Barkeeps: Bravo!
"This is just cruel and unusual punishment!" Trisha barked from her seat on the bar top as she waved her paws about. The bubbly bunny glanced over her shoulder at a smug, smirking fox who was busy mixing a martini in a chilled shaker. "Wilde, are we just going to stand by and watch this happen?"
Trisha's bright blue eyes had a fire, albeit just minor, as the doe was joking about her frustration at the scenario playing out before the bunny and fox barkeeps. As Nick finished mixing his patron's drink, he expertly popped the cap before pouring a clear liquid into a martini glass. After gently skewering an orange peel with a toothpick, he slid the finished masterpiece across the bar to a lovely-looking otter sitting before Trisha.
"Thanks, handsome," Em said as she slid a paw out and placed it under the glass before plucking up the drink and bringing it to her luscious lips. The small predator sipped the fox's concoction before her lips curled into a smile. "I have to say you have taken a shine to this line of work."
"Well, I had a great teacher," Nick said with a wink towards the otter whose cheeks warmed under the handsome vulpine's gaze.
"Oi! I am supposed to be the resident flirt around here!" Trisha barked before crossing her arms. The bunny then looked over the bar at the seat next to Em, which was currently occupied by a certain gray bunny doing her best not to burst into laughter. "And you! I thought what we had was special, and now…I am not sure I will ever get over this betrayal."
Judy blushed, batting her eyelashes at Trisha, who studied the gray lagomorph before her, a pensive look on her face.
"Ok, I am over the betrayal," Trisha admitted as she smiled at Judy lovingly.
"That was fast," Em mumbled as she raised her glass to her lips once more.
"What can I say?" Trisha started as she slowly laid on her stomach, her large feet crossing behind her as she lazily kicked her legs. Her bright blue eyes looked right into Em's as her eyelids drooped. "I like to be quick."
Em simply studied the bunny, who was blatantly flirting with the otter, before giving the doe a wink, which was met with a sigh from the busty barkeep on the counter.
"Quit flirting with my customers and serve your own tables," Nick chuckled as Trisha rolled her eyes and sat back up.
"Can you blame a bun for trying?" Trisha shot back, "I mean, look at them!"
The bunny barkeep did have a valid point. While flirting with Judy and Em was one of Trisha's favorite pastimes, it was no wonder she was incredibly affectionate that evening. Em had sauntered into her place of work, sporting a beautiful black cocktail dress that accented her hourglass figure in ways that had several patrons howling. She wasn't the only one who had arrived all dressed up, though. Judy came in a little later, looking gorgeous in a purple strapless dress that made even her mate Nick nearly drop a glass he had been cleaning.
The reason for the duo's appearance was one that also annoyed Trisha. Recently, the ZPD held a fundraiser where they auctioned off some officers to do chores or help mammals in the neighborhood. Em had won Judy and taken the bunny on a lovely picnic to the Meadowlands, complete with a leisurely swim at a local watering hole. Judy had been so grateful for the little friend date that she had to return the favor. Fortunately for her, Nick had a friend who managed a local jazz bar. The fox pulled a few strings and got Em and Judy tickets to a special event, explaining why the two lovely creatures were so dolled up.
Before heading to the jazz bar Em had suggested that Judy and her swing by the 10-7 for a drink. Judy was hesitant at first, saying she didn't want to make Trisha jealous, to which Em immediately replied, "Why do you think I want to go?"
Judy watched as Nick dragged Trisha away by the ankle and shooed the bunny. The bubbly doe groaned as she splayed out on the bar and tried to hold on as the fox used his strength to drag her off. Once Trisha had been to check on the other patrons, Nick finally returned, the handsome tod leaning across the bar just between the two lovely ladies as he gave them a signature smile.
"Now you try and get her home in one piece, alright, Em?" Nick chuckled as he gave the otter a wink.
"No promises, Wilde," Em shot back in a playfully sensual tone. "I can't blame Trisha for eyeing your doe when she comes in looking like that."
