Recommended Songs
[1] Howlin' for You - The Black Keys
[2] Autumn Leaves - Hank Garland
Chapter 3 - Might As Well Blow Your Throat
The Good Samaritan Awards night came in a flash of a blur. Diane doesn't recall what else she did - the paperwork she went through seems to have turned into nothing ever since her press conference - but she feels that she is back in the mood when at the Fine Arts Museum, the venue of the awards show. [1]
Maybe it is because she was sulking to herself about needing to 'stop provoking criminals', but after thinking for a while, she decides that she isn't really like the criminals.
When Kitty and Doom confirm that they will be able to come after buying tickets, she thinks that she doesn't need to worry anymore. She is on the right path. With the right people. Maybe she should stick with being in a good life than trying to chase illusions. Besides, with Marmalade planning to confront the Bad Guys, it seems that she doesn't even need to get involved.
Unless he does something suspicious.
She thinks to herself if she really wants to go further, she might as well investigate the journal she stole from Wolf.
She waits by a fountain, tapping her fingers against the concrete. Several ambassadors and guests come over to her to chat. Half of them are fans. Welcoming them is the best part before they enter the front entrance. This is to reassure them that nothing wrong will happen. Besides, it feels good that they are happy to be around her because she is helping them.
Well, there IS already an army of guards watching over the place, led by the hot-headed Chief Luggins. Paranoid as they are with the Bad Guys and hoping not to lose their job.
At least Diane is working to make the city protected.
The entire ground of the Fine Arts Museum is spectacular. There is a huge grand staircase, covered in a red carpet and red ropes for famous celebrities to go through. Limousines often stop by at the bottom of the stairs to let special V.I.P come into the museum safely. Even without taking a look inside the museum, which is decorated with so many sculptures and paintings, there are already so many beautiful artworks in the open for display. Most of them are out there to show how unafraid the creators behind them are when it comes to appearance.
A smaller limousine pulls up at the staircase and out comes Doom and Kitty. To Diane's surprise, it must be Doom's personal limousine. The little rockstar doesn't exactly have enough money to scrap for even a private jet, but because he is so well-known, he must be given this privilege to let his fans know that he is attending the event. And of course, it must be Kitty who goaded him into using a limousine for 'style'.
Doom is dressed up neatly, but retains his gothic style. His hair is tied up in a topknot bun with a newly dyed streak of purple with a golden chain wrapped around the hair tie. He is wearing something that makes him look like Dracula; a red collared shirt, a black vest with white buttons and a golden chain hanging from it.
Kitty has gone with a mix of western and African wardrobes with a 1980s-styled hair comb stuck in her large afro. She is wearing a long multicolored African robe with half-sleeves and the most predominant color being orange, a short black dress with golden buttons, leggings that are striped with orange and pink embellishments on them, and golden high heels.
Doom remains perched on Kitty's shoulder. As the paparazzi surround them to take a photo of Doom, the crow looks away. While it can be interpreted as him being antisocial - a common emo stereotype - he is really shy when it comes to meeting a large number of people.
The two reach up to Diane who waves at them.
"You two finally arrive!" she said. "And you two look dashing!"
"And you look beautiful right in this dress!" said Kitty.
Diane grins. She is just wearing a simple pink dress that reaches down to her feet, matching high heels, golden bracelets and silver necklaces. But it does make her look nice and proper for the awards show. However, she hates wearing contact lenses.
Curse her inhibited vision in reading!
"It's all I can find," she said. "Can't get the too expensive ones, right?"
"I just can't wait for the party to start!" said Kitty. "Because you know how I do my way of fun!"
She starts to belly-dance again. Diane chuckles before joining in as well while a disgruntled Doom shakes his head in disgust. A few guests seeing this find it amusing to watch while some try to mimic the dance.
"OK, OK, enough," said Doom, patting his wing against Kitty's face. "Save the dance when the music comes up."
"Speaking of that, are you going to perform tonight?" asked Diane.
"You just asked me yesterday that you were going to invite me. What do you think?"
"...yes?"
Doom rolls his eyes. "It would be awesome if so, but they said that my performance doesn't live up to their requirements for the awards." He looks down at what he is wearing. "You think this is too much?"
