Chapter Seven: Sam the Otter at the Sky's Hoof
She's tired. So very tired.
Her feet hurt from all the walking of the day, and it was still a while until she got back home. She hoped to find an empty gondola where she could sit and rest, otherwise it was going to be quite a painful journey. What was she talking about? It was already painful, in more ways than one. In all due honesty, she didn't want to break it up like that. There wasn't even anything to break! They weren't an item, just some mammals that decided to text each other in the pure effort of becoming friends. Maybe something more if the cards were right, but why was she kidding herself? It seemed like everyone she took a liking to would let her down in the end. Max? Complete and total disaster of a person. Nick? (Which she now knew was called Finnick. Was that even his actual name, though?) A manipulator, only texting her so he could leech off more money from her. Did she still feel bad that he actually seemed to live in his van? Absolutely, who wouldn't. Sam wasn't kidding when she said she was nice, and as angry as she was, it still pained her to see the fennec in such a state. He doesn't care about you, Sam. Leave it alone. She couldn't be sure that was true, either. The fennec seemed very penitent, and that salmon was actually smelling incredibly delicious. Her stomach started to churn. She should've taken her food back, now realizing she had thrown it on the van floor in anger. Now she had to go and cook something when she got home. She couldn't turn back either, she wasn't about to turn back on her fury just because she was hungry.
Realizing her glasses were wet with tears, Sam took them off and started to clean them with the rag she always kept in her back pocket. In her temporary limited vision, she saw a light in the horizon steadily approaching her location. She was on the sidewalk, so it was obviously some sort of car passing by, so she didn't pay any attention to it. Until it started to become apparent that the car was starting to slow down, ultimately stopping a few meters in front of her. Sam put her glasses back on and noticed what type of car it was. A white limooseine, at least as large as a sleeping giraffe. The headlights prevented her from looking at the driver, but her gut told her it wouldn't matter who was driving, but rather the passengers inside. Not trusting it whatsoever, Sam decided to take a slight detour through one of the many avenues and alleyways. She didn't know this part of town very well, but it wasn't that difficult to follow the signs. Through the many alleys and shortcuts she saw other unfortunate souls like Finnick, mostly predators, who were sadly confined to a life in the streets. A fox asking for coin, a weasel selling bootleg movies, a tiger sleeping on a cardboard box that was half his size. She became more curious as to what Finnick's life had been. Had he been homeless forever? Did he have a family? Was Nick living in the same conditions before Judy showed up? She started to imagine what it would be like for her if she became a vagabond. She didn't think she'd survive for long, probably struggling to even get a few scents to pay for decent food. Not to mention the possibility of her getting snatched to participate in some sort of illegal dancing club, where dancing would be the least she would do. Shaking her head in disgust, she paid no more mind to it, she went on her merry way. A few more quick steps and she would be at the gondola station that would take her home.
Wishful thinking. The white limooseine she had previously seen was back, and now it was clear that it was her it wanted. More than scared, she was getting pissed. Her feet hurt, she was emotionally drained, and she was hungry enough to eat raw fish, bones and all. Her fear masked itself into a ball of anger, and instead of running away like she would usually do (Not like she was ever in these kinds of situations to begin with), she decided to confront the limooseine head on, and ask what the heck its business was with her. She approached the car, strutting with her paws in exasperation, ready to give the stalker a good scolding. Before she said her first words, which would've been in the nature of What the fudge is your problem? Don't mess with me!, the window at the very back of the car opened. With a little more apprehension, she approached the window, but was still much too tiny to peer inside. Seeing that Sam made no effort to try to open the door, the unexpected passenger let himself be known. It was an arctic fox, a much older one than Greg was, possibly in his high 30s, looking at her with curiosity.
"Excuse me, sorry for the chasing and all that, but you are quite a slippery otter. Don't worry, though, we're not gonna do anything to you. None that you wouldn't consent to, at least. Sorry, bad joke, hehe," he spoke, with a surprisingly chipper tone. Much too cheerful for her liking.
"Who the heck are you?" she asked, not as aggressively as she hoped to be.
