So, I left a big reference to two of my favorite things in this chapter – a movie and a game – as well as another story on the site, my all-time favorite. More bonus points to whoever manages to get the references! I'm also going to be trying to put out chapters a little faster – I'm getting all these ideas crammed into my head and would love to put them down for you all to read.

óÓÒò ~

Beep, beep, beep, beep, bee-

The sound of cracking plastic cut off the horrendous alarm to the fox's right. With a heavy groan, he looked out from under his covers and cursed silently. "That makes what, nine now?.." he muttered as he crawled from the comfort of his bed.

Nick gave a massive yawn as he made his way to the bathroom, engaging in his morning routine: Restroom, shower, uniform, then work. Sometimes he would make breakfast before leaving, but that had grown to be a rarity due to the commute to the Precinct having become worse than usual.

Twenty minutes later, Nick was walking out of his bedroom with yet another yawn plastered on his face. He had done his usual routine, swept the broken alarm clock into his trash bin, and had begun making a list of things to do this evening in his head. I only just got up and I've got more things to do, he thought, trudging into the kitchen.

The sight of a pair of black-tipped gray ears jutting out from beneath a mint covered blanket on his couch caught his eye and made him pause as he reached for the fridge. Judy? He thought, blinking in surprise as he tried to recall her visiting him. Nothing immediately came to mind, making him rub his eyes. It was likely that he'd have to make the two of them breakfast now, and wake his partner for work.

The uniformed fox clicked his tongue as he looked around his almost-empty fridge. There was very little to eat, and even less for an herbivore like Judy. Giving a shrug, he grabbed a bag of kale and some orange juice before shutting the door, plucking a bag of frozen mixed berries from the freezer, and setting them on the counter. Grabbing a stool from the other side of the counter, Nick clambered up and reached into a cupboard to bring down his blender.

He cast a small, mischievous grin towards the sleeping form of Judy as he plugged the red-based machine in, adding the various items he had set out. This ought to wake her.

Covering the lid, Nick flipped the switch to start up the blender. A loud grinding noise filled his apartment, making his ears flicked in irritation, and Judy's twitch at the sudden racket. He kept his eyes on her as he waited for the blender to do its work, smiling as he saw her bring up a pillow to cover her head and ears, chuckling at the faint "Niiiiiiiiick!" she let out.

"Yes, Carrots?" he said, reaching for some glasses. "Turn it oooooooff!" came her response, muffled from the pillow. Nick snickered as he saw one of her large ears pop out from under her cover at him doing as he was told. He turned back to the blender, filling the two tall glasses with the deep purple smoothie before glancing to Judy. She was glaring at him, arms folded over her chest as her ears drooped against her head. Small tufts of her gray hair stuck out at odd angles. The blanket and pillows he'd let her use were now struggling to stay off the floor, one pillow collapsing in a pitiful heap on her foot.

Compared to her usually well-groomed self, this was an amusing way to see his partner: Sleepy, slow, less alert, messy.

Nick's eyes widened and he ducked down, nearly dropping the glasses as a pillow sailed over his head, landing on the ground just in front of the stove. He looked at it before risking a view over the counter, seeing Judy holding the other pillow at the ready. The fox smirked, rising a bit and immediately ducking down to avoid the second pillow. Now that Judy was out of her ammunition, the red fox rose up with a smirk. "You throw like a bunny," he teased, making his way around the counter with a paw outstretched, the drink sloshing slightly as he held it out to her.

With a sigh brimming with irritation, she took the glass and examined its contents. "Smoothie?" she asked, an eyebrow raising as she looked up at him. Nick shrugged. "I don't have much in the way of carrots at the moment – or food in general. Been a while since I bothered shopping," he explained. Judy gave a shrug of her own before drinking half her share in one go. Nick chuckled at her purple mustache, grabbing a napkin from the counter and offering it to her. "I didn't think I'd be babysitting you," he joked, smirking wider at her glare once he took the wadded up napkin to the trash.

She shook her head, looking around for her phone. "What time is it?"

"About... 5:30."

"What?!" Judy was on her feet in an instant, her small phone before her face as she tapped buttons, but the screen refused to flicker to life. It was dead.

"5:30. I thought you bunnies were supposed to have great hearing?"

And now she began pacing. "No, no, no, I need to get home and to the Precinct... Nick, you've got a car, right?" she said, looking over to him. The fox paused with his glass inches from his mouth, looking at her curiously. "How do you think I get to and from work most days?"