Diane shrugs. "Nah. It suits you. I wouldn't recognize you without all that broody attitude of yours."
"...yeah."
Kitty's smile fades a little suddenly. "Diane, may I be frank?"
"What is it?" asked Diane.
"That was a huge risk you did with calling out the Bad Guys like this."
"What? Look, it may be wrong, but I was just being honest. In a world full of diabolical people, is that a crime?"
Doom sighs. "No. It's not nearly a crime. It's more on…word choices"
"I was just…" The fox hesitates, remembering what the stern governor told the other day. "...speaking my mind. I thought it would be a good opportunity to tell my opinions about the other criminals."
"You sounded a bit conceited towards them," pointed out Kitty.
"OK, maybe I did something wrong. Possibly provoke them. Though, on the other hand, it's a reminder that those criminals can be like us and…" The fox stops for a moment, slapping a hand across her forehead. "Right then. I just don't want to be like one who doesn't acknowledge other things."
"I think you better need to watch how you speak about others," said Doom. "For all we know, we don't know what else it will spark from that presentation you made. And if you are really trying to pick a good way to get the desired outcomes, then do you really know the risks?"
Risks, huh? Diane is no stranger to risks, but with the Crimson Paw no longer mixing into the criminal world, she might not be of good service since she noticed how shaky she was when infiltrating the Bad Guys' HQ. Swallowing up her better judgment, she shakes her head and gets her mind straight that she should stop repeating that she can understand criminals.
"You're probably right," said Diane. "I-I'm sorry. I don't really know what came over me, but…I just really want to help."
Kitty nods, placing a hand over the fox's shoulder. "I'm not saying that you aren't right, but I just want to make sure that you don't go too far ahead to get yourself in trouble. I am still worried about you."
For a matter of time, Diane might relapse, but she will see what she has to watch out for.
"Anyway," said Doom. "We have yet to confirm how the Bad Guys react to it. Do you think they are going to go nuclear?"
Diane snorts. "Maybe so, but they might not take me seriously. What are they going to do? Kill me?"
Before Doom can give a sarcastic remark, another limousine pulls in at the bottom of the stairs. A white one and the recipient of the 'Goodest Citizen' award makes his appearance.
Professor Marmalade looks rather handsome in his dark blue suit, though there is something that made up for his quirkiness with the cute golden ribbon tied around underneath his chin. Carried down by his rather strange-looking assistant, he marches across the red carpet as all photographers and reporters turn to him.
He sinks in being bombarded by many fans adoring his small size and good reputation. Tiffany Fluffit is already there, listing down the many things he did during this year. While obviously prideful for all the recognition, Marmalade shows genuine humbleness to these listed deeds, believing that there is a 'flower of goodness' inside everyone.
"I thought he would be taller," commented Kitty.
"Well, sizes don't make up to anything in real life," said Diane.
"For some reason, he looks sickening to me," said Doom, cringing to himself as the fans marvel around the guinea pig.
"Is it due to how much attention he gets?"
"Looks very true," said Kitty as Marmalade signed a squealing fan's forehead.
When Kitty and Doom make their way inside, Diane quickly makes eye contact with Marmalade. She gives him a thumbs-up as if asking if he got the notes she sent her. He nods, telling her that she did her task and it is left to him to figure out the rest.
So far, so good, hoped Diane.
With that out of the way, she might as well relax a little.
She doesn't place her mind that much on the Bad Guys as she continues to greet the other guests arriving at the museum. For a while, she is left alone, getting the chance to see some of the artworks around. She is more drawn to the colorful sculptures around her. She'll have to admit that she loves the more girly sculptures, but tapping into her tomboyish side, she thinks the winner is…
"Interesting piece," said a deep and smooth voice. "Trashy, pointless AND pretentious."
This comes from the mouth of a canine nearby her. He seems to resemble a wolf or perhaps a dog, but it is hard to tell due to his tail being tucked into his pants, his eyes covered by sunglasses despite the sky being nearly black and his ears covered by a white fedora with a black stripe. The gray fur might give her a clue, but she chuckles upon seeing his cool short mustache. His suit is something that resembles a sophisticated artist; a white jacket, a white vest, a black shirt with a purple tie, white pants and brown shoes.
