Travis Buckner goes to Plymouth to scout the area, but also to give Nina Lime the bad news of his decision to stay with Texas. Can she sway his logic? Or is there more that both need from each other to reach the truth they're both hiding?

Written in conjunction with  kitana
Art commissioned at Rainfurrest 2015 and drawn by  gideon

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The Greater Good
Story Copyright 2015 by Tazel
Co-Written with JadedFox
All characters are copyright to their respective owners



Friday, September 25th.

The beginnings of Fall. One of the most beautiful of seasons, especially in the Northeast United States. Double especially for Massachusetts.

By now it was widely known for most of her Taproot teammates, new and old, that Nina Lime had multiple places around New England: a penthouse in Boston, a more humble place near her family in Manchester, a nicer day-to-day home in Plymouth which had a full regulation sized court, and a “summer” place in Rockport by the beach, with a half court. Being the superstar of the team and one of the most accurate longball shooters came with a lot of perks and resources.

The recent FBA strike had made things difficult for everyone involved, including Nina. She made sure she kept busy practicing, but also to stay true to promises made to others and herself. Besides her one-wolf show of 'Legendary' about her idol Vicki Turner's time in the FBA, she made sure she left time for representing the United States in the World Jam. She'd managed to write time off into her contract for both events, and thus was kept incredibly involved in just about everything. Not to mention being the FBPA Union representative. It all seemed to happen at once for her, but the strike made many have free time to want things to happen as well.

This meant a delicate balancing act, and getting in a week’s worth of practice in a single day. But with her courts completely unused, she was not just lending, but encouraging her teammates, especially the rookies, to borrow her courts, and had keys left with her security. Since she couldn't be at all of her houses at one time - and with how busy she was, she was rarely at any one of them - she would go between south shore and north shore, making sure both places were in order. This was mostly because she had been lending out her courts in both places to her current Taproots rookie teammates, desperate for a place to play as the FBA facilities were off limits to them. Some had resorted to streetball, or to playing in a foreign league. Others, just found practice where they could.

Unfortunately, the last person to use her facilities had left a mess outside. Whatever good mood she had been in had vaporized upon finding the trash, strewn liquor bottles, and the like. She'd been cleaning up all day, not something she wanted to do after days of travel. She hadn't even had a chance to get on Tweeter much, keeping up on the developments of her friends, not to mention how busy she’d been with her show in New York.

She growled as she picked up an errant sweat band... she was going to have a very...intense...conversation with the last rookie who used her facilities. You don't go around disrespecting others' propert...

<Ding Da Ding!>

The wolf's ears perked as she recognized her doorbell. "It better be an apology and an offer for cleanup..." she muttered, wiping her hands on her t-shirt, closing the glass door to the kitchen and making her way to the front door, opening it, and blinking.

A bespectacled koala smiled, dressed in a polo and khakis with leather shoes. Travis' casual wear. "Cleanup? I took a shower already!" he replied, a wink accompanying it. His attempt at humor.

Nina stopped for a moment. "How did you know...?" she asked, the shock of seeing Travis in Plymouth unannounced washing over her. Travis was a planner - meticulous and detailed to the letter. Spontaneity was not his thing. But then again, maybe he had a good reason to be spontaneous. Hope began to surface.

A noncommittal shrug followed Nina's question. "I heard you. Through the door." Travis said, gesturing inside.

Nina let out an 'ahh'. Apparently koala ears weren't that big just for show. "Well, um... sorry, I guess you cought me off guard. What brings you up here? And without letting me or anyone else know? That's unlike you, Travis!" She seemed a bit discombobulated, but otherwise normal to him.

The koala crossed the threshold, the bidded offer for entrance unsaid and understood. "You didn't read my Tweeter? I was in Billings yesterday, and decided to come here for a day or two. Also to see you again." He looked a bit disappointed in Nina's surprise.He was hoping for a more exuberant welcome, given their last meet up nearly two months ago, and the private conversations held since.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Travis - I honestly had not had any time to check that damn thing. I've got the World Jam to prep for, and my show..." She sounded weary, adding credence to her words.

Travis nodded. "I understand. And... you were stunning, by the way," he said, a bit of a blush under his eyeglasses.

Nina smiled, ears perking at the compliment. "Thank you very much! So come in, come all the way in! Sit down!" she offered, gesturing to the living room area, where Travis cleared his throat.

"Thank you. Might I ask for a drink?" he asked, rubbing his throat lightly. Nina immediately set to the bar, and started crafting some potent potables. Travis chuckled. "I was thinking water, but... if you're offering, sure. I'll have..."

"Gin, straight, no chaser?" Nina looked up from where her paws had grasped the bottle and glass, already pouring. She grinned, knowingly. She remembered from her visit to Austin, the drink that Travis had in his own paw at the Downbleat. Travis nodded, smiling back. "Excellent memory," he remarked, and sat himself down on a plush recliner. Nina quickly made the rest of the drink for him, made her own mojito, and sat down next to him, on the couch at the ninety degree angle.