"Are you perhaps Sam the Otter?" he said, ignoring her question. "They call you Magnificent Ride Otter? Savvy with the Tongue Otter? Fox-Lover Otter? Homewrecker Ott-"
"Okay, I get it! Yes, that's me," she said. She didn't want to waste her breath lying. She also had a feeling that this fox already knew that, and was just saying it out of hundred percent confirmation. "What's it to you?"
"Ehem, I would like to invite you to dinner at the magnificent rooftop of the Sky's Hoof, the most elegant skyscraper in Downtown Zootopia."
"Tempting offer, but I don't just get in random stranger's limooseines. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to head home." Mammals were growing desperate these days. Trying to lure her with food at a fancy place was not enough to woo anyone, and she didn't have a death wish to go somewhere with anyone she didn't know. She turned back and headed towards the Zebra crossing that led to the station.
"We're not exactly strangers," another voice joined in, making Sam stop on her tracks and turn around, her eyes widening at the sight. Crap. She was looking at the face of a white rabbit with red eyes. It couldn't be anyone else. She had been invited to dinner by Olivia Floor herself. Craaaaaaaaaaap.
"I will be there for one hour and then I'll leave," Sam gave the conditions of the dinner. "If at any point I feel threatened I will leave and report you to the police, with evidence, because there are Jam Cams all over the station!"
"Sam, please," said the rabbit, handling a cup full of wine. She was sitting opposite to the otter, the arctic fox sitting by her side, with a phone in hand, typing away at whatever. "It's just a civil conversation between common mammals. Brandy here just doesn't know how to act, and the driver is so ominous, parking in front of you like that."
The fox directed his attention away from the phone to look at her, putting a paw on his chest. "Brandy C. Ling, at your service. I'm Flo's secretary."
"Flo?" Sam asked.
"What, no one's given you pet names before?"
Like you wouldn't believe, lady, she thought. "Just doesn't seem professional, that's all."
"Professionalism is overrated, am I right, Brandy?" The fox didn't say anything, but nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I imagined. Not very professional to snatch an otter early at night to partake in your rich cult dinner, is it?"
"Okay, yeah, you got me there, but trust me, you're not in trouble, this is a purely civil event. The boss just wants to meet you. And we are in no way a cult."
"You know, all of this wouldn't be happening if you hadn't let Nick answer the phone. I didn't want to become…this," Sam said, pointing at herself and her surroundings.
"Oh, come on, Sam, I'm sure you enjoy the attention, no? You're the talk of the town, gurl!" she said, in an exaggerated accent.
"I prefer my anonymity, thanks." All this attention had given her was a lifetime of embarrassment. Not to mention the fact that she also dirtied Nick's reputation, possibly beyond repair, for her stupid words. Nick didn't seem to blame her, but she couldn't stop from blaming herself. There he was, making a new life for himself free of any drama, and then she came along to soil it all.
The red-eyed rabbit sighed. "Fine. I'm sorry for what I did, truly. In the end, though, we can't really turn back time. I promise that like with any trend, it should blow over soon and you will be back to normal."
"Thanks, I guess," she said, and pondered back to the motive of this invitation. "Why does your boss want to see me anyway? They want an autograph or something?"
"Not really. She has some questions to ask about Mr. Wilde."
"Questions about Nick? I barely know the guy, we've met like twice."
"Reserve that explanation to the boss, please. Enjoy some wine, if you'd like. Completely free."
Yeah, right, like I would get drunk at a place like that. The rabbit and fox began coursing through their phones, and Sam decided to do the same. She looked up the name of the place she was supposedly going: Sky's Hoof. She opened a Zookipedia article and skimmed through it. The Sky's Hoof, the tallest building in all of Zootopia, wide on the bottom and becoming progressively slim as it goes up, culminating on a small rooftop with a very expensive restaurant. The tagline read: 'Any animal feels big up here!'
