The cabin was everything that one would expect from a token gesture to an unwelcomed guest. Standing in the center of the main room, the bunny looked around with dispassionate eyes and a somewhat weary expression. Her first day in the city was not what she had expected, he knew. From the moment a fox had been the one to greet her at the train station in Bunnyburrow, to the attack in broad daylight only minutes after leaving the courtroom. There was a small part of him that was glad the attack had come and had been so sloppily attempted; that little part that saw the unavoidable fact that she would not understand how much danger she was in otherwise. There was a much larger part of him, a larger part than he expected or appreciated, that regretted the danger she had been put in and her unavoidable reaction to that danger. More importantly, her reaction to him because of that danger. Naïve as it was, her plea - or demand, depending on how the words ran through his mind - for him not to kill had been very Judy Hopps and was far from out of line.

As she wandered the small office without comment she held her suitcase by the handle with both paws in front of her. A clearly feminine stance, one that could normally be attributed to fear and uncertainty in this situation, was different with her. Those deep violet eyes moved around the main room with an air of consideration. Of planning for the future of the little building. He had to wonder exactly what she was considering and what plans were running through that lawyer mind of hers. He honestly had no idea where they would begin. Just as she had been outside of her element in the streets of Zootopia, he was out of his in this little office on the other side of the law. Not that he expected he would learn much from this, outside of how stubborn and opinionated bunnies could be, but it would be interesting to see where she would start. She had no friends in the city that he knew of, and her list of contacts must have come from the Otterton case file. That wouldn't be enough and he knew it.

And maybe that was for the best, he decided as he moved around the room. Maybe if she lost, if the appeal failed, she would return to Bunnyburrow and get on with her life like any sane bunny would. Out of the city, out of danger, out of his line of sight. It certainly would be for the best in his mind. Even if it killed a little bit of that light in her, that determination and hope that had drawn him to help her, it would be worth it. Even if the idea of this city damaging that light brought rise to anger he had almost forgotten he could feel.

Distracting himself with the 'office', if it could be called that, did not take long at all. It was smaller than he had expected, though neat as a pin. It wasn't by any stretch of the imagination derelict or abandoned. The entire place smelled as clean as it looked, making it obvious that someone had gone over it with a toothbrush not long ago to ensure perfection. The furniture had a sparkling new, unworn look about it. The desk near the door wasn't the cheaply thrown together constructs that a mammal would buy at Woyliemart; it looked like something you would spend a few thousand bucks on to give the room a modern feel. A glance at the kitchenette assured him that it was going to be fully functional and well stocked, even if it hardly looked large enough to service a bunny, let alone a fox like himself.

Aside from the overall feeling that the building itself was old, which he knew already, the size was really the only off-putting thing about it. The desk and the kitchenette took up a large part of the space in the main room and a quick glance into the bedroom confirmed that it was even smaller and just as sparsely furnished. The single personal desk was just the right size for a bunny, the bed was perhaps a little more generous even if there was no way he would fit into it himself.

Where that thought had come from, he wasn't sure but dismissing it took a moment, during which he glanced at Hopps out of the corner of his eye and found her watching him with high ears and an interested expression now. After a quick check of the bathroom, the door to which was oddly set close to the kitchenette, he turned to step back into the main room. He knew that she was standing behind him, though he hadn't been aware of how close until his turn almost had them running into each other. She had set her case down beside the bedroom door, and was in the process of unbuttoning her suit jacket when she looked up at him with one brow lifted.

"No assassins in the bathroom?" she asked, causing his ears to twitch slightly. There was only the slightest bit of scorn in the tone, but it was enough to cause his ears to quiver.

"No, no assassins in the bathroom," he said, allowing a little smirk to lift the corner of his mouth as she shoved him out of the way.

"Good, because I want to get started now and I need to freshen up first," she said as she stepped into the bathroom. He waited one second - during which he considered the fact that she had actually said 'freshen up' which was adorable - until the door started to close before he slapped his paw into the door to prevent it. She frowned at him through the narrow opening, something that he expected as he leaned against the doorframe and kept his hand on the door.

"There are no windows in the bathroom," he stated simply, causing her to glance around and confirm the fact for herself. "And I just had a look around myself. This is the only reason I am letting you close this door."

