(Open POV)
'It's coming!' Holmes' cry pierced through the thick wall of fog around us. Wisps of vapour flowed over the pistol as I cocked it, and I waited breathlessly in the stillness. The silence lasted for what seemed an eternity until, at last, it appeared. From the shadows of the cloud, an enormous beast sprang out upon us. A hound it was, but not such a hound as any mortal has ever seen. Its eyes glowed with a smouldering glare, the whole of its ox-sized body was outlined in white-hot flames. Its rumbling pant and hideous howl... So terrified was I that I began to tremble with fear. 'Look well, Watson!' Holmes declared, gazing upon the mystical beast. 'For this! This is the diabolical Hound of the Baskervilles!'
"Our first two months in London passed by in a flash. In that disconcerting courtroom experience we were first thrown into on the day we arrived in the country... ...and in Soseki-san's terrible ordeal that had followed closely behind, we had emerged victorious. However... ...there then came an abrupt end to our opportunities to appear in court. Which was hardly surprising, of course... ...since I was nothing more than an amateur, an unknown student of law from a faraway land. So life in our little office was very quiet. That is... ...until it was shattered one day, by that fateful telegram…" Ryunosuke said, as a voiceover.
(Jared's POV)
15th April, 9:13 a.m.
Naruhodo's Legal Consultancy…
*Knock knock knock*
"That morning... ...I was woken by the unreserved knocking on the door by the telegram boy. But after he'd gone... ...Susato-san's and Jared's behaviour became very obviously strange." Ryunosuke said, as a voiceover.
"Um...Susato-san? Jared?" Ryunosuke asked.
"Yes! Is it time to leave for court already? Let me see... What case is it today?" Susato asked.
"I...don't think I'm scheduled to defend anyone at the moment, am I?"
"Oh! No, of course not. How silly of me." Susato said, laughing a little.
"But I think Iris said she would make us breakfast this morning. So shall we go down to Mr Holmes's suite?"
"Yes! Iris makes the most delicious breakfast food."
"She does, doesn't she?"
"She really does." I said, happily. "I may not have Miku or Shirabe, but Iris is a good chef."
"Agreed. And once our bellies are full, we can leave for court in fighting fit form! Let me see... What case is it today?" Susato asked.
"Don't know. It's better than having a potato dwarf cook." I said, while Ryunosuke thought this to himself. 'Here we go again…'
"I mean, Strax is a good butler. A chef. Not so much." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.
"So...what was it about? The telegram that was delivered this morning, I mean." Ryunosuke said, looking between Susato and I.
"Oh! A, a telegram? ...I don't know what you're talking about!" Susato said, worried.
"Same. What telegram?" I asked, pacing back and forth around the room.
"..." Ryunosuke said.
"..." Susato said.
"Sorry, Sustato-san, but you and Jared are not going to get away with that."
"Well! ...we didn't think we would! ... Actually, um... ...don't give it a moment's thought! It's...nothing. Nothing interesting. ...Boring, in fact! ...Ahem. It was just a boring old telegram!"
"It really was. " I said, as Ryunosuke thought this to himself. '...That's three times now that they've tried and failed to convince me it was nothing.'
"... I promise that we'll tell you about it at some point." Susato said.
"Yeah. We will. Promise." I said, smiling.
"...Alright, I understand." Ryunosuke said, sadly. "I suppose Soseki-san will have arrived back in Japan by now, won't he?"
"Yes, I should think so. He left immediately after that terrible ordeal... ...which would mean he should have completed the voyage already, or be just a few days away." Susato said, frowning.
"A fortnight ago we had that very long telegram from him, do you remember? Complaining of seasickness. But by and large, it seems the voyage has been going well. ..." Ryunosuke said, letting out a sigh.
"Is something wrong, Naruhodo-san?"
"I was just wondering...what might have become of Soseki-san had he stayed in London, that's all."
"You mean...as regards Lord van Zieks? The Reaper?" Susato asked.
"Yes. I can't help wondering if seasickness would have paled into insignificance in that case…" Ryunosuke said.
"Well, Soseki was a roommate to Priscilla Leale and her sister Elizabeth Leale. They cared about him." I said, looking down at the floor. "Despite the Reaper speeding things up a little."
"What is it they say? That no one who stands in the dock can be saved from the Reaper...right?" Ryunosuke asked, and he thought this to himself. 'Like the way that nightmarish trial ended on the very day we arrived in London…'
"Even two months on, the cause of that dreadful fire is still a mystery." Susato said.
