[ Sholmes relaxes as he lays flowers back in the tiefling's basket, admiring some of the blooms as he does so. ] Then you have caught me in a lie: you must know that humans can be dreadful brutes, and our bites are wildly infectious. Fortunately, you'll find that I am properly civilized, and was broken of my biting habit by the time I was five years of age.

[ Once the flowers are seen to, he stands and dusts off his hands with a sharp sigh. ] Rest assured, my dear, the interruption is quite welcome. I've encountered a rather difficult part of my work, you see, and even the fish are of little help.