Entry 29

"What makes you think I want this?"

Shirleigh precariously held the tiara in her hands. Juniper watched anxiously in case it freed itself from her partner's grasp. It would certainly be a shame if such a stunning piece of regalia shattered on the hardwood floors of their less-than-royal living room.

"It's priceless, you know," Ichiro pointed out. "It's the least I can give you for helping me out. Plus, I always thought it'd look nice on you."

Shirleigh thrust the tiara into Juniper's chest and folded her arms.

"Flattery will not get you anywhere, Adler."

Ichiro shrugged.

"Thank you for everything, Shirleigh, really," Ichiro gazed into Shirleigh's eyes and smiled, though there seemed to be a hint of pain behind it. "And you too, Miss Watson. I am so sorry you got caught up in all of this. I hope I can make it up to you someday."

"Oh, there's no need," Juniper clutched the crown in her hands, her attention drawn to the plethora of gemstones set in silver, the blue ones standing out. "I'm just glad we were able to resolve all of this."

Ichiro nodded to himself and turned his gaze to the ground seemingly deep in thought before clapping his hands together.

"Hey, I'm thinking about heading over to the Troxy to put on an impromptu performance to celebrate. Would you two maybe want—"

"No," Shirleigh stated.

Ichiro nodded as though this was the response he had anticipated. In fact, it was the response he had anticipated.

"Alright, guess I'd better be going, then," Ichiro started for the door before turning with a beaming smile. "You both have VIP access for the rest of my shows forever."

Shirleigh cleared her throat drawing her flatmate's attention. She motioned toward the door as it had begun closing and it looked as though Juniper remembered something.

Juniper set the tiara on the mantle of the fireplace and gathered her skirt in her hands to chase after their client.

She trotted down the stairs, brushing past residents heading to their rooms before catching Ichiro at the front entrance.

Hearing the sound of approaching heels, Ichiro turned around to see Juniper standing before him.

"Miss Watson," he turned to face her a slightly perplexed expression across his face."Is something wrong? I'm not sure you should be running about so soon after being discharged..."

"I'm fine, really," Juniper told him. "I was wondering if I could ask you about your arm. I noticed that it's entirely prosthetic. You received it after that...explosion, right? When you infiltrated the palace for the tiara?"

Ichiro nodded, his jaw clenching ever so slightly.

"How did you..." Juniper's throat tightened. "How did you...cope with it? The loss of a limb? The acquirement of something...foreign that's supposed to help you? Does it...make you...angry at all?"

Ichiro's demeanour relaxed as he thought over Juniper's questions.

"It does make me angry," Ichiro started, his eyelids lowered. "Or, rather, it used to. Losing the arm was excruciating, both physically and mentally. While I was in one of the worst mental states during my recovery, losing my arm gave me an appreciation for those who weren't born with one or multiple limbs but kept pressing on. It really gave me a different perspective on life. I am glad to have been living in a time when doctors are able to give people substitutes for missing limbs. Even though I've had it for years now, I'm not completely used to it, but even so, I am glad to have something here at all."

Juniper's gaze turned to the granite flooring, seemingly staring past her reflection.

"It's never easy losing a piece of yourself," Ichiro placed his right hand on Juniper's shoulder, the translucent blue material casting a melancholic glow over her features. "But it does get easier."

Juniper nodded, a few strands falling in front of her eyes.

Ichiro smiled and left out the door.

"Miss Watson," Mr Hudson's voice could be heard from behind. "Is everything alright?"

Juniper turned around and flashed a genuine smile.

"Everything is wonderful, thank you."

»»————-　♔　————-««

Juniper entered the flat and found Shirleigh standing where she left her, ony she was gazing into the looking glass atop the mantlepiece.

Shirleigh held the tiara in her hands before lifting it above her head and placing it upon her chestnut-coloured hair.

"Ichiro was right," Juniper said, and it seemed to have caught her flatmate off guard. "It does look nice on you. It brings out the colour of your eyes."

"It's loud and tasteless is what it is," Shirleigh mumbled before setting the tiara back on the mantle. "Why would anyone ever want a plethora of mismatched gems atop their head?"

Juniper chuckled to herself and made her way over to her chair in front of the fireplace. She winced as she gently lowered herself into the seat, no doubt still feeling some of the residual pain from her most recent procedure.

"Do you need anything?" Shirleigh asked approaching her companion, a hint of urgency in her tone.

"I'm fine," Juniper told her.

Shirleigh silently stood before her flatmate, her eyes gazing intently upon Juniper's presence. Shirleigh drummed her thigh with her fingers but rather than being out of impatience, this time it was out of concern.

Juniper couldn't help but think that perhaps it was worth being stabbed, as silly as it may sound. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have seen how her partner's eyes dimmed and how she bit her lip. She wouldn't have seen the loyalty and perhaps love that lay behind the cold mask she often wore.

"It's nothing, Shirleigh, really," Juniper smiled, knowing that she was in good company.