"You're really gonna love the place, Sam. The views are certainly incredible," said Floor, sounding like she was giving a pitch. No matter how safe they were trying to make her feel, this whole thing was very fishy. Unfortunately, curiosity got the better of her, and she also did not feel like staying home, knowing depression would set in. At least she's glad she doesn't have to work tomorrow. As she looked at her phone, she couldn't help but notice a movement through the corner of her eye. Two white paws, one from the rabbit and another from the fox, giving each other a gentle squeeze. She didn't want to make it seem like she had seen that, so she just kept exploring her phone, seeing more of the history of the Sky's Hoof. It was apparently the oldest building in all of Zootopia, constructed right on top of the water hole where the prey and predator ancestors first shook paws and created the first pred-prey alliance. Since then, the advancements in building tech and the like led to yearly renovations to keep its foundation strong. It was a very historically significant building, so it made sense to have the utmost care for it.
She couldn't help but gravitate back to the mammals' still conjoined paws. Despite not really liking the fact she was being taken to a dinner she half-consented too, it made her think about how many more mammals were starting to be open-minded about these kinds of relationships. She smiled a little at the fact that she now knew two rabbit-fox couples. She predicted they would not be the last. Is it possible for an otter and a fox to do the same? No, Sam, stop thinking about that.
"We're here! I promise you'll have fun," Floor said, opening the car door and letting her get out first. She contemplated running, but really she had already come this far, so why run now? Looking back, she saw Floor give Brandy a gentle pat in the shoulder as he exited through the left side of the limooseine, quickly joining the two. Sam finally had the courage to look at the very tall building, which made her feel incredibly tiny. She couldn't even see the top from where she was standing, the nightly clouds stopping the view from reaching the end of the massive structure.
"You're not gonna run off on us, are you?" she asked me, already at the foot of the luxurious double door.
"I came this far. No reason to run now."
"That's the spirit! The balcony awaits!"
Entering the building, the outside was nothing in comparison to the incredible view awaiting her inside. It was very modern, yet classical architecture like the ones she'd seen in a videogame. They had come upon a gigantic lobby filled with paintings of ancient animals, as well as bronze statues atop every pillar around the circular room. At the center of this lobby stood a cylindrical elevator that went as high as the otterine eye could see. She saw a fancily-clad family of cheetahs go up the fancy-looking elevator, which just seemed to swim up instead of move. All of this was very new to Sam, and the worst part? She liked it. But she couldn't show it. All things considered, she had been kidnapped (consensually) and she was a prisoner (deliberately) and she couldn't show signs of enjoyment to her captors (hosts). She remained with a frown.
"You ain't slick, Sam, I saw that twinkle in your eye," said Floor, holding Brandy's hand. "Let's get to the elevator, shall we?"
She felt like a third wheel, just following the couple around everywhere she went. It doesn't help that she had "going-out" clothes, which made it look like she should've had a date. Technically she would've, had it not been for that dang fox, Sam thought. And so, the elevator rose with the three animals in it. Sam watched as the skyline of Savanna Central made itself bigger and bigger. All she could see outside were the bright squares symbolizing the windows. The building in front of the Sky's Hoof was the heart of Zootopian Commerce and Banking, aptly named ZC&B. It was a more tame building in comparison to the one she was currently standing on.
"Thoughts so far, Sam?" asked Floor, leaning into her (maybe?) mate.
"Eh," she let out, but inside she was very much liking the view. Sam did indeed feel big, and they weren't even at the top yet.
"It gets better, darling. Soon enough, you'll be the tallest otter in the world."
"Unless there's a taller otter somewhere in that party."
Floor chuckled. "Look at that, you have a sense of humor. Ain't she funny, Brandy?"
"Does he have to agree with everything you tell him?"
"Absolutely not," the fox, who up to this point had been absolutely quiet, had said. "It's just Flo and I have a very similar personality. We laugh at the same things."
"Then why didn't you laugh now?" Sam asked.
"I didn't?" he asked. "Could've sworn I did."
