Promotion Commotion

.

"Uh sir?"

Judy managed one step inside Bogo's office before he spoke out. "It's not a mistake Hopps."

The bunny flinch back a second before gritting her teeth and walking in, jumping up onto the seat and throwing her arms out. "What do you mean it's not a mistake?"

"It's not a mistake, you're dismissed."

The bunny couldn't help but blink before frowning, nose a twitchin', and holding up a finger.

"DIS-MISSED!"

It almost wilted in place, only for her to manage to speak up. Just. "Can I at least have an explanation of why?"

He paused, about to speak out something, if not quite sure what. The bunny beat him to the chase again.

"I mean, I was happy that Nick got promoted up to my level a year ago, that made sense. He's put in a lot of work and proven key for cracking numerous cases. But getting promoted ahead of me? He's…"

"Jealous much?" Bogo intoned, crossing his hooves and leaning forward. "You know that's not a very promising look on an officer wanting to be promoted."

"I…" The bunny began, before closing her eyes and breathing out. "If Nick earned his promotion over me, I'm certain he deserved it. It's what I haven't done to deserve my promotion that's the issue." She breathed in and looked up. "Sir, if I have been deficient in certain areas, if I have failed to live up to the standards an officer requires for such a promotion, then I want to know. So I can improve. So I can better myself. So I can be a better officer. I want to know why I didn't get this promotion earlier, so I know where to put in the effort and improve myself so I do."

She stood tall and as noble as she could, while Bogo looked down. "You intend to become a detective one day, correct."

"I…" She began, trying to figure out the most diplomatically sensitive approach before nodding in agreement. "While there are multiple pathways higher up the ranks, many of which are just as important and far more understaffed than the detective's role, and I'd be very willing to work if that's what best suited my skill set, I will admit that the detective role has always been something I've aspired to."

He nodded. "Good. In that case, prove you've got the skills for said role."

"Understood sir," Judy said, smiling a little. "Is there a task I need doing, a new case, a…"

"Nothing new," Bogo cut in, smiling. "Figure out why Wilde got promoted up ahead of you. That'll prove to me that you have the skills needed."

Judy blinked. "Sir… Not that I don't think I can't do it," she began, looking just a tad nervous as she began gesturing with her paws. "But isn't such a task kind of… Open ended?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, it could be all sorts of individual little factors, and while it may well be one big thing I could work out what if it isn't and…"

"Hopps," Bogo said sternly, only for a great big smile to grow on his face. "I assure you, as someone so dedicated to the ZPD, its rules, its guidelines, etcetera, you have everything you already need to work out the one, singular, answer to this problem. Dismissed."

And this time, getting the message, the bunny did indeed dismiss herself.

.

.

"So, a decision anytime soon Fluff?"

Judy blinked, looking up to Nick. "I… Aren't you going to make the decision?"

He scratched under his chin. "I mean, don't you tend to call the ultimate shots and all, being…"

"I mean, maybe it would be good for you to do it for a while," she smiled, paws on hips.

He looked on and nodded. "Okay, you know what? Why not?"

"That's the spirit," Judy agreed.

…

"It's kind of hard when you're still in the driving seat."

"Ooooh, right," she said, pulling over and swapping out. As she did so, the bunny felt good. That was it, wasn't it? She always was the one to take control, be headstrong, to steer the way on… And she was just a bit of a control freak here and there, wasn't she? That was why she'd been passed over. She would still be taking plenty of orders from above, and needed to learn to let others call the shots and direct her on. Sure, she might be bossing more people around the higher up she got, but that meant even more keeping everything in line for those still on top of her.

After all, she could jump into the fire and back out again, but she didn't want to lead some underling in who couldn't.

So, control freak Judy, gone!

Dutiful, take orders (but still give good advice) Judy in her place.

She smiled as Nick pulled off and chose a patrol route. Ha, she knew what Bogo was up to now. Bit of humbling for her. Well, she could take that humbling and humble herself better than anyone, thank you very much!

.

Pulling up at the end of the day, Judy stepped out and smiled. "Good job, Slick."