"Yes, but at least Soseki-san is safely out of the country now. Presumably that means…" Ryunosuke said.
"...That the curse of the Reaper can only take effect within the confines of the city of London perhaps?"
"Even if that's the case, it's little comfort. I have a terrible sense of foreboding."
"If the legend of the Reaper is to be believed, it would mean he wields the sword of justice himself."
"Come to think of it, I wonder what he's been up to these past two months. Surely...not wielding that sword against more acquitted defendants…"
"No, I don't think so. Apparently, Lord Van Zieks hasn't appeared in court once since our last encounter."
"Oh?" Ryunosuke asked.
"Yes, since Soseki-san's trial. He's...withdrawn from judicial service again, it seems." Susato said.
"Really?" Ryunosuke asked, while he thought this to himself. 'Just like before...when he wasn't seen in court at all for several years.' He then spoke aloud. "So, it's just been me who's had to face him in his recent spate of trials, then? Ugh...just my luck."
"... I wonder if luck doesn't come into it." Susato said, sadly.
"Either that or skill." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.
"Sorry? What was that?" Ryunosuke asked, looking between Susato and I.
"Oh... Nothing. Never mind." Susato said, frowning.
"It's really nothing." I said, looking down at the floor. "Come on, breakfast time."
15th April
Holmes's Suite…
"Morning, Runo! Morning, Susie! Morning, Jared!" Iris chirped.
"Good morning, Iris!" Susato said, excitedly.
"Morning Iris." I said, walking over to the dining table.
"Um...Iris…" Ryunosuke said, sadly.
"What is it, Runo?" Iris asked.
"What is that terrible noise? It sounds like a cat being strangled."
"Ah, yes... You noticed that, did you? Hurley isn't in the best form this morning, it seems."
"Hello…" Holmes said.
"Hello...Mr Holmes." Susato said, frowning.
"G-Good morning." Ryunosuke said.
"... A good morning to die perhaps…" Holmes said, letting out a sigh.
"...Has something happened, Mr Holmes? You look miserable, and...the way you were playing the violin before…"
"Hmph. My analytical mind is dead. Music is dead. The world...is dead. Damn this blanched existence! ...That's all it is, my dear fellow. Nothing of consequence."
"I'm afraid I don't understand." Susato said.
"Well, Iris? Isn't it time we ate? Some dry toast and insipid coffee for me...if it's not too much trouble." Holmes said.
"Miaow…" Wagahai said.
"Oh look, it's Wagahai." Ryunosuke said.
"Good morning, boy." Susato said, happily.
"Good morning." I said, petting Wagahai.
"Miaow." Wagahai said, walking through the cat flap.
"..." Ryunosuke said, as he thought this to himself. 'That must be some sort of tiny door for cats to use. But how did it get there?'
"Well then, everyone, time for breakfast!" Iris cheered.
"Oh, wonderful! Let me help you, Iris." Susato said, walking away with Iris.
"Ugh...it would indeed be a fine day to die…" Holmes said, annoyed.
'Ah, I knew something looked different... Something's missing from Mr Holmes's desk.' Ryunosuke said, and he thought this to himself before speaking aloud. "Look at Mr Holmes's desk. It's completely clear." He then thought this to himself. 'Isn't that enormous machine usually on it?'
"We can never hope to understand what goes on in the great detective's mind, Mr Naruhodo. Why, next time we're invited, we may find he's vacated the entire suite!" Susato cooed.
"Sherlock leaving Baker Street? England would fall. It already did due to Mrs Hudson leaving it for a vacation." I said, while Ryunosuke thought this to himself. 'That's scarily plausible, actually…'
"You seem to be very unhappy this morning, Mr Holmes. What's happened?" Ryunosuke asked.
"... ...It used to be the case...that in my hands... ...this violin sung like the dawn chorus. Its mellisonant tones would make flowers bloom." Holmes said, looking over at the violin.
"It would?" Ryunosuke asked.
"But now...the Muses are unamused with me. The goddesses of music have thrown me over."
"Whatever do you mean, Mr Holmes?" Susato asked.
"For hours, I have bowed. For days, even. Through the night I have endeavoured, to no avail. That sound...my tone...is lost. That brilliant, clear, unwavering tone...gone forever! No more recitals of unbridled emotion!" Holmes yelled.
"Well, you haven't been practising much lately, have you, Hurley?" Iris asked.
"He hasn't. One of my favorite songs of his was Irene Adler's theme." I said, picking up my cup of coffee. "Irene Adler meant a lot to Sherlock. She was 'The Woman'."