Judy felt her cheeks warm even more as she waved her paw about. "Em, please, as if anyone is going to notice me when you have such a beautiful outfit."
The otter glanced over at Judy and gave her date a sweet smile before her ears flicked slightly. The otter's eyelids drooped before she glanced over her shoulder as an odd sniffing noise came from just behind her chair.
"You smell so pretty," Came an excited voice behind the otter before a pair of white and black spotted ears poked up.
"Thank you, Taco," Em said with a chuckle.
"Judy smells pretty, too."
"Aww, thank you, Taco," Judy gushed as she looked behind her at the small bunny currently sporting a red 10-7 shirt.
"Nick smells like stinky fox, though," Taco added.
"Did Trisha tell you to say that?" Nick grumbled as his eyelids drooped.
"She promised me a bag of gummy carrots if I called you a stinky fox at least 3 times tonight," Taco said excitedly.
As one, Nick, Em, and Judy glanced over at Trisha, who was currently behind the bar filling up a chilled mug from one of the taps, the broadest of smug grins on her face as she stared at Nick.
"This is going to be a long shift…" Nick grumbled.
"Stinky fox!" Taco cheered.
As nice as it was to have such beautiful company, Nick wasn't upset when Em and Judy finished their drinks. The fox quickly closed out the girl's tabs and gave his bunny a peck on the cheek before she hopped from her spot at the bar. Em, however, paused for a moment and smiled tenderly at the rust colored predator.
"Thanks again for the tickets, Wilde," Em said as she tilted her head and gave Nick a smile that made even his heart skip a beat. "And thanks again for covering my shift."
"Anytime, beautiful," Nick said as he smiled at Em before looking over at his own bunny, who beamed.
Judy, however, had lowered her guard just enough to be surprised by a sudden hug from Taco, the smaller bunny wrapping her arms around Judy's waist and purring as she nuzzled under Judy's chin.
"Awww, Taco!" Judy gushed as she returned the hug. "Be nice to Nick tonight, okay?"
"But gummies…" Taco pouted.
"I didn't say you couldn't keep calling him a stinky fox, did I?"
Taco's eyes popped open as she grinned evilly, putting two and two together, which caused Nick's own eyelids to droop.
"You have been hanging out with Trisha too much…" The fox grumbled.
"I think she hasn't been hanging out with me enough," Trisha responded casually as she strolled behind Nick, a drink tray in her paws as she expertly balanced several brightly mixed drinks for one of her tables. The bunny, however, didn't head straight to her table but instead made her way around the bar, where she met Em, who was fixing her dress. "Have fun, cutie."
Em smiled sweetly as she leaned forward and kissed Trisha on the cheek. Trisha, however, remained in the same position as she eyed Judy, who took the hint. It took a moment or two for Judy to free herself from Taco, but eventually, she made it over and gave Trisha a tender kiss on the cheek. With that, Judy and Em made their way out of the bar and off to their jazz event, leaving Nick to tend the 10-7 with his two bunny barkeeps.
While Trisha enjoyed "torturing" Nick in her free time, that didn't mean she was a pain to work with. She was just as helpful as she was annoying. There was a slight rush midway through the shift, and while Trisha and Taco had been playing a game of hiding olives in Nick's pockets, they immediately got to business and helped Nick behind the bar. Taco hurried about as she ran drinks while Trisha and Nick prepped orders. Whenever Nick needed extra help, Trisha was there in a flash, happily helping her fox friend before darting off to ensure all the tables were taken care of.
There was even a moment where Nick fumbled a drink which clattered to the floor. Trisha was there in a heartbeat with a fresh mixer already full of contents to make a new drink. The doe wiggled to the music thumping throughout the bar as she used one of her large feet to slide a towel across the floor all while shaking up a fresh mixer for one of her own patrons.
Having worked the bar as often as he had, Nick also showed his worth when a large group of nurses came in and ordered several specials. Before Trisha had even made it behind the bar, Nick had already had the different glassware they would need and was halfway through creating the 2nd drink on the order.
