"Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation." - Max Euwe
11:41 A.M ; City-Hall...
Strategic thinking had always been something that Nick Wilde had used to his advantage.
For the majority of his life spent on the harsh streets of the city, the fox had to rely on his quick wit and his fast thinking skills just to get by effectively. His previous life-style demanded it, since he had often used his intelligence to slip out of sticky situations, and to trick other mammals for his own selfish advantages. He had always cherished his hasty judgement skills, and quite frankly, Nick considered himself to be much smarter than the average mammal, at least in and around the mental-reflexes department.
So when Nick had first learned about Ratsputin, he became intrigued - A mammal with a track-record as diverse as his didn't come around very often, after all.
After his peculiar chess game with the rat himself, Nick found himself catering to the demanding whims of his more cynical side. Ratsputin had called him small-minded, and stupid. He had talked fast, and hadn't given Nick any time of his own to speak up in his defense: The whole scene reeked of deja vu, causing the fox to reminisce back to when he and Judy had first met, all those years ago.
Nick had berated Judy the entire time throughout that sweltering mid-afternoon stroll; Insulting her again and again, verbally attacking what he judged were her weak points, including her job, personality, culture, and even her place of origin. He had talked fast and without mercy, preventing Judy from speaking out in her own defense, completely blue-screening the rabbit on all sides.
Looking back on it, the comparisons were evident - Ratsputin had used nearly the exact same strategy for dealing with Nick.
From that experience, something started growing... Festering in his mind and causing him to think slightly amiss from his regular mentality.
An arrogant mindset in his head was telling him, over and over again, that he was still one of the smartest mammals around, and that that despicable rat didn't know what he was talking about. Nick had survived nearly twenty full years, the vast majority of his adult life, living completely alone and exposed on the streets of Zootopia: He knew his way around every kind of neighborhood from Savanna-Central to Sahara-Square. If there was anything at all that he had to thank for his continued survival, it was his own will, wit, and intelligence. They all had kept him alive while he had been more or less homeless, and he valued them more than any physical possession that he had ever owned.
He didn't care how smart Ratsputin supposedly was - The fox wasn't going to let that rat beat him at his own game so easily!
Ever since their chess game had concluded, Nick had been thinking on what he would do, or say when he crossed paths with Ratsputin for a second time. He'd imagined himself using his own mental skills and intelligence to wittily cast the rat down, so as to give him a taste of his own medicine. Deep down, Nick had actually been looking forward to, and even hoping to come across Ratsputin once again, so that his mere presence could spit back at the rat's face, telling him that his threat was nil to nothing in the fox's eyes.
But when the door was flung open, the questions were uttered, and the rat had been asked to leave, Nick realized that his opponent wasn't as predictable as he had thought.
Instead of some intense and challenging verbal confrontation between the two of them, Ratsputin had just chosen to leave the room. He had simply pushed his way past Nick without a second thought, as if he hadn't been worth the time nor the effort to communicate with, spare for the single, harsh glare that he had administered toward the fox.
That thought irritated Nick a lot more than it should have.
After the mayor had instructed Judy, Jack, and Nick to come inside and speak with her, the fox took the time to close the wooden doors behind him in an effort to seal off the office from the outside world and all of its subjects. Stealing a brief glance outside, Nick watched Ratsputin as he stomped down the length of the hall, his long tail whipping back and forth like a fleshy serpent. He appeared to be gripping his cane very tightly, since the arm that held it was rigid and flexed, squeezing the cane until the rat's bony knuckles turned white.
Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, the fox took note of how Ratsputin, despite owning a cane, seemed to have no visible or viable reason to use it in the first place...
His strides and footsteps were smooth and unfettered, completely unrestricted. The rat showed no signs of injury, or limping, and his walking speed seemed quite normal, if not surprisingly fast for a mammal of his apparent age. Ratsputin didn't lean on his cane, or place it on the ground to hold up his weight: He simply held the cane in his left paw, gripping it almost as if it were some sort of tool, or weapon...
Momentarily halting near the edge of Megan Fawkes's receptions desk, Ratsputin jabbed a crooked finger in her direction, and hissed something to her likeness. Nick couldn't quite make out the exact words from that distance, but it was evident that the rat wasn't very cheery. Nodding toward the vixen at the front desk, Ratsputin then turned around and glared at the doors that led to the mayor's office one last time, sneering visibly when he locked eyes with the peeping fox.
