For the rest of the day Nate got dragged all over the base. For the places that I could join him, I typically did, but in all honesty, it was very boring. When it came to the parts that Logan insisted that 'civilians' like myself weren't allowed, I was more than happy to slip off to find something a bit more… exciting to do.

Turns out, that was very hard to do here. Holly wanted me to practice with her in the shooting range, but it wasn't going to be available until later in the evening, so she found a way to slip into the armory to 'inspect' the Guardian's equipment. After the Armorer kicked her out, she stormed off somewhere muttering something about getting him fired.

Mark was with Doc helping him with the injured that still remained and since I only knew enough about medicine to slap a band-aid on a broken bone, I felt more of a hinder sticking around so I left them alone. I was on the way to see if Tuskgen needed help, since that was really the only thing I was good at, when I ran into Bo carrying a bunch of large crates.

"Hey Bo. I haven't seen you around much."

"Been busy fixing up the garden. Those darn mammals trampled it after taking the place over. Betty broke down in tears at seeing our hard work gone to waste."

"You look like you're having troubles, want me to help?"

"These are a might heavy."

"I've got nothing better to do, here let me…"

Damn, they were heavy. I only grabbed one of the smaller crates, but it felt nearly as heavy as me. He offered to take it back but I was already feeling useless at the moment, so I clenched my teeth and hefted it over my shoulder. It felt a bit lighter this way, but not by much.

"What's in these things? Rocks?"

"Naw. Some fertilizer and seeds from Precinct One. Apparently they had a huge storeroom of this stuff. Supposed to have worked in conjunction with something called a R.A.D. but since Tuskgen needs to figure out a way to make more of them, Chief Valiant said that I can have some of it for our own garden."

"What's your opinion on Nate as the new Chief?"

"Well, I reckon that if he's good enough to be in relations with you, he's good enough to be Chief, although I'll admit, it caught me by surprise. He wasn't the first mammal that came to many minds."

"I was taken a bit by surprise by it too. I mean, it's not that I don't think he's up to the task, it's just that I never would've pictured him in the position either. I think it's good though, he's already gotten much more confident in himself since it happened. Wait a second… what do you mean if he's good enough for me?"

"I mean no disrespect Olivia. You're a kind soul, and I could tell that the moment I met you. Any mammal that you take to as affectionately as him must have done something good to deserve it. That's why I say that I believe he'll do good for us all. Couldn't imagine you'd fall for someone who'd do any of us wrong on purpose."

"And what if he makes a decision that he thinks is good and it turns out it isn't? What then?"

Bo stopped and set down the crates and turned to me, his face looking stern, yet somehow compassionate. "I've heard stories about you. How you've killed entire groups of mammals without any concern for their life, how you've put yourself and others in danger due to misguided and poorly thought decisions. Am I wrong?"

Hearing that come from him made me feel… weak, like he was trying to push me down to the same level of those I killed. "N-no… you aren't."

"Despite all that, all you've done and all you've been through, I still respect you, and I still think you're one of the kindest souls I have ever known, and despite everything, you've slowly helped to make this world better, even if you don't realize it. You can't fail if you don't try, but you also can't succeed if you don't try. As long as Chief Valiant tries his best to make things better, his failures will be a simple understatement to his efforts. 'Least that's how I see it."

"Thank you. That… that actually means a lot to me. There are times that I wonder, did I do the right thing? Yes, some of those mammals deserved to die but sometimes… sometimes I regret how I did it. Even if someone deserves to die, they don't deserve a long agonizing death. I try to be better than that, it's just sometimes… it's hard, it really is."

"You're a good rabbit Olivia. As long as you think like that, and as long as you're willing to show that you care, even if it's to your enemies, then you will continue to be a good rabbit."

He picked up the crates and we continued to where the garden area was, chatting about simpler and less emotional things the rest of the way. Apparently when King took over, not only did they take every bit of edible thing from the garden, they also trampled over it, breaking the watering machinery, contaminating the soil, and leaving the place barely operational.

I had never been to this part of the base before, but it looked completely different from the rest. Turns out it was an old storage facility that never got utilized so Lazlo offered it to Bo and his family when he found out they knew agriculture. Large devices were attached to the overhead lighting that seemed to change the whole tone of the lighting in the room.

"What are those?"

