This choice: She likes Stephanie, and the collars, so she will keep them, but… just no way! • Go Back... Judy licked her lips once again, practically twirling the collar in her fingers. It shouldn’t make sense. It really, truly shouldn’t. A completely random citizen of Zootopia stumbles across a force which wobbles through some unknown prism of their reality in some way to perfectly solve her problem, and she just happens to come across it? It… just… no!
No. Really, no.
She hid her sigh as best possible. There never was a scam, or an in, or any kind of trick to this.
What on earth had even led her to consider this? Magic collars? Uh-uh. No. All she had done was meet one of Zootopia’s occasional crazies, like the horse at the bus depot who rambled about giant, hairless lemurs who tried to make him revert to walking on all-fours. A nice crazy, a sweet crazy, and a generous crazy, and one who meant no harm, clearly, but still a crazy. And a crazy she just spilled her not-inconsiderable guts to for much of her afternoon.
Okay, Judy… That stare from the goat was getting a little intense, now. But she had handled far worse from the deepest dregs of society; she could get herself out of a harmless loon’s shop!
She flashes her warmest smile, making sure to pepper it with just a hint of scepticism. “Um… thank you, miss…” Her eyes flew wide. Had the name come up? Would she get angry?
The goat smiled and Judy could stop restraining her nose. “Stephanie, dearie.”
Grin peachy once more, Judy continued. “Well, thank you, Stephanie! I can definitely make good use of this,” she said, gently twanging the fabric with a thumb. At least she really did love the colour. “I’ll be able to trim down in no time now…”
She would do just that. No, not with any fanciful collars or outlandish magical trickery, but she would trim down. She could cut out all those treks to the break room between her piles of arrest reports. She could stop swinging by the drive-through for every meal and in-between. She could slowly up her runs back to ten-kays and even beyond. She could go back to the gym. She could make sure her movie nights with Nick were just that. She could do it all, even if it meant going hungry, and sweating, and heaving, and…
Even if it meant she would lose his busy paws cradling her tum, the idle rest of his eyes on her flabby haunches, and the gentle teases that sent her heart melting. She… she could do it all.
She had stopped. Too long. “And I can look stylish doing it!”
“Not that you don’t already,” declared Stephanie, winking. Grinning.
Judy coughed. “Um… yes, and… thank you.” She meant that. Crazy or no, the goat had spent a decent chunk of her afternoon listening to her rabbit on about her more than decent chunk. “It means the world to me that there are people who care about others like you do and…” She sighed, smiled widening until her cheeks bunched. “Just take the time to listen.” She brought her chin down demurely and felt it double against herself. “I really needed this and I honestly can’t thank you enough.”
“Not a problem, my dear.” The goat nodded, jewellery glistening and jangling. Then her grin turned just a little malevolent. “Though I can’t help wondering about that partner of yours if you confide in me…”
“Well…” she stalled, images of Nick spoonfeeding a spicy broth into her sulky, snotty maw coming to mind, a smile soon clearing along with her sinuses. “We’re not the most orthodox pair,” she said, to the internal sight of him stroking her face as she balled her jacket under him, ready to chase down her siblings for burying her fox in the snow. “We care about each other in a more unique way…” She caught herself before she could drool to the huge, creamy buns he had ordered for her last birthday, laced with her favourite lavender. “But he genuinely does, and I wouldn’t have it any other way…”
The fox stopped beside her as the snow fell around them. Her own crunches fell silent. “You know, I never really look forward to a New Year.”
She sighed. “Oh… yeah…” Cold. All others with time and family to enjoy it with.
“But…” His smile lit her world. “There’s someone different about this time…” he lathered, the fond warmth in his gaze enough to melt her into the snow.
The sudden wideness of his eyes told her he meant something. Meant to keep it cool. So what. She leapt at him and snuggled him as hard as her puffy jacket and boozy stagger would allow. “Thanks, Nick…”
His paws enveloped her, snug to her softening back. “Thank you, Judy… for everything…”
“Aw…” She brought her paw to his cheek. “You foxes, so emotional.”
His ears stood playfully. “Are you saying you don’t want me to give it a shot, miss try everything?”
She giggled, mushing her cheek into his chest. “Don’t tell me you’re going all mushy on me, Wilde.”
“Okay… you never get to tell me off for ruining a moment again.”
She squeezed. Her bloated tummy protested but she didn’t care. She just needed his scent, his heat, his heart. “It’s never ruined with you, Nick.”
He squeezed. “Okay, now I know you’re drunk…”
The winter’s night faded to the warm hues of the shop… and a grinning goat.
Judy bit her cheek. “Sorry!” She turned away, looking for the door. “Probably best I get going.” There it was, an escape! “I’ve intruded on you long enough!”
“No worries, my dear…” Stephanie waved at her retreating form.
Out of Judy’s sight...
1) Impudent bunny, Stephanie seethed. Stephanie provided in her hour of need, listened to her self-imposed melodrama of wanton gluttony and unfulfilled, unattained, untried lust for this craven male stuffing her like a meal of olden time, and she refused Stephanie’s generosity. Well… She will soon come to rue her ungratefulness but not know any better! Stephanie reaches behind the counter and blasts Judy with a non-patented amnesia ray! Judy remembers only loving her gift and the heart-to-heart about her size, but not the collar’s true nature.
2) Brave bunny, Stephanie glowered. Trying to pull a fast one on this old goat. Trying to hide scepticism like that. Well… how about having the world pull a fast one on her!? Stephanie reaches behind the counter and blasts Judy with a non-patented amnesia ray! Not only will Judy not remember how the collar works, but the world will also shift as though the changes had always been there. Gaslighting on a global scale!
3) Stephanie smiled, hooves firmly on the counter. Nice girl, she thought. That or an incredibly good actor, to come up with that spiel about her ballooning size and noting all the details of someone’s approval while coming across as completely oblivious to it. Ah, well. Young love. Still, either she will put those things to good use, or she’ll soon realise that she should have.
4) Interesting bunny, Stephanie conceded. A little far in her own head, and seemingly not willing to come to terms with getting off on both her weight and being teased about it. Perhaps she could give her some extra ideas and paths for herself to explore. Stephanie used a remote to alter the settings for the collars. Now, they could transfer any trait as long as Judy thought about it.
5) Stephanie thought about, or did, something else.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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