Monday March the 7th is arriving in thirty minutes here in France - so new chapter is out folks :) Thanks for your support!
"What about that one?" Judy asked for what felt like the thirtieth time.
Nick pursed his lips and peered critically at the newspaper ad she was holding up.
"I don't know Carrots," he said finally. "'Quaint and cosy' is just a polite way of saying 'impossibly cramped and tiny'. I'd steer clear of that one partner." He sipped his macchiato with a careless shrug.
Judy sighed and looked at the half-dozen magazines and newspapers spread out in front of them on the table. The Starbears' coffee shop where they had stopped to have a late-Sunday-afternoon cup of coffee and glance over the 'for rent' and 'for sale' real estate offers the press currently held was full to bursting point. At every table one could see animals - students busily going through their notes and texting on their phones, families cutting up apple tarts into bite-sized pieces for their toddlers, and a chatty group of chimpanzees giggling and gossiping about make-up and shoes. The bear baristas kept pulling the foam spouts and calling out names so that animals would hurry up and pick up their drinks; the counter stayed crowded all the time.
Judy had thought she was well prepared for finding the perfect flat (or house) ad – she had picked up all the latest magazines that featured real estate, highlighted several promising options that corresponded to their price range and square footage demands, and finally she had brought the lot over when heading out to meet up with Nick, excited that they would make some headway and maybe even place a phone call with their potential landowner to fix up a meeting.
Thirty minutes in it seemed she had been wrong wrong wrong – as they went through the ads, Nick slowly eliminated one after another. He seemed much more used to reading into the double meaning behind the terms employed than she was – it turned out that 'classical period building' meant 'needs repairs badly but owner was too cheap', while 'proximity to parks and natural reserve' meant 'expect to see ants and other pests in your kitchen'. 'Spacious' was synonym to 'impossible to heat without doubling your gas bill' and 'traditional' was equal to 'moldy wallpaper and cobwebs to be expected'. Judy wondered how anyone ever managed to find the right place to live.
"They don't! Most animals fall for this rubbish," Nick supplied cheerily when she asked the question. He was flicking through the magazines in a careless fashion, but she could see his green eyes scanning each page intently all the same. "They end up in some dump, try to argue with the landowner after signing the contract, see they have no rights and.. either move out with money loss or try and carry out some repairs by themselves in the long run."
Judy hunched up in her chair dejectedly and took a morose sip of her mint latte chai. She had had no idea house-hunting was such an ordeal. She wondered wearily whether she'd still be stuck in her hole of a flat two years hence. Five years?
"So no one ever finds a good value flat for a reasonable price these days?" she asked sulkily.
"Well, 'never' is a very strong word," Nick replied, and something in his tone made her look up. The fox was perusing a page in 'Hooves Weekly' with sudden keen interest. As she watched him, Nick thoughtfully ran a claw along the lines, before circling a small photo in the corner of the page.
"Now this could work," she heard him mutter. Judy's spirits soared, and her ears perked up instantly.
"What? What could work?" she asked excitedly.
"Calm down Twitchy Whiskers," Nick said, but she could see that he was smiling too, despite himself. "Have a look."
He pushed the page in question towards her, and Judy bent over it with bated breath. It wasn't one of the ads she had marked – in fact, she had completely overlooked it, because it was squashed onto the same page as a huge ad announcing Gazelle's upcoming summer concert tour. Underneath that, when you overlooked the shiny hoofs and mane, you got to the real estate ad – a penthouse! Judy caught her breath and threw Nick a look of surprise. The fox shrugged, still smiling. Judy looked back at the ad in disbelief. Yes, it really was a penthouse. It was far from large – apparently it was perched on the roof of some elaborate modern building, resembling a pyramid (or a carrot) in shape, so that effectively left little space on top for the penthouse, although several flats were undoubtedly accommodated on the ground floor. The penthouse seemed to boast three bedrooms plus an open-plan sitting room/kitchen (the latter complete with a glass ceiling it seemed); the sitting room in turn overlooked the minute roof-garden that seemed to be a bit out of order (to her critical eye, used to the dainty shrubs lined up neatly on her parents' farm). The ensemble commanded a breath-taking view of the city center, the penthouse being at the very top of the thirty-story building. Judy blinked when she saw the price – it was offered up for either sale or rent, the rent being just a tiny tad out of their reach, according to the budget they had worked out.
