A chorus of laughter erupts.Gazelle doubled over in her seat, trying to catch her breath, almost choking by the end of her giggles.
" Ay, I must say, it must be a very bad habit of yours, but its sweet you came all this way, thinking the tickets of yours are not valid, hehe haha." a pattering of small giggles escapes.
"What? Valid."
"Si, your tickets."
"What do you mean !?" Nick explodes in frustration and confusion, almost melting in his chair in a mix of embarrassment and relief. Gazelle lifts her brows and rolls her eyes, letting a small discreet smile form on her face.
"Those Laminated and Lanyarded, 'Tickets' are, All access, Full Amenities, Unrestricted and Unlimted Free Attendance to any and all Future Gazelle Performance no matter how Expensive, Exclusive or Esoteric." This long and detailed explanation, came from a rather Sleep deprived Deer, responding in a very Robotic and apathetic tone.
"Si, like my Friend here says, its very clear that, I, Gazelle, wouldn't just give the heroes of Zootopia, My City, tickets to just one of my Performances." Gazelle picks up her cup of tea and hands it over to, Nick.
"Sip and calm down, you look like my Uncle after finding out he would have triplets." Encouraging him to relax by leabing back and relaxing her eyes, nearly closing them.
"Wait, how can I not know this, Carrots gave me the letter and let me open it up, no explanation, no letter or even some sort of hint at, what ever this whole situation is." Taking a sip from the cup Gazelle gave, melting into the back of the fluffy chair, nerves frazzled and mind completely blank.
"From the stories you've told me, seems like she is wanting to hustle her Fox, as you put it?"Blankly staring at Gazelle, seemingly fixated on her lips, repeating the word hustle over and over again."Hustle, A Hustle...""Nick? is everything okay? It seems like you aren't going to blink." waving a hand over his eyes, gauging if he will react to the movement in any way. Then Nick lifted his hands, brought them up to his temples, and rubbed them slightly before releasing a monumental sigh.
"Nick?"
"Sorry, I was just reminded of why I fell in love with this girl, Her stupid little face must be so smug, just waiting for me to come back tail between my legs and with hardly much more than a small apology gift." It brings a genuine smile to his face before he shuts his eyes and brings up a more devious and very sly look.
"So, it seems like you are finally dropping the facade. Was it really figuring out you've been hustled from the start that got you so smitten?" Gazelle stands up from out of her chair, Bending over to Nicks height, more than a 90-degree bend.
With this awkward position, Nick looks deeply at her, waiting for anything to happen.
"Well Nicky, I was curious about that little face you pulled just then, for anyone else, I would have expected, the face of a goofy fool in love, but all you are wearing, is the face of a hungry beast."
"Hungry?" She wasn't wrong, Nick was thinking of the exact way to turn the tables on, the devious little Bunny, and still win her affections.
"Si, hungry like you were stuck and starving in a desert, with a Mammal holding an apple walking past you, and now your waiting to gain enough strength to snatch it from the person that is about to eat it." Sitting back down but still postured forwards, Gazelle put on, or more accurately let her expression change into the same devious little smirk, Nick had on before.
"Well, what can I say? She's probably looking forward to going to that last concert, but I messed up and had to make her skip it, so I can't blame her. But on the other paw, I can't just sit back as she pulls a fast one on a former Con-artist." Nick was thinking of a multitude of ways to make sure he stands on top, like he had always done, but this one was going to be impossible without help, if he was going to turn the tables and still make sure Judy is still his friend by the end of it.
"Dios Mio, I haven't had this much fun just talking to a mammal in ages, so am I talking to Nicky, the Con-artist, or Officer Nicholas?"
"Let's say a certain former someone is going to need some help with something that definitely needs the help of a very gorgeous, smart and powerful Diva." Nicky sits up more, stretching out a hand in almost to start a handshake. "So what do you say, Little Miss Diva?"
"Hahaha, it was certainly good to hear you out for the past 3 hours. Well, Mr Con-artist, what did you have in mind?" Her laugh rattled the room, like a long-standing boredom had been fixed, meeting his paws with her hoove, letting him gently but firmly grip and slightly shake on this deal.
"Please, call me Mr Wilde. There is definitely much to do in such a short time." Both of them are standing up, hands in hand, as both share a gleeful but very vindicated laugh, something that leaves alex in the corner shaking his head, the tech people and lawyers are bewildered and just staring, dreading at the amount of extra work they will be doing before the Warer Festival Concert.
A phone ring is heard under the laughter in Mr Wildes Pants, as the screen shows a small icon, the picture of a very intimate but cheerful selfie, of Nick and Judy, hugging close to get a perfect picture.
With the words, 'SLY BUNNY' is calling, blinking on the screen, waiting for it to be declined or picked up...
Judy Hopps
Judy was finishing up a set of case files records, having just wrapped up a case of stolen identity, stamping and signing the last file for submission into records.
"Haha, wow, I can't believe you finished that pile of casework up so easily!?" A rather boisterous grey wolf, slurping on a blue smoothy, hanging over Judy, curious and playful.