"Can you take me home so I can shower and get my uniform?" Judy asked. Nick looked out the window, actually taking a drink this time.

"Nope."

"What?" Nick folded his ears against his head as she shouted, thankful his walls weren't paper-thin like hers. Of course, it wouldn't matter, given he had no neighbors at the moment. "Nick, you have to! Please?" Judy gave him a pleading look, causing him to sigh and set his drink on the counter.

"Hey, you've got a uniform at work, right?" She nodded. "A spare, but, yes," she confirmed.

"And does your bag have spare clothes in it?" Nick asked. Another nod. "Then shower here, change when we get to the ZPD."

Judy took a moment to let the plan sink in before nodding, face lighting up as she reached for her bag. "Right, where's the – wait... Nick, you're okay with letting me use your shower? You're not planning anything, right?"

His russet and black ears pressed against his head more as he detected a trace of suspicion in her voice. "Carrots, do you not trust me? If I wasn't okay with you using it I wouldn't offer. And I'm pretty sure you could tell if I was planning anything... Sly."

He smirked a bit, ears rising in satisfaction at seeing her ears lower a bit in embarrassment, seeing her grow slightly flustered. "Right... Sorry. I guess I'm just not quite awake. Or with using someone's shower. But then again, you are a sly fox," she said, smiling a bit.

"And you're a dumb bunny," Nick replied lightheartedly. "You might want to hurry though, or else we'll be late, and you'll be giving yourself a speech about being on time."

Judy nodded and disappeared down the hall, into the bathroom.

~ óÓÒò ~

Nick rushed after Judy as she sprinted into the ZPD. The moment he had parked the car, she had leaped from the door and made a beeline for the doors.

"Hey Nick, Judy just-" Clawhauser began, his words slightly warped due to the doughnut in his mouth, only to be silenced by Nick as he waved to the cheetah. The fox slid his sunglasses from his muzzle, folding them up and slipping them into his shirt pocket in one fluid motion as he pushed into the bullpen. Chief Bogo was looking up from his podium in surprise, Judy already taking up her half of the seat as Nick made his way over. She was already dressed in her uniform, though it wasn't as pressed as usual – a sacrifice of her hasty change, he guessed.

"Hopps, Wilde. I'm surprised. You don't normally come in on your days off," Bogo said, a hint of surprise in his voice as he looked over a set of papers in his hoof. Nick looked over at Judy, their wide and surprised eyes meeting and causing most of the mammals in the room to let out a snicker.

"Excuse me, sir?" Judy asked, ears perking in confusion.

"It's Saturday, Hopps. You and Wilde don't work today or tomorrow," the chief explained, giving the duo a small grin of amusement – one of the few times the large cape buffalo showed anything but a scowl. "But if you two would like to pitch in for today, then I could always-"

"No thank you, sir," Nick interrupted, giving a yawn. "Day off is a day off and I'm not giving that up unless it's important. I like to sleep normal hours when I can, sir."

Bogo snorted, expecting something like this from Nick. "And you, Hopps?" he said, turning to look at her. The uniformed rabbit looked between Nick and the chief, before shaking her head. "I think I'll go with Nick, if it's all the same to you," she said slowly. The cape buffalo chuckled softly. "As expected. Dismissed, you two. Thanks for stopping by."

There was a small chatter from the other officers as they said goodbyes to the partners, all eyes on them as they went to the door. After a moment, the chief's loud shouting for them to keep quiet left the room in silence. As the bunny and fox headed out of the doors, he began to rattle off the days cases, teams assigned to them, and other small tidbits of necessary information.

Clawhauser gave the pair a smile as they headed into the lobby. "The chief already gave you your assignments?" he asked curiously. Nick nodded. "Go home and sleep in for once," he said with a grin, paws stuffed into his pockets. Judy rubbed her eyes tiredly, almost running into Nick as he stopped before the cheetah's desk. "Carrots, forgetting something?" he said, pointing to her uniform. Her eyes twinkled with curiosity for a brief moment, looking down at her uniform, before springing up and racing to the changing rooms.

Nick chuckled before turning to the chubby cat. "So, Spots, anything exciting happening out in our big wide world?" He gave another grin, knowing that Clawhauser was always on every form of social media he could be, constantly blogging, keeping tabs on all of Gazelle's information, and anything else of importance.

