"All of us show bias when it comes to the information we take in." - Noreena Hertz
It may not have been 'the most important meal of the day', but to anyone who worked nearly six-hour shifts before noon, it was certainly up to the task.
Due to their undercover assignment, both Nick and Judy were tasked with staying elusive and secretive about everything involving their real identities: Relationship included.
That fact severely restricted the amount of time that they could spend together in public, and for good reason: If anyone from their undercover work-place saw the two of them holding hands, kissing, or walking together, then it could potentially jeopardize their entire mission.
Chief Bogo had made it quite clear that he would not be happy if Nick and Judy were discovered for who they really were...
But that fact didn't stop the two of them from being... well, them.
Despite their alteration in fur coloration, new and exotic clothing style, and even name identification changes, Nick and Judy were still very much the same mammals.
Fox and bunny alike walked side by side as they strolled down one of Savanna-Central's primary streets. Neither knew their exact destination, but both had the same end-goal: Food, and how to get it. The two of them talked idly as they walked, ranging from small and insignificant things to larger and more intricate topics.
All the while, both animals took to squeezing past crowds of other mammals, every single one simply going about their day. After nearly losing her in a large pack of goats, Nick took to holding her paw within his own. As careless as it could have been for the likes of their undercover-mission, it was a gesture that both mammals enjoyed.
"Pretty busy time of day, huh fluff?" The fox inquired, looking back to make sure that the bunny was still with him. "I almost lost ya back there!"
Judy briefly glanced back at the sea of goats that had nearly washed her away.
"No kidding... We'd better hurry up and find a place to eat before one o' clock! We wouldn't want you to be late, now would we?" She asked while smiling.
"Nope. No we would not, indeed, madam." Nick tried for his best Jack Savage impression. "Time is money!" He claimed, his ears perked up as high as they could reach.
The bunny snickered slightly at his horrible imitation.
"Oh, come on now!" She muttered before playfully socking him in the arm. "He doesn't sound like... Whatever that was!"
"Mind you, whiskers, but I've only been around Mr. Savage for a total of 8 minutes and 34 seconds!" The fox retorted.
"Where'd you pull that number out of?"
"That ludicrously tight undercover-issued dress that you're wearing." He replied quickly.
"Nick!" She punched him in the arm once more. "You don't need to be bringing stuff like that out in public!"
The fox ducked beneath the rising step of an elephant, hurriedly pulling Judy through before she was stomped flat. After gathering his bearings, he whirled around and locked eyes with the bunny, continuing their conversation as he walked backwards, still grasping her paw in his own.
"Hey now, you're the one who chose to wear that thing in the first place..."
Nick's coffee-brown eyes traced her body from head to toe. A smirk twisted his facial features into their seemingly default expression: Smug.
"Not that I'm complaining." He added innocently, shrugging nonchalantly as he turned back around and faced the direction they were walking.
Judy pulled her paw away from Nick's and crossed her arms firm against her chest. She also lowered her floppy ears and used them to cover the sides of her face, attempting to hide a growing blush beneath her white fur. The fox knew that she did this whenever she was embarrassed, and he thought that it was just the cutest thing.
"Aww, fluffy feeling flustered?" The fox asked teasingly as he wrapped his arm around the bunny's shoulder, pulling her side closer until it met with his own.
He detected Judy giggle softly to herself, and he felt his own smirk grow wider and more smug. He rubbed her shoulder affectionately before continuing.
"You know, I'm tired of walking... Whaddya say we pull over and get some grub there, huh?" He called out while pointing to a tiny burrito stand on the far corner of the sidewalk.
The bunny parted her ears, which were still covering her face, and peered out at Nick's suggested eatery. As soon as she saw the burrito stand, her ears shot up quickly and her eyes grew wide with anticipation.
"Ooo! Great idea!" She claimed cheerfully. "I've heard about that place before... in the newspaper once! I've heard that they have really good salad wraps! Let's go!"
Judy suddenly grabbed Nick's paw and darted forward, practically dragging the fox along with her as she raced over in the direction of the burrito stand. She may not have been wearing the most able-bodied attire when it came to running, but that didn't stop her from nearly sprinting until she reached the stand's counter. Meanwhile, Nick was breathing in heavily, trying to ignore the fact that Judy was hardly even winded.