Shutting the door quickly, Nick swallowed before recomposing himself and whirling around, eyeing the mayor's office and everything within it.
For as diverse, expansive, sprawling, and sophisticated as the city was, Nick Wilde still found it hard to believe that Zootopia's highest seat of power was nothing more than a simple, black office chair. The desk was clean and organized, as was the rest of the office and the things within its walls. Every little detail was precise and to the point, situated in such a way to make it as easy on the eyes as possible. Stacks of papers and rows of pencils were all aligned intricately, and the office's windows were shiny and completely transparent, as if they had just recently been cleaned, or even completely replaced.
Nick wouldn't have been surprised if the mayor had OCD, or some other behavioral disorder.
At the sudden thought of the mayor herself, the fox then took the time to eye her up and down, starting from her pointed and delicate ears, the very tips of which were adorned with attenuated tufts of black hair. The old bobcat's beige, spot-patterned fur was rather short compared to most other feline mammal species, but appeared to be much coarser, and slightly more wiry. Her hazel-colored eyes were unquestionably feline, complete with oval-shaped pupils and virtually no visible sclera.
Mayor Lyncoln's cat-like face was gaunt, and tired-looking, but quite stern, and seemed to emit an aura of regal authority and mannerism. Alongside the lengths of her well accentuated cheek-bones, fluffy clumps of fur flowed down to her chin, smoother and comparatively more whisker-like than the rest of the fur on her lean body, which itself was clad in a dark brown office suit and an identically colored pair of bell-bottom office slacks.
With closed eyes, Mayor Lyncoln inhaled deeply through her nostrils, the entire room around her completely filled with silence as she opened her eyes and spoke aloud;
"Though I have my suspicions, I'd appreciate it if you told me why exactly you three are here..."
"Mayor Lyncoln, with all due respect, we just witnessed a governmental-level blackmailing offense! We need to go out there and arrest R-"
The bobcat raised her left paw in a gesture of silence, effectively causing the bunny to trail off and purse her lips in disappointment as the mayor retorted.
"I understand your desire to do so, officer Hopps, but you need to understand that it wouldn't get you anywhere... If you brought him in to the ZPD, he'd simply worm his way out, just like all the other times. You can question him, and interrogate him, but he'd still find a way to slip off as if nothing had ever happened. He's near untouchable..."
"That can't be possible..." Judy muttered quickly. "Nobody's above the law like that!"
"Officer Hopps, if you want to go out there and run after him, then by all means, go right ahead. You'll arrest him under suspicion of extortion, bring him back to the ZPD, and question him. Then what? Blackmail isn't considered illegal here in Zootopia, and even if it was, Ratsputin has countless collaborators and lawyers, all of whom would be willing to testify against anything we throw at him. The court-system isn't foolproof: Grygorri can bribe, threaten, and pay his way out of virtually any minor offense, blackmail included."
With raised eye-brows and a confused expression, the fox spared a glance at the female bunny, who simply shrugged in response. Biting back a curse, Nick swallowed hard and looked away. He'd been hoping that Judy would be able to argue against the mayor's statements, since she was a living, breathing encyclopedia when it came to police work. Instead, his inquiry was met with silence: She had nothing at the moment.
Meanwhile, Mayor Lyncoln was continuing her explanation.
"Besides... You don't even have any proof to use against him. Nobody would believe an eyewitness account. Owning nearly the entire news industry present in the city of Zootopia, Ratsputin's word is very powerful, and one that mammals agree with... Your word would be useless, especially going against his."
"Actually... We do have proof." Judy mused, pulling her carrot pen recorder out from her utility belt. "And it wouldn't be our word going against his..."
She thumbed down the button, rewinding the device's most recent recording. When the static-sounding noise had subsided, the rat's croaky voice began its recorded tirade.
"I'm fueling that fire? Well, perhaps your statement does ring with a tiny bit of truth, but you must understand that I'm only telling them what they want to hear! The public adores reading over the papers that list reasons why predators are more prone to violent behavior. They completely eat up the stocks of news-papers that explain why inter-species relationships are bad for the economy, population, and the social community. The public know what they like, don't they?"
Mayor Lyncoln's pre-recorded voice suddenly interjected;
"Beats me as to why... Your papers are nothing but lies..."
And at that, the recording came to a halt, filling the room with silence once more.
"It's his word against his." Judy concluded, smiling to herself.