"So you're telling me," she started as she released the door and crossed her arms while looking up at him. Her lack of surprise made it clear that she did remember the open-door rule that he had set upon taking this job. "That every time I need to use the bathroom, you are going to have to look around first? Like someone could sneak past you of all people?"

"Trying to play my ego won't work here, Carrots," he responded, tipping his head to the side slightly as he held her not-so-happy gaze with his own. "Just making sure you understand that the rules haven't changed."

"So outside of this bathroom, I have no privacy?" she questioned, her gaze narrowing on him in a way that held a spark of challenge. "There isn't exactly a lot of room in here as it is. You should just sleep in my bed for all the space you're giving me."

The fact that the statement reflected his earlier thoughts had a touch of heat sliding across the back of his neck in a way that surprised him as much as the scent of her had on the hood of the car. Outwardly, he only raised his eyebrow at her in a mirror of her own. He held the pose for a moment in silence and waited for a few seconds. Then her pupils dilated and the faintest hint of darkening pink in her ears told him that she really grasped what she had just said to the very male fox in the room. He allowed a toothy grin to slide up the length of his muzzle, taking a little satisfaction in the fact that it started her nose twitching.

"As long as you keep the door open, I don't think we need to go that far," he said, keeping his tone even enough that she wouldn't hear the humor in it. "If you can't keep the door open, you'll just wake up one morning missing a door."

"You're kidding," was her deadpan reply, to which he just looked at her in silence for a moment. She made a small, frustrated sound and because he had removed his paw from the door, slammed it in his face.

He turned his back on the door when the sound of running water reached his ears, another slow glance around the small office making him shake his head slightly. She was right about one thing: there was almost no space in this building. On one paw, it was going to make the act of monitoring the comings and goings of anyone entering the building extremely easy. On the other, if anyone ever managed to get into the building and he was forced to defend her, he was going to have to strategize exactly how to handle that. The total lack of distance between the front door and every corner was an issue, though the size of the entrance did mean that no one the size of a tiger would be able to easily move through the door or within. Advantages, disadvantages. He assessed them silently as he waited, walking over to the window beside the front door to draw the blinds down.

The sight of the black and white of the ZPD cruiser pulling into the drive behind their car was not a welcome one, but not an unexpected one. Even less welcome was who stepped out when the passenger side of the car opened. A body the size of Hopps', slender to the point of gangly, beady eyes and a sharp muzzle was all he needed to see. What had once upon a time been ratty and unkempt fur was now as sleek and groomed as the uniform that hung crisply from the body of Lieutenant Weaselton. Somehow, even in the uniform of the ZPD with all of the shining brass and hopeful blue, the small predator just looked dangerous. And Nick knew very well that he was dangerous, in his own way. Dangerous to anyone who wasn't expecting him, didn't see him coming.

"What is it?" Hopps asked from behind him, causing him to finish closing the blinds as he turned to face her. She did look fresh, he noted offhandedly; cheek fur smoothed, eyes a little less tired and a lot more curious.

"The ZPD," he said, lowering his voice and flicking his gaze to the door just as the knock came. "It might better if this particular officer didn't see me."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes flicking towards the door. A frown crossed her muzzle when he placed his back against the wall beside the door, holding one finger to his muzzle.

"Bad cop," he whispered, speaking so low that he was sure even she could hardly hear him as he flicked his gaze to the door. "The worst kind. Be careful."

While the killing of the tiger had been perfectly justified, it didn't mean he wanted to parade himself in front of the ZPD. He had been seen in the public eye for the first time, had even been caught on camera because he had allowed it. But there were some people, those few who knew of his existence, that would rather have remained uninvolved. Especially an 'officer' like Weaselton. He would avoid it, if possible. But if that weasel so much as laid a claw on Hopps…

He closed his eyes and opened his ears and nose when the front door was opened, covering his presence as well as a slab of wood and paint could.

"Well, good afternoon cutesy," came the unmistakably and generally offensive sound of Weaselton's voice. "Lieutenant Weaselton. Miss Hoops, right?"

"Judith Hopps," Judy corrected him, her tone prim and cool. She could turn on that lawyer voice like a switch, he realized, and wondered why she didn't use it with him.

"Hopps, right. Well, you're already big news in the city, Hoops. Big news. It seems you've been on TV, which is why we're here today. A murder was committed. I wanted to know if you could tell me where to find the fox. You know, the one you left the scene with. The killer."

