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Maggie had been waiting for Leon for a while now. She wasnt very good at telling the time, but the shadows of the trees had moved a good distance. She sat on a bench, wrapped up in her thick coat, scarf, bobble hat and mittens: all a soft shade of blue. It was cold, but the sun was still in the sky and its rays reflected on her pale, freckled face. Her red hair sprawled out from beneath the woollen hat in coils of knotty curls.
The woman wrung her hands nervously, tapping her foot. Where was he? Surely he hadnt forgotten her!
The air was growing steadily more icy as late afternoon crept in, Colby bracing himself for the cold air with a sharp intake of breath as he stepped out from the warmth of the Academy to the chill of the courtyard. He wrinkled his nose in discomfort; The quicker he could get into town and into the comfort of a cafe the better... His cheeks and the tips of his nose and ears were already turning a fine shade of red. Breathing out a soft sigh, which raised in a gentle cloud of air before him, Colby shoved his gloved hands into his pockets and made his way across the paved stone. He however paused, blinking over at where some small movement had caught his eye; A cascade of scarlet curls teamed with the delicate blue of her matching ensemble informed him clearly who it was. Colby's brow furrowed slightly, as he glanced back towards the Academy doors; He was certain he'd casually looked out of the library window earlier towards the courtyard and had seen the same figure... That had been some time ago. How long had she been stood there? Was she waiting on someone? That someone was either very unfashionably late or not coming at all. He looked back to her; Her pale features were clearly touched with the deep red of cold. What kind of person left a lady out in the icy air like this?
"... Miss.Sherlock, are you waiting on your Watson?" He grinned brightly as he approached. "I don't know about you... But I think they might have stood you up."
The woman was getting scared now. Leon was usually here by now, and all sorts of anxious thoughts were going through her head. If he wasn't here, how would she get home? She didn't drive, and she couldn't take the bus because she would get distracted, and she wasn't very good at counting money out. And she couldn't walk because she didn't know the way.
And if he wasn't there, who would help her make dinner, and help her do her chores and stop her form getting upset if something went wrong. She wrung her mittened hands together, her breath sending puffs of steam up into the air before her.
But someone greeted her. For a fleeting moment she assumed it was Leon. But Leon didn't greet he r like that. Her brief expression of relief faded in a snap, and the girl looked back to her feet.
It was Colby. Even his nickname for her didn't enthuse her. She just wanted to go home and eat some soup and have Leon back. Colbys well meaning words only upset the woman further, and tears began to leak from her frightened eyes. "I... Don't... Know... Where Leon... Is" She stuttered out between heaving breaths, tugging at the pieces of yard which dangled from her scarf
Colby's warm smile was gone with a flinch, slightly startled by her reaction. It was however quickly replaced by a softer, more concerned expression. "Woah there Miss.Detective, there's no need to-" He held both hands up to his chest defensively, before he paused, tilting his head slightly; Leon? He wasn't quite sure who she was talking about, but it was fairly sensible to assume this was who she'd been waiting for. Was Leon the one who he'd often seen her with, the one who supported her? Colby lowered his hands slowly, for a moment stuck like a rabbit in headlights was he mind raced with what to do. He hated seeing anyone cry, and knowing how she was and the fact he may have triggered it with how he approached her made him feel immensely guilty. "... Um. Okay, okay, don't cry, we can sort this. Where did you last see him? Maybe we can find him together?" He offered, his sunny smile slipping back onto his lips as he offered her his hand.
Being closer now, he could see how the icy weather must surely be close to painful rather then just merely uncomfortable; She'd been out here a WHILE. Where WAS this Leon? He surely couldn't have forgotten about her? The idea of this poor, scarlet haired girl left waiting out alone in the freezing courtyard... Was just kinda harrowing. "Hey, we'll be detectives! The case of the missing Leon! So I guess this makes ME your temporary Watson?"
Maggie chewed her lip, which has been paled by the bitter wind. She was clearly very upset and overwhelmed by the situation. She shuffled her feet, kept her teary eyes darting around, chest heaving with every gulp of air that she took between sobs. She pulled up her sleeve and pointed to the little black watch on her wrist.
"Leon said he would be here when the big hand would be on the 2 and the little hand was on the 12." She paused slightly. "But now the big hand is on the 5 and he isn't here" She sent herself into a fresh bout of tears. Colby offered to help, but she couldn't see how. "I'm supposed to be home now and I should have had a shower by now and everything is messed up." Maggie didn't cope very well when her routine was disrupted.
She began to step back and forth, an almost transparent and fuzzy projection of sherlock behind her, though his presence of him didn't calm her. How could she be calm when everything was turning up side down!!
When the offer of his hand seemed to do nothing but make things worse, Colby quickly pulled it back; He was eyeing her with a concerned gaze, one mixed with unease and discomfort at being in an uncomfortable situation he wasn't exactly used to. Another wave of guilt washed over him and he glanced back towards the school, wondering if at this point it would be best for her if he took her to a member of staff... They were trained for this sort of thing, right? He tugged a little at the sleeve of his hoodie, biting the inside of his cheek; He felt worse for just palming her off onto someone else. He flinched again as she swept into a fresh rush of tears.
"Look, Maggie, it's going to be okay, I-" He tried to sound comforting, smiling gently before he paused, having just realised what she'd said; She'd been waiting here for HOURS. What if something had happened to the guy? Surely it was unlikely that someone so devoted to her would just abandon the poor girl in the cold... "We'll find him, okay? We'll find him, see what's up, or we'll find you a teacher-" Again, he found himself pausing, as a rather odd visual caught his eye. He stared, wide eyed at the figure just behind the redhead. WAS THAT... SHERLOCK HOLMES. He darted his eyeline to Maggie, then back to the figure. He blinked rapidly and shook his head. The figure remained, clad in period costume with a look on his face that was almost as though he was judging him. "... Maggie, I-... Um...-" He laughed nervously, gesturing behind her. "... There's... There's a Sherlock... Sherlock um, Holmes, is behind you...?" He had a vague knowledge of her ability, but had never seen it being used.
