Queen and Ace of Hearts
Ms. Hartly returned a few minutes later with fresh bread and salads, her intrusion welcome. True to her fashion, she whistled along with the band's song softly as she set everyone's plate. She retired with a few murmured 'thank you's and smiles. The group ate in silence, the study of plates obvious from the ZPD side of the table. Judy found the salad to be spectacular, the variety and freshness of vegetables reminding her of home. The house dressing was a light zesty Italian, setting the whole thing off perfectly. She ate cheerfully, her nervousness beginning to drain away, the tension in her shoulders melting. She wasn't sure if it was the wine or the homey atmosphere, but she felt secure and happy. Nick was pleasantly surprised to find a handful of shrimp, delicately seasoned so as not to detract from the overall salad experience mixed into his salad, buried beneath an over large lettuce leaf. It reminded him of a holiday salad his mom might have made, light and delicious. His belly was happy for the nourishment, and the same content feeling washed over him as had Judy. Everything started to feel like it was a normal evening, though they were in the midst of one of the finest restaurants in all of Zootopia with an enigmatic and powerful host. After a few minutes, George and Heather continued chatting about her young kittens while Nick and Judy exchanged glances no less than six times, whether from concern over the mission or the strange feelings budding between them, neither could honestly answer. They were casually observed by their host, who smiled into his glass of wine.
Dinner was served close on the heels of the salad, Judy was reluctant to let her plate go unfinished, but after catching the delicious aroma coming from the assorted trays, she finally did without incident. The cheese sauce proved to be as scrumptious as it smelled. Both officers had to actively work to maintain decorum while attending their meal. The conversation was still around Heather's kittens and their day at school, which both Nick and Judy were grateful for, since it didn't directly involve them. Nick found the sea bass delectable, grilled perfectly with a hint of orange, not overpowering but there. The rich flavor of the sauce spoke of chardonnay and butter, the cheese just an added benefit to compliment the noodle based meal. Judy's meal had an assortment of lightly grilled vegetables swimming in the cheesy wine sauce. She found the almost raw yellow squash a strange but appetizingly crunchy addition to the meal. Both officers ate quickly, occasional quiet exclamations of mouth watering contentment oozing from the muzzles of the satisfied mammals.
George stood after wiping his muzzle with a napkin, his tail automatically wrapping around his body, coming dangerously close to Heather. "I think I'll have the rest of my dinner. Anyone else care for a cigar or cigarette?" He directed his gaze across the table.
"Outside, please George. I'd prefer no smoke in here tonight. Besides, it's a gorgeous and clear night. The balcony would be perfect." George didn't even consider it before nodding in concession to Heather's request.
"Well Judith? Are you in need of some nicotine after that delicious meal?" George asked again, gesturing toward the humidor.
"Oh, no, thank you George. I've never smoked, and this was more than enough for me. Thanks." A smile nearly splitting Judy's tiny muzzle in two, her ears erect, her checks a little flush from both the wine and rich food. She remained seated, delicately crossing her legs, actively attending her wine glass.
George smiled back, his gaze shifting to the elegantly attired fox. "You, Nicholas? I have some interesting ones here. Several different types, some straight, others infused with oils and spices. I even have one that uses dried blueberries mixed with the filler. It's a milder corona, in several lengths. A light, but filling smoke." After reading the desire in Nick's face, he reached inside and pulled two out and retrieved the cutter. Nick had risen and crossed to George, his interest peaked, along with his ears. Taking the offered cigar, he sniffed it lightly, the old need from a long dead habit kicking him instantly. After any meal, the want for a smoke is there. After the finest meal he'd ever partaken, that want was now a true need, similar to air. George smiled, a bit ruefully with his unlit cigar in his muzzle. He motioned for Nick to follow, and the pair of mammals left the dining room out the opposite door they had entered, Nick's tail high, George's still delicately wrapped around his body on the left.
