"Anti-racism isn't about why, it's about WHY NOT. Why is so much of our anti-racism 'political'? Why not marry casual racism if you love it so much. In fact, why not invent a special casually racist door that won't hit you on the butt on the way out, because YOU are fired!
Not you, anti-racist reader, you're doing fine.
YES. YOU. Box. Your stuff. Out the front door. Parking Lot. Car. Goodbye."
-Furry Johnson. Black Lives Matter. BIPOC Lives Matter. LGBTQIA2+ Rights Matter.

2nd Peelian Principle: To recognize always that the power of the police to fulfill their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behaviour, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect.

. . . This shouldn't need explanation. . . But, Dear Police across the world. You have some 'recognizing' to do. Your power comes FROM the people, and should never be used at the EXPENSE of the people. ALL the people.

In this chapter, Nick continues his journey, as both he and Judy interact more, and become better friends. And, we move steadily towards Nick being yelled at by a polar bear. . .

Disney owns everything here. Always has.

A Move in any Direction

"Gha. . . Ngh." The fox struggled to breathe, as he reached the end of the pylons again. He knew he didn't have any time to waste, so he pivoted and-

Beep. 11-2.

He ran back, across the gym towards the other set of pylons. He'd made it past the 'target' by a few levels by now. All the others had stopped by now. He could have stopped. . . But, no, he couldn't. Even as he tasted that disgusting, coppery taste of blood in his mouth.

"C'mon, you can do it, Nick! Keep going!" Judy yelled from the sidelines, cheering with all her heart the entire time he was running. And, when he ran the obstacle course. That was why he couldn't give up. If she was still cheering, and he was still breathing, then he'd keep running. Kind of.

"Let's go, Wilde!" The coyote shouted, with a slow clap. There was also the Inspector, he guessed. . . But, no, he was running for Judy. Only for her.

But mammal, was it going to kill him. He arrived at the end and turned quickly.

Beep. 11-3.

"Aaahggh." He grumbled as he struggled to take in enough oxygen. But, at the same time, that was drying out his mouth, which was making it harder to breathe, which. . . This sucked. The bloody taste was not actually blood, Judy had assured him. It was just caused by your lungs overfilling with carbon dioxide, and a few other things he didn't understand or listen to.

As far as he was concerned, that was just as bad.

Beep. 11-4.

He barely hit the line, as the sound played. The cruel, evil beeping monster continued. "Hurry, Nick!" Judy shouted, trying to be encouraging. But, to Nick, he felt more like he was being tortured, and she was driving it on. He was the last potential recruit on the filed, with the other five having given up shortly after they hit the pass mark.

But Nick had something to prove. To himself, and, to Judy. And Inspector Zredyote. . .

Nick picked up the pace, but he knew it was all going to be over. He ran, as fast as he could, and just barely reached the line when the sound repeated.

Beep. 11-5

He made it. But, as he jogged past the line, he knew that he was done. He panted heavily, as he slowed to a brisk walk, and turned in a random direction in the gym. "Ahh. . . Ahh. . . I'm done." He confirmed to the officer holding the clipboard as if it was not patently obvious. In the din of pain that filled his head, he could hear the clapping and cheers from the sidelines.

Most of the recruiters, with their own applicants, were encouraging them all to cheer for each other, and support one another. It was supposed to encourage camaraderie, and that it would be important for the recruiters to see that they knew how to 'play nice' together.

But no one could really cheer when they couldn't breathe. Nick laughed, painfully, as he wandered around the gym like an aimless fool.

"Alright everyone, good job today. For ever one that passed both the obstacle course and the shuttle run, check with your recruiter before you leave about the next step. For those that didn't, we will be running these tests again next week. . . Although, some of you may want to try next month. . . Thank you all for coming." The test supervisor called out, as all the applicants did the same, tired shuffled over to their recruiters.

Some of the recruiters looked angry, Nick noted as he made some slow walk circles, trying to catch his breath. Was it because their guy didn't make it? Or, was it because a fox outpaced them all? He didn't know, and now, it didn't matter.

What mattered was keeping moving. He was warned by Judy that, if he suddenly stopped moving afterwards, there was a high chance he might throw up. Or, pass out.

He thought she was kidding at first, but now. . . Yeah, he could feel it. Keep moving. He held his chest, as he calmed his breathing as best he could. It was working, as his tongue lolled out of his mouth. Sure, he looked ridiculous. But if he didn't pant, he was going to die.

After a few more moments of panting and breathing, he felt better. And, from the corner of his eye on one rotation, he saw both Judy and Inspector Zredyote walking towards him. He stopped his rotations and began walking towards the bunny with intent when he saw what she was holding.

Yes. . . The elixir of life. The rabbit smirked, as she offered up the water bottle with a sassy flop of her ears. That rabbit, so much damn moxie in so little of a form. It was absolutely adorable. "Here you go, tongue-boy. You did great."

"Ha, ha." the fox groaned out, as he took the water bottle from Judy's paws. He wasted no time popping the top off, as he took a deep drink from the blessed chalice of plastic. The water was so refreshing, as he swallowed it eagerly.

