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[retroductions]

( art credit )

[ INMATE REGISTRY ]

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As did I! I certainly hope there was never any doubt as to that?

[velluminous]

No doubt. No.

[ he had smiled and laughed the entire time. it had been nice.

she turns, picks up his pipe, and holds it out to him ]

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[He takes his pipe back, casually slotting it between his teeth with a faint clack.]

Mm. Good. In that case, my only hope is that your reticence from now on--when it concerns your belief regarding a certain correlation to solitary--lightens its load on your shoulders, Ms Vaux.

[velluminous]

[ she will dare to brush the back of her hand against his shoulder ]

Don't vanish on me, and perhaps.

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[He only grins.]

I do not plan on going anywhere until the mystery of this place is well and truly solved.

[velluminous]

No one in solitary meant to go to solitary, Herlock.

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Perhaps not, but you will find that I am a uniquely stubborn sort of man. Infuriating, at times, as I have been told.

[velluminous]

You are lucky you are cute.

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[He barks out laughter.]

And do not forget -- devilishly clever, as well!

[velluminous]

Fit to hoodwink Mammon himself...!

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Expect nothing less from the Great British Consulting Detective himself!

[Why are you inflating his ego, why.

PUFFS HIS PIPE WITH SATISFACTION]

[velluminous]

This I would love to see.

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I am able to achieve very great things, you know. I should tell you about my cases, someday, and I know that would chase away all doubt.

[velluminous]

Mm. You should.

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Shall I recommend the titles of a few? And you may narrow it down to which tantalizes you the most?

[velluminous]

[ turning her chair more towards him, she deposits herself back into it ]

Indeed. Tantalize me.

[retroductions]

[Sholmes looks increasingly pleased by this turn of conversation.]

A Scandal in Bohemia, The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle...and...

[Hmm.]

The Musgrave Ritual.

[velluminous]

[ well, you can't just casually mention a ritual to Sprezzatura Vaux. ]

Musgrave Ritual, if you don't mind.

[retroductions]

I do not mind at all. No doubt you were enticed by the idea of a ritual, hm? I should preface this now: there was no magic involved.

[velluminous]

I am no longer interested.

[ she's KIDDING ]

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And if I tell you instead that math was involved?

[Is he joking in turn? HARD TO TELL.]

[velluminous]

I suppose ....

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And a very tall tree... and treasure!

[velluminous]

Tell me story already, Herlock.

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Very well, very well. Get comfortable now.

[A long puff of his pipe, a longer exhale.]

It started with a visit to an old acquaintance. An old acquaintance out in the vast country, no less, living in a grand old house. Reginald Musgrave. The visit was a social one at first, and I refuse to bore you with the details of... [hand wave] ...idle chatter between old university students. What is important is that, eventually, he came to me with a problem: two missing individuals from the staff, a maid and a butler.