A/N: A new chapter yay! My only regret though is that we're so close to Christmas and I couldn't finish the next chapter on time. There's supposed to be a portion of the next chapter that takes place during Christmas time. Oh well, hope you enjoy and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :D
For links to the songs in this or other future/past chapters, please check out my Tumblr. The music presented in this chapter is from The Marriage of Figaro, an opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
…
Chapter 2: His Muse
The young fox Phantom remained in place behind the mirror. His mind still in awe at the new bunny.
Judy…
Her name echoed in his mind and heart, and it made butterflies flutter in his stomach.
What was this strange, yet grand and wonderful feeling that he felt? It was beyond anything he had ever felt before.
Curious, Nick slid two layers of glass pane open through his end of the mirror and entered Judy's room. He quietly stepped in and noticed her travel bags resting on the floor. It was then that he realized that Judy must be the new girl Madame Winter was talking about earlier. It was no wonder he had never seen her around before.
To his left, he saw the portrait of Stu Hopps and the burning vigil candle on the table. He picked up the picture frame. The top border of the frame read: 'STUART HOPPS (1825 - 1881)'. The masked fox's emerald eyes scanned the black and white photograph of the middle aged bunny, whom he assumed had to be Judy's father. His eyes stopped on the last name 'Hopps'.
"Judy Hopps…" he echoed quietly, wanting to forever brand her full name in his mind.
His eyes then wandered onto the death date at the top of the frame. The fox grew sad at that last detail. He knew all too well what it was like to lose a father.
He set the frame back down on the table and saw that there were a set of tiny bunny ears poking out from one of Judy's travel bags. He curiously reached in and pulled out an 'opera bunny' plushie, complete with an elegant dress, a carrot brooch, and a tall curled wig that just screamed that she was ready for a night at the opera.
Nick couldn't help but curl his lip in humor at the adorable sight. He gently tugged open the bag a little more with his finger to peek inside it and realized that the entire bag was full of stuffed bunnies. He couldn't help but chuckle quietly, "Cute," he said with a smile to the opera bunny in paw.
knock, knock knock!
"Judith?" he heard Madame Winter's voice ask through the door. She knocked once more and then opened the door. "Judith is that...you?" She peeked in…...and saw no one there. Madame Winter opened the door all the way and entered. "Odd, I could swear I heard someone in here."
She took notice of Judy's bags on the floor. "Seems she's arrived already." She closed up Judy's open bag and carried them over beside the bed. Meanwhile, Nick hid back behind the full body mirror as he watched her with the little plushie still in his paws. After Madame Winter had set the bags back down, she noticed a frame in Judith's room a bit skewed, "Ugh, Skye said she and May fixed this room. How did I ever raise such a sloppy girl?" She began focusing all her efforts on rearranging that frame, along with anything else that may have been left ill placed around the room.
Nick frowned annoyed that he couldn't enjoy his time in the room for a little longer, but then returned his attention to the plushie in paw. He took the little bunny's paw in between his thumb and index finger, making the little bunny wave at him. He smiled warmly at it.
Realizing that Madame Winter wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, he decided to take his leave with the bunny plushie in tow.
On his way back through the hidden tunnel, he thought back on the song Judy had sung earlier. "Angel of Music..." he quietly sang and hummed the sweet melody. Judy's beautiful voice still ringing in his ears as he ever so gently held onto the bunny plushie.
He brought a paw to his heart. There was that warmth again. That peace which felt so strange, unfamiliar, yet wonderful.
Once he arrived back to the boat, he climbed aboard and sat the toy across from him as he sailed them back to his lair - completely forgetting about his original mission of searching for Beau Bellwether.
.
The overture to The Marriage of Figaro blared over from the orchestra pit as the orchestra rehearsed for tomorrow night's big show and premiere. At the stage, the stage hands/paws moved around set pieces, preparing themselves for the set and prop transitions for the show tomorrow.
At the front row sat both Monsieur Bogo and Monsieur Clawhauser. Both of them enjoying the music.
May and Sharla stood by the curtains at the wing on the right side when Skye and Judy walked past them. "Skye!" May called to them.
"What are you girls doing here? I thought you two would be upstairs already," Skye asked as she and Judy made their way toward the pig and sheep.
"We originally came down to look for you two, but then we got stuck here. Gazelle's supposed to come on once the overture is over to rehearse," May replied, then turned her focus on Judy. "I take it you're the new girl?" May asked Judy.
"Yeah that's me," the bunny replied with a chipper smile.
"Nice to meet you, I'm May and this is Sharla," introduced the pig.
"Howdy there," said Sharla.
The girls shook paws/hooves in greeting. "Hi," Judy replied, "So are you girls also part of the ballet troupe?"
"Yeah, been part of the troupe for about three years," replied the sheep.
"And I've been here for about five years," answered May. "Skye says you two have been friends since you were kids, right?"
"Yeah," Judy replied. "We met when we were about five and six years old. And have been best friends since then!"