The old coyote crossed his arms and nodded. "Yes, you did well, Nick. I'm impressed." He spoke, in his regular deadpan voice. You could tell he was somewhat happier than normal, but he guessed that was the standard with him. Ta much as you could hope, at least. "Go home and relax, Wilde. I'll see about scheduling your medical and your psych exam, and I'll send you an email with the dates."

All business, like he always was. He wondered how it was for Judy, standing on the sidelines with him. She'd been pretty nervous about seeing the Inspector again, as she hadn't talked to him since her own application.

Judy had been concerned, maybe he wouldn't remember her. Of course, Nick had to remind her that she was literally the only rabbit in the police service, and, the coyote certainly remembered her in his interview.

That made her even more nervous, but, hey, she didn't have to come cheer him on, if that was the case. He was pretty sure the punch that came from that comment could be considered police violence, but she was too c-, Adorable, for that. Besides, she mocked that it was really him who wanted her there in the first place. Not wrong, but still.

The coyote reached out, and patted Nick gently on the back as he continued guzzling the water down. Nick nodded, despite not at all wanting to go home right now. That place was still so depressing. He swallowed hard and took in a deep breath as he continued to pant slightly. At least his tongue was mostly in his mouth now. . . "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Nick responded between pants.

The inspector nodded. "Good. We will be in touch. Hopps, it was nice to talk to you again. Tell Wolfard I said hi." Zredyote added, turning to the rabbit. She jumped slightly, as he turned his attention to the little bunny. Nick let out a soft snort, shaking his head.

"Yes, sir. It was great to talk to you, too, sir!" She added, as she stood at attention. Did she know how she looked to Nick? Like, seriously. He couldn't help but smile at her antics, at every single thing she did.

The coyote nodded and suddenly smiled. Nick's ear twitched, amazed to see that it was even possible. He'd never seen it, at least. The rabbit's tail twitched, as she straightened her back even 'harder'. Jeez, how could he handle this? "Well, I'm heading back to file paperwork now. I'm sure you two can find your way out?"

Nick nodded between pants, as he slowly began to breathe normally again. At least, nearly normal. His tongue was still flapping at the end of his mouth, but that was acceptable. "Yes, sir!" Judy chimed in, as the coyote turned and began walking toward the exit.

Around them, the other recruiters were still talking to their applicants as they lead them out of the gym, while the tester began the laborious task of putting away some of the equipment. One of the recruiters, a wolf, sounded disappointed with their applicant, as they made their way out the exit.

Nick frowned, shaking his head. Were these people really that upset over losing to a fox? Why did it even matter? Was there some competition between the recruiters about who had the best applicant, or something?

Zredyote didn't seem like the kind of mammal to play that sort of a game. . . But Nick supposed he won this time if that really was a thing. It seemed silly-

The rabbit reached up and wiped her paw on his chin. Nick looked at the rabbit, surprised, as she shook her hand with a disgusted look. "You're starting to drool all over the floor. Close your mouth, slick." She teased, as she shook her head and turned toward the door.

Nick frowned and clamped his jaw with a sharp clack. He instantly wanted to open it again, but he wasn't going to let the rabbit get the best of him. "Alright Carrots. But next time, I'm going to drool on your face instead of the floor. Would you prefer that?" He joked, as he followed behind her with his typical, childish gait.

She looked back at him with an unimpressed smirk, before shaking her head and continuing towards the door. It was one of Judy's days off today, by random happenstance. So, instead of wearing her police outfit, she was wearing a light blue shirt and a set of yoga pants.

Nick had to admit, it fit her well, as she bounded her way towards the door. But he could say that about a lot of things he'd seen her wear. He was starting to think she could pull off wearing anything, unlike the poor fox himself.

Looking down at himself, he shook his head lightly. Fucking shorts, again. . . They sucked so bad. He took another glance around the room, and caught sight of the testing officer, working on moving the set of stairs back away. It looked pretty big, even for the Jaguar. . .

"Hold on, Carrots. I'm gonna give her a hand putting everything away." He muttered, as he abruptly turned and started walking her way. He heard Judy turn behind him and follow closely behind. Typical Judy.

"Good idea. . . Then, we can go get something to eat." She agreed with a nod, as they walked up to the large cat.

"Can we help you, put some equipment away?" He asked cautiously, as the jaguar looked up at the two of them. She seemed mildly surprised. It probably wasn't very often that mammals offered to help.

She shrugged, as she began to roll the stairs towards the open storage room. "Sure. . . You can start with grabbing the pylons, and the mats. . . Here, I'll show you where they go."

When Nick said he knew a good place, Judy didn't question him. He'd lived his whole life here, he had to have known the best restaurants by now, right? You live in a place long enough, you knew where to go to get the best for anything. That was how she knew the best restaurant in Bunnyburrow was Elmer & Bugs.

However, when they'd pulled up to the little diner, in the shadow of the overpass, Judy suddenly wasn't so sure. Not that anything looked very wrong with the building. It seemed to be at least decently taken care of. But it didn't exactly look. . . Well, it looked like a complete dive.

