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= The Fall: Violet Nightmare =
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Chapter Four - Fighting Myself
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Alone inside the expansive locker room, the lupine seized the moment to collect his bearings.
Edward sat on the edge of the wooden bench erected in front of his assigned locker. Elbows dug deeper into the tops of his knees, gaze unfocused, shifting from tile to tile as he looked downcast at the floor. His fingers fiddled with the hinge on his sunglasses.
Getting assigned to a beat wasn't something Edward had planned for this morning, nor was his newly elected partnership between him and Officer Sato. He would have been in the clear if it weren't for those damn directives. Now he was stuck with her.
Perhaps tearing the rookie a new one wasn't the soundest of strategies, especially after discovering that she was the goddaughter of the Chief himself?
"Nice one, Snow," he said to himself.
The drawn canid let out a microscopic growl.
Those skulking around the elevator bank, minding their own business, had a front-row seat to the heated exchange. How long until they blabbed to their coworkers about 'drama in the office?' If Clawhauser found out, it was only a matter of time before Chief Bogo did too. Considering the gossip chain of command, the cape buffalo would catch wind before lunchtime.
Edward couldn't imagine what fury awaited him when their boss gleaned what he'd said to her. He shouldn't have let Sato get to him. Even if he were in the right, he should have kept his cool. She's a rookie, not a veteran officer. There was an expectation of seniority to uphold.
The detective looked down at his pants and ridiculous shirt. He was still non-compliant with the Chief's order regarding his manner of dress. If he wanted a leg to stand on, that error had to be remedied immediately.
So what was stopping him from opening his locker and getting changed?
You're a pansy, Edward's innermost thoughts rang out to answer him.
"I know," his solemn reply beckoned to no one.
Delaying the inevitable wouldn't bring him closer. Waiting couldn't last forever.
The silver wolf released the air pent up in his lungs and stood to his feet. Ready enough to face what lay inside, he twisted the black plastic dial in front of his locker's door. Recalling the correct combination was challenging; Edward hadn't used the blasted thing in over a year. Eventually, on his second try, the lock disengaged, allowing the detective to open the space.
Edward braced himself.
He lifted on the plastic latch of the recessed locker handle and pulled the long door tentatively. Hinges vocalized their innate displeasure, producing brash, high-pitched creaks and metallic moans that resonated loudly in the humid air. Sensitive to the noise, the canid mammal winced and cringed, wanting nothing more than for the torture to end.
Only when the locker could no longer open and the sounds ceased their clamor did Edward dare to reach his paws inside for his change of police blues folded neatly at the bottom.
He only stopped when he ascertained that avoiding the bright, colorful display to his right was impossible.
Plastered along the backside of the locker door were pictures of a time long past. A shaken breath left Edward's lungs.
The first, hung by a circular rainbow magnet, was one of many romantic evenings shared between the two. Edward and Bobby were clad in casual attire, fresh out of a long day at work. The lion thought it would be funny to snap a picture of the wolf and him watching some documentary of a painter who'd passed from cancer in the early nineties.
Except, he was too busy flashing some silly face. Fuck, he loved that ridiculous mug of his.
The second, held in place by a striped cyan, pink, and yellow magnet, was of the two of them surrounded by mammals and buildings bedecked in everything 'rainbow,' having the time of their lives. And there they were, alongside a few other members of the ZPD, dressed in various colorful articles of their respective sexualities, including a giddily gay Clawhauser and a lively transexual Fangmeyer, who were all dancing their hearts away. Gazelle, of course. Above their heads, scraps of colorful confetti rained down from above. Not pictured behind the photograph was the then-officer Judy Hopps herself—she'd been clad in a blue, pink, and purple shirt if memory served.
That was Edward's first Pride Parade, and Bobby set out to make it memorable. The festivities were unlike anything the wolf had seen before. It was one of the few moments the wolf could recall that he was smiling a genuine, truthful smile, innocent and free from the wrath of the real world. You could see the stars in his eyes.
Lastly was another snapshot of him and the maned lion, taken over a month before his partner's inevitable passing. They were adorned in their pristine uniforms, just walking into the lobby for their shift that day.
Edward, forever the morning person, sported a mix of both bashfulness and discomfort on his features. Wrapped tight in his grip was a cup of coffee. He'd opted to turn his eyes away from the camera, begrudgingly accepting that the moment was happening regardless of what he'd wanted.
Bobby, on the other paw, was as happy as could be. Reveling in another glorious day on the job, he'd wrapped his arm around the canine's shoulder and flashed whoever had taken the picture a peace sign.
It was one of Edward's most coveted treasures from that time.
The lupine could almost recall the exact moment, down to the smallest detail.
But he knew better.
Bobby was gone. Edward witnessed it, after all.
Two years to the day, and he could still smell the putrid iron. Dark red that stained his silver paws lingered on within his memory. He could almost feel the loss of life leaving the lion's battered body, even now.
Every labored breath, every subtle nuance in his movement, every—
"...!"
Something swiped down from the top of his locker and grazed his arm.
Edward immediately detached himself from the clothes in his locker and jumped with a curse and a start, falling unceremoniously onto the bench behind him, nearly dropping his wayfarers.
Edward half-believed that Johnson's bloody golden paw had returned to drag the wolf down to hell, where he belonged. Or was it his? Did he see orange and black?
Alas, no. It wasn't either. That would be too easy.
The wolf's police cap, the true culprit, clattered to the tiled floor and exploded with sound inside the echo chamber. Both pieces to the spare uniform formally in his grip followed suit and piled themselves on top.
And there was something else.
Slid out of the confines of the locker and onto the top of the clump of clothing face-down was a card. The inquisitive detective eyed the suspicious object and erred on the side of caution.