"So, investigating the area, looking for a place to relocate? Want to see that theater and restaurant I was talking about?" Nina asked brightly, smiling for the first time all day, then taking the sip of her drink. Travis, a bit slower, lightly sipped his own gin, and sat back in the recliner, his face not having as much of a smile.

"I wanted to give you the news in person. I didn't think a phone call or text was going to be appropriate. Besides, it's not like I had anything keeping me locked to Austin for a day or two."

Nina cocked her head in appropriate lupine fashion. "And what news is that?"

The koala put down the glass on the nearby table, and regarded his hostess. "I'm staying with the Lone Stars, Nina," he said, after the light pause, his left thumbs grasping his glasses and taking them off, slipping them in his shirt pocket. Some folks said he looked more handsome that way, less 'snooty'. "I wanted you to be the first to know. I think you deserved that, and an explanation."

Nina sighed lightly. Inside, hope disappeared, only to be replaced by disappointment. She really DID want Travis as a teammate. He could have made their team unstoppable. But Nina wasn't about to cue if there was anything more to the disappointment. Anything personal. She put her own drink down and crossed her arms. "May I ask why?" she said, appearing to not really care about the answer.

Travis nodded and sat up, leaning forward, a bit more towards the wolfess. "First off, I want to tell you - this is the hardest decision I had to make. Mr. Farrow's offer was very generous, and you were absolutely right about markets being more lucrative in the urban northeast. Believe me, as soon as I got his offer, I was agonizing over this for days."

The wolfess' ears began a slight twitching in expectation, seeming nonplused about the introduction. Travis reached for his drink, took a quick sip, and continued,. "When I was a joey, I was bullied all the time. I was used to it, but a lot of other furs were in the crosshairs as well. Some of my classmates, who were also studious - and some I called friend - getting abused by the stereotypical mongoloids that comprise every statistical cliche of the school bully. I could hold my own by not fighting, but others... they weren't as forward thinking. Some of them went talon to talon with the big bruisers from the football team who made it their task in life to bring misery to everyone smaller than them. Most of them failed. Some succeeded, but not many."

The wolf nodded slowly, picking up and sipping her drink. "I do recall a 'TMI Tuesday' where you talked about bullying, but what does this have to do with Plymouth or Texas?" Nina appeared unable - unwilling? - to connect the dots, and prodded Travis for more information. The koala's hand rubbed a few of its digits into his temple, the other hand reaching back for his own drink.

"When I knew I could outwit those testosterone tyrants, I started trying to save others with my wit as well. Again, with some, success. With others... some gut-wrenching failures. But I still tried. I gave them a chance - whether they took that chance, was up to them. But if I weren't there, playing some sort of interference, they'd have NO chance of survival."

Nina sniffed. "You were the crusader?" she asked, a bit dryly.

Another sip of his gin made Travis pause momentarily, then recline in the seat as he proceeded with his recollection. "I don't know about 'crusader', but I like to think I made a difference. A big one. And that's why I need to stay in Texas."

Nina waited for Travis to collect his thoughts, her whiskey still untouched in her paw. When he spoke again, he had replaced his glasses. She had to admit, the glasses did make him look more sophisticated. He'd probably wear them even if he didn't need the prescription.

"If I leave Texas, that team is sunk without me. It'd be bullied by the stronger teams, with nobody to stand up for them. I know they have talent. I've seen it. We made the playoffs, after all. I know I can help guide them into better. I have the offer to be captain there. But if I'm not there - I don't think they have a chance."

The koala paused, taking another drink, and letting out a soft sigh, looking into Nina's eyes. "I want to be here. But I'm *needed* there. Needs, for me, almost always supersede wants. I have a responsibility to the team that took a chance on me. I can't let that responsibility go, easily."

Travis leaned back in the chair and put his drink in his hands, holding it in his lap, as he looked at the wolf, who had been paying close attention, though she wasn't looking at him directly. Seconds ticked by. More seconds. Travis made a worried face to Nina. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Nina finally broke the silence with a sigh, “Travis, can I be completely honest with you?"

"Of course, Nina."

She nodded, and took a deep breath. "All due respect, you've got your priorities skewed."

Travis stopped for a moment. He wasn't expecting that kind of a reply. He was hoping for an understanding, a smile and a 'I gave it my best try' reply. Perhaps even, an intent on continuing a relationship. But this was rather sudden. And a bit hurtful. He wouldn't let it show, though. "How so?" he asked, gently.