He looked down, shrugging. "I mean, all I did is choose a new patrol route."

"Yeah, but it was faster wasn't it? We covered so much more ground, were able to get to situations faster, you did a real good job there."

"Thanks…" he said, sounding quite unsure of it all. "I just did the right turn only rule thing for our loop."

"Right turn…" Judy paused, before her ears jumped up. "I've never heard of that before. Brilliant. Did you study some texts for it, traffic management studies, tests…"

"Mythbusters rerun," Nick said, shrugging it off.

"Oh," Judy muttered. "Well, the important thing is you took charge and applied that knowledge." She gave him a salute and walked off to her lockers, as did Nick. A few weeks of this, particularly in some high stress situations, and she'd prove to Bogo that she could take and follow orders dutifully. Then, problem solved.

She stepped out of the dressing room, only to freeze, seeing Bogo standing there. "I just finished talking to Wilde," he said, arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

Judy smiled back. "Yes sir, I worked it out and…"

"Are completely wrong," he said, turning and marching out. "Try again."

She looked off into the distance, blinking, her foot starting to drum and drum and drum.

She shook it off and marched out. Tomorrow she'd figure it out.

.

"Nice to see you with those bars too Kii," Nick smirked, walking away from the waving cheetah. He looked down to see his partner there, waiting. "Heya Fluff, just congratulating Kii on passing the speed and intercept test. She's a bona fide police interceptor now." He smirked a little. "All one-hundred percent legit! Unless she's a cheetah of course."

"Right," Judy nodded, following the big cat with her eyes. "Hold on a sec."

Nick watched her as she walked off to congratulate the officer. "Well," he shrugged, ears lowering a little. "Guess I did tell her."

She marched back smiling. "And congrats on your promotion too! You really did earn it."

Nick smiled a little, tail wagging, only to wave it off. "Ah, seriously though, it was nothing."

"No," Judy insisted. "Don't undersell yourself." She stood up, then turned and walked off towards Fangmeyer. "Hey, remember that gift box you got last year for escorting that pregnant camel to the hospital? I'd just like to say…"

Nick scratched his head. "Well I suppose it'll have to come to an end somewhere."

.

A few days later…

"I mean, I'm not saying that your hard work and dedication to your job is correctly renumerated by that box of chocolates you got at kitmas," Judy insisted, trying to calm the more than slightly offput armadillo, currently taking out his frustrations by draining out his mop. "I'm just saying that you do a great job keeping this place clean, and it's super nice to see you, and anyone for that matter, getting recognition for it!"

She let out a beaming smile, even as the janitor turned his head and began walking away. "Sure," he said. "Whatever…"

She smiled, dusted her paws, and then walked off… Straight into Bogo's shin. "Ooo, sorry sir, I…" Her grin faded as she saw his increase. And, with ears dropping back, she said what she knew was coming. "Wrong tree, sir…"

"Yes. But it's amused me seeing you going around these last few days."

She blinked and then threw out her paws. "You KNEW!" she shouted, unable to help herself. "You knew what I was doing, knew it was wrong, and you just let me? W-why!?"

"Apparently done wonders for morale. Keep trying." And with that he turned and walked off, leaving the foot drumming bunny behind him. "Oh, and by the way," he added. "I'd watch that tone."

If anything, the foot drumming increased… Only to fade off as the bunny looked off, eyes widening.

.

"Hello, I'm very sorry for the bag check, but we'd be truly grateful if you just help us out." Judy smiled and picked up the rucksack from the waiting goat. With a big smile, she handed it over to Nick, who stuck is nose in and began sniffing around. Judy kept beaming, giving a big smile for the waiting citizen.

"Oh GOD," Nick groaned, pulling his nose out and gagging. "What do you have in there! I've smelt nicer smells hiding in sess pits!"

Judy stood away, turning to the mammal, paws clasping together. "Sorry… My partner's nose is very sensitive, we didn't mean any…"

"What were you doing hiding in sess pits?" he asked.