Before she could ask how he couldn't notice that he didn't audibly laugh, or if he was simply teasing her, an audible ding sounded around the elevator. The top had been reached. "We're here!" the high voice of Floor had become audible in her ears, but so did the sounds of the party in the balcony. Above her was only the night sky, closer than she had ever seen it before. Stepping out of the elevator, she found herself gawking at the other party guests, dressed in the most delicate apparel that was typical of a pompous rich party such as this. Still, she could not deny their appeal. She looked back at her own clothes, a simple green cardigan with a white blouse and brown jeans. None of the animals in there, who were mostly felines and one other canine here and there, had any glasses to speak of. She felt even more alienated. Who even was the boss? They all looked important somehow. Like that white tiger chatting up a lynx a couple feet away from her, probably feeding the cat many stories of his accomplishments to make himself seem like a much more impressive guy than he really was.
"Isn't this supposed to be a dinner party? Where's the dinner?" Sam asked. She really was hungry.
"The boss organized this party," said Floor. "Until she isn't here, there's no dinner. Also it will be first come first serve so you better haul ass before all the kitties get your fish."
"I am perfectly capable of eating other foods, thank you," she said. She never had felt offended for being stereotyped, after all she did love fish, but the way it had come from the bunny's mouth was very distasteful to the otter.
"Sam, honey, you really gotta chillax here. Settle down, talk to somebody, enjoy the balcony view! Maybe you'll find a stud to take you home after," Floor said suggestively, grabbing a martini on one of the tables.
"I'm kinda done with men for now," Sam said, trying to avoid saying much information about the 'date' she had endured.
"Alright, suit yourself, but me and Brandy are gonna go mingle. Don't you dare leave, hahaha. Just kidding, you can leave at any point, we swear!" With that, they left her to her own luck. She had a feeling they still wanted her to stay. She could very easily take the elevator back and not go through whatever the heck this was, but Sam was still curious (and hungry). For now, she decided to stay. She was not about to start chatting with a random stranger hoping for a one-night stand, she really wasn't about that life, so she did the other thing that seemed the most fun in this otherwise dull rich people party.
Within a few steps, Sam had arrived at one of the viewpoints of the balcony, complete with stepping stools built into the ground so that the smaller animals could also appreciate the view. There was also a 25-cent-per-use telescope that she wouldn't bother to use. Using the very useful stepping stools, Sam did feel like the tallest animal in the world, although with a severe case of vertigo, because boy was she high up. The view more than made up for it, though, as she stared infinitely at the views of Downtown and everything that surrounded it. She saw the tiny animals and the tiny cars going on about their lives. She doubted she could even try spotting Little Rodentia from up there. She could see Sahara Square and Tundratown, and the massive AC that kept those districts at opposite sides of the weather spectrum. Looking slightly left, she could see Rainforest District, the place that harbored her workplace, her home, her awful ex-boyfriend…her parents. She stopped herself before she could go any deeper, mindfully breathing in an out to prevent a panic attack. She wasn't about to get one at the freaking top of the world.
"And here I thought I'd be the only otter in the party. Glad I was wrong," a voice behind her said. She turned around to look, now calmer. It was a river otter like her, but much bulkier, with arms that alleged that she often went to the gym. She had on a black jacket on top a red blouse, along with a black skirt. "Wait a minute…you're that otter, ain't you?"
"Can I just say no so you can leave me alone?" she answered. She was over her fame status. She didn't want it!
"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't care about any of that. Just recognized you, is all," the girl otter said, sounding very sincere. She quickly walked towards one of the tables, snatching two margaritas, and offering Sam one of them. "I bring thee a peace offering! For my uncouth behavior."
Ok, she was funny, Sam admitted. And it was very nice that another member of her species was here as well. Suddenly, it didn't seem that rare for her to be there. She kindly accepted the drink, taking a small sip. "You've earned a seat at the high table, mistress," Sam followed along. "Do not mistake my kindness for forgetfulness. You have not yet redeemed yourself."
She chuckled. "Otter Dynasty girl, nice," she said, referencing the show they'd both been referencing.
"Don't spoil me, I haven't gotten to Season 7 yet."
"Enjoy it while it lasts, girl, I've heard Season 8 is a doozy."
