Leon held the phone in his paw staring at the single line of text on the screen, until it timed out and the screen went dark. Then he slipped the phone back to Nick.
"I told you she would take care of your sister sport," Nick lifted his glass and poured the last of what was within it down his throat.
Judy looked between the two males. "I take it that Meredith gave some good news?" Her ears lifted and nose twitching as she waited for one of them to tell her.
Leon nodded. "Yah, Liz is out of surgery and resting."
Judy smiled. "Well that is good news." Leaning her head against Nick from her stool at the bar. "Why the sad face though? Sounds like your sister will be fine in time."
Chuckles, "Physically yes, but as far as she is concerned, I'm no longer her brother." Putting his empty cup on the bar. "Perhaps with some time, and the fact that she probably isn't leaving that bed for a long while." Thinking for a moment he smirked. "I owe Meredith."
"Leon you don't owe her anything, she did what she did because that is who she is." Nick said as he ordered another beer for himself and Leon. Judy was still slowly nursing her carrot infused gimlet. "Plus she said she'd join us as soon as she cleaned up. No visitors for your sister until tomorrow and I'm sure Jack has her on watch."
Mike put two more full glasses in front of them before returning to the conversation he had been engrossed in with a couple of male ferrets at the far end of the bar. As Leon picked up the glass he noticed all three of them looking in his direction, one with a smirk. He was about to ask them what they found so interesting. He guessed it was the fact that he was a skunk, and in the few days he had been in Zootopia he had yet to see another in the sea of prey and predator alike.
Just as he was about to ask them, he felt a paw on his shoulder and turned to see the hare from the band. The music filling the tavern now coming from speakers strategically placed along the ceiling. "Well, can't say I've seen you before." Smirking as she slipped beside him and leaned against the bar. Looking down at Mike with a smile. "Mike, be a dear and poor me another pint."
"Sure thing Colleen." Chuckling as he glanced at Leon before getting to work. The two ferrets gave one more look at Colleen and Leon, one with a look that was a mix of desire when he looked at Colleen and then regard at him.
"So," Turning her side to the bar to face Leon. "Colleen." Smiling as she extended a paw.
"Leon." Taking her paw in a friendly paw shake, surprised by her firm grip. "Beautiful song by the way."
Judy and Nick were watching the conversation, Nick was getting a little antsy about it but Judy smirked and leaned in close so she could speak directly into his ear. "He has no clue."
"Oh you think so?" Colleen took her paw back and picked up her glass. "I'm glad you liked it." Letting her ears flop down over her shoulder, her left paw stroking her left ear softly as she talked. A friendly smile on her muzzle, her hips cocked outwards from the bar as she sipped her beer. "Do you play any instruments? Perhaps you'd like to join us for a song or two?"
Chuckling. "No, I have pointedly no musical talent at all." Picking up his own glass. "I will leave that to the professionals." Holding it up for a second and taking a sip.
Stepping a little closer to Leon she leaned her back against the bar and leaned her hip against his leg. "To bad, handsome skunk like you." Giving him a wink as she drank a good bit of the brew. "But perhaps you have other talents hmm?" The paw that had been stroking her ear gracing over his arm before her ears perked up strait at the sound of a clearing throat. Looking up she noticed the vixen that had walked in. She then glanced over at the bunny and fox behind the skunk she had been flirting with, then to the skunk himself. The male's eyes had lit up a little and a smirk had grown on his muzzle at the entrance of the now decidedly hybrid vixen.
The hare sighed slightly though never lost her smirk as she slipped away from Leon. "It was good to meet you Leon." Though she couldn't resist leaning in and giving him a kiss on the cheek and laughed as he looked completely taken off guard. Then with a nod to the vixen she walked back over to her instrumental fellows. "Five more minutes then back to work."
As the hare walked away, and her daughter gave Leon a slightly angry look Judy finally lost the war that was going on inside her. Laughing out loud, completely at Leon's expense, and made worse when Nick's laugh joined in.
Leon, in utter confusion looked from Meredith, who suddenly looked a little off and then to the Wilde duo behind him. "What?"
Nick looked past Leon as he spoke to the male. "Sport, I think you would need someone to throw a brick at your head that said on it 'I'm flirting with you' and still you might miss it."
