day before, though with a more toned-down shirt. This one was two shades of blue, with sailboats and dolphins visible if one looked closely enough.

She stepped aside. "Come on in; there should be enough time to eat before we go to practice."

As Nick stepped inside, the iPaw changed songs again.

I can see what's happening.

What?

And they don't have a clue!

Who?

He stopped as an odd look came over his face. "Uh, did someone tell you to have that song playing?" he asked.

She frowned, turning off the music. She liked the song, of course, but decided not to push the mood too much. 'Getting to Know You' would have been better at the moment. "No, I just had it on shuffle. Why?"

Nick shook his head. That darn bunny's got me every way I turn, he thought. "Eh, I'll tell you some other time. You like Oriental?"

She smiled – partly because of him, and partly because of the scent of shrimp coming from one of the boxes. "As a matter of fact, yes. I love Oriental."

The dinner was a pleasant business as the two chatted over shrimp, noodles, and dumplings. Nick got the chance to show off his chopstick skills, but pushed it too far when he tried using the bamboo utensils to flick a dumpling into the air and catch it in his mouth. Taelia almost snorted a noodle when the morsel in question landed dead between Nick's eyes instead.

"Uh, would you believe that was part of the trick?" he asked, using a napkin to pick the dumpling off his face.

She smirked and folded her arms. "Do I look like I was born yesterday?"

"As a matter of fact, I think you look very intelligent," he replied, cleaning up his face with another napkin. He glanced around, sighted the garbage bin, and considered landing a three-pointer. He decided to go the old-fashioned route and just get up; clowning around had already left him with egg – or dumpling in this case – on his face once.

Taelia kept an eye on him, appraising his actions, his demeanor, and his words. She could easily believe he had worked in sales; his collected manner would scream 'professional' in almost any setting. At the same time, he clearly had a playful side, which interested her a good deal more. She had known a consummate professional once, and he had been rather dull all around – not to mention a pretty convincing liar. Taelia had decided after that that there was simply no sense in entertaining a guy who didn't have a sense of humor, but it was clear Nick had that requirement more than covered.

They finished the takeout and juice in plenty of time to head out to the meeting.

"Just out of curiosity," Nick ventured as they passed by Taelia's car, "how did you end up with a car that big?"

"Well, it was from Ellen, actually – you'll meet her at practice – back when I started college. She had gotten a new car as a present, I needed a car, and it was pretty easy to set this one up for someone my size, so she gave me a good deal on it." Due to the range of animal sizes in Zootopia, it wasn't unusual for larger cars to be outfitted with systems that let smaller mammals use them. The lower chances of getting run over by bigger vehicles were an added advantage – often enough to win over customers even when a smaller vehicle cost less.

Nick put a paw to his chin. "So you went to college. What'd you major in?"

"Music. Minored in computer science."

"Of course."

"What about you?"

Nick decided to shift the focus away from that question. He had read up more on marketing than most mammals he knew with degrees, but the truth was that he'd basically bought his bachelor's. "Uh, I studied marketing," he replied. "So are you going to tell me what this project's about?"

She shook her head. "No, I think I'll keep you guessing."

"How about a hint?"

"Hmm, no."

"Not even a little bitty hint?" His pleading voice was subtle enough that Judy would have been impressed, yet wheedling enough to put Clawhauser to shame.

Taelia smiled. He's good, she thought. "No, but keep trying. It's fun to watch."

If she and Judy ever teamed up, thought Nick, the ZPAcademy would have to pin my badge onto a straightjacket. "Well, what about telling me some about your band, then?"

She glanced at him curiously. "What's the hurry? You'll be meeting them in a few minutes."

Yeah, and I'm worried that some of them might actually know me, he thought. He chose his words carefully, doing his best to decide how to get the info he wanted without openly asking for it. He decided to try a 'vulnerable guy' schtick much like the one he had applied to Judy in Jumbeaux's ice cream shop. "Well, I have this problem with meeting strangers – in groups," he clarified, spreading his paws disarmingly. "I don't know how, but I just have this knack for finding mammals' red buttons. So just in case that happens, I prefer to know if there's... oh, I don't know, a joke I should stay away from or some subject I shouldn't bring up..."

