Adrian was a mammal of ambitions.
He had learned from a young age that the world could be seize by the mammals that were ambitious enough to go and take what they desired. He had learned it as he was young, as well as he learned that having been born to a wealthy and successful father didn't meant that his life was made from the beginning.
Of course, back when he was a child, the Beastar Corps still didn't had achieved the level of success it had today, having opened several subsidiaries all over the country and even some on other parts of the Animerican continent. However, it was a very successful business, enough to be sure that nothing would ever lack on their lives, and that they were wealthier than most.
Still, Adrian didn't became an arrogant brat that would expect the world to be placed at his hooved feet. His father made sure that he would not become one. Of course, Yahya hadn't been the most present of fathers, with so much of his attention focused on the Beastar Corps, but he was not absent, by any means. At least, he was present enough to be able to teach Adrian some very important things, and to be an overall good father. An impressive feat, considering that he was a single parent...
Yes, Yahya made sure to teach many important lessons to his son, like the importance of hard work and of dedication to reach one's goals. Yahya had worked hard to create the Beastar Corps and to ensure their success, and he wanted to teach Adrian the value of hard work, as it could be very important to them if they ever lost everything else. It had happened before, after all.
Adrian surely learned many important things from his father. He learned the importance of working hard to keep what he had and to achieve what he desired. He learned what was need to reach his ambitions.
And right now, these ambitions were threatened.
As if the first attack hadn't been bad enough. It was such a mess right after it happened, and Adrian made sure to let his two hired mages to know how important was for nothing else to go wrong for as long as the guests remained in there. However, it seemed that either he didn't emphasized it enough to them or they were not as competent as they had led Adrian to believe.
When he heard from a servant that there was an intruder on the house, Adrian nearly lost it.
An unknown deer who burst through the doors and started to go around the house looking for something, or someone.
"I know that he is here, so don't any of you try to hide him from me! And don't anyone dare to stand on my way!" was what the servant said that the deer spoke. Now that could possibly mean a number of things, and Adrian was already imagining all of the possible scenarios, especially the worst-case ones.
Adrian had rushed to radio the security and have them search the house, warning them to act carefully if they crossed paths with this deer. There was a possibility that he could be a mage.
It took minutes of search, before they had a confirmation of the position of the intruder, from another servant who had come from the very same room where the intruder was. Along with his children and all the other of Chandler's guests.
"But, you don't really have to worry about it, sir." The servant said, after seeing how distressed Adrian had become with the news. "He became a lot calmer after he found Mr. Clawhauser. It really seems that he only wanted to see him again."
Adrian thought of asking what that meant, but he decided that it was best to go in there himself to be sure that it was okay. So, with a group of his security on his tail, Adrian marched to the room, and he nearly kicked the doors open as he walked inside.
The room was not destroyed, so it was to be assumed that there was not a battle between mages in there. Also, all of the guests were in there, and they all seemed to be unharmed. In fact, many of them were looking at Adrian, as if they were surprised for seeing him.
"What is going on!?" The horse demanded, and the guests all just looked at him.
"Good night for you too." Josh Clawhauser said, looking at him as he drank from a glass. Adrian hoped that it was not his best wine.
"I heard that there was an invasion!" The horse said seriously, walking into the room, the security right behind him, all with dart guns on their hooves. "Is everyone okay?"
"Oh, we are fine, Dad." Chandler said, he seemed as calm as everyone else did, as they were all either sitting or standing around a couch.
"You don't have to worry, Father." Euphemia said, looking at the older horse. "This invader is not of the aggressive kind. You can even ask him yourself, or maybe you could ask his significant other. Oh, sorry. Ex-significant other."
Adrian looked at his daughter, not understanding what she meant. That was when he looked at the couch that they were around, and took a look of who was sitting in there.
That was surely the intruder. A deer that fit the description that Adrian had been give. However, the deer truly didn't seemed that he was actually threatening anyone or putting anyone in danger. Not with the way that he was snuggling up with the cheetah sitting by his side, hugging his arm as he leaned on him nearly like a foal would snuggle to a plush. It even seemed that he had not even noticed Adrian's presence. Meanwhile, Benjamin Clawhauser would just sit in there, looking up at the older horse; he then opened a somewhat awkward smile and waved.
"Hey, Mr. Manechester." He said, still kind of awkward, as if he was not sure what would be a better feeling for a moment like that. He then gestured to the deer that was clinging to his arm. "This is Gabe, we used to be engaged. Gabe, this is Adrian Manechester, the house is his'."
Gabe looked up at the horse, who looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey." The deer said simply, and then went back into snuggling with Ben. Adrian could only look at the deer, as well as at the cheetah.
"Engaged?" Adrian asked, looking at the cheetah for explanations.
"Yeah, engaged." Said Marcy, causing the horse to turn to her. "You know, it means that they were going to get married."
"I am familiar with the term, Miss Foxgrove." Adrian said, looking at the hybrid, before turning his attention back to the cheetah. "So, since you and this deer used to be engaged, would you mind telling me what he is doing in my house?"
"Oh..." Ben said, now looking down as he rubbed the back of his head with his free arm. "W-well, you see... he was, kind of, looking for me."
Adrian looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Ben seemed embarrassed by what was happening, especially with the glare that Adrian was giving him, as if he was silently asking: so this is your fault?
"I missed Ben." Gabe said, surprising the horse, and causing Adrian to look at him. The deer was now looking at the horse with a serious expression. Was that hostility?
"I missed him and I wanted to see him again. So, when I found out he was in Zootopia I did my best to reach the city, and when I found out that he was in this mansion, I came here to see if I could find him." Gabe said, looking at the horse in the eyes, nearly in defiance. "I hope you don't plan to blame Ben for my actions. That would be quite unreasonable of you."
The horse and the deer locked eyes for a while, and everyone else waited, some of them wanting to see just what would come out of this. Eventually, Adrian was the one to step down.
"Yes, it would be unreasonable." Adrian said, looking at the deer. "After all, it is not like he invited you to come here and invade my house. I mean, you didn't invited him to break into my house, did you, Mr. Clawhauser?"
"No, sir." Benjamin said, and the horse nodded, before looking back at the deer.
"So, you have still invaded my house." Adrian said, looking at the deer. "And I have to say, I don't appreciate it. Not one bit."