"Hey, I said no spoilers!" she said, chuckling along with her new otter friend. Man, she really made friends too fast. Maybe she should be less trusting. "Anyway, sorry we started on the wrong foot. I was kinda brought here against my will."
"Oh my god, are you okay? Should I call the cops?" she asked, concerned.
"No, no, it's fine. I came deliberately. They're important people, so if they were to do anything to me, they'd be sued to hell and back."
"Oh…uhhh," she started, a little awkwardly. "Not to alarm you, but this building is owned by a very prestigious family. I'm sure they could just make you disappear. Like, completely vanish. As if you've never. even. existed."
This did alarm Sam. Why the hell did she have to get in a situation like this? Why does this always happen to her? Can't she have a moment of peace?
"Pffffft ahahahaha, your face right now is glorious, girl, hahahahaha," the otter said, joking. "I'm messing with you, Glasses. I don't know crap about who owns what or what owns who. I'm just here to have some fun."
"You are insane! How could you say that to me? You don't know the week I've had, lady!"
"Woah, woah, okay, sorry, not the time for jokes, I see."
She gives a long sigh, and sits on the stool. "It's okay. Don't mind me. I'm just a laughing stock otter now. Laugh at the poor girl who fumbled her words on national television, woohoo!" She ended up gulping up the margarita in one fell swoop, feeling immediately woozy.
"Sorry it seemed that way," said the otter, sounding sincere again. "It has come to my attention that I don't even know your name yet."
"But you know me from telev-"
"Television? What's that? I've never seen you before. You famous or sumthin?"
It shouldn't work. That sorry attempt to backtrack shouldn't work. But here was better than home. "Sam," she said, quietly, but then a little louder. "My name is Sam. Yours?"
"Glad you ask. I'm Lillardinna."
"Lilla-what?" Sam asked. She realized it was a very rude thing to say about someone's name.
She grinned. She didn't seem offended. "It's a long story. My friends call me Lylla, though." She held up a paw in front of her. Sam accepted it.
"Lylla it is," Sam said. Lylla smiled again.
"So, what brings you here, person I definitely don't know?" Lylla asked.
"I was invited, actually. You?"
"What do you know? Me too! I'm on a date right now, but that guy is kinda boring so I slipped out. You know how slippery we can be."
"Lylla? Where'd you go?" a voice could be heard from afar in between all the talking of the guests.
"I think you should go to him?"
"Nah, let him find me if he wants me that bad. I'm playing hard to get tonight."
"Well, you're not really hiding," Sam noted, trying not to laugh at her new friend's antics.
"Shows how little he wants me, then," At this point, she finished her margarita as well. "Mommy needs a refill. Want another one, Sam?"
"Uhhm," her already blurry vision even with her glasses told her that it probably wasn't a good idea to keep drinking. "Sure," she said, ignoring the signs of her incoming drunkenness.
"Coming up, sister," she said, walking to one of the tables to get the drinks again.
At this time, a few clings and clangs were heard in the distance. The source came from a fork hitting gently against a wine glass, and the animal doing it was none other than a gorgeously dressed tigress, a beautiful tight red dress with a black ribbon in her bosom. She could see Floor and Brandy close to the tigress, who began applauding her arrival. Soon enough, all the other guests began celebrating her entrance. She must be the boss, Sam thought.
"Thank you everyone, thank you," she said, making all the claps unanimously stop. She had a calming yet demanding voice. "I appreciate all that came here to see me. As you all already know, these past few weeks have been less than ideal for me. My dad and brother were the heart of our company, and now…it's up to me to pick up the pieces," she said, quietly and with sentiment. Sam wondered what had happened to her dad and brother. Did they die? It wasn't for her to ask, though. As she was listening, Lylla also came back to her side, offering her another alcohol-induced cocktail. It was delicious. "It fills me with great happiness that you all came to wish me well, and I hope that those mindless rumors about my family go away as soon as they came. Without any preamble, please enjoy our carefully selected dinner! Sorry, guys, no red meats on the menu tonight," she said, and most of them laughed. Joking about previously eating prey animals never fell well on Sam. While it was fun to riff on tragic things, carnivorism is part of why mammals like her were still seen as a threat, as someone that shouldn't exist along with everyone else. Joking about eating your landlord, next-door neighbor who won't turn off his loud rock music, or even eating the guy she tells you not to worry about, was never something the otter would laugh at. She guessed only the rich and powerful (and trolls on the internet) could get away with stuff like that.