"Well, not counting the nine year gap that we haven't seen each other. Still, even without seeing each other in so long, we're still as close as ever," added Skye.
"Absolutely!" Judy replied happily.
"Really? That's incredible!" replied the sheep. "It's great to hear that you two were able to reconnect after so long."
"Shh,shh!" May suddenly interrupted, as her gaze moved forward to the stage. The overture came to an end and the orchestral music transitioned to the next song in the opera, 'Cinque, Dieci, Venti…'
The girls all turned their full attention toward the stage as most of the stage workers, including Finnick and Gideon, joined them at the wings. A tall, muscular tiger named Felix, who was clad in 18th century servant's clothing exited from the left wing and onto the stage. He had a ruler in his paw. Gazelle meanwhile rushed to the right wing where Judy and the others stood. "Am I late?" she asked, a little out of breath.
"Just in time hun," replied Finnick as she puffed the blonde tuft of hair on her head.
"I couldn't find my veil," she replied as she adjusted the veil in her hoof.
Gazelle's tiger co-star - and L'Opéra Populaire's primo don - walked through a door from one of the set pieces, entering his 'home'.
"I think that's your cue," said Finnick to the gazelle who nodded back at him.
"Wish me luck," she said to Finnick and the rest of her friends.
"Good luck," replied all the girls as they all saw her walk onstage with the veil in hoof. She entered through her own door from the set piece, meeting up with the tiger inside. Gazelle leaped into the tiger's arms and he received her with just as much gusto. They were supposed to be the soon to be wed couple of Figaro and Susanna in the production. They shared a small kiss and then went on to do their own thing. Gazelle stood before a mirror, gazing at herself while Felix measured the floor where their 'wedding bed' was to go.
Felix began to sing in Italian and in a deep tenor once it was his cue.
Cinque…
He marked the measurements with a pencil and continued to measure in song.
Dieci…
Venti…
Trenta…
Trentasei…
Quarantatre…
Once he was done measuring for the moment, it came to be Gazelle's turn to sing. She placed the veil over her head, admiring it and adjusting it over hear head as she sang her part in a beautiful classic soprano.
Ora sì ch'io son contenta;
Sembra fatto inver per me,
Sembra fatto inver per me
Back at the wings, Judy watched both actors with such admiration. "She's good!" Judy whispered enthusiastically to Skye and the others. "I've never heard such a beautifully trained voice like hers. I can see why she's this opera house's primadonna!"
"Of course she is," replied Finnick. "I don't think there's another girl around who can reach my girl's level of singin' talent."
"Oh I don't know about that Finnick. We might have a few little surprises lurking around closer than we think, eh Judy?" Skye asked with a nudge of her elbow to the bunny.
Judy frowned annoyed yet humored at her friend, knowing exactly what it was she was trying to get at.
They continued to watch them as Gazelle and Felix continued to sing and act on stage.
Gazelle:
Guarda un po', mio caro Figaro,
Felix:
Venti
Gazelle:
Guarda un po',
Felix:
Trenta
Gazelle:
Guarda un po',
Guarda adesso il mio cappello
Felix:
Trentasei
Gazelle:
Guarda adesso il mio cappello
Felix:
Quarantatre
Gazelle:
Guarda un po', mio caro Figaro,
Guarda adesso il mio cappello
il mio cappello
il mio cappello
As Judy watched the tiger and gazelle sing, she couldn't help but mouth out some of the lyrics with inaudible breaths. She knew the piece well. Her father had taken her to watch a much less extravagant, but still stellar production of The Marriage of Figaro at the small local theater at Bunny Burrow (the town she had moved to when she left Zootopia) when she was about fourteen years old.
Unbeknownst to her, her inaudible singing did not go unnoticed by Skye and the other girls. They looked at one another and kept their eyes on Judy, who eventually noticed their staring.
Judy smiled awkwardly and shrugged embarrassed, "It's a good song."
The other girls looked away, as did Skye, but she felt upset knowing full well what it was that caused her bunny friend's reluctance to sing.
Judy frowned, having a pretty good idea of what it was that Skye was thinking. She looked back onstage and couldn't help but stare longingly at the gazelle and tiger's performance. Though Judy had been able to express herself through song earlier, she knew that she still didn't quite feel like her old self yet and that something in her life was still missing.
She sighed hopelessly - desperately wishing that the angel of music was not just a fairy tale character that she had come to know from her father's old stories. She wanted to believe that he was in fact real and that he had heard her prayer and would be visiting her soon to ease the pain of her father's absence and to rekindle her love of music once more…
.
Nick rowed the boat all the way back to his lair until he reached the bank of his home. He hopped off the boat and picked up the doll from its seat. He carried it over to the organ and set it down next to the music sheets of his unfinished opera.
He sighed happily at the plushie as he rested his crossed arms over the polished wooden cover of the organ's keydesk. The enamored fox began to once again hum 'Angel of Music' as he closed his eyes and happily swayed side to side, wagging his tail to the rhythm of the music in his head.
He felt just like a happy kit again without a care in the world.
