-New Shirt Shift-
Nick liked to tease his bunny that no matter what, she always seemed to have a skip in her step. Whether it was the heading into work skip, or the we finished another shift skip, or the annoyingly energetic, I can't wait to see Trisha even though she tortures my fox but I secretly enjoy it skip. The doe always had a positive energy to her, which showed in the way her large bunny feet carried her about.
Today, though, was a different kind of skip, it was one of an eager, excited, nervousness, one that was reserved for only the most special of occasions. While Judy had proven time and time again what kind of amazing officer she could be, the bunny's perfectionist-like nature also extended to her part-time gig, bartending at the 10-7. It had been some time now since Nick and Judy had started picking up the odd shift here and there at everyone's favorite responder bar. At first, they did it as a favor to the owner of the watering hole, Echo. Then they extended to snake a little extra cash for the holidays, now though both the bunny and fox picked up simply because they had come to enjoy their time at the bar.
Nick and Judy had become staples of the bar almost as much as the regular bartenders. Many of the patrons happily cheered or laughed as they saw the famous couple from the ZPD working some magic behind the bar. Judy loved the energy inside the bar and was always excited when she got a text from Echo asking if she wanted to take on a shift. The bunny felt even more honored when she was invited to a group chat composed of a few of the part-time bartenders. Echo occasionally sent out a mass text asking who might need to make a few extra bucks here and there.
When the painted dog asked if anyone wanted to work a "relaxed shift", mainly because Echo, like most responders, refused to use the Q word when describing a shift, Judy eagerly picked up the task. It wasn't until Echo sent over the details that Judy suddenly became a little nervous. It turned out that Echo just needed a spare set of paws for the shift and that Nick could stay home. The painted owner then laid on even more surprising news. The shift itself was to cover for Trisha, which meant the bubbly brown goofball would not be present. Judy's fellow barkeeps that night would just be Em and Taco.
It wasn't that Judy didn't get along with either of the other lovely bartenders. If anything, she adored Taco like she was a little sister, and Em was always so sweet while holding an air of mystery that drove a lot of the patrons wild. This was just a new experience, was all. Judy had always managed to be either paired up with Nick or Trisha. The storm gray bunny happily running drinks or taking care of odd jobs here and there. Now, though, it looked like she may have to get a little more involved. While Nick had really taken to mixing up drinks, Judy had always been the easier order type, filling up glasses or opening the occasional bottle. She had not really gotten the hang of making the many special drinks the 10-7 offered, always defaulting to Nick or Trisha to complete those orders for her to run out later.
Judy's mind wandered to what the night might hold and was so distracted she almost missed Echo's greeting when she entered the bar.
"There's my bunny in blue," Came a happy voice from behind the bar.
Judy blinked before glancing over to a lovely painted dog who was pouring a dark amber liquid into a large frosted glass.
"Oh hey, Echo!" Judy exclaimed as she hurried around the bar, opening her arms and giving Echo a quick hug around the waist, the painted dog beaming as she gave the doe a pat on the back. "Thanks for the extra hours."
"Thanks for picking it up," Echo said warmly as she finished her pour before setting the iced mug on the bartop where it was quickly scooped up by another painted dog with bright orange-rimmed glasses.
"Judy! Ah! I saw you were on the schedule," Came the bubbly voice of Puzzle, one of the newer full-time barkeeps. The painted dog was sporting a blue 10-7 shirt, but unlike a certain bunny's, this one had longer sleeves, and while it didn't show off nearly as much fur, the way it clung to the painted cutie's body must have helped with her tips. "I will come by and get my hug later, ok?"
"You better," Judy said as she scrunched her nose at the canine, who beamed before hurrying off to serve her tables.
"Em and Taco just arrived and are probably making a pillow fort in the back if you wanna join them; no rush up here, think even with the three of you, its going to be an over-staffed night," Echo said sweetly.
Judy nodded and turned, skipping into the back hall of the bar where the restrooms, stockroom, and, more importantly, break room was. The building of the 10-7 was originally designed to be a warehouse store. Its large storage area had been turned into the main bar while the excess office space had been fitted to be a walk-in fridge, stock room, office for Echo, and then a massive break/locker room, which Trisha liked to call The Lair. Someone had donated a lumpy couch and pillows, which some of the girls used to nap on before or after long shifts. Judy had been hesitant at first when Trisha told her that, but it wasn't until Judy walked in on Echo splayed out on the couch with Taco curled up in a ball on top of her boss that she realized her friend had been telling the truth.