Gabe looked at him for a few moments, before he looked down.
"Yeah, I guess I didn't thought it through, did I?" The deer admitted, "I guess that all that was on my mind was seeing Ben again. I didn't considered that I would be invading someone else's property."
The deer let go of Ben's arm... well, he stopped hugging it as tight as he had been a minute before, and he straightened himself to look better at the horse, before he bowed his head slightly.
"I am terrible sorry, Mr. Manechester."
That sounded sincere, and Adrian only looked back at him, before someone else on the room decided to speak:
"He just wanted to see me again." It was Benjamin speaking, and Adrian looked back at him as the cheetah continued:
"I guess he missed me more than I thought. We have been apart for so long, and we haven't talked properly ever since... our engagement was broken." Ben cast a look at the deer, and the cervine looked back at him, the cheetah turned his attention back at the horse. "I guess he just wanted to talk to me again, and he made a bad decision. He is not a bad person, I swear."
Adrian looked at him with a raised eyebrow. It sounded as if the cheetah was making a justification for the deer. As if he was trying to convince the horse not to make a scene of it, neither to press any charges against the deer for breaking in.
"I can confirm that." Josh said, and Marcy then spoke:
"We both can. Gabe is a decent guy." The hybrid now had Adrian's attention. "There is no reason to hold anything against him."
"Except for the fact that he came into my property uninvited." Adrian said, "And, according to one of the maidens, he broke the door on his way in."
"Yeah, sorry about that." Gabe said, "I'll be paying for the damage."
"You better." Charles said, causing the attention to shift to him. "What, do you think that doors like that are cheap? You are going to pay for the door, and for anything else that you damaged while coming inside! That not to mention the fact you will be sued for having broken into our property."
Gabe looked at him, seeming unimpressed, nearly as if the other horse was nothing more than a bug. Charles felt himself shrinking under the gaze of the deer, and he turned on his wife for help. However, he soon saw by the expression of her face that she was not going to support him, so, he turned to Adrian.
"I mean, we are going to prosecute him for breaking in, right?" Charles asked half-apologetic and half-hopeful. Adrian looked at him for a few moments, and then he looked at the deer, at the cheetah whose arm he was still holding, and at the rest of the participants of the celebration, among them his own two children.
After a few moments, he finally said:
"Well, other than the door, it seems that there has been no real damage, and no one got hurt." The horse said, turning to the fox and bunny cops, standing there together, both looking at him.
"I guess that there is no need for prosecution of any kind." He concluded, and Benjamin let out a relieve sigh at this. Meanwhile, Charles...
"What!?" The younger horse said, "Adrian, you are not serious, are you? He invaded the property! He invaded the house! We cannot simply let him walk away with a warning like that! It doesn't matter if he is a mage! You hear it? It doesn't matter if you are a mage!"
He had stood up and was pointing a hooved finger at the deer, who looked back at him with a hard, unamused glare.
"It doesn't matter at all if you are a mage! You cannot go invading the house of an important family like that! How could you even walk inside, anyway?" Charles said, speaking as if the house was his' and as if he had the right to be angry. He failed to notice that many of them were looking at him with raised eyebrows, or with a gaze as unamused as Gabe's. He certainly failed to notice the way that Adrian himself was looking at him.
Meanwhile, Gabe shrugged, before he said:
"Well, honestly, I just walked inside. It wasn't very hard actually. I just knew that I should walk inside and I did. I am surprised at how easy it was."
"Even with the bounded field Melon and I placed around the house?" Legoshi asked, looking at the deer. This caused the deer to stop and to look at the wolf and at the horned mammal sitting by his side.
"You made that?" Gabe asked, looking at the two, before he added:
"Well, I am little relieved. I thought that maybe it had been Ben. I got worried that he had really gotten bad at magecraft after renouncing. Seriously, that was an awful bounded field; I noticed it from a couple dozen yards away. What a sloppy job..."
Legoshi seemed embarrassed at this, and he looked down to avoid the gaze of Adrian, who was now glaring at their direction. Melon looked like he couldn't care less, as he had his arms crossed over his chest and the mask over his face.
"Anyway, you won't just walk away from this!" Charles said, once more bringing attention to himself, including from Gabe. "Do you know who we are?!"
This caused Nick to groan. That horse wad really trying to pull up something like that?
"Do you know how important the Manechester family is? How much money we have? Do you think we can't do anything against you because we don't have magic? Oh, you are in for a surprise! You can't disrespect us like that!"
"Man, you really are quite loud, aren't you?" Josh said, looking at the horse. "Would the prince like something? Maybe a little cheese to go with all your whine?"
"I am just making sure that the family gets respected." Charles said, "I am making sure that this deer understands that he must respect the Manechester family!"
"I CAN MAKE THAT POINT MYSELF!" Adrian said, his voice sounding so loud that it caused some of the mammals in there to jump back. Everyone now looked at the horse with surprised expressions, including Charles. Adrian approached the horse, and said to him.
"Charles, remember about the conversations we both had?" He said to the horse, whispering. "About the importance of knowing when to stand down?"
"But Adrian-"
"This is one of those moments." Adrian cut him, causing the horse to flinch at the hard tune that the other horse was using. "This is one of the moments when you have to stand down. So do it. Right now."
Charles looked at him for a few moments, and then he looked down. Adrian knew that he had made his point, and so did the others around. Some of them were smirking or even chuckling as they saw that entitled horse being put on his place, and by no one other than his own father-in-law.
It was like seeing an annoying foal being told off by his dad.
Soon, Adrian was turning his attention back to the room in general.
"Like I said, there won't be any charges being pressed." Adrian said, and he then turned to the deer. "But, I'd like to be sure that you understand that you can't come into someone else's house uninvited. After all, I assume that you are not someone who would break into other people's properties like that."
"I am not." Gabe said, looking back at the horse. "You can be sure of that."
Adrian looked at him for a few moments. "Well, that's good to know." He said, nodding. Then, with a gesture, he dismissed the security team that had come with him, and they were already leaving the room, while Adrian kept his attention to the deer.
"Now, you have already come, you have met Officer Clawhauser, do you plan to remain for long?"