"Something Tuskgen whipped up. Problem with growing plants underground is that most of them need light to grow, and most indoor lighting won't do the trick. Since there were no proper lights here, Tuskgen made something that she said will filter the existing light to allow the plants to thrive. It ain't as good as natural light, but stuff grows and that's all that matters."

The whole setup was similar to what was in the Burrow. Large troths lined the room, at least two dozen of them running perpendicular to one another. A few of them had plants already poking out of the dirt, but many of them were either empty or partially full.

"Not a whole lot of fertile soil around these parts. Chief Lazlo had to send some teams into the Rainforest District to gather what was needed. Very dangerous trip that was, due to Council activity, but no one was hurt and after some time, we had fresh food."

"You arrived shortly after… I was rescued, didn't you?"

"Yup. Wasn't more than a day before I was up here getting things ready."

"Then how did you manage to grow so much in such little time?"

"Well, between some generous donations from Miss Petunia over in Hope, and some special fertilizer that Doc threw together, well let me say, I haven't seen plants sprout that fast in all my years. It's like they wanted nothing more than to be eaten."

He motioned towards a corner where he wanted me to put the crate, and he placed the others near it.

"That's great to hear. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon. Doc says I need to spend at least a few more days here, and I would love to have some real food filling my stomach before I continue my little adventure."

"Got some carrots and potatoes that'll be ready in a day or two. The rest will be at least a week or longer. Afraid the kitchen has no more fish."

"Heh. I probably ate it all."

"You are one strange bunny."

"I'm told that a lot actually." I saw some movement and that's when I saw Bo's wife and daughter come in, each of them carrying crates as well.

"Betty, you remember Olivia."

"How could I forget. How you doin' darlin'?"

"I'm okay. Sorry for what they did to your garden."

"I was a bit saddened by it, but thanks to these supplies, we're hoping for it to be even better than before. Bea, you remember Olivia, right?"

After Bea had put down the crate she ran over to her mom's leg and nervously hid behind it. At her mother's words, she simply poked her head out enough to nod.

"She's not gonna bite dear, come out and give her a proper hello." Betty turned towards me. "Ever since they took Bo to that horrible place, she's been afraid around most other mammals. She won't even go to the bathroom without one of us there with her."

"Hey Bea, I'm a friend. You remember how I took that nasty collar off of you? I was also the reason your father got rescued. Don't tell me that you're still afraid of me after that?"

She slowly stepped out from behind her mother and shook her head. She didn't really look scared, she just looked… sad. Then, catching me completely off guard, she ran up to me and hugged me. Despite her being a kid, she was already much taller than me. And much stronger.

"Thank you bunny."

"You're welcome Bea. As long as I'm around, I promise nothing bad will happen to you or your parents ever again."

"You… pwomise?"

"I promise."

A beep came from my Pip-Boar that startled both of us. I checked it to find a message from Nate. It said that Tuskgen was calling a bunch of them to her lab and that he wanted me there too.

"Sorry to cut this visit short but looks like I'm needed. You take good care of your mommy and daddy, okay?"

"Okay."

"If any of you need something, don't hesitate to ask Nate, I'm sure that as long as it's within his ability to do so, he will do it."

"You take care Olivia."

"You do the same Bo. You and your family."

I left them as they got back to work. I had been too busy talking to pay attention to where I had been going so I was utterly lost. Thankfully I found a Guardian who pointed me in the right direction. I figured that I would be late, but was surprised when I turned the corner to find Nate, Logan, and a few others down the hall. I hurried to catch up to them.

"What's this about Nate?"

"Not sure. Tuskgen said she had something very exciting to show us."

"You think it involves that R.A.D. thing?"

"I hope so. From what I've dug up on it from the central computer, it has the potential to save this world, but only if we can get it mass produced. It was also never fully tested, so we'd need to have Tuskgen do a few tests as well once she can duplicate the technology."

"Clean water and soil for the first time in over two centuries. That would be an amazing sight."

"Yes it would Olivia, yes it would."

We finally reached Tuskgen's lab and she was standing inside next to a large… something, that was covered in a white blanket. It wasn't as tall as her, but it was much larger than both Nate or I, and only slightly larger than Logan. For the first time in a few days I saw an excitable expression on her face as we approached her.

"What's under the cloth Tuskgen?" Nate sounded very curious.