The last time he checked, there hadn't been any card delivered to him, let alone tucked away in some crevasse somewhere in his locker, since two birthdays ago—and even then, Bobby was the only mammal to provoke the idea that one be made in the first place.
So who cared enough to spare an ounce of sympathy when he hadn't done a damn thing to deserve it?
A pensive Detective Snow pinched the piece of folded paper by the spine and brought it onto his lap.
Basic instincts dictated that Edward inspect the foreign object in its entirety, going so far as to attempt to use his nose to snuff out whatever information he could—any other way that didn't involve him opening it. He wasn't surprised when nothing came of the vain effort. Even if the fibers of the paper had absorbed the oils off of the fur of whoever tucked the parchment inside, their scent was long gone by the time Edward got his silver mitts on it.
Flipping the card over to its front face revealed a freepaw drawing of a bouquet, organized into a stunningly beautiful arrangement, all save for one flower. One of the roses looked withered and dead, its petals peeling, falling, and floating into off-white nothingness. There was no text to define what the context of the card represented.
It wasn't required.
Frigid coldness wrought shivers down the lupine's spine and scattered throughout his body. Edward could feel the card shaking in his paws; even his breaths began to give a mild shudder.
Open it, his demons insisted, you know you want to. You're dying to know who it's from. Or are you too much of a scared, weak little pup to follow through?
"I'm not," the detective's head shook. His tail wrapped itself around where he sat.
Then what are you afraid of?
Edward turned his despondent stare into tiled oblivion. Deep and distant introspection made the room feel all the more colder.
What was he afraid of?
A shaken claw sheepishly tucked itself into the card's central fold—
"Is everything okay in there?"
—then immediately retreated. Officer Sato's timid voice had effortlessly overtaken the deafening silence, causing the wolf to jump out of his skin. The card was pressed firmly against his floral shirt.
"I'm fine," Edward murmured.
"What?"
"I said, 'I'm fine,'" the detective's agitation spat louder.
"Alright, alright; sorry I asked," she relented, "I heard the noise. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Well, I am," the wolf snapped back. "Give me a few minutes."
"Copy that."
Back to muted seclusion, Edward's lungs exhumed a much calmer breath. Lethargy pulled at his now heavy eyelids. That coffee from earlier did nothing for him, and the emotional rollercoaster didn't do him any favors either.
Detective Snow took care to place the folded parchment back into his locker. Morbid curiosity wouldn't allow him to leave it alone for long. Despite his reservations, he would have to commit to reading the card sometime post-shift; weakness wouldn't be an option by then.
For now, his duties as an officer came first. Time was of the essence, and there were meters to maid.
Slipping into the uniform and cap piled onto the floor, pinning his badge, and placing his folded civies at the bottom of his locker, he glanced at the triad of photos, lingering on Bobby's naturally vibrant gleam.
Edward released a weary sigh. How he wished for the ability to leech off his former partner's energy; he desperately needed it today.
After closing the locker door—gently, so as not to disturb the placement of the magnets or the photographs inside—the lupine motioned towards the exit, but not before catching his form in the length of a tall mirror.
Edward gave himself a twice-over, adjusting the blue, yellow, and pink flag pinned to his collar, straightening his badge—out of its pleather-bound cover and now displayed proudly on his chest parallel to his nametag—and picked away the unsightly strands of loose silver-white fur.
Looking past the slight looseness of how his uniform sat on his muscle-atrophied body and the dark circles under his eyes, he didn't look unpresentable; he just looked like shit, which would have to do.
A faint whisper of a snigger pulled at the corner of his maw, finding morbid humor staring back at him.
He almost resembled himself as he was during college, less official, of course. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
Detective Snow adorned the wayfarers in his grip to hide the unsightliness, threw on whatever confidence he could muster, then marched out of the locker room.
O O O
Stars had begun poking through the fading light of dusk by the time Tanaka made it back home. She survived her first uneventful day on the force. Though indisputably more effortless than the trials and tribulations of the academy, even with minimal assistance from their meter maid cart, her poor feet and ankles begged for relief. Moreover, she felt blessed to no longer feel as if she were walking on eggshells.
Her eyes were heavy, her mind a mess, and she couldn't think of anywhere else to be beside the comfort of her bed. But dinner came first, and she was starving. Sleep would claim her soon enough.
Looking through the window of the coffee shop, she inspected the barren wasteland inside. The Toasted Bean had only been closed for an hour at most. All the lights in the back and the front were switched off, the chairs were placed neatly atop the tables, and the floors below them were immaculate and spotless. She couldn't help but marvel.
How did they manage to complete closing so early? When she worked there, it took two hours minimum before they'd wrapped up for the night.
Tanaka was still grateful. Her mother and brother accomplished an otherworldly feat. She couldn't imagine lending a helping paw after a long day in the sweltering late-summer sun, especially after spending most of her time in Sahara Square.
Tanaka dug out a set of keys from her back pocket and unlocked the front door to the upstairs flat. Boisterous fits of laughter poured out from an open window above her head simultaneously, coupled with a few cheerful chirps. Father, mother, and brother; the family was all there.
Cracking the entrance open allowed the cheetah to catch the whiffs of cooked fish, pasta, and veggies. Her stomach gurgled, yearning for what lay upstairs.
A nice homemade meal was exactly what she needed.
Stepping foot into the foyer and closing the door behind her, she wiped the debris off her feet, locked the door, then proclaimed while she began her ascent up the stairs, "I'm home!"
"Welcome home, Tani," came her mother's warm greeting further inside.
"Welcome home," her father followed.