Gabe looked at him, and then he leaned closer to Ben. He didn't truly answered, but the way that he was leaning closer to the cheetah somewhat made it clear that the deer had no intention of getting separated from him anytime soon.
"Well, I assume that at some point you will have to return home." Adrian said, looking at him. "Or whatever place where you are staying here in Zootopia."
Gabe looked at him.
"Actually, I don't really have a place to stay here in Zootopia." Gabe confessed, and this caused Ben to look at him.
"You don't?"
"I came rushing here as soon as I found out that was where you were." The deer said, looking at the cheetah, "I arrived really early in the morning and had to spend some hours getting permission of the clans to get in the city, and I spent nearly the entire day trying to find you. I found your apartment, but that snake told me that you were not coming back any time soon. I have the impression that it still doesn't like me..."
"Then I went to your work, and that guy at the reception told me that you went to a party in the house of those Manechester people." He continued, I found out that you were here, and then I came and... well, I spent a long time thinking if I should come in or not. I mean, it took the entire day before I finally made my mind and decided to come inside and find you." He then rubbed the back of his neck, "To be honest, I hardly even thought of what I would do after I actually found you..."
Silence followed these words, as everyone looked at the deer and between themselves.
"Not exactly a planner, is he?" Nick whispered to Judy.
"So, you have nowhere to stay?" Benjamin asked him, and the deer shook his head.
"Actually, I didn't even brought any luggage or money." The deer said, sounding quite embarrassed. "I just ran to the airport and took the first plane to Zootopia. Even after I found out where you were, I spent the day walking around the neighborhood before I made up my mind to come."
Ben reflected on it, and then, he turned to Adrian.
"Mr. Manechester." He said, and Adrian instantly knew what was coming.
"Do you really expect me to house this deer after he came into my property uninvited?" The horse said, looking at him. Ben looked back at the horse.
"I can take full responsibility for him if you want." Ben said, and everyone looked at the cheetah.
"What are you, his father?" Charles said, looking at the cheetah, and Ben ignored him.
"Please, he has nowhere to stay and he doesn't knows the city." The plump cheetah insisted, "He doesn't even have money. He cannot just go around the city and hope to find a place to stay; it might not be safe, even for a mage. Please, you have to let him stay."
Everyone shared looks, and Adrian had an unreadable expression as he looked at the cheetah.
"Well, I see no problem in it." Chandler said, causing his father to look over his shoulder at him.
"I mean, he didn't really caused problem, and he seems to be a nice guy. Ben and his siblings certainly trust him."
Adrian looked at his son, before looking back at the cheetah and deer. Benjamin was looking at him with an expression that was nearly pleading, with wide and round eyes, like the ones of a cub.
"Yah, if Ben trusts him, them so do we, right Carrots?" Nick said, nudging his partner, and Judy agreed with Nick. Adrian looked at both of them, and then, someone else spoke:
"Well, we have been talking with him for a few minutes now." Gazelle herself spoke, causing Adrian to look at her. "He doesn't seems to be a bad mammal, in any way. I guess there would be no problem for him to stay."
"Other than he was not invited for the party." Charles chimed in, looking at the popstar as he spoke that, and Adrian was looking at her as well.
Adrian then looked around, at everyone who was looking at him expectantly. It seemed that everyone was just waiting to see what would be his answer.
And some of them already voiced their opinion to be in favor of the deer.
With a sigh, Adrian looked at the two, and said:
"I'll tell the servants to prepare a room for him."
"Adrian!" Charles said, and the older horse silenced him with nothing more than a glance, and turned his attention back to the two.
"As per your request, Officer Clawhauser, you will be held responsible if his presence brings any trouble." He said, serious, "This includes damage, inconveniences, and any other problems that can be caused by Mr. ..."
"Deerbrook." The deer said, looking at the horse, and Adrian nodded.
"Anyways, you will be responsible for any problem caused by the presence of Mr. Deerbrook." Adrian concluded. "I seriously hope that neither of us regrets this."
To Ben, that sounded nearly like a veiled threat. The cheetah nodded meekly at the horse, who nodded back at him, seeming satisfied that they reached an understanding, but some had the feeling that Adrian was still not happy for having an uninvited mammal barging into his house and suddenly becoming his guest.
"Okay then." Chandler suddenly said. "So, now that this has been solved, I guess that we all should go back to our game, right?"
"Game?" Gabe asked, and Ben looked at him.
"It is a mystery murder party. We play games for the clues." Ben said, looking at the deer. "We were about to start another one when you arrived."
"Oh, a game?" Gabe asked, "Are you winning?"
"Before you resume your game." Adrian said, cutting the conversation. "I'd like to have a word with Misters Ogami and Horne."
The wolf's ears flattened against his head as the horse turned to look at the two of them. His gaze was serious, and it made the wolf feel unease. Melon, on his end, just let out what seemed to be a resigned sigh from behind his mask, before he was getting up and soon both of them were moving out of the room, with Adrian coming right behind them.
"Adrian, wait!" Charles said, causing the older horse to stop to look at him. Charles immediately rushed to his side, and whispered something on his ear. This caused the older mammal to look at him, before he turned his gaze at the two mammals.
Soon, Adrian was leaving the room where the guests were, and going on to have a word with these two. Meanwhile, Benjamin was explaining to Gabe how the game worked, and how it has been going until now.
"That actually sounds like fun." Gabe said after hearing Ben's explanation. "And, think you already figured out who did it? What was the clue on the last challenge?"
"Excuse me." Chandler said, causing the deer to stop to look at him. "Not wanting to ruin your getting along or to be the buzzkill, but this is a game between the thirteen of us and... well, I am sorry, but I don't think I can include you in the middle of the game."
"Oh." Gabe said, and Chandler was apologizing, to which the horse said that it was okay.
"And, I also appreciate if you refrain from giving hints to others, including Ben." The horse said, and the deer nodded, understanding.
"But, can I watch?" He asked, and Chandler shrugged, saying that it was okay, as long as he didn't interfered with the game or tried to help or sabotage anyone, which Gabe promised he wouldn't, but he made it clear that he was going to cheer for Ben.
"I am sure that you are going to win." Gabe said, nuzzling closer to the cheetah. "You are one of the smartest mammals I've known. Seriously, you had to see how he and Josh both worked on new formulas. They had some amazing insights out of nowhere."