Renaud's Kitchen, the large lighted sign said above the front door. The exterior itself was very Art Deco, making Judy wonder if it was constructed that way originally, or if it was some 'retro' thing they were trying.

Not that it mattered, she was willing to give it an earnest shot as they walked up to the door. After all, they did walk all the way there, anyway. . .

The moment Nick had walked through the door, all the waitresses recognized him and greeted him kindly. The cook, a peppy female skunk named Annette, had slipped out of the back to say hello as well. Clearly, he'd been here a lot over the years. . .

Nick introduced Judy to them and gave them a short story about how they became friends because she'd out-swindled him. A true story, and one she greatly approved of. It was the truth, after all.

To her surprise, the diner was busy. There were only a few empty tables, and the one of the waitresses, a vixen, quickly ushered them into a nearby booth. And, as she looked around the diner again, she once again got slightly concerned about the food they were going to be served.

She shook her head lightly, realizing she was being judgemental about a place she'd never been before. The staff was nice, and it was clear that Nick came here a lot. On those things alone, the place deserved a shot.

Nick had ordered a cricket and soybean burger and fries, and she ordered the roasted carrot and bok choy dish. It seemed like it would be tasty, and Nick had told her it was a good choice after she'd mentioned it.

"Thanks, Delilah." The fox spoke, nodding to the waitress as they passed back their menus. The vixen smiled back at him, glancing between him and the rabbit.

"Not a problem, Nicky. You two's food'll be out right quick. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Judy." She said with a wink before she turned and walked back to the kitchen window with their order. Judy wondered if there wasn't maybe a bit of a past between her and Nick. . . But that wasn't very relevant, was it? He was a male in his thirties, his business was his business.

"Yeah, this place has been run by Annette for. . . Wow, it has to be a few decades now. . . It was named for her ex-husband, back when they were still together. . . Don't bring him up around Annette, though. She kicked his ass to the curb a long time ago and hates it when people bring him up. Makes me wonder why she didn't change the name. . . Everyone asks who Renaud is." He talked, as he relaxed into the soft booth seat across from the rabbit.

She smirked and shrugged. "I don't know. It does seem odd to-"

"Hey Nick!" the familiar skunk's voice called through the kitchen window. She turned, to see the woman leaning out with an angry glare, waving a ladle in their direction. "You'd better not be talkin' bout my good for nothing, cheatin', lyin' ass motherfucker of a husband, yah hear?! Not in my establishment! You wanna talk about him, you can take your ass out the fucking door!"

Nick raised his paws, apologetically. "Sorry, Annette, my bad. . . Won't happen again." He murmured, ears folding back as he put on the most earnest face Judy had ever seen. She would've believed it if she was a fool. Unfortunately for Nick, she'd seen it before. . .

The skunk shook the ladle again, cocking her head to the side. "You'd better. I'll whoop your tail; don't think I won't." She growled before she turned back into the kitchen and disappeared. Judy rolled her eyes and turned back to see the fox leaning across the table, with a paw hiding half of his muzzle.

"Sad part is. . . Not a single thing she just called him was a lie. The mammal was incorrigible." The fox whispered to her, grinning widely. Judy had a feeling that if he ever told Nick a secret, she could count on it to remain that way for about thirty seconds. Or, however long it took for him to get close to someone else.

Still. . . A cheater, a liar, good for nothing, and a motherfucker? She had to admit, the story related to that had to be interesting. But she could wait until they left, she needed to change the subject. "So. . . is this one of those places where a cop shouldn't look too close?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nick leaned back, holding a paw to his chest as he feigned being insulted. "How dare you. . . Not every place I like must be involved in criminal dealings, you know. But, no. This place isn't involved in anything other than making good food if that's what you're concerned about. That's why it's perfect. The only time cops come in here is during their lunch breaks, and they're more concerned about getting fed than paying attention. It's easy to avoid the police when you hang out at their lunch spots"

She rolled her eyes at the fox. "Are you feeling better now? Not dying inside?" Judy asked, smirking at the fox. She couldn't really say she'd felt better when she finished her attempt either. It was hard, after all.

Nick smiled back, as he rested his elbows on the counter. "Well, I'd have been better if we didn't have to walk here. Sitting down was probably the worse idea, though. . . My legs feel like jello now. . . You might have to carry me home, Carrots."

"Good luck with that, Slick." She muttered, shaking her head at him. Considering they'd take a train most of the way here, he was being such a whiny kit. If it came to that, she'd drag him by his tail long before she'd bother picking the fox up. He'd probably remember how to walk before they'd gone more than five metres.

If they could go an inch. "Here you go, a glass of OJ, and green tea for the rabbit. Your food is just about done." Delilah spoke, coming out of nowhere with their drink order. The vixen placed the two glasses down and smiled between the two. "So. . . Are you t-, Oh, I'll be right there, sir!"

"Thanks." Judy added as the vixen moved away. "You did really good today, Nick. Your training is really paying off."

Nick smiled, as he took a sip of his juice. Then, he shook his head. "Yeah, I'm starting to feel a lot fitter, I think. If this keeps up, I'm gonna have to beat the females off with a stick. . . . Thanks, for pushing me so much. . . Even if you're a cruel bunny."

