Back for another chapter. This time my editors were Hawktooth (who really wasn't concerned with remaining anonymous) and JrRangerScout. Does anyone know what happened to winerp? I'm not sure if he lives in a hurricane area, but I hope not.
And now, on with the show!
"Better that I devote myself to study the other great mystery of the universe: women."
Doc Brown, Back to the Future II
It has been said that people are unsolvable riddles by themselves, and yet groups of them can be predicted with mathematical assurance. Such was certainly the case in Zootopia on the evening following the bomb scare. Judy had not planned to spend hours on end making herself cross-eyed over countless forms. Neither had she planned to drag Nick into the same drudgery, but there they were. Yet for the rest of the city, life went on more or less as normal save for idle gossip. Even the rabbit's neighbors, who had fled in a panic, were little disrupted save for missed shows, interrupted phone calls, and one or two ruined dinners. At the end of the day, they probably did more to put themselves out coming by her apartment to joke or complain about her 'bringing her work home with her' than the scare itself had done. Sadly, sense and reason often matter little to someone who feels they have a grievance, and there seems to be an especially strong link between the absurdity of the complaint and the strength with which it is made.
Elsewhere in the city it was much the same. For example, as a pair of reddish-furred females walked home together so far as their routes overlapped, few passers-by would have guessed or cared about their worries. Even those who recognized them from past strolls along that particular route would not have been very likely to notice a change in their demeanor. The lights from store signs they passed by bathed them in shifting colors as they discussed the bomb scare, nearly as calmly as any other pair might compare and discuss plans for a day off from work.
Although Taelia had been rattled at first, by the time in question she was not particularly unsettled by the turn of events. The familiarity of band practice had given her mind time to settle on the fact that her initial thought process of, 'Bomb. Officer Hopps. Nick!' had been mistaken; silly, even. She had almost brushed aside the idea of calling him about it at all, but she hardly saw a simple mistake as a reason not to call him.
Her companion was not so impassive. Nicole, who worked at the hospital as a Physician's Assistant, had met her share of police officers. Sometimes she found them asking for information about someone's injuries. On mercifully rare occasions, they turned up as patients themselves. She could tell by the vixen's demeanor that the prospect of Nick being in real danger at later dates had not yet sunk in. Her kinder side was glad for this. The practical side of her mind, though, could not shake off the risks of such naivete. She knew it might make it more painful if the worst came calling down the road.
Taelia, for her own part, had some idea that her friend was concerned about her. She couldn't have been friends with Nicole Tailbott for nearly a decade without knowing that much, even without a female's intuitive powers. Part of her appreciated it. She always appreciated knowing someone had her back, but she wasn't exactly a kit. She liked her independence, and there were times – on occasion – when Nicole could get just a tad nosey.
All the same, Taelia had never had an interest in mind reading and wouldn't have known how to start anyway. So to penetrate the uncertainty about her friend's real thoughts, she spoke up during a lull in their other dialogue.
"So," she asked, stepping from the green glow of one neon sign into the yellow of another, "what did you really want to talk about?"
Nicole shrugged, a blue light seeming to emphasize her uncertainty. "Well, it's about the news article. You know that if Nick makes it into the ZPD, he's probably going to run into other stuff like this. It's probably not always going to be a false alarm."
Taelia stopped in the glow of a red sign, and Nicole instinctively stopped alongside her. The vixen looked up, not sure how to take this last remark. "So...?"
"I'm just saying that you should probably be careful."
"Careful as in safety?" asked Taelia, propping her fists on her hips. "Or is the one who spends her free time sitting with terminal patients at the hospital going to warn me about risky attachments?"
Nicole sighed, getting the distinct feeling that she had put her friend on the defensive. "I'm not saying it's a bad idea," she replied, raising her paws. "Believe me, I'm glad you found a guy like Nick. Heck, if I weren't happy with Willy I'd envy you for hooking a catch like him."
Taelia was a little miffed at this suggestion, and at the fact that her friend seemed to be arguing in two different directions with no particular destination in mind. "He's a bit on the small side for you," she pointed out. "If you were in full makeup, people would mistake him for your kid."
