Sherlock: His Enigma Called A

Shy

"Hello, A."

"H-Hello, Sherlock," She replied. He had obviously spooked her, "You found me sooner than I expected."

"Of course I did. I'm a consulting detective. That's what I do on a daily basis," He smirked as she blushed even more, "Shall I continue to call you A?"

"N-No."

"Then pray tell, what are the other letters to your name?"

It took a second before she calmed down enough to reply, "Adelaide Cavanagh." Sherlock committed it to his mind palace and to the room he'd developed for "A". Then he took her in.

The first thing to stand out, besides hwr short stature and feminine figure, was Adelaide's eyes. Hers were almond-shaped, bright baby blues- intelligent and expressive. Not gray like his or dark like Mary's. They looked slightly larger because of her glasses. The thick frame was dark and made from sturdy metal- with the lenses shaped into rectangles that complemented her rounder, feminine facial structure. While the spectacles where meant to hold up, they didn't appear clunky or nerdy on her.

Adelaide had wavy gold blonde hair with darker brown undertones that was currently held up in a high ponytail. The curly tip of it came down to her shoulders. She had very fair skin to match, though calloused on her hands and fingers from her work. There were a few faint scars on her arms and hands from where she'd had encounters with clawed animals before.

She wore a simple dark gray pantsuit with a crisp light blue blouse and short blazer, unbuttoned. She also wore orthotic black flats. Not working with many animals today. Sherlock was pulled from his deductions when she finally spoke up again,"Um... Are you deducing me now?"

"Of course I am, Adelaide. I deduce everyone."

"Oh. Well, could we get into the office and then you can continue your deductions? I have to get this filed." She asked softly while gesturing to her clipboard of papers. Nervous that she could seem rude and upset me. Shy, despite our acquaintanceship.

"Of course." She turned back around to unlock the door and then pulled it open. He followed her in and cast his eyes over the room. It was a cross between an office and a small lab- with four square spaces with desks and cabinets in the corners of the room. There was a sizeable fishtank on the wall opposite the door with several brightly colored African Cichlids.

Adelaide walked to the cubicle directly to their left, turning on the lights on her way, "Everyone else is out in the garden today," She commented as she sat down in her chair and signed into her computer before looking back up, "Would you-"

"I'm perfectly fine standing."

"... Alright then." Sherlock resumed his deductions and Adelaide timidly looked back down to focus on her paperwork.

"Wildlife Biologist or Zoologist?"

"Zoologist."

He hummed, "You specialize in Ornithology and Herpetology?"

"Y-Yes."

He tilted his head a bit, "You needn't be so nervous."

"Sorry-"

"Why are you apologizing?" Sherlock quickly noted how flustered she was getting. There was more than his questioning her that was making her skittish, so he backed off a bit and decided to change tactics, "You have pets?"

"How did you figure that out?"

"Animal lovers tend to have pets. You're a zoologist so it would be logical that you would have a few non-human companions."

"I do have a couple."

"Do tell."

"Two cats."

"Logical, given that you travel." She nodded.

"Yes. They're fine home alone, which is why I have cats and not a bird at the moment."

"I see," He tutted and continued deducing her, "Interesting."

"What is?"

"You're shy... because of your glasses?"

"I was going to put in my contacts..."

"I would have noticed and asked to see your glasses anyway. They... suit you." She smiled the tiniest bit, although still shyly.

"Thanks."

Sherlock ended up taking a chair anyway and rattling off his deductions to her as she filled in the gaps. It pleased him to see how amazed and impressed she was with his gift. When they looked at the time again, two hours had passed. Sherlock blinked at the numbers. For being so introverted, she's... remarkably easy to talk to. I didn't think I'd stay this long.

He finally opened his phone and saw several missed calls and texts from Lestrade and John, "Do you need to head out for a case?" She asked as he looked over the messages.

Sherlock shook his head, "No. None of these are level seven anyway. My consulting is not required."

"You grade the difficulty of each case?"

"Yes. Helps me figure out which ones are worth my time."

"Oh..." He replied to John, not wanting to worry his best friend.

None of those cases are interesting. Busy. -SH

He looked back at Adelaide, "They don't want me when I'm there but when I'm not they're screaming for my help."

Adelaide chuckled, "That happens a lot with geniuses." At that, one corner of his lips quirked up. I think I'll be seeing more of her from now on. She's an excellent distraction and nobody can bother me here.

Thank you for reading!!