When Judy arrived in the breakroom she let out a chuckle at what she found. Just as Echo predicted, there was indeed a makeshift pillow fort on the couch, a pair of black-spotted white ears sticking through the top of it. As Judy strolled into the break room, the pillow pile began to giggle excitedly.
"She was waiting to ambush you," Came a sweet yet sultry-sounding voice nearby. Judy's ears perked up, and she looked over to see a lovely otter smiling back at her. There was a little joke between their circle of friends that while Trisha had a crush on Judy a while back, it was nothing compared to what the brown bunny had for the lovely otter barkeep, and frankly, Judy couldn't blame her. Em managed to take excellent care of her body and knew the effect it had on others, which was why, like Trisha, she always wore something that complimented her figure. Today it was a pair of jean shorts and a dark green 10-7 shirt with a forestry logo on the short sleeves. The back of the shirt read, "Wood you kindly.."
Judy managed to break the enchanting spell Em was putting on her for a moment and smirked as she looked back at the giggling pile of pillows on the couch. The bunny then set her backpack down and slunk over to the couch. As she got closer, she noticed a pair of teal eyes staring at her from a hole in the fort. When Judy was just a few inches away, she pounced; as she did, the pillows burst apart, and an adorable white and black spotted bunny tossed her arms up.
"Sneak attack hugs!" The smaller bunny cheered before she was tackled by Judy, who wrapped her arms around the adorable cackling bunny. "Ah, wait, that tickles Judy!"
Judy laughed as she held the smaller bunny close, lifting her up off the couch and twirling her around.
"Eeeeee!" The smaller doe let out before nuzzling into Judy as her limp ears fell on her back. "I missed you so much!"
"We saw each other last week when Nick and I visited," Judy laughed.
"That's too long," Taco whined.
"Yes, too long," Em chuckled before sauntering over and opening her arms to join the hug fest. Judy beamed at Em and wrapped her up into her arms along with Taco, the three friends enjoying a warm, cuddly greeting.
After the three finished the little nuzzle session, Judy got ready for work, setting her backpack down and putting on her purple 10-7 shirt. Trisha had made it for Judy ages ago, and the doe had done her best to keep it in good condition, occasionally breaking it out for Nick, who seemed to really enjoy seeing the bun rock her bar shirt.
Taco, meanwhile, was in a firehouse red 10-7 shirt that was similar to the one Em normally wore. Occasionally, the girls liked to mix things up and wear the colors of different departments that they usually didn't wear.
"Don't get me wrong, Judy, you look great in purple," Em began as she waddled over to her locker and pulled the door open, rummaging around for something inside. "But I made you some new shirts."
Judy blushed as she turned to see Em retrieve two new 10-7 shirts from her locker. All the shirts were expertly paw made by each of the bartenders, Echo encouraging them to put a little of their own flair into their uniforms. Em had apparently taken the time to make Judy two such shirts. One was the same blue that Trisha was famous for wearing, while the other was the firehouse red many mammals used to seeing Em in.
"Awwww, Em!" Judy gushed as she put her paws to her cheeks and hurried over. Em smirked as she displayed the firehouse red shirt. The 10-7 logo was on the front, and with a quick turn, the writing was revealed on the back. While some of the shirts had some suggestive or silly phrases, occasionally, they had some jokes. Em, knowing that Judy would appreciate a good firehouse joke, had taken the time to put it on the back of the shirt.
Hosedragger guide
Step 1: Put wet stuff on the hot stuff
Step 2: Take a nap
Step 3: Repeat
Judy snorted as she read the text before Em put the shirt over her arm and revealed the blue on. As before it had the 10-7 logo on the front but on the back was more text.
Cop Cutie On Duty
"Aw, Em, I love them both," Judy gushed as she plucked the shirt up before beaming at the otter. Em gave Judy a wink before being brought into a quick hug by the eager bunny.
"Don't have to wear them tonight, but just thought-" Em began but stopped and was pleased to see Judy quickly change shirt, placing the worn purple 10-7 shirt in her bag before quickly putting on the form-fitting blue shirt, pulling it down her body but stopping as she realized something was different about this shirt compared to her purple one. "Oh yeah, and I also thought Nick would enjoy a different size on you."
Judy blushed and looked down, realizing that this shirt was very similar to Trisha's in the sense that it showed off her stomach.