Kei wasted no time when Tanaka reached the top step to burst into a sprint and wrap his arms tight around her midsection. Expelling a chortle once the initial shock had passed, she reciprocated the warm gesture.
When they separated, Kei stepped back and timidly signed, [Welcome back, Tani.]
[Thank you, Kei,] she signed back.
"[Dinner's ready,]" her father announced and signed, beckoning her brother to follow. Both disappeared down the central hallway and into the kitchen.
"Go ahead and wash up and change out of that uniform," her mother requested. "We'll set the table for you. We'll eat, and then you can tell us about your first day, officer ," she said, tipping her nonexistent hat.
"Sure," the officer, flush with a grin, stammered.
The eldest female flashed her daughter a smile before turning tail and cutting through the dining room to help her husband and son.
Meanwhile, Tanaka made quick work of the final flight of stairs and arrived at her bedroom. When she entered and shut the door behind her, she leaned against it, relishing in the momentary quiet calm of solitude.
"What a day," she said to no one in particular.
So much had happened in the last thirteen hours.
From having Detective Snow be assigned as her partner to her clocking out at the end of her shift, she wasn't shocked that physical and mental exhaustion had caught up with her. Recontextualizing what she thought she knew about the city's traffic patterns while discovering the intricacies of meter maiding without pissing off the citizens en masse was an eye-opener. In laymam's terms, tending parking meters was more difficult than she realized.
That wolf knew what he was doing; she had much to learn. The only gripe she had was the inability to gauge her partner.
"All in due time," she reminded herself.
Should nothing prompt consideration for immediate reassignment, the longer they remain partners, the more their personal lives would intertwine with their professional ones; it was only natural. Detective Snow would have to open up to her at some point.
For instance: Tanaka didn't know that the wolf was pansexual. Nothing was explicitly stated, but the pin attached to his collar was a dead giveaway.
Maybe, if he let her, she could make him a bento box themed around the flag's design. Gods knew he wasn't eating enough. After their argument in the morning, an olive branch might be what she needed to win back some favor.
Wait… where was her bento box from this morning?
She looked around the room, retraced her steps, and realized she had left it inside one of the compartments at the rear of their meter maid cart.
"Dammit," a hushed, breathy curse screamed.
Tanaka would have to remind herself to track it down and bring it home tomorrow.
Off-track.
Nevertheless, her point still stood.
Based on her experience, a proper working partnership was founded on trust. That belief was quintessential, being officers of the law themselves; hell, the word was engraved on their very badge. But the problem with trust is that it works both ways.
If Snow wasn't willing to trust her on a base level, how could she trust him when she needed him most? Tanaka wasn't ready to risk waiting for that day to come.
The cheetah vented her frustrations in a single exhale.
Two weeks.
Tanaka would give the wolf two weeks. If Detective Snow were still just as reserved as he was on parking duty, she'd force Bogo to honor their agreement and request a new partner.
"Done."
Now, onto food.
The cheetah officer wasted no time hanging up her uniform—orange vest included—and threw together a cozy outfit, a sleeveless, baggy Fur Fighters shirt and red plaid pajamas. Tanaka then transferred to the bathroom down the hall and thoroughly washed her paws. No sand or grime would dare taint the food crafted specially for her.
Clean at last, she rushed back down the stairs to greet her family and the home-cooked meal that awaited her.
Sat in their respective chairs at their square dinner table—her father with the kitchen to his back, her mother to the left of him, and her brother to the right—the coalition eagerly awaited the eldest to take her seat.
Tanaka wasn't waiting for an invitation.
The cheetah officer sat down and ogled upon the meal before her; miso ramen topped with sweet potato, eggplant, mushroom, scallions, togarashi, and a sliced hard-boiled egg, coupled with a selection of pan-fried onigiri, sauces, and an inviting cup of sake. She felt like royalty.
[This looks stunning,] Tanaka gushed.
[Thank your father and brother,] her mother admitted. [They wanted to make tonight special.]
[They did? You two are so sweet,] the eldest child beamed, lightly tapping her brother's shoulder. [Thank you.]
[You're welcome, Tani,] a meek Kei signed small.
[Anytime,] her father grinned.
Once proper thanks were in order, and a round of cheers guzzled down the adult's gullets, their dinner commenced, and the family relished in their delectably savory delights.
The Sato's spent their meal beyond the normal chewing, sipping, and requesting items around the table in silence. Conversation during meals in the Sato household was commonly reserved until everyone finished eating.
When he was younger, Kei would often get frustrated over dinner time. The social atmosphere and hubbub around the table excited him. He always wanted to know what was going on. He felt invisible.
Words couldn't describe how moved he was when they and Bogo started signing. Months later, when they all could hold short conversations together, the first thing he asked for was to be involved.
Thus, silent dinners were born. They have become their tradition since.
When the coalition finished consuming the remnants of broth in their bowls, they carried their dishes over to the kitchen sink to be washed by their father while their mother prepared their dessert; four cappuccinos and a ring of mochi donuts for each of them. Praise for the delectable meal was strewn all over every interaction, Kei bashfully receiving thanks for the commendation regarding his part in its inception, the onigiri.
All four hurried back to the table with their treats in tow. Tanaka's impatient father wasted no time unleashing his curiosity on the poor officer.
[So, how was your first day on the job, Tani?] He asked. [Did you get to meet any more of your friends?]
[Other than Tommy and Alex, not directly,] Tanaka's head shook, sipping her coffee before following, [The day went okay.]
[Oh? Is that so? You landed your dream job, and all you got is, 'It's okay?' What's that old buffalo got you doing?]
"Toshi," her mother scolded verbally.
"Yes, Hanaka, love?" The sly male feline spoke
The elder female cat's eyebrows raised. The male rolled his eyes and protested quietly while Kei, the lip-reader, chuckled along with the officer.
