-Day 3-

Nick had lost track of time as he lay in his bed and stared out the window of his tower. He had gotten a good night's sleep. Which was the first time he had since she had…since she had not been there anymore. Maybe that was why he had slept for most of the day. As Nick looked out the window he noticed the sun was no longer in a morning position but instead somewhere in the center of the sky.

Normally he would already be dressed and out in the city, working on a new scam with his partner Finnick. The memory of his friend caused a pang of regret to hit him deep inside. He felt bad for leaving his fellow hustler back in the city but it was actually Finnick's advice that he had convinced Nick to take this job.

Their last few scams had almost ended in disaster thanks to Nick. Finnick had said Nick's mind wasn't in the game anymore and he needed time to go clear his head, only the fennec fox had used a more colorful way of saying it. Nick let a soft chuckle at the memory of being cursed out by his partner who was still wearing a set of elephant pajamas that had been turned into a cute costume.

Another memory crossed his mind. A slender looking vixen holding up the pajamas they had found in a thrift shop. She was laughing as she turned the costume around a few times and then held it against her and began to laugh. Nick felt a fresh tear roll down his cheek as he let out a low growl. Another memory started to invade the fox's mind and he felt like his world was starting to spin. His heart felt heavy and ached as her smile began to fill his thoughts.

"Two forks this is Thoroughfare, hey Nick you awake yet?" Came a garbled voice.

Nick couldn't explain why but he leaped from the bed and grabbed the radio. He needed a distraction right now. "Uh yeah, I'm up, now, over."

"Once again, no need for over, but it's kinda cute. Glad to hear you are awake, you only slept for about 12 hours!"

Nick winced when he remembered that Judy was his supervisor and sleeping in on your first day was probably not a very good way to start a new job. "Yeah, sorry I don't know why but I just kinda passed out and only just woke up, forgot to set an alarm..." Nick said apologetically.

"No worries sleepy fox. You did just hike for almost two days to get here, I would be tired too. Fortunately for me, though I get dropped off at my post, perks of being a supervisor," Judy replied in a friendly manner.

"What's a fox got to do to get that kind of VIM treatment?" Nick asked as he stretched and scanned his tower for his bags. When he located them he retrieved a green t-shirt and hiking shorts. It was a bit warm in the tower and Nick could only guess it would be getting warmer, so he abandoned his normal pawaiian and slacks combo for something a little more fitting.

"Well maybe wake up on time for starters," Judy teased over the radio.

"Har har, guess I deserved that one," Nick shot back and then proceeded to get dressed. The clothing wasn't very comfortable and Nick remembered he hadn't showered yet. "Say, Judy, where is the closest comfort station? Kinda need to freshen up," Nick asked as he grabbed a small bag he had brought along to carry in between the confront stations which would have showers and toilets for campers.

Much to Nick's concern he heard a garbled giggling coming over the small radio and had a feeling he wasn't going to like what was next.

"I am guessing no one told you? Sorry to break the news Nick but we don't have any comfort stations nearby, closest one is about a day's walk from your tower," Judy explained in a way too happy manner.

"Great, so how does one stay clean out here?" Nick asked as he fell back onto his bed and rubbed his eyes.

"Well did you see that lake when you first arrived?" Judy's voice asked from the small handheld.

"You're kidding…"

"Nope. Why do you think they gave you that special soap in your supplies? It's made to be used in the local water supplies so it won't contaminate the water. Careful though, some of the fish love the stuff and are attracted to it. Wouldn't recommend going in the water without some swim trunks unless you want them to mistake something for a worm."

Nick let out a nervous laugh as he began to wonder if he should just pack up now and head back to civilization.

"Not to brag or anything but there is a waterfall near my tower, so I get a nice shower every day," came Judy over the radio.

"This shower wouldn't happen to be in telescope range would it?" Nick teased before realizing what he had just transmitted. He was used to joking around and sometimes pushing boundaries when it came to playfully flirting. He had not really meant anything by it but he doubted the voice on the other end would take it that way. The seconds of silence that followed felt like hours as Nick stared nervously at the walkie as if it was about to explode.