Taelia thought about that. "Well, my friends are pretty easygoing, especially if someone shows up with me. I guess I should warn you not to stereotype Vicky, though, or joke about her beads."

"She wears a lot of them, I take it."

"Yeah, a lot of mammals think she's some kind of hippie."

"Right. Um, what species is she?"

"Hyena."

"Ah." Nick had met his share of hyenas, and knew better than most just how crucial it was to stay on their good sides. "Don't stereotype the hyena. Got it." He ran a mental check. As far as he could recall, he'd never done 'business' with anyone matching the description – although chances were he had sold her a pawpsicle or two at some point. "Anything else?"

They continued in this manner as they made their way into more residential areas. In the process, Nick learned that the Xavier of whom Taelia had spoken earlier was a gray wolf and the only guy in the band. He didn't appreciate locker room jokes about that arrangement, and he and his wife Isabelle really didn't like to be asked why they had no children. Taelia's tone was pretty dour as she mentioned this detail, leading Nick to guess it was a medical thing. Nicole – a red wolf – found it annoying to be mistaken for an oversized vixen, but the only thing that really ticked her off was seeing someone getting picked on.

"And then there's Ellen," Taelia concluded. "She doesn't have a red button, really, but I should warn you about her. She grew up on Outback Island, and most of her friends were kangaroos, so she's a little..."

"Jumpy?"

"Yeah, that joke gets around. She's energetic. You get used to it. There's not much need to watch your step with her, but don't take any coffee she offers you – at least if you plan on sleeping in the next forty-eight hours."

Sounds like she could get a side job with the ZPD, thought Nick. She and Clawhauser would get along just fine. He mulled over the names and descriptions, and although the lack of surnames made it hard to be sure, he couldn't think of anyone he knew all that well matching what Taelia described. He'd probably recognize their faces; he was better with those than names, and in his previous line of work he had seen most of the faces in the city.

Not Taelia's, though, he thought to himself, checking her out on the sly. I'd remember.

She was looking too, and she definitely liked what she saw. Clean-cut features, green eyes – she liked green eyes – and a nice jawline framing his face. He was a little on the skinny side, but most foxes were. Besides, if he was going to be a cop he'd probably fill out some. Nice guy and nice looks, she thought to herself. Face it, Taelia. You just hit the jackpot.

She mentally shook her head. 'Whoa, girl,' her voice of reason told her. Most mammals had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other; she had an introvert and an extrovert, and right now the introvert was giving her a lecture. 'Don't get your head in the clouds just yet. Don't forget -'

'Hey, hey, hey!' argued her inner extrovert. 'Cut it out, Queen Killjoy. There's no sense in returning to the past now. Move on to tomorrow already.'

Mercifully, the argument was cut short; they had arrived at Xavier and Isabelle's house. As they walked in, Nick noted the name 'Beamer' on the mailbox and was a little more relaxed when it didn't ring any bells.

Inside, the house was pleasant enough. The walls were a hue just a few shades lighter than pine green – more deep than dark – with a curious texture of very thin lines which showed a white underlayer and reminded one of wood grain. Nick didn't think to ask, but the effect had been achieved by drawing a broom lightly down over the paint while it was wet. Immediately inside the front door were two staircases: on the right, one led down to a T with a doorway to the left of that and a hallway to the right which Nick could tell nothing about just at the moment. To the left of the front door, a shorter flight of stairs led up - most likely, he guessed, to a living room. He could hear chatter from up there.

"Hey everyone," Taelia called.

"Hey, Taelia!" exclaimed a voice which was definitely female. Whoever it was sounded as if she'd been waiting for the vixen like a coiled spring waiting to pop loose.

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