Skye's eyes widened when she saw Nick walk up to her with yet more clothes piled up in his arms. In fact, he was carrying so many, she could barely see his green eyes peeking out over the top of the bundle as he cautiously navigated his way over to her.
He plopped them down on the empty seat beside her. He exhaled loudly and pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead. "Okay, I think that's enough for now," he wheezed.
"You think?" Skye stared at the new stack of clothes beside her. "I told you, you've bought me enough already. I don't need more."
"If spending time with Carrots has taught me anything, it's that a lady can never have enough clothes," Nick smirked. He took the top piece of clothing from the heap—a stylish white jacket—and dropped it into Skye's open lap. "Come on, try it on!"
He was so insistent, Skye didn't have the heart to turn him down. Reluctantly, she picked up the jacket, stood up, and put it on over the clothes he had already bought for her earlier. She turned to examine herself in the full-length mirror close by. The snow-white jacket flawlessly matched the color of her new winter pants. The pink blouse underneath offered a splash of color to the outfit, and the ensemble as a whole complimented her natural creamy fur perfectly. She hated to admit it, since it meant Nick was about to spend even more money on her, but the jacket really did complete the outfit.
The reflection of Nick's face appeared on one side of the mirror. "You like it?" he asked expectantly.
Skye turned her body to the side and gave herself another from head to tail. Compared to her old attire, she looked like a completely new fox now—and she felt like a completely new fox, too. An involuntary smile spread across her face from ear to ear. "I love it!" she exclaimed.
"Good!" Nick whipped out his phone and scanned the tag that hung off the end of the jacket. "Added to the list." He turned his attention back to the pile of clothes. "Next up…" He snagged a green long-sleeved T-shirt and presented it to Skye. "How about this one?"
Skye raised her paws and shook her head. "Nick, I couldn't—"
"You could, you can, and you will." Nick pressed the shirt into Skye's open paws and coaxed her to start walking. "Come on, go see if it fits!"
Knowing she was beat, Skye took the shirt and walked the short distance to one of the changing rooms nearby. Nick followed her, anticipating that she would need a second opinion, and politely stood a respectful distance from the door as she closed it behind her. She shed the jacket and blouse and worked to get her arms through the T-shirt, which proved to more of a chore than she had expected.
She called out to Nick while she got dressed. "Hey, I've got a question for you."
"Sure, shoot," Nick called back.
"Why do you call Judy 'Carrots', anyway?"
Nick let out a soft chuckle before he responded. "It's a long story." The humor disappeared from his voice and he quickly added, "And you shouldn't call her that. And don't call her cute, either; she might sneak peppers into your cereal if you do."
Skye finally got the shirt on. She pulled the bottom tight against her body and brushed the front to smooth away any wrinkles. "Do you speak from experience?"
There was a long pause. "I have no comment."
Satisfied with the fit of the shirt, Skye opened up the door and stepped outside. She spread her arms wide and smiled in anticipation. She was too self-conscious to make too much of a scene, but she did twirl around in a circle so Nick could look at her from all angles.
Nick looked her up and down a few times, then smiled in satisfaction. "Yep, it looks great on you." He raised his phone. "Shall I?"
Skye stepped back inside the changing room. "At least let me take it off first." She shut the door behind her and once again started to strip off her top.
It was a strange feeling, knowing that Nick was helping her pick out a new wardrobe after seeing her completely naked the night before. She should have been embarrassed; in fact, when she first found out it was Nick who was going to take her clothes shopping instead of Judy, she had spent quite some time insisting that she was content with the clothes she already owned. But in the end, Nick's insistence had won out, and as hard as it was to admit, Skye was glad he came along. Maybe it was just because he was a fellow fox, or maybe Judy was sneaking him helpful texts while Skye wasn't looking, but regardless, Nick had a keen eye for fashion. So far, every single item he had picked out not only fit her perfectly, but made her look stylish and beautiful when she tried them on.
She quickly changed back into her other outfit, draped the T-shirt over her arm, and once again opened the door and stepped outside. She paused beside Nick long enough for him to scan the price tag near the neck of the shirt, then finished walking back to the pile of clothes waiting for her on the chair.
She still balked at the tiny mountain of clothes that awaited her. She turned to look at Nick. "Do I really need to go through all of these right now?"
Nick smiled mischievously at her. "What, aren't you enjoying playing dress-up?"
"Of course I am," she said, quite honestly. "But I don't need any more clothes than these." She spread her paws, showing off the outfit she currently had on. "And besides, shouldn't we be headed to my new job soon, anyway?"