"Gee, fluff!" He said in between pants. "You must be really hungry!"
Judy turned around and faced the heaving fox, one paw on her hip as it jutted out in that teasing and sassy sort of way.
"Yep, sure am." She confirmed. "It's about time we found someplace to eat. Besides, I wanna hear all about that new lead that you have on Jack, remember?"
Nick straightened himself out and readjusted his tie, staring at the bunny standing before him all the while.
"Don't worry, I remember, I remember... This new lead may prove to be our greatest leap forward yet!" He said officially, pointing towards the sky with gusto.
The fox then leaned down and lightly tapped Judy's shoulder with the point of his elbow, eyeing her coyly as he did.
"Certainly a lot more useful than what you gathered that first night!" He mocked.
"Hey! I worked hard to figure that out, slick!" The bunny spat back.
"Relax, fluff! I'm just joking!" He chuckled as he ruffled the top of Judy's head with his paw. "You know that! And, you know you love me!"
Judy donned a momentary facade of confusion, with eyes glancing upward in consideration, and a single paw placed beneath her chin, mimicking deep thought.
"Do I know that?" She asked, before a smirk appeared upon her muzzle. "Yes..." She grabbed his tie and pulled his head down until they were eye-to-eye. "Yes I do."
The bunny concluded her statement by placing a quick smooch on the fox's forehead, right between his eyes, which crossed at the sight of his mate's sudden act of affection.
She released her hold on his tie, letting it back to drooping loose around his neck. Meanwhile, Nick admirably caressed the spot where Judy had smooched him, a smile surfacing on his face as he did.
Gosh, I love this dumb bunny... He thought to himself.
The sudden voice of the registrar derailed his train of thought.
"Next!" The voice called out.
The moose that was in front of them walked away from the counter, allowing Nick and Judy to step forward a place in line. The mammal manning the register, who happened to be a female ocelot, didn't see them at first due to their short height in comparison to the counter, but after a few good knocks on the metal surface, they managed to get her attention.
"Hi! What can I get for you today, ma'am?" The ocelot asked cheerfully with a pleasant and welcoming smile.
The bunny had unfortunately made the mistake of not looking at the menu while they stood in line, and had to quickly choose her order so as to hurry along the growing line behind them.
"I'll take the deluxe salad wrap with extra green olives, please! Oh, and go easy on the dressing too! Thank you!" Judy squeaked before taking her number and walking off to the side.
Nick had taken the time of choosing his dish while Judy ordered hers, so he was ready when he stepped up to the counter and placed his order.
"Yeah, I'll have the refried-bean wrap with fried crickets and cheese." He said, earning himself a nod from the cashier, whom handed him a number before he rejoined Judy.
The two of them sat down at a nearby plastic one-seat table, which happened to be nearly ten times their total size. They both fit comfortably atop the single chair, and placed their numbers on the table-top.
"Alright, fluff... You know the rules!" Nick began. "You have to try one bite of my burrito, and I have to try one of yours!" He said with a smirk.
Judy groaned and rolled her eyes, though she smiled the whole way through. She'd forgotten about her and Nick's little agreement: That whenever the two of them go out to eat, they have to try a sample of each-other's food, whatever it may be. Nick was usually alright with whatever Judy ordered, as he wasn't too picky, but Judy always got squeamish whenever she tried one of Nick's dishes; which usually consisted of fried insects and strips of meat, which all happened to be things that bunnies like herself didn't particularly enjoy.
Even still, she always sucked it up and ate her servings... It was an agreement, after all. As much as she regretted it sometimes, she actually really liked it, as it allowed her to try new and exotic foods that most prey would never even think of eating.
"Yeah, yeah, I haven't forgotten, hot-shot... But I mean, come on! Fried crickets? Really?" The bunny complained.
The fox just kept on smirking.
"Don't forget the refried beans and cheese!" He added jokingly. "And don't worry about those fried crickets... I'm sure you'll love them! Excellent source of protein!"