"Yeah, that was years ago." Ben said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But, that was before I renounced. Back on the day I studied nearly every day and ever since I renounced magecraft I... Well, I kind of let myself go."
"Yeah, we all can see that." Charles said, looking at the cheetah. Ben looked down, placing his free hand at his stomach. Meanwhile, Gabe glared at the horse, making him stand down a little bit.
"Well, I think that Benjamin looks as good as he did seven years ago." Gabe said, and this caused the cheetah to perk and look at him.
"Wait, really?" The cheetah said, sounding in disbelief. "I mean...back then I was... a lot thinner."
"You look great." Gabe said, sounding very honest as he spoke that, and this caused Ben to blush.
"Thanks." He said, and Gabe nuzzled on his arm again, while everyone watched it.
"God have mercy." Charles said under his breath. Meanwhile, Nick and Judy were looking at the deer and cheetah, like everyone else.
"D'awww." Judy said, founding the scene before her endearing. Meanwhile, Nick whispered to her:
"Yeah, it seems that Ben's ex really likes him, even after a broke up and seven years." The fox was looking at the two mammals.
"Think he would still like him enough to leave a love letter for him on the wall?" He asked, and Judy looked at him, understanding what he meant.
I still love you Ben
The words that had been spray-paint on the wall of the mansion on that very same morning...
"WHAT AM I EVEN PAYING YOU TWO TO DO!?" Adrian's voice resounded and, only for some miracle, it was not hear by the other mammals in the house. Legoshi would whimper, as his tail tucked between his legs; and Melon remained by his side, arms crossed as he looked at the horse, who was now making a tirade against them.
"I have to ask this question, because what I am paying you is not a small amount, by any means! I did expected you two to be worth what you are being paid! Or at least not to be useless!" The horse continued, looking between the two mammals. "But apparently, it seems that it was asking too much!"
Neither of the two mages said anything in return, and Adrian snorted as he looked at the two of them.
"What have you even been doing in these past weeks?" he demanded, looking at them. "Weren't you supposed to improve the security on the house!? Weren't you supposed to make it safer from invasions and from supernatural events!? Wasn't that the point of all of the precautions and charms that you have been putting all over the property!? To make sure that other mages would not be able to represent a threat to us!?"
A few moments of silence, before Legoshi said meekly:
"Y-yes..."
"Then how come someone managed to break into the house!?" Adrian demanded again, turning his attention to the wolf, who flinched. "How did a mage managed to pass by your protections and get inside of the house!? Not only that, but that mage himself said that your protections were so bad that he had no problem getting inside!"
"He didn't said that." Melon said, causing the horse to turn to look at his face. Or rather, at the mask that hide his face.
"He just said that the bounded field was awful, it doesn't means that it was bad." The masked mammal said. "You see, bounded fields are evaluated mostly on how hard is to detect them. Ours was actually pretty easy to detect, as the deer managed to noticed it from far, but it does not means that it doesn't do what it was supposed to do. You just asked us to make sure that the house was safe, you didn't wanted us to be subtle. At least, you didn't said it."
Adrian looked at him. And looked at him with a very serious expression.
"Take your mask off." Adrian said, causing the other mammal to look at him through the lenses of the gasmask.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." The horse said, looking at the antlered mammal. "Every time you talk to me, you are always wearing that surgical mask and those shades, and now you are wearing that." He said, looking at the other mammal. "Well, I've tolerated it all this time, but enough of it already. If you are going to correct me, at the very least do this by looking me in the eyes. Now. Take. Off. That. Mask."
For a long moment, both the horse and the masked mammal looked at each other, and Legoshi looked at the two of them. The wolf looked like he was trying to find a solution out of this in Melon's name. However, before he could, the masked mammal sighed, before reaching out for the straps of his mask and unfastening them, allowing the mask to come loose from his head.
As the mask was off, Adrian could take, for the first time, a good look at the face of one of the mammals he hired.
That was definitely not the face of a common gazelle. That much Adrian could tell with certainty.
After looking at him for a few seconds, Adrian then turned and walked. He turned around and walked in front the two mammals, in a manner not too different from a general walking before his subordinates, and as he did, he spoke:
"I hired you because I believed that you two could help make my house safer from whatever it was that was happening in here." He spoke, and then he turned around and walked in front of them once more. "I admit, for a while, I thought that it was a good decision. Ever since you two started placing protections around the house, the events stopped, and there hadn't been anything strange or unusual happening in this house. At least, no one reported these events again."
He passed in front of them once more, and this time, he stopped.
"Now, I am starting to think that you two never actually did anything useful." He said, and he turned to look at the two. "I am starting to think that I am actually wasting my money by giving it to you."
Legoshi whimpered, while Melon remained completely impassive.
"Have you ever even done anything useful since you started working for me?" The horse asked. "Have you ever did anything that would have helped make my house safer? Well, I am starting to think that you didn't, because someone easily managed to get inside without being detected."
"No!" Legoshi said immediately, looking at the horse. "Not without being detected! My bounded field and my familiars let me know that there was someone approaching the house and that someone had broken in! They even let us figure out his steps inside the house, and that was how we were able to find him!"
"Yes, but it did not stopped him from invading the house in the first place." Adrian shot back at the wolf. "If you are going to put some kind of barrier around the house then it would be better if it was one that prevented others from coming inside, don't you think? Aren't barriers for that?"
Legoshi looked down.
"T-this is not really how bounded fields work." The wolf said, "Well, actually they are, but I am not experienced with these kinds. But I placed bounded fields that repel magecraft and that allow me to know if someone is violating the perimeter. This way we can know if there is someone lurking around the place and this way we can-"
"It is not enough!" Adrian cut him, making the canine flinch. "Knowing that someone is lurking is of no use if you cannot stop them! Okay, this one was not dangerous, but what if he was? Would knowing that he was in the house enough to prevent him from killing everyone he found? I don't think so!"
"Besides, that mage noticed your 'bounded field' or whatever!" Adrian continued his tirade. "What means that others could notice, so they could find a way around it! 'A sloppy job', was how he called your field! What, are you being sloppy in your work? For what I am paying, I can at least expect you to do something decent! Unless, of course, you are too incompetent to do something decent! You know, that actually seems to be the case in here!"