Nick's eyelids drooped as his smile turned all the more smug. "Oh, don't worry, he can wait." He chuckled under his breath. "And the longer he waits, the funnier it will be."
The snicker from Nick gave Skye pause. He had not told her much about her new job, other than it was here at the mall, and she did not know how to react to this new information about her potential boss—though it was hard to tell whether Nick was joking or serious. Regardless, she wanted to focus as much of her attention on her new job as she could, and she could not do that while she tried on clothes.
She quietly cleared her throat, catching Nick's attention again. "All the same, I would prefer to not be late. I want to make a good first impression."
Nick smirked. "You're just trying to get out of buying more clothes, aren't you?" It was only a joke, however, and he picked up the pile of clothes before Skye had a chance to respond. "I'll just drop these off in the bin real quick."
"Bin?" Skye followed Nick as he walked back to the dressing rooms.
Nick stepped up to the dressing room at the end of the row. Or at least, Skye thought it was a dressing room, but the red fox quickly proved her wrong by pushing the door open, revealing a giant laundry basket inside already full of clothes of all kinds. Nick unceremoniously dumped his heap of garments into the basket, dusted his paws off, and flashed a smile at Skye. "Bin," he announced. He raised his arm and held it in the direction of the exit. "Now, shall we?"
It was a strange sensation for Skye to walk out of a clothing store wearing brand-new clothes without stopping at the cash register first. Even though Nick had bought everything using an app on his phone as they shopped, she still felt some trepidation as they walked straight out the front door. Nick walked in front of her, holding a paper bag full of extra clothes, and not looking the least bit nervous as they walked past the plump sheep acting as the security guard for the store. He didn't even bother slowing down to show the sheep the receipt on his phone's screen, although the sheep did not seem to care enough anyway, since he barely gave the two foxes more than a short nod as they walked past.
A few steps later, they were back in the main concourse of the mall. The brightly lit white hallway nearly blinded Skye after the past hour she had spent inside the dimmer clothing store. She was greeted with the sight of numerous animals of all shapes and sizes walking past, many of them holding bags and boxes that contained their recent purchases.
Skye had a suspicion that the mall was more crowded than usual as everyone was busy shopping for Kitsmas presents. Some mammals bunched together in familiar groups of friends and families, while others made their trip to the mall a solo excursion. Almost everyone was dressed warmly for the cold weather outside, and they were all talking so much that it was almost impossible to hear the holiday-themed music playing from the speakers overhead.
Nick stepped into the flood of mammals so casually, she almost immediately lost him. She rushed to catch up to him, barely dodging the footstep of a passing giraffe before matching his stride. This was her very first time in this mall—actually, it was her first time in a mall of any kind—and she found herself overwhelmed by the number of passersby. She ducked her head in an attempt to hide from them all, sticking close to Nick in case she needed his protection. None of them looked at her, and she knew most of them did not care who she was, but even with a police officer close by, the worry still tickled the back of Skye's mind that someone from Marble Jade might walk past and recognize her. She tucked her chin close to her chest, flattened her ears against her skull, and hoped that her new attire would help hide her identity.
Her pace slowed down a tiny amount, which Nick realized immediately. He turned to check on her, and when he saw her tense demeanor, he offered a friendly smile. "Nervous?" he asked.
She had not meant to be so obvious, and the fact that Nick had noticed her anxiety so quickly only made her feel worse. She quickly tried to straighten her posture and walk at her previous speed, but she moved so fast that her foot got caught in her tail and she tripped. She let out a short shriek and threw her arms out in front of herself, anticipating falling to the ground, but Nick grabbed the back of her jacket and stopped her. With a quick flick of his wrist, he jerked Skye back to her feet, then grabbed both of her shoulders to help her find her balance again.
When he was satisfied that she would not fall again, he patted her back reassuringly. "A little nervous, then." He started walking again, but this time he walked backwards in front of her so he could face her while he talked. "Don't worry, you'll do great! If I could survive my first day at the ZPD, you can survive your first day working with Mall Santa."
How he managed to navigate the busy concourse while walking backwards, Skye had no idea—and she was so distracted by how effortlessly he did so, it took several extra seconds for her to comprehend his words.
She stopped in her tracks. "Wait. Did you say…?"
Right on cue, Nick finally turned back around and stepped aside, allowing Skye to see what lay beyond. The hallway opened up into a grand atrium, bigger than the main lobby at the precinct. The sides were lined with escalators and a few shops, but the wide open space in the center was what caught Skye's attention the most.