Shirleigh's demeanour relaxed and she fell into her chair, her long legs stretched out over the rug.

The two sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the evening.

»»————-　♔　————-««

"You're starting a detective agency?"

Juniper clasped her hands together in excitement as Lestrade told her the news.

"Our voices won't be heard at the station," said Lestrade. "So we're taking steps to make them heard. This way we can make a change and still assist those who need help. All without the chief hanging over our heads."

"That is spectacular news! But...'we'...?"

"Oh, Gregson is joining me," Lestrade told her. "It was something we wanted to do together. I feel better knowing that someone else is going to be with me when I start this new chapter."

Juniper smiled to herself.

"Anyhow," Lestrade continued. "I've cleared that little misdemeanour of yours. You really handed it to her, y'know? She was missing a tooth and everything. Are you a fighter?"

Shirleigh looked up from examining her bruised knuckles and shrugged before studying them again.

"Hm. Well, we've finished the paperwork that was needed to send her to a mental health institute back in Japan since she wasn't in her right mind when committing the stabbings. I felt that sending her to prison wasn't quite the right choice. If anything else comes up or someone tries to give you trouble, you come to me, alright? Gregson and I still have a week left before we're officially out of here."

"Will do!" Juniper said. "Thank you so much for everything!"

"Oh, and before I forget, there's someone who wants to talk to you down at the station. Some Greek interpreter or something. Other than that, I'm sure I'll see you two sooner than later."

Lestrade waved as she left the flat.

Juniper joyfully bounced on her toes. She was excited to hear the news about Lestrade and Gregson's future agency. She couldn't help but think to herself how they seemed to work really well together and was anticipating the cases they would solve and all of the people they would help.

What she had failed to realise was the fact that she was doing that very thing with Shirleigh, but maybe it's something one doesn't realise in the moment.

"I wonder who this 'Greek interpreter' is," Juniper wondered. "Would you like to head down to the station?"

"Go on without me," Shirleigh replied, crossing her legs.

"Huh?"

"Go on without me," Shirleigh repeated not moving from her spot in front of the fireplace.

"I heard you the first time," Juniper said. "But why?"

"I have to figure out what I am to do with this heap of jewels on my mantelpiece."

"You're still on about that, huh?"

Shirleigh planted her hands on her hips and tilted her head to one side, then the other. It somewhat pained Juniper to hear her companion speak down on such an important piece of regalia.

"You could keep it," Juniper suggested, her voice carrying mischief.

Shirleigh turned to her partner, an inquisitive eyebrow raised.

"I mean, you could keep it as a memento," Juniper added quickly. "I noticed when I was looking at the mantel the other night, you seemed to have held onto something notable from each case you have solved thus far. I think it would make a nice addition to the collection."

Shirleigh turned back to the fireplace and hummed in thought. She had not realised this herself and began to wonder if she should keep the tiara.

"I am surprised, really."

Juniper glanced up from the folder in her hands.

"I thought you would be against holding onto something such as this," Shirleigh continued. "Not only does it belong to a royal family in another country, but it was lifted from a princess by a covert agent."

"Whose to say she didn't give it to him?" Juniper pondered.

"With each passing moment, I find myself wanting this thing less and less."

Juniper giggled to herself and gazed silently at her partner. What Ichiro had told her a few days ago reemerged. She wondered what the two were like during their time together and what caused them to separate. During their conversations, it appeared as though Shirleigh wished not to speak of the past, but Ichiro clearly still admired her.

"Something seems to be on your mind."

Shirleigh realised that her companion had never left the room and turned to face her. As she gazed upon her partner's head, she could see the various shades of red and orange that made up her locks of hair. There were few moments when Shirleigh had taken the time to actually view her partner, but when she did, she noticed just how charming she was, from her short stature to her warm skin. Simply being in her presence was enough to bring Shirleigh down to Earth when she felt she was alone. Which was a bit ironic given that solitude was what she longed for. Perhaps she wanted to be alone with someone else... If that made any sense.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Juniper looked around for her satchel. "I should probably hurry and head over to the station, huh?

Shirleigh quietly watched as Juniper left the flat, a familiar introspective look crossed her face after the door closed.

»»————-　♔　————-««

"You are Miss Niki Melas, I'm told?"

Juniper approached the young woman in the waiting room and extended a hand.

"I am Juniper Watson. I am usually with Shirleigh Holmes, whom you more than likely expected to see. Unfortunately, she is busy at the moment, so I'm afraid it is just me for the time being."

"That is totally okay!" The woman rose from her seat. A black cropped sweater hung off her shoulders and a denim skirt was held up by a studded belt with a buckle resembling the moon. Fishnets covered her legs and the pumps she wore gave her a few inches of extra height. Even without them, she would have been taller than Juniper. Everyone was taller than Juniper. The woman's baseball cap matched her skirt and covered the top of her short blonde bob. The necklace she wore took after the image of olive branches and her earrings, wings. Her look was clearly inspired by Y2K fashion trends and Juniper found it fascinating. "You help Shirleigh solve cases, so I don't mind!"