Judy sighed in defeat and rolled her neck, popping the vertebrae that held up her head, causing Nick to wince in apprehension. He looked away and clenched his fists in an attempt to dispel the cringy feeling that overtook his body. After watching a tiger order it's own meal, he turned back around and looked at his mate.
"Doesn't that hurt?" He asked, to which Judy snorted before replying.
"Not at all... Feels pretty good, actually!"
The fox pursed his lips and nodded in agreement, glancing back at the burrito stand so as to see if their food was coming along effectively. After a few moments of silence between the two mammals, the fox heard the bunny's voice speak aloud in question.
"So, what's this new lead-" Judy emphasized with finger quotations. "-That you won't stop bragging about, huh fox?"
"Glad that you asked, whiskers!" Nick claimed as he tapped Judy on the nose with his index finger. "Well, technically we haven't gotten anything super official, as of yet."
"What do you mean?" The bunny asked, causing Nick to blow air out of his mouth in apprehension.
"Hmm, where to begin?" He asked himself? "I suppose I'll start from the beginning: Not too long after I left you for work this morning, one of the-"
He trailed off as his eyes came into connection with a plate piled with burritos, one of which was lightly steaming. Judy craned her neck in an attempt to follow his gaze, and smiled as soon as she saw a she-wolf waitress place the food upon their table.
"There you go! Enjoy!" She stated before pacing hurriedly back to the outdoor kitchen hidden behind the burrito stand.
Fox and bunny alike temporarily subsided their original conversation so as to enjoy their food. Judy opened her wrapper, and was greeted with the site of one well-sized burrito, but instead of being wrapped in a tortilla, it kept it's contents secure within the folds on several large lettuce leaves. She was about to take a big bite out of her burrito when Nick spoke out, stopping her mid chomp.
"Ah ah ah, you forgetful fluff-ball!" He grabbed his own burrito, and opened it before leaning slightly it towards Judy's face. "Just one bite!"
Nick's burrito was clad in a fluffy-white tortilla, but Judy saw through the guise: She knew that the inside was choked full of nasty deep-fried crickets.
"Do I have to?" She sighed, to which Nick simply replied; "Yup."
Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, Judy grabbed the sides of the burrito, which was almost as big as her face, and opened her mouth as wide as it could stretch before biting down. The instant her jaws closed down upon the soft wrap of the tortilla, she felt her mouth begin to salivate in anticipation of the oncoming flavors. She pulled back and began chewing, trying to focus on the taste of the warm beans instead of the crunching bug parts between her teeth. She kept her eyes closed the entire time, and didn't open them until she had swallowed every last bit of bug, bean, and cheese.
As the last of the fried crickets slipped down her throat, she felt a shiver slither its way up the length of her spine.
"See? That wasn't so bad, was it carrots?" She heard Nick ask beside her.
Breathing in deeply before replying, she allowed herself a few chuckles and a victorious smirk.
Nick donned a look of confusion and apprehension. "What's so funny?" He asked curiously, to which Judy looked at him with pity.
"Your turn, dumb-fox." She said as she held up her burrito, which Nick took in his paws and eyed suspiciously.
"What'd you do to it, huh?" The fox questioned, looking at Judy closely for any signs of dishonesty.
"Oh, nothing... It's just loaded with olives, that's all!" She responded innocently.
Nick's eyes widened and his ears sank a little lower. "Olives?" He choked in near-disbelief: He hated olives!
"Yup... What was that you said earlier, hmm? That you had to try one bite of my burrito, and that I had to try one bite of yours? No backing out of this, fox!"
Nick groaned and shivered in disgust.
"You're diabolical..." Was all he managed to say.
Judy just gave herself a mental pat on the back and a triumphant smirk. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart! Now dig in!"
"You monster..." Nick said flatly.
"Go on then!" Judy edged once more.
Eyeing the bunny's burrito with a distasteful look, Nick closed his eyes and bit down slowly on the lettuce-wrap, his teeth causing little crunching noises of which emanated from the thick plant-material. Judy watched as he cringed in revulsion: It was obvious to the bunny that he'd just chomped into a mouthful of olives. A tiny bit of olive-juice dribbled out from the sides of his mouth, dripping down the gray-colored fur on his muzzle.
A few seconds later, he swallowed the last bit of his previous bite, and eyes Judy with a look of pure loathing.