Clawhauser nodded, grinning widely. "Gazelle's putting together a new album," he said excitedly. "She's already recorded three songs for it and a tour is being put together for next year!" Nick laughed, glancing at the changing rooms as he waited for Judy. "Is that so? So how quickly are you getting tickets?" the fox said, looking up at the wide-eyed, grinning cheetah. "I've already pre-ordered the first tickets I could for her show here!" the feline replied proudly, practically glowing. Nick's eyes widened slightly. "They're already putting out tickets?" he asked.

"Yeah! The earliest ones are set for spring, but they're having trouble keeping up with sales already!"

"That's... Weird. I thought they couldn't put out tickets until a month or two away?" Clawhauser shrugged. "Everything has a pre-order now; books, movies, CDs, games, even clothes all have them. The new iCarrot has already been announced, too!"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Geez, they need to slow down... Putting things out faster than they can keep up with. Want to bet this one has more issues than the last one? Maybe it comes already bent for us?"

Clawhauser let out a snicker. "What about news? Anything we might not have heard of yet?" Nick asked.

"Uh... A few small robberies in Bunnyburrow that are under investigation, a few stolen items here and there. A breaking and entering that gets investigated today, and... That's about it. Oh! And a few reports of assaults on mammals near recently robbed stores. That one's big enough that Bogo is having nearly a quarter of the department look into it."

"Who's looking into what, now?" Judy asked, walking up to the pair as she rubbed her eyes.

"Clawhauser was just telling me some of the news going around," Nick said, giving the cheetah a look to keep quiet on their topic. "Aside from some news on Gazelle and some stupid things already being on pre-order, nothing of interest."

Judy looked up to Clawhauser excitedly. "Wait, Gazelle's already working on more songs?!" With a grin, Clawhauser turned around his phone and leaned over the desk. "Yeah, she's already gotten three of them recorded, see for yourself!"

Judy took the phone and began immediately reading over the text on screen. Her thumb slowly ran along the screen as she read post after post from Gazelle's official media pages, a smile growing on her face. Nick snickered as he noticed her tail shaking slightly, as it did when she was excited.

"Oooh, this is gonna be great!" She yelled, jumping in place before handing the phone back to its owner. "I've already pre-ordered a set of tickets!" Clawhauser told her, his toothy smile widening at seeing Judy's face light up. "Already, seriously?! How many?" Judy could barely contain her excitement.

"Four, just like last time! Enough for you, me, Nick, and the Chief!"

Judy let out a squeal of excitement, still bouncing in place. "Clawhauser, you're the best!"

Nick chuckled again as he turned to leave, digging his keys from his pocket and twirling them on a finger. "Thanks for that, Spots, now it's going to be hell getting her back to sleep." Clawhauser was too busy squealing with the small rabbit to hear him.

Nick rolled his eyes. Ladies and gentlemammals, Gazelle's biggest fans, he thought, giving a whistle for attention. "I guess you want to walk home then, Fluff?" he jested, a paw resting on the door. Judy looked at the fox with a mockingly stern glare, before turning to thank Clawhauser, waving goodbye as she ran over. The fox held the door open slightly as he waited.

"Thought you were actually going to sit there and gossip with him for an hour," Nick said, giving Judy a smirk as she walked past him. "Har har," she replied, rolling her eyes as he trailed after her. "I wouldn't have known if we hadn't come in today. Speaking of which, who forgot that it was our days off?" Judy looked at Nick with light accusation. "Hey, you're the one who didn't catch me like you normally do," Nick replied, eyes shutting as he held up his paws defensively, keys jingling. "I was half asleep!" Judy defended herself.

Nick grumbled under his breath as the two walked over to his car, Judy jumping in the driver's side. "Uh-uh," Nick said, chuckling. "My car, I drive."

Judy rolled her eyes and shifted into the passenger seat. "You're no fun," she complained. "You won't let me gossip, won't let me drive, won't let me sleep in..." Nick slid into his seat and put the keys into the ignition, shutting the door. "One, you can always text Clawhauser. Two, bunnie's aren't very good drivers – at least, not from my experience," Nick snickered, pulling onto the street. "Three, that's both our faults," he admitted.

Judy crossed her arms over her chest. "If someone had remembered to turn off their alarm..." she started.

Nick snorted. "If someone hadn't woken me in the middle of the night, I might have remembered"

Judy gave Nick a glance of defiance. "If someone hadn't taken his time with his paperwork, we would've been home sooner."

Nick gave Judy a glance of his own. "If someone had known how to drive better so we could've gotten to the shop faster, we could've been done sooner."