Mayor Lyncoln sighed heavily and closed her eyes again, rubbing at her temples tenderly for a count of five before speaking out loud;
"Officer Hopps, while I appreciate the consideration and the effort that came with it, I'm afraid to say that your so-called proof is completely useless..."
"What? Useless? W-why is it useless? We got him on record-" She shook the device between her fingers. "-Admitting that he's got the papers rigged!"
"But does it have him on record admitting that he's a blackmailer?"
Judy's confident expression slacked, and her arm dropped to her side. Exhaling in defeat, she slipped the device back into her utility belt.
"No." She replied simply, but truthfully.
Jack Savage smiled wide and chuckled audibly, shaking his head back and forth as he wheezed his coming words.
"Ya done goofed, Hopps... Ya done goofed..."
"Shut it, rabbit!" Nick ordered as he tugged on his side of the cuffs, causing Jack to step a few feet away from Judy. "No one asked for your opinion!"
"It isn't my opinion, fox..." The male rabbit hissed through grit teeth, stepping up to Nick and glaring him in the eye. "It's the truth! She stopped the recording too soon!"
"Hey now, it isn't her fault!" Nick retorted, his lips pulling back and revealing his pointed rows of teeth.
"I'm not accusing her, I'm just... Pointing out the facts!" Jack claimed in his defense.
"Well, she had to start the recording somewhere, didn't she? The pen can only record for about a minute at a time before stopping, so even if she-"
"Enough!" Mayor Lyncoln shouted, silencing the room. "Instead of you two arguing about what you ultimately had no part in, I think it would be a much better idea to just drop it."
"B-but I was just-" Jack stammered quickly.
"Wouldn't you agree?" The bobcat mused, interrupting the male rabbit, who simply nodded his head in agreement. Nick repeated the gesture.
"That's just exactly what I thought..." Blair then turned towards Judy. "Officer Hopps, do feel free to continue on your behalf... The floor is yours."
The female bunny straightened herself out, perking her ears up in a more confident stature.
"Mayor Lyncoln, we came here today to perform and partake in an internal-investigation, and were sent by chief Bogo of the ZPD to do so."
The bobcat nodded, and for the first time since meeting her, actually smiled. Through parted lips, she spoke out loud;
"As I claimed before, I think I know just why... But still, I'd like to hear it from you: Why are you here, or for better terms, what are you investigating here at city-hall?"
"Bogo sent us to investigate Grygorri Ratsputin's visitations..." She hesitated, swallowing hard as she looked the mayor in the eye and finalized her explanation.
"With you..."
"With me, eh? Thelonious always has been a suspicious mammal, especially after the whole incident with that ewe, Dawn Bellwether, and all of her criminal associations. She was one bad apple, wasn't she? I suppose I can't blame him, though: I'd be suspicious too, if I were in his position. And I take it that he thinks I'm working with Ratsputin, no?"
Judy swiveled her head, locking eyes with Nick, who pursed his lips and nodded. Looking back to the bobcat, who sat patiently in wait, the bunny then voiced her thoughts aloud.
"We've been sent to investigate the possibility of such, but our main goal is simply to protect the safety of the public, including you, Mayor Lyncoln."
The bobcat nodded slowly. "Is that so?" She stood up from her office chair and leaned over her side of the desk. "You're here to investigate Grygorri?"
"Yes, that is correct." Judy confirmed immediately.
"And you wish to... Interview me, I suppose?"
"Yes ma'am. Please understand that this is for a police investigation, and although your associations with Ratsputin are your own business, they've gotten prominent enough to attract the attention of the ZPD. We need you to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth... Anything but will be perceived as impediment of an official investigation, and-"
"Yes, I understand, officer Hopps..." Blair interrupted. "I'll tell you all that you need to know about my relationship with Grygorri, and nothing more... Do you understand?"
Locking eyes with Nick once again, Judy took note of the fox's raised eye-brows and puzzled expression. Avoiding Jack's own gaze, the female bunny looked back to the bobcat.
"We understand." She claimed with a confident expression.
Mayor Lyncoln made a soft hmm sound beneath her breath, which she followed up by clearing her throat audibly and sitting back down upon her office chair.
"Very well." She stated simply before inhaling deeply through her nostrils and beginning her explanation without hesitation or delay.