Diane takes one look at the sculpture he is staring at. It is an abstract work made from rusty metal beams, some additions of artificial, silver grass and barbed wire.
That is the one she considers the winner.
"They say that art reveals more about the viewer than the artist," said Diane, raising an eyebrow. "Mr…?"
"The name's Poodleton," said the canine politely. "Oliver Poodleton."
He bends over to kiss her hand. She giggles, feeling charmed by this person. She has to admit, he nearly got her.
"You know," said Oliver. "It's about time someone stood up to those diabolical Bad Guys. Though I've got to say, no one's succeeded yet."
Oh. So he heard about her first press conference? There is something strange that he thinks no one really stood up to those criminals. Then again, Diane never knows what is more than meets the eye of the Bad Guys.
"Oh, I don't think it'll be that hard," said Diane.
"I have a feeling it will be harder than you think," said Oliver. "I'd say they're one epic job away from cementing their legacy."
Diane's pride strikes up again as she gets back to her original judgment yesterday. She laughs in disbelief, thinking that she might be able to take that challenge well. If there is one thing she learned as being the Crimson Paw, never back down on reality check and facts.
Though, Kitty would scold her again if she got a wooden stick with her.
"Mr. Poodleton!" she chuckled. "You're very funny!"
Oliver looks a bit offended. "I-I am?"
"The only legacy those Bad Guys are cementing is life in prison. Did you see their last job? Unsecured exits, crude disguises, compulsive showboating. I mean, it was a MESS. All the classic signs of a crew in decline."
She has to admit that maybe her Crimson Paw side came back since she suddenly feels a bit egotistic. Before, she didn't cause too much chaos when pulling off stunts or at least she did. But when you are a criminal, you have to play your cards right for a clean getaway.
"Next, they're gonna make it personal. That's when you know the Bad Guys are toast."
She fails to notice the discomfort on Oliver's face initially until his smile changes when she looks back at him.
"Uh, that's your opinion, Diane," muttered Oliver.
"And I'm the governor," snarked Diane.
She pauses when she notices Oliver's discomfort.
Maybe she talked too much. Might also be a dead giveaway of who she used to be.
She quickly turns Oliver's eyes to the trash sculpture.
"As for the sculpture, I think it's about perspective. If you look closely, even trash can be recycled into something beautiful."
At first, Oliver doesn't understand, but when she shows him the spotlight capturing its shadow, he understands. The rotating sculpture makes the shadow appear as a graceful swan. He nods, impressed.
"How about that?" he said to himself. "I guess some things aren't always as they appear."
After taking a selfie with Oliver, Diane walks off to enter the museum in hopes of finding her friends. The bright white colors help lift her mood, making her feel hopeful that tonight will go well despite the paranoid guards all around. She can't help but feel a bit bad about what she said, but at least she said it to just one person. Not someone she can fall into bad water with. [1s]
As she brushes her hands, she halts. That is weird.
She looks down at her fingers.
Where did her ring which is definitely not a wedding ring and contains the Zumpango Diamond she stole years ago when she was the Crimson Paw go?
...
…nah! Probably nothing!
She rolls her eyes and walks away. She wouldn't even need to worry about it since its price tag is deducted anyway after going missing for so long. Besides, while she keeps it for nostalgia, she wants to let it go since it is tied with her past.
All good things from bad habits would have to go, she said to herself.
Even though she should be backstage to get ready to prepare her presentation, she joins in with the other partygoers, mixing around with others. Some of the governors even join in to chat with their own friends and families. Diane thought of talking with Marmalade, but decides to not worry about his plan for now. [2]
She manages to find Kitty and Doom at their own table, already ordering a huge feast for themselves.
While Doom is slowly chewing on his, Kitty is already digging into her meal. A full-cooked silver-scaled fish right in front of her. While some of those dishes usually have herbs instead of using salt, Kitty already finds it really tasty. Her hands are already a blur as she slurps on her food.
Diane chuckles a little, reminding herself that Kitty REALLY loves fish.
"So how is the food going?" she asked.
"Really good!" said Kitty. "This really beats the food they serve at the bar."
"I say it's alright," said Doom, wiping off a piece of fish that landed on his head. "Though, gourmet food is not really my taste."
