Sholmès' Apprentice

Chapter 1: The First Encounter

Arsène Lupin.
Male, French.
Charges: theft of priceless artifacts, entering private property and more
Current status: not arrested, wanted.
Other info: sly, has escaped multiple prisons and avoided arrests.

Ellis scanned the criminal record before her. So far nobody had been able to capture the infamous thief. The royal guards were getting sick of him, particularly Rempart Leonhardt, the Captain of the Imperial Guards. This target had been assigned to her and her instructor, Herlock Sholmés. She had learned a lot ever since she got the privilege to work alongside the well-known detective, who has solved cases nobody knew were indeed solvable. All of a sudden the voice of the male who had stood beside her rose. He had been seemingly peering over her shoulder at the file. "Are you ready to go? We mustn't arrive too late." Sholmès calm voice expressed no urgency despite his words suggesting otherwise.

Ellis nodded as she closed the file and gingerly put them back where she found them, in a drawer of the desk. Excitement bubbling in her stomach. Trying to contain these emotions were hard, but she managed to do so decently. The only thing that slipped through was a smile. This would be her first mission where she was allowed to join Sholmès on a relatively dangerous mission; having to find and confront the thief. Sholmès had speculated Lupin would be after a gemstone called 'Horologium'. It is said that the horologium would be able to create the philosopher's stone that so many alchemists are after. For now it was in the hands of the royal empire. It would be displayed tomorrow for alchemists all over England to see, but everything was being set up tonight. That could be considered the most vulnerable moment.

"Hopefully he does arrive. He is such a tedious person to keep track of." Ellis mumbled as she put her brown vest on.

Both Sholmès and Ellis made their way to the exit, soon being on their way to the designated location, Buckingham Palace. The walk itself would take a while but eventually they arrived. The place was huge. Guards were sprawled here and there, making sure no suspicious individuals could slip through. The two detectives got confronted by one of the guards. It only took Sholmes' confident gaze before he got recognised. After a short exchange of a greeting they would get guided to the right location. Ellis had never been in Buckingham Palace before. It gave her this sense of awe. The place showed nothing but wealth and importance. The interior of the building was decorated with all kind of things, gold playing a primary role. Metal tubes which most likely transported their source of energy, steam, were visible through the glass framed floor. The advancement of technology was proudly displayed throughout London, including inside Buckinham Palace. After taking several turns they would arrive to a big, square room. It was still untidy but people were on and about, making sure everything would be ready for the next day.

"There you are! We have been waiting for you." The rough voice of Leonhardt tore right through the quiet babbling of the people who were currently present. It didn't stop the crowd from speaking despite that. Both Sholmès and Ellis turned their head towards the captain. Ellis greeted him politely before Sholmès spoke.

"Ellis and I will be keeping an eye out in case of the appearance of Lupin." Sholmès briefly scanned the area after, checking if it was well guarded or not. What his conclusion would be was unknown to the detective's apprentice.

Ellis nodded enthusiastically despite trying to mimick the seriousness Sholmès emitted. She shouldn't have her hopes up too much, being aware of past cases where the thief managed to slip through highly protected areas. It was as if as soon as Lupin had fixed his eyes on something, he would always manage to steal it, no matter the obstacles that were in his way. "We will try to stop him!" She beamed. Getting rid of her childish mannerisms was almost impossible, mainly when excited.

"All right. I am counting on the both of you. This gem is of upmost importance." Leonhardt gave them a brisk nod before walking off, most likely going to check if any reports have been returned or not. Ellis and Sholmès were left behind, allowed to do whatever was needed. They didn't have a lot of preperations. It was simply a waiting game.

Ellis was very aware of the odd fighting skills Sholmès possessed. If a fight broke out, at least he knew how to defend himself. Ellis on the other hand knew some very basic fighting skills, which could hopefully help at the moment of need. Lupin never seemed to show an incredibly amount of violence. There has never been a reported case where Lupin murdered an individual. If anything went wrong, surely no life would be taken.

Mumbling, footsteps, the same not incredibly entertaining environment. Ellis was growing bored of it, having lost sense of time by now. She had briefly checked the watch she had hidden in her pocket. According to the clock barely an hour had passed. She hadn't bothered to investigate the items that were being set up for display. She was plainly not interested in alchemy. Sholmès hadn't done much either, standing there with the same thoughtful expression. It was impossible to read what the detective might be thinking. She simply assumed it had something to do with this case, but then Ellis noticed Sholmès subtly moving his hand. His fingers were spread but he would curl one finger after another towards his palm in a rhythmic manner, as if he was counting down. As soon as Sholmès reached zero, the lights went out as if in cue. Something glass hit the ground right after, which shattered on impact. Smoke would quickly spread through the room, filling the area and obscuring the view even more. The few people that were present in the same room began to panic. More guards began to gather to protect the invaluable items. Ellis knew what this meant, Arsène Lupin had arrived. Excitement would return once more as her eyes tried to detect the thief but the smoke was too thick to be able to properly look through. She did hear sudden groaning, as if someone had been hit. Lupin must be quickly getting closer while taking down the guards that were trying to stop him. The two detectives were the last line of defense despite not being very suitable for that role. Everything went fast, only a few seconds managed to pass before Lupin reached them. The thief attempted to slip past them but Sholmès had been quick to stop him.

"What a pleasure seeing you again, Arsène Lupin." Sholmès effortlessly stopped Lupin's attack while he spoke. She could remember that Lupin's prefered way of combat was with a modified walking stick, which got used in this fight as well.

"I would say the same to you. Did you take a petite woman with you as well? Isn't that a bit reckless?" Lupin returned with a confident smirk. The smoke started to clear and Ellis could finally see the thief. He wore a white mask that covered the area around his eyes, a black coat and tophat. They were very recognisable.

Upon hearing Lupin's words, Ellis felt the urge to protest, but before she was able to, Sholmès cut her off.

"She is my apprentice. She is very capable of taking you down as well." Sholmès bluffed. It was not often she got to hear something such a praise, which was ultimately false, but she was grateful nonetheless. Ellis tried to get behind the thief, attempting to make sure he had no escape.

"Oh? My apologies." Lupin seemed to be thoroughly amused before he managed to get around Sholmès. Sholmès had been able to predict Lupin's moves but a guard who had lost sense of direction bumped right into Sholmès, causing him to be distracted for just a second. That one second was enough for Lupin to take advantage of, completing his mission. The thief swiftly snatched the horologium from its stand, making sure a special fabric stayed between his glove and the stone to prevent it from burning straight into his hand. "Well then, it is my time to leave! Thank you for the magnifique audience."

Ellis gasped before speaking. "You are not going anywhere, Lupin!" Her reckless movements and lack of concentration made her an easy target to avoid. She could barely get closer to Lupin before he sprinted off.

"Perhaps we should save the date for later, mademoiselle. Au revoir!" Lupin winked to the utterly baffled Ellis before disappearing into the darkness off the night.

The one thing they had to protect was gone, and she hadn't been able to even touch the man she had to stop. The night had been a failure and left her incredibly frustrated. She hadn't been taken serious for one second by the enemy. Next time she will show what she was capable of doing even if it was nothing when compared to Sholmès abilities.

Sholmès had quickly recovered but Lupin was already gone. Only a sigh managed to leave the man's lips. Meamwhile the smoke had already cleared away. All that was left was a crowd of confused people and the other items that were being presented. The most important one of all, the horologium, was gone.