Nick lazily opened his eyes and stared quietly at his music sheets as he hummed. The hopeful beat of 'Angel of Music' soon began to transform into the sad hums of his depressingly dark libretto's music. He frowned as the dark music overwhelmed his heart with sadness - the sadness of his miserable life's unpleasant memories - all perfectly represented in a fictitiously ironic libretto about a casanova fox who had many lovers, but despite it all he had never known true joy or happiness. In his libretto, it was evident that there was no heaven - only hell and great pain in Don Juan's seemingly lively yet pathetic existence. Despite it all, Don Juan craved for heaven just as much as Nick did. But...heaven never came...
...until today…
Today, he had known heaven for the first time in a long time, for he had witnessed an angel before his very eyes and he had heard her heavenly song.
His humming transitioned in tone again, though this time from dark and depressing to light and hopeful once more. It wasn't 'Angel of Music' this time however, it was something new, but it bore the same hopeful spirit - as well as the same beautiful voice of a certain bunny singing it.
Nick felt the warmth in his heart return at the mere thought of her and her unmatched voice. That voice which could somehow light the darkness that clouded both his heart and libretto.
It was then that Nick knew that if Don Juan was to ever find the heaven he seeked, then it would only be through her voice.
Nick's ears suddenly perked at the thought. "That's it!" he exclaimed excitedly.
He ran toward his large bed and struggled to pull something heavy from underneath it. He dragged the item over a square patterned rug that lay beside his bed. The large item in question - was an open coffin.
The coffin itself, as most every other item within his lair, was a former prop from a stage production of Ram Stoker's Dracula. To Nick however, it was more than just a set piece, it would serve as his bed most nights and in time it would come to be his final resting place once he finished his libretto and murdered Beau Bellwether and his fellow rams.
He knew full well that age wouldn't be what would kill him in time, because he didn't intend on living long. Once he would accomplish his goals, then what? He had no family. Nor would he ever have one because of his hideous face. A career in music? Impossible. Sure, he had great faith in his libretto and believed it to be a masterpiece, but he had no intention of ever releasing it to the world. The day he would die (or rather, take his own life on his own terms), he would rest with it in his arms in his coffin. They would rot away together, forgotten by the merciless and cruel world - just him and his most prized possession.
That was his dream...
...Up until now...
Now...he felt different. He felt a strange calming feeling which made his heart feel...light. Was it hope? Is this what hope felt like?
The phantom fox decided that he would think about that later, right now he needed to find his previous notes for his libretto! He had been suffering from the worst case of writer's block and had only worked on it sparingly throughout the years. He could never think of a satisfying ending, but now he had one clear in his mind!
The fox dug into the coffin, pushing aside various scribbled notes and music sheets, desperately searching for something. He finally found what he was looking for. It was a book that was filled with his most recent notes and spare music sheets. He carried the book over to the organ, opening it over to a page that posed the question: 'Ending?'
Nick took a pen and began writing, filling in the blank space that lay below the question on the page. He then closed up the book and tore off the old scribbled sheets from the music stand and replaced them with new blank sheets. He started playing a few keys on the organ - recreating the new rhythm he had been humming earlier, though this time he wrote down every note he played.
As it would seem, Don Juan was Triumphant once more!
.
Sometime later, Madame Winter approached the backstage area where the orchestra and stage workers were putting away all their instruments, set pieces, and props. Looking past the wings, Madame Winter noticed that Monsieurs Bogo and Clawhauser were speaking with Gazelle.
They both seemed very impressed with her, but more so the chubby cheetah who was absolutely gushing at the gazelle and filling her with praise. Madame Winter approached them as Clawhauser spoke, " I know I said this already, but you have the voice of an angel! O. , are you amazing!"
"Aww, you're too much," giggled the flattered Gazelle.
"Oh but I mean it," continued the cheetah, "You even brought a tear in Monsieur Bogo's eye, and he's never moved by anything."
"Uh," Bogo cleared his throat with a fierce blush of embarrassment, "Clawhauser, I don't think you need to share unnecessary details like that. And in any case, I wasn't crying."
"But I saw you-"
"My compliments to you, Mademoiselle Gazelle," stated the buffalo, completely cutting off and ignoring the cheetah, "I agree that you were rather marvelous and deserve all the praise coming to you." Bogo shook her hoof.
"Thank you Monsieur Bogo. You're too kind," replied the Gazelle with an appreciative smile.
"Don't be too modest Gazelle," spoke Madame Winter as she approached them, "You have been working just as hard as everyone else in this production and you have earned your praise."
"Thank you Madame," answered the Gazelle.
"Madame Winter, was it?" asked Bogo of the vixen.
"Oui," she replied, "I believe we were not properly introduced earlier." The vixen shook paws/hooves with the two notaries.
"I am Monsieur Bogo and this is my associate Monsieur Benjamin Clawhauser. We are Comte Savage's notaries and temporary representatives of his ownership while he is away for the next six months."
"Is that so? Then I suppose it is you whom I must inform of this opera house's inner workings."