A house was sitting there—if one could call it a "house", anyway. It had four walls and a roof, it was standing up, and it looked like someone had at least taken the time to nail everything together so it would not fall over, but it was the sorriest excuse for a building that Skye had ever seen. That might have been intentional, however, because the focus was not on the house itself, but what sat in front of the house. Countless fairy lights were strung between the house and the faraway walls, and fake snow was spread out on the faux lawn. A queue made of candy canes and tinsel wrapped around the house and ended on the front porch, where a giant chair currently sat empty. The queue was already filled almost to capacity, full of all kinds of animal children and their parents, eagerly waiting for Santa Claws himself to make his appearance.
A feeling of dread filled Skye. "Nick…" She turned to look at the red fox, who was currently smirking at her with his usual half-lidded grin. "Please tell me I'm not going to be a Mall Santa."
Nick dismissively waved a paw. "Don't worry, you're not," he assured her. He started walking again and beckoned her to follow along. "Santa has already made himself at home. He's just a bit busy this year, thanks to that one thing that happened a few years ago that left lots of mommies and daddies with tons of alone time, and he could use an extra set of paws to help handle the influx of kits and cubs."
He led her past the line of expectant shoppers and straight to the house itself. It looked even worse up close, and Skye wondered just how stable it would be in the next week and a half leading up to Kitsmas. Despite its large appearance from far off, and the building itself was only about twice as tall as Skye herself. Nick brought her to a door at the rear of the house that was painted green instead of brown, with a paper sign stapled onto it that read Elves Only. He set his bag full of clothes on the ground, then pushed the door open, stood aside, and silently invited her in.
As hard as it was to believe, the inside looked even more pitiful than the outside. The walls were quite literally held together with duct tape and string. The floor was covered in a thick layer of sawdust. A single stool was set up in a corner, next to a mini-fridge that looked like it was a hundred years old. In the opposite corner, there was a big wooden clothing trunk that was the only relatively clean part of the room. There were no lights anywhere inside, but it did not make any difference, since the ceiling was full of so many holes that the room was perfectly lit up anyway.
"Overall, not too bad." Nick brushed past her and walked into the center of the small room. "All it's missing is a Kitsmas tree right about here." He kicked away some of the dust on the floor and examined the slightly cleaner spot left behind. "Maybe we can find a cheap one. A really, really cheap one."
Skye stayed standing near the door, too nervous to step any further inside. She grabbed her tail and gripped it in front of her body with both paws, desperately trying to avoid touching any of the dirt that caked the walls.
Nick noticed the worry on her face. "Don't worry, this is just the lounge." He spun around in a circle and took a long look at the room. "And a lovely lounge it is." He returned his attention to Skye and smiled reassuringly. "As soon as Santa shows up, you can change into your uniform and start your job. And don't worry, your job does not involve cleaning up this trash heap."
That was a relief, but the sheer amount of filth that surrounded her still caused Skye to feel uneasy. She continued to clutch her tail with her paws, and asked, "So what is my job, exactly?"
Before Nick could respond, the door behind Skye flew open. She whirled around, startled, but to her confusion, she did not see anybody at the door. A second later, however, there was movement at the bottom of her vision, and when she looked down, her eyes widened in disbelief.
It was Santa Claws. Or at least, a very short, very angry Santa Claws. The fennec fox only came up to her hip, and that was including his large ears and oversized Santa hat. In fact, the entirety of his outfit was oversized, from his red winter coat to the thick beard that hung off his chin. A candy cane in his mouth completed the ensemble, but Skye almost didn't even notice it past the fox's grumpy eyes and the scowl on his face.
He did not even notice Skye was there. Instead, his eyes landed immediately on Nick, and his eyebrows shot up. He pulled the candy cane out of his mouth and stomped forwards. "No! Not you, Nick! Anybody but you!"
Skye's jaw dropped at the sound of his voice; in contrast to his tiny demeanor, the voice that emerged from his mouth was the deepest she had ever heard in her life.
Nick, however, was not the least bit put off. His smile turned smug, and he spoke to the fennec with familiarity in his voice. "Aw, you aren't happy to see me?"
"Never," the fennec snorted.
"You don't like the idea of me playing Little Santa's Helper?"
The small fox narrowed his eyes and jabbed his candy cane in Nick's direction. "It will be a hot day at the North Pole before I let you be Little Santa's Helper!" Nick smirked, and the fennec quickly corrected himself, "I mean, Santa's Little Helper!"