"Only a wonderful treasure that one of the salvage teams brought to me from Precinct One. Ladies and gentle-mammals, may I present… the one of a kind, prototype X-01 Exo-Armor!"

She yanked off the fabric and there stood what looked like a suit of Exo-Armor, but it was different. Not only did it look brand new, it was also much smaller. From what I was told, only the larger mammals, such as elephants, rhinos and hippos wore the armor, but this one was for a species so much smaller. The thing that caught my attention the most was the helmet. It had a very wolf-like visage to it.

"I've never seen a suit that small. It looks perfect for you Logan."

"Actually Sir, it's not for me."

"Then, who?"

"You Sir."

"Wait, I can't fit into it, it's too big!"

"Well Na… err Chief Valiant, I plan to modify it to fit your stature. While modifications like that are too extreme for the larger suits, this one is already close enough in size that I can perform the adjustments without sacrificing effectiveness. I already have ideas on how to integrate the Pip-Boar in your arm into the suit's central computer. It will make controlling it feel much more natural. I've also started to draw up new designs for altering the helmet to suit your species as well. This is all so very exciting."

Nate walked around the suit a few times and then stopped and stared at the helmet. "No. Keep it."

"Pardon me Sir?"

"There are still plenty of Guardians who are unsure how a fox will handle this role, and even more civilians will probably have the same concerns. While I'm not trying to hide who I am from the world, this might make things… a bit easier to let others adjust, to see my actions before my species. So make the modifications you need, but keep the wolf."

"Yes Sir. Right away!"

"First fox to become a leader of the Guardians, and now first fox to wear an Exo-Suit. You sure are doing a good job representing your species for more than others see them. I'd kiss you if Logan wasn't already giving me the stink eye."

Nate leaned over and whispered, "yeah, I plan to have a little talk about that to him. It's still hard to believe this is all happening."

"You and me both. Shame that suit won't be ready sooner than that, I would love to see the look on the Legionaries faces when you go waltzing up to them wearing that…" Then it hit me. "Are you even allowed to continue helping me look for them?"

"Logan and I have already talked about it. The Legionaries pose a much greater threat to the wasteland than just to you. If they're willing to go through all of this just to get to one rabbit, imagine if they succeeded? There are mammals out there that are willing to pay good money to do bad things, and that puts everyone at risk. A small team has been assigned to join us as well. I managed to get Jasmine and Zack on it since we know we can trust them. I want to get Bo, but with the damage done to the garden, I want to make sure that's reestablished. Not only is fresh food good for morale, but Tuskgen needs samples from it to test out the R.A.D. once it's ready."

"I take it there are still some Guardians who don't agree with Lazlo's decision."

"Unfortunately, but I didn't expect everyone to fall in line instantly. Most of the Guardians are good mammals, it's just hard to erase centuries of bias."

"I wish there were some kind of mental nuke to eradicate it from the mammal race entirely. Speaking of nukes… please don't tell me Holly knows about them. Jasmine informed me that they found a few in Precinct One."

"I don't plan on telling her about it. That's one of the few weapons she hasn't gotten to get her paws on. The way she talks about wanting to use one, if given the choice between staying with Mark and owning one of them? Let's just say Mark will have a few lonely nights. That reminds me. Holly said that the range will be free in an hour and to meet her there."

"Yeah, she's really been pushing me to learn proper gun usage."

"B.A.T.S. isn't something to be trifled with. Remember, last time I used it, I lost an arm."

"Yeah, that's what everyone keeps telling me. Of course, I will admit this. While I wish that you never had to go through that whole thing, between losing your arm and becoming Chief, you've changed, and in a good way. You're stronger, more confident. If someone had described your old self to someone who didn't know you, I don't think they'd believe it."

"I feel different, I'm sure of that." The lights dimmed for a moment before returning to their normal brightness. "Tuskgen, have your engineers figured out what's causing this yet?"

"No Sir. I have them working round the clock trying to figure it out."

"What's going on?"

"There've been minor power failures throughout the base. They seem random enough, but Logan tells me that nothing like this has happened before, and the reactor is at optimum operating capacity."

"So no one has any idea what's going on?"

"Nope."

"Hmm, I can take a look at it if you want."

"Well, Tuskgen already has…" Nate was interrupted when a very puffy looking sheep ran into the room.

"Agent Merino? What's the matter?"

"It's your brother Sir."

