The Banded Sleuth -  OLD VERSION

A direct approach

You walk up to the Banded Sleuth and look them over, smiling; you do your best to make your intent as clear as possible without being impolite. "You are quite handsome." you start, "If you're free, perhaps I could invite you back to my lodgings?"

"Perhaps, I could use a break." they reply, "A cup of tea, maybe a nap." they give no indication to having caught your meaning.

You sigh, "I want you to destroy me." tact is, evidently, for cowards.

Their eyebrows quirk up, mildly surprised. "...in a fight?" their voice sounds incredulous. You shake your head; they finally grin in response, "But of course."

It is not a gentle evening, but it is certainly a memorable one.

Hedonist is increasing...

Visitors at your doorstep

Who is here? And who will you invite in?

A polite knock

The Banded Sleuth! You haven't seen him in months! There was something between you, once, but his frigid demeanor made you think that he was no longer interested.

Hesitation

You invite him to your home, and offer him tea. He politely accepts, and you spend the next few hours together, discussing things that you have been up to, cases that he has been solving, and practically anything else that comes to mind. For a couple hours, it is almost as if you two haven't spent months away from each other. Months without really communicating past his occasional request for information only you could really find.

And yet, when the candles lie low, when the conversation stops, and when his presence starts to outlast what would be expected of a casual visit, his energy grows nervous. "There is something else I have been working on." his fur is obviously bristling, and his tail is swaying dangerously, "Not a case, no, something a little more personal."

You politely stay quiet, though you gesture him to go on. "You've heard of the newest Master, yes? One Mr. Cards?" Ah, you already know where this is going.

He spends several long minutes explaining every shred of evidence he has found, how he tiredly exhausted every single thread of inquiry, thoroughly interrogated every witness, and called in every possible favor he could. His voice is in a monotone, not unlike how he explains his cases to you when he seeks your counsel, an exceedingly analytical perspective of things. If you were anyone else, you imagine it would be easy to miss how he keeps himself talking past the point where he'd run out of breath, how he watches you for any possible reaction, or how his inquiries clearly show a bias against a particular answer.

But eventually, he stops, takes a deep breath, and fully turns to you. "I remember when we first met." his voice is lower now, "You expressed an interest in me, more than just a work partner, you made it clear then." you imagine that in any other situation, a tiny chuckle would be escaping his throat, "But when I expressed an interest in our acquaintance becoming a longer-term affair, you explicitly told me that it would not last forever."

"Back then, I thought you were being coy. Maybe you were referring to the fact you already have a Spouse - though I have since learned this would never be an issue - or maybe you were referring to the clear difference in our lifespans." There is no emotion behind his eyes when he next speaks, "This is what you meant. You are more than someone keen to change his body - you are Mr. Cards."

You've gained 1 x Whispered Hint.

A Choice

He does not need to hear your confession, he knows his reasoning is ironclad, and he knows there is no other logical explanation for everything he has found. "I wish I could say I feel betrayed." his face moves as if he wants to look away from you, but he is using all of his willpower to keep it still. "But I came to this conclusion over a month ago now, and I've had to spend all time since coming to terms with the fact that you made the right call." "But though I have come to terms with it, I can't say that I accept it." he takes a tentative step towards you, "There is something about you, maybe it's your cunning, maybe it's your kindness, maybe you just left that big of an impression on me when you asked me to destroy you." this time he does let out a chuckle, "But I want this to be more than just a passing fancy, more than a brief footnote in my case journals, more than a work relationship; I care not if it leads to me dying tomorrow or a thousand years from now." He sits, as dignified as he can make himself in this moment. "Of course, this is a two-way street. You are free to refuse me, and you are entitled to your reasons for doing so. I will keep requesting your counsel on cases, and you are free to do with that as you wish. We can be little more than strangers to each other, if you prefer." his eyes glimmer, tears threatening to escape that he holds back with the strength of the world's most stubborn dam, "But I want this."

Accept
It might be a mistake, but what is love, if not a mistake turned into something beautiful?
This will give you The Banded Sleuth, a Spouse that is Watchful, Bizarre and raises your Glasswork skill.

Decline
Perhaps you think he underestimates the danger, perhaps you think he is coming on too strongly, perhaps you are a little bitter due to months of no contact - or perhaps you never really liked him that much.

You explain to him the dangers of being so closely tangled to a Master of the Bazaar, he listens patiently, but this does not dissuade him. You explain that there may be times where your work as Master may interfere with your relationship, but he had already made peace with that. You explain that in only a couple years, he would officially be a widow, and that does not faze him. You explain that he would have to constantly cover his tracks, as you cannot allow anything to connect your current identity to that of Mr. Cards. You are not surprised when he snorts in response.

Finally, you explain that there is one last thing you need to do, and he doesn't move as you excuse yourself to meet your Rubbery Consort. When you explain the situation, it responds by telling you to follow your heart, though it does appreciate that you came to check.

When you return, the Banded Sleuth has barely moved an inch, though his head whips in your direction. His posture, full of anticipation, only relaxes when you invite him to stay long past the wee hours of another memorable evening.