Judy rolled her eyes, hard. As if the fox could've had trouble with women before. Even as a bunny, she could tell he was a decent looking fox. Sure, he was a bit of an asshole. But he also had a heart of gold somewhere down there, and the slightest streak of morality. Honestly, Judy was surprised he hadn't gotten hitched a long time ago.

Especially with the looks that the vixen seemed to be giving him. She wasn't sure, but the vixen seemed to pay a lot of attention to them, and especially the fox. "You come here a lot, don't you?" She asked, innocently hiding her line of thought. For now.

Nick shrugged. "Yeah, every once in a while at least. When your kitchen is mostly a microwave and a hotplate, you kind of eat out a lot."

Judy laughed, imagining how Nick's apartment might have looked. He'd talked about it being small a few times, but Judy wondered if he was just being dramatic. Every time he talked about it, be made it seem like it was built for a species one size too small for him. Which, might have been true. . .

However, she had another question in mind right now. . . "Is it the food that has you coming back so much, or, the people?" She continued her line of inquiry, as she leaned forward and rested her head on her paws.

Nick shrugged. "I like the food. And, Annette is great fun, when she's not threatening to kick my rump. It's a good enough place, I think. Why? You don't like it?"

Judy shook her head. "No, it seems pretty nice. We'll see about the food, though. . . What about Delilah? She seems pretty nice."

Nicks head tilted, as he narrowed his eyes at her for a moment. Suddenly, Judy wondered if she'd hit something, she shouldn't have. . . Did they break up? Unrequited love? But then his face relaxed back into a smile. "She's funny, when she wants to be, at least. Other times, she's a real pain in the ass. Sometimes I hate my aunt for cursing the world with her presence, but, that's family for you. She's doing well in University, I hear."

Oof. Judy internally winced, suddenly feeling very disgusted with her thoughts. She kind of earned that, didn't she? No wonder the vixen was friendly, they were family. She needed to get out of this quickly. "I see. . . So, do you think you'll have enough money for rent? Until you get hired?" Judy asked, taking a hard right turn out of that.

Did he know what she was inferring. . . She couldn't really tell, the way he was smirking at her. But, at the mention of money, the smirk faded slightly, as flicked his gaze down to the table. "I suppose that depends how long it takes to get hired. . . How long did it take you, at this point?" The fox inquired.

Judy tilted her head back, as she tried to remember what it was like for her. It was different when she'd applied since she'd lived all the way back in Bunnyburrow. Inspector Zredyote had scheduled several tests in one day, just to make it so she didn't have to drive in constantly.

"Well, we got most of the tests done pretty quickly. . . But, from where you are, I'd say it took about four months for me to finish everything and get a callback. You're already going faster than I did, though, so, I'm not too sure how long it'll take you." She murmured, shrugging.

Nick nodded slightly, sighing. "Well, as long as it takes exactly that long, I should be fine. Might have to start eating ramen a lot, though."

Judy laughed at the thought, while she thought about what that meant for him. There was no guarantee that it wouldn't take a lot longer than that. Some applications took over a year, and others were finished in three months from the very start. It all depended on whose desk it was on, and how the background checks went. And, the hiring needs of the police department of course.

Still. . . She hoped it would go quickly for him. Judy knew it wasn't exactly her fault, but she would feel bad for being involved in him losing his house. . . There had to be something that she could do to help that, right?

And then, she remembered her own lease, and perked up. "Hey, actually. . . My lease extension expires in about three months. I was debating on talking with the landlady about getting a. . . different apartment. . . My neighbours are nice, and all, but it would be nice to be able to sleep without hearing all the ruckus. I know there's some two bed, one bath units in the complex, so it would likely be pretty cheap."

Nick looked back up at her, with a surprise expression. To be honest, she was a little surprised with herself. Sure, they were friends and all, but, moving into a new apartment was a lot, considering she was happy where she was.

However, she wanted her own bathroom, instead of the 'floor' bathrooms. So bad. And, maybe a real kitchen would be nice. "That'd be pretty expensive for you, wouldn't it?" Nick asked, cautiously.

He was right. However. "Well, if you don't get a call back by then, I expect you ought to get a part-time job, at least. I definitely expect you to pay your half, you know." She teased, shaking her head. The idea of a fox bagging groceries, in a silly supermarket uniform, was hilarious. And, mildly cute, if she was honest. He'd look silly.

The fox smirked at her, shaking his head. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. This fox doesn't do 'manual labour' very well. Delicate hands, y'know?" He mused, holding his paws towards her.

She had to admit, he knew something about pad care, that was certain. But she sneered at him. "Really? I'm pretty sure I saw you do a whole lot of manual labour, just for a bunch of pawpsicles. . ."

Nick laughed. "Touché, Carrots. . . Still, do you really think you could handle living with a fox?"

She rolled her eyes. "I've dealt with living with over two hundred siblings. I'm pretty sure I've dealt with far worse than some fox fur on the couch. If you know how to work a vacuum and a broom, you'll be better than most of my brothers."