"Inner workings?" Bogo asked, uncertain of what she meant by that.
The vixen glanced over to Gazelle, "Gazelle my dear, would you please spare us a moment?"
"Oh! Yes, right," replied the gazelle obediently, already having a pretty good idea of what they were going to be talking about. "I have a party to go to anyway. Please excuse me. It was nice meeting you two," she said to Bogo and Clawhauser with a polite curtsy.
"Is that party for Judith's arrival?" asked Madame Winter.
"Yes ma'am."
"Tell her I said hello then. And be sure that you all go to bed early. You have a performance tomorrow and I won't tolerate grogginess out of anyone tomorrow morning. Is that clear?" said the elder vixen with a stern tone.
"Yes ma'am. I will be sure to let the others know."
Gazelle nodded and left, but not before Clawhauser yelled out one more, "It was nice meeting you!"
"You appear to run a tight ship, Madame Winter," said Bogo rather impressed as he too admired punctuality and order.
"Yes well, one must do so if we are to have a successful opera house. Now come with me, walk with me gentlemammals." Madame Winter led them backstage as they headed toward a buffet table which still had plenty of food sprawled out throughout it. "So you say Comte Savage has entrusted you two with his share of the opera house while he is away."
"Yes, he said he had some personal and financial matters to tend to before running the theater himself," replied Bogo.
"I see," answered the vixen as she poured herself a cup of coffee from the spread, "Coffee?"
"No thank you," replied Bogo.
"Well then feel free to help yourselves to anything else you'd like," she said with a wave of her paw over the spread.
"Ooh! Don't mind if I do," said Clawhauser delightedly as he helped himself to some food.
"Tell me Monsieur Bogo," continued the vixen, "Where is the other notary that was accompanying you this morning? There were three of you were there not?"
"Yes, Monsieur Ramses. He is not with our firm though. He is the second buyer's notary."
"And who is the second buyer?" inquired Madame Winter.
"We don't know. He wouldn't say and even Comte Savage has kept that information secret from us. He referred to it as a hush hush situation."
"I see. Do you know where he is now?"
"Oh, he thsaid fhe fwas going thoo bed early," replied Clawhauser with a mouth full of pastries.
"Please refrain from speaking with your mouth full, it's rude," answered the vixen critically.
"I tell him that all the time, but he never listens," added the buffalo as Clawhauser lowered his head in shame.
"I'm thwarry," he muffled with a mouth full of pastry.
"Anyway," Bogo began, "It's as my associate said, Monsieur Ramses said he was going to bed early."
"Are you all sleeping in the bedroom adjoining his office?" asked the vixen.
"Yes, so rest assured we know where to go when we are to turn in," replied Bogo.
.
As Bogo and Madame Winter conversed, Monsieur Ramses was indeed at Monsieur LeRoe's former office, but he was anything but asleep…
The ram was sifting through Bogo's briefcase in search of something. "Ah," the ram uttered quietly as he pulled out what he was looking for - the deed. Bogo and Clawhauser's copy of the deed which stated all the terms and conditions that all parties had agreed to.
Once the ram had what he needed, he took his own copy and sat at Monsieur LeRoe's desk. He took a pen and began to add in something on both copies just above all of their signatures - legitimizing the new addition.
.
"Well if Monsieur Ramses is indisposed at the moment, then I suppose I must ask you both to relay the information I have for you," continued Madame Winter.
"And what information is that Madame Winter?" asked Bogo.
"The Phantom. Monsieur LeRoe has informed you about him, yes?" she asked.
"Yes!" Clawhauser jumped in, carrying arms full of food. "He told us about all the violent incidents that have happened and about the ghost rumors involving Jonathan Wilde and Fang Pandu!"
"So you know not to go against his wishes then?"
"Yes!" cried Clawhauser in a panic.
"No," said Bogo simultaneously.
"You would be wise to side with your associate Monsieur Bogo. This Phantom is not someone to be taken lightly."
Bogo scoffed, "Don't tell me you actually believe in such nonsense?"
"What I believe is not what is important, monsieur. What is important however, is that you do what must be done as temporary owners of this opera house."
"And what precisely must be done, madame?"
"Obey all that the Phantom asks of you without protest," replied the vixen simply.
"Why? We owe him no loyalties. Clawhauser and I are bound by our word only to Comte Savage. Who may I remind you, is not only one of our most important clients, but he is now owner of this opera house and it his wishes that we shall obey."
"On the contrary, monsieur," replied the vixen, "Comte Savage and his co-owner may be the legal owners on paper, but this is the Phantom's theater and his word is law here."
Bogo chuckled, "Absurd. No one knows for certain whether or not he is a ghost or a living mammal. Let alone real. How can a so called spectre own property?"
"Because he makes it his property and quite successfully I might add," replied the vixen as she poured herself a second cup of coffee.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Bogo.
"Nothing, it's just that despite the many scares and incidents, the theater has had its most successful period in the years that Monsieur LeRoe began to obey the Phantom's creative choices. We may not know who or what he is, but he does have an ear for music."