There is no ceremony to speak of; you both agree it would be too risky. Paper trails are kept to a minimum; all the better to protect you both should the need arise. You have to make some hasty changes to your will, so as to avoid any potential problems down the road. Your marriage is largely legal in nature; a single piece of paper, stored in a filing cabinet kept locked by seven keys and sigils of the Correspondence, hidden away such that even other Masters would struggle to find.

In the following days, the reality of your lives comes crashing down; the Sleuth is a busy man, and you are even busier. Whenever he contacts you, it is always professional in nature, and when you are not busy acting as one of the Masters of the Bazaar, you are forced to respond in kind, and always at the end of a long, arduous day of managing your millions of duties.

But though time conspires against you both, and your marriage has to be a hidden thing, your love refuses to be. You cannot help but send longing glances and stop to talk in the rare occasion you meet on the street, always standing closer than most would consider polite. He cannot help but pay you visits whenever he's having trouble on a case, and you always insist that he stay the evening, which he always accepts; nevermind his workload, or the fact the cases he brings to you are largely already solved, or the fact you have other outstanding duties to take care of.

The other Masters' questions start within a week; the rumors start within two; the assassination attempts within three; by the seventh week, you have already lost track of how much trouble this choice has already brought you both. But neither of you have a single regret; if the world will not stop for your love, then you both will have to force it to, together.

All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. That was the promise.

You now have 1 x The Banded Sleuth

Your Scandal has increased to 3 - Brazen!

He comes to your lodgings with yet another case he claims to have trouble solving, nevermind the fact it is clearly already solved. He compliments your tea choice, and you two spend a long time in conversation, as ever.

When he is with you, he is always visibly relaxed, and can't stop himself from smiling. It is a gentle thing, innocent (and sometimes less than such) affections that send your heart aflutter.

Help him with his work
He doesn't need the help, but work might be the only thing that keeps him talking, and you do enjoy hearing his voice.

An exchange of affections
He can't fully break the frigid mask by himself, but you know what lurks behind it, and you'd like to have that tonight.

Quirk Master says: This will raise Magnanimous and lower Heartless.

Another memorable evening
He knows what you will say before you do, he is already grinning in response.

Quirk Master says: This will raise Hedonist.

He continues talking about his current case, and you smile and nod along with each of his observations and deductions. He reaches the final conclusion without fanfare, and you question him on potential holes in his theory. You two engage in a brief but dense discussion about other possibilities, though it is mostly just for show, since you know he is right. He lets out a contented sigh when you are finished, and requests another cup of tea.

He brings out another case, one he's just recently started working on, and you two spend a long time discussing the information you already have. It is not a complicated job, and you manage to find the culprit without ever having to leave the comfortable atmosphere you are both enjoying. The next evening, a letter arrives at your doorstep, thanking you for solving the case so quickly. It seems the Sleuth insisted you have all the praise and payment for this one.

Your watchful hasn't increased because it's higher than 230.
You've gained 2 x Extraordinary Implications (new total 230).
You've gained 1 x Favours: The Church (new total 3).

You politely wait for him to finish before you get up. He looks at you, quirking an eyebrow, but you interrupt his thoughts by sitting on the same couch as him. You wrap one arm around his back and take off his hat with the other, leaving it on the table. Only then does he allow himself to take a deep breath and close his eyes.

He nestles on the crook of your neck without encouragement. He asks about your day, and you feel him breathe steadily as you idly comment on it. He asks if you are well, and you feel his tail curl around you as you answer. He's noticed that you've been stressed, and you know he'd drop everything to help you if you asked him to. You thank him for the concern, and he simply smiles in response.

Your conversation first slows, then quiets, and before long the only sound that reaches your ears is his purring. For this moment, you are the center of each other's world; and when the evening grows dark and you two retire to bed together, you do so in the knowledge that among the darkness of the Neath and the sea of misery that is London, you are each other's port in the storm.

Nothing seems to have changed. But perhaps one day it will.
Magnanimous is increasing...
Heartless is decreasing...

His grin doesn't fade as you two retire to your chambers, and he is more than happy to thoroughly explore every inch of your body. His analytical mind comes in handy here too: he is quick to discover what affections you enjoy, and which ones you aren't comfortable with; and when he grows tired of teasing both you and himself, he is not shy about showing you how dextrous he is with both his fangs and claws.

Afterwards, he makes sure to soothe the worst of your aches, clean whatever needs cleaning, and let you relax and rest against him and the softness of your bed. By the time you wake, he's cooked you breakfast and prepared your clothes for a new day. He has to leave soon, he says, but he makes a point to stay until you've properly eaten and are ready for your duties. When you open the door and bid him farewell, he sneaks in two kisses before you can say anything, and tips his hat to you in goodbye. You are both already looking forward to next time.

You've gained 2 x Stolen Kisses (new total 18)
Hedonist is increasing...
Wounds has increased to 2 - Scratches and Bruises!