first case

[solvings]

[Once upon a time...or. Well. Right now, anyway.

There is a knight, whose exploits are well-known across the land. He is a strange knight, owing no allegiance to either king or kingdom, and only taking on quests that he deems interesting. He is well-known, though, for his cunning and skill, and for his keen perception that some people, lamentably, mistakenly refer to as magic. He is one of the most sought-after knights anywhere, though good luck trying to get him to accept your quest.

Perhaps you are one of the people who've sought him out in hopes that he'll accept yours. Perhaps you're on a quest yourself, and you just so happen to bump into him. Perhaps you are a villain, for after all, every fairy tale needs a good old-fashioned villain. Perhaps you are an ally of his. The possibilities are endless.

After all, every fairy tale needs not only a good old-fashioned villain, but a good old-fashioned hero, right?

Too bad Sherlock Holmes isn't the usual sort of hero you'd expect from a fairy tale.]

((OOC: Right, so! Does your fairy tale need a knight? Sir Sherlock Holmes, consulting knight, is here to provide all your knightly needs! Unfortunately he is a very arrogant one who will only take interesting quests, but he gets results. Feel free to stick him in any scenario at all, like a princess rescue or a search for something lost or a quest to kill the evil wizard, anything at all! So long, of course, as it's interesting.

And if you haven't filled it out yet, please fill out the permissions post here!))

Comments

[waterfell]

[She is a knight of a kingdom known for its stern ruler and coldly protective knighthood. They are closed to outsiders, as a rule, and it's something of an unusual phenomenon that this other wandering knight has been summoned there.

There are rumors, as there always are. There are rumors, this time, of strange murders carried out so that no body is left at all. Stranger still, each of the very few eyewitness accounts say that the victim carried an identical crystal; perhaps the motive had been theft, because the crystal was taken each time.

Brooding over these events, Dame Mercury rides down the road, drawing rein only when she spots Sherlock. Travelers are rare these days, and she calls out to him.]

If you're heading towards the city, could it be you're the one we sent for? Sir Sherlock?

[solvings]

[Sir Sherlock stops as well, dismounting his horse and looking the woman over, taking in every detail about her. A knight, then, a wealthy one with an interest in either writing or reading, from the ink on her fingers.

Usually, he wouldn't even think twice about passing by this kingdom. It's closed to outsiders, after all, and before this was about as interesting as one of the knights he occasionally worked with, going by the name of Sir Anderson, which is to say, bo-ring.

But these murders, the ones where the victims' bodies somehow disappear afterwards (he'll have to ask if there's a convenient dumping ground for bodies and if they'd checked for mass graves), where the few eyewitness accounts tell of an identical crystal on each one...well, it's become quite a bit more interesting now.]

Obviously. Dame Mercury, I presume.

[waterfell]

[She nods.] The same.

In that case, I assume you've already reviewed everything we were able to send to you in writing. [Aha, so her skills with pen and her learning were useful in the knighthood.]

Come to the city at once; the gates will be closed once dark falls. No one is allowed in or out without a pass since these murders increased.

[solvings]

It was somewhat helpful. [Said as he mounts his horse again, and starts riding towards the city.]

There are a few details I'm not quite clear on, though.

[waterfell]

I'll answer your questions. We're a few miles from the city here anyway, we can talk as we ride.

[solvings]

Aside from carrying identical jewels on them, what did the victims have in common with each other?

[waterfell]

[This was certainly helping her to organize her own thoughts. The knight frowned as she took glanced downward, thinking.]

They were each entertainers of some fame, jugglers and actors and minstrels. Some think the crystals might have to do with a troubadour group.

[It didn't hold up, though. Why would they have something so valuable?]

[solvings]

[Entertainers, with jewelry valuable enough that someone would kill them and hide their bodies just to obtain them.]

What's the name of this troubadour group, then?

[waterfell]

No one named a name. It's only a guess. Entertainers would be able to get into town and leave without being easily noticed, since they travel often.

[It's a sound theory, but it doesn't help to pinpoint the specifics.]

[solvings]

[He'll figure out the name soon enough, since that troubadour group is now very high on his suspect list. For now, he decides to pursue another line of questioning.]