"It's once in a lifetime," said Diane. "I mean, I get to eat a LOT of fancy dinners when out with other governors, ambassadors and politicians. It's not easy to get that."
"Worth it!" said Kitty.
"Doesn't really mean I'm going to hog all of it in the end," grumbled Doom.
As if on cue, a waiter appears, pushing a tray of hot steaming food. On the top appears to be a TOWER of mixed fruits. To be specific, a tower of pineapple decorated in freshly chopped and unrotten slices of apple, bananas, grapes, melon, strawberries and raspberries. It nearly looks like Hawaii on a plate!
"One Extra-Large Tropical Fruit Platter here, sir!" the waiter said, jolly as he placed the fruit plate right in front of Doom.
"OK, you're half right," said Doom, glancing at Diane.
"I can order something for you, Diane," offered Kitty.
"N-No thank you," said Diane politely. "I already ate my fair amount of dinner."
"Don't worry. It's not like you are going to gain weight. The pay is all on me."
"Wait, what? Oh no, no, no. I have a bit of a sore throat, so I don't want to eat too much heaty food."
"Might as well blow your throat," teased Doom. "If you are living so fancy, it wouldn't be so bad if you do something crazy."
"Do you imagine a governor drinking a milkshake in her office and a bag of crisps flavored 'Flaming Hot'?" deadpanned Diane.
"Beats being too highly upper-class," said Kitty before turning back to the patient waiter. "I would like to have three more plates of the Classic Silver Fish Surprise."
"This is your FIFTH plate of fish and you're ordering more?" said Doom in disbelief.
"I think I like to take a bowl of murukkus," said Diane, finally giving in.
"Wait, maraca?" said Doom, confused.
"Would you like that to be sent to your table, Governor Foxington?" asked the waiter.
"I think I might change tables and sit here," said Diane. "Oh! I also like to try out the finest dish of tripe with the sesame oil sauce, the mac-and-cheese patty slider and a bowl of Vietnamese-Styled Mi Goreng Noodles."
"For the noodles, vegetarian or beef?"
"Vegetarian."
The waiter grins before carrying the tray away. Diane sits down at one of the empty chairs and turns to see the smug Kitty.
"What?" asked the fox.
"Knew that you would want some more," said Kitty.
"I'll just blow up my throat since tomorrow I'm not going to be at work," said Diane as she takes a sip of a lone glass of water. [2s]
All of a sudden, a table flies right over their heads. Doom manages to duck, but Diane and Kitty are welcomed by wine from the table's glasses sprinkling all over their heads.
The source is coming from a shark - or was it a dolphin? - in a bright red dress, shrieking like a banshee as she panics on the floor.
"I'M HAVING A BABY!" she screams.
Hearing that a PREGNANCY is happening during the awards, Diane spits out the water from her mouth right at Kitty.
Her older friend freezes in shock, feeling the water mixed with the fox's own saliva splattering her shirt and near her mouth. She stares at her friend, accordingly disgusted.
Doom isn't even safe from the spit considering his proximity to the two. With a few droplets splashing against his still-pristine vest, he darts his eyes at Diane. He glances at his fruit plate, checking if there are any wet bits. He looks like he is suppressing the temptation to slap her across the face.
"Is there a doctor or perhaps several security guards who can leave their post and help me?!" cries the shark.
Immediately, a few of the guests and a couple of security guards rush over to her in getting through the surprise labor. Before Diane can make her way to the dramatic shark, the waiter returns.
"Oh, I forgot," he said. "We don't have the vegetarian option. What would it be?"
Diane stares at the waiter, baffled. "...beef then! Because…that is all you have, right?"
The fox can't really understand what is going on. While the waiter is just being sincere, there is something strange with that shark crying in public that he is pregnant. She doesn't need to worry about it because there are already no less than 10 people comforting and trying to help her push through. Through that dress, Diane swears that the shark looks familiar.
Before she can think through it, her watch beeps.
"Crap," she said. "That is my time to get ready." Downing her drink, she stands up. "I'll be right back! Don't eat all the murukku please!"
"Oh sure," said Doom, already cutting a piece from his fruit dessert. "It will be waiting here and cooling down."
Kitty doesn't respond back, dazed.