Searching back through his mind, Nick remembered the driver of the cruiser has been a tiger. Tigress. He knew that build, even if he hadn't seen her face clearly. Fangmeyer. This allowed him to relax, if only slightly, as he pressed his head back against the wall without a sound and continued to tune himself to what was happening on the other side of the door. The shuffle of unpadded paws on the floor and the steps of padded beyond the door told him that Weaselton had barged into the office. His wandering steps didn't take him far, though, before he turned to face Hopps again. The tiger entered the building, slowly, after. He was forced to imagine poor Fangmeyer squeezing through the smaller front door.

"As a witness to the act of self-defense that has no doubt been seen by every news watching mammal in the city, we both know that murder will never cross the prosecutors desk. And I assume that you have also come with a signed warrant to enter this office? As a guest of the Administrator, it is not reaching outside of the bounds of law to assume that I am protected under the same laws as the citizenship of Zootopia."

So official and sharp it made him chuckle internally even as he tracked the steps of the weasel towards the kitchenette. The light huffs of Weaselton's breathing meant he was looking for a scent, one that he would no doubt find. The fact that he would need to make himself known seemed more plausible by the second.

"You really should consider who you want to be your friend in this city, Hoops." The tone dripped with distain.

"I know who my friends are in this city, Lieutenant Wuzzleton."

"It's Weaselton. Lieutenant Duke Weaselton."

It may have been small of Nick to enjoy the way her own play on the intentional name game added irritation to the weasel's voice, but that didn't stop him. Another few steps, padded paws, this time towards the bedroom door. The quicker, longer strides of the hopping bunny put her right in front of the door. Nick winced slightly when her heard the 'whump' of a paw slapping to Weaselton's chest, followed by her voice.

"I am going to have to insist that you produce a warrant, Lieutenant. Otherwise, I'm going to ask you to leave."

He had no doubt that the weasel knew he was in the office somewhere. Scent carried. Just like the musty scent of the other predator that was slowly permeating around the door to reach his own nose. A scent which quickly mixed with that of the bunny. And that annoyed him down the tip of the tail he had been stepping on to stop the agitated twitching of the tip. If he had to move, he could cover the distance from the door in about a second, and the weasel was closer.

"Listen, cotton tail," Weaselton said, his voice losing the friendly scorn he had managed to hold up until now. Now the voice held all of that seedy, wedeling, slimy, underhanded, unfriendly darkness that Nick knew existed inside of the ZPD officer. "I know you think you know what's going on in this city, but you don't. There are mammals in this city, predator and prey, that would love to get their paws on a cute little bunny like you. All sort of nasty, unspeakable things could happen if you don't choose your friends carefully."

How close his voice was to Judy made Nick's fur crawl and his paws clench. Slowly, he eased them and drew in a very slow, silent but deep breath. He had to calm down. He had to regain the calm. Proximity didn't equal threat. Calm. Emotionless.

He had to remember what happened when he forgot the calm.

"Lieutenant."

The voice was Fangmeyer, low but feminine and full of hesitant warning. She didn't want to directly cross her superior, considering that he was nothing more than a spy in the ZPD for whoever pulled his strings, but she at least tried to calm him.

"Quiet," came the sharp reply from the weasel who clearly had no interest in being calmed. Weaselton's voice had changed. It sounded… Wet almost. Like the sound his own tongue made when he licked the roof of his mouth. "You understand what I'm saying to you, you stupid hick? You're in my city now. And there are people here who would be more than happy to pick your bones clean and make you disappear."

Drooling. That was the change in his voice that was noticeable even over the not so veiled threat. The hunger of a predator aroused by the presence of prey close at hand. Sickened, furious, Nick pulled himself away from the wall and edged the door open when the sudden, sharp sound of flesh smacking into flesh made his heart jump. But it wasn't Judy who made the groaning cry before a body hit the floor.

"Don't touch me," came the rabbit's normally sweet voice, trembling but sounding just as furious as he was. Amazingly, she didn't raise it at all; she could have been talking to an obstinate witness from the tone and volume of the words. "Don't threaten me. I've had enough warnings and speeches for one day. I'm not about to let you come in here and intimidate me by bearing your teeth and flashing your badge."