"I would have expected this kind of place to be way more expensive!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
"It's an architect, who's just starting out,' Nick pointed out. "Folks are cautious; this sort of building style is too new for them to figure what it'll be worth in some time. They want to wait and see. The flats will double in price within the next three years though, I guarantee you that Carrots," he crumbled up a honey biscuit into his coffee and stirred it up a bit before continuing, " It doesn't help that their landscape artist should be shot – check out the state of that garden. It's ruining the photos."
"The garden's no big deal," Judy said happily, gazing at the photos," I'll have it fixed in a jiffy! Don't forget I grew up on a farm."
"I'll help you uproot those murky-looking bushes," Nick nodded. He caught her looking at him in surprise. "What?"
"I just didn't imagine you as the green thumb type," Judy giggled, covering her mouth with her paw.
"I'm full of surprises," Nick replied easily, giving her a wink.
"To think it's just out of our range! Do you think we'd manage to negotiate a tad to get the rent to come down?"
"The rent! Carrots, we're buying that place, not renting it."
Judy looked up, half-smiling and expecting Nick to be kidding around, but she saw to her amazement that for once he seemed rather serious.
"Buying?" Judy echoed. "Nick, you're surely joking?"
"Never about business transactions Miss Hopps!" he retorted. "No really Hopps, renting that place will be a waste of money. Buying it will be an investment – even if we hate it, or hate crashing together under the same roof or for whatever reason don't feel like staying there some months from now, we'll be selling it at twice as much within the year, I'm telling you. That'll give us a jump start for buying our next place, if nothing else."
"But we'll never afford *this* place to start with," Judy said disbelievingly.
"Sure we will!" Nick answered happily. "Look, it's announced at 220 grand – we'll beat it down to two hundred, no problem. I get forty grand a year and you get forty three being a third-year cop – that means we'll only need a ten-year loan at two percent, as we'll scrape up a quarter of the price with our savings up front – you're a careful bunny, you'll have twenty-five in savings easily, and I'll have as much what with money I've set aside from my previous.. euh, ventures."
A stunned silence greeted this little speech. Judy felt like words failed her – she had realized suddenly that co-purchasing (or co-renting for that matter) a place together meant sharing all the details about your finances with the other animal. But besides that, she was amazed at how accurately Nick estimated her savings and her income. As for negotiating the price of the penthouse, the idea had not even crossed her mind.
"Do you really think we'll manage to beat the price down?" she asked in wonder.
"Sure thing!" Nick nodded. "You just leave the talking to me. Oh, and be sure and dress smart when we go see the owner." He pulled the article back towards himself and started entering the owner's number into his phone.
"You really weren't joking when you called yourself a businessman, were you?" Judy asked.
Nick assumed one of his jokey expressions: "Always on the right side of the law, remember that now Miss Hopps!"
"No really," Judy said seriously. "This is amazing Nick. I'd never even have dreamed of thinking about buying a penthouse all by myself. I'd never have dared. I'd be too nervous about getting into debt and being unable to pay my way out."
Nick looked at her in some doubt, as though believing she were poking fun at him. As he realized that she was in earnest, his ears perked up.
"Kind of thing you pick up working on the streets. Don't you worry about it now," he said confidently. "This thing is going to be a breeze. You just leave the negotiations to me and concentrate on those bell peppers you'll be roasting in that roof garden then."
"I will," Judy replied, trying to hide her grin.
"Great," Nick said happily, jumping up, suddenly full of energy. "Another chai for you before we leave this joint? I'll get them," he was off to accost the barista before she could finish nodding.
"Thanks," Judy said, smiling at his retreating back.
The following morning.
