Kodi: Last Sam Hain, actually. I mean, I liked my costume...even if we both got some flak from the group for it.
Val: They’re nerds...but they weren’t wrong. I feel like whoever designed this stuff was like… a six-year-old trying to imagine what emo kids wore two decades ago.
Dawn: So far, we haven't really had that issue, but I think that's because Vernon tends to...sort of spoon-cuddle me. *Snickers*
Vernon: I mean, it'll probably happen eventually, but I figure what with bein' curled up that way it's...it's like even in my sleep I'm real aware my Honey Lamb is there...
Trenton: So I'm not the only one playing Big Spoon? *Laughs*
Kodi: I kinda assumed that was the standard...granted Val doesn't want to do that every night...*Laughs* More often than not she's rolled over onto me...
Val: *Snickers* He's so fluffy there's almost no position I can lay on him from that's uncomfortable...It's like he's made of memory foam...*laughs*
Qali: Usually I tend to wriggle around the most during sleep...Trenny's like a rock once he's out. *Giggles*
Trenton: That's why she always starts out in my arms, and when we wake up she's pressed up under and around my chin.
Vanna: *Blushes* I...don't really want to admit this but...I mean, it has happened...
Zach: Luckily my Kitten is a very light sleeper...so the second she rolls over me, she'll wake up on her own a'fore I even object...
Vanna: G-Generally I'm the big spoon...but sometimes...well...
Zach: Cuddles can get purty warm, and with Kitten bein' so light at sleep, we don't always tangle ourselves up so we can actually get good sleep when we need to...we start work purty early in the mornin' after all.
Vanna: Says you...when you're out, you're out...I don't even think a bomb going off would pull you out of a dead sleep...
Zach: *Laughs* Why do y'all think half the time I don't even wake up when y'all accidentally start smotherin' me?
Dawn: It's starting to sound like being a very deep sleeper is a Hunter thing...
Wade: Well, I guess I break the mold then...because me and Gizzy are the opposite...which is...why the rollovers can be a pretty big issue...
Zach: *Chuckles* Big is an understatement considerin' how tall Gizzy is...
Giselle: *Blushes* Y-yeah, when I fall asleep...I...I tend to go out like a light...and well, I...also tend to toss and turn a lot...due to my neck pain...
Wade: So at least once or twice a night I'll get smothered...*Chuckles* And not in the fun way...
Giselle: *Giselle is flustered* I'm so sorry Love...Really...I-...once we find a place in Tundratown big enough for me, my neck aches will stop, and the-.
Wade: *Places a paw up* It's okay Darlin', really...Haven't gotten hurt too bad yet. *Chuckles* Side's, I knew the score when we started datin', and I was more than willin' to take that risk fer a gal like you...
Giselle: Oh Love...*Kisses Wade on the top of her head.* I love you so much...
Zach: Though...didn't you tell me you almost suffocated last time it happened?
Wade: *Quietly shushes Zach, and whispers* You lookin' to make my gal cry?"
Zach: Oh course not! *Zach replies, placing his paws up defensively.* 'Sides...*Rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably* Not like I got an umbrella handy...*Chuckles*
Gus: It's kinda corny but... you guys know that song from Goatsbusters 2?
Joel: "On Our Own" by Bobby B'aahrwn?
Gus: No! Not that one!
Vernon: Wait...that one...the one about love liftin' ya?
Gus: Yes! 'Higher and Higher' by 'Howard Huntsburro'!
Vernon: Yeah, I remember that one....y'all snuck it into the playlist o' songs fer our tithe iffin' I remember correctly. *Chuckles* That's yer song?
Gus: *Taps his hooves together nervously.* I-I mean we played it at our wedding too...It's a good dancing song! And it-.
Melanie: It may be a little more light and upbeat than I'm sure most of you guy's couples songs are going to be. But the lyrics I think are...pretty fitting for us.
Gus: Well, I think you do more of the heavy lifting in this relationship Mellowmar...*Chuckles*
Joel: Dude, Goatsbusters 2 is so lame compared to the first one...and that song is so 80s it's practically 'pizzle music'.
Gus: Hey! Goatsbusters 2 is an underrated classic! It may not be as great as the first, but it's a damn fine entry into the series!
Broomie: Especially compared to Goatsbusters 2016...