"No, but your lake is in view of my tower so at least one of us is gonna get a show. Don't hesitate to lose the trunks there stud," Judy came over the frequency in a flirtatious manner.

Nick let out a sigh of relief as the voice on the other end of the radio finished. She not only took the joke in stride but also threw one back at Nick, this fellow firewatcher was his kind of mammal. Someone who was not only smart but also willing to give him a hard time. He was starting to like his new friend.

"Yeah sorry but you have to pay extra for that kind of show," Nick said into the radio as he gathered some supplies for his lake trip.

"A girl can dream," Judy shot back.

As Nick exited the tower he took a moment to breathe in the fresh air. He chuckled at the thought of how out of place he was.

Though many generations ago these woods would have been his natural habitat he felt completely out of place. Nick had spent most of his life in the bustling metropolis that was Zootopia. He had no real idea what he was actually doing out here in the middle of nowhere. This was all so new to him, he always had a plan and knew all the angles. Today though he had no plans, no schemes, just a mission to get cleaned up and ready for a relaxing summer.

When Nick had finally reached the bottom of the wooden steps that led up to his tower he spotted a wooden sign with several arrows pointing in different directions. Nick approached the sign and began to go down the list of locations. There was an arrow pointing towards the lake, some cliffs, ranger station, the next watchtower, and finally to the closest comfort station. Nick tilted his head slightly in confusion. According to the arrow, there was a comfort station only .7 miles away. That wasn't even a mile! Nick could easily walk that.

"Hey Judy, there is a sign outside my tower saying a comfort station is close by," Nick said apprehensively over the radio. He took a moment but then decided to investigate the possible comfort station location.

"Oh, that? No, that one is totally not there!" Judy came back quickly over the radio. Nick could tell something was up. He knew when someone was trying to hustle him.

"Really? Then why is it on the sign" He asked as he casually strolled down a dirt path.

"It's a trick. It's really a trap set up to catch unsuspecting fire watchers. You should totally take the right fork from your tower towards the lake. Lake bathing is super good for you." Judy was not very good at this apparently which caused Nick to chuckle.

"So how long have you been without internet exactly?" Nick asked playfully.

"A while…" Judy grumbled over the radio. "Can you blame a girl for trying?"

Nick burst out laughing at this point as he climbed over a log which had fallen onto the dirt path. "So you thought you would get a show from the new guy huh?"

"It was gonna be so awesome. Best prank ever!" Judy teased.

"Only if it works. And trust me that wasn't gonna work," Nick shot back.

He had a little more respect for this voice on the radio now.

"Would have if that sign wasn't there, remind me to take the comfort station off it the next time I'm I the area," Judy replied with a joking tone.

"Hey don't forget to take the comfort station off the sign," Nick reminded immediately.

"I hate it when mammals do that! Arg so annoying. How is that a reminder?"

"It's not," Nick teased, "it's a joke."

"Where I'm from we call it a dad joke."

Nick smiled as he shook his head. He did have to admit it was a cheesy joke but it was his kind of humor. His smile faltered as he tried to remember the last time he had laughed like this. It had been quite some time.

Before his memories invaded his thoughts once more Nick spotted a small structure through the trees. It was a wooden building with a green roof and a series of above-ground pipes that ran off into the distance.

"So where are you from?" Nick asked as he returned to the previous conversation with his radio.

"Someplace far from here," Judy responded cryptically. "What about you?"

"Me? I'm from home." Nick said playfully.

"Har har, should I be prepared for this kind of humor for the summer?"

"Yup. Enjoy sweetheart," Nick said and winced once again. He had to watch himself. He hadn't had a boss in a while or a professional coworker for that matter. Calling someone sweetheart could be over the line. He waited for a response but was met only with silence which made it worse.

As Nick came up to the comfort station he was tempted to apologize. He mulled the idea over for a minute but decided against it. The fox let out a disappointed sigh and then headed inside to clean up.