The room was silent, save for the sound of Heather working on her device and Judy picking at what was left on her plate. Judy looked the other mammal over as she sat, poised and perfect, reminding her of nothing more than a successful CEO hosting a working lunch, though the dress detracted from the professional look. She assumed Heather was entirely engrossed in what she assumed was work, so her study wasn't very covert, violet watching hazel eyes, reading and decoding images on a screen. The pair had a solid five minutes of quiet that could lull someone not used to wine or heavy, rich meals into a slight slumber. So Judy nearly jumped out of her fur when Heather spoke without even looking up. "All right Ms. Hopps, did you discover everything about me you wanted?" A very embarrassed and red faced rabbit could only sputter some nonsensical responses as her ears dropped dead behind her shoulders. Heather nodded, placing her device on the table and unsheathed her beautiful smile, turning the full force of her considerable charisma to show she wasn't offended. "We should have, hmmm, perhaps twenty minutes before George and Nick are finished with their cigars. I'd love to chat. You know, get to know you a little better. Sooo, let's be frank with each other. I have never cared for the normal games of the feminine side, preferring straight answers to the usual fake and insincere questions and platitudes." After a few moments of mortified silence from the ZPD side of the table, Heather continued, her tail up, the tip flipping lazily behind her. "We aren't enemies, dear. We might not be friends, yet. And that's ok. But we can be honest with each other, female to female?"
Judy's ears perked up, even if she was still a bit red from being caught staring. She laughed a little, and finished her glass of wine. After she stood on her chair to reach the bottle, she refilled her glass and gave a nod of acquiescence. "Okay, ask away."
"What made you want to be a police officer?" Heather questioned, her ears perked and attentive.
Judy replaced the bottle, and sat back, crossing her legs, becoming the picture of relaxed. After a moments reflection, she began. "When I was little, everyone told me I couldn't. That just made me more determined to live the life I wanted. Be what I wanted. And I wanted to help make the world a better place." An adorable, self-derisive chuckle later. "Naive, I know, but true. It's still true, I'm just a little more pragmatic about it now." Judy smiled to herself, remembering her grand ideology mixed with her limited experience in life. She was still as enthusiastic as ever, just more accepting of reality. "How long have you worked for George?"
Heather reached for her nearly full wine glass and took a sip before she answered. "I work for Mr. Card, but I've worked alongside George for nearly twelve years. I was a waitress here, in the very position Ms. Heartly holds now. The best waiter or waitress gets this coveted job, to serve the owner and his guests directly. Some of them are hoping for the big break in life I had, especially given my...circumstances." She stopped to sip from her held wine glass. Judy watched her intently, also sipping her wine. "But my skills are what got me where I am, not pity. Nor my looks. Though they are useful in the right situation." She added with a predatory smile. "But you already know that, don't you Ms. Hopps. A cute, innocent look and a dash of eyelashes played at the right moment can disarm the most heartless scum, just before dropping him with a well placed kick." They shared a smile. "Or blackmailable recording." The jaguar drank deeply from her glass, keeping her eyes on the small gray rabbit across the large table, her left brow raised, tail twitching in anticipation.
"I'm not like that Ms...um..Cielo. You have me all wrong." Judy looked all around the room, everywhere but into her eyes, her ears flat behind her back in shocked embarrassment. How the hell did she know? No one else knew anything about it besides Nick. Well Nick and...Finnick. "How the…"
"Not much of an information purveyor if I didn't know even that. Yes Ms. Hopps, I know about all there is to know about you and Nick. It's what we deal in. That's why you were chosen. We wanted you two here. We cross checked every officer in the ZPD for mammals with the resolve to use any means necessary to solve the case. If Bogo hadn't selected you and Nick, we would have quietly left, approaching you both independent of the ZPD. Because of Nick's colorful past and your prior involvement with Mr. Big, we knew you would be more comfortable working with us than most of your colleagues." Heather's serious look softened after the cornered rabbit's eyes filled most of her visage. "Relax dear. I told you, we know most everything there is to know about you two. We are extremely thorough in researching anyone that gets this close to us, and wanted you to know not to cross us or break any part of the non-disclosure. I don't want any crazy or extreme measures to be necessary, so I have always found getting expectations out in the open at the beginning of a business relationship to be the best avenue to avoid problems." She smiled casually while holding Judy's eyes for a moment. "Besides, I'm impressed by your tenacity and your results. I like you already. I think we might even truly become friends. You know, complain about office politics while engaging heavily in them. Casual girl talk about the males in our lives. That sort of thing." Her rueful grin was contagious, making Judy forget her discomfort for a moment and giggle. Followed by a very unfemale like snort. A blush filled her cheeks, spreading to her ears as Heather laughed at her faux paus, followed by Judy laughing from pure embarrassment, Heather chuckling, trying to regain her composure.
After a few moments of shared feminine laughter, Judy took a deep breathe, taking a sip of wine. Figuring she could give as well as she got, she plunged forward, asking, "Ms. Heather, what 'circumstance' were you in? While you were a waitress, I mean?" Curiosity written across her tiny muzzle.