"Evil, sly bunny!" He hissed teasingly. "You hustled me good, didn't you?"
"You got that right!" Judy confirmed with a smirk. "And, uh.. you've got some olive juice on your face, by the way." She added, pointing to his muzzle.
The fox reached out toward the stack of napkins that their waitress had provided for them. He promptly cleaned himself off, much to Judy's own personal amusement.
After their laughing had subsided, they both stared into one another's eyes. Their moment ended nevertheless, and soon enough, they both were digging into their respective burritos: Both very pleased that they no longer had to eat anything outside their comfort zone.
Eventually, they managed to finish their presented meals, and were both quite satisfied with the results: Full stomachs and clear heads.
Now, there was still one thing left to check off the list.
"So, as you were saying?" Judy pressed.
"Hmm?" Nick questioned as he wiped the right side of his muzzle with his jacket sleeve.
The bunny rolled her eyes. "Oh, Nick! Don't just go wiping your grimy face on your suit like that!" She sighed and giggled while rubbing her temples. "Dumb fox..."
"Whoops... Sorry 'bout that!" Nick stifled a half-hearted chuckle before realizing that Judy had asked him a question.
"Oh right! The new lead, gotcha... So anyways: Sector-A found a phantom-profit."
The fox paused for emphasis, but it was quite clear that Judy had no clue what he was talking about.
"A what?" She mumbled curiously.
"A phantom-profit!" Nick repeated, his expression beaming with pride. "It's basically a document that means someone took money unofficially, and hid it elsewhere."
"Really now?" Judy asked, scooting forward and closer to Nick, who replied with a simple;
"Yep."
Judy's ears suddenly perked up in realization and she began thumping her foot rapidly against the surface of the seat in excitement.
"Oh! That matches the case accusations! T-that someone's been removing cash from Jack's financial flows! A, uh... A hedge-fund, chief called it!" She called out excitedly.
The fox nodded and made a pair of clicking noises beneath his tongue, causing Judy to smile even wider.
"Yes, Nick! We got a new lead! New evidence! This is great!" She nearly shouted.
"Mmm-hmm." Nick confirmed. "As soon as Dyvim and the others find where the money went, we'll be able to track it down and recover it... Along with whoever took it!"
At the mention of capturing whoever had taken it, Judy couldn't help but think of Shahaz the Stinger, and ponder if perhaps he was behind this whole thing... Perhaps working alongside Jack to funnel money back and forth illegally and without the bank's notice.
"Ahh..." Judy sighed with relief, leaning back in their chair and staring dreamily at Nick. "We did it Nick... You did it."
Nick shrugged nonchalantly before responding.
"Oh, don't give me all the credit, Hopps! We got your cousin, good ol' Dyvim to thank too! Besides, we don't wanna get too comfortable just yet... We still gotta figure this thing out, don't we?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right on that one..." She sat up and took his paw in her own. "But we'll figure it out: Together."
The fox smiled and kissed the top of her wrist, causing her to slightly blush, but her ears stayed high and tall.
"Wise words from a dumb bunny, wouldn't ya think?" He asked jokingly, earning himself a slight elbow to the forehead.
Judy smiled to herself and stood up, helping Nick to his feet as she did. She spoke out to him;
"Alright, slick... Let's get you back to Jack's tower... You still got four hours left on your afternoon shift!"
She gave his paw another reassuring squeeze before pulling the flustered bunny along with him as he made his way back to Jack's tower.
Much time had passed since she and Nick had gone out for lunch that afternoon, and with it, many things had gone through the bunny's head.
After walking back to the base of Jack's tower, Nick promptly gave Judy a hug of reassurance before excusing himself back to work, thus leaving Judy all to herself... at least, until 7:00, that is.
The bunny soon realized that she had a lot of free time: Roughly six hours until she was scheduled to meet up with Jack here at the base of his building. She spent much of that time exploring the sky-scraper, even snooping around in places that she shouldn't have been exploring, all in an effort to obtain more evidence.