"Hmm, yeah," Nicole admitted, reflecting briefly the size differential between herself and Nick. She had nothing against shorter males or shorter species in general, but it would be kind of awkward to step on one's date. "But that's not the point."
"Then what is?" asked Taelia, resuming the walk.
Nicole took her cue and followed doggedly. "Well, I'm just trying to make sure you're ready to go about this the right way. I mean, I know you've had it rough in the dating department. Something tells me that you're, well... looking for a guy who you can really respect and who will balance you out; emotion-wise, I mean."
Taelia pondered that for a moment. She had, of course, thought about what she wanted in a relationship. The trouble was that, like far too many people she had never given the matter lengthy and serious consideration. For that matter, she had given even less to why she wanted what she wanted. Now that the matter did come up, Nicole's remarks seemed dead-on; uncomfortably so.
"Okay, so let's say I am looking for balance and a guy I can respect. What's wrong with that?"
Nicole waved a paw, pads up. "Nothing, unless it's all you're aiming for. I mean, take me and Willy. He's a big encouragement, especially when... well, when my work gets hard." Willy – or William to most other mammals – was a coyote whom Nicole had been dating for some time. Taelia had met him on a few occasions, and she thought the two of them made a good couple. Nicole's social habits at the hospital had put them in touch, although the circumstances had – of course – delayed any actual romance.
Unfortunately, knowing the basis of Nicole's love life did little to help Taelia make sense of hers. "So what are you getting at?"
As the females moved into an area with less neon and more conventional lighting, Nicole shrugged again. "Mostly that it has to go both ways. Willy needs support too; that's how he and I got together in the first place."
Taelia didn't know the full details on that part. A while back Nicole had told her – by accident – that she'd met Willy through work. It was safe to guess that someone close to the coyote had died, so Taelia – wisely – had not asked for more details. To that day, she was pretty sure the red wolf never discussed it with anyone else.
Nicole continued. "He's managed to get through what happened back then, but even the everyday stuff can be trying. He and I both know that his job's not as emotionally or mentally taxing as working in a hospital, but he still has days when he needs me to prop him up." (Actually, Willy was a high school teacher, so chances were he needed a lot of support and encouragement). "I think you need to think about that with Nick too, especially because his job's going to be really tough. There's no way police work is easy for anyone, but as a fox he's really going to be fighting uphill on this."
The speech certainly gave the vixen pause. She had never set out to sponge off someone else for confidence, and the idea that she would do so was, honestly, a little insulting. That was to say, it would have been insulting from most mammals, but she knew Nicole too well for that. If Nicole said she approved of something and then pointed out problems, it could only be because, as she had said, she wanted to see it work. In Taelia's own very confident estimation, the red wolf's honest nature and genuine heart simply didn't allow for anything else.
It seemed as though Nicole sensed her thoughts. "Listen, I'm not saying you're being selfish. We all need someone to hold us up now and then. It's natural, and it's good, but it can be easy to get drawn into thinking too much about what you want if you're not careful – and believe it or not, I've done that. If you want a relationship to work, no matter who it's with, you need to look at both sides of it and focus on what you should bring to it."
"Well, I always try to be encouraging," said the vixen. "At least, I never try to tear a guy down."
"Oh, I know. Look, I'm not saying this is something you're not doing. I'm just saying it would be good to be more intentional about it. Look for ways to build him up. Trust me, that'll work wonders on the right kind of guy – and girl to girl, I think Nick's the right kind of guy."
Taking a deep breath, Taelia nodded assent. "Okay," she admitted, "so I guess when I call him I should try to back him up?"
Nicole's tone in answering was a few shades brighter than before. "That would be a good start."
"Okay. And... thanks."
The she-wolf smiled warmly. "Glad to help."
At that point, Taelia decided it was time to change the subject – and besides, she'd been meaning to pick her friend's brain on another subject. "By the way, I've been meaning to get your opinion on something – medically speaking. I came across an article about some research; someone found a way to use sound to stimulate…"
The conversation drifted on, leaving Nicole satisfied that her work was done.
