"The Great Mouse Detective"

Seeing Basil.. again.

{221 1/2 Baker Street}

{Florence's POV}

After a walk that lasted around 30 minutes, Dawson knocked on the door as I stood next to the girl. Our umbrellas were closed and the small girl was holding my dress. She was cold to the touch..

A woman opened the door, she wore a blue dress with a white apron and what looked to be a hair net or bonnet of some kind, she had circle rimmed glasses. She had a spectrum of things in her hands, ranging from papers to file folders to a medical mace. All too familiar.. Dawson takes off his hat and holds it to his chest, "Good evening, Madam. Is this the residence of.. Basil of Baker Street?" The woman sighs, "I'm afraid it is. He's not here at the moment, but you're welcome to come in and wait."

"Oh, I- I don't mean to impose. I- It's just, the girl.." He motions to an empty space next to me and I chuckle as we look inside the house and see the little girl looking through a magnifying glass. She was sitting in the exact same chair Basil sat in when we'd see each other before..

The woman, who I've known for years as Mrs. Judson, gives me and Dawson everything in her hands, "Oh my! You poor dear!" She rushes over to the little girl and takes her hat off her head, "You must be chilled to the bone!" She wrings the hat and after the drops of water fall onto the floor, she takes the girl's scarf. "Oh, but I know just the thing. Let me fetch you a pot of tea and some of my fresh cheese crumpets!"

After she goes into the kitchen, I look around the place from where I'm standing. A small propeller is operating a bellow, and there's a lot of cigarettes and cigars on it, there's even his signature pipe on there. They're all puffing, as I figured they would. I look at a desk, there's a paintbrush doused in black paint as three or four different types of shoes are being turned in a circular motion and leaving marks on different sheets of paper.

As the little girl keeps looking around the room, I put down everything Mrs. Judson gave me right as I hear something.. Footsteps, and.. An oddly familiar voice. The door swings open, and it's then that I realize who this is.

"Ah-ha! The villain's slipped this time! I shall have him!" Thunder rumbles as lightning strikes and Dawson looks on at the man in front of him in shock. The 'stranger' in question appears to be a gray mouse with red Chinese robes and a long mustache. He had a gun in his hand, I think that's what made Dawson startled. I can already tell that this is not what he looks like, though..

Dawson watches as he runs past him shouting "Out of my way! Out of my way!" And tossing his hat back at Dawson. "I say, who-" he gets cut off when the hat lands on his head. He removes the hat and speaks up again. "Who are you?"

"What?" He pauses and turns towards Dawson. "Oh!" He takes off his mask, revealing a familiar face..

"Basil of Baker Street, my good fellow."

As Dawson stares at him confusedly, Basil smiles at him. That smile.. That face, that voice, that.. Everything. I remember that one. That was my way of life at one point. He was my way of life.

The sound of him pulling a string on his costume and the whole thing deflating brought me back to my senses again. This whole interaction seemed to surprise Dawson at every turn. I noticed that he seemed slightly taller than the last time I'd seen him...

The girl, on the contrary, was relieved to see him and tried to approach him. "Mr. Basil! I need your help, and I-" "All in good time." Basil says, interrupting her, much to Dawson's dismay. He takes out a dart from on a dartboard, puts on a dark purple robe, and tosses it back at the dartboard as the girl tries to talk to him again, sounding more desperate for a response this time, "B- But, you don't understand! I'm in terrible trouble..!" Of course, Basil being Basil, he ignores her pleas again, "If you'll excuse me," He walks past her as she sighs heavily. I was still mesmerized by the fact he'd gotten a bullseye.. Only for a moment, however!