Legoshi looked down as he was admonish, and he whimpered as the horse said these words. Meanwhile, Melon did not really liked it.
"Careful with your words, Manechester." The hybrid said, and this caused the horse to turn his attention to him on the spot.
"And you..." Adrian said, looking at the hybrid. "What have you actually been doing on the house, huh? You know, I've seen both of you on the house, and it was always the wolf who was doing something. All that you were doing was stand next to him and otherwise doing nothing. What, are you even more incompetent than him? Or are you just lazy and useless? Right now, I'd really like to know."
Melon said, nothing, only looking at the horse, older and taller, with a slightly tilted head.
"Why are you talking to me like that?" The hybrid asked, "You never talked to me like that before."
"Well, I am now!" Adrian snapped, looking at the younger mammal with anger. "I am because it seems that the work you have been doing was no work at all! Especially you, who just stand next to the wolf while he actually does anything! So, it seems that the wolf is actually the more competent of you two, while you actually do nothing! I've seen this before, two mammals form a team but only one of them to actually be good at the job while the other is a freeloader who just stays in there looking pretty and taking advantage. Is that the case between you two? Well, I think it is. For weeks now, I've thought this wolf to be an idiot when he is actually the one of this little team of yours that actually has any use, while you only take advantage of the little skill that he has! Honestly, I don't know why I haven't realized that before!"
Adrian looked at the hybrid with a reproving gaze, before he turned to walk once more, and that was when the hybrid said:
"Maybe because you haven't seen my face before."
This caused Adrian to stop and look at him.
"Maybe because up until now, you were under the impression that I was just a gazelle, so it was okay if I just stood and did nothing." Melon continued, causing both of the mammals to look at him. "But now it is not okay anymore, because you just found out that I am a filthy hybrid. Ain't that right, Manechester?"
He was looking dead in the eyes of the horse as he spoke that, and there was some glint on his eyes as he looked back at the horse, who glared back at him.
"What, think you are the first who changes attitude towards me after taking a look at my face?" Melon asked, "Well, you are not. It happened before, enough times for me to understand soon that it would be something common in my life. The price of being a hybrid."
"Is that so?" Adrian said, sounding and looking unimpressed. "Is that why you wear a mask and pretend to be a gazelle?"
"I don't pretend anything." Melon said, looking back at the horse without flinching. "I wear that mask and the shades because if I don't everyone stares at me as if I am some circus freak, and I honestly don't receiving those looks while I am walking down the street. If anyone mistakes me by a pure breed gazelle, it is not my fault or my problem."
"But you must hope that they made the mistake, right?" Adrian said, and Melon looked back at him. He opened a smile.
"Wouldn't you?" The hybrid asked, looking at the horse. "Wouldn't you prefer people to not scowl at you, glare at you, your even insult you simply for you having been born with a weird face? Wouldn't everyone prefer it? Sure, I don't have the intention of fooling anyone, but I admit that being able to go my day without being called things like 'crossbred freak' or 'half-mammal', or just 'weirdo' is the kind of thing that has its charm. To be able to stand in a room without people looking at me as if I am an alien, or as if I would pass something to them, or simply looking at me as if they felt offended by my mere presence."
He looked the horse dead in the eyes.
"Like you."
Adrian said nothing, and the hybrid continued:
"Yeah, I've seen that look many times before, in many pairs of eyes, in many different situations. You want to be angry at me, alright, I can accept that. But don't think I am not capable of see the repulse and the disgust in your eyes as you look at a gazelle's face with the eyes and mouth of a leopard, because I can."
Melon smiled, "And, just for you to know, I am used to dealing with people like that. Often with two or three punches."
"Are you threatening me?" Adrian asked.
"I am just saying that there is a limit to how much I can take." Melon said, looking at the horse. "I already have a lot of problem to hold myself back when you start being rude to Legoshi, and I only do nothing about it because I do want that wolf to learn to stand up for himself. But I am not a pushover like him, if you start wanting to pick a fight with me, you better be ready for me to strike back."
Adrian tensed as he heard that. There were few things that infuriated as much as someone who had the gall to threaten him like that.
"Now listen here you..." Adrian growled, jabbing a finger at Melon's chest. The hybrid's reaction was immediate and fast.
With quick movements, Melon grabbed the horse's finger and twisted it. Adrian let out a surprise neigh, as the movement of the hybrid forced him to move his body on the same direction, in an instinctual effort to prevent his finger from breaking. Luckily, Melon immediately let go of the horse's finger. To grab his throat with a firm and strong grip.
Adrian barely had time to react as he felt the hooved hand wrap around his throat and squeeze it so hard that it difficulties the breathing, causing it to hitch on Adrian's neck. The fact that the hybrid had managed to curl his fingers around Adrian's trachea and was squeezing so hard that the hooves threatened to cut through his skin helped the feeling of surprise that Adrian felt.
His hooves went to the arm of the hybrid, but he didn't effectively tried to free himself. In part, it was because, in the moment he opened his eyes, he was met with the scariest glare in the hybrid's face.
His eyes were widen, looking straight into the horse's and his pupils became vertical slits, like the ones of a savage feline. Not only there, but there was something on those eyes, a type of glow that you would only see in the eyes of a predator who had his prey captured, and could barely contain himself with excitement to taste their blood.
"M-Melon!" Legoshi said in surprise, but Melon gave him little attention, instead focusing his attention fully on Adrian.
"Look at me, Manechester." Melon said, looking back at the horse, who was nearly petrified. "Look right at my face."
"Imagine what it would be like to live with a face like that. To be ostracized because of it. Treated differently for something that you never had any control over, and that you will never be able to change. Sounds unfair? Well, that is what my life is like. Believe me; it is not fun. And Legoshi..." The hybrid gestured to the wolf behind him. "He doesn't exactly have the same problem, but his life is not the easiest either. Believe me when I say that he has problems of his own."
Adrian said nothing. He was not able to, with the hoof threatening to rip out his trachea if he moved suddenly. The arm of the hybrid certainly felt strong enough to do so, and the look on his eyes told him Adrian that he wanted to do just that, and all he needed was an excuse.