"Uhhh, Sam?" asked Lylla. "Is it me, or is the big scary tiger lady looking at you?"
"Huh?" Sam asked. She was about to reprimand Lylla for calling her scary, but just a quick look at the tigress made the fact clear that she was indeed eyeing Sam rather ominously. The furs on her neck had started the process of piloerection, becoming as straight as the building she was standing on. They became even straighter as she realized the tigress was moving…towards her location. Floor and Brandy were behind her. "No, Lylla, I think you're right," she deadpanned.
Within a manner of seconds, the imposing tigress was beside Sam. "Hello there, my esteemed guest. I see you've made some friends already."
"I, uhhhh…" Sam could not speak. She was truly intimidated.
"Holy shit, Sam, you were invited by her? Dayummm, look at you!" exclaimed Lylla.
"Would you mind, dear? I'd like to show Sam what we have in store, eating-wise. Would you be a sweetie and go somewhere else? A new batch of margaritas just came," the tigress told Lylla. She didn't hesitate to go straight to the margarita table either out of genuine want for more drinks (her second margarita glass was still pretty full) or because of the tigress' very chilling face, who clearly very passive-aggressively had told her to go away. The latter seemed most appropriate.
"Sam, my name is Banshee. My family owns this building."
"I-I thought this belonged to the government? It's a historic building…" she said, still shily, but needing answers to that puzzling reveal.
"Heh, who do you think subsidized the repairs? Everything from the inside to the new exterior was paid for by daddy's company. Due to awful circumstances that I don't care to mention, right now I am the sole owner. Shall we walk?" she said, sounding less like a question and more like a request. One that she had to fulfill. So she did.
They approached a nearby table filled with chicken, fried rice, white rice…actually, every type of rice imaginable, including, ironically enough, shrimp-fried rice and risotto. She could see another table filled to the brim with sweets and pastries, like a chocolate fountain, puddings, flans, flambes, creme brulees, ice cream, you name it. Sam had a sweet tooth, and seeing that made her mouth water, even more than some of the delicious fishes that she could smell another table over. Not even expecting permission from Banshee, the otter began to dig in, taking a plate full of fish, and a few smaller plates filled with pastries and sweets. She set it on a nearby table and began to indulge. Banshee sat on a chair opposite to Sam.
"Glad to see you're enjoying the food. Some of the best chefs in the world work for this restaurant. You are eating ice cream fit for kings," commented the tigress.
"It's really incredible. This salmon is also so freaking good!"
"You like it? It's bred to perfection in this very restaurant."
"Kinda weird it's served as a buffet, though," Sam said in between bites. "I'd assume you'd keep this under high maintenance until someone paid like a quintillion dollars on it."
"Hmm-hmm, not quite. The fee to be here in this balcony is enough of a fee to cover for everything cooked. Ain't you happy you entered here for free?"
"With all honesty? I appreciate the invitation, but I don't feel comfortable owing that much money to someone I barely know."
"Oh, please, Samantha. I treat my guests with respect. I wasn't gonna let you pay for anything, especially with a guest as special as you! Tell me, how did it feel to be that close to Nicholas Wilde?" Banshee said, leaning on the table with interest. She wanted to know what Sam thought.
"Uhm, well…normal I guess?" she said, after swallowing her second salmon of the night. "He was very friendly with me and Judy. There was nothing inherently wrong about him. Besides, like I told Floor, I barely know him."
"So, to be clear, there was no coitus between you two?"
"HEAVENS, NO!" She screamed, gaining some attention from the other patrons. "The video was misconstrued," she said, quietly this time. "I was gonna ask him for help about something, because he gave me his professional number to call him whenever I might need legal help."