After the ladies parted ways, Taelia replayed Nicole's advice over and over again in her mind until she was settled in back at her own apartment. It was well that her friend had advised her to think of what she herself could bring to the table, for at heart she wanted to make others happy. Besides, she was a bit of a worry-wart down deep, and having something to do made it a lot easier to stay off that track. This was not at all an accidental result of the little sermon she'd just heard. Nicole was tenderhearted, but shrewd; more than shrewd enough to know the value of a well-placed nudge.
Okay, she briefly contemplated. Back him up. Let him know I'm rooting for him. Got it.
Over in his own apartment, Nick was exhausted. He and Judy had gone over those records with little mercy for the papers or themselves, and his brain was pretty well tapped out. From the time they entered that apartment, he and Hopps had been up to their necks in paperwork. It was exhaustively thorough and meticulous; enough to make him more than take back any and every quip he'd ever made about the mental faculties of farmers. He dimly remembered wondering if it was done so intricately with the specific intention of discouraging thorough examination – or maybe it was Judy who had said that. He also seemed to recall something being said about the strong chance that Poisson, being both a genius of her chosen sciences and a control freak, was simply all about details. In the long and short of it, he was now cross-eyed and felt like he had been trying to decipher instructions for building a flying saucer; instructions encrypted in Llamajo Code and transcribed with the Hamskrit alphabet.
Absently he smacked his lips, and the taste of his supper came back to him. After he had polished off his own leftovers from their earlier takeout, he had accepted a helping of Carrots for One so as to leave more time for going over the forms. That had yielded pretty much the only definite thing he learned that day: despite being in his thirties, he still hated vegetables.
Now, slumping on a couch in his dog cave, he was trying to heal his brain – or at least anesthetize it – with some music from the Beagles. At least, he was pretty sure it was the Beagles. Suddenly he heard a jingle coming in that sounded distinctly more recent.
Sounds like 'Vixen,' he thought dimly, before realizing it was his cell phone. He toyed with the idea of letting it go to voicemail. After about six straight hours of helping Judy in an intellectual duel with Poisson, he figured he'd had enough of females for the day no matter how much he liked them.
On the other paw, he had often found time with a female – disconnected from his day job, of course – to be a great anesthetic for a troubled mind. Well, okay, troubled conscience in times past, but if one overlooked that one vixen it had always been effective enough to get him through to the next day.
Beep.
"Hello?"
Taelia opened her mouth, only to realize that she hadn't really thought about how to begin. "Hey," she greeted, feeling very self-conscious. "Heard things got pretty interesting today."
"Interesting?"
"Well, the news is full of Officer Hopps getting a bomb threat." She hesitated. "Um, were you involved in that?"
For a moment, Nick just sat there in silence. "Bomb threat?" Hours of digging through paperwork in vain had proven so mind-numbing that he'd almost forgotten the initial chaos caused by its arrival. "Oh, that. Well, no one actually made any threats. It was just an unmarked package left at her door. More of a joke than a threat."
Taelia was stunned. "A joke?" she repeated.
"Yeah, pretty much," he affirmed, not catching the sudden edge in her voice.
She was, understandably, incensed in no small degree. Her collected, prepared demeanor began to erode like a sand castle meeting the first waves of high tide. "What kind of idiot would do that?!" she demanded.
He shrugged. "One with a lot more money than you or I will ever have," he remarked glibly.
That remark pulled her up short. "Wait, what?"
Nick's brain caught up with his mouth. "Aw, nuts. No, uh, forget I said that. I'm not supposed to talk about those kinds of details."
"Why, because whoever did it is rich? I hope they're in lockup right now!"
The conversation was rapidly getting out of paw. "No, Taelia, wait. It's not that simple." He tried to think of how best to explain it, and found himself at a loss. As much of a mess as had already been made of things, he didn't want to risk making more trouble by spreading word about the situation. Judy was already in enough of a pinch, and if the day's events hadn't caused her enough trouble to divulge any information to him, then secrecy must be vital. As peeved as he was that Judy wouldn't open up, he couldn't betray her confidence.
His silence, evidently, unsettled the vixen. "Nick?"
He sighed. "Listen," he said, "I... can't really tell you everything right now. Maybe later, but right now it's all part of the investigation."