"Well," Judy said with a smirk. "If someone hadn't gotten coffee spilled all over themselves, we might have avoided patrol duty."

Nick snickered. Judy was getting better at this. "Well, if a certain bunny hadn't leaked that she wanted a smoothie, then a certain someone wouldn't have been at Snarlbucks long enough to get his coffee spilled all over himself."

It was long compared to the usual retorts he had, but it was enough to silence his partner. For a moment, at least.

"Well..." Judy began, a smile creeping onto her face as she began coming up with her own response.

Nick looked at the light ahead as it turned yellow. Judy's eyes were fixated on him, meaning she likely hadn't noticed.

Brake check, the fox thought, a sly smirk coming over his face.

óÓÒò ~

Nick rubbed his shoulder with a slight scowl, looking over the park that sat before the Precinct. Judy had recovered from his brake check quickly, and given him a very hard punch to the arm in retaliation before falling silent for most of the trip. Despite his apology, she hadn't spoken to him until he brought up going to the park for the day.

Her ears had perked, signaling her interest, however much she tried to hide it from reaching her face, but Nick could read her like an open book. After a bit of coaxing, she relented in her silence, giving him a smile as she agreed to go.

After a nap that consumed half of their remaining morning, the partners had driven to the park, a small basket with snacks placed in the back seat should they get hungry. The day so far had been wasted away with the two walking, talking, occasionally joining in on a random game, or, as they were now, idly swinging on the park's smaller playset. Judy's eyes were glued to her phone, and Nick cast a glance at the screen to see who she was talking to – Clawhauser, of course. He could see the name "Gazelle" appear nearly a half dozen times on the screen, Judy's small thumbs tapping away on the screen.

Swinging his legs idly, Nick began to gain momentum, the occasional creak of the set above him making his ears twitch with irritation from time to time. He looked over the entirety of the park, smiling at the sight of mammals, of every size and species milled about and socialized. A lion and lioness sat on a bench, watching their cub play soccer with an otter, zebra, and hippo about his age. An elephant stomped along with a bear by his side, the two laughing and joking as they went. A gazelle wandered through the grass, staring down at her phone as she went. Nick laughed to himself, swearing he could see McHorn across the way, playing chess at a table with a cougar he didn't recognize.

The park was as active as ever, despite the sky taking on hints of orange on the horizon. Slowing his swing, Nick looked down at Judy, who was still texting away. "Carrots, are you gonna keep your eyes on that screen all afternoon?" he asked. Judy looked to him, giving an apologetic smile. "Sorry! Clawhauser and I were just planning for the concert."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "That's months away, why would you plan for it now? There's a lot of things that could happen in the meantime."

Judy shrugged, her eyes returning to her phone as she received another text. "But it's good to have things in place, right? Something to plan around?" She didn't take her eyes off her phone until she hit send, finally slipping the attention-hogging device into her pants pocket. "I told him I had to go for a bit. I didn't mean to waste so much time texting," she told him. Nick gave a nod that screamed false misunderstanding. "I always knew there was someone else!" he joked, grinning at Judy's open-mouthed expression.

The fox barely pushed away in time to avoid another punch to his bruised arm. I should really stop letting her sit on my right, he thought, eyes widening as he swung right into her fist again. This time, unlike the others, he let out a yelp of pain, holding onto his arm.

Judy just smirked. "That's what you get!"

Nick groaned as he rubbed his shoulder, sighing as he looked out over the park. "Let's play a game before the sun sets?" he asked, glancing at her. Judy turned to face him. "What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Mammal watching?" he suggested.

Judy laughed. Mammal watching was a ZPD pastime they had learned, about watching mammals in an area and guessing on who, if anyone, they were waiting on – friend, family, significant other, or something else. "Isn't that normally for patrols only?" she reminded him.

"We showed up at work today, in uniform – or at least, I did. Doesn't that count?"

Judy looked up in thought, before giving in. "Alright, I guess it counts. Who starts?" she looked at her partner expectantly. Nick peered out over the park, examining everyone who meandered through it. "How's about... Her?" he suggested, pointing to the gazelle he had spotted earlier.

Judy leaned out of her swing slightly, carefully looking over their chosen target.

She was dressed casually, wearing ugly brown boots (they were ugly in Judy and Nick's boots, at least), tight jeans, a plain white shirt, and a deep blue coat that was cut too short. A scarf was wound around her neck, despite it being nearly summer, and her slightly off-colored gold hair was straightened out behind her.

