Guardian Blue - Season 1

Episode 6 - Beverage

Getting out of the house was exactly what Judy needed.  It seemed the longer they stayed, the more trouble everyone seemed to be getting into.  The trip to town represented another new experience for Nick that Judy had not really considered.  He had never ridden in the back of a truck.  In front, Charlie and Angela were belted in, and that left Judy to share the unknown with her partner.  At first, he clutched both sides of the bed of the truck for dear life, eyes wide at every pitch and shift in weight around corners and stopping and starting, but he began to relax after a while, vocalizing his nervousness instead of looking on the verge of panic. 

“Is this even legal?” Nick asked, obviously going through traffic law in his head as he leaned back against the cab.  Judy sat across from him, legs crossed, one paw just holding the side of the bed casually.

“It is in the tri-burrows, but certainly not inside Zootopia.  Things are a little different out here.” She laughed warmly.

“It’s kind of fun once you get around the idea that a mild fender-bender would subtract one fox and one bunny from the city’s tax record.” He offered.  Judy took that in stride.  She was enjoying adding something new to his life experiences.  The truck picked up speed once it got on the farm to market road and headed toward town.  The roar of wind was loud enough that talking didn’t feel useful and Nick turned to look around the side of the cab.  As he did that, he got the full force of wind in his face.  Judy watched with a smirk as he did what she had seen so many mammals do when in that position.  He leaned into the wind, unable to keep himself from entertaining the inevitable reaction.  It was enjoyable to watch him in that position because she always figured Nick would be too calm and collected to give in to what she felt was a pretty base and instinctual obsession. 

He held himself like that for at least four miles, unmoving, ears back in the wind, a grin spread on his face of selfish elation.  Quietly, Judy took a couple more pictures of Nick enjoying himself in the back of the truck.  His mom would like these.

The road was a little less bumpy as they got into town proper, and finally they pulled into a parking spot at the post office.  Judy jumped out; Nick carefully climbed out.  Charlie and Angela got out and headed up the steps to the post office.

“I have to run in real quick, you can take Nick over to see Sammie, she'll definitely want to meet him.  I'll meet you over at The Mill; we can have some sodas and then show Nick ‘The Rope’.”  He headed on in.  Angela moved the opposite way down the sidewalk. 

“I gotta grab some stuff from the pharmacy, I'll be at the Mill too.” The black doe waved as she headed over.  Nick stood still a moment, seeming to be almost in a daze.  Judy looked at him a while and then waved a little paw in front of his muzzle.  He snapped out of it.

“You know, I’ve made fun of a couple of my friends who do that, but I’ve never done it myself.  That was … I can’t make fun of them anymore.” He admitted.

“What’s the deal with that anyway?  It drives me nuts, I can’t stand wind in my face," Judy explained.  Nick had to ponder that question a moment and finally answered.

“It’s kind of like… I don’t know.  With my sense of smell, I’m used to how stuff smells, right?  But it’s like listening to just one singer at a time... one sort or another all your life, and then someone puts headphones on you and lets you listen to an incredible, epic chorus, perfectly in tune and harmonizing.  I can’t think of another way to describe that.” He inhaled deeply.  “So wait, ummm… What’s the Mill, who is Sammie, and why is 'The Rope' apparently my final destination?”  Judy smirked at the fox.  He had been paying attention at least; it just took him a moment to catch up.