Over at her end of the line, Taelia bit her lip. A stunt like that made her stomach churn, and all the more since she had begun to appreciate what Officer Hopps did. Sure, her only actual encounter with the cop had been a narrow escape from a traffic ticket, but that was her job. Besides, Nick was part of that too – and Nicole's remarks on the doe's behalf a few days before had not failed to leave an impression either. Really, she had Judy to thank at least as much as Nick for the fact that she could walk the streets without being feared and shunned. Well, feared and shunned more than usual, anyway.
'So I guess when I call him I should try to back him up?' her words from the talk with Nicole echoed back to her. She took a deep breath. Forget the jerks. Look for a way to build him up.
"Okay," she conceded both to him and to the pricking of her own conscience. "If you say so." Then, casting about for a topic less likely to be locked up tight, she ventured, "Is there any rule against telling me about yourself?"
Nick hesitated, for in seeking a topic he might discuss freely she had inadvertently struck on the very subject into which he was wariest of delving. Fortunately, he knew pretty well how to guide such conversations away from his shadier side. "You mean like hobbies, favorite movies, what?" he prompted under a guise of venturing.
"Mmm… hobbies," Taelia answered, brightening.
"Well, let me think." Nick pondered for a moment, as if hesitating lest he tell too much. He had often found that such a pause piqued listeners' interest, much the same as preceding something with, 'I really shouldn't tell you this.' "Sometimes I like to design roller coaster tracks."
Taelia sat up a little straighter. "Really?"
"Yeah, just for the heck of it. When I was a kid, I used to use Linker Toys and whatever else I could get my paws on to make little model tracks."
This drew a laugh from the vixen. "I'll bet you were cute," she said. "What kind of rides did you make?"
"Oh, basic ones at first. Ferrits Wheels, things like that. Then I tried to figure out how to make a roller coaster jump the track, go airborne, and land on another track."
Taelia snorted humorously. "What, you mean like a toy car track?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Hmm. I'm guessing Wild Times didn't snap up the blueprints to that one. Do you still have the models?"
"Uh, no." This was getting uncomfortably close to his family history. "No, I stopped building model tracks a long time ago. I still doodle now and then, but it's nothing to write home about." He decided to try changing the subject. "What about you?"
"Me?" She shrugged. "Well, let's see. Cooking, jogging, and sometimes I sing."
"Really. Anything with the band?"
She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I actually started out wanting to be a singer. That was my first big dream when I was a kit, but when I joined a garage band in school, none of the others could get the sound system to work. So, poof, I discovered my gift."
"Hm. Well, I guess it worked out. You ever think about doing something onstage?"
She blushed. "Well, not so much, no. Maybe one of these days, but I'm happy enough where I am." This brought another thought to her mind. "Speaking of finding niches, how's it going with getting into the department? You can talk about that, right?"
He shrugged, supposing that this at least was a ZPD-related matter he could discuss. "Not bad," he replied. "Wouldn't you know, I've even got a buddy who works there in the computer department."
This piqued Taelia's interest. "Really? Well, that's great. What about the higher-ups?"
Nick chuckled. "Eh, let's just say I'm looking forward to proving them wrong."
Hearing this, she winced. "That bad, huh?"
He shrugged. "Oh, you know. Fox this, fox that, yadda yadda."
Taelia huffed, sticking her tongue out a little and wondering if all of society was so full of distrust toward their species. "Well, they've got a surprise waiting for them, then."
The confidence with which she said it surprised Nick. He had been thinking the same thing himself, and it was clear that Judy hadn't lost faith in him either, but for all that he was still taken aback. If I'd known I could get this many people cheering me on, he thought, I might have tried this cop thing a long time ago. When he spoke, however, it was his hustler side that did the talking. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," he said, "but I think it's going to take more than good looks to pull this off "
Taelia blinked at his audacity, then smiled. "Well," she answered, grabbing the first fitting answer to come to mind, "I happen to think you've got more than good looks."
"Maybe I do," he answered calmly, "And maybe I'm fishing for compliments."
For just a moment, Taelia was irked at the reynard's vanity and cheek. She was quickly mollified, however. A vixen had to know how to take a joke. "Sneak," she groused in a somewhat flirtatious tone.
Nick yawned, as much for show as out of fatigue. "Well, I'd better turn in," he said, smacking his lips. "It's been a long day, and I've got a lot to do tomorrow."