Nick flashed an all-teeth grin. "Gotcha," he triumphantly proclaimed. He reverted to his prior, less obnoxious grin, and shook his head. "No, Mr. Claws, alas, it is not I who shall be your assistant elf this holiday season." He raised his arm and indicated Skye, who was still standing dumbstruck behind the smaller fox. "She, however, is ready when you are."
The fennec spun around. For a second, surprise filled his face, as he had not known she was there the whole time. After the shock wore off, however, his features softened, and even though his frown remained, it was clear to Skye that he was at least making an effort to be pleasant to her. He held out his paw in greeting, and she politely shook it.
"Skye Frost," she said, offering him a courteous smile.
"Charmed." He let go of her paw, stuffed the candy cane back in his mouth, and turned back to Nick. "I'm not driving her home after her shift's over," he grumbled past the candy cane.
"Won't be a problem," Nick promised. "I'll pick her up myself."
"You'd better." The fox pulled out his candy cane again and gritted his teeth at Nick. "And next time, at least try to clarify who my work partner is going to be."
Nick shrugged dismissively. "What's the fun in that?" Without waiting for an answer, he walked past the smaller fox and stopped in front of Skye. "You'll do great. Just help Santa out with whatever he needs, and whatever you do, don't let him near any licorice."
"Hey!" The fennec waved his arms in anger. "My doctor gave me a pass for Kitsmas!"
"Yeah, and my sister's coming to town for the holidays," Nick mumbled.
"You don't have a sister!" the fennec retorted.
"Exactly." Nick patted Skye on the shoulder and strolled back to the door. "I'll pick you up at seven," he called over his shoulder. "And don't worry about Mr. The Real Santa. His bark is worse than his bite." He closed the door behind him, leaving Skye alone with her tail in her paws and not quite sure what to think about the exchange she had just witnessed.
The fennec fox, unfazed by Nick's final taunt, sauntered over to the mini-fridge, opened it up, grabbed a can of soda, and sat down on the stool to drink it. He was so small, the stool was the perfect size to act as a proper chair for him, and he actually seemed quite content sitting there and sipping from his can. After spending a few seconds in silence, he addressed Skye again. "You ever work with Santa Claws before?" She shook her head. "Yeah, I figured." He flicked a thumb toward the clothing trunk on the other side of the room. "There's some outfits in there. Find one that fits you."
Skye still felt nervous about this job, especially with the filthy state of the room and the strange introduction to her new boss. However, she was not afraid of hard work, and most of her past jobs required her to get dirty anyway. Besides, Nick had set this up for her, and she trusted him.
She made her way over to the trunk, opened the top, and peered inside. There were several stacks of clothes, each sized differently to fit a variety of mammals, but all of them were the same outfit: red turtleneck shirt, matching leggings, and green skirt. On top of each stack were holiday hats that matched the one that the fennec was currently wearing, except they were green instead of red.
"For the next ten days, you are going to be Santa's special helper," the fennec fox announced. He changed the inflection of his voice and mimicked a popular quote from a well-known movie: "You're an elf, Frosty!"
Skye did not like the nickname, and she winced when she heard it. "Just call me Skye," she insisted.
The fox stood up from his stool, candy cane in one paw and soda in the other. "And you can call me Finnick." He shoved the candy cane back in his mouth and walked over to the door. "Meet me outside when you're ready." With that, he left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Skye stared at the door for several seconds after Finnick left. She wondered if that was his real name, or if it was some kind of a joke. Eventually, she decided it was not important, and turned her attention to putting on her costume. She took off her brand new clothes and folded them neatly inside the chest to make sure they would not get dirty, and then picked up one of the elf outfits that looked like it would fit her best. To her pleasant surprise, she picked correctly on the very first try, and a minute later, she was fully dressed in her new work uniform.
There was no mirror in the room, nor any other way for her to examine herself, so she could only guess how silly she looked right now. The shirt was skintight and the skirt did not even cover her knees, accentuating her vulpine curves. Her Santa hat had a little sleigh bell on the end of it, which drooped down above one eye no matter which way she turned it. The leggings also doubled as socks, which made her feet look comically large.
All in all, though, it was a comfortable costume, and she tried to convince herself that as an elf, she was supposed to look at least a little silly anyway. Satisfied with her outfit, she opened the same door Finnick had stepped out of and exited the house.
Finnick was still standing there, just now finishing off his candy cane, and turned to look at her as she came out. He merely nodded his head in acknowledgement, then shoved the rest of the candy cane in his mouth and chewed what little remained. Then he began to adjust various sections of his clothing to make it better fit his body, and gave Skye her instructions for the rest of the day.