"Mark? What's wrong, is he hurt?" Nate's concern started to bleed through his newly adopted professionalism.

"No Sir, he's just… you should get down to the Mess Hall."

We took a look at each other and then bolted towards the mess hall. It took a few minutes, in which Nate nearly knocked over not one but three other guardians. I couldn't even fathom what could have happened here. Did one of the Guardians who didn't trust Nate decide to take it out on Mark? She said he wasn't hurt, so that couldn't be the problem. He had been working with Doc most of the day, so could it have something to do with that? Maybe he caught another mammals sickness? There were a million and one things going through my head as to what could be wrong, but none of them made sense.

When we finally got there, the reality of it was much more… unexpected to either of us. There was no anger, no violence, there wasn't even a sickly looking mammal. Instead, there was laughter and cheering. And singing. Lots of loud, boisterous singing. The part that caught both of us by surprise wasn't due to the dozen or so Guardians singing, it was due to who was leading this choir.

"Mark?"

"Bro! Glad you could join us! Look, it's our fearless leader! Hey bro, come up here and sing!"

"Are you… drunk?"

Mark was standing on top of one of the tables, dancing and singing some upbeat and joyful song. His dancing was erratic, most of the time not even in sync with his words. Drunk or not, he still had a wonderful voice. Even a few of the female Guardians seemed taken by his voice and were giving him very… sultry looks. It was hard not to laugh at this. If Holly was here right now, I wasn't sure if she would tease him, or try to snatch him away from those on looking females.

"Noooo… I'm just having some fun! They told me to loosen up, and here I am!"

"Alright, who's responsible for this?"

"It was Mikkelson Sir!" A bear stood up and pointed towards a now angry deer.

"Did you have to turn me in so easily Boyle? Yeah, it was me Sir. I didn't mean anything bad by it. He just seemed like he had a stick up his ass. Tried to give him a drink to wind him down, but all he wanted was one of those damn Rad! Colas, so I added a bit extra to a few of them. On the positive side Sir, your brother has a really nice singing voice, even if he's drunk."

"You should hear him when he's sober. Now with that piece of information out of the way...Mikkelson! Report to inventory at oh-five-thirty. Don't be late. As for the rest of you, unless you want to join him with sorting through nearly sixty crates of supplies, I suggest you all get back to your duties."

"Yes Sir!"

Everyone, including a very disgruntled deer, left the room, leaving Mark, Nate, and I alone. Mark was still dancing and singing, completely oblivious to what had just transpired. I went to go help Mark down when Nate stopped me.

"Shouldn't we get him down before he ends up hurting himself?"

"Yes, but in a moment." He took out a small device from one of his pockets.

"What's that?"

"A camera. Time to record the greatest piece of blackmail in history."

"You're just as bad as Holly."

"No one ever gets to see this side of him, and I'm his brother. It may come in handy down the line."

I sighed and waited for Nate to finish. He even got Mark to look right into the camera, all the while too drunk to even know what was going on. Once Nate seemed happy with his blackmail, we both helped Mark down and lead him to the room that he and Holly were staying in. This was definitely a different side of Mark than I was used to, and it amused me to see him like this. A shame he didn't drink willingly. That amusement faded quickly when he suddenly starting to think I was Holly and not only grabbed my butt, but also tried to fondle my tail. It startled me so much that I jumped back, causing Mark to take a stumble and fall off of Nate's shoulder.

"What was that for Olivia?"

"He touched my butt!"

"Apparently my brother gets a little frisky when he's drunk… yet another tasty bit of blackmail. Sorry Mark, this bunny's butt is all mine."

"Not Holly?"

"Nope, not Holly, Olivia."

"Your girl has a reeeaaaally soft butt and fluffy tail."

"Will you two please stop talking about my butt!"

"Chief Valiant, do I even want to know what's going on?"

Not only did I not see Logan approaching us, but I also might have said that last thing a bit too loudly in these small, reverberating hallways.

"Mikkelson spiked Mark's drink. I put him on tomorrow's early inventory duty as punishment."

"I see. Well, once you're… situated, I need to have a talk with you and the senior officers about a few security details."

Logan didn't even have to say it for me to know he meant without my presence. That was fine, most of it sounded boring anyways.

"Yes, after I take care of my brother."

"Yes Sir."

After Logan left, I tried to help with Mark again.

"You should go see Holly, she should be ready for you."

"Do you got Mark?"