Gus: *Narrows his gaze at Broomie* We don't talk about 2016. Nobody does.
Joel: The memory hole runs deep...shame, they missed a real opportunity to canonize "Extreme GoatsBusters"
Vernon: My favorite bit is the bit with the Taurtanic pullin' up to the dock. *Chuckles*
Dawn: That, and when they turn the Statue of Lipurrty into what is essentially a golem.
Joel: Speaking of, considering how much you dug that movie Gus, I'm surprised you never statted a Statue of Lipurrty Golem for a campaign.
Gus: *Chuckles evilly* Who says I haven't? Both it and Mount Rushmoose, the problem is crafting a campaign that would be fitting to deploy them in.
Vernon: *Chuckles* We've gone purty far off track here...much as I'm lookin' forward to whatever campaign y'all can cram them into. Since y'all protested so much about Gus and Mel's song, what's yer and Megumi's song Joel?
Megumi: The 'Wolf Whistling Song' by Ringo Baahori.
Gus: *Chuckles* An Animalme intro song, color me shocked.
Joel: It's a very pretty piece.
Vernon: Y'all pick that 'cause y'all see Megumi as a wild, untamed wolf goddess? *Chuckles*
Megumi: *Laughs* More so that I see Joel as my Prince. In song, the Prince is specifically referred to as golden swan...even if the prince is actually a fox. Regardless, my Joel does has the neck of a swan. *Snickers*
Joel: And Megumi is pretty close to a feral wolf-girl who eats like a little gremlin. And she loves Apples.
Megumi: *Swats joel playfully* Baaaaaka! *Laughs, then clears her throat as best as she can as she adjusts her glasses.* I-It's true, I do love apples though...*Snickers*
Dawn: Not to...judge, but I am wondering if we'll get an answer sufficiently as exotic from Dylan and Talia.
Talia: Звёздное Лето, K Алла Пугачёва.
Joel: *Laughs* What was that!? Did you just hex us!?
*Talia growls at Joel, and Broomie places a hoof on her forearm, gently petting it to calm her down.*
Broomie: Animanglish please Babe...
Talia: *Huffs* 'Starry Summer', by 'Alla Pawacheva'...
Vernon: I ain't really...I mean...I wasn't familiar with Joel's choice neither, but...I'm really lost when it comes to Grussian chart toppers...
Talia: It is song about the beauty of summer...which as you imagine is very short....how you say 'fleeting', time in Grussia...but it makes me think of Dylan because...he is my starry summer...
*The girls in the group, aside from Val, let out a collective 'Awww...'*
Dawn: That's so sweet...
Talia: He is summer that doesn't end, and he is always with me...also...his wool is soft and warm like caress of meadow grass on breezy summer day...Я люблю тебя, милая, Dylan.
Broomie: я тоже тебя любл Talia...
*The group looks at Broomie with a mixture of skepticism and confusion.*
Broomie: *Shrugs* What? I'm taking Duolamgo courses...
Joel: Duuuude...do Roesetta Stone, or actual classes...Duolamgo is terrible!
*Vernon now turns his attention to Kodi, who's tail is already wagging furiously. The older wolf rolls his eyes, as does Val.*
Vernon: So I guess that leaves y'all t-.
Kodi: *Cuts Vernon Off* "I can't fight this feeling anymore!" By REO Speedwaggin'!
Val: Uggh...
Dawn: Val sounds like she's disagreeing with you there Kodi. *Snickers*
Val: *The vixen huffs, causing her fur tuft to bounce on the tip of her snout. She turns away from the others, crossing her arms.* L-Look, I didn't...I...Uggh...*shakes head* my Damn Dad...
Joel: What, that's you and your Dad's song? *Chuckles* I knew wolves had that stereotype about inbreeding, but foxes too?
*Val stares daggers at Joel, her muzzle curled into a snarl. Vernon simply sighs.*
Kodi: Hey, not all wo-!
Vernon: *Now cuts Kodi off.* YOU DON'T GET TO TALK SISTER RUTTER! *Shakes head* Yer part o' the damn problem!
*Kodi's ears flatten, the wolf letting out a soft whine. Surprisingly, Val pulls Kodi's head into her arms, snuggling it and petting the top of his head gingerly.*
Val: Hey, give the guy a break...he's a Marshmellow. *Val loll's here head as if she's weighing over something* And kind of an idiot...