"Don't worry, I'm sure it will come back to you in time." Ryunosuke said, looking at Holmes.
"Heed my words, Mr Naruhodo. The goddesses of the arts are fickle. One day they bestow genius on a man, the next they unmercifully withdraw it." Holmes said.
"Oh...dear."
"Argh! Why is this happening to me?! If they take the turn I have for the violin from me, what is left, for pity's safe? What is left?!"
"..." Ryunosuke said, as he thought this to himself. '...Um, deduction perhaps? Isn't that what you're known for?'
"It's not deductions, Ryunosuke." I said, and I am sipping my cup of coffee. "If this Sherlock is anything like mine. He's emotional."
"Mr Holmes...I don't like to pry, but... ...your desk looks rather empty today." Susato said, looking over at Holmes' desk to see a missing machine.
"Ah...well done, Miss Susato. Your observational skills do you credit." Holmes said.
"Oh, no, Mr Holmes. They pale into insignificance when compared to yours."
"Your deductions are still spot on, Sherlock." I said, and Ryunosuke thought this to himself. 'You'd struggle not to notice, wouldn't you?'
"You mean Hurley's Great Analytiscope? That's at Windibank's now." Iris said.
"Sorry? It's at a windy bank?" Ryunosuke asked.
"No, Windibank's! The pawnbrokery!"
"Pawn...? WHAAAT?!" Susato exclaimed.
"You mean you've pawned that enormous machine of yours?" Ryunosuke asked.
"...It has some considerable value, you see. Quite undeservingly." Holmes said.
"But! ...Isn't it a very important machine for your work? I do wish you had consulted us if, if your situation had become so desperate. I should have gladly passed what little income I have to you." Susato said.
"...Dear madam, things are far from desperate."
"But, but the pawnbroker has your wonderful machine! How can it be anything but desperate?"
"...Making use of a pawnbrokery is quite ordinary here in London, I assure you."
"It is? It doesn't sound ordinary at all." Ryunosuke said.
"It would seem that neither of you fully understand how pawnbroking works." Holmes said.
"Oh…" Ryunosuke siad, while he thought this to himself. 'What's to understand exactly?'
"I leave my things in the TARDIS." I said, happily. "She has the space for it. Plus if I leave anything behind here from my time, it would cause anachronisms."
"Um, what did you mean when you said we didn't fully understand how pawnbroking works?" Ryunosuke asked.
"To the people of London, pawnbrokeries are akin to banks." Holmes said.
"Banks?" Susato asked.
"On Mondays, merchants relinquish their finest jackets and trappings to their pawnbroker of choice. With the money they receive in return, they are able to trade happily through the week."
"And then on Saturdays, they go to recover their things using the money they've earnt." Iris said.
"I had no idea! This has been a fascinating lesson for us!" Susato cheered.
"Everyone does it, you see. Especially people in Inner London."
"And should they have money to spare, they would purchase another fine jacket. Not to wear, obviously. But to pawn, should the need arise." Holmes said.
"Oh! How ingenious!" Susato said, excitedly.
"So whenever we have something that's getting in the way, we leave it at Windibank's, you see." Iris said.
"A pawnbrokery can be thought of as an extremely secure vault." Holmes said.
"Yup." I said, and Ryunosuke thought this to himself. 'Who would have thought that even pawnbrokers are different here in Great Britain?'
"Of course, you have to watch Hurley with it. Sometimes he pawns things he really shouldn't. ...Don't you, Hurley?" Iris asked.
"... What does it matter? The world is dead to me now…" Holmes said, letting out a sigh.
MIIIAAOWWW!
"Oh! What was that?" Susato asked.
"Wagahai?" Ryunosuke asked.
*Clatter clatter* *Screeeeeech...*
"..." Susato said.
"What was that?" Holmes asked.
"Oh no! Wagahai's tangled up in your violin!" Iris cried.
"I think he thinks it's a toy!" Susato said, worried.
"No!" Ryunosuke said, while he thought this to himself. 'What's he doing to it?!'
"Crap." I said, munching on some chocolate croissants. "This isn't good."
"Oh dear... Mr Holmes's precious violin…" Susato said, frowning.
"...Why should I care?" Holmes asked.
"What?" Ryunosuke asked.
"I shouldn't be surprised... ...if the cat is a more accomplished musician than I now."
"...Mr Holmes really is in poor spirits, isn't he?" Susato asked.
"Well anyway, I'll put it back where it lives, shall I, Hurley?" Iris asked, placing the violin back onto the stand.