Nick's smile widened, as he leaned forward. "While I'm not saying yes, or anything, I can say that you're in luck. Not only do I know how vacuums work, I also know how to cook. And, I'm damn good, if I say my-"

Delilah came in and placed a large plate full of food down in front of the fox before he could finish. "Mhm, yeah. I've tried your spaghetti before, Nick. You can't even figure out the instructions on a ramen pack. Don't listen to him, Ms. Bun. There's a reason he comes in here all the time." She finished with a smirk, as she set down a hot plate of vegetables in front of the rabbit.

She grinned at the fox, whose smile had quickly evaporated into a frown. "Spaghetti, Nick? How do you mess up spaghetti?"

The fox sighed, as his ears flitted backwards. "My hotplate broke, once, and she's never let me forget it. . . I cook jus-"

"Ha!" The vixen continued, shaking her head. "If only it was once. You've still got that hotplate, don't you? Why? It only works half the time anyway?"

Nick stared at the vixen, ears pinned against his neck. "It works fine if you hold the cord the right way."

"That's a fire hazard, Nick," Judy interjected, genuinely concerned. "Faulty electronics are responsible for a lot of accidental house fires. If your hotplate is having cord issues like that, it's possible it could cause a fire. You should get a new one."

Nick looked at her, eyes wide with disappointment. "I. Unplug it. When I'm done. Okay?"

She shook her head. "Not really. What if you forgot to unplug it one day? It could set your entire apartment on fire. Do you need help buying a new one? I could lend you some money." She offered, genuinely. How much could a hotplate really cost?

"Nope, I'm fine, thanks for nothing, Delilah, this burger looks great, mmmmh." He growled, as he grabbed the burger and chomped down on with a snarl. Judy smirked at the angry fox, as he began chewing on his first few bites. She wasn't sure if that meant he enjoyed it, or. . .

"Well, I've got other customers, so, I hope you two enjoy the food. . . Have fun~." She teased, as she walked away.

"Thanks for the food." Judy tried to add as the vixen walked away. The fox did turn back to her with a wink, before hurrying off to another table. Finally, Judy turned her attention to the food in front of her.

It was definitely roasted carrots and vegetables, with a large helping of greens on the side. They were clearly seasoned, so. . . They should be good, right? She looked up at the fox, who was busy angrily eating his burger. He was such a silly tod.

But she couldn't keep holding off, as she grabbed her fork and looked down at the plate again. She stabbed a lone carrot and lifted it to her nose. She took a quick sniff, nodding approvingly. She could smell that they'd taken a lot of time seasoning them. She glanced up from the carrot, seeing the fox watching her curiously.

He was still holding the burger to his muzzle, eyes locked on the rabbit sniffing her food. She narrowed her eyes disapprovingly. It was a habit, she couldn't' help it. "What's so interesting, Slick?" The rabbit asked, one ear flitting to the side in annoyance.

The fox jerked slightly at her words, as he lowered the burger slightly. He licked his muzzle, clearing off some bug debris as he swallowed the bite he'd taken. "Nothing. Just, your nose twitches. When you do that sniffing thing. It was kind of adorable."

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up." He had to be funny, didn't he? He snorted and started eating his burger again. With that, she lifted the carrot back up, and took a big bite.

Holy shit. She wasn't sure what it was. . . But damn, it was good. She took another bite, and another, while the fox watched on with a grin.

"See? I told you this place was good. Wait till you try the bok choy."

He was right. The bok choy were damn good.

When they were done eating, Judy fought with Nick to pay the bill. He couldn't just sit there and mope around about his finances without consequences, after all. Besides, she felt bad for judging the place before she ate. Especially when they were all so damn nice.

Luckily for the rabbit, Delilah seemed to like the idea of pissing off Nick. She even chimed in to say that instead of paying the bill, he could buy a new hotplate. That shut the fox up for a bit, as he glowered on their walk back to the nearby train station.

But it wasn't long before they started chatting again, laughing at one another as usual. As they walked up the stairs to the station, Nick glanced down at his phone. "Oh, and look at that. . . A very detailed message from Zredyote. . ." He murmured, as he tapped on the screen.

She smiled, as she hopped up the stairs. "Well, don't just leave me in suspense, Nick. What's it say?"

He let out a snort, shaking his head. "Well, obviously, I passed the physical. . . Wow, I guess my Psych Eval is tomorrow. . . And he's got my medical scheduled for Wednesday and the polygraph on Friday. . . Well, I guess he's really putting the pedal. . . down." Nick started before his voice trailed off. She turned and saw the fox had frozen in place, halfway through walking up a stair.

His face looked. . . concerned, as he stared at his phone. "What's up, Nick?" She asked as she cocked her head to the side. What else was in that email?

Nick looked up at her, as his ears flitted back. ". . . The panel interview's next Monday. . ." He muttered, shaking his head slightly. Judy was conflicted at that, as she let out a sigh. She was happy for him and wanted to be excited and celebrate.

