Chapter Two

As she walked down the street, she noted that the sun was out again today, the temperature a little warmer than the day before. This was why, as she had left the hotel she had stayed at the night before, she hadn't bothered to do up her jacket, exposing her corset covered torso.

Today her corset was still a dark one, but the centre had a lace covered strip of dark red material running from the bottom getting wider at the bust so that it came to meet the two black PVC shoulder straps, silver buckles glinting in the evening light. She also wore her choker today, a strap of black velvet with a cold metal work in celtic swirls, an icy blue stone set in the center, a thin chain falling down with a darker blue crystal droplet hanging off of it, resting against the dip between her collar bones. The same pair of black boots as the day before and a clean pair of faded black skinny jeans completed the look.

As she approached the glossy black door, she saw a cab pull up, seeing Sherlock Holmes get out and hand the driver some money. She waited for him, putting down her suitcase which she had brought with her, handbag over her shoulder, hands holding the chain once more.

As Sherlock got out of the cab, he spotted his potential new flatmate waiting on the pavement for him. He strode forward offering a hand for her to take. "Miss Ash." He welcomed.

"Mr Holmes." She smiled, shaking his hand firmly. Sherlock noted a second tattoo; a snake, the thin body of which twisted around her middle finger three times, the tip of the tail resting against the edge of a plain, but long, manicured nail. The head of the animal was a little bit larger than the diameter of a ten pence piece, showing detailed snake skin and the eyes of the creature. It was a rather nice design, if a little strange. "And please, call me Aven."

"Then call me Sherlock." He retorted with a small grin.

Aven Ash was different from most others, he had concluded. He didn't quite know how he had come to think it, but he decided that with her around, things would probably be just that little less boring.

She just smirked, leaning down to pick up her case. "Shall we then, Sherlock?"

"Indeed." He replied, going over to the door, knocking thrice before turning back to see her watching him. The eye he could see glinted a dark yet somehow bright green that was bordering on teal. "The landlady - Mrs Hudson - was able to get me a special rate."

"Let me guess; you helped her out a few years back." She stated, a knowing look in her visible eye.

"Yes." He said. At least she can connect things and form a valid conclusion, unlike most, he thought. "Her husband got himself sentenced to death in Florida. I helped her out a bit."

"He can't have treated her very well…" She replied, voice fading a little towards the end. She, of course, knew exactly what he was talking about. Sherlock frowned at her however. He hadn't mentioned anything about helping the man's life end a little sooner, anyone else would think that he helped free the man. Just as he was about to ask her about her reply though, the door opened, revealing a purple clothed and beaming Mrs Hudson.

"Sherlock!" She said happily, taking him in a hug. As she stepped back to let them in, she took one look at Aven, eyes widening slightly at her strange and unusual appearance. "Who's this then, Sherlock?"

Aven didn't mind the look she received from the other woman, knowing she wasn't very good at first impressions. She just flashed her friendliest smile, giving a small wave. "Aven Ash, possible flatmate."

"Ah!" Said Mrs Hudson, turning to the stairs at the side of the shadowy hallway. "This way then. There's a living room and kitchen, both in good nick, with a decent sized bathroom and a couple of bedrooms upstairs, if you'll be needing two." The lead them to the living room in question, Sherlock taking off his coat and scarf as he went.

Aven pretended to think about it for a second, Sherlock shooting her a curious glance as they went into the living room. "Hmm…I think we'll probably be needing that second room, Mrs Hudson." She said, turning to the woman, and winking in a joking manner.

Mrs Hudson only grinned at the younger woman, finding she was in fact perfectly friendly, trying to make an attempt to tidy the place up a little bit, Sherlock's boxes and possessions strewn all over the nice living room. "Oh, don't worry dear!" She said, going along with the young woman for the fun of it. "There's all sorts round here. Mrs Turner's son next door even has himself a husband! Lovely couple they are too."

Aven just chuckled, setting down her suitcase by the door. She hooked her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans, looking around the place. "Well, this is certainly very nice."

"Yes." Sherlock agreed. "That's what I thought, so I decided to just go ahead and move in."

"I can see that." She replied and he looked up to meet her eye. He noticed it was much lighter than it was three minuets ago. Too much of a change to be the light though, he thought. He was about to ask her about it but Mrs Hudson interrupted once more.

"Sherlock! The mess you've made!" She shouted from the kitchen, having found his science equipment. Aven just smiled as she went to sit in a chair, crossing her legs, taking off her jacket as she went. Sherlock glanced to her as she did so, seeing her toned arms, a flawless pale cream, a little bit of muscle pushing through the skin. He tried to see the underside of her left wrist, but it was pressed lightly against the arm of the chair, hiding the still unknown ink.

Ignoring the comment from Mrs Hudson, Aven struck up a conversation, watching Sherlock potter around the living room, putting away books and other random things. However, she didn't say her thoughts, something else catching her attention. "Is that a skull?"

He looked up, glancing to the mantle. "A friend of mine. Well…" He revised. "I say friend."

She just smirked, going back to her thoughts. "I looked you up on the internet last night."

He raised an eyebrow, the topic catching a little more of his attention. "Find anything interesting?"

"The Science of Deduction." She told him, smiling slightly. He found himself at a loss as to why though. Maybe she's just happy, he pondered, though the deduction didn't seem quite right. "Impressive, if a little…astounding."

"Don't believe it?" He asked, used to people underestimating his abilities at first.

She went a little on the defensive then. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I mean no offence. I just find it a little unlikely that you can tell so much about a person just by looking at them." She felt a little hypocritical saying it though, considering her own experiences. Proof of thought would be nice though, she thought.

Sherlock just looked at her. "You believe I can do it, though."

She smirked. As she did so though, what he saw made his eyes widen a fraction - a movement she didn't miss, knowing he had seen the change.

The change itself was a small one, not noticeable to most, but she felt it, and he saw it. A bright blue crept into the bright green of her single visible eye, mixing with the bright green, creating a mischievous, yet calm and knowing deep sea blue, laced with sea green.

Sherlock decided to wait and see if anything else happened to the young woman's eyes before making any enquiries about the happening, though that didn't stop his mind trying to understand what happened. He was pulled from his racing thoughts by two little words, possibly a couple of his favourite.

"Prove it."