[ Sholmes enjoys plenty of adulation from his fans, but their conception of the Great Detective is at least partly fictitious; Iris' retellings grant him a shiny veneer of impeccable genius. The compliments feel hollow.
It's much more potent to hear such gratitude from one of the few people who knows him as a fallible human being—and still appreciates him in spite of it. The warm smile crinkling the corners of Mikotoba's eyes doesn't help; the sight of it tugs the breath from his chest in a soft sigh.
His hand reaches for his glass, and he notes his own instinctive urge to mirror his partner. Like the steps of a dance, he thinks. After he takes a long sip, he sets the glass down, fingers still pinched at the base of the stem. ]
Hah! Teaching all the spirited steps in our Dance of Deduction? I'm flattered. [ He chuckles, then exhales again, deflating to rest his tilted head on his fist. The wine swirling in his glass is already making him melt. ]
Had you stayed in Japan, I've no doubt you would have arrived at the technique yourself. You are endowed with much more insight and imagination than you give yourself credit for, my dear friend.
[ Sholmes' eyes drift from his wine glass to settle languidly on Mikotoba. ] But I'm glad you didn't—stay in Japan, that is. And that fate conspired for the two of us, against rather impossible odds, to meet.
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It's much more potent to hear such gratitude from one of the few people who knows him as a fallible human being—and still appreciates him in spite of it. The warm smile crinkling the corners of Mikotoba's eyes doesn't help; the sight of it tugs the breath from his chest in a soft sigh.
His hand reaches for his glass, and he notes his own instinctive urge to mirror his partner. Like the steps of a dance, he thinks. After he takes a long sip, he sets the glass down, fingers still pinched at the base of the stem. ]
Hah! Teaching all the spirited steps in our Dance of Deduction? I'm flattered. [ He chuckles, then exhales again, deflating to rest his tilted head on his fist. The wine swirling in his glass is already making him melt. ]
Had you stayed in Japan, I've no doubt you would have arrived at the technique yourself. You are endowed with much more insight and imagination than you give yourself credit for, my dear friend.
[ Sholmes' eyes drift from his wine glass to settle languidly on Mikotoba. ] But I'm glad you didn't—stay in Japan, that is. And that fate conspired for the two of us, against rather impossible odds, to meet.