.
"Hold up; hole in the bag," Judy announced as a clinking sound on the pavement cut off their repartee on their way out of the store. She stooped to pick up the bottle that had slipped out, and came up staring. "Uh, Nick?"
"What now?" he asked, almost at the end of his wits.
She held up one of the bottles of cologne he'd bought. "Alpha Male?"
He shrugged. "Uh, yeah. You said to grab something that said confidence, right?"
She pointed to a set of gauges printed on the side of the bottle. The one marked Attraction was clear up to the top. "Not that kind of confidence."
"Uh, oops?" asked Nick, rubbing at the back of his neck.
She frowned, propping her free fist on her hip. "You're sure that was an accident?" she asked.
He shrugged indifferently. "Carrots, I don't need chemical attractants. Look at Taelia. I've got her eating out of my paw already." Then his pride, perhaps stoked by years of spinning yarns to impress other guys, caught up with him and made him forget for a moment who he was talking to and what his errand was.
"Of course," he added with a shrug, "there might come a time when I'll want some extra charm."
"Not with me there won't," came a voice behind them, sharp and cold as jagged ice.
Both of them jumped a little and turned to see a certain vixen glowering at Nick, tapping a foot and folding her arms.
'Oh, sweet cheese and crackers,'thought Judy, feeling sick.
Nick shrank, realizing that whatever Taelia had overheard must sound pretty incriminating.
"You can forget about the plans we had," she snapped icily, and then spun on her heel.
"Wait, wait," Judy protested, darting around in front of her and holding up her paws. "This isn't what it-"
Not many mammals could silence her, and still fewer with their eyes alone. The look of betrayal and disappointment in Taelia's, though, stopped her cold.
It looked entirely too much like Nick had looked when he uttered that inescapable, ''I knew it.'
I debated whether to take longer and include the shopping trip in this chapter, but I decided in the end that since I'd kept you all waiting so long it was only right to givve you some more material and end on a serious note. Now we're just left with one question: What's next?
Didn't really find room for many Easter Eggs here, but there's one that's good if rather obscure. Let's see who can spot the nod to the original book Cheaper by the Dozen. (If you're thinking a movie from the past 20 years you're on the wrong track)