"Yeah. I hope Logan isn't bothering you with the way he acts when the two of us are together. I need to have a little talk with him about it."

"It's a little annoying that I can't be myself around you without irritating him, but then again, he probably thinks that I'm a distraction from you taking your role seriously."

"Yeah, but I need to assure him that I can balance both my personal life, and my professional one without them getting in the way of the other."

"We always have our 'personal' time together, if anything else."

"Nate an' 'livi sittin' in a tree… k-i-s-s-i-n-g..."

"Shut up Mark!" We both said it simultaneously. That caught the attention of a few passing Guardians, but we didn't care as we chuckled.

Once I was sure that Nate had Mark, I went off towards the shooting range to meet up with Holly. The lights flickered a few more times on the way. After this I need to see if I can help Tuskgen figure this out. Last thing this place needs is a sudden power failure.

"About time you showed up 'livi!"

"Sorry, we had a bit of a… predicament."

"What happened?"

"Nothing bad, although… I think I'll wait till Nate tells you. Anyways, I'm here so let's get this show on the road. What you want me to do?"

"You got your gun?"

"Actually, no, I left it in the room."

"That's fine. I got a few here for you to try. Take that one, it's a standard issue semiautomatic pistol. Probably a little heavier than the one you're used to."

"Not by much." I held it up and peered down the built in three point sight.

"Don't fire yet. Now, no offense, but you're holding it like a newbie." She moved over to me and moved my arms into another position. "You can't leave your arm locked like that, while your gun has very little recoil, fire something like Mark's and you might end up breaking your arm from the kickback. You wanna keep your arm stable, but loose enough to move it at a moment's notice. Just like that. You feel it?"

I nodded.

"Good. Now, aim down at the target and fire."

Down the range was a large circular target. I aimed towards the center of it and pulled the trigger. It definitely kicked a bit more than my own, and was much louder. I looked at the target, but I couldn't see where I hit."

"You missed by a mile. Were you even aiming at the target?"

"Yes! Right at the center!"

"That's where you made the first mistake. Sure, with B.A.T.S. active, the chemical makes everything so vividly clear that it's impossible to miss a shot, but without it? Your body needs to adjust to every gun. No gun responds to a person the same as another. Your shot went wide to the left of the target. Now, aim a bit right of the center."

"But…"

"Just do it."

I did what she said and fired. I didn't hit the center, but I saw the impact on the target.

"Good, now you need to take that distance and keep adjusting it until you get the feel of it."

I fired a few more times, making small adjustments to my aim every shot until I finally hit the center. I fired a few more times and each time it hit around the same spot.

"Good! Now you're getting the hang of it. This is a relatively controlled environment, so remember, you also need to account for wind speed and direction, elevation, and if your target is moving. Just remember this, when aiming for a moving target, always aim in front of the direction they are moving. Lead the bullet into the target. Like this."

She pushed a button and another target popped up. It was closer, but it was also moving from left to right. Holly picked up a similar gun to mine and fired a few rounds, each of them hitting the center.

"Now you try."

I did as she said, and tried to aim before the target. I missed. I tried again, and again, but missed each time. I was starting to get aggravated.

"Whoa, calm down girl. Just relax and concentrate."

"Sure, that might work now, but what about when I'm actually in the middle of a fight?"

"That comes with time and practice. For now, we need to cover the basics. Okay, let's switch to a larger…"

The power went out, leaving the room very dark. There was enough ambient light from outside the range that my eyes were able to adjust well enough to see.

"What just happened?"

"Nate said that there've been unknown power fluctuations. Tuskgen's team can't seem to figure out what's wrong. Should come back… any… it's not coming back on. Hold up Holly, let me go check, the doors over here."

"I can see the door just fine, it's not that dark."

"Um, it's nearly pitch black, the only reason I can see is due to my… wait, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"What? None, your paws are behind your back. What are you getting at?"

"Have you found your ears to be more sensitive, or even your touch?"

"Just a little, but I figured it was due to the fact we finally got some well needed rest. What are you trying to say?"

"Remember when I got bathed in radiation, what happened?"

"Yeah, we found out that you were part… oh… my… are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yep, welcome to the freak-show."

"But… But… How?"