[Did anything happen?] her mother asked.
[No, no,] Tanaka immediately refuted. [Nothing happened, I swear. All Uncle Adrian did was pull me into a meeting after the roll call. He wanted to discuss his expectations for my first weeks on the force. He started me off with parking duty.]
[Parking duty?] The middle-aged male raised his brow. Kei looked relieved. [All that time in college and the academy, and the best he could do was parking duty?]
[I'm only there until the week's end, Dad. They're still getting me in the system. I couldn't access anything in our databases even if I tried. I can't just take on the city with one paw tied behind my back. I'm not Judy.]
[Fair point,] he yielded.
[Besides, if all goes well, Detective Snow and I will be assigned our first beat soon.]
[Detective Snow?] Kei inquired.
[He's my new partner,] Tanaka signed small, squeaking a faux cheer and a circular finger wag before taking another drink with a roll of her eyes.
[Don't you look thrilled,] her mother sarcastically grinned through the depths of her concern.
[So, who is this detective? I don't think we've heard, read, or seen a 'Snow' around the shop before, and I know the ZPD doesn't often hire detectives out of the blue; he can't be someone new. Did he get transferred from another Precinct?] Her father pondered.
Tanaka turned to her mother.
[Remember that wolf that you left me with this morning?]
The older female took an avoidant sip of her cappuccino.
[Didn't think so.]
Their transaction replayed in her head, followed by their exchange in the elevator. In lue of the hostility she'd taken the brunt of, the cheetah officer simply sighed and calculated her words carefully.
[His name is Edward Snow. He's a wolf from the Burrows. He and Judy got hired together. Not a lot of good's been said about him. He's antisocial and doesn't take it kindly when you pry into his personal life. He acts like a temperamental jerk who only cares about himself and exclusively works alone. Today was his first day back in three months. Let's just say that he didn't take the news about being assigned a partner very well.]
[Sounds like a pawful,] her father surmised.
[Only when you piss him off,] she jested. [Besides that, he's just another officer.]
Kei sat uncomfortably in his chair. Ears back, he signed what was on his mind, [I don't like that.]
[Neither do I,] Tanaka agreed, then took another hasty sip. [That's why Uncle Adrian gave me a lifeline.]
[A lifeline?] their father asked.
[We agreed; if at any point during our partnership, I've decided that I'm fed up with his antics, I can ditch him for someone more tolerable, and I'm planning on taking full advantage of that should the time come.]
[You're giving this mammal a chance now, are you?] Her mother urged. [I hope you're not leading this mammal to believe your situation could be permanent.]
[Of course, I'm not, Mom,] Tanaka assured her with a white lie. [I'm not cruel. I would never do that to someone, especially a superior.]
[I'm glad I raised you better,] signed Hanaka's jokingly conceited response.
Tanaka rolled her eyes and chuckled, then retreated to the recesses of her mind. She spent the short reflective moment reevaluating her stance.
Was she being fair? Was the timeframe just? Considering the obscure events that led up to the wolf's return and the severity of the world around them, she thought so. She had to look out for herself.
The cheetah swallowed her doubts and stated her plans moving forward.
[I'm giving him two weeks—three if we're stuck working parking duty again next week. I want to see what he's like on a beat first. That wouldn't be fair if I didn't give him that. Who knows? Maybe he won't be as bad as everyone else made him out to be. Perhaps I'll get to know him better. Whatever happens, I'll make my decision then.]
Unmoving silence fell over the family, presenting another opportune time to take a bite of their donuts and another swig of coffee.
[Well, all things considered, I'm sorry that your first day wasn't all that it was cracked up to be,] her father apologized.
Tanaka was quick to dismiss it. [Don't be. Today might've killed my feet and been boring beyond belief toward the end, but it wasn't terrible. I got to be outside in beautiful weather, eat lunch with my friends, and learn more about the 'science of meter maiding.' There's that, at least. It'll take much more than some asshole with a chip on their shoulder to tell me otherwise.]
[Absolutely,] he nodded. [Don't let anyone tell you how your day will turn out; that's for you to decide. Tomorrow will be better. I know it will. Come in with a great attitude and seize the day. Then, no one can stop you.]
It was Tanaka's turn to garner a modest smile.
[I will. Thanks, Dad.]
[Although, I have to say I'm a little disappointed.]
Tanaka raised a brow. [How so?]
[You mean to tell me, on your first day, you don't have a single good story to share with us? Nothing memorable at all?]
Tanaka blinked at her father, then turned away, mulling over the finer details of her day. Was there anything that stood out?
A smug grin crept onto her muzzle.
There was one story that came to mind.
[You know what, something funny did happen today,] she giggled to herself.
[Do tell,] her father nudged, then attentively turned to her, sipping his cappuccino.
[Well, we were Downtown a couple blocks down from Zootopia One, and it's crazy busy. Edward's going on about how most execs 'forget' to pay for their parking. Loe and behold, we find an expired parking meter with this nice looking Cattlelac in front of it. The ticket's punched in and printed, and I go to set it on the windshield, then this irate gazelle comes out of nowhere and starts creating a whole scene, spouting curses at Edward and me because we dared to ticket their car. Detective Snow shut that confrontation down right away. He referred them to traffic court should they wish to fight the ticket. But that wasn't enough. They take it and almost crumple it, but not before they read it. They were confused and asked about the plate. We confirmed the information was accurate. When they circled the vehicle to verify, they discovered it wasn't even their car.]
[No,] her dumbfounded brother wheezed a half-chortle.