"If you want to talk us down for not doing a good job, then alright. That's your right as the boss." Melon concluded, his face relaxing, but his pupils were still vertical slits and still had that predatory, murderous glint, "If you will give us a scolding for doing what you pay us, that is alright, at any time."
He approached Adrian's face, and his voice took a low, threatening tone.
"But don't vex us, okay?" He said, "Because, with my face and Legoshi's personal issues, our lives are vexing enough already."
Adrian couldn't free himself from the grip on his neck. He could not fight back. He could hardly even think with the murderous hate that was irradiating from the hybrid. All he could do was look back on those eyes, which looked back at him as if he was a bug that this antlered mammal wanted to crush.
Then, all of sudden, it was gone. The eyes of the hybrid went back to normal, and he sighed. The grip on Adrian's neck loosened nearly instantly, and the hybrid let go, allowing the horse to cough as he grabbed his own neck as he went to his knees, gasping for air.
Adrian coughed for a few moments, before he ventured to look up at the hybrid. Melon was no longer focusing any attention on him. Actually, it seemed as if he had completely forgotten that Adrian even existed.
"Let's go, Legoshi." The hybrid said, "We have to go back to playing that game. Maybe you can get to win this time."
He sounded perfectly calm and collected as he said that. Maybe even a little bit looking forward to playing. As if he hadn't just threatened Adrian and held him by the neck. Adrian could only look at the hybrid as he walked to the door, completely ignoring the horse.
The wolf, however, didn't ignored him.
"Excuse me." The wolf said, before rushing after the hybrid.
They both passed through the door and left, leaving the stunned horse alone on his knees in the empty room.
Once Legoshi and Melon returned to the rest of the group, explaining that Adrian just wanted to ask them about reinforcing security as soon as they had the chance, the group moved back to the room where they had been before it all began. Gabe was with them, and he followed the thirteen mammals to the room.
Some mammals noticed that Melon was no longer wearing his mask, instead walking without any worry about hiding his face anymore.
"I just got tired of using this thing." Melon said when someone asked him. "It is heavy, makes it hard to breathe, and it feels like my face is inside an oven. I don't want to wear this for the rest of the night." No one else asked anything.
The boxes were still in there, all of them standing into pedestals of varied sizes, and once they were back in the room, Chandler soon was once more explaining to them what was the challenge that they would be facing next.
"Halloween box feel?" Legoshi asked after the horse explained what the next challenge was, and Chandler nodded back at the wolf.
"That's right, Mr. Ogami." He said, "Each one of those boxes has an opening on the side covered by a small cloth curtain. Inside each box are three small objects. There is one box for each one of you, and each one of you will place your hoof or paw into the box, without looking inside, and will try to guess what the objects inside are just by touching them. Now, normally people use slimy things, like cooked spaghetti as if they were worms or peeled grapes as if they were eyes, but I decided to simply use some regular objects."
"Do we have to guess all the objects?" Hannah asked, and Chandler was soon answering:
"Well, you only have to correctly guess two to pass and have access to the clue. But, if you want, you can guess all of the three objects, if you think you can. Okay, who would like to go first?"
There was a little conversation, and soon, it was decide that Melon would be the first one.
"Sounds good. After all, he was the one who did best on the last game." Euphemia said, "He did got the apple in one go."
"Yeah, the fangs certainly helped." Charles said, and soon, the first of the boxes was brought before the hybrid, and he stood in front of the box, looking at the opening at the side, and soon, he was placing his hoof through the opening.
He felt through the box, and soon, he was touching the first thing. He passed his fingers over the object, feeling its shape and the edges. He felt it for a while, and then he said:
"That's a band." He said, feeling the thing. "Wait... it actually is... Is it a horn band?"
"Pull it out and let's see." The horse said, and melon did just that. He pulled out what seemed to be some kind of band. Too thick to be a ring, and wider too. It looked the kind of thing that was made to be fit through a horn. It also looked expensive, as it looked to be made of silver with patterns carved into it.
"Got one right, Mr. Horne." Adrian said, "Keep going."
Melon then placed his hoof back into the box, he felt over, and then he touched another object.
"It's long..." Melon said, touching at it. "Smooth. It gets wider at the base. It seems to be made of... glass? Yeah, it is surely glass... With some metal cap." He touched it a bit more, and then he came to the conclusion of what it could be. "It's a bottle, ain't it?"
Melon soon pulled it out, it revealed a small bottle made out of crystalline glass, and it looked quite pretty. It had a golden cap on top, which made it look expensive as well.
"Two right." Chandler said, looking at the hybrid. "You can stop now or you can try guessing the last one."
Melon looked at him, and then he placed his hoof into the box once more, in search for the final object.
"Okay, I found it..." Melon said, and then after a moment, he said:
"What the heck? What is that?"
Everyone looked at him as he spoke that.
"Hey, Chandler, did you put some-" Melon started saying, but then, his eyes widened, and all of sudden he started screaming.
"Melon!?" Legoshi said, as he and everyone looked at the hybrid, who continued to scream as if he was in horrible pain, some mammals started asking what was wrong, some started screaming as well, and all of them looked in shock.
That was when Melon's screams turned into laughter.
The hybrid laughed as he looked at the surprised mammals, all of them looking back at him, and he was saying, between laughs:
"Alright guys... just kidding. It's a chess piece."
As he said that, the hybrid pulled the last item from the box, revealing that it was, indeed, a chees piece, made from wood and decorated with golden details, as if it had been painted with melted gold.
As everyone recovered, some of them were a little angry at the hybrid.
"Melon, this is not funny!" Legoshi said, still shaking slightly from the hybrid's scream, and Melon just shrugged.
"I thought it was funny." He said, and walked back to the wolf. Everyone was looking at him, and Chandler decided to continue with the game. The next one to go was Marcy, and she got wrong the first object, which she thought was a needle but was actually a small miniature of an arrow; however, she got right the following two, which were a wristband and a small decorated knife.
Next it was Josh's turn, and he had to guess the three objects. He got the first one right, as it was a small golden chain. Then he had the guess the second item, and he got it wrong; it was a pair of bracelets connected by a thing removable chain, and he mistook it by a pair of handcuffs. Then came the last object, and this one he got right; it was a box, and he was actually able to guess a box of what:
"I can recognize a box of cigars anywhere." The muscular cheetah said with a smirk, as he pulled the last item from the box, examining it. "Oh, and these are expensive ones!"