"Ridiculous," Bogo scoffed with a cross of his arms.
Madame Winter took a sip of her coffee before she spoke again, "Tell me Monsieur Bogo, did Comte Savage put you in charge of discovering the Phantom's true identity while he's gone?"
"Yes," replied the buffalo, uncrossing his arms, "How did you-"
"I've known Comte Savage for years. I know how stubborn he could be when he's skeptical of something he refuses to understand or believe in," she took another sip, "Odd though, that he would task his notaries with such a great responsibility."
"I used to be a police officer prior to a back injury, if you must know," he informed her, to which the vixen nodded.
"All the more reason why you should heed my words. I know this whole Phantom thing seems ridiculous, but I can promise you, monsieurs, ghost or not he is real. And he is merciless if you try to go against him. I tell you this for your own safety. Don't do what Comte Savage asked of you, or you will regret it." Madame Winter set her glass down and turned to leave until she remembered something. "Oh, one last thing." She pulled out an envelope and handed it to Bogo.
"What's this?"
"It's just something the Phantom left in my office this morning. I thought I would be giving it to Comte Savage, but I suppose it will be your responsibility for the next six months."
What is it?" asked Bogo as he opened it.
"It's just a reminder that the Phantom's salary is due," she replied simply.
"His salary?!" shouted Bogo in disbelief.
"Yes. Monsieur LeRoe would usually pay him 20,000 franc-bucks."
"Twenty thousand?!" shouted the buffalo again. "Th-That's absurd!"
"Call it what you will, but I'm certain you'll be able to afford it with Comte Savage as new owner. Not to mention we have our premiere of The Marriage of Figaro tomorrow night. Tickets have already sold out, so there should be plenty of funds to pay him with." The vixen then gave them a nod, "Have a pleasant evening, gentlemammals."
She left, leaving them dumbstruck. Clawhauser took the letter from the stunned Bogo. "We're not really going to continue trying to capture the Phantom, are we Monsieur Bogo? Even after all that Madame Winter told us?"
"Puh," Bogo scoffed at the cheetah's fears, "Of course we are. The Phantom didn't deter Comte Savage and I won't let him deter us either."
"But what if he tries to drop a chandelier on us? Or pushes us off a platform? Or decides to haunt us for the rest of our lives? Or-"
"Calm yourself Clawhauser. It's blatantly obvious that this Phantom is nothing more than a living mammal trying to scare everyone around him."
"What makes you so sure?" asked the cheetah.
Bogo took the letter from the cheetah's paws and showed him its contents right to his face. "What kind of ghost needs money?"
"Oh…" said Clawhauser in realization, "I should've known you'd be one step ahead of things, sir!"
"Of course I would, I wasn't on the police force for twenty years for nothing. I promise you Clawhauser, we will get to the bottom of this. Come hell or high water." Bogo glanced once more at the Phantom's letter, "But for now, we will play his little game. Lure him into a false sense of security. The same will go for that vixen."
"Why Madame Winter?" asked the cheetah curiously.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling that she may know more than she lets on. We will keep an equally vigilant eye on her as well, do you hear me?"
"Loud and clear sir!" Clawhauser saluted him as if he were still the officer he once was.
Bogo nodded, "Come now Clawhauser, we have some finances to review if we are to pay this ridiculous request." The buffalo and cheetah left the backstage area and headed to their temporary office.
.
Elsewhere at the attics, otherwise known as the flyworker dorms…
A coed slumber party was well underway.
"Finn! Finn! Finn! Finn! Finn! Finn!" female and male voices equally cheered Finnick on as he chugged a large bottle of alcohol. He finished it with a swipe of his muzzle and slammed it down on the floor where he sat.
Judy sat beside Skye and clapped as the troupe of ballerinas cheered for Finnick with whooping hollers.
"Not fair! You sure you didn't cheat Finn?" asked another flyworker - a wolf, named Wolford. "There's no way a little guy like you can guzzle down a bottle that size without passing out."
"I told you I wasn't no light weight, now pay up Wolford," ordered the small fox of the wolf who just grumbled in annoyance, but paid up just the same.
Gazelle clapped for him as he leaned back against her lap, "Yay! Good job baby."
"Thanks gorgeous," he looked up and she reached down to kiss him. "Alright, who's next? Anybody? He glanced toward Judy, "How 'bout you new girl? Think you can beat me?"
"Uh, no thanks. I'm not much of a drinker and I highly doubt that I'd have your threshold for alcohol," said Judy, politely declining.
"Suit yourself," Finnick shrugged. "Anyone else?"
"I'll take that challenge," said Felix. The large tiger took the fresh bottle of alcohol that Finnick was offering.
"Is that really a good idea Felix?" asked Skye. "You and Gazelle can't afford to have hangovers during tomorrow night's performance."
"And there she goes again," scoffed Scarlett, "Can we ever have any fun with you around, young Madame Winter?"
Skye bared her teeth annoyingly at Scarlett.