Juniper smiled sheepishly.

"Please, tell me about your case," Juniper told her. "I will be sure to relay everything you tell me to Miss Holmes."

Niki Melas nodded and began her story.

"As you know, my name is Niki Melas. I am an interpreter and marriage officiant from Greece and have wed people from my country in multiple locations around the world. As you can probably tell, my work has recently brought me to wed a couple here in England. A woman named Henrietta Latimer and a man named Stephanos Angelopoulos. Stephanos is from Greece and I was informed of his wedding by his sister Katerina. She and her brother speak very little English, that's why they asked me to be the one to officiate their wedding. They were expected to marry yesterday afternoon in Derbyshire if it weren't for one thing."

"Which was?" Juniper inquired in suspense.

"The groom never showed."

"He never showed?"

Niki shook her head.

"Well," Juniper placed a hand on her chin in thought. "I have always heard of people acquiring wedding day jitters. Perhaps he was overwhelmed by anxiety and decided to stay home?"

"His sister contacted me the same day saying that she had received a cryptic letter leading her to believe that he had gone missing. That and she had no luck reaching him after the fact."

"Another missing persons case..." Juniper mumbled to herself, recalling the last missing person they were fortunate to save. "How long has it been exactly?"

"About 18 hours," Niki answered, confident in her response.

Juniper had taken copious notes during their conversation as she usually did when it came to information she received during cases. She felt the more information she wrote down, the more beneficial it would be to Shirleigh as she often found clues in what would seem to be the most mundane of statements.

"Thank you, Miss Melas," said Juniper, rising from her seat. "I will make sure that you and Mr Angelopoulos receive Miss Holmes' assistance."

»»————-　♔　————-««

"What on Earth are you doing?

Juniper had entered the flat and found her partner lying face down on the worktable, everything that was previously on the table scattered on the ground.

"I am in a predicament, Watson," Shirleigh stated, her words muffled.

"And that would be...?"

Shirleigh rolled over, knocking more flasks and instruments onto the ground and exhaled heavily.

"I am unable to help you if you do not tell me what it is that's bothering you," Juniper stated, making her way to her place in front of the hearth.

"Now that I have had time to myself, I have noticed a pain..."

"A pain?" Juniper urgently turned to her partner. "Where? How bad is it? Do you require my assistance?"

There was a brief silence.

"I am afraid it is more of an internal ache than an external injury."

Juniper's eyebrows knitted together as she attempted to decipher her companion's words.

"Ever since Moriarty's...demise..." Shirleigh began. "I have not quite felt like...myself..."

Juniper's expression relaxed but turned into one of concern. She removed herself from her armchair and instead pulled up one of the wooden ones that were usually situated at the worktable and faced her friend's direction.

Shirleigh, now lying face up, stared at the ceiling lost in an ocean of thoughts.

"It's alright to feel that way," said Juniper, giving her full undivided attention. "I have honestly felt the same way since then. We weren't acquainted for long, but it felt as though I lost someone really close to me..."

"..."

"You don't have to, but talking about how you feel may help," Juniper suggested. "It never does any good to keep strong emotions bottled up inside."

"I..." Shirleigh started, then paused to choose her next words. "I feel as though the way I have been feeling has been affecting my recent work. Much like other emotions, it has been hindering my logical faculties."

"Is that why you rarely express emotion?"

"It is part of the reason," Shirleigh admitted, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the table, now facing her partner. She crossed her arms. "As I have told you before, love and other strong emotions affect one's ability to think logically. I am not entirely sure, however, why I do not feel other certain emotions."

"Well, we don't need to have all the answers at once," Juniper told her friend, a warm smile on her face. "As long as we are together, I will do my absolute best to listen to whatever troubles you."

Shirleigh gazed into Juniper's viridescent eyes and placed her hands on the tabletop on either side of her.

"Learning to properly express your emotions can be a crucial step in learning how to manage them, especially when you are working. Are you able to recall a time when you felt a strong emotion and how you expressed it?"

Shirleigh didn't have to think hard for the most recent case they had solved immediately came to mind. She recalled how she felt an immense surge of anger when she stood off against Princess Natsuki. She recalled what she had done to the one who sat across from her and how it caused her to act in a way she more than likely wouldn't have if Juniper hadn't been harmed. She recalled that she felt relieved after taking out her aggression and avenged not only her partner but others who were victims of the princess' actions.

Shirleigh turned her attention to the ground and kicked her legs. She nodded in response to Juniper's inquiry.

"Okay, how did you feel after expressing your emotions?"

Shirleigh's eyebrows drew together.

"Think about it," Juniper rose from her seat. "And in the meantime, here are the notes on Miss Melas' case."

Shirleigh received the notebook from her companion, but for once her mind was not immediately drawn to the details of the case, instead, she was endeavouring in a form of self-reflection.