But. Nick had talked to her about this before, and, he was still nervous about the interview. This wasn't with Zredyote this time. This was the big one, the one that truly mattered. It would be three other officers, and no one that he knew, probably. Instead of normal questions, you were asked to 'describe a time when'. Which, sounds easy, until you are sitting there with three mammals watching you, writing down everything you've said.

It wasn't so fun. "Oh. . . Well, it's better that it happens sooner, right? Get it over with?" She muttered, cringing as the words came out of her mouth. That never made anyone feel better, did it? But, the fox nodded, and looked back at his phone.

"Yeah, it definitely could be worse. He says he wants to meet with me before then and work on my answers and stuff. . . Do a few practice runs, I guess? I mean, this is good news. It seems like everything's moving pretty fast, right?" Nick responded, putting on a grin as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket, heading up the stairs.

It was indeed the last step that Nick would have to actively participate in. After that, it was down to a background check, and then just waiting for a call. It was, surprising to Judy, a lot quicker than her own sets. But that meant nothing on the back end.

Depending how busy the office that did background checks were, it could take months. And then just waiting for them to finalize the application, you couldn't predict it. But that was thinking pessimistically.

"It is good news. It still could take a while. It really depends how many applications they're running through right now, and whether they are hiring a lot of officers right now. . . I mean, it doesn't hurt to have a backup plan just in case it takes a bit, right?" Judy countered. She hated being a stick in the mud. . . She wanted to reassure the fox, make that smile a lot brighter. Somehow.

They were friends. Good friends, she figured. It was kind of weird to think that one of her first friends in Zootopia was a former criminal. . .

He let out a soft snort, shaking his head lightly as he started walking back up the steps. "Oh, don't worry, Carrots, I'm considering your offer. I'm not against having a sugar bunny. I am such a trophy fox, after all." He teased, looking back at her with a grin.

She rolled her eyes, as she started following the fox up the steps. "Mhm, keep telling yourself that, Nick. I just want to have a bathroom I share with only one mammal, for at least once in my life. You're just a convenient way to achieve that. You're still going to have to pay your half of the rent."

The fox walked up the final flight of stairs, thumping his way toward the wait benches by the track. The cost of getting one room, one bathroom apartment in Zootopia was immensely expensive, especially since they were so sought after by out-of-town university students.

That, and she imagined it would be nice to have someone to talk to on the daily commute to the police station. The ride was a long ride, after all. "Mean bunny. . . Are you going to make me sell my body to afford rent, Carrots?" The fox teased, as they waited by the benches. They could see down the track, the train car approaching from a distance.

Nick had such a bad sense of humour. But she could beat him at his own game. "I mean, technically that's what it means to have a regular job, right? Sell your time and your body for the purposes of some other entity?"

The fox glanced at her and shook his head. The train slowed to a stop, as the doors hissed open in front of them. "I suppose that is true, isn't it?" Nick murmured, as he walked towards the doors.

She hopped along behind, grinning. "Besides, I doubt I could get a nickel selling you on a street corner." The rabbit teased, as they filed into the car. Surprisingly, the car was fairly empty, and there was an empty bench they could sit on.

Nick scoffed, holding his chest in feigned pain. "Oh, how cruel, Carrots, how can you be so mean to me?" He whined as he headed for the empty seat. The fox quickly appropriated it, and Judy followed suit as she hopped onto the seat.

Nick looked down at her, with a silly grin on his face. "It's fun." She responded with a shrug, causing the fox to chuckle as he shook his head.

"C'mon. . . Wouldn't you buy me for a nickel, Carrots?" He asked as he looked at her with that cheeky smirk.

She leaned her head back, as she considered the thought. Briefly. "How about a penny? I could use some help cleaning my apartment."

"Ha!" The fox blurted out, as he leaned back and crossed his arms. "No. I do have standards, Carrots."

"Mhm. . . Right."

Monday.

The polygraph was fine, the medical was fine, and the psych exam was of course just fine. Well, maybe he was a little flustered by the polygraph. . . But they didn't cancel all the other appointments, right?

Besides, looking back on his time in 'the chair', it was probably the best preparation he could have had for this. He looked from one side of the table to the other, at the three officers quickly jotting down information in front of him.

The Inspector drilled him with questions when they first got together to 'practice'. He was practically yelling at the fox, demanding answers. It was kind of freaky but looking back on it made these three officers seem far less intimidating.

They had met and went through over three meetings, not including all the 'mini' sessions that he'd gone over to Judy's for. She offered to come to his house. . . That was a definite no. She mocked him enough already, without adding that ammo.

She even did a 'running' interview with him, which he was certain was a method of torture. He couldn't even answer halfway into it, it was so hard to speak. She'd always laugh, and slow down, and cheer him on.

Which. . . He honestly didn't know how to feel about some days. Growing up, he was so used to being ditched by people he thought were his friends. He was a fox, after all, and he should've been 'accustomed' to being a loner.

Even Finnick, he was entirely prepared for him to ghost the entire time that they worked together. Speaking of, he wondered how Finnick was doing. . . Nick had 'given' the entire business to him, and at the stern warning of Judy, he was encouraged to 'legitimize' it.