"Okay, Skye. From now on, your name is Elf. No bonus points for guessing why. Your job is to manage the line. Bring kits to see me, help parents take photos, and close down the queue when it's time for lunch. Got it?"
Skye nodded dutifully. "Anything else?" she asked.
Finnick tightened the strings of his beard, bringing it closer to his face. "No, why? Do you want more?"
It might have been an innocent question, but the small fox's grumpy voice made it hard for Skye to tell if he was joking or serious. Afraid she might have offended her new boss, she quickly responded, "I'm okay doing whatever you want me to do."
"Good." Finnick finished fine-tuning his Santa outfit, stood tall, and placed both paws on his enormous belt buckle. "Then go out front and announce that Santa Claws has come to town." An uncharacteristic smirk crossed his face, and he added in a giddy whisper, "That's me!" The smile disappeared in an instant, and he cocked his head toward the line out front. "Go on. And you need to really sell it."
Skye was not used to speaking in front of a large group of people, but she fought off her nerves and made her way around the small building. As soon as she rounded the corner, the many animals standing in line stopped whatever they were doing and looked at her in anticipation.
She felt her face turn red underneath her fur as so many eyes stared at her, and before she lost her courage, she quickly announced as loudly as she could, "Ladies and gentlemammals…" She threw her arms to the side. "Santa Claws!"
The crowd erupted into a cheer as every kit and cub—and many of their parents—clapped and yelled with excitement. Right on cue, Finnick jumped out from behind the wall, waved gleefully at the multitude of mammals, and let out a hearty "Ho, ho, ho!"
The fox that stood in front of the crowd was the polar opposite of the one that Skye had interacted with mere seconds before. His smile was invisible past his fake beard, but was nonetheless plainly obvious to everyone to saw him. His eyes had a certain, almost childlike twinkle to them. He waved his arms in a jovial welcome to all those who came to see him, and the way he walked over to his big chair on the front porch, it seemed as if he was actually looking forward to meeting with every single kit and cub.
"See?" Skye heard one young tiger exclaim in line. "I told you Santa's real!" And while Skye was not sure she would go that far, she was absolutely convinced that she had just witnessed a small Kitsmas miracle.
Finnick sat on his chair, which was big enough to comfortably sit an animal three times his size. He let out a hearty laugh and turned his attention to Skye. "Would my special elf please bring over the first child in line?" he called. His voice, though still deep and gravelly, now had a jolly tone to it, and it caused an infectious smile to appear on Skye's face.
"Yes sir, Santa!" Skye walked to the front of the line and met the first family there: a polar bear cub, accompanied by her mother. "All right, Santa is ready to see you now!"
Skye took the cub's paw and gently led her to Finnick. The cub squealed in excitement, and after only taking a few steps, she tore away from Skye and ran straight to Finnick. Skye found the sight of Santa Claws happily embracing a child as big as he was to be mildly amusing, but neither the fox nor the polar bear cub seemed to care about the other's size.
Finnick let out a happy chuckle as the bear gave her a hug. "Merry Kitsmas, my child!" he merrily exclaimed. The cub pulled away and plopped herself on Finnick's knee, at least as much as she could. "Tell me, have you been a good girl this year?"
The polar bear nodded her head enthusiastically. "I sure was!" She glanced at her mother, who was standing beside Skye. "I got good grades in school, I did all my chores, I helped Mom put away the groceries every week, and I only said a bad word two times!"
Finnick opened his mouth, and Skye swore he was about to ask which bad word, but he seemed to think better of it. Instead, he gave a dismissive chuckle and asked, "So, what would you like for Kitsmas this year?"
The cub turned back to Finnick and her smile spread from ear to ear. "I want a baby brother!" The answer was clearly not one that her mother was expecting, because Skye heard her let out an abrupt cough, and when she turned to look at her, the bear's eyes were wide and the skin underneath her white fur was starting to turn pink.
The small fox turned to look at her and winked mischievously. "What do you say, Mom? You want Santa to give Ava a baby brother?"
The innuendo was so blatant, Skye felt her own ears begin to burn with second-paw embarrassment. She quickly cleared her throat and glared at Finnick, silently reminding him to turn his focus away from the mama bear and back to being Santa Claws.