"This, oh its nothing, I usually do less because Nick keeps messing up stuff if we work on case files together, something about the mundane and inane tasks makes him, 'Really really, really, really Bored'." Shuffling the stack of paper into a stack, shoving it over to Deputy Officer Wilberforce.
"Now, would you kindly get these to records, I've got a big date to plan with Nick."
"Date?" lifting up one eyebrow, The deputy slowly lifts up the stack.
"Date, no, I mean day, yes day, We have got a big day." Nervously, she sits down politely, scrolling on her phone in the most forced manner possible.
"Hmm, Strange, I thought Nick was hanging out with Clawhauwser since they both left at the same time." Judy's ears perked up as the wolf walks off after revealing this little bit of gossip.
'That's strange' Judy was thinking, there must be a reason why Nick wasn't just waiting back at the apartment, and decided to leave with thier cheetah friend.
'Well, its not like Nick figured out the whole, Unlimted access passes situation, He'd die before reading the fine print on anything.' Judy picked up her Jogging speed, past the front desk, seeing if it was true, and yes, Clawhauwser is nowhere to be found, and Donnowiks is holding the station.
"Hey Donny, seen Clawhauwser about, was going to ask if he's seen Nick?" Donny was a chill guy, probably the most chill Hyena Judy's ever met, or just the first in person.
"Oh, hey Jude, nah, he left with Nick, talking about, the upcoming festival or something, it's our buddy clawhauser, so its definitely something to do with, Gazelle" his words were calm but distracted, understandable as you could barely see his head from behind the gaudy magazine, full of tripe headlines and minor celeb gossip, full of distractions.
"No Probs Donny, see you around, just finished up, you know to keep me updated on new cases, no problem, dispatch and Front desk are always up to keep the cogs turning."
pushing past the revolving doors, Judy was finding herself quite confused. thinking that Nick definitely couldn't have figured it out on his own, even with Clawhauwsers' help.Then a quick thought popped into her head, Nick must be so desperate to get a ticket that he's asking the number one Gazelle fan of the precinct to get one.
"Hehe, serves him right, At that concert, I would have given him much more than a good time, and now he's begging Benny, for some help."A pang of guilt hits her, something like a tightness of the chest and slowing of the heart.
"Well, if my Nick comes back empty-handed, I'm not going to hold it over him too much, especially since he'll completely forget about my hustle after the date I have planned."
"What date?" Turning around to see Chief Bogo, holding a small case files in his hooves.
"Oh, Chief Bogo, I wasn't saying Date, I was just thinking out loud!?"
lifting up an eyebrow, " Well, whatever it is you have planned with your 'Nick', I hope it doesn't affect the case I am presenting to you." Gesturing over to a small coffee shop on the corner, quite frequented by Officer's.
Sitting down and quietly waiting for Chief Bogo to quickly sift through the papers, "Hopps, there is a special case that has arisen due to some complicated issues relating to, the handling of the Missing Mammal Cases, during initial inspections of the multiple crime scenes of drug manufacturing, there were client lists, something akin to, clients that would by the 'Night Howlers'."
"Wait, why would anyone use the night howlers? They were only useful in making crazy animals."
"I was getting to that detail, Hopps, Listen. Forensics came back, and Nightholwer serum wasn't the only thing they were manufacturing. It seems the deep underworld of Zootopia is rearing its head into the light once more, things are not going to get better with independent entities, finding greater uses to manufacturing and selling These new Variants of The Serum."
Handing over the case files, there were detailed lists and records of new kinds of drugs that could flood the black market and some that could pose an even greater problem for just daily life in Zootopia.
One Serum popped up, called "Midnights Blossom," Something of a rarity even in the botany books her father kept, a flower that was once said to have brought the animals of Zootopia together."Cheif, I understand you trust me and Nick, but why do this out in public and not in your office?""This case is very sensitive because it involves Zootopias' Number one Mammal, Gazelle."
"Whats she's have to do with the Zootopia Underworld, something like this couldn't touch such a clean individual."
"As upset as you are, and I know, Gazelle came from a very muddled background, her source of influence can be felt even deeper than the Polar Mafia, this case requires you to scope out Gazelle and figure out how connected she is and use it to find the leader for the new manufacturing of the Serums, that could send Zootopia into a catastrophic break." Thinking things and through, Judy certainly would love to get things done and out of the way, but not having Nick here is making this much more complicated.
" I assume you are agreeing to this case. There is no better pair of mammals I can think of that can make a covert inconspicuous operation like this work in the public eye."
"Yessir!" Sitting up straight and keeping a bold and stern expression, only hoping she can find Nick and sort things out soon.
"Dismissed, I will be looking forward to much more from you Both, the next time you come to inform me, just contact Benjamin, he's the lead handler on this while you conduct the operations." The chief walks away, putting in earphones and shaking as small dance out as he walks away.
I better call Nick, Judy thought, there is so much that I need to talk to him, Pulling out her phone, she calls Nick waiting for a response...