"Out of the cat's reach, if possible." Ryunosuke said, as he thought this to himself. 'Maybe we should assess the damage…'
"This is Sherlock's. No matter the time period." I said, standing up from my chair to walk over to Sherlock's violin and pick it up. "Back home, it would cost him £9.8 million."
"So this is the violin, is it?" Ryunosuke asked, looking at the violin.
"It's a Stradivarius. One of the finest violins in the world, made by the renowned Italian luthier, Antonio Stradivari." Holmes said.
"Oh, I, I see…" Ryunosuke said, and he thought this to himself. 'It...doesn't really look like anything special to me.'
"I happened upon it covered in dust, languishing in a pawn shop down a nondescript back alley. The broker had no idea of its value, so I was able to purchase it for a mere fifty-five shillings."
"Which makes sense in this time period." I said, while Ryunosuke thought this to himself. '...How honourable of you.'
"And, until today, it has been my faithful companion in every great Paganini-inspired performance I have made! I ask you, is there reason to live in a world devoid of music? To tolerate this blanched existence? ...No! There is none!" Holmes said, angrily.
"... Um, Mr Holmes…" Susato said, letting out a sigh.
"What, dear madam, what?! My thoughts are preoccupied with fancies of release from this dull routine!"
"Well, it's about the violin. It looks...very different to normal, don't you think?"
"Hm?"
"What do you mean, Miss Susato?" Ryunosuke asked.
"Oh! Susie's right! Yes... The tone of the wood is completely different!" Iris said, terrified.
"And that's not all! I'm sure there was no crack here before!" Susato cried.
"Wait! It's...not even the right size, is it?" Ryunosuke asked.
"What's this...?" Holmes asked, looking at the viola.
"... I'm terribly sorry to have to tell you this, Mr Holmes, but... ...that instrument isn't a violin at all." Susato said.
"Then, what...?!"
"I believe... ...it's an entirely different instrument, called a 'viola'!"
"Wha...wha...wha... WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Holmes exclaimed.
"Oh, Mr Holmes! Are you alright?" Susato asked.
"You're right! You are quite right! This isn't my faithful Stradivarius! So what, pray, is this piece of stringed flotsam?!"
"Sayaka would love this." I said, as Ryunosuke thought this to himself. 'Not your faithful performing partner, then?'
"Ah, I see what must have happened." Iris said.
"You do, Iris?" Ryunosuke asked.
"This is just a simple mix-up."
'It sounds like Iris might be able to tell us exactly what's happened if we ask her.' Ryunosuke said, thinking that to himself, before speaking aloud. "What did you mean by a mix-up, Iris?"
"Well, you see, this violin- Sorry, this viola, I mean... ...was at Windibank's until last week." Iris said.
"At...at the pawnbroker's?" Susato asked.
"Not Mr Holmes's beloved musical partner!" Ryunosuke said, angrily.
"There is a proverb from the East with which you are no doubt familiar, my dear fellows: 'Always let a beloved child travel.'" Holmes said.
"Yes, indeed." Susato said.
"So you sent your beloved violin to the pawnbroker's in the hope that it would experience personal growth?" Ryunosuke asked.
"Oh, what a wonderful idea!" Susato cooed.
"Last week I pawned my Great Analytiscope in order to release my precious instrument. But it would appear Mr Windibank mistakenly furnished me with this tawdry fiddle instead. But my ears cannot be deceived by the hollow timbre of this piece of timber!" Holmes yelled.
"...No, but your every sense was deceived by the fact that it just had strings." Ryunosuke said.
"Pshaw, a fine state of affairs this is! And why I always say, Mr Naruhodo: Never trust a pawnbroker! They will try to fiddle you every time!"
"But earlier you told us that you could think of a pawnbrokery as 'an extremely secure vault'..." Susato said, sadly.
"Come, Mr Naruhodo! Dilly-dallying will get you nowhere!"
"Sorry?" Ryunosuke asked.
"Crunching your toast with that vacant aspect... Fressing your coffee so obtusely... Are you not a little embarrassed by your own conduct, considering the urgency with which we are faced?" Holmes asked.
"We must visit Mr Windibank's brokery at once! That's right, isn't it, Mr Holmes?" Susato asked.
"Precisely, Miss Susato. Without a moment's delay!"
"But, but I haven't finished my bacon and eggs…" Ryunosuke said, letting out a sigh.
"My dear fellow! Surely you do not still intend... ...to crunch your bacon with an increasingly vacant aspect? To fress your egg ever more obtusely?" Holmes asked.
"Alright, alright, say no more! Let's go then."