"Grygorri Ratsputin has always made frequent visits, when it comes to politics... His papers report on all of the elections, after all... It has never been considered rare or abnormal for him to stop by city-hall, chat with the delegates, and then leave soon after. He'd come in and speak with the candidates and their associates personally, claiming that he just wanted information for the news-papers, but I'd be willing to bet that the only reason he bothered to in the first place was so that he could learn more information about them to use for his own advantages, whatever those may be."
She momentarily paused, reaching out to her desk and picking up a small glass of water, of which she sipped from before setting back down onto the surface of the desk.
"That all changed when Dawn Bellwether was elected into office after Leodore Lionheart was detained and imprisoned. As soon as that tyrannical little sheep got her name on this chair, Ratsputin stopped his visits altogether. It's fairly common knowledge that Bellwether was obsessed with the prospect of an all-prey society, and that her motivation to achieve such an idea was very fierce, and unrelenting, but there was another layer beneath that mind-set...
Mayor Lyncoln cleared her throat once again before taking several sips from her glass. She swallowed, and continued her explanation.
"There are rumors that place Ratsputin as the funder behind Bellwether's schemes... After all, someone had to have financed her plans, and it certainly wasn't the city's own government. But alongside this, the two of them were working together on another project... One that was just as, if not even more barbaric than the Night-Howler serum. And now, as it's funder, and last remaining contributor, he wants all the evidence that was gathered from the case. That's what he's after. Why, I do not know... That is all that I have to tell you...""
After swallowing another small sip of water, the mayor rubbed her neck tenderly with one of her paws, as if it was aching from some invisible force.
"What were they working on?" Judy questioned, holding her notepad and pencil ready to write down the mayor's response.
"I've already said too much..." Blair muttered, shaking her head from side to side. "You aren't supposed to know..."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Mayor Lyncoln growled beneath her breath, causing the bunny cop to step back a few feet in apprehension.
"Exactly what it sounds like! After Bellwether was captured, all the evidence of her schemes and projects was either destroyed, or hidden away in the archives of this very building. We intended for what we found to never be seen by the public eye, no matter what the scenario! The documents and evidence from that project have an immeasurable potential for destruction! I cannot, and will not tell you what they are, or where they are, regardless of whether or not you three are on some internal investigation."
"You can't? But why not?"
"State-secrets, officer Hopps. State-secrets. And there you have it: That's the relationship Ratsputin has with city-hall. He's trying to reclaim the documents that were confiscated from the case. He's been threatening me, so I will reveal their location, and to give them to him. That's what he wants, and that's why he's here. Nothing more, nothing less."
"So he is threatening you!" Judy exclaimed out of the blue. "He's threatening you to get to the documents! That gives us more evidence to use against him!"
Mayor Lyncoln sighed and took one final sip from her glass of water, completely draining the cup of it's beverage. She then cleared her throat and explained to Judy.
"To fight against Ratsputin's methods, you need to understand how they work: You can arrest him, but won't be able to effectively prosecute or imprison him unless you catch him in the act of threatening someone, or acting out his threats. Nearly any other scenario, whether it's eyewitness accounts or verbal testimony; Just wouldn't work. You may have him held down for a little bit, but it would only be a matter of time until he broke free, and then went after you with a vengeance."
"She's right you know..." Jack Savage pointed out. "It's basic court politics: Innocent until proven guilty."
"Exactly. That's why Grygorri Ratsputin has managed to evade capture and prosecution for all of this time: He cleans up his own tracks, silences those who speak out against him, and not to mention has free-reign over vast portions of the news industry, giving him a very powerful tool to threaten conspirators with. So not only is there never any proof of his accusations, but his position over the city makes him very slippery, and very hard to deal with."
"I guess that makes sense." Judy mused. "But about these documents, whatever they are: What if we just take them to the ZPD? They might be safe from Ratsputin there!"
The mayor seemed to think that thought over, placing one paw beneath her fuzzy chin and stroking delicately at the wispy hairs that sprouted from her jawline.
"Perhaps... I'll have to consider it... But that's all that I have to, and will tell you at the moment, officers... For now, I'll grant you complete investigative immunity on my behalf, which should be more than enough to allow you to explore city-hall. Feel free to question anyone you come across, but do know this: If I receive word that you three are trying to delve into matters that are outside your range of concern, I will show you no leniency. Do you understand?"
All three of the mammals nodded at the mayor's response, causing the female bobcat to sigh in relief and relax a little bit more into her office chair.
Meanwhile, Nick had dragged Jack Savage over to the exit door, where he unclasped his side of the pawcuffs before cuffing the male rabbit to the door-handle, immobilizing him while giving the fox free reign to walk around. Flexing and massaging his aching paw, Nick turned around and looked back to the mayor before explaining his thoughts.