"I was… -undercover!" Nick said, fanning his paw in front of his nose. "Now you answer my question. What do you have in there?"

"Aren't you going to poke around or…"

"With how that smells?" he asked, "I don't wanna think what the congealed fish guts or whatever is in there will feel like."

"There's nothing in there apart from my spare clothes," he said, folding his hooves. "I'm backpacking around, getting a train out of this city tonight, so I need to carry them all around, even to the concert."

"Sure there's nothing in there apart from your clothes," Nick said, poking around at an arm's length.

"No… Apart from my towel, my two flannels, my…"

"Two?" Nick asked, a sudden look of disgust growing on his muzzle.

"Yeah, one for my face, one for my…"

"Don't," Nick groaned, pushing the bag back. "Please don't…"

He took it and walked off, paying little mind to Judy's happy smile. "Thanks very much and I hope you enjoy the concert." She then turned back to the next mammal in line. "Hello there, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, but we need to check your bag. We'd be really grateful if you could help out…"

"And warn us if there's anything olfactorily offensive," Nick warned, nose still twitching. "When I signed up for the scenting course, they didn't say anything about that."

"If you could also please do that, it would be deeply appreciated," Judy smiled.

.

Their job done for that day, they settled back from a day well done, and in the morning they came back in for their new tasks. Judy greeted everyone nicely and even held open the doors of the bullpen. From the first mammal walking in, to the last. "Good morning Chief, nice to see you. Hope you're having a great day."

"I am," he said, looking down. "It's fun seeing you barking up the wrong tree again."

"Wormroot!"

.

"I've tried everything," Judy groaned that night. "Everything… What has Nick done that I haven't?" Eyes closed, she cradled her head, only for her ears to rise up slowly. "No," she said, ears going back down again. "Don't be stupid…"

Her ears rose up again.

.

Nick noticed that over the next few days, Judy was keeping herself very busy at home after work. At one point, while munching on some beans on toast, he wondered if she'd found a new series to binge watch.

At the same time, in Judy's apartment, her ears were jolted up in shock as a fwoosh went up on the TV, followed by a beeping fire alarm. It was quickly followed by a panicked voice half yipping, half laughing out: 'AM I MISSING AN EYEBROW!?'

.

.

"Hey, ever heard of mouthwash?"

Johnson crossed his arms and stared back at Grizzoli. "I don't like the taste."

Judy immediately slipped up next to him. "Hey, did you know that vodka can be…"

Bogo walked up to her, smiling. "Busted."

She froze, turning to him.

"Your idea that is, the mouthwash was confirmed as you know" he smiled, before marching off.

.

.

"Okay, okay, THAT'S IT!"

Judy marched into Bogo's office, starting it down. "I don't care if I don't get it, I don't care if Nick's my superior for forevermore, I just wanna know why? Why did Nick get that promotion and not me!?"

Bogo looked down, his grin growing. "Superior? When ever did superiority come into it?"

Judy blinked. "But… But he got a promotion! Two! One to my level, and then one to…"

"Ah-ah-ah," Bogo waved off. "He got a promotion to your level, but above?"

"But…" she began. "He got bars, a pay rise, a…"

"As part of the ZPD code," Bogo said, smiling as he held up the tome, relishing every second. "Various mammals with specialist adaptations can undergo additional courses to certify them to use them. For instance, cheetahs for high speed intercepts, and various mammals for scenting, in return for a small but fair pay rise."

Judy blinked. "His promotion was for that scent course he passed."

"Oh yes," he smiled. "Which increases pay but not seniority."

"But… But… but you…"

"Never said he was now superior, you filled that in yourself."

Judy's mouth opened wide, before it snapped closed. "Then why did you let me go around thinking that was the case!"

He pulled out a few pictures and threw them down. "Oh, you wonder," he said, as she looked on to see a picture of his car, parked with its back wheels almost but not quite touching onto a pair of double yellow lines, and then the parking ticket that she…

"You…"

"Call that illegally parked? I, and the judge after a very, very boring day wasted at traffic court, thought not!"