"Don't worry, Runo, I'd be happy to heat it up for you again later." Iris said, happily.
"Oh, thank you, Iris." Ryunosuke said, and he thought this to himself. 'As it happens, I am rather curious to see what a British pawnbroker's looks like.'
15th April
Windibank's Pawnbrokery…
"So this...is a British pawnbrokery…" Ryunosuke said, in awe.
"Oh my! There are all sorts of tools and contraptions in here that I've never laid eyes on before!" Susato chirped.
'Ah, Susato-san...and that spark of wonder in your eyes. You can't wait to scour the shelves, can you?' Ryunosuke asked, thinking that to himself, before speaking aloud. "I get the impression you enjoy places like this?"
"Oh yes! I don't know why, but seeing such a lot of things I don't understand is a real thrill for me!"
"All of time and space." I said, smiling.
"What?" Susato asked.
"Something to add to your bucket list."
"My dear fellows...let us not forget why we are here." Holmes said.
"Oh! Mr Holmes!" Susato said, worried.
"We are calling on matters of business, not pleasure."
"That is true." I said, while Ryunosuke thought this to himself. 'And clearly Mr Holmes means business, too, judging from the spark of fury in HIS eyes.'
"Ah, Mr Holmes, sir! Welcome back!" Windibank said, excitedly.
"...Did you hear that brazen welcome?" Holmes asked.
"Well, yes. We are potential customers, after all." Ryunosuke said.
"We are disgruntled customers, Mr Naruhodo. And it's time to inform Mr Windibank of our ire. Come! The fight is afoot!" Holmes yelled, running over to his violin and showed a picture of his violin. "Naturally, you will recall this...which I retrieved from you some days ago."
"Yeees." Windiback said.
"This second-rate fiddle is not my faithful instrument, Mr Windibank! The colour of the wood is different! It has holes in it! It's not even the same size!"
"A wonderful summary of our observations, Mr Holmes." Susato said.
"... I'm, I'm sooo very sorry, sir! How utterly unforgivable of me! An inexcusable mistake for a pawnbroker! There is only one way to make amends... I shall have to take my own life!" Windibank said, taking out a gun and aimed it at his head.
"... I...don't think that will be necessary, do you?" Holmes asked.
"If I may just say one thing, before I...pop off…"
"Ah. Yes?"
"It was you, sir, Mr Holmes, who took it upon himself to remove the item the other day...I believe…"
"Sorry?"
"As I recall, I entered the storeroom to fetch your violin, when I heard, 'Ah, here it is!'"
"You did?"
"And when I turned to controvert you, you had taken the viola and left, sir."
"..."
"Oh, Sherlock." I said, rolling my eyes. "Of course you took the wrong musical instrument."
"However! There can be no doubt that the blame lies firmly at my own door for allowing you to leave. So I shall not grumble or grouse any longer. May this guilt die with me!" Windibank said, terrified.
"No no no! Stop, my dear fellow! The fault is mine!" Holmes said, worried.
"... Phew."
"...It would appear that the 'fight' is over." Susato said.
"Yeah." I said, happily. "It is."
"I do humbly apologise, Mr Windibank. Evidently my questionable disposition precipitated this tragedy." Holmes said.
"Well, you wouldn't be Mr Sherlock Holmes without that... questionable disposition now, would you?" Windiback asked.
"Haha, I do believe you may be right, sir. Ah ha ha ha ha hah!" Holmes said, laughing a lot.
"...It's either laugh or cry, I suppose." Ryunosuke said.
"You are, it must be said, one of my more challenging customers. I needn't remind you of the peculiar collection of items you've brought through my door in the past." Windibank said.
"Oh? Peculiar items?" Susato asked.
"In the extreme, ma'am. For example... ...the unpublished manuscript of an eponymous work. 'The Novels of Sherlock Holmes' or some such."
"Oh my! A new, full-fledged novel?! And, unpublished?! A story I have yet to read, you mean?!"
"AAAAAAGH! Forgive me!"
"Wait! Before you die! You must tell me more!" Susato cried. "I must know more! Tell me everything!"
"Right. I forgot the story is unpublished." I said, and Ryunosuke thought this to himself. 'Wow, Susato-san is really fired up now.'
"Is there really an, an unpublished story...under this very roof?!" Susato exclaimed.
"Well, one day the gentlemen here brought in an old metal chest, you see." Windibank said.
Flashback…
"We should like to entrust this to your care for a while, Mr Windibank." Holmes said, holding up a chest containing a manuscript of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'.
