Sherlock (BBC)
Sherlock sees everything but Mendu sees more. The eagle watches all the small things Sherlock does not and cannot perceive. His human eyes can only see how humans react, how human feel but she can see how dæmons move, the Dust that joins them to their humans, what their form represents.
She likes watching Corazon most of all. The Dust that floats around the wolf is brighter than normal and seems to float around John in a cloud, rather than a string. Sometimes, very rarely, the Dust extends and wraps around Sherlock, just briefly. Mendu has to smile at that.
Cora and Mendu often meet when their humans are sleeping. Well, when John sleeps and Sherlock refuses to move. The two animals don't say a word, merely stay stationary, eagle resting on wolf's back. Since Moriarty, this happens more often and the two cling closer together, refusing to let go.
Mendu, if she focuses, can show Sherlock what she sees and they join facts together to get the truth. Sometimes, if they are both focusing completely, they can see the form of a now gone dæmon. It's difficult but helps a huge amount in most cases.
The eagle, whenever Sherlock gets into a fight, will fly above him, watching the opponent. A second's weakness, a momentary break and she swoops down, catching their dæmons in her claws, no matter their size. Sherlock has not lost a fight since she settled.
They work together and he couldn't do it without her.
John shudders as he is pushed out to face Sherlock. He sees the other man's eyes flash in denial, then betrayal, then confusion. Sherlock doesn't understand. Then Sherlock notices Corazon's absence and worry replaces any emotion.
'Evening. This is a turn up, isn't it Sherlock.'
He speaks in a deadpan voice because emotions require Cora and Cora isn't there.
'John. What the hell-'
'Bet you never saw this coming.' He reveals the explosive. 'What would you like me to have him say next?'
His voice is shuddering as he says the rest of the words, as Sherlock paces, trying to find the man controlling him. Mendu is swooping the pool, looking for Cora.
Then he walks out. Moriarty and his spider dæmon. With Cora, on a leash.
Mendu shrieks and dives at them but more lights on John's chest make her spin away, towards the two men. She lands on John's shoulder, not even looking at Sherlock.
As Moriarty is talking, he bends down, running a hand through Cora's fur. John tenses, hating the feeling but cannot move. If he moves, the whole place blows up.
When he grabs Moriarty, he makes sure his fingers brush the spider, the same way Jim's hand is grazing Cora's ear. When he lets go, Cora is released and the two cling to each other.
When Moriarty leaves, and the explosive is gone, Mendu's back on his shoulder and Sherlock has a hand on Cora's back. But it doesn't hurt.
Doesn't hurt at all.
'Yes mother.' Mycroft says, leaning back in his chair as he spoke on the phone. Serikali is away at a meeting with the prime minister and he's trying to explain Sherlock's recent escapades with John to their mother. He's mainly struggling to explain their actions when they were removed from the pool.
The two men had stood close to each other, too close according to Mrs Holmes. Corazon had been sandwiched between their legs, Sherlock's hand slightly touching her ears. Mendu had sat on her human's shoulder, stretching her wings once in a while to brush against John's cheek.
'Mother, they had been through a traumatic experience. Yes, I know people will talk. You know I can't control what Sherly does.'
A black raven flew through the window, landing on the side of his desk.
'I have to go mother, Serikali's come back.'
He hung up the phone, turning to his dæmon. They had long since been stretched and he was used to being without her.
'So?' He said, holding an arm out to let her perch there. She lifts one wing to preen before answering.
'The Minister doesn't want to spend too long looking for Moriarty. He thinks we are too emotionally involved to pass judgement.'
Mycroft sighs, sitting down. Serikali transfers to the back of his seat. 'Emotionally involved.' He scoffed. 'Sherlock would have you believe I have no emotions.'
Serikali laughs, scuffing his head with her wing. 'We both know that's not true.'
'But don't tell Sherly.'
Pirivu watches the raven fly overhead, into DCS' office. She sighs, knowing whenever Mycroft's dæmon talks to their boss, they end up in trouble.
'What d'you think Sherlock's done?'
Greg laughs, scratching the husky's head. 'What hasn't Sherlock done. You mean, what have we done for Serikali to turn up?'
Piri chuckles, watching as Serikali left again, flying towards Mycroft's office. The husky barks, startling the raven. Serikali squawked back, making human and dæmon laugh more.