"We need to figure out what's going on first, then we'll have Doc look you over. In the meantime, try not to over think it. Now, let's go find Tuskgen and Nate and figure out…"

Lights came on, but not the normal ones. They were red and flashing. That can't be good. I tuned my Pip-Boar to Nate's frequency.

"Nate! What's going on?"

"One of Tuskgen's engineers found some tampering with a power terminal, then the lights went out. It was recent too. I think we have an intruder."

"Fuck! Could it be one of King's followers? Are they even still here?"

"No, we sent them packing a few hours ago. I don't think it was one of them, we had every Guardian present at the time."

"Then who could it be?"

"No clue. I had security patch their database into my arm, and am having Onion try to find anything out of place."

I thought this place would be safe, I thought that I wouldn't have to worry about any of us running into danger until we were ready to find it ourselves. I never thought danger would find us, here of all places.

"Miss?"

"You find something Onion?"

"Yes… and no. Motion sensors detected two separate signs of movement near your location moments before the lights went out, but none of the cameras picked up anything."

Movements, yet no visual image? That could mean only one thing. Before I could tell Holly, I felt something hard and cold press up against my neck.

"Move, and you're both dead."

"'Livi… it's…"

"You were stealthed, weren't you?"

I felt the gun lift off of my neck as the figure of a rabbit appeared, dressed in a very familiar uniform. She had a gun in each paw, one pointed at me, the other at Holly.

"And none of you were all the wiser until it was too late. The Legionaries said it would take a rabbit to get a rabbit, so here I am. You've caused us all so much trouble. A shame you're worth more alive. She, however, isn't worth a thing, so I would suggest putting that gun down before my finger slips."

I slowly set the gun down while I thought of what to do. If I could buy some time, I'm sure Nate and the other Guardians would be here shortly to take her by surprise.

"So, where's your friend?"

"What are you talking about? I came alone."

"That's not what the sensors said. How do I know you don't have someone else just waiting to make a move on me. Or better yet, since I'm worth so much, maybe they were sent to make sure you don't kill me?"

"I'm a solo act, I don't work with anyone."

"Well, maybe that's why they sent someone else? They don't trust you?"

"Quit stalling you bitch! If you don't shut up, I'll… FUCK!"

The rabbit dropped the gun pointing at me as I saw blood starting to drip from her wrist. She moved the other gun around but it dropped out of her other paw. She screamed in anger as she collapsed, her anger turning into screams of pain. Moments later Nate, along with Logan and a few others came bursting into the door.

"What happened?!"

"I don't know! This Legionary got in here somehow and had guns pointed at both of us, then she suddenly collapsed. I don't know what…"

A light turned on, shining from Nate's arm as he waved it around the room. It stopped on something sitting on top of the writhing body of the Legionary. It looked a lot like North, only much, much smaller. In each paw were a pair of swords, swords that looked very familiar. The outfit looked familiar as well. No. It couldn't be…

"Blanche?"

"Guess I had to show my melted face sometime. You ass-twats miss me?"

Fallout: Zootopia After Show

Featuring:

'Stripes in the Morning'

[Stripes]

"Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! For today's episode we will be… loud beeping oh, one second. Hello? Oh, hi! How you doing? That's good to hear… one second hun. Sorry folks. I just got a call from my girlfriend. Yes, that's right, this equine is no longer available. Sorry to all the girls out there who wanted a piece of my fur. Ahem, no sweetie, there are no other girls, I was just… yes, I will tell them. So folks, I kinda accidentally called her a weasel, and well, she got slightly offended. I know, let's just… and this here… and… okay sweetie, go ahead, you are live on the show."

[Ternura]

"Um… what? Oh, I can hear my voice. Why am I hearing my voice? Wait, did you say live? Gah! No… um… I don't… why are you doing this? Um… hi? Stripes! Get me off of here!"

[Stripes]

"I figured you would want to say hi for yourself."

[Ternura]

"No! I mean yes, but… not like this…"

[Stripes]

"Okay, okay. We can work up to this. I apologize folks, she's a bit… shy sometimes, at least when she is put on the spot like that. Well, looks like she just turned off her end of the communication. I guess a bit of formal introduction is in order. Her name is Ternura Sincero, a tayra, not a weasel as I so mistakenly called her the last time. She did not like that one bit. She currently works at a small coffee shop that just recently got reestablished. It's called the 'Cup Bearer', and funny enough, it is run by two brown bears named Adam Ursus and Dakota Arctos. I suggest checking them out. Since I am hoping to introduce her better, maybe a trip there might be in the future, but until then, on with today's show!