As Judy so eloquently pointed out, they were so close to doing so already. . . Mostly, be more honest, and file the taxes, after all. Thinking back on that, he felt silly for living his entire life as a criminal.

He gave his head a slight shake, barely noticeable, as he threw that thought out of his head. Thinking about criminal things here. . . Was probably not a good thing. Besides, he was thinking about Judy.

That dastardly rabbit. She was going to be a part of around a dozen of his potential answers and questions in this segment. It wasn't his fault he never did anything good in his life until he'd met her.

Well, maybe it was. . . But she affected him a lot, even in the short time they'd known one another. Her personality, her smile, that cute way that she bounded when she walked. Wait, adorable, not cute. It wasn't enough to stop saying it out loud, he needed to make sure he stopped associating that word with her.

Besides. Adorable was accurate with that bunny, especially with that tail flicking about. He grinned, as he lowered his eyes and started to imagi-

"Well, I think we're ready to begin, Mr. Wilde. . . Sorry for the wait." A zebra spoke up, at the head of the table. Nick nodded in response, as he pushed that image out of his head. Not the time for that kind of delinquency.

"No apology necessary, sir." He responded as he stood up straighter. Why wasn't he nervous now? Well. . . There really wasn't a point to be nervous now, was there? It wasn't like he could run out of the room. And, thanks to Judy and the Inspector. . . He figured he had this in the bag.

"Alright. . . Now, Mr. Wilde, one of the values that we have here at the ZPD is integrity. Can you tell us of a time when you acted with integrity? Maybe intervened when you saw something happening that was wrong?" The zebra asked, as he looked up from his paper with an expressionless face.

Nick smiled. Well, he certainly had a story for them. . . "I once saw a manager being rude to an employee because of the species that she was. She was in an occupation that didn't usually accept the species that she was, and it was clear that the manager was not a fan of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative. When I realized what was happening, I spoke up against it. . . She's now a good friend."

The three mammals started writing some things down, as the fox smiled. If there ever was a moment in his life that he was proud of himself. . . It was standing up for Judy.

Two and a half months later. . .

Judy stood in front of the door of the apartment, an expression of unsure surprise hanging off her face. It was what she'd wanted, right?

Nick hadn't gotten a call back yet, which is what prompted her to talk to the landlady. If they were going to move in together to save money, then it really didn't matter if he got the call tomorrow, or five weeks from now.

The closer they got to the end of Nick's money, the more he was open to the idea of moving in with her. Not that he seemed very closed-off to the thought to begin with. He just made a lot of jokes about it and seemed to push it off. That was the fox's nature, though.

It wasn't that big of a deal to her, it made perfect sense. They were friends, and they would be saving money. While Judy wasn't entirely sure how she might feel about whatever quirks the fox may have, she was excited about being able to break up the chore list. If he cooked at least half-decent, she'd be grateful for his presence. The number of microwave meals she'd had in the last month.

Nick was supposed to be out looking for a part-time job right now. Judy wasn't entirely sure if Nick was actually handing out resumes, or just pretending that people would call him for a job. In fact, Judy did not know if Nick knew how to make a resume.

Maybe she should've asked that first. Judy had also suggested maybe working with Finnick now that he was a 'responsible' business-mammal. Or, maybe ask Annette if she'd let him be a waiter for a bit. To that last one, Nick had snidely remarked that he'd look silly in a waiter outfit, to which Judy teased that he should wear what Delilah wore instead.

A skimpy, tip-inducing outfit, if she'd ever seen one.

She smirked, as she remembered the thought of Nick in a crop top. He'd probably make bank on tips that way, too. Judy knew that she would pay for the pleasure of seeing him in skimpy clothing, if only for the chance to take a photo and torture him with it.

With the fox's tentative consent, Judy had decided that it was probably a good idea to talk to the landlady early, just in case they needed to wait on an opening. Thus, earlier that month, Judy had approached Mrs. Armadillo about the possibility of moving into a two-bedroom apartment at the end of her lease.

Originally, Judy thought it would be a big hassle, but to her surprise the armadillo was very receptive to the thought when Judy explained her thinking. She'd agreed if there was one that was available. Managing a large apartment complex, she needed to check and see who was moving in and out to be sure.

And, by luck, there was. In fact, it was already empty, and available for her to look. She could even move in early if she so wanted. As the armadillo told her, Judy had been a good tenant, and if she wanted to move her stuff before the month was up, it was fine.

It was true that Judy was a good tenant, but that was mainly because she didn't complain about anything. And didn't damage anything, either. Maybe it was the fact she was a police officer. . . The only caveat for moving in early would be that she would have to clean up after the last tenants, who'd left the place without doing a deep clean of the place.

Judy was pretty sure that the landlady was avoiding paying for a professional clean. And, those single cheap apartments were in high demand for university students from out of town right now. But Judy didn't mind cleaning, thanks to her brothers and sisters. And, the fact that she'd technically be getting the apartment for cheap for the last two weeks was also appealing.

So, Judy had said yes, and Mrs. Armadillo had left her the key to her 'new' apartment when she got back from work. All Judy needed to do was clean out her own apartment during the last two weeks, and turn the key in, and they would sign the new contract in a week or so. But, before she did that, she wanted to come over and see just how bad the apartment was.