With this, Josh was soon returning to his place among them guests, as it was Ben's turn to guess.
"Go, Ben!" Gabe said, as the plump cheetah walked forward. "I know that you can do it! You are the best!"
Some looked at the deer as he cheered for the cheetah, and even Ben looked a bit at him, before he turned his attention back to the box, and placed his paw inside.
The cheetah felt the inside of the box, and there was an object that his paw immediately touched and that called his attention. It felt like some box. The feel was curious on his pads, as Ben could identify the material like some kind of plasticized cardboard. The kind where you would see in those stands of the stores, like those small gift boxes from the candy stores. Including Chadler's...
"Is that a candy box?" Ben guessed, and then, he felt better the box. "Wait... is it... a donut box?" Ben asked, and he then pulled the object out. The smaller box that came out was certainly a donut box. Ben had guessed it right.
"First guess correct." Chandler said, while Gabe cheered:
"That's it, Ben! Very good!"
"Hey, that's no fair!" Charles said, "Of course that he would recognize a donut box! He looks like he is around them all day long!"
Some glared at Charles, and the horse soon was shutting up, while Ben placed his paw back into the box, trying to feel for the other two objects. He touched something else. It was round. Seemed to be made of metal. It was connect to a chain.
"Is it a necklace?" Ben asked, and pulled it out, revealing that it was, in fact, a pocket watch.
"One right, one wrong." Chandler said, "You got one more guess."
"You can do it, Ben!" Gabe cheered. "Don't let that mess with you! I know you can do it!"
Once more, eyes were on the deer, and Ben soon was placing his paw into the box, feeling once more for the final object. Ben touched it, and soon, he was feeling it. He felt that it was something long and smooth, and could to the touch. It was a thin object, and Ben could recognize it as he held it on his paw. He ran his fingers over the object, and then came in contact with something fuzzy in one of its ends. It felt as if the object had hair on it. Or, was it fur? It was so soft. Ben took in the general shape that he was getting of the object, and soon, he was saying:
"That's a paint brush."
Ben pulled out, revealing a paintbrush with a long golden and silvery handle, with a brush formed by pure-white threads.
Ben had gotten the final item right. He had passed.
"WOOHOO!" Gabe said, causing the eyes to focus on him once more. "That's it, Ben! You are the best!"
Everyone looked at the deer, taking in how... excitable he seemed to be.
"Great." Charles whispered to his wife. "We now have to handle the fatso's groupie."
As Ben returned to the others, it was now Gazelle's turn. She got wrong the first object, which was a compact mirror, she mistook it by a recipient with fur product. Then she tried the second time, and she got it right this time, as it was a beautiful necklace. Then it was time for the last object, which were a pair of earrings, she got it right as well.
Then it was Tyson's turn, and he got the first object right, which was a Roarlex watch. Then he tried to guess the second one, which was a pair of cloth gloves; he mistook it by two tissues. Finally, it was the turn of the final object, which he identified as a small statuette; Chandler asked him to identify what it was a statute off, and the tiger guessed that it was a flame, but when he pulled it out, it was a wave made of blue crystal. He had guessed it wrong.
Then it was Nick's turn. A box proper for his sixe was place before him, and the fox placed his paw inside and felt around. He guessed right the first object, which was a magnifying glass. Then he guessed wrong the second one, saying that it was a claw-clipper when it was actually a tie clip. Finally, there was the final object, which Nick also got wrong; it was a brush, and while Nick had gotten it right that it was a brush, he thought it was a toothbrush, but it turned out the be a fur brush.
"I thought it could be a toothbrush for a bigger mammal." Nick admitted, "Should have felt the teeth. Man, what a shame for this era's greatest detective."
Judy chuckled as she rolled her eyes. It was her turn.
She got right the first object, which was a pen, a rather fancy one at that. The second object was a carrot-shaped necklace, and she got that one right as well. Then there was the third object, which was a small yin-yang statuette, the kind that you put on the nightstand near your bed; she got the statuette part right, but mistook what it was a statuette of. With this, Judy won the game as well.
Then it was the turn of Legoshi. The wolf touched the first object, and he immediately said that it was a beetle; Chandler than asked him to determine what was the object, and that was when the wolf confused himself; he said it was a little figurine, when in fact it was a brooch. Then he tried the second item, which was a spoon, and he got it right. Finally came the final item; which Legoshi said was a small pounder for a miniature pestle, only to pull it and see that it was, in fact, a stamp. He had lost.
Then it was Euphemia's turn, and she got all three objects right; a ring, a crystal statuette, and a handkerchief (she could even tell which material was the handkerchief made of). Charles was next, and while he got the first object right (a monocle); he got the next two wrong (a pin and a mirror, which he mistook by a coin and a cellphone, respectively). Finally, it was Hannah's turn, and the objects she was given to guess were a brush, a hand mirror and a furcomb; she guessed all of them perfectly.
"So, this concludes this game. Congratulations honey." Chandler said, looking at his girlfriend and then at the guests. "So, the ones who won this were Horne, Josh, Marcy, Ben, Gazelle, Hopps, Effie and Hanna."
"Well done, Ben! You rule!" Gabe said, once more cheering for Ben, and causing the cheetah to blush slightly.
"Okay then, those who didn't won the challenge, would you please go wait outside as I share the clue with the winners?" Chandler requested, and the four mammals were leaving the room, leaving only the winners, Chandler and Gabe.
"Okay guys. You have won the next challenge, so you have earned the right to know the next clue." Chandler said, looking at the eight mammals. "And this clue is... the boxes themselves."
Silence followed those words, as the winners looked at the horse, before Melon said:
"Say what?"
"The boxes themselves are the clue." Chandler said, looking at them, "Because for the purpose of the reunion on this house there was... there was... wait."
Chandler fished on his pocket for flashcards, and fumbled through them before he started readying from one.
"For the purpose of the reunion on this house, there was the goal of receiving a number of guests and ensuring that their stay would be pleasant from beginning to ending." He read, "So, as part of the celebration, one box was prepared for each one of the mammals who were previously invited for the party, each one containing a number of gifts for the guests to take back home with themselves by the end of the celebration."