"Last I heard, cops don't offer domicile service," the tigress said cheekily.
"Well, he did, and not once did he try to pressure me to call him."
"But come on, you can't tell me you once didn't think about the possibilities of having someone like him in your clutches."
Sam looked at her with incredulous eyes. What was this tigress's deal? Did she get invited to this party just to gossip and objectify Nick? She didn't like that one bit. "No, Banshee, I don't think I have, and you shouldn't concern yourself with whatever it is I think or care about what happens in Nick's life. What's he to you anyway?" She came off passive aggressive. Well, more aggressive than passive, but the larger mammal's train of thoughts were pissing her off, no matter how intimidating she might seem.
"What's he to me? Oh, I'll tell you, otter," pure venom suddenly came out of her lips at the mention of her species. Uh oh. "He's a first-rate swindler, a very skillful hustler, and an even bigger actor! He thinks that just by doing one good thing makes all of the terrible decisions that he made okay? Like they're somehow forgotten? And how come he gets away with messing with us? With me? He will never reach my heights! He will never even fathom being someone like me. He is nothing, absolutely nothing!"
"Who the hell are you to say that?" Sam got up, climbing on the table to be at eye level with the tigress. She pointed an accusatory finger at her. "What's got you so bitter that you gotta insult him like that? You can bully me and mock me all you want, but Nick has done nothing to you. I was the one who called that day, and that was a terrible mistake, but it happened. So you better lay off."
She inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm herself. "Sammy, come on, aren't you exaggerating a little bit?" She got close to Sam's finger. If she wanted to, she could easily bite it off as easily as a toothpick. Her angry demeanor changed, and went back to her aloof exterior. "You really think Nick is who he says he is? Even you can't be that naive. Haven't you been lied to before? Haven't you been terribly destroyed inside, and felt like you can just never move on? Because I have. A fox did that to me. And while it wasn't Nick, a fox broke your heart too, didn't he?"
Sam's finger lowered in surprise. "H-how did y-"
"I have eyes and ears everywhere, otter. You don't get to be the business mogul that I am without breaking a few bones. You pull this move on me again, and there might not be an otter to see tomorrow."
"Y-you can't just threaten me like tha-"
"Threaten you? That was a promise, honey, so why don't you behave, and listen to what I have to say?"
She couldn't believe this was happening. She was jumping from trouble to trouble, like she had walked out of a hurricane only to end up swallowed up by a twister. She looked at Floor, who seemed to have heard Banshee, even at the distance that she was, and her eyes were as wide as Sam's. Was she also a victim like Sam? Did she not realize what was happening?
"W-what do you even want with me?" Asked Sam.
"What people like me so often fail to obtain," she took a moment to light up a cigarrette, giving it a gentle puff, and releasing the smoke into the atmosphere above them. She held Sam's hand softly. "A friend. Someone who understands my pain." A FRIEND? Sam thought, who up to that point had only felt offended and insulted by all the things the tigress was saying.
"W-Why choose me? By your logic, I'm nothing to you." And by your words too.
"You are mistaken. I don't hate you, or other people who go about their lives scrambling to get money. After all, that is the government's fault. Even my success began with millions upon millions of inherited wills. Life was chosen for me. Even so, it is people like Wilde who hurt the economy in the first place. I suppose you haven't heard he evaded taxes?" Sam's puzzled look gave it away. "Thought so. And instead of having to pay for it when he became a cop, he got pardoned for it. You save the city and all of a sudden you're the government's pet. Did he think about how that could hurt other people who needed his taxes? Of course not, because he's a self-centered egomaniac whose sole purpose in life is to leech off of anyone, including that rabbit of his, which, ew, by the way, to think they were actually going to confess in Live TV that they were in each other's pants every night. Gosh, it makes my fur shiver. And Floor was gonna let it happen too. She's lucky I need her, otherwise I'd drop her and that stupid assistant of hers."