[Oh yeah,] she cackled. [Their car was across the street—the exact make and model. The poor bovid forgot where they parked. They begged us for forgiveness, and we did; no harm, no foul. They strode off to finish conducting their business inside the building next to us, and we continued along our route. After we'd swung around to the opposite side of the road, we finally got to their car and read the time remaining on the meter next to it, only to realize that it wasn't paid for either.]
The room got loud when the whole family erupted into a guffaw.
[Thankfully, we didn't see them after that. I don't think it would have ended well if we had and they found their new prize.]
[I'll say. Hopefully, that mammal doesn't run into you two again. I doubt you'll have the same luck next time,] Tanaka's father signed with a smirk.
[Gods, I hope not,] she prayed, ending her signage with a drawn-out yawn.
[Alright, enough pestering our sugarplum. I'm sure that Tani's tired of all the questions,] Hanaka insisted, pinching her eldest child's cheek, much to her spawn's detest. After getting her paw batted away, she turned to her husband. [How was your day in the office, Toshi, darling?]
That invitation was all their father needed to engross the family in a thrilling retelling of his adventures in the world of business finance.
Tanaka could feel herself starting to nod off at the table when she felt a tug on her right sleeve. Her brother, not as keen to drop the topic entirely, prompted one last round of queries before she passed out in front of him.
[What are they having you doing tomorrow?] Kei signed.
[More parking duty,] she replied groggily, then pointed down her throat, mimicking vomiting. The pair shared a collective chuckle, the bulk of the hilarity resonating from the eldest sibling.
[Where at?]
[Savannah Central, Downtown, and Sahara Square. I'll be there the day after, too, then they'll put us on the Tundratown, Meadowland, Rainforest route for the rest of the week. After that—]
[You'll be on a regular patrol?]
[Exactly.]
Kei's eyes opened a touch wider, his form catching a mild case of shivers.
[Don't worry,] Tanaka tried to assure him, [I promised I would be safe. I think I did a pretty damn good job of that today.]
[It's not you that I'm worried about.]
The youngest flashed the officer a weak grin and turned back to their parents, catching up on what he might have missed.
All that Tanaka could procure was a sigh.
You and me both, she admitted to herself.
O O O
Later that night, a short train ride away from the hustle and bustle of the city's central hub, was an apartment building named the Grand Pangolin Arms.
This historic building was built when technology and modern architecture were still blossoming. Constructed where the old university was, these dorm room-sized spaces lacked the critical functionality of a typical modern apartment, favoring communal areas instead of exclusive amenities such as a bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room. Affordable and available in an ever-growing housing market, the armadillo landlady who came to own the building coined the oxymoronal motto "luxury apartments, with charm" to poke fun at its laughably outdated design. There was nothing grand about it.
Occupying one of the first shoebox-sized rooms on the third floor was none other than the wolf detective. Dressed in nothing but a worn lion-sized shirt that fit him like a dress and a pair of skin-tight boxer briefs hidden underneath, he'd found himself sprawled out on the sheets of his freshly made bed.
The card he'd discovered inside his locker earlier that morning rested shut on the pillow beside him. Bleary, tear-stained eyes observed the object with an absentminded stare, choosing to focus on the art printed on the front face. The bouquet mocked him for his dithering, as did the demons that failed to keep him in check.
In actuality, Edward couldn't bring himself to muster the will. He preferred to do anything else.
And that's what he did.
Having spent a whole walk and train ride to prepare himself for an eventuality he thought he'd conquer, the canid's subconscious procrastination began when he arrived at his doorstep.
To start, the doormat in the hallway just before his door was off-kilter, so he quickly pushed it back and made it look presentable.
When he cracked the door open, he was met with the aftermath of his drunken complacency; clothes scattered on the floor and piled up in the corner encroaching on his makeshift, pipe-themed closet area, the bed completely disheveled and uninhabitable, and a stench of something spilled or discharged somewhere—exactly how he'd left it this morning. He couldn't even hang up his freshly laundered trenchcoat.
If he'd planned on bringing anyone over to his apartment for some meaningless one-night-stand, then maintaining the cleanliness of his home took priority. No one would bother to fuck or be fucked if the inside of his apartment looked like trash; it was already dingy enough as it was, and he had needs.
Edward set the parchment down on the small square dining table next to his pleather recliner and started small, peeling away the grody bedsheets from the mattress and hauling them to the first available washer in the laundry room. Sleeping in filth didn't quite match his expectations of a relaxing time.
While the wash cycle commenced, the lupine moved on to a more demanding task, like tackling the plethora of clothes littered throughout his tiny shoe box. Picking and tossing out his "trophies" was easy enough, as was separating his casual wear into one singular, albeit hefty, load of laundry. Regardless of the machine's limits or the sensibilities his mother instilled in him many years prior, he refused to have laundry encroach the remainder of his night. Once his bedding was thoroughly cleansed and transferred to the adjacent dryer, Edward crammed the massive load into the washing machine. Thankfully, everything managed to fit without the risk of breaking the washer.
Reentering his apartment the second time, he struggled to take his eyes off the card. Emotions ran high, and he forced himself to move on.
Next came his dress wear. Articles that weren't stained to shit and banished to the washer—including both his primary uniform and the secondary uniform that still covered his silver-white body—were laid flat onto his naked mattress. Throwing on one of his lion's spare shirts to cover his indecency, he staged a stack of hangers next to them and blasted some alt-rock through his phone's speakers.
It was about time to bust out his ironing board.
When Edward first moved to Zootopia, he'd spent a small fortune on weekly dry cleaning. Whether it be coffee stains, dirt and grime from wrestling culprits to the ground, or general laziness, his uniform couldn't stay clean. At least the academy had the decency to offer cadets the option to launder their clothes using on-site facilities equipped with anything needed to look as professional as possible. Apart from a washer and dryer, the Grand Pangolin Arms had no such amenities.