Ignoring the shrieks from the pregnant shark, Diane makes her way to the side. A couple of governors are already there, making sure that she is alright and ready for her speech. Thomas is there, patting her on the back as he helps her recite some of her lines for tonight. As soon as the announcer calls to all the guests for the main event, Diane makes her way to the podium.
There is a round of applause as she makes her appearance, the spotlight on her. It seems that nobody holds anything against her ever since her speech yesterday. In her mind, this feels good for her, liking how they like her as a person who is helping all of them. With the notes on the podium ready, she takes a deep breath and speaks through the microphone.
"Thank you, thank you so much," she said. "As you know, the 'Goodest Civilian' goes to the civilian who has helped so many lives in Los Angeles. Tonight also serves as the very day that changed everything. The day one man helped us to open our eyes." She frowns, feeling…solemn. "Last year, on the same day, we faced our biggest test when a meteorite crashed into our dear city."
On the huge screen behind her, there is footage of a meteor flying across the sky in a flaming ball of fire before crashing right in the middle of a roadway bridge. That day, it could have killed so many people, but thankfully, no one was nearby when the meteor struck through those bridges. It could have destroyed a lot as it created the biggest crater that remained in the city.
However, it shook a lot of people and a few during that time were injured due to how powerful the blast was. Some saw it as something about attacking them very soon if they don't act. As one of the victims who got injured, Diane winced as she rubbed her hand. She remembered the rumbling of the explosion nearly got her killed in a car crash.
"That meteorite didn't just make a hole in our city. It made a hole in our hearts."
The screen changes to several people gathering around at the edge of the crater, watching in fear and worry. Some of them were crying while some of them looked angry. On the screen, Marmalade appeared in the crowd, taking a closer look at what was in the wreckage.
"But even in tragedy, Professor Marmalade did what he does so well."
On the screen, it switches over to the meteorite itself. It had strange turquoise spots glowing from it, but it was surprisingly shaped like a huge heart! A few scientists and authorities went close to it for a quick inspection, but Marmalade was allowed to get close to it. After staring at it for a while, he turned to the concerned people around him and told them what he saw.
They don't have the audio to the video, but people remember the beautiful speech he gave about the meteorite.
Tears are already shed from the guests watching and it is soon followed by a loud cheer.
"Thanks to Marmalade," said Diane, smiling. "The 'Love Crater Meteorite' will forever serve as a reminder that there is goodness, even in the worst places!"
The rest of the presentation is listing down the many great things Marmalade has done over the past year. While she would have been just reading things down from her notes, the guests are still amazed by his actions lately. She sometimes eyes the guinea pig himself who is grinning to himself from his personal table. He does notice that she is looking at him, but his smile softens and becomes a bit warmer.
Maybe she should stop looking at him too much and stress him out from his ideas of handling the Bad Guys.
She wraps up her presentation and allows Marmalade to take over. The guinea pig takes to the stage and bows to the guests as they all cheer for him. One guest yell out that they all love him like a rockstar fan which receives an eye roll from Doom. As Marmalade takes over the podium to give a short speech, he turns to Diane with a grin.
"Thank you, Governor Foxington," he said, winking at her.
Diane blushes a little. This must be his way of saying thanks to her for helping him out with his plans. She notices that the previous frosty attitude he gave her during their last meeting diminished and he was back to his goody self. Maybe it must be due to him having enough energy and feeling content at the moment. He wouldn't want to be too stern towards her in front of the public, but he seemed to have lightened up.
Then, things went weird.
The weirdness kicks in when Diane can hear something thumping from backstage and machines whirring around.
A loud sound echoes through the room at one point during Marmalade's speech. It nearly sounds like a fart, but nobody brings it up again.
Especially since Marmalade nearly thought HE did the fart.
What nobody expects is that when the curtain opens, the Golden Dolphin is missing.
The platform is left empty. The red lasers are gone, but the additional protective system isn't. And the red glow is absent from it.
Diane's eyes widened seeing this.
"No!" she screams.
This has a ripple effect in which all the guests start to clamor to themselves, panicking from the event of a possible robbery. It could have gotten worse if she didn't try to calm all of them down. As she tries to reassure them, they can only whisper to each other, looking around to check if there is anyone stealing the Golden Dolphin. There is also distress as well with some of them even worrying if the robbers are going to attack them.
