A/N: Irene now. Quote by John Henry Newman.
Vetis
A demon of hell who corrupts and tempts the holy.
"Evil has no substance of its own, but is only the defect, excess, perversion, or corruption of that which has substance."
Ms. Adler he likes. A self-made woman with no question of morals he can find. Liking her doesn't change anything though, as the reasons he likes her are as much about how fun she'll be to play as they are any form of admiration or interest. Irene is delicious with her curling words sliding off her tongue and a sting coming round to finish the sentence. She has wide and varied appeal, plus expensive tastes that demand regular feeding almost as badly as her clients' desires.
The dominatrix does nicely indeed. Hired in an instant with a splash of cash and a hint of mystery that hooks her as well as he intends it to Sherlock. She is dismissed, kept at a distance because she is a sly one and she will try to weasel things out of him. It would never work, he doesn't think because unlike some he has his priorities straight. No good to play with the help and nowhere near as satisfying as the mission he's sent her on.
What would irk would be the distraction, hers. Irene has to be for Sherlock alone in this; the instrument to measure his vulnerability if it gets to that; the tool of Jim's to touch him invisibly. Irene is silky hard black magic worked on a logical mind and he is going to witness her spell casting with interest. She may be smoke and mirrors, but can Sherlock spot the trick? It could succeed, something he would watch with greed and pity as the great detective succumbs, or it could fail, Irene thrown to the wolves. Like any good plan, it never matters what the outcome is. The distraction is the key and he can't wait to see what he can unlock.
"Do you like men?" he'd asked her.
"No. Does it matter?" she'd said, "Does he like people?"
"No. Does it matter?"
"Probably not," she'd replied with a smirk she didn't bother hiding.
A perfect match. He's correct there, he's certain.
Because Sherlock Holmes likes a challenge. Because Irene Adler does too. Because neither will back down, they stand their ground even as the battle begins.
Body parts barely matter in the face of their tell-tale compatibility. Brains is where it's at. Jim gets it totally, it's why he picks them after all – they have the looks outmatched by their intelligence and they claim to be ruthless, but they still have a heart. He loves to remind them of their weakness, a fitting curse before he strips them to nothingness. The task of making monsters is little understood; let it be an education for at least one of them in the end.