He passed to the next card, and continued to read:
"All of it part of the hospitality of the Manechester family towards its guests." Chandler concluded, looking at his guests. "So, that's basically it. The boxes are the clue. Make of it what you will. Oh, by the way, all of you can actually keep what was inside of your respective boxes, they are all gifts."
"My, my. How generous." Melon said, looking at the horse.
Then a sound was hear, it was Chandler's cellphone. He took it and had a few words with the one on the other end, before turning back to his guests.
"Sorry guys, I really gotta take this. Would you all mind waiting outside?" He said, and the guests all complied, including Gabe, as they all crossed the door and were now waiting outside. The ones who hadn't won the game were also waiting in there, and as the winners arrived outside, they soon were talking to the ones who didn't won.
Gazelle talked to Tyson, Euphemia talked to Charles, Melon talked to Legoshi, and Judy talked to Nick. All of them were sharing the clue with their respective partners, as well as giving them the contents of their respective boxes, explaining that it was now theirs'.
"Now that is very nice of him. This thing looks expensive." Nick said, looking at the tie clip, and Judy had to agree. All of the objects that have come out of the boxes looked to be quite expensive, from the pen that looked like it was covered in liquid gold to the golden carrot with the huge orange gemstone incrusted in it.
"So, the boxes were the clue?" Nick asked, looking back at his partner.
"Yeah, that was what he said." The bunny confirmed. "I mean, I am not even very sure of what it means. I mean, he said that the boxes themselves were the clue, for they had been prepared to each one of the guests. I mean, does it means that the clues are on the box? Are they the gifts?"
Judy looked like she was still trying to interpret the clue, but Nick seemed like he was one step ahead of her in that.
"How many there were again?" He asked, causing the bunny to look at him, "How many boxes?"
"There were twelve." Judy said, looking at him, "One for each one of us."
Nick nodded, and he then asked:
"And, how many guests there were again?"
"Twelve." Judy said, not seeing what the fox was getting at.
"Wrong." Nick said, "I am talking about the number of guests that we had at the very beginning. Before the 'murder'."
Judy looked at him, blinked, and then she really considered it. She soon realized.
"Thirteen." She said, looking back at Nick. "There were thirteen guests originally."
"But only twelve boxes." Nick concluded, "One for each one of the participants of the game. Which means..."
"That there was no box for Blackson!" Judy concluded, and Nick nodded at her.
"What means that maybe Blackson was not supposed to be at the party." The fox said, "I am guessing that, in our little game, the blackbuck had arrived by surprise."
"But how?" Judy asked, looking at Nick. "I mean, if someone planned to kill him, they would need to be sure that he would be at the party. It would make no sense coming in here with a bug prepared with a curse, ready to kill him, if he was not on the guest list."
Nick nodded. Indeed, Judy had a point. After all, if it was truth that the bug with the curse had been previously prepared, as the fact that it was brought in a box suggested, with the intention of being used as a murder weapon to kill Blackson, then it would make no sense if they were in the party where he was not supposed to be.
Unless...
"Unless if it was not for him." Nick concluded, and this caused Judy to look at him. "If the one with the bug actually planned to use it on someone else at the party, but decided to use it on Blackson when they saw him."
Judy took in what Nick said, following his reasoning, and it made sense.
"But, in that case... the person had another target in mind."
"And Blackson was more of a crime of opportunity." Nick said.
"Because the blackbuck was not a planned guest, but a party crasher." Judy concluded. Nick nodded, and then they heard a loud laughing coming. They both looked at the direction the laughter was coming, and they saw that the laughter was the one of the Gabe, who was in a circle with Ben and his siblings. It looked like they were talking about something. Maybe an event of their past?
"Talking about party crashers..." Nick said, looking at the group from a distance. "Think we should call the Chief and let him know about ours?"
Yeah, that was a good idea. After all, the Chief had alerted them to keep an eye open for Deerbrook, maybe it was good to tell him that the deer was currently at the mansion. So, with this in mind, Judy turned her phone on and used it to contact the Chief. The buffalo seemed to be a bit stressed out when he picked up, was the investigation not going very well?
Well, the buffalo certainly became interested when Judy said why she was calling.
"He invaded the mansion? Are you serious?" Bogo asked, and Judy confirmed, explaining how Ogami had noticed him breaking the perimeter and how they were able to find him inside the house. She also described how the deer, upon seeing them, confronted Benjamin, right before he pulled him into a kiss.
"He... kissed Clawhauser?" Bogo asked, his voice sounding strangely strained.
"Yes, sir. On the lips." Judy explained. "It caught everyone by surprise, including Ben. But, he didn't seemed to mind. Actually, after that, he and Deerbrook hugged, and then Deerbrook continued hugging him as they sat down and he talked a bit with everyone. That was when Mr. Manechester came and wanted explanations. Deerbrook explained that he had only come to see Benjamin, and that he didn't had a place to stay, and Ben somehow convinced Mr. Manechester to let Deerbrook stay in the mansion, now he will be a guest in here for as long as we stay."
Bogo said nothing. There was only silence on the other end of the phone.
"Chief Bogo?" Judy asked, and then, the buffalo's voice came.
"And is he still close to Clawhauser?" Bogo asked, to which Judy answered that he was having a conversation with him and his siblings as they spoke, and that they all seemed to be laughing together.
"He might have something to do with the graffiti." Bogo said, "Maybe with the situation as a whole. Be sure to keep an eye on him, and let me know if he tries anything with Clawhauser."
Judy blinked.
"I'm sorry, do you mean if he tries anything at all?" Judy said, and the Bogo on the other end hesitated for a moment, before stammering.
"Y-yes. That's exactly what I said."
"Actually it wasn't, sir." Judy said, "Actually, it somehow seemed that you meant-"
"JUST KEEP AN EYE ON THAT DEER!" Bogo screamed with the booming voice that Judy was familiar, and it nearly caused her to drop her phone. By the time she recovered and was ready to say something back to the buffalo, he had already hung up on her.
Nick was by her side, and he looked at her.
"So, what did Buffalo Butt said?"
Before Judy could answer, Chandler came, announcing to everyone they would continue with their games now.
"So, if all of you could be kind enough to follow me back to the living room. It will be more comfortable if you are all sitting for the next part."