Bobby, unable to witness his partner spend another dime on services he didn't need, bought him a collapsible ironing board and its accompanying wireless appliance as a belated housewarming gift. Although grateful, Edward expressed how little space there was to store said items. When the lion saw how cramped the apartment was, he dragged the wolf to a nearby hardware store to remedy several solutions. That night, his partner helped install everything they'd purchased, a thin cabinet to hold various cleaning supplies, some shelves for additional storage, and a mount to hang the gifted board next to his closet space, all to make the confined area feel more like home.
Now, there he was, still utilizing every inch of storage.
Snow fetched Bobby's gift from the front wall and made quick work of his formal wear, pressing, ironing, and eliminating what minor stains he could for twenty minutes straight. Meanwhile, Edward continued to stare at the card that beckoned his attention. By the end, he was failing to hold back his tears.
Once his dress clothes were pristine and hung up next to his coat, he continued to distract himself by moving on to general housekeeping, insatiably scrubbing, sweeping, dusting, and vacuuming wherever he could until the room met his standards. Edward touched every surface thrice over. He wanted it perfect.
Another twenty minutes later, he was done. The lupine soon found himself with nothing else to occupy his time, gatekept by the remedial task he had started with.
Edward still had thirty minutes before the timer for the dryer ran out. What more could he have accomplished? Although the temptation to laze about on his recliner was there, scrolling through whichever news articles piqued his interest wouldn't be enough to keep himself away from that damn card.
That's when the canid's stomach started rumbling. Edward was almost thankful that he had refrained from eating anything until then.
Edward expedited an order of food from Bug Burga through DenDash with a couple of button taps. He would have left to go and grab the food himself but found himself unable to put together a decent outfit to leave the complex. Even if ordering out did nothing to help his immediate dilemma, he wanted to assume eating something was a step in the right direction, even if he hadn't felt hungry. At least his wait time was cut down by two-thirds.
The lupine spent the short wait held up in the laundry room. Occupying the same space with that miserable piece of folded cardstock was suffocating enough.
Ten minutes later, a fried chicken sandwich arrived at his complex's doorstep. The oryx that delivered his food tried not to pay the lupine any mind for his unkempt appearance but couldn't help but notice the bashful prey mammal eye Edward's distinct lack of pants.
Whoops.
Edward hadn't meant to put on a free show. All he could do was hope that the oversized shirt and a generous tip were enough to insinuate he wasn't after anything more than food. The last thing he wanted was to offend the poor mammal in any way. But nothing came of it. They'd gone their separate ways, and Edward returned to the cramped laundry room to consume his dinner in peace.
The food wasn't terrible. There wasn't anything wrong with it; the chicken was cooked to perfection, and the fries were adequately crispy. If not for Edward's nonexistent cravings, he might have been able to appreciate the meal more.
Not long after he'd tossed out the wrappings and bags, the buzzer for the dryer sounded, commencing another round of folding, transferring, and hauling that took his mind away from the world for a split second.
Edward made quick work of remaking his bed when he arrived back at the apartment. Scents of fruit and flora emanated from the fabric and pervaded the air, instilling a sense of evanescent bliss. Nothing was more comforting than the smell of clean sheets and a freshly made bed. It reminded him of home.
Placing his laundry hamper close to the door, Edward exhumed a heavy sigh and set a timer for his final trip, set to go off in ninety minutes. He wouldn't turn in until eleven at the latest, but he was glad the work was nearly done. Unfortunately, this also meant that nothing stood between him and inevitability.
The lupine turned towards the table to his right behind him. His gaze caught the card that lay atop the dark wooden surface. He stared at the object dejectedly.
Ears fell flat against the back of the canid's head. Tears threatened to spill over. Out of distractions and no other reason to bar himself any longer, his demons persisted.
Get on with it.
"Fuck off," spouted Edward's venomous whisper, water releasing onto the fur around his eyes.
The detective sniffled, safely taking the card into his grip and carrying it to his bedside. He climbed on top of the sheets, nestling into the side of the bed closest to the wall, and set the card down gingerly onto the adjacent pillow next to his.
Seconds turned to minutes as muted silence claimed the air around him.
Now and again, he'd overhear the mirth and boisterous joy of the other mammals beyond those four walls. Those mammals would continue to thrive and carry on living their riveting lives. Edward would never have that. He was destined to wallow in his turmoil, forever burdened with the inability to create tangible personal relationships. Those that tried either hated his guts and abandoned him by the end or ended up withered and dead and left forgotten to the sands of time.
Hushed whimpers escaped the inaudible lupine, his soft cries shedding cold, wet tears as he wept onto the freshly cleaned linen.
All Edward had left to remember Bobby by were the bits, pieces, and memories that he left behind—the shirts Johnson had left whenever he spent the night, the picture of him hung on the memorial wall in the lobby of Precinct One, or even the photographs that resided in his locker—and they all weren't enough.
He only wanted to live the rest of his days with the mammal he loved. Never in a million years did he ever expect to have that. Every moment that he and Bobby shared instilled some sense of purpose to keep going, to live for the sake of living. With him gone, Edward struggled to find that motivation.
To have that one chance at happiness ripped away from him in one fell swoop was cruel. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.
Honestly, he caught himself uncertain if he could handle it anymore. Each day felt longer than the last, every step more arduous to take, and what little interactions he had been more explosive than the previous.
But he kept going. All because that's what he would have wanted for him. He had to.
At least Clawhauser had the decency to act like he still cared.
The body of the wolf, exhausted and depleted of stamina, curled in closer onto itself. It sunk into the mattress, the weight of his sorrow too much to bear; he had no more tears to shed.