Despite all of the words that had come out of her mouth, Sam's answer to her question had not come at all. She's insane, Sam thought. If she had thought before that rich people were on a completely different planet in comparison to middle class mammals, she didn't expect it to also be true when it came to intelligence, let alone basic mammal decency. She should've imagined it, though. What disquieted her the most about her was her seeming obsession with Nick. Whatever reasons she had said for her dislike of him, Sam knew there was something deeper, something that the tigress would not reveal to her. She was ready to leave the party now and never come back.
"I have to confess, though. At first, I did hate you. You ruined their interview, and arguably made them even more popular than they already were. But then, I realized, we're pretty much the same," that comment made Sam nauseous. Maybe it was the wine she had begun heavily drinking. "We've both been framed for something we haven't done, have gained unwanted attention, and most of all, we've been swindled and betrayed by foxes."
"I-I'm nothing like you," she was confident enough to say.
"What's that? Speak up."
"I said I'm nothing like you! You got me very very wrong. I don't hate foxes, I never did. Just because one of them decided to mess with me doesn't make their entire species awful. I can say the same for my own species. My psychopathic ex is an otter who won't leave me alone! He threw glass at me, made me bleed. No fox has ever done that to me. Now if you'll excuse me, the food was great, but I gotta leave."
"You want to leave? Back to your shitty apartment, with your alone self? At least here you'd have someone to talk to!"
"I'd rather stay alone in my apartment than to keep sharing the same air as you! Maybe it's the altitude, but the air here must be poisonous!"
"Wait, Sam-" the tigress was about to put her gigantic paw on the otter's shoulder, but someone else stopped her in her tracks.
"Don't touch her," said someone behind her. That someone being Lylla, who appeared to have gotten significantly more intoxicated than before. Without giving Banshee any time to process who it was that had raised their voice at her, the woozy otter had majestically thrown the contents of a margarita she had on hand directly on the tigress's eyes. How she managed to perfectly throw the drink from so far away directly into the much bigger mammal's eyes, it wasn't for Sam to find out right now, because as soon as Lylla did that very reckless maneuver, she grabbed Sam by the paw and ran towards the elevator, immediately pressing the button to go down to the first floor.
"MY EYES!" were the last words she heard as she began descending. Margarita cocktails contained lime juice, so Banshee was definitely not having a great time.
"What the heck was that?" she confronted the otter, who appeared to be sleeping while standing up. Her snores echoed in the elevator. "Hey! What the hell did you do?" she nudged on her shoulder.
"Huhwhat? Wassap? Ohh, it's Sam. *hic* Howyadoin?"
"Do you not remember what you just did? You threw a cocktail at Banshee's eyes! She owns this whole building!"
"*hic* I did? Good riddenz. She was bothering you, and you're pretty cool."
She had never heard someone mention her as cool. It was a nice thought. "Well, you did save me, so thanks. How'd you even get so drunk?"
"Margaritas, they *hic* can pack quite a punch," she said, walking back and forth around the elevator like she would fall off at any minute. Sam decided to hold the otter before she fell, as they finally touched ground again. They were back to being some of the smaller predators in the city, no longer feeling like giants. Sam did not look back, though, trying very desperately to get them both out of there before Floor tried to get her back. She shivered at the thought of Banshee chasing after them savagely, so she quickly grabbed a taxi and got them both straight to the gondola station of Savannah Central. It was then, as they were quickly away from the massive building, that Sam had realized an important fact.
"Wait, Lylla, where do you live?" she asked with urgency.
The otter seemed to be in a completely different dimension, staring at the ceiling as if she was looking at stars. "Muh name is Woolter Hartwell White, I live at 308 Negra Arroyo Lane on Outback Island, Zootopia, 87104, this is my confession."
She's out of it, Sam thought. She guessed that her date had not gone as well either, something she was very knowledgeable of. After all Lylla had done to get her away from the crazy rich tiger, she couldn't just leave her to her own devices. Sam was not one to leave a friend behind. She just hoped this wasn't a hustle this time.
"That's it," she made up her mind. "You're crashing with me tonight."
Lylla gave a smile of approval before she began snoring into the car seat.