"Just Heather is fine, Judy. Well, if I want you to trust me, I should trust you a little too. It's no great secret. My kittens. Little Ethan was just born and Brielle was only three. My ex-husband, Jamaal, decided two kittens and a wife in her second year at college was too much to handle after he lost his job. Drinking and dock unloading don't mix, apparently. So he up and left, back to his overbearing mother, leaving me to care for our young. So I had to quit school and get a job, and, no one wanting my computer skills without a degree, I knew one of the waitresses here, she put in a good word, and I got in. I worked my tail off for six months before I got my 'break'. The normal waitress for George called in sick, the rest of the waitstaff was busy with a large award ceremony, leaving me to bring George his dinner and wine. When I got up here, he was all alone, working on his new laptop. Well, he was trying. He couldn't get it to work, and was getting frustrated with it. I'm good with tech, so I asked if I could help. He glanced at me with his piercing blue eyes, even angry, they are so rich. He stared at me for what felt like forever, but couldn't have been more than ten seconds before he shrugged his shoulders, looked over the tray I brought and poured himself a full glass of wine. 'Be my guest.' he gruffed. Turning the machine around, I could tell exactly why it wasn't working. With a few quick keystrokes and a few questions about settings, his computer was running perfectly. George was impressed, and promptly asked if I'd be interested in a job more befitting my abilities. Years later, here I am." Heather finished her glass of wine, enjoying a moment of silence.
Judy had nursed her wine during the telling, falling at ease, though from the lightly reassuring tone Heather had, or the wine, she wasn't positive. She had to reassess Heather and George, especially all the hype of their less than legal activities. She had a hard time believing some of the stories. They both seemed much too...civilized for that. Heather glanced at her retrieved device, swiping away for a moment with abandon, her eyes a flurry of motion, quickly deciphering the script on the screen as Judy studied her for the second time, this time including the snippets of life she'd learned.
"How long have you and Nick been romantically involved?"
The poor rabbit was tongue tied as her cheeks flushed again, this female jaguar having gotten the better of her for the second time in less than ten minutes. She barely managed to save the table from spilled wine, sloshing her glass as she set it down with an animated denial, her eyes wide and ears flat. "Nick and I are NOT involved. He's my best friend and...and...he...oh...and I...oh...oh hell. I don't know what he is." Gray filled her vision, as she looked down into her paws, unsure of how to proceed without placing her hind paw more firmly in her mouth. She only looked up a moment later when she heard very discreet, but audible chuckling, finding an amusingly scrunched Heather face, with a paw delicately placed in front of her blunt muzzle. Her answering visage of being severely unimpressed must have radiated across the table, since Heather opened her eyes quickly afterward to an angry purple eyed glare. Heather cleared her throat and regained her normal serious gaze, though her eyes held an amused hue. Judy held her ire for a moment of silence, before shaking her head.
"Sorry Judy, but your response tells me everything I needed to know." Heather's voice was sympathetic and reassuring, with not a hint of malice in her toothy smile.
"This is all new to me, I've never experienced anything like it in my life. I don't know what is between Nick and I. I...I don't really know if there should be anything. I haven't even thought about the ramifications…" she trailed of while making an intent study of her now empty wine glass. Overwhelming fear wasn't something Judy normally felt, but a dreadful thought oozed up from her belly, making a tear well in her left eye. "What if he has no interest in…" She couldn't bring herself to say it, as a sniffle threatened to make her mascara run with impending waterworks. She hadn't even considered something between herself and Nick, but now the chance that nothing could come of the building tension and spark of desire made her afraid. No, not afraid. Terrified. Truly petrified.
"Don't even think it, Judy. From what I saw earlier, you two were like two little kits just discovering ice cream. He's interested, and probably more afraid of not being good enough." Heather gave her a reassuring smile.
Judy sniffed loudly once, stalling the possibility of rabbit based rain. "You really think so?" Her eyes were saucers of violet hope, her lower lip quivering in anticipation, her ears directed at this source of hopeful and reassuring words..
"I know so, dear." Heather's smile widened after a playful wink was sent across the table to the younger female. "And if I may be so bold? Don't let professionalism stand in the way of a potentially beautiful thing. Trust me, it's lonesome." She maintained her smile, but it lost some of its luster as Heather glanced a little off, reflecting.
"What do you mean? What happened?" Judy's voice had returned to normal, even the hint of wetness drying with her burning curiosity.
Before Heather could formulate a response, the rear door opened, filling the room with masculine laughter from one of Nick's less than tasteful jokes, carrying an undertone of content male mixed with the light scent of smoked cigar.