Written for the prompt 'Zootopia AU' suggested by Nautilusopus.

Tifa took a deep breath and stepped out onto the Midgar streets. Finally. She had finally made it into the Turks. Finally made it through all the training, the tests, the sleepless nights. Finally she had her dream job. And it had been worth every obstacle, every difficulty and every objection along the way; she had pushed through them all and succeeded.

As Midgar grew, the jurisdiction of each village comprising the city became increasingly vague. The construction of the upper plates forced the issue; did a village's authority extend upwards in a vertical column, or was the plate considered a new settlement in it's own right? Many heated debates followed and lead to the creation of the Turks; trained and deployed by the Shinra corporation to go where the localized police force could not - thanks to archaic pacts between the old villages.

Agreements between the newly named sectors allowed a local authority to remain technically in charge but also granted the Turks leave to operate everywhere without treading on any toes. No longer could a criminal commit a crime in one village - sorry, sector - and flee to an adjacent region with effective impunity. No longer were the upper plates a confusing mess of authority; the Turks stood above all others when necessary. Necessity soon overwhelmed other concerns and funding for localised authorities evaporated. The Turks were soon all that remained; their oaths publicly pledged to the city. Some in Midgar where unwilling to trust them still and many rumours suggested the Turks were far from impartial. Persistent whispers claimed they were beholden to the corporate interests of the Shinra corporation above the populace.

A damaging and persistent rumour. And one Tifa would change no matter how many feathers that ruffled at headquarters.

Her first assignment was nothing too arduous. She needed to be visible in the streets and help people as required. And under no account was she to avoid calling in back-up if she ran into anything resembling a dangerous incident. No baptism of fire for her, though such a thing would not have been a surprise for an organisation with the Turk's reputation. No slum duty as yet; her beat was the upper plate where the streets were generally clean and there was at least a sense of open air. She had visited the gloom below once and was not desperate to return anytime soon.

The day was slow and somewhat prosaic at first. A few people stopped to ask her for directions; despite her newness in the city, Tifa had memorised street maps as best she could and advised as far as she was able. A stern look deterred a few litter-bugs and the odd jay-walker. But no muggings, no robberies (and no one in a stripped shirt with a bag slung over one shoulder with a gil on the side either. How disappointing). And thankfully no murders. This would work; the people here were not so bad. Unless- Was this the upper plate and the slums something altogether different? Boredom and frustration might be in short supply below; perhaps she would be eager to return to such a calm working day in the future.

She rounded a corner and stopped. The blond man was not doing anything obviously untoward. He was perhaps a year older than Tifa. Blue eyes and generally good looking - in a cute way. Not why she took notice however; the Wutainese girl who accompanied him was far more unusual. The Turk training with reference to other cultures had been brief, but had stressed a few things. Not least Tseng's heritage, the theoretical links to a foreign power and the slight awkwardness resulting from that. But despite the man's prominence in the organisation, few other people of his ethnic background came to the city. The memories of the war and it's outcome ran deep.

Tifa took her eyes off the pair for a moment to direct another lost citizen. When she looked back, the man had set up a folding table and was inviting passer's by to participate in a card game. She narrowed her eyes; this trick was familiar. The rigged game ensured the customer would win at first but then- The customer won. Exactly as expected. She headed over to the table as the customer won his second round. The stakes would be triple or nothing now. The customer won again. And now the blond blinked in surprise. He congratulated the man, gave him his money and called for a new player. Tifa kept an eye on the customer until he vanished into the crowd. No one seemed to be pursuing or lurking with an intent to mug him or anything.

Was this some kind of weird philanthropy? The second customer won as well as the first. Was this illegal? The blond appeared to be on the level; the times he won surprised him as much as the customers. Unusual. An honest gambler? Wait. The girl. Where was she? She was near the table but not standing with the blond. Instead she was slipping back and forth through the increasingly large crowd. And not watching the game; the girl was keeping a close eye on bags and pockets. So that was the trick. Tifa muttered under her breath and strode towards the crowd. "Stop this game immediately!"

The sight of Tifa in her black suit spooked the crowd and they hurried from the table in all directions. The girl went with them; her fingers slipping out from a bag as she hurried alongside the others. Pursue her? Or go for her partner? He was still right beside her. With wide eyes and a smile. "Good day, ma'am. Can I ask what I was going wrong?" Those blue eyes were incredible this close.

"You kept the crowd distracted while your partner stole from them," she said in a blunt tone.

The man's eyes got bigger and his grin vanished. "I must protest ma'am." He glanced to either side of him with exaggerated movements. "I work alone."

"Nice try." Tifa shot him a tight smile. "I saw the two of you walking together."

"Together?" The man's brow furrowed. "Oh! You must mean that sweet orphan from Wutai. Poor thing. Out on the streets and with nowhere to go. She sleeps in a run down church in the slums you know." Tifa opened her mouth to reply, but the blond kept on going. "I can see why it might have looked like the two of us were together. She was desperate and very persistent with her humble request." He clasped his hands over his heart. "Her pleas moved me, but alas I could do nothing for her."

There was a chance - a slim chance - the man was telling the truth. A tiny, tiny chance. Hard to give it much merit though. "I don't believe you. You'd better come with me."

"Am I under arrest?"

"No. Not yet. But-"

"Then I think I will refuse." The man's attitude changed and those amazing blue eyes now had a cunning look to them. His smile was more of a knowing grin. "As far as I am familiar with the city ordinances, I am under no obligation to go anywhere with you unless you actively arrest me." His grin widened. "And I'm not clear what I could even be charged with. Care to enlighten me?"

He was good. He was very good. Something like a film cliche though. The only people who ever seemed to retort with such confidence were those who knew exactly where they stood and arranged the current situation accordingly. Which meant he was definitely guilty but knew she had nothing on him. Clever. A cunning scheme too; lose money to bring in the crowd and then use the girl to perhaps get the loss and other loot back while he distracted the punters. Near impossible to prove; at least currently. "Fine. Stay out of trouble." She walked away as he collapsed the table and grumbled about Turks scaring off his customers.

"It was nice meeting you though!" The man called.

Tifa turned back. The man was still smiling at her. "I'm keeping my eye on you," she said and strode away in the direction the girl headed. While the man might be difficult to pin a crime on, the girl would have a hard time excusing any stolen wallets found in her possession.