"What a day!" Nick said out loud , though he was completely alone in his little apartment. He pulled the blinds up further and stepped back to admire the view. True, his living quarters were somewhat – cramped – to use an elegant word. His flat was barely bigger than the one Judy was renting for herself. He had barely been exaggerating when he said that he could open the window without getting up from his bed – but that was the one thing the studio flat could boast about – the window, and beyond that, the view. Nick had always appreciated having a high vantage point – and being on the twenty-fifth floor of a building itself situated on a hill afforded ample opportunity for observation. The one window of the flat faced south-east, so that the morning sunshine filled the tiny flat rather early, helping Nick stagger out of bed in the mornings – he had never been a morning fox. Situated strategically at the edge of swanky Sahara Square – but still affording a glimpse into the nearby rainforest reserve – Nick felt he got his money's worth when he sipped his morning coffee and peeped out, admiring the sunrise and city skyline. The view, yes – and his espresso machine – the only points he found were essential for one's living space. Well, that, plus not being too far from all the best cafés and eateries in town. Had it been up to him, he'd have comfortably stayed living there for another decade Nick observed, glancing around the (somewhat messy) room. That could be fun though, he thought, smiling slightly as his gaze fell on the highlighted penthouse ad he'd left on the desk. Granted, it would only be possible if Judy were there too – he felt sure he'd never be motivated to keep a place that big tidy if he had it all to himself. Ah well, he'd have to pitch in. Though they hadn't gotten it yet of course, they'd only just fixed the meeting up with the owner. Two days from today – he had time to plot his strategy out. Cause Judy would be way disappointed if the whole plan fell through – she'd already stopped by to look at some curtains at Targoat on her way back from work the previous evening according to an excited text she'd sent him afterwards. So now, he felt he just had to make the whole thing work out.
But Nick was far from worried. He just needed a plan – and a bit of luck. And his luck, well, he was confident of that. He was, and had always been, an opportunist. He trusted his gut – it always made him feel on certain days that things would go smoothly, or that something exciting was going to happen. He had gotten that familiar feeling on the morning of the day he had suggested to his crime partner Finnick that they try stopping at the elephant's popsicle joint to try their luck. That was where he had met Judy for the first time – and the ensuing events were history now.
So yes, it was maybe just the spring sunshine making patterns on the shabby wallpaper, or the honking of the traffic way down in the streets below, or the smell of the freshly brewed coffee – but maybe it was gut instinct. He was a fox after all; they were supposed to be cunning by nature. So when he opened his window, took a deep breath and felt instinctively that the day held promise – well, it probably did.
"What a day," he murmured again, and hopped off his bed to grab a clean shirt, after a quick glance at the time.
Judy half-ran, half-hopped through the doors of the ZPD headquarters building, paused briefly to scan her badge at the checkpoint, and hurried across the spacious entrance hall. Clawhauser beamed good-naturedly when he spotted the long ears hovering just under the top of his reception desk. He hauled himself out of his comfy armchair with a bit of a grunt and leaned over, shoving the ever-present box of donuts out of his way.
"Morning Judy," he said cheerily.
"Hi Benjamin," Judy returned. "Good week-end?"
"Not bad," he chuckled. "Did you see the advertisements they're putting up everywhere for Gazelle's upcoming concert tour?"
"Did I ever!" Judy gave a little happy bounce. "I should get on with booking my tickets. They'll be out faster than a wink."
"Tell me about it," Clawhauser nodded vigorously. "Don't buy them during the first week they're up for sale though – they always open the VIP places first, prices will be nuts," he explained wisely.
"OK. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the tip Ben!" Judy replied, hiding her grin and edging past him to the common room. Being the only 'cute' animal among the officers, she appreciated being able to discuss such things as Gazelle concerts and chocolate toffee with Benjamin Clawhauser. The other guys left Benjamin alone – but if any other male officer so much as hinted he was into Gazelle's music, the others would pester the unfortunate fellow mercilessly. It was rumored though that Chief Bogo was a Gazelle fan – the whispers ran strictly outside the Chief's hearing range of course.
Judy bounced through the open doors of the common room and was met by a wave of noise. The ZPD officers were generally friendly with one another and the atmosphere at work was a pleasant one. .Monday mornings were not an ordeal as the police officers were pleased to see each other after the break and discussed their various weekend escapades. Judy smiled slightly to herself as she remembered her first uncomfortable days on the force. Things had changed so much she thought, as she acknowledged her colleagues one after the other and high-fived the ones she was particularly friendly with in greeting. Mark, the enormous rhino who had been a rookie same year as her, jokingly locked fists with her, pushing her a foot or so along the floor in their customary greeting ritual. Judy exchanged a few more "Yeah great! And you, what up?"s before scrambling into her seat and pulling her files closer. Nick wasn't there yet – but then, he was always arriving in the nick of time (pun intended) a close shave away from being late. And Chief Bogo did not look kindly on his officers being late for Monday morning's debriefing session.