Kodi: *Perks up an ear* HEeeeeyyy...
Val: A cute idiot.
Kodi: Thank you. *Chuckles*
Val: I get like...half of my musical tastes from my Dad...and he likes a bunch of real cheesers...ones that found their way onto my phone in some form or another.
Kodi: And the night I said 'I love you' for the first time, "I can't fight this Feeling" was playing on my trucks bluefang from my little Velvet S'more's phone.
Val: *Shakes head* Yeah, talk about atmosphere...sadly, that cheeser really stuck though...
Dawn: Well, I happen to think it's a lovely song, surprisingly lovely coming from...er...well...
*Val furrows her brow at Dawn* Watch yourself puffball...or else I'm gonna call up Dad and ask what's his favorite slow jam to rut your Mom to...
Dawn: *Rolls eyes* Oh please, like that's going to-.
*Val pulls her Carrot phone from her pocket, tapping a few buttons before revealing she's brought up her father's contact info. The vixen hovers a single claw over the call button. In response, Dawn holds out her hooves in desperate protest*
Dawn: OKAY! OKAY! Lamb Sakes! *Dawn crosses her arms and huffs* No need to hit under the wool, please...
*Val smiles smugly*
Vernon: I think paws down, that crown is gonna have to go to Kodi. With maybe...Qali in second place...
Kodi: Yeeep...me and my sister are prolific shedders...
Val: Tell me about it, the house has got whole packs of white fuzzy tumbleweeds rolling around every room.
Trenton: *Chuckles* Qalis does shed, but not that badly...
Qali: I can't help it! I'm an Arctic fox! *whining* Of course I'm going to shed when the weather gets warm! I wasn't built for that.
Trenton: *Scoops Qali up into his arms, hugging her into him.* There, there Darlin', I already told ya that don't bother me none. Ain't like I don't shed too...and as much as y'all do shed in the summer, it still ain't that much in the grand scheme o' thangs...cause yer so adorably tiny. *Kisses the top of Qali's head.*
Qali: *Squirms in Trenton's grip, giggling* Trenny stahp! *Titters*
Val: At least you only shed in the summer. This dork sheds all the time...like constantly. *Val points a thumb in Kodi's direction*
Kodi: Hey! I'm an Arctic mammal too! I definitely wasn't made for living in Sahara Square! And you wonder why I'm so glad to have been moved to the outpost in Tundratown so I at least get a breather on my workdays now.
Ulric: Actually, that probably makes it way worse...Switching back and forth from an arctic climate to an arid climate is more than likely confusing the processes in your body that make you grow and shed fur. This is why the shedding is happening all year round, cause every time you go to work you're body is going 'It's so cold! Grow fur grow!' And then you go home and it's like 'This is boiling, shed, shed, shed!'
Vernon: That was...an oddly reasoned take from y'all Ully...
Ulric: Just because you guys don't take most of my interests seriously, I'd expect you'd at least wouldn't forget I worked in forensics, so I do know a thing or two about how mammalian bodies work!
Kodi: Yeah, well tell my mate that then! I'd love nothing more than for us to pick up and move to Tundratown full time but she wo-.
Val: Not negotiable. Dad gave me and El the house to split, you knew that and still decided to propose.
Kodi: So! We can give it to El! We can ju-.
Val: Nothing doing. *Shakes head* Amelia and I already have a garage location picked out. The lease is signed...once I wrap tech school the garage opens. Why move farther away from my business?
Kodi: Babe...I'm begging you here...
Val: *Eyes widen, getting shimmery and startling the surrounding mammals as well as Kodi.* "Kodi...I can't...it's not just my Dad's house...it was...my Mom's too you know...
Vernon: S-Sweet sawgrass! That's some powerful puppy eyes...
Kodi: *Lets out a whine, then a huff before throwing his head back and sighing...* Alright, fine! Fine!... But if we stay in Sahara Square, the shedding will always be an issue.
Val: *Immediately drops the pleading eyes, her smug smirk returning.* As long as you keep cleaning 'em up...'sides...they're growing on me...sorta like how you did...
Kodi: *Shakes head* Pft...c'mon, now you're really messing with me...