"Awww you look so good, Judy," Taco gushed as she hurried over and stood next to Em as the two inspected the otter's crafting skills.
"Its…I…umm…" Judy stammered as she tried to pull the shirt slightly. Her purple standard shirt was just that, a standard size. This one had obviously been made just for Judy's measurements, clinging to her toned body while revealing a little extra fur.
"You don't have to wear it," Em said with a smirk as she studied Judy's figure. "But I think it would be a crime to keep that look hidden."
"You…you think?" Judy asked, feeling a little more comfortable as she looked down at her outfit and then back to the others. Her eyes went wide as she noticed Taco holding up her cell phone and snapping a picture. "Taco!"
"Sending!" Taco announced happily.
"Who did you send that to?!"
Taco gave Judy an innocent smile as she put her paws behind her back and rolled on the balls of her large feet. Seconds later a buzzing came from Judy's phone, still in her bag. The doe looked from the bag to the girls and then back at the bag before hurrying over. She scooped her phone out and, after unlocking her screen, saw a message from Nick.
"Change in plans, coming to the 10-7 for a drink."
Judy smirked and raised a brow as she typed out a response.
"What happened to a quiet night in?"
"That new outfit is what happened."
Judy rolled her eyes before looking over at Em and Taco, the goofy bunny having wrapped her arms around Em's waist, the otter resting her paws on Taco's arm as she smiled smugly at Judy.
"So, it looks like Nick is visiting later," Judy chuckled.
"Wonder why?" Em asked with a knowing smile.
"What about the others?" Taco asked as she tilted her head, which caused both Em and Judy to look at the bunny in confusion.
"What do you mean others?"
Taco released Em's waist and pulled out her phone, holding it up for the others to see what the bunny had done. To Judy's horror she realized that Taco had not just sent the picture of her new outfit to Nick but to a group chat.
"Oh Taco…" Em groaned.
"Taco!" Judy blurted out.
"Yay, Taco!" Taco exclaimed as she threw her paws into the air.
"Alright, my thirsty responders!" Em announced as she strolled up and down the bartop as she stared out at the packed 10-7 bar. "I can't help but notice that on our typically slow night, we have a great deal of-" Em stopped mid-step as she stared at one of the occupied seats. Trisha was sitting with a mischievous grin as she stared up at the otter. "What the heck happened to dungeons and dragons?"
"Oh, I brought them with me," Trisha explained as she turned and pointed to a table of very confused-looking mammals. The table was composed of an odd-looking bunch; at the head of the table, an adorable silver fox with purple glasses looked back at Em and waved nervously.
"Star?" Em asked in surprise, the silver fox smiling at the otter.
"I told them if we didn't move the game location, I would seduce and lay the dragon we are dealing with in the session," Trisha explained casually.
"You mean slay…" Em grumbled.
"I know what I said, Em!"
The otter rolled her eyes before turning and strolling down the bar, "As I was saying. I think I know why the bar is so busy tonight, but hear this….any wandering paws, and you don't just deal with Petey. You deal with ME!"
The threat of dealing with the rhino bouncer that protected the bar was one thing, but the sudden revelation that anyone causing trouble would also be on Em's list made the bar go quiet. Once Em was satisfied, she turned and looked at Judy, who was blushing and beaming at her otter protector.
"I think, at the very least, they should see the new outfit," Em said sweetly.
Judy sighed and approached a step that would let her ascend to the bar. Em walked over to meet her and extended a small paw, which Judy took. As the bunny walked up onto the bar, the patrons all began to cheer, and the occasional whistle came from the group. Judy blushed but couldn't help but strike a pose that earned her more applause as she pursed her lips.
"Can't wait to see that on Wilde!" Came a shout from the back.
Nick who was sitting at a hightop with Delta, suddenly looked somewhat concerned as all eyes went to the fox, followed by more whistles and cheers. Even Judy put her fingers to her lips and whistled at the thought.
"Alright, so now that the fashion show is out of the way," Em began. "You are all going to have to be patient. Pitchers and buckets preferred."
With that, Em sauntered off the bar, followed by Judy, but not before the bunny took a moment to strike another silly pose, which earned some laughter from the crowd.