"I can't bring it with me." I said, looking down at the chest. "Not to the future at least. It would cause an anachronism. Considering a version of this adventure already happened in the future. And it was written to the masses there in public."
"Hm...for a chest like that...one shilling, sir. Not a farthing more." Windibank said, looking at the chest.
"It houses something of very great value indeed. The latest manuscript...recounting the adventures of one Mr Sherlock Holmes!" Holmes said.
"I beg your pardon?! A manuscript?! You and your friend wish to deposit a manuscript?"
"Yup." I said, happily. "We do."
"Indeed we do. For we are confident it will be quite safe here." Holmes said, smiling.
Windibank's Pawnbrokery…
"And that was that. As such, Mr Holmes's latest tale of otherworldly mystery lies dormant in my storeroom." Windibank said.
"Mr Holmes! Jared! Is that really true?!" Ryunosuke exclaimed, looking between Holmes and I.
"..." Holmes said.
"Um…" I said, as Ryunosuke thought this to himself. '...Do I sense that some people don't want to talk about this?'
"I continue to pay your fee, do I not? Then kindly continue to store my belongings...securely." Holmes said.
"Of course, sir, of course! They're safe and sound with me, I assure you. ...On my life!" Windibank said, worried.
'This is all very strange…' Ryunosuke said, thinking that to himself, before speaking aloud. "I wonder, could I ask you something?"
"Ah, a gentleman from the East, I see. Yes, that sable suit... I suppose I could offer you sixpence for it. Without wishing to offend, the tone is somewhat...dull." Windibank said, looking at Ryunosuke.
"Sorry?" Ryunosuke asked.
"Ah-ha! But for your splendid attire, ma'am...five guineas, no less! The colours are exquisite! The design, exotic! Eastern artistry at its finest, may I say!" Windibank said, looking at Susato.
"Oh my! Five guineas, you say? How interesting!" Susato said.
"That's only a pound and five cents." I said, sadly.
'...Why do I feel as though I've suffered some sort of defeat here?' Ryunosuke said, thinking that to himself, before speaking aloud. "Actually, I was hoping to ask you about your business. I've heard it said that pawnbrokeries are used rather like banks here in London."
"Yes, sir, indeed. Many of my customers utilise the establishment as you describe. I appraise their items, and offer them a proportionate loan and two months of secure stowage. If, in that time, they repay the original sum to me plus the agreed interest, their items are happily returned." Windibank said.
"But what happens if they don't pay you the money?" Susato asked.
"Then the items are offered for sale in my shop. As you can see on the shelves behind me." Windibank said, motioning to the shelves.
"So you never sell items before the two months has passed, then?"
"That's right, ma'am, that's right! Which means some considerable responsibility rests on my shoulders. Should a customer's precious belongings be lost, the only recompense is for me to end it all!"
"The very idea, Mr Windibank, is an absurdity. One should never talk of one's demise so casually." Holmes said.
"Hypocrite." I said, and Ryunosuke thought this to himself. '...Says the man who was telling us all it was a good day to die only this morning.'
"And let us not forget that I have already helped you take measures to ensure such a tragedy never occurs." Holmes said.
"Oh, what sort of measures?" Ryunosuke asked.
"I engineered a simple device, which Mr Windibank has installed here in his shop." Holmes said, leading us to a camera. "I call it...the Red-Handed Recorder! Is that not so, Mr Windibank?"
"...Haaahhh." Windibank said, letting out a sigh.
'What was that deep sigh about?' Ryunosuke asked, thinking that to himself, before speaking aloud. "What on earth is a 'Red-Handed Recorder'?"
"Use your eyes, my dear fellow. There are two just below the ceiling." Holmes said.
"I...can see what appears to be a camera attached to some sort of timing device." Susato said.
"Very astute! It is indeed a camera, furnished with some hundred pieces of celluloid film. And every thirty minutes precisely, the camera automatically records the appearance of the shop."
"Here, I have an example I can show you…" Windibank said, taking out a printed photo.
"Ah yes, a print from the camera set to record the activity at the shop counter. I developed a special type of film so sensitive, it produces a crystal-clear image even in darkness." Holmes said.
"Really? That's...extraordinary." Ryunosuke said, at a loss for words.
"Yes, you can clearly see the counter and the door behind it, look." Susato said, booking down at the photo.
"So you see, were someone to enter the premises with ill intent, his identity would be summarily exposed." Holmes said.
"But...did you not say that the photographic prints were taken at thirty-minute intervals?"
"Indeed, as you say, my dear madam."
"Then what if the incident were to occur in between times?"