She smiled. "Sleep well," she advised. "By the way, when you see Officer Hopps tomorrow, could you tell her I'm rooting for her too, and that we all are?"
He nodded despite it being a phone call. "Sure," he agreed. With the kind of aggravation Judy was facing, she could probably use all the encouragement she could get. Another yawn – this one strictly involuntary – escaped his mouth. "Well, goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Nick ended the call, pondering the conversation as he made ready for bed. The case, it was true, was looking pretty rocky. He seriously doubted that they'd find anything incriminating in the records sent to them by Poisson. Even if they didn't, though, it was a cinch that they'd get some other break. He had two officers – three, counting Ben – in his corner, his own wits and network of contacts, and now – novelty of novelties – a pawful of ordinary citizens actually rooting for him. It was almost like having a fan club. Heck, with the way things were going he might try running for mayor if the ZPD didn't pan out.
The thing that continued to bug him, besides how to get the break they needed in their case, was that Taelia seemed too attached to settle for just a few casual dates. If he was reading her at all correctly (as he usually did with the ladies), she wouldn't take it well if the day came that he said he wanted to see other vixens. Granted, he'd had little trouble letting down past girlfriends, but she... well, he couldn't help thinking that she deserved more consideration than that. She was so genuine; so supportive. To his surprise, he realized that the talk with her had been just the tonic he'd needed after the day he'd had. It had been more than just a distraction. She had really wanted to help, and in a way she had helped.
Well, he supposed he could handle a few more dates with her than he'd usually stuck around for. Goodness knew, with what he was getting into, rough days would be a given. It wasn't like she was looking for matrimony or anything like that – and if that did come up, he could just say he wasn't ready. It would even be true.
Stop over-thinking it, Nick, he told himself with a rueful smile. Just give yourself a break once in a while.
That last thought jogged another in his mind about how tense Judy had been when they parted ways. If there was anyone who needed a break, it was her.
Hmm... he thought as something took shape in his mind. I just might be able to help with that.
Thanks again for reading. :) I know a lot of readers find these deviations from the case a little trying, so I think it's only fair to drop a little information now. Part of the reason I wanted to write this story, and those to follow it, was to take a look at the civilian side of police work; its effects on everyday people and vice-versa. In this case, the main point would be that law enforcement – and for that matter every other branch of public service – is not a job done on an island. As the son of an ambulance volunteer (who is in some respects the inspiration for Nicole), I know firsthand that behind everyone who keeps the world together is a network of people holding them together.
Purely on a side note, I guess this is as good a time as any to advance a notion about the fact that, though domestic dogs don't exist in Zootopia, there is apparently a band called the Beagles (a la Beatles), as seen in Judy's music collection. My guess is that they have stories about dogs, but they are regarded – at least among canines – much the same way as we in this world might regard stories of fairy folk. I draw for this, in part, on the fact that genes in human beings similar to those linked with domestication in animals have been linked to an uncommonly kindly demeanor and elvish characteristics. This has nothing to do with the story, but I love to delve into myths and legends. I am nerd. Hear me jabber.
To the Guest reviewer on the last chapter: Thank you. I thought it seemed like a good way to bring Poisson back into the action. For all the deviations, she is still Judy's main suspect, and I figured I should bring that back around in a fashion that suited her attitude. As to her being a practical joker, she's the kind of character who – as hinted at the end of that chapter – likes it best when she has the upper paw and everyone knows it. Most pranks are better natured than this one was, but I think there is always something of a battle of wits at work in that kind of thing (I speak from some experience). Anything to cloud her opponent's judgment, then, would be to her advantage as she sees it. Besides, even a villain has to have some fun now and then, right?
Easter Eggs
Another Looney Tunes reference
Captain America: The First Avenger
And for anyone wondering, Llamajo Code = Navajo Code (a method of encryption used by the US military), and Hamskrit = Sanskrit, an ancient language. The mention of Ferrits Wheels is a playful blending of Ferris and Ferret (duh).
Keep those faves, follows, and reviews coming! Chapter 15 set two personal records for me, I think: most reviews on a new fanfic chapter, and most thorough review received (courtesy of JrRangerScout).