“A… collar?” Judy stared from beneath one raised brow at the loop of snazzy material dangling from the goat’s hoof. It was matte, with subtle colours, and a buckle that she had to actually look for to spot, but there was no denying what it was. A collar. It took every ounce of professionalism to keep the tinge from her cheeks, but there was nothing she could do about the audible sneer of a certain fox ringing through her ears. You trying to make me feel jealous, there, Carrots? Who should I be worried about?
Plus… how would that help her lose the three pounds around her middle?
“Yeees…” Stephanie drew out the syllable as she pumped the collar out twice with gentle twangs. “Now, I know some mammals have their hang-ups about this sort of item, but I think it would look very--” Judy kept her face placid, bracing for the inevitable “--stylish on you.”
Judy blinked, a chill of guilt pooling in her deflating gut as the goat unhitched the latch. “Oh.” She took hold of the collar, running her thumb across it and allowing herself to smile. It certainly felt nice to touch, surprisingly silky beneath her digits. Very quality material. Plus… she did like the subtle pattern of dark blues and purples around the band. “You think so?”
Stephanie grinned. “Try it.”
Judy couldn’t help but reciprocate as she fastened it into place. Stephanie whipped an ornate, golden mirror from nowhere and held it up to her face. It did look good. She tilted a little, the lights above quietly highlighting the pattern and how it so delicately did the same to her own eyes. It looked very good.. She straightened up, shoulder squaring, grin widening into soft dimpl…
She blinked.
Dimples.
Judy tentatively chewed her cheek and her shoulders dipped a little, her bust squashing back against her armour. She let out a little sigh and held back a wince as her belt pinched the tender base of her tummy. She rubbed the soft dome, ghosts of cakes and sweets and way too many doughnuts haunting her tongue and terrorising her racing heart. Maybe it was more than three…
Just how had she let herself go like this?
“See?” Stephanie craned her head down beside the pane, her smile soft and warm and Judy so wanted to feel it. “You look amazing, dear.” Her smile deepened to a smirk. “And not just for the collar.”
Teeth again squeezing her lips as she fought the urge to look away, this time Judy couldn’t hold back the titter stuttering from her nose, ignoring the guilty warmth in her chest. She glanced again at the mirror and hummed, a sturdiness building in her again. Well… it did look very nice, and surprisingly soft against her neck--practically like nothing at all!
A wider, heartier smile broke out as she rubbed the front of the collar, eyes honing to the pouch of soft fuzz curving beneath her chin. She huffed, smile firm. If nothing else, this might keep wandering eyes at the other end of her neck.
Though, if she knew Nick and his deliberately unsubtle glances, he didn’t exactly need an excuse to keep his eyes on her chest. At least all this extra fluff had one upside…
“I’ll take it.”
“Wonderful!” Stephanie glowed as she walked back to her counter. “I just knew you would love it.”
“Thanks, but…” Judy rubbed the collar, marvelling at how plush and yet so thin the material felt. “What do I owe you?”
Stephanie chuckled. “Nothing, like I said!” She reached down beneath the unit, beam never leaving her lips. “Think of it as my thanks to the hero of Zootopia!” She winked.
Judy allowed a giggle and turned away, ears licking with a familiar burn. It had been a good couple of years since she made a name for herself, but… she would be lying if it wasn’t a bit embarrassing. Flattering, yes, but still!
“Now, I should let you know that this collar comes with a pair.” Stephanie said, raising her hoof to reveal a second loop of fabric, this one flecked with hints of blue and burnt orange.
“Oh... “ said Judy, pulling her eyes from an intricate machine on a nearby shelf. “So it’s like a… friendship collar?”
Stephanie smirked and Judy stiffened her arm before she could bury her face into it. Friendship? Really, Hopps? Her cheeks burned as the world ended between her ears. Years of investigative training and all her two years on the force, seeing some of the most depraved minds in action and print, and the first thing to come to mind is friendship?
Heck, she worked with one of those minds. Really, fox? Saying that someone needed a wardrobe upgrade? Offering her to finish Clawhauser’s doughnuts after taking her to his fifteenth ‘favourite’ restaurant? And why on Earth did he think patting her belly would be the best way to get her attention? While they were on patrol? Someone could have seen!
Thankfully, Stephanie hadn’t noticed her own private grilling session. Other than the burning of her cheeks if the vicious smirk was anything to go by. “Hmm…” she drawled indulgently, hefting the collar in front of her gaze. “Of a sort. They’re very special collars specially designed to create a certain energy between two mammals.”
Judy dragged her ears away from the faint mist hissing out of a pot to her right and stared at the goat. “Energy? Wait…” Her brows furrowed, a deep frown settling neatly into its usual place. The buttering up? The endless smiles? The… aesthetic? “Let me guess, is it supposed to let the ‘natural balancing energy’ flow between mammals?”
Great. Not only was she putting on a pot big enough to feed her family, now she was getting duped by hawkers as well. Nice hawkers, with great patter and a very sincere smile, but still… Some great hero cop she was turning out to be.
At least she caught it.
“Oh, no-no-no.” Stephanie waved her hooves frantically, smile shrinking and eyes widened. “You misunderstand, my dear.” Bustling around to the front of the counter, she bowed from her great height and peered softly into Judy’s eyes, hooves clasping softly around the second collar. “You are rightly sceptical, and I should have expected that from the city’s finest.” She dipped her head again, flashing an apologetic grin, before continuing in a gentle tone. “But I can assure you, from the bottom of my heart, I would never do something of that sort.”
Judy tried. Tried to keep her frown steely and her bottom lip jutted. Tried to huff and chide, with the words ‘A likely story’ or ‘Very pretty words’ or any number of cliche’s she had memorised from her kit-hood of innocently absorbing what few police shows her parents would allow her to gorge on.
But somehow, that earnest little smile and those wide, imploring eyes just… snagged them away. She sighed, eyes falling for a moment, the smart collar shifting slightly against her neck. This goat was sincere, if nothing else; whether she was just sincerely thinking that she wasn’t scamming was another matter.
Tilting her head, she allowed a playful smile to pinch her cheeks. “Okay, then…” At least she could humour herself with a fun little detecting, if nothing else. “If they’re not a scam, what are they?”
Stephanie nodded, her shoulders softening. “I’m an inventor, my dear, and these little beauties are of my own design.” Her smile brightened, eyes flickering to the collar for a moment before back to Judy. “They’re designed to flex and fully accommodate any mammal, and… well… they come in a pair because…”
1) “They exchange energy intakes between whoever is wearing them. I designed them to highlight trust in relationships!”
2) “The collar with orange markings will syphon any excess energy from whoever is wearing the one with purple markings and pass it to its own wearer. Whoever is wearing the purple collar will still get enough nutrition, but nothing more. I think it would help problem dieters!”   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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