Of course, this wasn't to say Taco was the weak link in the chain. While she acted a little immature and innocent, she was a force to be reckoned with. The bunny was quick when one of her drinks was ready and appeared out of nowhere with a happy smile as she scooped up glasses and hurried away. There was one point where a patron accidentally spilled one of their drinks across the bar top. Taco appeared seconds later, hopping out of nowhere and shouting, "Drinks up!"
As one, all the patrons on the bar lifted their glasses as the doe darted across, pushing a special mop they used for such events in front of her. Her first pass cleared the drink, while the second cleaned the bar.
When the rush was finally coming to an end, Nick found himself leaning against the back of the bar, catching his breath. Taco skipped by, placing a glass of ice-cold water next to Nick, the fox having drained his drink earlier. The bunny playfully stuck out her tongue before giving her friend a smile.
"Thanks, Taco," Nick said as he raised the cool liquid to his lips.
"Stinky fox," Taco whispered back before turning to look at Trisha across the bar. "That's three!"
"I better be getting a pawful of those ya know," Nick laughed.
"I mean, duh, candy with friends is my favorite kind," Taco shot back before noticing one of the patrons at her table setting down an empty glass. The doe scampered off, leaving Nick to focus on prepping the bar in case of another rush.
"Wow, Echo must be desperate if she brought in a donut muncher to work the bar."
Nick's ears twitched at the comment as his lips curled into a smile at the sound of the familiar voice.
"Well, not like she can ask a hose dragger, might wake them up from their beauty sleep and make them cranky," Nick shot back as his emerald eyes met a pair of bright orange.
A painted dog in a blue firehouse shirt sat at the bar across from Nick, a toothy grin on his face as he started to chuckle. "What can I say? I am a real nightmare if I don't get at least 8 hours of sleep on shift."
"Well, well, well," Came a flirty voice from down the bar.
"Oh, speaking of nightmares," The painted dog grumbled as he looked down the bar at Trisha, who was casually strolling across the bar top in the painted dog's direction.
"You have a lot of nerve showing up here, Bravo," Trisha said, her paws behind her back as she sauntered over.
"What did I do now?"
"Nothing, you just have a lot of nerve is all," Trisha chuckled as she stopped on the bar and leaned back against Nick, folding her arms as she eyed the canine before her.
"Oh, I forgot…you are part of Hopps's fan club, so of course you back the blue."
"She just has good taste," Nick added, which caused the bunny leaning against him to look back over her shoulder and into the fox's eyes.
"Why thank you, stinky."
"Anytime, Petals."
Trisha's eyelids drooped as she stared up at Nick, the doe scowling at the sound of her nickname.
"Oh, Petals? That's so-" Bravo began but fell silent as Trisha glared over at him, the fire in her eyes daring the painted dog to say the words that could very well be his last. The canine seemed to take the hint and quickly looked up at Nick. "I'll take a Singal 2 when you get a chance, Nick."
"Coming up," Nick said quickly as he gave Trisha a nudge so she wouldn't fall back when he hurried off to fill the hose dragger's order.
When Nick returned, he found that Taco had joined Trisha in torturing the new arrival. The small white and black spotted bunny placing a series of dinosaur stickers she kept in her pocket on the painted dog's cheek. Trisha meanwhile was beaming at the canine who had his eyes closed as he chuckled.
"Taco, you missed a spot," Nick pointed out as he placed a cool glass of the bar's signature drink in front of the dinosaur-covered canine.
"Thanks, Wilde…"
"Anytime, Bravo."
The painted dog took a moment to take a sip of his drink, smacking his lips as he set it down. He then reached up, plucked one of the freshly planted dinosaur stickers from his cheek, and reached out, sticking it on Trisha's forehead, making the doe close her eyes and chuckle. He then repeated the action and placed another sticker on one of Taco's ears.
"This one looks better on you kit," Bravo mumbled at Taco, who beamed as she wiggled in place.
Nick watched as the painted dog and small spotted bunny began to exchange stickers in a playful tag-like game, the doe trying to escape at one point only to be scooped up around the waist by the larger mammal and held on his lap as he planted several more stickers on the cackling bunny's cheeks.