Finnick howled with laughter at the reaction of the two adults standing in front of him, while the bear cub on his lap raised an eyebrow in confusion. After a few seconds, Finnick managed to calm down enough to address her again. "I'll tell you what, Ava. If you promise to be a good girl again this next year, I might just be able to get you a baby brother." He lowered his voice down to a whisper, though it was loud enough for everyone else to hear loud and clear. "Or would you rather get a new castle for your Baabie collection?"
The girl's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Ooh! New castle! New castle!" she exclaimed.
Finnick turned back to her mother, who had remained frozen this whole time. "Sorry, Mom," he joked. "It looks like Ava wants a castle instead."
The older bear blinked, taken out of her trance. "Oh!" A grin slowly formed on her face. "Okay, a castle." Her eyelids drooped, and she quietly added, "But maybe Santa can help me find her a baby brother some other time."
Skye stared at the bear in disbelief, and her jaw dropped against her will. Finnick, however, wiggled his eyebrows playfully, and patted the small bear on the back of her shoulders. "You have a merry Kitsmas, Ava!"
She slid off his lap and gave him one last hug. "You too, Santa!" she gleefully replied.
"Come on, Ava," her mother called. The small bear let go of Finnick and ran back to her mother, who took her paw. She flashed one last look at Finnick, and Skye could have sworn she saw her wink at the fox. "See you later, Santa."
"Not before I see you first, Mama," Finnick responded in a deep, sultry voice. The adult bear shivered at his words, then quickly turned and started dragging her child away. The smaller bear waved at Finnick as they left, completely oblivious to the flirting between him and her mother.
Skye watched the two polar bears walk away, completely dumbfounded by the interaction she had just witnessed. A second later, a realization came to her, and she blinked in confusion. "Wait a minute…" She leaned over to Finnick and whispered to him, "How did you know her name was Ava?"
The fake bard on Finnick's face lifted slightly as his smile broadened underneath. "Santa always knows," he whispered in response. He quickly motioned to the line of mammals still waiting to see him, and he raised his voice back to a booming level. "Now, my helpful elf, please bring me the next child!"
Skye had almost forgotten about the rest of the queue. "Oh, fiddlesticks," she mumbled under her breath, before quickly recovering and making her way back to the front of the line.
The next several hours flew by in a blur. Skye brought kit after kit, cub after cub, and pup after pup to see Santa Claws. She had fun not only watching Finnick work so well with all the children, but also seeing the wide variety of kids, asking for a wide variety of toys. In all the time she stood to the side, observing all of the children recite their lists to Santa, she only heard requests for the same toy enough times to count on one paw.
Finnick kept up his cheerful personality the whole time, and he sold the act so well that every single child who came to see him was fully convinced that he was the real Santa. His interactions with the children were the perfectly tailored to each individual. He made crying toddlers laugh with a game of peak-a-boo, he gave every child a hug who wanted one, he listened to every word with attentiveness, and he even insisted on extra pictures in case someone blinked. In one instance, which almost made Skye hurt her ribs from stifling a laugh, an older lion cub walked up to Finnick and loudly declared that Santa wasn't real. Finnick dropped his eyes, motioned for the lion to come closer, and in his deep voice, he growled, "Yeah, whatever. You want a PreyStation or not?" The lion's eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped, and he asked how Finnick knew he wanted a PreyStation for Kitsmas. Finnick simply answered, as he had several other times that morning, "Santa always knows." And then, with a low growl, he added, "And don't you forget it, kit."
Before she knew it, it was noon, and it was time for Santa and his elf to take their lunch break. Skye closed down the queue and announced that Santa would be back in an hour, and to her relief the few mammals still in line were understanding and dispersed without issue. Skye escorted Finnick back into the house, and the instant the door closed behind him, the small fox dropped his persona and went back to his old grumpy self.
"Wow, am I hot!" he yelled. He grasped his hat with one paw and tore it off his head, then quickly took off his beard with the other. He took a deep breath, almost as if he had been deprived of oxygen for the past four hours. "How does the real Santa Claws do this?"
Skye chuckled at his question, not quite sure if it was rhetorical or not. "In his defense, he lives at the North Pole," she replied.
"Yeah, well I don't." Finnick shed his outer coat and draped it on the stool beside the fridge. "And at the rate the planet's warming, he's just a few years away living in a boathouse, anyway." He needed only a second or two to step out of his oversized boots, leaving him only wearing a black tank top and matching shorts. He threw open the door to the fridge, stood in front of it, and allowed himself a smile of relief as the cold air started to seep into his fur. "Ah, sweet heaven, that's the spot," he hummed.