Even Meredith laughed at the comment from her father. The ferret males behind her also laughing and one of them shaking his head with a smile full of mirth.
"What did I miss?" Leon still felt completely at a loss as to what just occurred. He had just been kissed by the hare, everyone was laughing at him, and Meredith just went from looking pissed to looking like she took pity on him.
Mike put a glass of red wine in front of Meredith as she sat next to the skunk. "Here you go lass. I'd be thinking this one needs a lot of work."
Meredith smiled at Mike. "Thank you Michael, and you have no idea." Glancing at Leon with a smirk and a light blush in her ears. "But the Wildes like a challenge."
"Würde jemand erklären, was los ist?" Leon said.
Mike's attention was attracted to the language he hadn't heard in a long time. Not since the passing of his wife. "Lad, if it has to be explained you aren't ready to know." Smoothing his paws on his apron. "And tis polite to use English here Leon." Letting the young man know he had slipped.
"Right, my apologies." Leon looked embarrassed as he sipped from his cup to hide it making it all the worse. After a moment he turned to face Meredith. "I wanted to say thank you. For helping my sister."
Meredith had been watching him closely while sipping her wine. "Of course Leon." Placing a paw on his that was resting on the bar. "It was a little touchy I won't lie to you. She lost a lot of blood, but we have her stabilized. We'll keep an eye out for infection and manage pain. If she's awake tomorrow afternoon you can come visit her. I … should warn you though. Jack had her restrained."
Looking down at the paw covering his on the bar he smiled and listened to what Meredith had to say. Nodding as he listened, he couldn't keep the frown from his muzzle at the mention of Liz being restrained. He didn't like it, but he did understand it. "No, it is necessary, and Jack did what I would have done in his place." He felt the paw on his squeeze his a little.
The pair looked into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity. Leon's paw turned and gave her paw a squeeze back. Neither moving, as if moving would break the moment. That is until she moved her paw away to reach into her purse. A blush growing in her ears, more so when she notices her parents doing a poor job trying to act as if they were not watching everything going on. "Jack wanted me to give these to you. He figured you wouldn't really want to see him and since he didn't need to talk to you." Pulling out a wallet and a phone. "Phone has his number in it, as well as mine." Smiling, "And my parents'"
Leon picked up the phone and looked at the contacts list. The only one with a picture was Meredith's. A picture of her smiling with that slight red tinge in the center of her ears that just brought a smile to his muzzle. He put the phone down and opened the wallet. There was cash in the wallet, though he had no idea how much it was, a plastic card marked with 'Zootopia Credit Union', and an ID which he slid out to look over it. It was his picture on the card, the rest of the information was a cover. The birthdate had him a year younger then he was, and the name on the card Lenard Scottsdale, well at least it wasn't an awful name change. That and the first name could with a little bit of a stretch be shortened to Leon as a nickname.
Meredith reviewed the card as well with a giggle. "Well it could be worse. That picture is awful though." Sipping her wine.
"All ID pictures are awful." Smirking as he put the ID away and put the phone and wallet in his pocket. As he began to relax he realized how exhausted he had become as he yawned.
"Aww am I keeping the big bad skunk awake." Chuckling. "You should go get some rest Leon, oh excuse me Lenard."
"Leon, please Meredith call me Leon," Leon shook his head with a laugh. "I should get some rest though." Looking up at Mike, "How much for all of us?" Leon ignored the protests from all three of the Wilde's. He was given money and they had all treated him so far in the last twenty-four hours. Now that he had the means he was going to use it. When the bartender brought the bill he started to get at least a sense of how much money was in his wallet, and silently thanked Jack as he pulled out a few bills and left them on the bar.
Nick hopped up from his stool with a pat on Judy's shoulder. "All right sport, I'll walk ya to the hotel. It's a couple of blocks from here." Turning to Meredith and Judy who had closed the gap left by Leon when he stood up. "See you both in a little bit."
Leon grabbed his cane and was about to leave when Meredith grabbed his arm gently and kissed the spot on his cheek where the hare had earlier. "See you tomorrow Leon." Smiling as she turned back to her mother.
"Umm … yah, tomorrow." Feeling a flutter in his belly as he turned to follow the Tod out of the tavern.