Val: *Laughs* Hey, they remind me of you when you aren't home...that...and they sorta get me thinking about what it might be like having some little dorks running around that look like you someday...
Kodi: *Tail begins to wag furiously*
Val: *Roles her eyes* I said 'someday'! 'Someday okay! *Laughs* Don't get too worked up...
Kodi: *Wraps Val in a tight, excited hug! kissing the top of her head like crazy as his tail continued to wag. Val puts up a weak protest but ultimately gives in.* I can't stop now! You know I can't turn off my tail once it kicks off! We just gotta ride it out now!
Val: *Rolls her eyes* You're lucky I love you...
Kodi: *Tail wagging faster* You're only making it worse! *Chuckles*
Gus: Anyone else miss when Val was cold and unfeeling? Or is it just me? *Snickers*
Kodi: I'm gonna assume you mean if there were any co-conspirators in the ranks or not, and not if we were called in to handle any part of it...but I guess I'll tackle both. The original Night Howler Scandal with Misses...er...Hunter-Bellwether was largely a ZPD affair, but we...well they, were called in to help with clean-up involving the subway crash. I wasn't in the Zootopia Reserve yet, so I had this stuff explained to me second paw by some of the other guys in my unit who were called in. Under normal circumstances, something like a subway derail or building fire would be handled by the ZFD. But because the car was loaded full of chemical compounds and liquid Night Howler, the Zootopian Reserve was called in to act as a Liquidation team. Full hazmat gear, gas masks, chemical clearing hoses, the whole nine yards. Granted it wasn't a massive crash, and thankfully the area was fairly empty so not too many mammals were exposed to Night Howler fumes before the area could be evacuated.
The whole Last Night Scandal was a different animal in terms of containing the mess. The Woolery Winery Fire was way bigger, and thanks to...someone taking out the electrical grid in the local area by way of firing wildly into a local transformer with a shotgun-.
Vernon: I'd apologize...but I saved Dawn's life...it was worth it.
Kodi: Still...it made it way harder to get all the equipment working without running some serious long-distance cables out and bringing in generators.
Dawn: Were you in the Reserve at that point?
Kodi: Yeah, but my unit was off duty at the time, and so two other units were called in to clean up the mess. Luckily, the burning night howler fumes were being carried out to sea rather than into Downtown Tundra Town. But from what the guys who were there that night told me, they were racing against the clock because the local forecast was predicting a wind change that would have blown it all back toward the city.
Vernon: *Winces* Cuttin' it close huh?
Kodi: You have no idea. I heard despite their best efforts two of the liquidators still got exposed to Howler and had to be restrained and carried off to be treated. They finally managed to get it entirely suppressed around sundown, just an hour before the wind change, thank the gods...
Dawn: I realize it is...sort of my fault for that...but it was either taking that risk of my Father and his goons flooding the entire city with the toxin...
Kodi: No, believe me, I don't blame you. Those fellas I spoke to didn't blame you either...most of 'em said they would have done the same thing.
Dawn: That's a bit of a relief...
Kodi: As for if anyone was involved with Aster's conspiracy in the top brass, well...I'm not too familiar with the tippin' top of the Brass. I know Lt. Vickks wasn't involved, er' Colonel Rocke-er Rathkone. But I'm pretty sure there was a Major who was implicated. A ram at a different base. Oh, and a retired lieutenant general Rhino living in Tundra Town, but I couldn't tell you their names without asking around. That said, the dishonorable discharges levied before the trial, and the stripping of titles from that retiree was supposed to be pretty brutal. Some of the fellas at the base still mention it...Apparently, you could hear officials screamin' from the tribunal all the way out to the hangars that day, especially from Colonel Rathkone.
Vernon: The commander has a bellow on him huh?
Kodi: Absolutely...you can always hear him dressing down soldiers from half a mile away, wolf hearing or no. And that's a real feat considering the dude is a less than three-foot tall raccoon.
Qali: Oh gosh, the list is endless for me when it comes to Trenny! *Giggles* It's hard to even start to like... narrow it down to just a few.
Val: They make good pillows.
Qali: *Snickers* Yes they do! Trenny is just so warm and cuddly, I love to snuggle up against his chest on a lazy morning!
Val: You want Fluffy, try a real arctic wolf, not just a grey wolf colored like one. *Chuckles* In the dead of winter it's like being buried in an avalanche of shag.