Skye was still fairly comfortable in her elf outfit—though, to be fair, it was made of paper-thin material, unlike the many thick layers of clothing Finnick had endured all morning. Still, she did not want to go get lunch while sticking out like a sore thumb, so she walked over to the trunk to retrieve her clothes.
"You got a sack lunch in there?" Finnick called.
"No," Skye replied. "Nick gave me some money for the food court."
"Sounds good." Finnick closed the fridge door and walked over to the door at the rear of the hut. "Meet you there," he called behind his shoulder, and a second later, he was gone.
It only took Skye a few seconds to change out of her work outfit and back into her new clothes, but even so, there was no sign of Finnick when she opened the back door and looked outside. She closed the door firmly behind her, then started walking over to the food court to get lunch.
She once again tucked her chin close to her chest, suddenly wary of all the strangers that passed by, but her exposure to so many dozens of mammals over the past few hours helped calm her nerves. She took deep breaths as she walked, and did her best to clear her mind of her fears. By now, she had been in Zootopia for almost two full days, and she had not come across anyone from Marble Jade; she had not even seen another arctic fox. The more time passed, the more she allowed herself to believe that she truly was safe. And the more she believed that, the more she allowed herself to relax.
By the time she reached the food court, she was holding her head high, and a friendly smile was on her face. She spotted Finnick sitting at one of the smaller tables; he was already digging into a submarine sandwich, and had spread his food out across the entire length of the table to indicate that the second seat was already set aside for someone else. Skye turned her attention to the various restaurants that lined the walls, and quickly settled on Yak in the Box. She ordered two tacos, a side of seasoned fries, and a soft drink, and she barely finished paying for her meal before it was ready for her to pick up.
She brought her tray of food over to Finnick's table. By now the small fox had devoured half of his sub sandwich, but he paused eating long enough to clear her side of the table so she could set her meal down. She made herself comfortable and ate a few fries, but Finnick spoke up before she could eat any further. "So, how are you liking your job?"
Skye took a sip from her soda to wash down the food in her mouth before replying. "It's great! I'm having a lot of fun." She smiled at the small fox. "And you're really good with children, you know that?"
Finnick chuckled at that. "Well, I like being Santa," he admitted. "There's something about bringing joy to all those kids that makes me happy." He smirked. "And sometimes they have single mothers who jump at the chance to reach inside Santa's sack."
Skye's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, he picked up the other half of his sandwich and took a big bite out of it. She decided that it would probably not do any good to chastise him anyway, so she returned to eating her food, this time focusing on one of her tacos.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, until Finnick set down what remained of his sandwich and leaned back in his seat. "You know, when Nick sent me a text yesterday saying he had found me an elf, I had no idea he'd found such a natural." Skye bashfully looked away, and he doubled down. "I'm serious! I've dealt with my fair share of elves, and most of them haunt my dreams like the Ghost of Kitsmas Past. You, though? You play the part so perfectly, I could swear you were born and raised at the North Pole yourself!"
Skye felt her ears burn, but not just because of Finnick's praise. Whether the fox realized it or not, he was closer to the truth than he thought. Marble Jade was a town far, far north of Zootopia, and while she had lived there most of her life, there were no elves there. There was no Santa there. There was nothing there, except the life that she was desperately trying to get away from, and a past that she wanted more than anything to forget.
Finnick must have realized he had struck a sore spot. He quickly cleared his throat and changed the subject. "So, you gonna stick around until Kitsmas?"
Skye breathed a quiet sigh of relief at the diversion. "No, Nick's picking me up after work."
Finnick blinked. "What?" He chuckled and shook his head. "No, no, no, I meant your job. Do you wanna be my elf until Kitsmas?"
The burning in Skye's ears moved to her cheeks as a fresh wave of embarrassment washed over her. "Oh." She eagerly nodded. "Yes, absolutely. I love this job."
"Great. I just hope Nick doesn't ask me for gas money." Finnick picked up his sandwich again and eyed it. "How did you find Nick, anyway?"
Skye ate a few more of her fries before answering. "He found me." When Finnick did not respond, she continued, "I just came to Zootopia a few days ago. Nick found me out in the cold, alone and hungry, and he brought me in."
"Brought you in?" Finnick repeated.
"Yeah. He's letting me sleep in his guestroom. And he has given me this job. And more food than I've ever had in my life. And…" Her voice faded, and she let out a sigh of embarrassment. "Sorry, I'm rambling," she murmured.
"Maybe," Finnick agreed. With one smooth motion, he finished off what remained of his sandwich, then grabbed his soda and used it to wash down his throat. "I take it you've met Judy by now?"