The white wolf levied her gaze on the koala, sitting up straight. Imposing. "While I understand where you are coming from, if I’d followed that line of reasoning, I’d still be on the bench, wasted in Huntsville. Not here. Not where I belong. And you underestimate the Lone Stars. Buck and Marcus are not little kids who need help from the 'bullies' in Montana and Dakota. Hell, Buck did a great job of destroying Dakota when he caused them to fire Ms. Turner." The distaste she felt during that statement was palpable in the air.

Travis pursed his lips a bit. "That's not what I meant to convey, Nin..."

She wouldn't let him finish. “And you are losing focus on a group that desperately needs your help, far more than pro basketball players…" She dropped her eyes to his feet, not looking into his eyes, not giving the courtesy. "You have heard of the Timmy Fund from the Dana Ferret Institute, right?"

"Of course. There is an equivalent in Austin, under the Children's hospital."

Nina's eyes shot back to his. "Equivalent?! Travis, it's like trying to empty a sinking boat with a Solo cup! You have all these resources, and can do so much more than just spending your free time visiting kids - your work helping find a cure for cancer can go so much further when teamed with the best doctors in the world working on it. AND you can still visit these kids - they'd look up to you as much as Austin's would!”

Travis set his drink down. He had great respect for Nina, but didn't like being told his preferences were faulty. An offensive front came to bear. "And if I leave, who will see to Austin's kids? Buck? Marcus? Maybe the new rookies they have?"

“What’s to stop you from flying down during your down time?"

"That's not proper. I wouldn't *belong* there anymore. And not appropriate if I'm not a member of Texas' team. 'Stay in your own backyard', I believe is the phrase."

"Travis, Austin isn’t going anywhere, and Dana Ferret along with Boston Children’s have almost 50 times the number of patients. You could help huge numbers of kids, kids who would look up to you just as much as Austin's would.” Nina downed her drink quickly, rose and poured herself a straight glass of whiskey before sitting down again and looking him back in the eyes. "I tell you what - you answer me this question, honestly, and I'll respect your decision." She waited, and Travis nodded.

"Think about your career, your cancer work, your business acumen - where will Travis Andrew Buckner be able to do the greater good? Austin? Or here?" Nina's green eyes pierced Travis' as she sat back in the couch, awaiting a response.

The koala silent for a moment, lost in thought. Again, seconds ticked by, and more seconds, until Travis finally rose from the recliner, and placed the near empty glass on the coffee table nearby. "I'm sorry, Nina. Sometimes, the personal gains have to be put aside so as not to disrupt what had been built. I know you don't think highly of Buck or Texas' management, but the truth is, I'm...”

She bared her fangs and snarled at him rather loudly as she almost jumped to her footpaws, “Stop right there, Buckner!" she shouted, pointing a claw at the surprised koala. "I don’t think highly of Buck!? Why the hell do you think I wear #7? It’s because of him! He's one of my idols! If it wasn’t for Buck Hopper, I’d have worn #33 in college and Huntsville.” Her eyes narrowed as she continued shouting at the stymied marsupial, “As for Texas management, you are crazy if you think I disrespect them! Look what they’ve done from when they were the Clefs! They turned one of the biggest jokes of the league into a Western Conference power!”

Travis would normally not bat an eye to violent reactions to his words. He'd stared down violent leopard teammates, an angry polar bear, and worse. And he'd always been victorious. Never backed down. But Nina was different. His psyche evaded his attempts to do the same with her. And thus, he recoiled at her outburst, his eyes wide behind his glasses, as she stood, fuming, in front of him. "Nina... I... I'm sorry," he said, stammering a bit. "I just assumed from what you said earlier..." He trailed off, and stayed quiet, sitting back down on the couch, slumping. "I'm very sorry..." he repeated, his eyes cast downward to the plush carpet.

Defeated. Vulnerable.

Nina paused and looked down at Travis, before returning to slumping into the couch, matching the koala's posture, but not his demeanor. She sighed and began rubbing her forehead, knocking down another glass of the whiskey, coughing lightly, “Travis... I’m sorry. I was already a little upset before you arrived, and I’ve been under stress from this show… all the World Jam preparation, the union, everything," She looked back up to him, his own eyes not looking back, the koala obviously chagrined about misreading her. "You didn't deserve that level of animosity, and I shouldn’t have snapped at you," she murmured to his raising head, looking back into his eyes with slightly teared ones of her own. She hated losing control, whether by stress or alcohol. But to tear into Travis for something relatively innocent - she was not happy with herself in the least.. “You were making assumptions, yes… and they hurt more than I thought they would... but I... you..."

She seemed to be wrestling with the words, as she shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Something was making her tongue tied, though. "Look, I think very highly of Buck, and Marcus is far better than you think. The Lone stars have some fresh talent. Texas will survive. And as for Plymouth...I can’t treat you like a packmate, you aren’t a wolf."