She searches through the crowd to see Kitty and Doom looking worried about this. Along with being crowded, they are understandably horrified. While none of them can confirm how bad this crime scene might be, they can get hurt. Or worse, some people might turn to them as the suspects for stealing the awards. Kitty is noticeably nervous, looking like she might scream. This is the first time she ever got into any sort of trouble like this.
In fact, seeing her distressed look reminds Diane very much of a fox she nearly got harmed during her last heist…
She had it. She had it close.
She managed to deactivate all the lights and the protective systems went down for at least a few minutes. She managed to subdue all the security guards. This was her chance to storm backstage. The Crimson Paw, hanging from a high balcony, watched the chaos rising from the frightened guests as they kept tripping over each other.
There weren't only humans there, but also other animals.
One group stood out to be a fox family. They were huddled up together, hoping that nobody hurt them. The face that Diane was able to spot was their daughter. She was the same age as her. They already graduated from university years ago. She suddenly looked…depressed. She looked like she wanted to be at the awards, but she knew that slithering off might make people suspect her.
Diane rolled her eyes. This wasn't about anyone. This was about the Crimson Paw. There was no way she should be concerned about the fox girl in the crowd. It wasn't her problem anyway, and since they were both foxes, she might not even get a good voice out of the people around them.
Without batting an eye, she ran and made her way backstage.
And there, she saw it.
The red lasers surrounding the award turned off one by one as she expected. The Golden Dolphin was right there. The golden shine reflected from the soft light in the room. It was everything she could have got. If she could get it out and escape, then she would be on the map. She grabbed it and grinned to herself.
It was hers now!
It was hers now!
Now, she could…
She could…
It didn't come to her what would happen after stealing the Golden Dolphin. Sure it would make her the best criminal America had ever seen. Possibly more police cops on her tail.
And then…would that enhance the stereotype of tricky foxes in the world?
Nobody had ever identified the Crimson Paw as a fox, but everyone was spreading rumors that it was.
She suddenly felt an emptiness inside her. All the compassion and desire to steal one trophy wore off upon grabbing it. She looked right at it. Her reflection. Her eyes through the shadow of her hood. What…would it mean to her?
She shook her head. No. This was what she was supposed to be. The fox everyone knew. If she could show that to them, it would mean that she took that DAMNING INSULT literally to become the greatest.
There was a scream from the other side of the curtain. Despite being unable to see what was through the curtain, she recognized the fox girl's voice.
She was crying and screaming for help. Several gasps arose as there was a loud bang which sounded like the fox girl hitting the floor.
Then, there was barking.
LITERAL barking.
It was coming from that same dog bully she and Diane knew very too well. He was often one of the first to insult them and label them as 'thieves of society'. He should be the one to be bullied, but due to his wealth and popularity and the hard work he did on his own, many people believed in him. And that made things worse for the foxes in the university.
"WHY DO YOU BLAME ME FOR EVERYTHING?!" cried the fox girl's voice.
"Because you're a FOX!" snarled the dog's voice. "You hear me?! A no-good, two-face FOX! My dad was right about them taking things from you! And now, you think you can try to get away with it all?!"
Diane could hear the fox girl already breaking down and letting out gibberish denial, unable to respond to this statement. It was then Diane realized what she was doing.
The worry.
The regret.
The guilt.
She could hear the backup security guards coming in.
She slowly turned to a wall that showed her reflection. She slowly took off her hood and mask in the mirror with a trembling hand.
A fox.
Like the fox girl being assaulted in front of the guests.
This wasn't exactly her.
Not the Crimson Paw as well.
All she saw was the tricky fox everyone told her she was.
Like all the other foxes.
If she got away with the Golden Dolphin, the foxes would have a much harder time living a normal life or achieving what they wanted. The worst-case scenario was all of them being discriminated against by society. That would be worse than being the bully.
As Diane finally concluded, it wasn't worth bringing everyone down with her just because of the stereotype getting to her head.
So, she left the Golden Dolphin behind.
No one would need to be hurt again.
Diane finds it much harder to look back at it than she thought she could handle. Must be due to her being shaken to the very core when the fox girl she knew long ago was about to be mauled by the dog. She hasn't seen that other fox for a long time, so Diane hoped that she is doing alright without being stereotyped again. However, the many lashes the two of them and the few other foxes received from their bullies never really heal over time.