The rest of the night was actually a great deal of fun for Judy, who quickly grew accustomed to her new outfit. The bunny hopped through the crowd, passing out drinks and taking orders. Much to Em's relief most of the tables followed the otter's instructions and ordered buckets that were easy enough to prepare. The occasional custom order did come in which Em showed Judy how to make. At first, Judy was a little nervous but Em was an amazing teacher and kept the bunny focused when it came to pours. Occasionally, Judy would spill or make a mistake, which Em was quick to help fix, always saying, "They aren't expecting perfection, just a chance to relax."
Judy was grateful for Em, who kept both Judy and Taco on task, and even with just the three of them, they kept the drinks flowing and the patrons happy so much so that Judy had some time to interact with some of the responders. A group of firefighters at one table kept begging Judy to rock a firehouse red shirt for them one time. Judy beamed and said she had just the one and promised she would happily wear it next time. Some of the hose draggers caught on to the doe's mischievous smile and began to wonder how Judy intended to prank them the next time they visited.
While most of the mammals were respectful and complimented Judy on her new outfit there was one visitor who caused trouble over the doe's new look. In Trisha's defense, though, she couldn't help herself. The bubbly brown bunny playfully patted her lap, which Judy surprisingly took, hopping up and plopping down on the smaller bunny, who immediately wrapped her arms around Judy and nuzzled into her friend's cheek. When Judy tried to leave though, Trisha refused to let go until Nick and Delta managed to arrive at Trisha's table and pry the brown bunny's arms from around Judy's waist, Judy squawking from laughter the whole while.
Eventually, the bar emptied out, Trisha and her DND group were actually rather popular and had gained an audience. The rest of the visitors though cleared out, leaving just a few occupied tables. When things had calmed down, Judy caught her breath and snacked on a veggie wrap Em had ordered from an all-night cafe down the street. Taco took over the bartending duties as Em and Judy took a moment to snack and chat.
"That was a lot of fun," Judy admitted after swallowing a mouthful of her wrap.
"Normally is at the 10-7," Em chuckled as she leaned against the back of the bar and surveyed the establishment.
"Think besides the new outfit, which thank you again for, by the way," Judy began, the otter standing across from her scrunching her nose and smiling at the doe. "My favorite part was watching you keep them all in line. I mean, that takes a lot of guts."
"Comes with the territory," Em said with a shrug. "Every bar I have worked at has nights like tonight where you need to lay down the law. Just glad I had a good team to help keep things running."
Judy thought for a moment as she munched on her wrap, realizing that while she and Em had spent a lot of time together, she didn't know as much as she would have liked about the otter. Most of the time, it was Judy and Nick regaling the barkeeps with crazy responder stories or Trisha causing trouble, which meant Em had to focus on keeping the bunny in line.
"Where else have you worked?" Judy asked simply in between bites. While it was a simple enough question, her gaze said it all; she looked at Em with bright purple eyes filled with excitement at the chance to hear the otter's tales.
"All over, actually," Em admitted. "You name a district, and I have worked a bar in it."
"So you have loved bartending for that long?"
"Loved? Once or twice, tolerated…more often than I would like to admit," Em said with a sigh as she plucked up a bit of lettuce and chewed on with a pensive look before glancing at Judy and giving her a wink.
"Have a favorite bar?"
"This one, paws down," Em said with a smile. "I mean, where else do I get to make an officer of the law look so good while also watching Trisha play what I thought was Dungeons and Dragons but has been sounding more like-"
"Nat 20! Woot! Ok, I look at the dragon and tell him that Marge from accounting has been asking if he is single or not because she wants to be his partner at the sack race at the company cookout next month," Trisha said before cackling evilly.
Em chuckled, "Whatever that is."
Judy blushed at the compliment on her outfit before snorting into her wrap as she heard a groan come from the DND table.
"So besides the 10-7, which has awesome bunnies in blue like me," Judy said with a wiggle.
"Very awesome," Em added.
"What has been your favorite bar?"
Em smiled and looked down at the bartop across from her; while it took her a moment to speak, it was apparent to Judy that the otter was enjoying the memories that came flooding back from her past job.
After a second or two, Em looked back at Judy with her brilliant green eyes. "Have you ever heard of the Ink and Paint Club?"
Happy 10-7 day!
In honor of another year going by, I thought it would be fun to do a little chapter that was more focused on one of my favorite barkeeps, Em. What do you all think? More otter chapters soon? :P
Thank you all for your continued support, reviews, comments, and messages through here and discord. It means a lot to hear folks still like my grammar riddled works.
Till next time!
Stay safe!
-Blue