"Don't worry Skye, it's just the one bottle," said the tiger reassuringly, "Besides, if Finnick can handle it, then I think I can too."
"Alright, just be sure you're not slurring your lines tomorrow night." The vixen then turned to Scarlett, "And you be sure to not steal Gideon right from under Sharla's nose."
Sharla looked behind her and noticed Scarlett caressing her fingers through Gideon's tail. The black sheep's jaw dropped furiously and slapped the red vixen's paw away from her boyfriend's tail. The vixen backed off as Sharla glared back at Gideon - his ear was twitching which meant he was enjoying the sensation. "I thought it was you," he declared innocently.
"You better have," said Sharla as she placed her hoof on his tail and pressed it securely around her.
Felix began to chug the bottle of alcohol as most of the girls began to cheer him on. May however moved closer to sit beside Judy and Skye. "So Judy, Skye says you grew up here in Zootopia is that right?"
"Yeah," answered the bunny. "I was born and raised here up until I was eleven years old. After that I moved to Bunny Burrow with my family."
"Bunny Burrow?" asked Sharla, overhearing their conversation. Just then, Felix ceased his chugging, he had only gotten to about three-quarters of the bottle until he felt he had to stop.
He started having a coughing fit as all the girls groaned in disappointment yet clapped him for his effort. "God...cuh, cuh...that's some strong liquor."
"What'd I tell ya? What'd I tell ya?" boasted Finnick with a smug, cocky smile.
"Yeah...you win Finn," said Felix with a burning throat as he handed Finnick some money.
Judy and the other girls giggled, amused at the competition. "Anyway," said Sharla, getting them back on topic, "That's so amazing to hear that you were living in Bunny Burrow! You know, me and Gideon are from Bunny Burrow ourselves."
"Really?!" replied the bunny excitedly.
"Yeah, have you ever performed at the Carrot Days Festival? I think I may have seen you sing there once before."
"Yeah, I used to perform there every year with my dad!"
"Right! Your father used to play the violin! I knew I had seen you before!" said the sheep with a cheerful smile. "You two were great! I really loved hearing you both perform! You had such a beautiful voice Judy!"
"Aww, that's so kind of you to say, but I'm sure it's not that great," Judy replied with a modest rub to one of her ears.
"Sure it is, isn't it Gideon?" Sharla asked her boyfriend.
"You kiddin'? Stu Hopps and his angel voiced daughter were the talk of the town when it came to the Carrot Days Festival," confirmed Gideon.
"Is that really true?" Judy asked, amazed to hear that she and her father had made such an impact in Bunny Burrow.
"Course it is," replied the chubby fox, "Ask anybody back at Bunny Burrow and they'll tell you the same. Heck, take my word for it. I was never the musical or sensitive type as a kit, but I gotta tell ya, first time I heard you sing, it brought a tear to my eye."
"Really?" Judy asked in awe.
"He sure did cry," confirmed Sharla. "I never let him live it down when we were kids. Especially given how much of a jerk he was."
"Yeah, Sharla and I didn't really used to get along back then," Gideon said with an embarrassed chuckle and rub of his neck.
"Mm-hm," sassed Sharla with a cross of her arms, "You'd never believe how rude he was to me, Judy. Always picking on me and my brother."
"Yeah," he said continuing to rub his scruff in embarrassment, "I was a major jerk."
Sharla patted his paw with her hoof, "You sure were, but you're my jerk now." The two stared lovingly into one another's eyes... until the tender moment was cut short by Scarlett.
"Yawn, boring," interrupted the red vixen, "Enough with the sappy boring stuff, how about we ask Judy something more interesting?"
"Like what?" asked an offended Sharla.
"Like, did you meet any cute boys while you were at Bunny Burrow? Hmm?" asked the flirty red vixen of Judy. "Or do you have some gorgeous beau waiting for you back home?"
"Why?" sassed Skye of the other vixen, "So you could steal him like you did Sherri's boyfriend?"
"Please," scoffed the red vixen, "I didn't steal Charlie from Sherri."
"No, you stole him from me!" barked another girl in anger, "You stole Edwin from Sherri."
Sherri glared at Scarlett, "I didn't steal Edwin from her either," defended the vixen. "Everyone knows Edwin ran off because he was scared of the Phan-"
Skye acted quickly and tossed a biscuit at Scarlett's face, silencing her before she could finish her sentence.
"Ow! What was that for?" barked the angry red vixen.
"It slipped," replied Skye with a sly grin.
Judy cocked a brow, wondering what that was all about.
"So Judy?" asked one of the other girls, "Is there someone special in your life?"
"Um…well," Judy blushed, a little embarrassed by the question, "I guess...you can say that."
"Oooh!" wooed some of the girls, further embarrassing the bunny as all eyes were now on her.
"Who is it? Who is it?" asked May eagerly, "Can we have a name and description?"
"What kind of animal is he?"
"Is he from Bunny Burrow?" asked the girls, eagerly.
Judy giggled, still blushing. "He's a hare," she said, answering the first girl's question. "And actually, he's an old childhood friend of mine from here in Zootopia."