When he opened his eyes, Edward aimed his cobalt-ringed gaze at the card before him.
"What's the point?" He muttered to himself. "Nothing's going to change. It's not like I have any friends left. No one else cares anymore."
The black tip of his claw caressed the length of the parchment's spine, down, then back again. Broken down, searching for any opportunity to feel something else, even if that something was worse off than what he was, he surrendered.
What more did he have to lose?
One uncertain nail poked inside, then another, and finally flipped the card open.
O O O
Tanaka wasn't sure how it was possible, but the day after ended up even worse than she could've imagined.
Beyond the infighting at the elevator bank, the first day wasn't awful. At the very least, Edward was constructive and tentative as a mentor. He provided great insight into his process and how he went about the route designated to them. She almost second-guessed her biases about him. Despite the hiccups, Tanaka looked forward to taking everything she learned to heart.
That was a mistake.
She could tell something was off when he entered the bullpen for their role call. The detective looked even worse than the day prior. Bags under the lupine's eyes were more pronounced than before; the sunglasses on his snout did little to disguise them. Strands of fur around his eyes looked matted and stained. She noticed a distinct line when she looked hard enough. At least he still had the decency to attempt brushing his fur and throw on some okay-smelling musk mask.
Her first attempt at chivalry went as well as it could have.
"Good—"
"If you're only going to bug me about how my night went, save it. I'm not in the mood."
"—Morning."
What else was there to say?
And the fun didn't stop there. When the feline and wolf were released from the roll call and set out on their assigned route, Edward quickly became the most insufferable mammal she'd ever met. Everything that Tanaka did was put under the microscope. Whenever she did something wrong or something that didn't align with what Detective Snow taught her, the canid was on her case like flies on shit. But when she managed to do something right, she was met with stone-cold silence.
Tanaka was fully prepared to call the Chief in and sever ties with the detective right then and there. However, she found herself unable to follow through.
How bad would it look for her if she opted to take the easy way out? They'd only been partners for a day. That was hardly enough time to cast fair judgment, even if he were the worst of the worst. No case would ever be that easy. Their pairing would be a test of endurance, and she had every intention of succeeding.
And, boy, did her family get an earful that night. Kei and Toshi urged the officer to consider accepting Bogo's offer for the sake of her sanity, but Tanaka persevered and took her mother's compassionate side.
Two weeks; that's what she promised. It was her duty to suck it up and tough it out.
Considering what happened the day after, she was glad that she did.
It was their third day attending the Savannah Central, Downtown, Sahara Square route, which would be their last for the week. Detective Snow's hotheaded mood hadn't improved much since yesterday's fiasco, but he'd at least begun to act like a competent superior and mentor to the cheetah officer.
The pair had just finished with the last branch of meters before the Downtown split when Tanaka decided to ask the lupine a question.
"What's the worst interaction you've experienced with a civilian while meter maiding?"
As expected, the emotionless wolf fought her for a response.
"Why do you ask?"
"No reason," she said with an honest shrug. "Thought we could pass the time talking about something relevant. Maybe someday it'll come up?"
"Mmm," his nondescript answer mumbled.
Tanaka released a light nasal sigh and stared outward from the passenger side of their meter maid cart. She looked toward the sidewalks and peered into the dark allies and spaces between the buildings, eyeing the mammals that walked by their lonesome or stuck together in tight-knit packs.
She praised herself for the meager attempt at small talk, regardless if it went nowhere. Some silence was better than complete silence.
"It was my second week on the job."
Was that?
Tanaka threw her wide eyes over her shoulder and aimed them at the wolf in the driver's seat. For the briefest moments, she thought she could see the corner of the lupine's mouth raise. The pit of his right ear was aimed directly at her.
Was he gauging if he'd caught the cheetah's attention?
Edward didn't acknowledge the officer beyond those subtle motions. He planted his eyes on the road ahead and retained his deadpan monotonal fixation. The lupine appeared as if he were recalling a distant memory. The weirdest part was that Snow found it prevalent enough to speak his thoughts aloud.
"Parking duty wasn't as streamlined as it is now; it was more a trial by fire than anything. I was alone, assigned to this very route, and was halfway down Grass Street when I heard a parking meter ding behind me. I must not have been paying attention and missed it on my pass. Like any sensible mammal, I pull over to tend the meter. The car parked in front of it was the same rust bucket I'd seen for the past week. Because this was their fifth ticket, I had to boot their car. I lug the boot out of my cart and finish putting it on. That's when the owner arrived. It was the first time I'd seen him. The poor snow leopard who owned the lemon couldn't believe it. When he asked me why, I told him."
"How'd he take it?"
"Not well," the wolf mumbled. "He lost it."
"What do you mean? Started yelling at you or something?" Tanaka dared to ask. She couldn't tell what he'd meant by it. She aimed for snarky; it sounded like a fun story. Why not?
"The mammal suffered a massive mental breakdown."
"Oh," the eyes of the cheetah officer went wide. She fidgeted with the cuffs of her long-sleeve shirt. Suddenly she felt like a massive jerk. "What happened?"
"He was on his way back from the hospital. Zootopia General's five minutes down the road, and their parking is atrociously overpriced. He'd just left his daughter's room to refill the meter. That's when he found me. When the paramedics arrived, I came to find out that she was admitted because of the attacks, and I'd been unknowingly ticketing him since her admission."
Tanaka didn't want to ask. "Was she—"
"One of the mammals that turned? Yes."
"Did she make it?"
Edward paused, then reluctantly answered, "No."
There was nothing she could say that could follow that.