Qali: Also, being so small compared to Trenny means he can scoop me up and curl around me, something that feels so safe and cozy...Mhhh...
Val: I think you're alone on that one...I like the fluffy pillow bit, don't get me wrong, but personally, I don't like feeling as though I'm being...protected. Like as if I need to be protected, which is something Kodi still slips into doing a lot of the time. I guess wolves are sort of hard-wired to be like that when it comes to mates or family, that whole pack mentality thing.
Qali: Oh I love that though! Trenny is so protective of me...and he's so emotional...even if he doesn't really show it off to anyone else. I'm not sure though if that's strictly a wolf thing though.
Val: Based on what I've seen of the Hunters, and Kodi especially, I can say for better or worse wolves seem to wear their heart on their sleeves. Only a pawful are really good at pulling off appearing indifferent or not as invested as they actually are. Between their tails wagging and their howling being a dead giveaway for how they're feeling in the moment, they've got a lot working against them in that regard.
Qali: I think it's super cute though! Especially the howling when they're happy or sad! Foxes don't really do that...we have things that you could call an equivalent to howling, like gekking. But we aren't so...well...it's not something that's easy to get a fox to do.
Val: Makes them easier to read, which is a bonus. I can always tell when something's wrong with Kodi...and it doesn't take a lot of prodding to get him to spill the beans. Foxes are more...guarded than that in general.
Kodi: Doesn't seem that way with Qali or your Dad. Ever think it might be just you S'more?
Val: I told you not to call me that in public you dork! *Blushes slightly* Jeeze...
Kodi: Ah! someone's flustered! So much for not being easy to read!
Qali: Oh...um...also...*Blushing* I find that because Trenny is so...in touch with his emotions...it makes him really...in tune to my needs...in the bedroom I mean. *Giggles*
Dawn: I'll second that for Vernon. *Giggling* Although maybe that's just a Hunter thing? I've just...I've never had a mammal pay so much attention to my needs and urges in the bedroom...but Vernon...*Blushes intensely*. Whenever we're together it's...it's just magical. I've never felt more loved and cared for in my life.
Val: I'd be...lying if I said Kodi wasn't...pretty decent when it comes to that...so maybe it is a wolf thing?
Kodi: Was that a compliment there?
Val: *Flustering slightly* M-maybe it is...But don't let it go to your head, alright...
Kodi: Hey, it's not a clean win, but I'll happily take it.
Kodi: I like the quotes around 'Building nations", I feel like there's an implication there. *Laughs*
Conner: The Zootopian Reserve's idea of nation-building isn't the old Kittish Army and Navy's idea of nation-building, that is to say razing and pillaging a newly discovered nation before installing some sort of puppet government in place. It's what it says on the tin, sometimes literally.
Kodi: A majority of the time it's helping impoverished nations build housing, or set up agricultural systems, and of course, we also help establish and organize medical care deployment when a nation suffers from some sort of horrible disease outbreak. Although that's not to say all those situations are...well...one hundred percent clean operations.
Conner: Depending on exactly what kind of trouble is occurring, firearms might be required to help keep order and make sure everything runs smoothly. You don't want a mob of sick mammals rushing a medical station and destroying it accidentally in the stampede because they are desperate for medical aid. You also don't want guerrilla gangs and warlords looking to take advantage of the aid we're providing by shaking down the citizenry of everything we've provided for them. Sometimes the job needs more than just mammalitarian aide, sometimes it needs peacekeepers.
Kodi: Then there are the actual hostile warzones. Usually our primary focus there is to help refugees get out of horrible situations like that while minimizing casualties. Although sometimes that requires us pushing back some sort of extremist faction and taking out their wannabe dictator of a leader in order to protect those mammals who are simply trying to live their lives.
Conner: Of course that's all still considered small-scale operations. If such a crazed militant faction is too large, or some dictator has got a deep enough foothold in controlling a nation while the populace suffers and struggles to fight back and is pleading for outside help, that's somethin' that...well I mean that's full-scale war at that point. That requires agreement from multiple mammals at the top, and multiple nations going in to topple somethin' like that.
Kodi: Basically, when countries ask us to help, we do our best to fulfill that request. And if we aren't enough to help, then it enters a larger discussion as to what Animalia can do to help as a whole.