Everyone around her moved closer to her, eager for more information and with growing smiles. That is... everyone except Skye, who's smile slowly began to fade as her mind quickly began to make the connection as to who it was given the current information.
She couldn't... thought the vixen, She couldn't still have feelings for him too, could she?
"His name is Jack Savage," said Judy, inadvertently confirming Skye's fears.
"Wait," May cut in, "Do you mean Vicomte Jack Savage, Jack Savage?"
"Yeah," Judy confirmed with a nod, "Do you know him?"
"I used to, his father and mine were business partners some years ago."
"Oh, well yeah. That's him," Judy giggled bashfully.
"Were you guys childhood sweethearts growing up?" asked Sharla.
"You can say that," Judy blushed, "We last saw each other ten years ago when we were kids. His father had to move his family away for business purposes, but before he moved away he took me aside and told me, 'I'll love you forever, Little Lotte' - Little Lotte was his nickname for me - and after that, he kissed me."
"Awwww!" everyone cooed around her, causing her face to burn red. "That's so romantic!" squeaked a bunny with white fur and dark brown spots named Emilia.
Skye meanwhile, grabbed at a necklace hanging at her neck. Her heart was broken and her gaze stuck forward in horror to see everyone rooting for Judy and Jack. Though at the same time, she felt absolutely guilty over that fact. They were her best friends and they were closer in species so she shouldn't feel jealous or angry over their interest in one another.
May turned to Skye and noticed her broken demeanor, just as Emilia asked Judy a follow up question. "Have you two kept in touch after all these years?"
"I'm sorry to say that we haven't. We did for about a year, but once I began traveling with my father and we started performing, we kind of lost track of each other. Plus he moved from Zootopia too, so that made it worse."
"Where'd he move to?" asked Emilia with a disappointed frown.
"I think it might have been...The MeadowLands?"
"It was Podunk in Deer Brooke County," Skye said, almost robotically. "He moved to The MeadowLands four years ago."
"Oh, that's right. I forgot," Judy replied, a bit embarrassed that her friend kept better track of her childhood sweetheart's location than she did. "You have a better memory than I do Skye."
"Well, it's nice to keep track of friends," said Skye with a friendly smile despite a secret twinge of sadness in her voice.
Judy smiled, completely oblivious to the vixen's hidden affection for Jack. "True, I know you two were really close too. I remember how he always really loved dancing with you because he said you were so good at it!"
"Oh yeah!" Skye giggled, reminiscing with joy at the memory, "Remember how he always used to deny that he loved dancing and claimed that he only did it because his mom forced him to learn?"
"I remember," Judy giggled. The two girls laughed wholeheartedly. Skye ceased her laughing however, one she noticed everyone eyeing her as if she was the one who was in love with the hare in question.
The vixen cleared her throat as she struggled not to blush at those precious memories. "Yeah, those uh...those were great times we had together," Skye said, much more composed and as stoic as she normally presented herself, "But come on, we were nowhere near as close as you two were. You two are...great together," she said with a happy yet forced smile.
"Thanks Skye," Judy smiled appreciatively.
"Oh, I really hope you two can find your way back to each other again," sighed the ever hopelessly romantic Emilia.
Judy giggled, "That'd be nice. But even if we don't, that's okay. I mean, we were just children. It's been years since we last saw each other, so who knows if he even still remembers me. For all I know, he's probably changed or met someone else by now."
"Oh no, but you can't give up hope just like that," cried a hopeful Emilia.
"Yeah"
"Yeah," agreed some of the other girls.
May on the other hand, kept an observant eye on Skye, knowing full well that her friend is still in love with Jack. Probably more so than Judy. "I think you're romanticizing things a little too much Emilia," she said in an attempt to dissuade the spotted rabbit and the other girls from favoring only Judy and Jack's union, "I personally think that Judy's taken a very mature and practical stance on the whole situation. After all, it was just a childhood crush. It probably didn't mean anything in the long run, right?"
"You're probably right," Judy said with ears down but with an understanding smile.
Skye felt relief at May's words and Judy's response. But despite her own feelings, the vixen couldn't help but feel guilty. Namely because Judy's ears were drooping, which meant that she wasn't really happy. Besides, she knew that Jack and Judy's story was not over yet, not after what his father had told her about him.
Skye took a deep hesitant breath, but spoke just the same, "You will meet him again."
"What?" Judy asked.
"Jack's coming back here. His dad came by this morning. Turns out Comte Savage is one of this theater's new owners and he told me that Jack is coming back here in another six months. He's…" Skye swallowed hard, "He's still very much in love with you even after all these years."
"He is?" Judy asked, surprised yet touched by the revelation.
"Yeah," Skye replied, pushing back a lump in her throat.
Emilia and the other girls squealed in delight for Judy, while May glared at Skye with a look that said, 'really?!'
"It's not over yet! This is your chance Judy!" cheered Emilia as all the other couples in the room, snuggled up together, hopeful for Judy.