Skye nodded. "Yeah, that was…" She lowered her gaze as memories from the night before flooded her mind. "I might have messed that up," she finished in a quiet voice.
"Nah." Finnick set his soda cup back on the table and leaned forward, catching Skye's attention. "Listen. Judy is not someone you can 'mess up' with. That is one stubborn bunny—so stubborn, it's impossible for her to hold a grudge." He smirked. "Believe me, I've tried. It can't be done."
Skye hardly heard him. She kept thinking back on her conversation with Judy and Nick the night before—how much they had done for her, how much they had forgiven her, and how much they were willing to continue helping her in the future. "How well do you know them?" she asked.
"Known Nick longer than you've been alive. Judy, met her a few years ago." A hearty chuckle escaped from his lips. "She hustled Nick good, let me tell you."
"So, you know them well." Skye looked back to the small fox. "Then maybe you can answer a question I have."
Finnick picked back up his cup and took a sip from his straw. "Sure, shoot."
"Why are they so nice to me?" Finnick cocked an eyebrow. "They've helped me out so much, and haven't asked for anything in return. A home, a job—even these clothes I'm wearing now." She looked down at the few fries left on her tray and stared at them. "I can't understand it. I haven't done anything to deserve this."
"Probably not." Finnick waved a paw dismissively through the air and leaned back against his chair once again. "But then again, who does?"
Skye lay her paws in her lap and clasped them together. "I don't deserve any kindness at all," she whispered.
Perhaps it was because of his big ears, but Finnick heard her, despite her quietness. He snorted at that, and placed his soda firmly back on the table, startling her. "You wanna know something?" He placed both paws on the table and leaned so far forward he nearly stood on top of it. "Nick wasn't that much different than you once. He was a pathetic fox who was perfectly content hustling pawpsicles for the rest of his life. He was a low-life, pitiful, sorry excuse for a fox, and he had no interest in making himself any better."
The news shocked Skye, and she stared at Finnick in disbelief. That did not at all sound like the Nick that she had grown to know over the past few days, and if it wasn't for the uncharacteristic zeal with which the small fox spoke, she might not have believed it. But there was truth in Finnick's eyes, and honesty in his voice, and Skye could not help but listen to him.
"And you wanna know what made him change?" Finnick's tone softened, and he relaxed his stance. "He met Judy." He sat back in his chair, and a smile appeared on his face—a genuine, warm smile. "Judy brought out the best in him. She saw his potential, and she helped him realize it. Now Nick is a cop, the best in all of Zootopia, all because of her. And just between you and me, Nick said the exact same thing as you: he didn't deserve kindness, either. But Judy didn't care. She helped him anyway." He picked up his cup and brought it back to his mouth. "And that's why they're helping you now. Because that's what friends do."
His words let a deep impression on Skye, and once he finished talking, she found herself sitting back in her chair and contemplating what he had said. Throughout her life, she had only ever interacted with mammals who had selfish intentions. When they had seemingly helped her, it was only because they wanted something in return. She had learned long ago not to trust anybody, or else she risked getting hurt. Real life was not some kind of fairy tale where good triumphed over evil, and everything worked out if she just believed hard enough. No, real life was cruel, and she was convinced that everybody was only interested in their own selfish interests.
But since meeting Nick and Judy, she was starting to second-guess that belief. Not only was it obvious that they were helping her without wanting anything in return, she now understood why. Nick had been like her once, and undoubtedly he had endured much hatred and injustice in his life simply because he was a fox. But Judy had been kind to him, and thanks to that, he now had kindness of his own to share with her.
The night before, when she had asked Judy why they were helping her, the bunny had said, "Because it is our job to make the world a better place." At the time, Skye had thought she meant it was their job as cops. But now, she wondered if Judy had meant something else. Something… more…
Finnick stretched his arms and let out a short yawn. "Well, enough of that." He snatched up his trash from the table and hopped off his chair. "Come on, it's time to get back to work."
Skye picked up her tray and followed Finnick to a nearby trash can. She dumped her trash inside and set her tray on top, then followed the small fox out of the food court. It was just a short walk back to work, but it felt like an eternity as Skye continued to ponder just how much her life had changed in such a short amount of time.
And for the first time in her life, Skye wondered if maybe, just maybe, she could forget the trauma from her past. Her life in Marble Jade. The hunters who sought her. Her father. The invisible scars that kept her awake at night. Maybe, thanks to her new friends, she could forget all of it.
Maybe, in time, she could even heal.