The comfort station was very bare bones. There were a few shower stalls that had wooden doors that were a foot off the ground and only went up till it covered what needed to be covered. There was a sign advising when hot water was available. As it turned out there wasn't any available during the summer so it would just be cold showers for the duration of Nick's stay. He didn't mind though as the temperature outside was already hot and a nice cool shower was rather inviting right now.

There were a few working toilets of varying sizes for different types of mammals and a row of sinks that gradually got taller. There were overhead lights which were currently off. Nick assumed they were in some kind of sensor and would only turn on at night to save on power and bulb life.

Nick took his time getting cleaned up. He was surprised as to how nervous he suddenly felt not hearing from Judy. He hoped he hadn't crossed the line and but at the same time didn't understand why she would be upset over such a remark.

After Nick had finished with his cool shower he spent a few minutes at the sink brushing his teeth and getting ready for the day. There was a soft garbling noise from his radio which was placed on the counter next to him. Nick looked excitedly over at the orange device as he came to life once more.

"Hey, Nick. You there?" Came Judy's sweet sounding voice. Much to Nick's relief, she didn't sound angry. She actually sounded like the same bubbly voice he had first heard the night before.

"Yeah just finished cleaning up, everything OK?" He asked, tempted to apologize for earlier but decided to see how things played out.

"Yeah. Sorry for the silent treatment, had a call on the important phone," Judy explained which caused Nick to let out a sigh of relief. "I have a line directly connected to the main office since they don't trust cell phones, rightly so in this region, I only have like 2 bars. Anyways, when that phone goes off I have to answer, I'm sure you understand."

Nick could feel his eyes twitch as he quickly keyed up the radio, "What do you mean you get two bars?! I have nothing!"

The radio in Nick's paws suddenly filled with laughter as his ears drooped at the realization he had just been played.

"Oh, how I wish I could have seen your face. Love it!" Judy transmitted in-between fits of laughter. "This is just too easy. Seriously though no bars, no signal, all we got is our walkies, ham radios, and the big phone back to the office. Hope you didn't have an important email to send out."

"So what you're saying is we are stuck with each other's company then?" Nick asked playfully.

"Yeah, get used to it. You are stuck with me for the duration."

"Could get used to that cutie," Nick said to himself before keying up the radio, "Is it too late to transfer?"

"Oi! Watch it bub. Just so you know I am a fun supervisor to have. I Let you sleep in, call you fun names, occasionally serenade you with greatest hits," Judy listed off the benefits which caused Nick to chuckle.

"You take requests?" Nick asked as he began to gather the supplies he had brought to the comfort station.

"Normally no because gazelle is the only kind of music that matters, but since it's your first summer I guess I can make an exception."

"Let me guess, you like to try everything?" Nick asked, nervous to hear the response.

"I messed up tonight, I had a little fight," Judy began to sing through the radio. She paused though for a moment as a small crack emanated in the distance. "What the fuck?"

"Woah, don't remember that part of the song," Nick said into the radio nervously. His ears raised slightly as he scanned for the source of the odd noise in the distance.

"Sorry just…oh what the hell?!" Judy said quickly over the radio.

"What's up boss?" Nick asked, desperate to understand what had his supervisor so spooked.

"Get to your tower now!" Judy practically shouted over the radio as another crack could be heard in the distance.

"I'm on my way! What the hell is going on?!" Nick said as he began to pick up the pace until he was practically sprinting down the path.

"Just get to your tower! Need you to confirm a location before…" Judy began but there was another loud crack in the distance, "Just hurry!"

So as you can see we are kind of at a hard T rating. Just warning you all in advance we will see some language and suggestive themes throughout this story.

Hope you are all enjoying this story so far. I know that there have already been alot of changes to both our characters and the main story of Firewatch. Dont worry though they will start making more sense as I do my best to make it work. I am enjoying this little vacation from the big stuff.

-Blue

Updated: 10/1/2018