Sure, she could have simply walked back to the hotel and flopped into bed, but instead she chose to make herself useful toward the mission objective. She was feeling quite energetic and productive, a trait that was perhaps influenced by Nick's recent and important discovery of the phantom-profit. She thought of Nick many times during her exploring, and hoped that he and Dyvim had managed to figure out something useful involving this mysterious transaction.
The bunny herself didn't exactly find very much during her time exploring, but did manage to mentally map out a large chunk of the building, which itself was helpful to an extent. She'd also struck up quite a few conversations with other employees and workers around the building, ranging from small-talk to full blown debates over fiddle topics. She'd gathered more insight as to how the company's employees thought of Jack and his business practices, and learned quite a lot about the building's history and other little tidbits that weren't exactly very important, but still very much taken into consideration by the ever so curious bunny.
Eventually, the time had at last come for Judy to meet Jack outside the lobby.
7:00
As much as she wanted to just relax with Nick back at the hotel, watching movies, exchanging stories, and maybe even indulging in some heated late night mating, she took into consideration the fact that this dinner with Jack may prove to be as insightful as Nick's recent discovery: If she wove her words just right (and perhaps with the help of a little booze), she could end up walking away from this dinner with a heap of new information.
That thought, at the very least, made her excited about this dinner... But alongside this, she took it as an opportunity to get to know the male rabbit better. For as long as she'd worked under him, there had been little truly personal exchange, with the only real conversations that weren't about work being for the few short minutes after she was excused from her duties that day, where her and Jack would talk idly about minor things. Sure, she had learned about Jack's past, and his hobbies and interests and whatnot, but those were staple in comparison to more in depth ideas and exchanges, which she hoped to achieve with him tonight.
While she waited, she took to texting Nick, who was just about done with his shift, asking about his current situation. She was unfortunately met with utter silence, which she hoped was a good thing. Thinking positive as always, she just assumed that it must've been because Nick was so busy cracking their case that he simply didn't have the time to answer his texts.
That thought made Judy even more excited about the coming revelation, whatever it may be.
Eventually, time dragged on and on...
7:00 turned to 7:15, and that in turn transformed to 7:30.
After nearly half an hour of waiting in the ever receding daylight, Judy grew both angry and suspicious: Jack hadn't shown up...
He even had her number, yet he still didn't call or even text her of any changes in schedule or occasion... He just simply didn't show up... That thought made her mad.
And suspicious...
Tired of standing around and waiting for some false miracle, she decided to see if Jack was in his office, so she marched into the lobby and took the elevator up to his floor. There, she hurriedly paced down the hall, once again ignoring the dark and looming doors of that one mysterious elevator, before nearly slamming into Jack's office doors, flinging them open as she marched inside.
It was dark: The only source of light being the glow of the moon outside as it shined off the nearby sky-scrapers, and a single lamp that stood next to Jack's desk.
She was about to shout out and call his name, but she saw him lounging on one of the four couches that stood in the center of the room. He appeared to be asleep at first glance, but after a few steps forward, she came to realize that he was, in fact, nearly passed out: A close second, but one she still didn't appreciate as it was.
He lay chest-down on the surface of the couch, his head turned to the side and facing out, staring blankly at the other couch on the opposing side of the coffee table. His eyes were droopy and hazy, and he looked like he'd been hitting the bottle.
Scratch that, he had been hitting the bottle.
One of his paws hung carelessly off the side of the couch, scarping against the carpet floor. Knocked over and empty, an entire bottle of scotch was lying by his paw.
Judy's mouth hung agape: She really hoped that he hadn't drank the entire bottle, but she couldn't make herself believe anything but.
His suit-top and button up shirt were apparently stripped off, as they were cast haphazardly and to the sides of the sofa, littering the floor in a mess of cloth. The only thing he was wearing was his midnight-black slacks, which were wrinkled and stained with drops of scotch.
Judy stared down at his bare back, eyeing it with curiosity and confusion. This wasn't the first time she'd seen him without his formal business suit draped over his shoulders, but it certainly was the first time that she'd seen him shirtless. His upper-body was surprisingly athletic and accentuated with lean muscles that rippled through the fur on his back. Although Judy could safely admit that he was good-looking, it wasn't his physique that had caught her attention.