Nick lead the walk up the street, maintaining a pace easy for Leon to keep. "Seems you'll be sticking around then?" Keeping his eyes ahead as they walked.
"It would appear so. Jack already had the ID made up, bank account. Even now he probably has someone working on a backstory." Breathing in deep, the cooler night air soothing.
"Good, I get the feeling your newest friend would be very disappointed if you didn't," a sly smirk formed on Nicks muzzle as the walked.
"As would I." Leon stated without a moment's delay. "It's been only a few days and I would miss it here. I just don't know what I'm going to do about work." Seeing the hotel getting closer as they walked.
Nick, resisted the desire to say more, mention that he knew those looks being passed between him and his daughter. But Judy had made him promise not to meddle, and the poor boy had spent so much of his life training for what he was to become his exposure to any sort of loving female was probably limited to his mother and his sister. It was almost as cruel to Leon as it was to ask Nick not to meddle.
Nick led the way into the hotel. It was a simple place, clean carpeted floors and wallpapered walls in a beige color. At the front desk stood a male armadillo who once Leon gave his ID and the Credit card the Armadillo had Leon sign a few pieces of paper and handed him a room card. "Room 302, breakfast is from 7am to 10:30am, you have to check out before 11am or we charge you for the next day. Complimentary Wi-Fi and access to the pool and the gym. Enjoy your stay and the Vines Hotel and Suits." The young male almost immediately returned to whatever he as doing on his cellphone after giving the dry speech.
Leon shook Nicks paw. "I assume we will be seeing each other tomorrow at some point?"
"Oh I'd say you can count on that sport. Once we figure out what the next steps are going to be." Nick took the offered paw and shook it. "Get some rest Leon." Turning with a wave. "Goodnight." Nick left the hotel to go back and join his partner and daughter.
Leon walked, at this point pretty much limped, to the elevator. As he got closer to getting into a bed to rest his body started to protest against all of the walking and punishment, he had put it through. His legs hurt, his arms hurt, his entire back hurt. Worst still, his back itched as well. He took the elevator up to the third floor, then looking at the signs followed the hall down to 302. It was on the left side of the hall in the corner, right next to the fire escape stairway. Sliding the keycard into the door lock it clicked and flashed green. Leon opened the door then walked into the room, slowly closing the door behind him and setting the locks. As he walked into the room he turned on the small halls light, then the light for the main room.
The room had the same carpet as the lobby, a maroon patterned carpeting, with the same beige wallpaper. A small bathroom with shower tub combo, fur dryer, mirror, sink, and toilet. The main part of the room held a small desk, with complimentary stationary, a tv, and a king size bed that was covered in what looked like a wonderfully soft comforter.
Leon emptied his pockets onto the desk as he peaked out the window that gave him a view of the Tavern he had left, just within vision. He found himself smiling as he watched the three Wildes leave the Tavern and slowly make their way into the alley where the car had been parked. All three of them smiling and laughing, paws on each other's shoulders. While he couldn't make out every detail, he could tell well enough that Judy was in the middle, Nick was on her right, and Meredith was obviously on her mother's left. He couldn't help but notice that feminine hourglass shape, beautiful hips that swayed with each step, the shorter ears then her mother's but longer then her father's, and a tail that was just as bush but also just a bit shorter as she walked along with her family.
That last thought caught him a little by surprise. He didn't think about it too much though as he was too tired. Slowly removed his suit jacket and then pants and hung them up on hangers in the rooms small closet. The next was his shirt and tie. Taking the shirt off was a bit painful as it stretched the healing burns on his back. Before long he stood next to his bed, inspecting the bandages he could easily see, they all looked intact. He wasn't supposed to take any of them off for a few days yet.
After taking a round of each of his meds that the doctor prescribed him, he walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers. Flicking a switch to send the room into darkness he then crawled into bed with a long and relieved sigh. The bed was soft, it wasn't not what he was used to back home, and comfortable. The room was quite except for the gentle drone from the HVAC system.
As he closed his eyes the image of a smiling Meredith graced his memories eyes. This brought a smile to his own muzzle as he yawned and then quickly passed into a comfortable and restful sleep.