"Oh, I hope you don't mind... I need to go use the restroom, and I'd rather not drag this convict around. Carrots, you can speak some more with the mayor while I'm gone."
The female rabbit nodded in agreement and flipped open her notepad before turning toward the bobcat, who sighed once again before straightening herself out in preparation for the coming onslaught of personal questions. All the while, Nick took down the length of the exit hall, distancing himself from the mayor's office in search of the nearest washroom. Ignoring Jack's irritated glare that was no-doubt burning holes into the back of his head, the fox continued down the hallway until he reached the reception desk where Megan Fawkes had been working earlier that afternoon.
Stealing a brief glance behind the mess of paper-work and other cheap office supplies, Nick noticed that the vixen was missing from her usual spot. She'd apparently just left, since the coffee mug that was positioned across the desk counter-top was still steaming ever so slightly, indicating a rather recent vacating.
Shrugging off the occasion, the fox made his way to the nearest fox-sized restroom, which was built into the wall of the hallway that led back to the floor's elevator lobby. Upon finding it, Nick pushed against the door and entered, headed straight towards the closest sink. His ears detected another mammal's faint breathing from behind one of the stalls, but he cared nothing of it.
Closing his eyes and washing his face off, his ears twitched at the sound of the occupied toilet flushing, the stall's lock being flipped aside quickly, and the rigid creaking noise that accompanied the door as it opened wide. Nick stared into the mirror, watching as the occupant vacated the stall, and nearly jumped at the sight of Ratsputin, casually approaching the smallest sink before washing his paws. The rat's long, fleshy tail swished back and forth slowly, delicately scraping against the smooth tile floor of the bathroom.
"We meet again, Nicholas. I thought you'd come calling." Ratsputin stated, staring Nick down over his shoulder with a single, coal-black eye.
"Uh, heh..." The fox stifled a nervous laugh. "Were you in there the entire time?"
"I was, yes... Or rather, maybe you and I just have an unfortunate, coincidental knack for bumping into one another in the most peculiar of places."
Nick chuckled dryly. "You could say that again." He grumbled, plucking a paper towel from the dispenser before stepping back and eyeing over Ratsputin.
"You should be arrested, if even half the things I've heard about you are true. What you're doing isn't right." Nick muttered, causing the rat to snort in response.
"And you shouldn't be here!" Ratsputin retorted. "I would have thought that my previous demands would have scared you off."
"Well, I don't scare that easily." Nick claimed, then instinctively jumping as he accidentally leaned back and flushed the urinal behind him.
Ratsputin laughed dryly. "I'm sure you don't." He said with an undertone of sarcasm. "So, you come here against my best wishes and demands... And for what? To stop me?"
The rat wrung the paper-towel between his paws before flicking it nonchalantly onto the floor of the restroom.
"If I may speak frankly, what a puny plan. The only thing that you could possibly accomplish coming here is digging your own grave, Nicholas."
The fox furrowed his brow. "I'm just here to do my job. You don't know what you're talking about."
"Do I though? What was the only thing that I warned you specifically not to do?"
"Uhh, well... To go to city-hall?"
"Precisely... And might I ask what building we are currently standing in?" The rat questioned hastily and to the point.
The fox swallowed. "City-hall." He near-whispered.
"Yes... That's right. City-hall." Grygorri hissed. "Your arrival here was truthfully, something I didn't expect, believe it or not! You surprised me with this move of yours, fox."
"I did?" Nick asked flatly, unimpressed.
"Indeed. Well done."
"Uh, thanks." The fox cleared his throat audibly. "So what are you still doing here, huh?"
"Why, I simply wanted to speak with you! There isn't anything wrong with that, is there?"
"No, I guess not."
There was an awkward silence to the count of three, of which Ratsputin spent every second staring down the fox, his oil-dark eyes fixed and unblinking the entire time.
"Of course there isn't. But twice our paws have crossed!" Ratsputin finally stated. "Let's leave it at that!"
"So, what, you don't like my company?" The fox joked, causing the rat to furrow his brow in irritation. "And here I was thinking that you enjoyed my company."
"And here I was thinking that you had earned a vacation, but here I find you, working to solve some new mystery..." Ratsputin mocked. "Undoubtedly on another's behalf."