"Today we will be interviewing the mouse who just can't die, a rodent who broke the hearts of many when she died, Blanche Tailoway! So, Blanche, how are you doing today?"

[Blanche]

"I look like I got tossed into a vat of acid, how do you think I am ass-twat!"

[Stripes]

"Well, I see you're still a tiny ball of fire."

[Blanche]

"What did you call me?"

[Stripes]

"Um… nothing?"

[Blanche]

"That's what I thought."

[Stripes]

"Yes, so um… how does it feel to be back in the spotlight again?"

[Blanche]

"Spotlight? You mean the fact that I am not hiding anymore?"

[Stripes]

"Yes, that. Why were you hiding exactly?"

[Blanche]

"That is none of your fucking business ass-twat!"

[Stripes]

"You were the one who agreed to do this interview, it would only be fair to actually answer some questions."

[Blanche]

"I only agreed because you ass-twats wouldn't stop following me! You are not going to stop following, are you?"

[Max]

"If I had my way, I would've just left a note requesting an interview at your convenience… it's not up to me sadly and our boss is a sadistic former raider who repeatedly threatens to crush every bone in my body if we don't do what he says… Somehow Stripes gets to skip out on that punishment."

[Stripes]

"I have my ways, and not until you answer at least a few questions. Please."

[Blanche]

"Fine. If it will get you out of my fur."

[Stripes]

"But you don't have any…"

[Blanche]

"That's strike one zebra."

[Stripes]

"Strike? This isn't some kind of game, you can't 'strike' me like that."

[Blanche]

"Strike two. You really don't want me to say three."

[Max]

"Stripes…! We talked about turns of phrase… Just… Fuck… Just get this over with already… Chest is acting up again…"

[Stripes]

sighs "Fine. So Blanche, why were you hiding after everyone left you to what we all thought was your death?"

[Blanche]

"I didn't want them to see me like… this."

[Stripes]

"What about their friend North West, or should I say Nick Wilde now."

[Blanche]

"He's different. He was always a ghoul, at least as long as they knew him. Me? I'm not the same, I don't look the same and I don't feel the same."

[Stripes]

"Sometimes change is good, but sometimes it can be bad. Olivia was beside herself when you 'died'."

[Blanche]

"I don't see why, I was nothing but an angry bitch to them all. Especially at the end. I would not have been surprised if they wiped their paws of me and forgot."

[Stripes]

"They didn't, and they wouldn't. Especially not Olivia. Now, tell us, how did you know about that Legionary spy?"

[Blanche]

"Been following that bitch for a while now. You see, despite the fact that I didn't want them to see me like this, I felt bad completely abandoning them, so I did what anyone in my position would do. I followed them."

[Stripes]

"You wanted to keep an eye on them to make sure they didn't get into any trouble?"

[Blanche]

"Pretty much."

[Stripes]

"You know you're talking about Olivia Springs, right? The mammal that seems to attract trouble at every turn?"

[Blanche]

"I didn't say it was going to be an easy job."

[Stripes]

"But it would be a full time one with her. So, has your current condition affected your abilities to fight?"

[Blanche]

"I can show you if you want."

[Stripes]

"No, that's quite all right. You can put your swords away now. I have a feeling that this show is going to be cut short… um, Max, you have any questions for her?"

[Max]

"No… No questions… I… I need to sit down…"

[Stripes]

"Well then folks, it looks like this is all the time we have today."

[Blanche]

"Heh, already? Afraid of a little mouse hurting you?"

[Stripes]

"Me? No. No way. I mean, I could easily stomp on you if I wanted to… and that was the wrong thing to say, wasn't it? Um… I'm sorry, you can… put away your swords… Max! Help! That… that was my mane! You have any idea how hard it is to…"

sound of microphone dropping

[Max]

"Well… Well folks, Max here. As is always, Stripes overstepped his bounds and is now getting his tail pawed to him…And I'm…I'm not doing too well myself… So we're gonna end it here and I'm gonna head back to Doc… Something doesn't feel right… Join us next week though folks. Hopefully Miss Springs'll have set aside some time for us… Hey Blanche! Just make sure he can still talk… No I don't think he needs that hoof for anything… Just need him to… Answe… Answer questions… I need to find doc…"