"You bitch!" Weaselton snarled, and even if the pain in his voice was still obvious, so was the rage.

Nick stepped from behind the door just in time to see the weasel, down on his knees and holding his crotch with one paw, reach for Judy with the claws of the other. Then he was treated to the sudden jerk and seizure of the slender body, accompanied by the 'pop pop pop' of a Taser being discharged before the weasel crashed fully to the ground. Nick glanced from the still twitching weasel in blue to the bunny who stood over him. She looked on slightly stunned herself. But the wide stance, the way she held the Taser with both hands and the way she glared down at the one she had just used it on gave him a sort of warm appreciation. His first impression of her had been on the nose: she was ready to fight.

Seeing Fangmeyer - who was stooped over in the small office - pause her advance towards the bunny at the sight of him, he held up one hand to bring her to a complete stop. After a short hesitation, the tigress backed down and made her way back to the front door where she could keep watch. Still conscious, the smaller predator was still suffering the muscle spasms from the electric shock when Nick crouched down beside him. Those wide eyes recognized him, obviously. Eyes that were filled with fear and flicking towards the tiger by the door desperately, seeking help that she wouldn't offer.

"No need to panic, Lieutenant," Nick said, his tone as cold as the paws that grabbed the slender shoulders to drag the weasel to his feet. Not all of the tension was from the aftereffects of the Taser, not once Nick set the now trembling male on his own two paws before reaching out to brush at his uniform. "We're all friends here, right? And as friends, we are capable of doing each other favors."

Drawing the weasel to his side in an almost companionable way, he started to walk towards the door, all but dragging the other with him as he gave a nod to Fangmeyer to head out to the cruiser. When she did without a word and without complaint, he considered buying that tigress some flowers. Or in her case, maybe a new tranq-gun.

"The way I see it, you're right," he continued as he walked, well aware of the bunny following and watching them. "This city is dangerous. And since you seem to be so aware of how dangerous it could be for Miss Hopps, I am counting on you to do what you can to keep her safe. I know, I know. The ZPD can't officially get involved, but I have a feeling that won't matter."

When Fangmeyer opened the door to the passenger side of the cruiser, Nick lifted the weasel into the seat and sat him upright. He could tell at this point that Weaselton had full control of his body again, but had wisely chosen not to resist what was careful handling. The fear in his eyes, however, was more than clear as Nick stepped up next to the seat of the large vehicle so he could stand muzzle to muzzle with the smaller predator.

"All you have to do is let me know if you catch wind of someone plotting against the bunny there," he continued as he reached over the seat, which was propped up for smaller mammals. Pulling the seatbelt across the other male, he snapped it into place and met the weasel's eyes. "You see, Lieutenant, it's my job to protect her. And I know that I can count on you to help me keep her safe. Because I'll know exactly who to go to if she were to vanish. And if anything were to happen to her that could have been prevented with a little common sense, I'll know exactly who will hear my grievance at the ZPD."

It was clear that the weasel got the message, in part because he focused on the slight curl of his muzzle; just enough of a snarl to make it clear only to the other predator that his patience and friendly nature were not boundless. Those mud red eyes were wide, the corners of his muzzle twitched as that eternal war between anger and fear was waged under the green eyes of the fox. When Nick reached up to pat his cheek with one friendly paw, the flinch made it clear which one had won the day.

"I knew I could count on you, Duke," he said amiably, his gaze turning to the pretty tigress who was watching him with a small , almost unnoticeable smirk on her broad muzzle. "You might want to take him to the hospital. A kick to the groin and a Taser shock just can't be good for you."

"I'm counting on you, Duke," he said again, his tone cheerful as he jumped down from the cruiser and swung the door closed.

Realizing that Judy was standing beside him now, he glanced down at her with one brow raised. She still held the Taser in one paw, still looked annoyed with her ears high and trembling and her mouth set into a frown. Not afraid. Not in any way that he could see. Her nose wasn't even twitching.

"Are you going to give me another speech about how dangerous things are in this city?" she asked, her eyes still following the cruiser until it vanished into the traffic further down the road.

"Not while you're holding that Taser," he replied, not taking his eyes off her until she raised hers to his.

"Good," she said, tucking the weapon into her suit jacket before she turned on her paw and marched back into the office. "Because we have work to do."