They still had a good ten minutes to go before it was 8:30 am though – which was why Judy paused in surprise and turned her head, lifting one ear, when she heard Bill Taggart, the young tiger officer, exclaim "Wilde! Catch the game last night by any chance?"
Nick was indeed already there, leaning in the doorway casually, stirring his little styrofoam cup of coffee and smiling lazily at the room.
"Did I ever," he replied, addressing Bill. He had widened his eyes briefly at Judy in greeting and she had given him a small smile before bending over her folder again. She knew very well that it was a good idea to be discreet at work – they were the two smallest-sized animals on the force. The others knew that they were partners and friends at that, but if they talked half as much in front of everyone as they did when they were one on one, she knew that Nick would get some remarks from the others.
"And? What did you think then? The Stripes are as good as in the finals, wouldn't you agree?" Bill asked excitedly.
Judy's excellent ears picked up the sound of Nick slurping his coffee before replying – she could just picture him in her mind's eye, smiling unhurriedly up at Bill, taking his time.
"Well now, let's not be too hasty," Nick drawled slowly. "In the finals? They cleared the quarters last night – barely, I might add – do you really think that means they'll stand a chance against old Spot's team? And that's just the semis."
"The Stripes are the best team out there!" Bill interjected, his voice rising in annoyance. "I'll bet you ten bucks they make it in the finals - and that they slaughter their opponents at least three to nil!"
"Now why would I accept that bet Taggart? We're pals, aren't we? I wouldn't want to steal your hard-earned cash."
"You're the one who'll be coughing up Wilde! The Stripes are going to make it, just you mark my words!"
The other officers were breaking up their discussions and turning to watch the scuffle in interest. Judy swivelled around in her seat too, since most everyone in the room was looking the fox and tiger's way anyway.
Her gaze fell on the following scene: Bill was towering over Nick, breathing heavily and clenching his fists involuntarily. Several of the other officers were nudging one another - not all of them would have egged the tiger on, and they were much closer to his size than Nick was. The fox appeared completely unperturbed - in fact Nick looked bored by the ongoing discussion, if anything. He sipped the last of his coffee in an unfazed manner, tossed the little cup in the bin, stretched lazily and shrugged at the now fuming tiger.
"Fine. I'll bet you. Ten bucks more for me, whatever."
"It's toilet cleaning duty for you, that's what it is Wilde."
They all jumped as Chief Bogo, who had somehow crept into the common room while everyone was breathlessly following this verbal spat, now materialized between Nick and Bill. The tiger gaped, and hung his head, looking caught-out. Nick straightened up and stood to attention, though he seemed rather undisturbed.
"Betting is prohibited - betting, gambling, cards, dice, the whole lot - it's prohibited while on duty! You know the rules lads - you all learned them off upon entering my team," the Chief boomed.
Nick's lips twitched.
"Strictly speaking, it wasn't a bet, Sir. It was just a money arrangement based on future events the outcome of which is already well-known. A bet would require a surprise factor; in this case there won't be one."
Bill's tail swished dangerously, but he didn't dare talk back in front of the boss. Chief Bogo rounded on Nick dangerously.
"That's a week's toilet cleaning for you, Wilde. Anything else you'd like to add? Take it up to a month?"
Nick's eyes danced with laughter and the corners of his mouth crept upwards to Judy's dismay. He knew when to stop pushing it though, and after a moment's staring contest with the chief, he shook his head slowly.
"No Sir."
"Good," Bogo said. "Now wipe that smirk off your face."
Nick's expression sobered, though his look still spoke volumes.
"Very good Sir."
"Take your seats both of you, and not another squeak out of either animal!" the Chief barked.
Nick and Bill both dashed to their places. Judy sat straight in her seat hurriedly as Nick slid onto the chair beside hers. It did no good to annoy their boss further, he was not in a mood to take any more insubordination. This was definitely the general opinion, as all of the officers in the room were seated in silence by that time. Bogo glared at them all, before proceeding to his desk, banging his papers on it and putting his specs on.
"Right then. Let's start with last week's results. We're in quite a busy patch now. I need every animal's one hundred percent this week."
