"...AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR EMBARKING PROCEDURES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. ENJOY YOUR TRIP WITH US!"

"Oof, he talks forever," you said, your ears ringing from the loud voice.

Nick nodded, his eyes closed, leaning his head back on the rail.

"Want to look around the ship now?" He asked after a moment.

Your eyes lit up in response as you hopped up from the wall, "Yes!"

With a push against the metal bar, Nick swayed from the rail to stand back up. His tie flopped around his collared shirt as he smiled, "Away we go then."

Usually, you followed Nick, but your desire to see explore overpowered that. Instead, Nick walked calmly behind you as you took in the scenery and architecture.

You wobbled a little as you felt the ship pull away from the pier. You had yet to get your river-legs. Just hope you don't get sea-sick...

After looking around a bit more, you and Nick wandered through the automatic glass doors into the first floor. On either side were small shops for you to buy sunglasses, merch, umbrellas, and more! There were also stands set up by locals of the Rainforest District selling handcrafted souvenirs for tourists. By the front and the back, there was a staircase to the second floor. In the center was a tiki-inspired snack and drink stand.

But before you could decide where to go, you felt Nick's paws on your shoulders, ushering you forward.

"Some animals are watching us. Let's keep moving."

"Wha?" You asked as he moved you along.

You turned back to see a group of three coyotes in the corner eyeing you. They were taller than you and Nick and they looked upset. Did they catch Nick's rigged card game? Well, it's not unlikely...

"What do we do??" You whispered.

"Let's get into a shop..."

His speed slowed back down as you both entered a merchandising store called Kinabalu. You tried your best not to seem anxious, but you were. If those coyotes were up to no good, there are not really many places you could run on a ship.

Nick, however, regained his composure quickly. You both moved far into the store to hide nonchalantly. Nick hung his shades on his shirt as he found a rack of glasses. He spun it around and picked the largest pair he could find and put them on.

"Whatcha think?" He asked with a grin towards you.

While he was just messing around, they didn't look terrible on him. The sunglasses were huge and purple, almost covering the entirety of his face. But they matched his purple nose and his big ears sticking out behind them made the outfit.

You tilted your paw down in his direction, "They're you!"

You glanced toward the entrance of the store to check if the coyotes had followed you in, but they were nowhere to be seen. So you spun the rack in search of a pair that would suit you. You came to a side with aviators and picked the one that would complement his and slipped it on.

"How are these?" You asked, mimicking his grin and laidback posture.

"Hey! That's what I'm talking about," Nick said as he pulled his personal aviators back out and put them on. He grabbed your shoulder and pulled you in front of the mirror with him. You laughed as you took out your phone and snapped some pictures of the two of you in your matching sunglasses.

You dipped your head to look through the photos as Nick turned to look around again. He leaned against you slightly, brushing against you. That made you happy. He was soft.

But a moment later you felt him tense up. Then some gravelly voices came from behind you.

"What'da'we have here boys?"

"A shady fox and his accomplice."

"I hate myself a shady fox."

You whipped around to see the three coyotes from earlier towering over you and Nick. All three of them spoke in separate turns. Guess coyotes never did shed that hunting-together strategy...

"Ah wow! Y/N, look at the time," Nick pulled up his arm to check his non-existent watch, "we best be getting to our lunch reservation--"

He then grabbed your hand and rushed you out of the store. You tossed your shades off onto the rack as you ran past. Without pausing, he dashed toward the staircase with you following close behind. A few animals looked over at the commotion and you saw the coyotes running out of the store toward you.

You both zoomed onto the second floor. It was slightly darker here because the exterior windows were tinted, but the room was filled with lights from screens and games. There were air hockey tables, arcade games, billiards, etc!

"Hey, I know this is sudden," Nick said as he panted slightly and led you up the next flight of stairs, "But do you want to grab lunch?"

"Yes of course!"

As you both reached the top floor you came into the restaurant. Wilde ran up to the counter, grabbed a pen, and scribbled your names down on the reservation list. He then twirled the sign by the counter around from 'Please wait to be seated' to 'Reservations only.'

You nodded in understanding and you both rushed to take a seat at a booth farthest from the stairs.

Wilde adjusted the tie around his neck as he sat down and ran his paws over his head to flatten his fur. You followed suit and dusted yourself off as you caught your breath. He handed you a menu to which you both raised to cover your faces as the coyotes appeared at the top of the stairs.

You swiveled your ears to hear their conversation. A moment later, a waiter walked up to them, asking if they had a reservation.

They said in unison that they were looking for an orange fox and his partner. But the waiter explained they hadn't seen anyone like that come into the restaurant...

"A short orange fox!"

"With a green shirt."

"And his shill!"

Eck. Shill? That is such an unpleasant word. But... that was you. Hmm...

"Hey hey, I'm going to have to ask you three to calm down," the waiter said sternly.

You dipped the menu down slightly to peep what was going to happen.

The waiter paused to look at the sign. "If you don't have a reservation, there's nothing I can do for you."

After a moment, the leader grunted and turned around, "They can't have gone far. We'll find them." The other two coyotes followed after him.

Whew. You placed the menu down fully once they had disappeared down the stairs. Nick did the same.

"Hah! Dumb coyotes," Nick said as he leaned back with his arms behind his head.

"Are they going to look for us the rest of the time we're here?" You asked tentatively. You were slightly apprehensive about the situation.

"Yes, but, I have a plan. I'll explain soon."

Ah good. That's good. A plan is good!

You watched over by the front as a waitress then came to their counter. She was a tall and well-dressed leopard. She read the names with a puzzled look before heading toward your table, "Good afternoon, Mr. Wilde. Thank you for making your reservation with us."

"It is my pleasure," Nick said as he placed his paw on his chest in sincerity.

Oh please.

"Have you had a chance to look over the menu?"