"Who, you mean chief Bogo? This has nothing to do with him!" Nick growled, taking a step closer. "I heard how you threatened him too. Not cool!"
"I didn't threaten him, not a single bit! All I did was remind him who's really in charge of this city." The rat claimed, topping it off with a single nod.
"Is that so?" Nick scoffed, placing his paws on his hips.
"Quite. I simply redirected his interests, and reminded him that even his position as chief of the ZPD isn't immune to flaw. Yours isn't either, as a point of fact."
"Is that a threat?"
"No mammal is without flaw - Without pressure points, waiting to be exploited. Even your boisterous little rabbit friends aren't safe."
"Okay, you're getting awfully close to crossin' the line here, pal." Nick growled, jabbing a finger at the rat as he took a step closer.
"And you're getting awfully close to my personal space. I really don't like being touched, mind you. I recommend you step away immediately. Also, I'm not your pal."
"What are you going to do about it?" The fox snarled lowly, stepping even closer. "You're all bark and no bite." Nick stated as he chomped his teeth together.
"Really now?" Ratsputin inquired, seemingly genuinely curious.
"Yeah, that's right. You're nothing but talk, old man. You said that you'd ruin me if I came to city-hall, yet here I am! I have yet to see you do anything-"
Nick poked Ratsputin a single time in the shoulder as he finished his last sentence. In a fast blur of movement, Nick felt the wind knocked out of him as he was forcefully shoved against the bathroom wall behind him, and he slid down its length until he was sitting down on the floor. His ears were suddenly filled with the distinct sound of metal sliding quickly against metal, and when the blur in his vision faded away, the fox's eyes crossed as they focused on the pointed tip of a long metal blade, hovering just inches away from his twitching face. The last time Nick had seen a blade this long was during those fencing classes his mother had forced him to take back in high school, to coax him into picking up a hobby beyond hustling, but at least then, the practice blades the class used were only dangerous against unprotected flesh. The blade pointed directly at him looked about as real as it could get.
"Oh, that's where you're wrong, Nicholas." The rat muttered darkly. "I may be old, but I'm still very much capable of the things that I promise upon my enemies."
Unable to find his voice, the fox's emerald-colored eyes darted around the room, analyzing everything that they could see. Lying on the tile-lain floor, a long and cylindrical object was unmoving and out of place in its current environment. Upon closer examination, Nick realized that it was the outer part of Ratsputin's cane, completely stripped away from the handle as if it were some sort of sheath, or scabbard. But that would mean...
Swallowing hard, Nick's eyes focused on the fine point of the blade in front. It was then clear to the fox that what looked like a simple, ornamental cane, was really a sword in disguise. Connected to the handle of the cane itself, which was still gripped firmly in the rat's right paw, the blade extended for nearly a foot before ending in a sharp and pointed tip, of which gleamed both delicately and wickedly in the artificial light emitted from the ceiling panels above.
It was no wonder that Ratsputin didn't limp on his cane - It was a weapon, built for what weapons did best.
"The only reason that you're still standing..." Ratsputin hissed. "The only reason that I haven't ruined you yet, is because I think that you may prove useful to me."
The fox's eyes darted up and down the length of Ratsputin's cane. He considered reaching for his tranquilizer, but in the figurative and literal position he was in, such a move likely would have resulted in getting skewered. Nick mentally cursed himself for being so reckless around this rat. He may have been much smaller than him, but Nick should have realized that he was still a potential threat. The fox had allowed himself to be cornered by a mammal barely half his size, all because he allowed his pride to get into his head, and affect his decisions. A hot knot of disappointment began to build within his chest. Whenever Nick was in mortal danger, his mouth was usually the only thing functioning properly, and now was no exception.
"Now-now I know what y-you're thinking," Nick sputtered, careful with his movements. "K-Killing me is probably a great idea, right? Let's reconsider that for a moment."
The rat smiled darkly. "Oh, I can't kill you, Nicholas. That would just be a waste! You are my wild-card - I can bend you one way..."
Ratsputin pressed the tip of his sword into the fox's chest and twisted his wrist, causing the blade to contort painfully against the fox's ribs.
"Or the other..." The rat then twisted his sword in the opposite direction, along with the sensitive skin beneath Nick's blue police uniform.
"Being a wild-card, you have many different uses, but you deserve a gambit from a skilled opponent - Someone who can make proper use of you."
Grygorri chuckled dryly and lifted his blade from the fox's chest, repositioning it just inches away from one of his eyes.