Lining the back of his torso were rows of long and thick slash marks, many of which extended from the top of his shoulder-blades all the way down to the small of his back. Each leftover cicatrix mark was pink and slightly raw looking, with the fur surrounding the indentions being less in number and density.
It was obvious that the scars were old: At least a few months of age, but that didn't stop Judy from wondering who could have possibly done this to him...
Judy refocused her attention on his head when she heard him groan slightly, and follow up with a small murmur that consisted of half-slurred words and chokes.
But even still... Behind the grumbling she did manage to pick out a few choice words: Burger, Deal, Fail...
And Alaina...
He wasn't asleep, but he wasn't really awake either: Seeming caught in a trance-like state, no doubt induced by his previous drinking.
Judy glanced over at the coffee table, where the papers that she had completed earlier that day had been strewn across the table. Some of them had red stamps on them, which read DENIED.
It became clear to Judy that Jack must've failed his business deal with Bugga-Burger... And it was also apparent that he had tried to drink his problems away.
Judy felt sad for him... The sight almost brought her to tears, as it was such a hard truth for her to accept: That Jack had horrible issues, and needed help.
He wasn't even that much older than her: Jack was 35, and she was 28... only 7 years older, yet he had this horrible drinking problem that left him like... like this...
Sighing, Judy picked up his scotch bottle and placed in on the coffee table, far away from his paws, even though it was empty.
She made herself a promise: Tomorrow at work, she wouldn't be mad at Jack for forgetting about their dinner. Instead, she would try to help him with this problem of his.
Judy saw him shiver and curl up slightly; scrunching his shoulders closer to his body and letting out a small groan of discomfort: It hurt Judy's heart.
She looked around, and after a few short minutes of searching, managed to find a blanket stashed away in the corner of the room. She placed it over him, but not before hesitating as she took one last look at the brutal cuts and scars across his back. She covered him in the blanket and folded the messy clothes that were littered around the office.
The female bunny looked down at the male bunny with pity and with worry. She was concerned about his health, and his well-being.
Whether or not he really was a crook, like everyone else wanted to believe, Judy considered him a nice person, and even a dependable friend.
That thought made her smile, and she then leaned down, placing a small kiss on the side of Jack's head, right below his ears. She felt him twitch slightly at the contact of her lips, and mumble her name softly in his drunken, half-asleep state.
"Alaina..."
Judy backed away at the mention of her falsetto name, but soon relaxed, taking in the sight of her boss one last time before gathering her things and leaving for the night, home-bound for the hotel. She kept her promise in mind, but also planned on questioning Jack about those strange scars that he had on his back.
Her conscious was blank the entire journey back through the depths of Jack's building, but as she walked home in the dark of the night, she couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like going out to dinner with Jack... Also wondering if there were any missed clues that she could have obtained if she had actually gone.
The thought of more clues gave her a sudden realization, and she reached into her phone, trying to turn it on only to be met with a blank screen: Out of power.
She bit back a curse, and then picked up her pace, power-walking back to her hotel room, intent on meeting up with Nick so that she could learn about his discoveries, if any.
Deep down, she personally hoped that Jack wasn't guilty of his criminal accusations...
She also hoped that perhaps some day soon, she'd be able to get to know him better... Maybe over a nice candle-lit dinner...
She shook her head, reinstating the though of Nick back into her mind. As she walked back to the hotel, she thought about all the great moments that she had shared with her dumb fox that day, relishing each one for the treasure that it truly was.
Judy also knew that as much as she would have liked to get to know Jack better, she would have much preferred eating that dinner with Nick.
Hey Everyone!
Thank you so much for reading the latest chapter of my story! Do feel free to favorite, follow, or drop a review if you'd like: I would be most appreciative! :D
Be sure to tell me whatcha think of this latest chapter, especially with how I did on the Nick/Judy banter and whatnot! I personally think no relationship can possibly live without conversation, for it is the lifeblood of all things interesting and relevant. I see it as a very important part of Nick/Judy's relationship with one another, so I certainly hope that you think I did a good job on attempting to capture some more of that feeling! I know I sure did! :)
Anyhow, thanks for your time once again! Stay tuned for chapter 35 (can you believe it?), coming your way soon!
'Till next time...
Peace!