Judy picked up her pencil as cautiously as she could and scribbled 'did you have to provoke him?' on the corner of a spare sheet of paper. She saw Nick read her question out of the corner of his eye. His only reply was a careless shrug and a minute wink. Judy rolled her eyes at him, before turning her attention back to Bogo.
She didn't judge Nick much though. He was the first fox officer in ZPD history - that was one thing, given foxes'' general reputation. But, other than that, he was of course much bigger than her in size - but still much smaller than any other officer. She guessed (though he never mentioned anything) that, given his being a guy, his initiation during rookie year had been somewhat different than what she had gone through. Granted, she had had the taunts that went along with the idea of a bunny girl wanting to be a cop, she had had the verbal stings. But she was pretty sure that Nick had had some all-out fights. She remembered her alarm during his first few months, when she'd spot some bruises and nasty deep cuts on his paws, and once a heavy black eye he had almost managed to conceal under his shades. She knew there was no way those wounds could have come from work on duty - she was his partner after all, she'd been there. Plus, she had noticed Bill sporting some nicks (PUN INTENDED) and cuts on these occasions, and Mark arriving at work with a chipped tooth on one such day.
That Nick had to have some brawls with the other guys at work before he was accepted had been normal, she guessed, and calmed her initial worry by reminding herself that he had succesfully survived the streets working on the other side of crime. By now he had won his colleague's respect and friendship - but it was an ongoing thing, he had to stand up to them, talk back at them at times - this whole guy thing, she thought wearily, he has to appear tough, or they'll snicker at him for being a softie. Having me as a partner probably doesn't help.
Well, he could hold his own. How - this she had no idea. How could he have scratched Bill, how had Mark's tooth gotten chipped? Perhaps she had better not know the sordid details, Judy mused cynically. Whatever makes him happy and keeps him in the guys' good books.
She still felt it was a good idea to caution him, get him not to go too far, not to get in any serious fights. 'It's my duty as a friend. And future housemate,' she thought.
"Nick," she scrawled on the same bit of paper. "You'd better watch out for yourself more. Don't egg the others on so much. Promise?"
She saw his eyes run along what she had just put down, saw him appear to ponder her words. He massaged his temples thoughtfully before reaching for her pencil. Judy felt her heart lighten. 'At least I can be a good influence on him,' she thought proudly.
Her eyes fell on the paper he had just shoved back at her. It now read:
"Promise?"
"Nope!"
Judy felt her temper rising as she contemplated his short answer. It didn't help that she could feel his seat vibrating from his choked down laugher.
"Nick," she scribbled hurriedly and furiously, with a quick glance at Bogo to make sure he was still droning on with his report, " I feel as your friend that I am morally obliged to make sure-"
The reddish brown paw extended quick as a wink, plucked the pencil out of her own, and jotted down:
"So, told your parents about the real estate project yet? How did they react? Thrilled to pieces no doubt?"
Judy stared at the words. Her anger boiled up and she actually felt her ears heating up. She did not dare look at Nick, because she knew that he was smiling, and she also knew that, Bogo or no Bogo, she would be compelled to slap him. How he guessed that she had not told her parents anything - that she was worried about their reaction and had been avoiding talking to them for two days already for that very reason - and how he knew the very subject to evoke to throw her off-course from telling him off - all of it was beside her. She resorted to the only thing she could resort to at that moment, that could make her feel any better:
"I. HATE. YOU." she printed furiously on her sheet, breaking her pencil on the last word.
"Right! Changing rooms all of you! Sports clothes! We'll run some laps to get you all in good shape for the start of the week!" The Chief ordered.
There was a general rush as all the animals got up. Judy seized the opportunity to glare at Nick. He smiled into her annoyed face, showing all his teeth.
"You love me Carrots," he mouthed soundlessly, and then he turned with a swish of his tail, following the others to the men's changing room.
Judy took a small detour to the shredder and angrily fed the paper containing their exchange to the machine. As she watched the sheet become so many tiny ribbons, she felt marginally better. She poked her tongue out silently at the general direction of Nick's retreating back. Holding her chin up and feeling a tad better, she trooped off to the ladies' changing cubby.
Real estate is a huge subject here in Paris - can you tell? XD The plot won't be centered around the 'moving homes' idea though, a whole bunch of things will happen :) Stay tuned, next update in two weeks, March 21!