"Friend," Judy said.

"What kind?" Nick asked, examining the gazelle much like her.

"Uh... Given her clothes... Girl? She doesn't seem to be trying to impress anyone."

"Alright, we'll keep an eye on her. Your turn."

Judy looked around the park, this time laughing as she pointed directly across from them. Nick trailed her finger and snickered, realizing that she was pointing at who he had assumed was (and was correct about being) officer McHorn. The rhinoceros was dressed in loose jeans and a plain blue button-up shirt. "Friend or acquaintance, clearly" Nick said, grinning as he turned to Judy. "Come on, actually give me a good one!"

Judy laughed again, turning her gaze out across the park once again, before pointing to a jaguar sat at a park bench. She held a cream purse in her lap, a simple teal skirt and white shirt being her outfit as she looked around the park, as though watching for someone. Nick grinned. "A date. She's dressed too fancy to just be meeting a friend," he said.

"Are you sure?" Judy snickered, pointing over as a small jaguar cub that ran over to her, the bigger one giving a wide smile as she leaned out for a hug. Another jaguar walked up, dressed in slacks and a large brown coat that gleamed in the afternoon light, a paw resting behind his head as he laughed.

Nick's ears drooped a bit. "I win!" Judy grinned. The fox gave an exasperated sigh, before pointing across Judy's nose with a grin. "So did I, look!"

Eyes wide, Judy turned to see the gazelle from earlier now walking with a deer dressed in a blue windbreaker and matching jeans. Their arms were hooked around one another as they walked away.

Nick gave a superior smile as Judy turned to him, frowning. "Tie breaker?" he suggested, keeping a smug grin on his face as she nodded.

"I'm picking, though, since you lost first." Nick nodded to her slightly, accepting the terms.

"How's about..." Judy paused as she looked around the park. "Him?" She suggested, pointing at a smaller mammal on the path by their swing set. Nick looked at them curiously – a red fox, much like himself, but with significantly more vibrant fur, with the dark of his ears and tail not staining his fur until it was almost too late. He was dressed in a red hoodie and black cargo pants. Boots not unlike Judy's uniform boots were visible under the baggy clothing, a backpack resting against them as they went along, looking down at their phone. A set of white earbuds were leading into his ears as he glanced at the off-duty officers with startling eyes – a strange blue, perhaps indigo in color. A small smile grew on his face as he offered a wave, Judy returning it. He unplugged an earbud as he shifted his course to meet the two, eyes bright and friendly. Nick frowned internally, but kept his usual smirk on as he gave a small wave. Something about this fox felt... Uneasy to him. The way he dressed, maybe. He shook off the feeling, telling himself it was nothing.

"Hey, do you know where the train station is?" the fox asked once he neared them. Nick's ears perked at noticing that he was shorter than this newcomer – by a matter of inches, but still. Judy nodded, pointing just to the right of the ZPD. "It's about three blocks that way," she said. The fox smiled. "Great, thanks! Hey... You look familiar. I don't think we've met but I swear I've seen you before... I got it!" He said, snapping his fingers as Judy opened her mouth. "You're Judy Hopps, yeah? The police officer that saved Zootopia with Nick – who I'm guessing is you?" he said, turning to the other fox.

Nick smirked a bit more. "Yeah, that's us."

The fox grinned widely. "No way. Aren't you two supposed to be out catching bad guys or something?"

Judy laughed. "Even police officers have days off, you know." The fox nodded. "That makes sense. Hard to keep the streets safe when you're working your tail off, eh?" He chucked softly as Nick nodded. "Well that, and, it takes quite a bit of energy to keep her in line," Nick said, reaching out to ruffle Judy's hair, snickering as she tried to shy away from his paw but couldn't due to her seat. The other fox was still grinning, giving a soft chuckle.

"So hey, what's your name? Like you said, I don't think we've met before." Judy asked after batting away Nick's paw. "Huh? Oh, Aiden. Aiden Wick." He stuck out his left paw for Judy to shake, giving the two a friendly smile as she did so, before turning to Nick, who did the same. "Well, Aiden, it's nice to meet you."

Aiden nodded. "Likewise," he said. Nick tilted his head slightly as he looked down at a small watch, the outside circle of it being lit up as a neon green. "Aw, hell, I gotta go or I'll miss my train. Thanks for your help, and I'm incredibly honored to meet you two!" he said, giving a smile. "Hopefully we meet again," he said, giving the two a surprisingly professional salute, which the two habitually returned, turning to watch him as he ran off in the direction of the train station.