Nina looked on hopefully, that the statement was good enough in itself to explain her thoughts. Travis raised his head, a bit confusedly, to which Nina felt a need to continue, her voice crackling, getting less angry by the second. "You said it yourself in the playoffs - you can't carry a team. But I think you aren’t making this decision based on what’s best for you, and where you can do the greater good, both for a team, and for the world at large..." Her words were a little slurred now, the wolf had let her guard almost completely down, and it was starting to visibly crumble as she shook with emotion.

."...and...for me.”

For the first time in his lifetime, Travis Buckner saw something the koala had never seen in the wolf before.

Defeat. Vulnerability.

A long pause, a light sniffle from Nina's muzzle. Then Travis' voice pierced the silence. "Nina...?"

The wolf finally looked back up, her eyes obviously teared. She barely heard him call her name. All that was going through her head were her thoughts, her feelings, and they screamed to be said. “I need your help, Travis. You can't carry the Lone Stars, and I can’t carry the Taproots. God knows I tried, but it wasn’t enough…not enough...I need you, Travis...I need YOU.”

Travis slowly rose from the chair, and walked over to Nina, gently sitting down next to her on the couch, and gingerly taking his hand and putting it against her cheek. Nina swung her muzzle to his. They shared a gaze at each other, for a long time, Nina sniffling, and Travis looking on gently.

He then took his glasses off, set them next to him on the sofa. He leaned in, and did something most furs would be petrified to attempt.

He kissed Nina Lime.

More than just a peck on the cheek. An honest, heartfelt kiss. One that conveyed the strong, vibrant emotion he felt for her.

Her eyes widened, and then closed as she kissed back warmly, before pulling back, the blush obvious in her white fur. "Travis..." she said, whispering breathlessly. He looked on, worried that he'd done the wrong thing again, but she spoke once more, softly. “I… I very much want you in my life more, Travis," she stammered, trying to parse the feelings, separate them from the buzz of the alcohol, which was fading with the flush of emotion. "I tried with Kwaku, but long distance doesn’t work in our line of work. It would only push us apart... I can't..." She looked back at him, trying to get him to understand.

Travis looked softly back at the wolfess, whose eyes were lightly pleading, as he replaced his paw on her cheek, stroking with the two thumbs there. He seemed to be deciding something again. Travis was a planner, meticulous to no end. But there were times when spontaneity was necessary. Especially in the heat of the moment.

Besides, it was really what he wanted to do. He just needed to know how much he was needed here. Again, he lightly caressed Nina's cheek, the wolf's paw holding onto the back of his hand.

"Then I suppose we need to ... close the gap, don't we?" he replied just as gentle as his smile.

The wolf’s ears perked as she blinked, realizing what Travis was saying. What he was committing to do. And with who. The pain slipped away as she smiled widely, a tear falling from her eye. Then she made her own committment. She leaned in, grabbed Travis around his neck and his shirt collar, and began kissing the koala in earnest, very aggressively and passionately. She held him tightly to her front, feeling his body heat rise to match hers, as her tail began to wag for the first time of the evening, and didn't stop for the next thirty minutes.

Nor did the kissing... nor did the actions that followed that night.

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Monday, September 28th, 5:05pm

"...and I wish to thank Hector Louis, the coaches and trainers, and my teammates old and new for all their support. I could not have accomplished what I have done without their hard work and dedication. I wish nothing but success to the Lone Stars in their future endeavors. They truly are a great team. But it is time for me to move on, let other stars shine here, and build their own legacies."

Travis stepped back from the throng of reporters and their microphones positioned outside his house. It wasn't a press conference at the Austin Arena's media room, as he was still a free agent, and the strike prevented him using anything official, but his promised announcement on Monday made it as official as anyone knew, the FBA world buzzing with the news.

"Mister Buckner?" asked a gecko, wearing an ESFN media armband, "Is it true you're going to Plymouth because of your budding relationship with Nina Lime?"

The crowd stopped murmuring, going almost deathly quiet and en masse looked at Travis, who narrowed his eyes at the gecko. Was there going to be another media fiasco? The brief seconds of silence became unbearable. One brazen chimpanzee camera operator focused on the koala's hands to see if they'd ball into fists again. The reporters in front took a shaky step backwards.

But Travis smiled. No such activity. He didn't even seem angry. "Nina is a consummate professional, and one of the most dedicated players out there. She is one of the many reasons of why I chose Plymouth over Texas and Montana. I believe that with her, there will be a very bright and busy future." He paused for a moment, and judiciously added, "In basketball.".

This made several reporters giggle. They seemed to already know the answer Travis wasn't giving.

Travis kept smiling, his thoughts going back to Nina, to that kiss, to the activities and conversations that came afterward. He knew he had made the choice based on the greatest good, but not necessarily for basketball, or for his career, or for his impending work with cancer charities.

The greatest good was his greatest need, after all.