"I may not have predicted you actually showing up here, but mark my words, I will recover from this unfortunate miscalculation, and you-will-pay for it!"
He retracted his blade slowly, moving it a few inches farther back from the fox's quivering nose.
"This is the first move of yours in our little game I didn't predict. Too bad it's wasted - You'll find nothing here. I suggest that you waste no further time on this endeavor."
In a final act of dominance, Ratsputin literally spat upon Nick, the glob of saliva landing just above the fox's twitching eyebrows, right between his eyes. Chuckling lowly to himself, Grygorri stepped back cautiously and picked up his scabbard before sheathing the blade back into its proper place. Gripping the now perfectly normal cane between his fingers, the rat twirled it about as he exited the bathroom without another word.
Nick simply sat there in solitude and solemn silence for what felt like hours on end.
Blinking a few times as his eyes glazed over, the fox shook his head and hurriedly hauled himself to his feet, momentarily stumbling before regaining his balance and running outside, practically kicking the door down as he exited the restroom and reentered the hallway. Nick slowly turned in a circle, gazing down the hallways in search of Ratsputin.
For as far as the eye could see, there was no trace that the rat had ever even set foot inside the building. Nick briefly considered giving chase to have the rat arrested for battery against an officer, but Ratsputin was long gone, and quite frankly, Nick just didn't have the motivation to do so - Not after being caught off guard like that.
In that moment of realization, the fox took a moment to calm down. Nick cursed himself for acting so brash - For letting Ratsputin get to him, causing him to act foolishly, and unprofessionally. He should have just walked away as soon as Ratsputin exited the stall. A sigh escaped his mouth. It was moments like these when he wished he had a carrot pen of his own. Nick suddenly became aware of the glob of spit dripping down his brow. Shivering in disgust, he swiftly returned to the bathroom to clean himself up. Staring into the mirror, he sighed in disappointment - Someone had gotten to him. Ratsputin had exposed the crack in his foundation. But Nick wasn't about to give up just yet.
Swallowing hard, Nick took off in the direction that he had came from, jogging all the way back to the mayor's office with his heart racing faster than ever.
Hello everyone!
I just want to start this off by saying thank you all so much! When I noticed that this story of ours had finally reached 1000 followers, I literally shouted aloud, because I was so excited! So pleased! So proud of each and every one of you! Thank you all so much for this momentous and amazing journey! I'll be bringing you more content well into the future, and from it, I have no one to thank but you...
Thank you. Thank you all so much for making this such a fun, and amazing experience on all sides. :D
In the coming chapters, you'll see more of Nick's inner thoughts, and how it is supposed to relate to his comparison with Ratsputin. Their dynamic is supposed to be a focal point of this arc, after all, similar to Judy's dynamic with Jack in the previous one. You'll be seeing how Nick learns from his mistakes, and grows as a character. You'll also be learning more about Ratsputin's true plan, his motivations, and more! Stay tuned!
Alright, moving on...
I know how last chapter, I claimed that I'd have some more artwork for you guys to show off, and I do! Some very cool stuff, actually! Lots of awesome fan-art that can be found over on my tumblr or DeviantArt accounts. Feel free to check it out! Lastly; Some of you have questioned me over the aforementioned "Deciduous-District" that I briefly mentioned back in chapter 54. If I recall correctly, it was Ratsputin himself who mentioned it while he was arguing with the mayor about all the protests that had been happening in the city of Zootopia as of late. For those of you wondering, no, the Deciduous-District is not a canon location, which is kinda strange, in my opinion. I'm sure the idea has been brought up before from other sources, but in my story, I'll gladly take you to my version of the Deciduous-District, and some of it's sub-districts, in the coming 6th arc!
The plot of the 6th arc will involve a trip to there, eventually, like I said, with plenty o' fluff to behold for all! Though the plot will still be advancing, and a new villain with it! It's also looking up to be much better planned, written, and designed than this arc, if I say so myself - Trust me, you won't want to miss it.
Oh, and also: Do feel free to leave a review detailing your thoughts over this latest chapter! I'd adore knowing what you all think of the mayor, and especially Ratsputin's actions against Nick! You can theorize all you want about what exactly the aforementioned documents are, but I won't tell! I won't!
You'll find out in the next chapter!
Regardless, that's that for news! I'm clean out of stuff to tell you guys for now. Stay tuned for the next chapter!
'Till next time...
Cheers!