And, when she looked at the apartment number on the tag, that was when she made a horrifying discovery. She stuck the key into the door and turned the tumbler. To her disappointment, the lock clicked open. Her right ear flicked, as it picked up the approaching footsteps.

To her right, the oryx walked down the hall to his apartment door, a bag of groceries in his hooves. As he fumbled with his key, he looked to his left and regarded the rabbit with the same cool, angry look he always gave.

But then, his brow fell, as he curiously cocked his head to the side. ". . . Wasn't your apartment over there?" He asked, limply gesturing towards the door to his right.

Yeah. For Judy's benefit, her new apartment was on the same floor. To her detriment, it was on the other side of the Oryx-Alntlerson's apartment. And, she didn't have much hope for the thickness of the walls. "Um, yeah, I'm actually mov-"

"I don't care." Pronk Oryx-Antlerson responded, as he shook his head and stepped into his own apartment. Judy frowned, as she shook her head. Oh well, Nick would be so happy to make their acquaintance.

She pushed the door open and stepped into the apartment. And, as she looked around, she shook her head. "Wow."

It wasn't dirty. . . Maybe a little grimy, and in need of a vacuum. But what it was, was big. At least by the standards of her previous apartment. There was a small kitchen to the right, with no wall connecting it to a small rugged living room on the left. There was a large window to the left, the benefit of a corner apartment. The bedrooms and bathroom were right ahead of her, with the bathroom tucked into the right corner.

She walked around the apartment, taking note of what was there, and what was dirty. There was a couch, a coffee table, and a tv stand in the living room, all of which were a bit dusty. The carpet also desperately needed a vacuum, and maybe some stain remover.

The kitchen had a refrigerator, a stove, and a microwave, a trifold increase of her current apartment. The linoleum was disgusting, and the counters needed a good wipe down. The cupboards too, she noted with a wrinkled, disgusted nose.

Surprisingly, and luckily, the bedrooms both didn't have carpet. Both had bed frames and a simple dresser, so that was a good thing. The one in the corner of the building, with the two windows, was the largest. The smaller one had one window but was closer to the bathroom. A prime spot. Part of Judy thought that maybe she should give Nick the larger room. . . But she wanted the view. They could discuss it, probably.

The bathroom. . . . She didn't want to talk about it. There would be scrubbing, that was for sure.

She pulled out a notebook and began writing down the cleaning supplies that she'd need to buy. And, a few of the things she'd need to buy, just to have around the apartment. A real apartment, this time.

After she got a preliminary list set up, she started wondering about furniture. Did Nick have a TV? Cooking utensils? Well, he had to have a pot, if he screwed up on spaghetti. That was a start, at least. Obviously, Judy needed to get a mattress and some new bedsheets.

Oh, sweet cheese and crackers, new bedsheets. . . What a thing to look forward to. She really needed a good shopping trip, even if she wasn't going to be sleeping here soon.

Bzzz-Bzzz. Her phone began to ring in her pocket, earning a light growl from her lips. She had planning and shopping to do, and she didn't want to be interrupted.

It was probably her parents, after all. Wondering how she was if she'd been eaten by a predator yet or something. But as it continued to ring, she pulled it out with a sigh. To her welcome surprise, it was Nick's number flashing on her screen. She smirked, as she wondered what he could be calling about now.

Maybe how to make a resume? She snickered, as she lifted the phone to her ear. He was such a lovable dork. At least she could tell him about the apartment.

"Hey, Nick." She began, after she answered the call.

It wasn't the first time. "Hey, Carrots. What are you up to right now?" The fox's voice purred through the phone, clearly happy. Judy had a feeling that meant that Nick had spent the entire day avoiding finding a job, like yesterday.

"I'm in the apartment, actually. It's a mess, but it looks like it can be scrubbed up." With a lot of hard work. In other words, she wanted Nick to come and pull his weight for once. His weight was bigger than hers, he could be beneficial for once.

"Mhm." Nick responded. "That doesn't surprise me. Well, at least you'll have some time to clean it up. So, I have some news." The fox raised his voice, as he changed the subject. 'Have some time'? Was that his way of avoiding the subject of cleaning?

Because she'd hold that damned fox's nose to the bathroom linoleum if she had to. But she'd circle back to it. He apparently had news important enough to call her, so she might as well let him get what he wanted to out already.

"What's up, Nick? Did the hotplate 'break' again?" She teased, rolling her eyes. He wasn't going to bring that hotplate with him, was he?

"I got a job," Nick responded, not acknowledging her tease. Which made her a little sad. What was the point in making a joke if he wasn't going to play? It was her favourite thing. But. Wait. Did he get a job?

"Really? That's great news! Where?" She asked. Where could it be? Maybe he did apply at Annette's diner. Or, Finnick's. Or maybe a grocery store? Watching the dork bag her groceries would be fun. It would make these next few months so much less stressful on him, while he wai-

"The Zootopia Police Department. . . I. . . Start at the academy. . .Next week."