Title: Pin a Blue Ribbon
Author mafief
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (ACD)
Rating: G
Length: 1255
Content notes: None apply
Summary:
"Well, I was thinking. Now that I have come to know you better, I doubt that you can easily hide from me when disguised."

"I highly doubt that."



Blame our competitive nature or we would be home enjoying a drink and a pipe instead of being at this masquerade ball. A wealthy client invited us and normally I disregard these invitations as swiftly as they arrive. Too often have former clients tried to thank me in this manner for retrieving some sort of priceless trinket. I do not enjoy the attention of being totted around like some prized poodle only to dodge matchmaking from eager suitors determined to relieve me of my bachelor lifestyle. Despite all of this, I was standing by the curtains that night, with the other wallflowers, trying not to crush the blue ribbon in my hand.

Let me explain, for like Watson, I have started in the middle of the story and not at the beginning. Two weeks prior, Watson found the opened invitation that I forgot to incinerate and remarked, "Are you planning on attending?"

I scoffed and kept my focus on the common book I was pasting news clippings into.

"Well, I was thinking. Now that I have come to know you better, I doubt that you can easily hide from me when disguised."

"I highly doubt that."

"Why do you think that?"

"Watson, you see but you do not observe. Besides, if our roles were reversed, I could easily find you despite the added benefit of years of intimate acquaintance."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. I have been a diligent student, not only of your deductive methods, but your techniques for concealment."

Watson was standing, arms crossed and the invitation still in his hands. One does not wound Watson's pride and get away with it.

Setting down my paste brush, I looked up at him. "How do you propose to solve our dilemma?"

"We attend the ball." He simply stated.

We attend the ball. Watson proposed making a competition of it to see if he could detect me and I him. Arrival and departure were synchronized to not give the other an advantage. Once there, we were to find one another, but not announce our presence to the other. Instead, we were to attach a bit of blue ribbon to mark to who we thought was the other.

I had not seen Watson since the evening before. Ergo, not that this is a difficult deduction, he was staying at his club and preparing for the event there. The purpose could only be to give either of us an advantage.

Since my arrival at the ball, I've seen twelve in modern military outfits and another three, including myself, in medical related uniforms. Investigation of each one resulted in males that were either too young, too old, too short, or too tall and not Watson. So, he is either in hiding or did not dress as a former or current occupation.

The heat in the room was becoming unbearable, thus I escaped the pining wallflowers to the balcony and regrouped my thoughts. The chilly night air was a welcome jolt to my system. I breathed it in deep which was remarkably difficult in the beaked mask. I tucked the blue ribbon into a fold in my plague doctor's robes and turned to see the hostess approach me.

"And you sir, are?" Said the hostess who was shrouded in delicate gold and white to give her outfit a ethereal and airy feel to aid her butterfly theme.

"Sherlock Holmes, thank you for the invite Lady Kenward."

"Splendid! I am honored that you came. I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Watson earlier and he said you were in attendance."

Now was my chance, our rules made no mention or exclusion of outside help. Mind you, I do not require this sort of help but short cuts are valuable and I will use them to my advantage. "I seem to have misplaced the good doctor, can you direct me to where you last saw him?"

"I left him talking with Miss White. She is on the hunt for a husband this season, let me tell you. She is wearing a brilliant green dress that reminds me of a dragonfly. She calls it her husband-catching-gown, can you believe it? There he is! Can you see him over there by the Mrs Clarke?"

I gave her my thanks and set out to locate Watson. The area she directed me was densely packed with richly garbed guests. Then I heard it- his unmistakable laugh. In my mind, I could see the way his mirth lit up his face into the most priceless expression. When he laughed again, I zeroed in on that wonderful sound. His full mask was minimally decorated with a golden crest framing the upper portion giving him a saintly halo. The rest of him was clad in a red toga and on his shoulder there was an eagle symbol. His one arm held a book while the other was free to gesticulate.

I made my way to Watson, minding myself to always keep behind his back, and attached the ribbon to the folds of his toga. Putting a little distance between us, I found myself in a dilemma of where to go for the remainder of our designated time. Standing in my escape route was Miss White in that green dress and she was eagerly scanning the crowd. Her target, apparently, was me for she instantly gave me a carefully constructed smile.

"Mr. Holmes! I am so glad I found you. You will have to forgive me, but I needed to ask Lady Kenward to identify you for me." She sighed, batting her eyes at me. "One of the many troubles of making connections at a masquerade ball."

I was thus engaged in conversation with Mrs. White. Her voice carried through the hall attracting others that wished to meet me which alerting far too much attention to my person. I quickly made an excuse for my departure for, thankfully, it was my designated time to leave. I examined my outer robes before leaving and spotted a blue ribbon tucked into a fold. Unable to stop a side of my mouth from sliding upwards, I returned to Baker Street.

The flat was still dark and, evidently, I beat Watson home. Turning up the gas, I turned my attention to changing in my room while I contemplated when Watson attached the ribbon. Once finished, I emerged twirling the ribbon between my fingers and found Watson, no longer in his toga, pouring a drink for himself.

"Care for a drink?"

I nodded before I said, "Saint?"

"John the apostle, who is the patron saint of love, loyalty, friendships, and authors."

Taking my seat, I said "Fitting" before continuing, for I could stand it no longer, "Did you tag me before or after I was caught by Mrs. White?"

Watson handed me the drink and went to sit in his chair. "During. Mrs. White was thrilled to add to my cause and desired to help in any way that she could. She had been keeping an eye out for you already and had help from our hostess. She is a very inventive and determined woman."

"You had help!" I accused.

"I wouldn't say that. I was using the situation to my advantage while not breaking our predetermined rules. You?"

"After I was caught by Lady Kenward and she pointed me in your direction. Your laugh gave you away."

"And you accused me of using help when you were no better!"

"I was, as you said, using my situation to the best advantage."