Speaking of entertainers, I know of very few who have something so valuable that someone would kill them just to obtain it. What's so special about these crystals, then?

[isomorphology]

[ Quorra is far from a damsel in distress. She's a warrior. Her kind might be gone, killed in a war by those that were meant to be allies, but that doesn't bother her at all. She is dressed as any knight would be. Even if she serves no lord. Her lord is gone now, and instead she travels with his son through the lands to shape them into what her lord wanted.

She hops off her horse and heads straight towards the back of the inn, looking for a fire. ]

(( ooc: will fill out that permissions post after sleep! ♥ ))

[solvings]

[Said fire has been started by a serial arsonist who seems to be targeting the family of the inn's owners, specifically, and Sir Sherlock is very sure they're still around, yet he's frustrated. There are so many people with motives, so many people without alibis for each fire, that he can't even begin to narrow it down.

Or at least, he was until this fire. Which he has managed to put out, and is now searching through the remains when Quorra comes by. It takes some time for him to acknowledge her, as he's busy sniffing a piece of burnt wood. He doesn't even look up when he does.]

And I suppose you've been sent here to investigate the serial arsons as well.

[isomorphology]

No... I was just curious.

[ It's not a lie. It caused a ruckus as she tried to pass through town. It couldn't hurt to take a look at it before she moved on. Someone may need help. Her head tilts to the side as she watches him sniff the wood. ]

Are you investigating it?

[solvings]

Of course. Lestrade's forces are out of their depth yet again, it stands that I'd be called in to make up for their incompetence.

[Placing the wood down, then bending down to take out one of those new inventions that magnifies whatever is under it. In this case, it's the remains of what once must have been lovely tapestry.]

[isomorphology]

Lestrade?

[ The name doesn't sound familiar, but it isn't too surprising. She is a foreigner to this place. ]

[solvings]

Duke Lestrade and his merry lot of morons, fools, and idiots. [Scoff.

Then he glances upwards, and a corner of his mouth turns up in a half-smirk.]

I think we've just caught ourselves an arsonist.

[isomorphology]

Oh. A duke. [ Her head tilts. ]

Why wouldn't they be an arsonist? [ Quorra gestures to the burned wood all around them. It seems obvious. ]

[solvings]

He is. Try to keep up.

[isomorphology]

No. I meant it's obvious he's an arsonist. So, there's no point in really saying it.

[theycallhersunshine]

[Alice is a lady. If one were to look at her they could immediately spot her as such and she does very little to hide it. Her dress is, perhaps, not as encumbered as some that one might find in the kingdom but it is finely made nonetheless and she moves with the quiet ease of one who is allowed to go and be wherever she so chooses.]

[What one might consider as odd, however, if they were observing her now, is why she chooses to walk through such an undesirable and, yes, even dangerous part of the kingdom alone. As the sunlight continues to wane.]

[solvings]

[Said undesirable and dangerous part of the kingdom, of course, happens to be where Sherlock is currently getting information on a new case. He happens to have a network of sorts, consisting of peasants, beggars, and people who barely scrape by on a day to day basis. In turn for their information, he gives money and food.

He glances up after one such interaction, sees a young woman walking through the streets. Wealthy, of course, from the way she moves she must have taken up formal dancing, and those cost quite a lot of money. Knows how to bake, how to sew, how to fight, owns a predatory bird...

He doesn't make any effort to approach her. If she wants to see him, she can do that herself.]

[theycallhersunshine]

[Alice watches the people with a clinical stare, though when one happens to meet her eyes she smiles winningly at them. Her gaze skirts the crowd economically until she spots Sherlock and in a moment she whirls about to step forward to meet him.]

You are sir Sherlock, correct?

[solvings]

Obviously enough, yes, I am. I assume you've a quest for me.

[Hopefully this woman's quest is interesting enough.]

[theycallhersunshine]

I don't know if I would necessarily call it a quest. A quest suggests great journey and hopefully you shouldn't require much of that. No, I think that perhaps a better term for it would be a case.

[hasevolved]

[Last time, Violet was dressed as Alice, and she loathed it. This time, she's dressed as a knight, herself, and is grinning. The teenager spots Sherlock on the road, and slows her horse, lifting her chin to nod at him.]

Ah... hey. There's a city in this direction, isn't there?