A/N: I made a small tweak to the last chapter (27/5/2024) just to change what Sherlock said around the end, nothing major just something that I think fits better. (Changed "Mrs Hudson" to "Nanny"--bc I don't think he's ever called her "Mrs Hudson"--and the "Ever the mother figure" part)
A/N-2: I'm sorry for any spelling errors, I try my best to catch them but I'm more focused on just writting for now
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About half-an-hour went by before Mrs Hudson was seen again, appearing upstairs and going through the disguise chest to dig out a white shirtwaist and a navy blue skirt.
"And where do you think you're going with that, Nanny?" Sherlock remarked, bitting his unlit pipe as he looked at the landlady.
"The girl has no clean clothes and you never repeat a disguise, it's a good thing for the both of you." Mrs Hudson answered, resting the disguise-now-regular-garmets on her forearm like a towel as she closed the chest before heading back downstairs.
Another few minutes went by before Lily came upstairs, sent by Mrs Hudson now that she was clean. Her newly tidy hair was pulled back into a bun and she was wearing the shirtwaist and skirt from the disguise chest as well as her lace-up boots, rinsed and as clean as shoes could get.
"You look stunning." Watson remarked with a small smile, similar to the one he gave Sherlock before the detective's rabbit-hole explanation during Blackwood's case, on his face.
"I'm not one for skirts but thank you." Lily answered, looking at the doctor before down to her skirt as she swayed it a touch.
"I see Nanny's taken good care of you," Sherlock spoke up, looking from a series of papers on his desk to the girl as he tapped his cheek with his still unlit pipe.
"I think Mrs Hudson scrubbed a layer of skin off despite my remark about how I was perfectly capable of washing myself but yes, her care and company didn't go to waste." She replied, looking up at the detective.
"Well, now that you're refreshed we shall begin you with our newest case." He said, moving from his desk to retrieve other press articles. There was no point in wasting time now that Lily was his apprentice.
Watson opened his mouth to add to the conversation only to be interrupted by a squawk, finding it came from the blue-and-yellow macaw Sherlock adopted alongside other animals back during Moriarty's endeavor.
"I can't believe that bird is still around." Watson mumbled, giving the parrot a glare.
"What? I enjoy Icarus's company, not to mention his species lives roughly forty years in the wild." Sherlock remarked in return, looking at the doctor as he held a small stack of papers.
"It's true, they also live double as long as pets." Lily added, approaching the macaw's perch while mimicking his movements.
"Two peas in a pod you and Sherlock are." Watson commented, only getting another squawk from Icarus.
"Three peas." He corrected himself, watching as Lily came up to the bird.
"Don't worry, he doesn't bite." Sherlock said as he watched the girl attempt to interact with Icarus, a small smile on his face as the parrot allowed the girl to pet him.
"Does he talk?" Lily asked, curiosity in her tone as she stroked the macaw.
"He knows one sentence and I find it rather humorous," The detective answered, whistling a few notes to the bird and getting a scratchy "Hello doctor!" from Icarus as a reply.
Lily smiled softly before offering the parrot her forearm, the macaw climbing on once she was close enough.
"What a pretty bird," She remarked, stroking Icarus's feathers as he perched on her arm.
"On the topic of birds may we get back to the case?" Watson spoke up, not getting interrupted this time by the parrot as he steered the conversation back to a more productive topic.
"What do birds have to do with this case?" Lily asked, looking from the macaw to the doctor.
"That's what I'm about to explain, come take a seat." Sherlock answered, gesturing to a seat next to Watson's armchair as he handed her the papers he was holding to shift through.
Once Lily put Icarus back on his perch and sat down Sherlock began, speaking as he paced around the room.
"As of late there's been a handful of robberies around Europe, all of which having a theme; a group of people dressed head-to-toe in black with venetian beak masks covering their faces and a disctint tattoo of a raven on their left forearms. On the topic of corvids the group is known as "The Ravens" according to a victim of one of their recent acts of thievery, the total number of individuals in the group is unknown however what is known is that they have a diverse range of recruits; from trained fighters across several styles to master lockpickers to get-away-drivers with fast carriage horses. From the robberies they've committed so far I have figured out where they're going to strike next; The British Museum here in London. It's receiving a delivery of jewelry in a few days after the sun goes down, the collection's worth thousands and suits what The Ravens have an eye for; the expensive."
"Poetic, an unkindness stealing shiny objects." Lily remarked once the detective was done, a pinch of sarcasm in her tone.
"Prescicly." Sherlock replied, pointing at the girl with his pipe as he stopped in front of her and Watson.
"The plan is to infiltrate the museum, catch The Ravens in the act and save the jewelry." He added, looking between the two who were still seated.
"Easier said than done, the museum will have high security during the night of the delivery." Watson remarked, looking at the detective.
"But that's where you're wrong, mother hen, we won't go during the night. We'll go when it's open and wait until it closes, we'll find a place to hide until The Ravens show themselves." Sherlock answered, smiling a bit as he came close and poked Watson in the chest with his pipe.
"Then I hope you're right about The Ravens's next strike, old cock." The doctor replied, lowering Sherlock's pipe and meeting Sherlock's eyes again.
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28/5/2024
Word count: 1041
A/N (Yes I know, another one): Icarus, the blue-and-yellow macaw, wasn't given a name in the movie so I gave it a name :]
- Sun <3
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RDJ Sherlock Holmes: A Dark Unkindness
FanficThis is pretty much a throwaway account by now so here's a story based on my current hyperfixation :] \/ !!PLEASE READ!! \/ 1) I do not own the majority of the characters in this book. 2) This story takes place after the events of Sherlock Holmes:...