"One could only say...that would be a cruel twist of fate!"
"This is the predecessor to security cameras." I said, smiling.
"Security cameras?" Susato asked.
"Yeah. They're cameras that record things in real time. Audio of the room and the pictures move. They won't become commonplace until the 1970s."
"I see."
"Hmmm... I must confess your devices have been giving me some cause for distress of late." Windibank said, looking at Holmes.
"I beg your pardon, Mr Windibank? Surely they are anything but distressing. Reassuring is the word!" Holmes said, angrily.
"It's the cost of the film, sir. You most graciously placed not one, but two cameras in my shop, after all. Which means I must pay for nigh on one hundred utterly useless prints every single day. I'm afraid the cost of the film will break me before I'm very much older."
"... Nevertheless, a small price to pay to ensure the safety of my preferred pawnbrokery, no? My dear fellows! We verge on an age where safety and security come at a price."
"Oh! Heaven help us!" Windibank said, looking at Holmes. "Now then, Mr Holmes, allow me to return your precious violin."
"Ah, the very thing! Thank you, Mr Windibank." Holmes said.
"Perhaps this might mark the end of the peculiar items you try to pop, hm? Because if anything were to happen to one of them... ...this would be the only answer!" Windibank said, waving his gun around.
"Um, I really think you ought to stop waving that gun around. Someone could get hurt." Ryunosuke said, frowning.
"Fear not!"
"Sorry?"
"I've only loaded a single bullet, so no one but myself could possibly be harmed!"
"Right…" I said, while Ryunosuke thought this to himself. 'That's...not really what I meant.'
"Good day to you then, Mr Windibank." Holmes said.
"It's been a pleasure with your friend as always, Mr Holmes!" Windibank said, walking away from us.
"So, Mr Naruhodo, Jared! Now we can explore at last!" Susato cheered.
"Yup." I said, walking over to the brown machine on the left side of the room. "We can."
"Look at this! What could this lovely, big, shiny box be?" Susato asked, looking at the brown machine on the left side of the room.
"That, my dear madam, is a music box. Surely you have such things in your own country?" Holmes asked.
"Oh my! Yes, but I've certainly never seen one so large before!" Susato said, in awe.
"Shall we listen a while?" Holmes asked.
"It's a music box." I said, while music is coming out of the box.
"Ah...what a sublime sound... It's like the music of angels." Susato said, at a loss for words.
"I've never heard anything like it before in my life." Ryunosuke said.
"This particular specimen is of the larger variety, commonly found in public houses and restaurants. There is a metal disk inside on which the notes to be played are recorded. Simply by replacing the disk with another, any music you care to imagine can be played." Holmes said.
"My goodness! What a simply delightful machine!" Susato cheered.
"Indeed. Though their popularity has waned recently with the development of the gramophone, of course."
"Haaah... Science and technology advance at such an overwhelming pace…" Susato said, walking away from the music box and over to some shelves. "What an assortment of things there are on these shelves here. Crockery, footwear, clocks and watches... Almost anything you care to imagine!"
"Those are forfeited items, offered for sale by the pawnbroker." Holmes said.
"What does that really mean, though?" Ryunosuke asked.
"When you pawn - or colloquially 'pop' - an item, the broker loans you money against its worth. He stores the item for an agreed period of time, after which the loan must be repaid. If not... ...he is free to display it in his shop for sale, at a price of his choosing."
"Oh yes. Now you've explained it, I'm noticing little price tags on everything."
"Of course, simply by paying the agreed interest on the loan, one can extend the period of safekeeping. So you may pawn that black garb of yours without fear, my dear fellow."
"It's like a rental service." I said, happily. "You could let someone rent your uniform for someone to wear it."
"My treasured university uniform? Never! It embodies my student spirit!" Ryunosuke cried.
"That's a shame." I said, walking to the brown machine on the right.
"Now what do you suppose this rather enormous machine does?" Susato asked, looking at the brown machine on the right.
"It...seems to have two little windows for looking through." Ryunosuke said.
"Allow me to enlighten you, my dear fellows. What you are looking at is a stereoscope." Holmes said.
"A stereosc... Fascinating!" Susato said, excitedly.
"It is aptly named, I assure you. Look through the eyepieces and see for yourself."
"Oh, I should be delighted to! Excuse me a moment, while I just have a look…" Susato said, picking up the stereoscope.
"Just before you do, there is something I should point out. My dear fellows... In order to see the image properly - stereoscopically, as it were - you will need to be cross-eyed. However, if that is beyond you, it is of little consequence today."