"Do you guys really think so?" asked the blushing bunny.
"Of course!" they all cheered...all except for a very silent Skye and a very unconvinced May. She just couldn't grasp why it was that Skye didn't admit her own feelings for the hare. Much less to the girl who she claimed to be her best friend. Judy would surely be understanding of it all, right?
It was all just an unsolvable puzzle to May. She had known the vixen too as a child - they had met a year after Judy had left to be exact - and she knew just how much the vixen loved the hare. She also knew Jack as a child and to her recollection, he spoke very fondly of the vixen as well, possibly even about as often and affectionately as Skye did about him.
It was not to say that Judy wasn't deserving of Jack, but May couldn't help but feel that there was more to be said between the vixen and hare as well. Maybe it was just her.
Still…
Skye was her friend, and she couldn't let the vixen deny her feelings without her own fair fight for his heart. "Yeah, we're all rooting for you Judy," said May, "But don't let some silly childhood promise cloud your rationality."
"May!" scolded Emilia, "Don't take away her hope."
"I'm not. I'm just being realistic. I know Jack Savage too and he's a great guy, I doubt he's changed for the worse. But still, six months is a long time. He may not have met anyone else, but what if you meet someone else in that time Judy? Zootopia is full of a lot of handsome catches. A fact which I'm sure Scarlett can attest to."
"Mmm, you got that right," purred the flirtatious red vixen.
"Right, see," pointed out the pig.
"What's with you all of the sudden, May?" scoffed Emilia, "Don't you want Judy to be happy?"
"Of course I do, it's just-"
"No, she's right," Judy interjected. "Believe me, I look forward to seeing him again and hopefully rekindling what we once had. But I suppose what May said could turn out to be a possibility. Even though I don't think I could ever like anyone else besides Jack."
Skye frowned, her gaze dropping hopelessly.
"I guess a guy would have to be something pretty darn special for me to ever fall in love with anyone else besides Jack," said a doubtful Judy with a humored giggle.
.
Elsewhere…
Nick had just finished his work for the day. Though he hadn't finished his opera, he had quite the productive day! He had never felt more inspired than he did today! And it was all thanks to his beloved muse, his inspiration, his angel of music, his Judy.
He laid down on his bed, sitting the bunny plushie over his chest, admiring it. He playfully poked at the little carrot brooch at its neck line. "I had a pretty productive day today and I owe it all to you little Carrots. Well, I should say I really owe it all to big Carrots. Or would Judy just be Carrots?" he pondered with a paw beneath his chin. "What do you think Little Carro-!"
He was suddenly cut off by the bunny plush as it fell forward, its sewn on lips landing right against his own as he spoke. Though it was just a toy, his ears stood and his eyes widened in surprise.
Nick couldn't help but stifle a chuckle as he lifted the plushie's lips off from his own, "Why Little Carrots, I didn't know you were so forward," he playfully teased at it, "At least let me court you first."
The masked fox placed a paw against its cheek, caressing it with his thumb, "If only you were the real Judy." He stopped caressing its cheek to place a paw over the white mask on his face. He sighed with a sad shudder, "Who am I kidding though? I bet she'd just run away frightened like everyone else if she were to ever see what's underneath this mask. Not to mention once she finds out about my haunting reputation as the 'Phantom of the Opera'. I'll bet one of those chatty ballerinas has already slipped and told her all about me despite Madame Winter telling them not to." He groaned in frustration, "What if they've told her all about the terrible things I've done? About how much of a monster I am. I know I've done bad things, but I'm not a monster. At least, I don't want to be." He sighed hopelessly, "But what else can I ever be in her eyes, when I can't even speak to her to let her know the real me. The me that's been hidden under this hideous face of mine." Nick sat the plushie back upright on his chest to speak to it directly. "What do you think, my little angel of music?"
Of course the doll gave no response, but the more Nick mulled on what he had called her, the more he thought of something, "Angel of music…" he whispered in thought. He sat up, holding the doll and looking straight at it, "Angel of music," he said again. He thought back on the song Judy had sung earlier and remembered that she had been singing to an unseen entity. To the Angel of Music and begging him to come to her and be by her side. Surely it was to comfort her during her father's absence, Nick figured.
She had arrived and comforted his tortured musical soul. So perhaps...he could return the favor and aid her ailing musical soul in return!
It was then that Nick had thought of a plan. A full proof plan wherein which he would be able to speak to her without her ever having to lay eyes upon him. "Angel of Music!" He cheered with a happy laugh as he held the plushie high in the air. He had his plan!
She would come to know him. But not as the dreaded Phantom of the Opera, but as her Angel of Music.
...
A/N: Just so you know, this is technically the last of the more introductory chapters. From the next chapter forward, the story really starts to build a lot more.
Also as I mentioned in the intro, the next chapter is to involve a Christmas scene and since the next chapter won't be out until some time after Christmas, I hope you can all still enjoy it. It's supposed to be a very sweet chapter if I must give spoilers, so I hope you all look forward to it! ;)