"Friend." Nick said, watching him go. Judy nodded in satisfaction, turning around to swing a bit more, the deepening orange light of the sunset beginning to stain the green leaves of the trees around the park. "Alright, you win, Slick Nick."

The fox beside her laughed. "Of course I win, I'm me! But, winner always picks the next place to eat, right?" Judy groaned and nodded, already feeling her wallet noticeably emptier. "Yeah, that's our normal deal," she replied.

"Ha-ha!" Nick spoke triumphantly. "I choose..."

He tilted his head from side to side, ears flopping slightly with each turn as Judy's fell against her head. Nick looked her way briefly, noticing her foot twitch in anticipation, patting against the air quickly enough that a small part of him was surprised she wasn't flying from her seat.

"My place," he said, finally. Judy looked up at him in surprise.

"What? It's not like I can't get some groceries on the way back. And besides, this wasn't an official game," he said, smiling at her. Judy laughed slightly, holding up her paws. "I won't complain about that, Nick. I've always been curious about your cooking skills, though."

Nick laughed again. "Prepare to be surprised, Fluff. Bet you it's a mile better than that souffle you tried making last time," he joked. Judy gave him a shocked look. "You said you loved it!"

"And I did," he chuckled. "But it was obvious you hadn't made anything like that before." Judy crossed her arms in false anger.

Nick snickered as he shoved himself from the swing, beginning to walk towards his parked car. It was fun to poke at Judy like this. Well, fun for him.

She probably didn't enjoy it nearly as much.

óÓÒò ~

Aiden looked around the train station, hood pulled over his ears. Where is he? He thought, looking around in irritation.

Unlike most of the mammals present, he wasn't waiting on a train. No, instead he was waiting for a signature white car with distinct black markings – two stripes going over the vehicle's hood, and a smaller line running along the bottom portion of the doors.

There he is, he thought, heading over to the car he needed just as it pulled up. Sliding into the passenger seat, he pulled the door shut, looking at the black panther sitting in the driver's side, his paw outstretched. With a grin, the other reached over and took it, sliding their paws over one another as they pulled back before butting their fists together.

"Good to see ya, pal. Been a while, hasn't it?" The panther asked, pulling away from the station.

The fox chuckled, crossing his arms, letting his voice drop down into its usual, hoarse grumble. "Yeah. It was a nice trip out there, but I had to come back Not even a full day, but still."

"Ah, so you did miss us," the panther grinned. Aiden scoffed. "There's work to do." He said, keeping a straight face, even as the panther nudged his shoulder.

"C'moooon, you know you missed us. Admit it!"

The fox chuckled briefly. "Alright, yeah. I missed you guys. Oh, had a run-in with with the city's most famous officers."

"For real? How was it?"

"They're nice. Don't think they have any suspicions about me yet."

"Well, yeah, you haven't exactly been seen doing anything illegal, right? I mean, aside from last night, but you got away fast enough. They didn't see you dip below street level," the black panther kept one paw on the steering wheel as they drove along, the orange from earlier having given way to a deep red on the horizon, the dark blue of night overtaking most of the sky as stars lit up above them. The roads were mostly clear at this hour, much to the fox's delight.

"It was closer than I'd like. Arctic needs to step up his game on keeping tabs around me."

"Hey, he's been working hard lately. You expect him to be able to hack into all this shit and still stay on top of all the animals around you? Nah, cut him some slack."

"Alright, you've got a point. I can sacrifice a bit of my security – it's why I have what I have."

"You're not really sacrificing anything. Just be more careful, ya know? In and out fast as ya can."

"I know," the fox grumbled. "At least we're getting somewhere now. Unlike with Bellwether, we know what to look for."

"Right," the panther nodded. "Stayin' on top of this. We got this, man."

The fox nodded again, chuckling.

"Aye, you got my new strap?" the panther asked, looking a bit excited.

"Would I be here if I didn't? It's in my bag." The panther laughed happily, tail flicking as he slapped the steering wheel. "Hell yeah, you always come through!" he exclaimed.

"Now come on, we ought to get back. Mamacita has dinner waiting."

"Please tell me it's cowboy beans?" The fox licked his lips expectantly, already able to taste the succulent combination of foods.

"You know it is, pal."

"Hell yeah."