"Alright then, I'm going to try it." Susato said, placing the stereoscope near her face. "AAAAAAAAAH!!! Mr Naruhodo! You must see! At once!"
"Oh, al-alright then… So, I need to be cross-eyed. Like I'm trying to look at my own nose..." Ryunosuke said, grabbing the stereoscope from Susato and placing it near his face. "...What the...?! I, I don't believe it! It's just a photographic print, but...it seems like you could reach out and touch it!"
"Yes, the sense of depth is startling, is it not? Stereoscopes are one of London's many fads. They are often found in little stalls in the park. People queue for hours to see them." Holmes said, smirking.
"They're basically 3D glasses." I said, happily. "They'll be associated with films starting with the 1950s to 1960s."
"Why?! Why are people meddling with such black magic?!" Susato exclaimed.
"It is no magic, my dear madam. It is...well... ...far too complicated to explain at present. We shall save this lesson for another day." Holmes said.
"Oh…" Susato said, grabbing the stereoscope from Ryunosuke and putting it down in its spot. "Jared, are these things predecessors to things from the future?"
"Yeah." I said, walking away from the stereoscope and towards a machine in the foreground of the room.
"Look at this! Whatever could it be used for?" Susato asked, looking at the machine in the foreground.
"Um... Erm... I have no idea." Ryunosuke said, letting out a sigh.
"...Ah. There's a small catch just here, look."
"... ...We're going to open it, aren't we?" Ryunosuke asked, opening the machine.
"Oh my! That's amazing! It has some sort of spring-loaded mechanism!" Susato said, worried.
"Yup." I said, while Ryunosuke thought this to himself. '...Which we'll never manage to put back to the way it was before.'
"Hm? What are you three doing?" Holmes asked.
"What? Us? Nothing! No no, nothing at all!" Ryunosuke said, as he thought this to himself. 'Whatever this device is, it seems to have a pair of little windows to look through. I feel as though I've seen something rather similar to this elsewhere…'
"This is pretty global." I said, looking at the globes outside the door.
"It isn't funny." Susato said, looking at the globes outside the door. "Three globes of gold... Is that some sort of charm?"
"Dear me, have you not seen that sign before?" Holmes asked.
"No, never." Ryunosuke said.
"The three golden balls are, in Great Britain at least, the universal sign of a pawnbrokery. There are more than seven hundred such establishments in the capital, all showing this same sign."
"Oh, I see."
"Haah... I had not imagined your ignorance was so profound."
"Oh... Well, what is the significance of the three golden balls then? Does it have some special meaning?" Susato asked.
"... That is entirely unimportant here, dear madam. Irrelevant, even." Holmes said.
"Don't know." I said, and Ryunosuke thought this to himself. '...You mean you don't know.'
"That's not a calendar you could easily miss, is it?" Ryunosuke asked, walking away from the door and over to a calendar. '15th April... Today's date.'
"Yes, that's not for sale, I must point out. It is an Eastern-style page-a-day calendar. Every night at midnight, I tear off the front page to reveal the following day's date." Windibank said.
"The perfect calendar for a tearaway fellow such as yourself, Mr Windibank." Holmes said.
"Yup." I said, while Ryunosuke thought this to himself. '...And who was it who walked out of here with the wrong violin before?'
"Well, when the agreed storage period has passed without repayment, articles are forfeited, you see. So I have to keep a close eye on the date. It's something of a pawnbroker's obsession, you might say." Windibank said.
"Oh yes. I can see you're very dedicated to your job." Susato said, as Windibank walked away from us and back to the counter.
"Pawn shops are okay. Prefer flea markets. Those are more community based." I said, looking down at the floor.
"Wot?! Only tuppence for it? That ain't fair, and you know it!" Gina yelled.
"That article is barely worth a penny, miss. I cannot offer more." Windibank said.
"Oh boy…" I said, as Ryunosuke thought this to himself. 'Sounds like there's an argument brewing over by the counter.'
"Come on, that can't be right! 'Ave you even 'ad a proper butcher's at it?" Gina asked.
"I've seen all I need to see, young girl!" Windibank said, angrily.
"Wait, don't we know...?" Ryunosuke asked, and he thought this to himself. 'I'm sure I recognise her.'
"Oh! Yes! It's the young lady...from Mr McGilded's trial two months ago!" Susato said, worried.
Flashback…
"Her name is Gina Lestrade, My Lord. She's a chancer. Earns her crust among large crowds, relievin' people of their purses. What's commonly called a pickpocket." McGilded said.