"We still didn't know what was causing mammals to go savage. Mr. Blanc went down, someone screamed 'bloody murder,' and a scurry followed. Mammals were fleeing the scene left and right and making phone calls to the police or their loved ones—containing the situation was a clusterfuck. My adrenaline was riding high. I was the only one there. The cameras pointed my way didn't help. It only put more pressure on me to get a handle on what was happening. It was my first true test as an officer."
"How'd you handle it?"
"I followed my training," he shrugged matter-of-factly from the driver's side. "I ignored the cameras and quarantined the area, asked for one of the civilians to stay with me to relay information to dispatch, and stayed by that mammal's side until EMTs were on the scene. When the dust settled, I found a moment to personally talk with that poor snow leopard. That's when I learned why he'd reacted so harshly. So, I did what any sensible mammal would do."
"Which was?"
"I fought the tickets in traffic court on his behalf, paid for the boot removal, and then got the cost of boot removal reimbursed."
The awestruck officer stared at the wolf beside her. Was this respect that had her taken aback? There wasn't any chance that this was the same mammal grilling her nonstop for the past two days. She didn't know how to react.
"That's… that's really cool, actually—"
Officer Sato's right ear flicked the air. Beyond the hushed whirr of the motorized cart and the wind in the air, the cheetah thought she could hear something out of place.
"It was nothing," Edward's modest reply murmured. "We might be animals, but we're still protectors of the peace; it was the least I could do—"
"Stop the cart."
Detective Snow raised his brow. "Excuse me?"
"Stop the cart!"
The cheetah's foot weaseled its way over the wolf's leg and stamped on the brakes, all four tires spouting a short squeal until their vehicle stopped dead in its tracks.
"Hey, watch it!" The wolf sneered. Horns blaring behind them voiced their visceral displeasure. "Are you crazy? There are mammals right behind us! Are you trying to cause an accident?!"
"Shush," Tanaka hushed her partner, looking all around. The lupine, aiming to continue their argument, nearly spat some drivel her way when she followed her command with another. "Listen."
Detective Snow reluctantly did as he was told, pointed extremities at the top of his head swiveling around like miniature radar dishes. Beyond the bustle of the crowded sidewalks, nothing. He growled under his breath.
"If this is some kind of twisted joke, Sato, I'll—"
There it was again.
Faint and challenging to make out amongst the clamor and rumblings of the foot traffic, the noise sounded close, likely mammalian, but Tanaka couldn't be certain.
Edward's tense features softened instantly, the strange noise eliciting a couple of stereotypical tilts of his head. Even with the added advantage of his finer hearing, he struggled to pinpoint the commotion's origin beyond its general direction—supposedly to their right. Tanaka concluded that it was still better than not noticing at all. However, she felt inclined to ask.
"Do you know what it might be?"
"Not a clue."
Detective Snow looked in his mirrors and flashed on his lights before pulling over into the first available parking spot.
"Split up," he ordered, removing his seatbelt and applying the parking brake. "I'll continue; you backtrack. Whatever it is can't be further than a block. If you find anything, you give me a holler. Don't engage unless you're certain of what it is."
"Copy that," she obliged, disengaging the belt around her waist.
The detective and officer hopped out of their meter maid cart and started down both sides of the sidewalk. They had little time until the daytime lunch rush was in full swing.
Tanaka filed in with the stream of mammals leading southeast toward the city center. She peered over the heads of those around her, finding difficulty looking past horns, limbs, and bodies that blocked the vision of the allies to her left. The packs around her were too dense to split them right away. She couldn't shake the possibility that whatever this was could become catastrophic. Was she faster than a savage mammal? There were too many mammals for her to respond to such an attack. How would she get them out?
The feline kept calm, brought a paw over the pouch containing her only autoinjector, and prayed that whatever caught their attention wasn't as dire.
Down the first alley was nothing special, just some semi-full dumpsters and well-worn, beat-up trash cans. Not a soul could be seen, not a sound could be heard. She wasn't about to waste time investigating 'nothing,' so she moved on.
The next didn't fare much better, albeit not as desolate. A couple of cooks from the restaurant adjacent had stepped out for a smoke break. Beyond the weathered looks on their faces, they were relatively calm, with nothing to facilitate a cause for concern. Their deeper aloof voices didn't match the sound she'd heard, and she wasn't about to pester them more than their chef would. What she was looking for was something higher pitched.
Skipping the small, rodent-sized crack that preceded the next set of buildings, she peered into the alley beyond, the second to last before the next intersection. If she couldn't locate what they were looking for, she would have to double back and search every crevice of each back alley. They didn't have the time for that.
Much to the detest of those walking behind her, she slowed down and broke away from the mammals around her, stepping inside the mouth of the alley to grant her a deeper look inside the dark-bricked crevasse. Like the first, there wasn't much to note beyond the dank dirt and grime built up upon the edges of the concrete floor and the bulky dumpsters pushed flush against the leftward wall. Buildings surrounded her on three sides. Again, it was empty.
Were they both hearing things after all?
The annoyed officer scoffed to herself, turning to leave with a shake of her head before muttering, "We're wasting time."
"A-a-ah…"
Tanaka's brows raised, body swiveling back to the alley instantly. Surveying the area once more allowed her to garner movement behind the other end of the dumpster—the only available hiding place. Whatever this something was managed to produce another noise similar to the ones before.
"Aah-a-awr…"
She wasn't hallucinating. That was it! Vindication never tasted so sweet.
The cheetah stuck two fingers in her maw and sent a thunderous whistle down the street, then waved at the lupine over the heads of the complacent crowd, grabbing the distant detective's attention in one fell swoop. While he pushed through the mammals around him, Tanaka opted to get a head start on investigating whatever lay in wait.
She began her slow crawl forward into the clutches of the alley.