Bravo was one of Echo's littermates, and while she and her brother Delta were friendly and playful, Bravo was also known as the jokester of their little group. He was known for being the first one to break the ice with a joke or making a comment that would kill the tension in the air. When Echo had lost her leg years ago he had been the first one excitedly saying how Echo was "All right" since she had lost her left leg. This kind of humor was used a great deal in the responder world as a way to lighten the mood and keep the team chuckling as they prepared for the worst.
After Echo opened the 10-7, Bravo became a regular. He brought many firemammals from throughout Zootopia to the watering hole, which meant he built up quite the rapport with the many barkeeps and staff. While he was friendly with all the staff, it was obvious Taco was one of his favorites, acting like a big brother around the bunny who was always extra excited to see her painted brother.
"Wait I still see a spot," Bravo teased as Taco wriggled in an attempt to get free, only to burst out laughing as a raptor sticker was put on her nose. "N,o wait…I like that one." Bravo then took the sticker and put it back on his head, which had Taco laughing even more as she was released. The painted dog then looked over at Nick and held up one of the stickers. "You want one, Wilde?"
"No, I'll pass," The fox chuckled.
"Yeah, he already has some," Taco said proudly as she sat cross-legged on the bar.
Nick raised a confused brow before looking down at his black button-up shirt, which was devoid of stickers. He then looked back at Taco, who beamed as she raised a paw and made a twirling signal. The fox's eyebrows drooped as he turned, only to hear laughter from Trisha and Bravo, who noticed several stickers on the fox's back.
"Taco!" Nick barked as he turned, only to see the small bunny darting away on all fours. Much to Trisha and Bravo's amusement, the fox hurried after the doe.
While Nick was busy chasing after the cackling Taco, Trisha took a moment to sit on the bar top next to Bravo who took a healthy swig from his glass before setting it down on a coaster and turning so he could lean his back against the bar.
"So messged Em earlier," Bravo began which caused Trisha's ears to droop along with her eyes.
"Don't you dare…"
"She looked nice in that dress."
"...your death will be slow…"
"Judy looked nice too, they make a cute couple."
"Slow and painful…" Trisha grumbled as she picked up another coaster from the bar and, without looking, tossed it so it smacked Bravo on the cheek which made the canine smirk.
"Hey now, you still have Delta."
"My sweet boy," Trisha said with a warm smile as she watched Tavo hop over a table of confused-looking nurses as Nick hurried after her.
"Think he has been putting on a few pounds though, all those donut stops."
"Big talk from a professional napper," Trisha shot back and poked at Bravo's arms. "Getting a little flabby."
"More of me to love," Bravo shot back.
Trisha noticed one of her patrons waving her over for a refill, and the bunny beamed before standing up.
"Yes, lots of you to love," She whispered to Bravo before giving him a quick kiss on the top of his head before skipping away to serve more drinks.
Bravo smirked as he watched the doe saunter off before turning in time to see Nick stride over, a wriggling Taco in his paws as he helped the doe out to Bravo.
"Here, torture this one will you?" Nick asked as he plopped Taco on Bravo's lap.
"Oh, with pleasure," Bravo beamed as he began to tickle the small bunny, who gasped and blurted out with laughter.
"Ack! Nooooo! Firemammal brutality! Someone call the fuzz!" Taco bellowed as a tiger in a ZPD shirt stopped mid-step next to Bravo.
The two predators exchanged looks before the tiger looked down at Taco, who had pleading eyes.
"I didn't see nothing," The tiger mumbled before continuing on his way to the restroom.
"Betrayal!" Taco groaned loudly before her laughter filled the bar once more.
Hey ya'll
Hope you enjoyed a quick little story with Bravo. He gets more time in the 10-7 story as we learn about the bars founding but I wanted to take a moment to show off his kind and silly nature when it came to Taco and Trisha. Looks like Nick had a fun night on shift too.
More updates for all works coming soon!
Till next time.
-Blue