"I'm sure that there is an explanation for this," said Diane despite feeling that her mind is getting foggy with every passing second. "Please don't panic. Please don't panic. Please don't panic."
However, 'please don't panic' sounds more like a mantra to herself at this point. She wonders if she might pass out at this point. She blinks and notices that there are a few tears in her eyes that threaten to pour down her face. A sob shakes through her body as she feels her heart beating at a rapid pace due to feeling as if she is going to let someone down.
The fox clenches her fists. No. She can't break down like this. Everyone is relying on her. She can't break d-
"Diane, Diane," said Marmalade, pulling on Diane's dress like a child.
She pauses her mumbling mantra to notice Marmalade, asking to take over the mic. He glances at her before looking forward. She turns her head.
In the midst of the chaos, they found Oliver walking away.
Wait, what is he doing?
Marmalade makes his way to the podium. Despite his size, he manages to climb to the top and grabs the microphone, clearing his voice.
"If I may," he said. This calms the guests down a little to some extent, but he needs to use stronger words. "You have to understand. This might be some kind of prank, but in all honesty, I didn't create the love crater and bring hope back to the city for an AWARD."
This finally gets everyone to settle down and turn their attention to him. Some of them are a bit shocked with how he is taking the disappearance of his supposed award.
"I did those good things because of how they made me feel. That tingly feeling, the shiver up my spine, that SWAG in my tiny tail!"
Oliver suddenly freezes. While the rest of his friend group seems to be already making their way down the stairs, he hasn't followed them yet. It seems that Marmalade's words swayed him. Diane takes one look back at Marmalade. He is looking DIRECTLY at Oliver.
What is Marmalade doing?
"Because you see…" said Marmalade, grinning as if he is reminiscing about the time when he made a breakthrough with the Love Crater Meteorite. "Being good, just FEELS so good. And when you're good, you've loved."
Diane isn't sure if it is due to how this impromptu speech made her feel happy about the path she took or if it is due to Marmalade relating to everyone, but the fur on her face turned to a more reddish color. She must admit that even when stepping away from her criminal days, she is happy with what she is doing. Helping people; it's more of the feeling of knowing that you did your best in making sure that they are safe and the gratefulness they later show to you to let you know how touched they are.
Looking back, she can see Oliver watching this, a smile on his face. Though, that is ruined when his tail pops out from his pants and starts wagging. He panics a little as he tries to make it stop moving while his friends call him to come.
The mustache slowly slips off his face and his hat even drops off due to Oliver's sudden movements.
Diane's eyes widened.
That is not Oliver.
"IT'S THE BAD GUYS!" screamed someone in the crowd.
The now-revealed Wolf - not Oliver - and his pack are suddenly swarmed with barriers of police cops, blocking their way out. Diane struggles to see through the gaps, but it seems that the police cops have got them trapped.
It hits Diane. She looks back at her finger where her ring used to be. Then back at what is going on.
She has been tricked!
Though, a side of her told her that the Bad Guys are already toast after a botched attempt to escape using a grappling hook. It only shoots a pair of white pants upwards.
That makes it easier for them to be arrested.
AN: Now this is where things get interesting. It is gonna all come down to this moment.
Kitty Kat's outfit actually takes inspirations from characters from the Just Dance series.
Of course, the waiter asking Diane for which option to take for noodles is a reference to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Diane spitting out water actually comes from Encanto!
To be honest, I felt that Diane's motive for stopping becoming the Crimson Paw in the film was a bit flat. I want to see what else brings her to the good side; while she shows to be ashamed of embracing the fox stereotype for too long, we don't hear enough of if she knows she is hurting other foxes. So, I decided to do that right here; Diane's turn away from crime is due to her realization that stealing the Golden Dolphin would validate the 'tricky fox' stereotype and she would be responsible for enhancing the discrimination.
Rumors say that if you review about what you think about this chapter, you earn a nuzzle by Wolf. Feedback and criticism are welcome to help with any improvements needed. If you dare to be rude or send any flames, they will be doomed by Piranha's fart gas if deemed to be toxic, and you'll end up looking like a fool.
Until next time, keep on rocking!