Piri sighed and Lestrade stood up, heading toward the offices. If Mycroft had something to say to the Superintendent, then they were about to get a case, probably one they would need Sherlock for. Mycroft did like to keep his brother busy.
They walk into the building, Lestrade stepping straight inside his office while Pirivu waits outside. Aneh, Donovon's chihuahua, and Halfviti, Anderson's gecko, join her, both seemingly annoyed.
'So, the freaks will be here soon.' Aneh said, leaving no room for disagreement.
'Ruining another case.' Halfviti said, glaring at the air.
'Solving it, you mean.' Pirivu said, letting out a small growl on the first word.
Aneh whines at the display of authority, bowing his head slightly. Halfviti looks at him in sympathy before scuttling away to find his human. Aneh moves past Pirivu, trying to bite at the bigger dæmon's legs. Pirivu growls, snapping her teeth down on Aneh's tail.
Ignoring the whining dæmon, he joins his human, who is looking at the case.
'Interesting?'
'Oh, yes. This is definitely our division.'
Anweledig disappears into Molly's coat as soon as soon as Sherlock and John walk in. The chameleon, resting on his human's shoulder, turns pure white, melting into the fabric. Mendu, flying above Corazon in the space between John and Sherlock, soars over, landing next to Molly's hand on the microscope.
'Hello, Ledig.'
The smaller dæmon shudders, shifting through a dozen different colours before settling on his species' natural hue. Ledig crawls along Molly's arm, until he's next to the eagle.
'Hello Mendu. You never did understand personal space.'
The bird laughs, flying away. She flies around John, lightly brushing his head with her wing. John smirks slightly and Cora's tail wags slowly, hitting Sherlock's leg every so often. Ledig rolls his eyes, moving up to Molly's shoulder.
Like everyone in the hospital, they're almost sure something is going on with John and Sherlock. Mendu's actions don't give anything away, as the eagle always enjoyed disturbing people but Cora's closeness to Sherlock betrays something, as John's a normal person and Cora followed the Taboo before the Pool Incident.
Molly laughs slightly as she thought about it and Ledig sighed, hitting her face with his claw softly.
'Don't.' He whispers in her ear, knowing the men probably won't be happy them talking about the incident the whole hospital knows and has speculated about.
Mendu, still flying around John, moves away, heading toward Molly. His wing brushes against her neck and she shivers.
'She is absolutely insufferable.' Ledig says.
'So's he.' Molly mutters.
Matseljus rolls his eyes as Cora and Mendu rush past, following their human's upstairs. The bear shakes his pure white head and looked over at Martha. The landlady winks at her dæmon as the four of them run out again, John managing to shout a goodbye before the door slams.
Martha, know better to the world by her surname, sighed. 'I'd bet any money at least one of them comes home injured, Matt. The boys or their girls.'
Matt nods his head, lifting to his feet. The apartment had been furnished to allow the polar easy movement and it's thanks to this he can rest his head in her lap.
'I don't take fool bets, Hudson.'
Martha laughs and strokes his back. He bends his back legs and sits up, their faces level.
'What am I going to do with them, Matty? Ever since that business in the pool, I haven't seen them without bruises or cuts and I'll be unsurprised if John needs that cane again due to some nasty fall or something.'
He rest his head in her shoulder this time, letting her thread her fingers through his neck fur.
'And what about the neighbours? All everyone can talk about is the way Mendu sits on John's shoulder and Sherlock strokes Cora's back. It's disturbing for people, Matty.'
Matseljus sighs. 'People should learn to mind their own business. Sherlock and John do good, so let's leave them alone, okay?'
'Okay.' She finally says.
But it's really not okay.
The bobcat dæmon likes stalking the eagle dæmon, enjoys making a game out of it. Hengasu only stops his prowling walk towards Mendu when Corazon appears, because Corazon is a wolf, and bigger than him and could probably kill him, if John let her.
So Hengasu has to slink back to his human, happy in the knowledge that John himself is so obviously inferior to Irene. The way the man flounders around Sherlock, while Irene manages to keep herself calm and collected shows that she would be a much better match for the consulting detective. If only Sherlock would look up from the damn phone long enough to notice.
Mendu seems to have no personal space barriers and completely ignores the Taboo. The eagle seems happy to let her wings brush against Irene's skin- and there's often a lot on show- and will happily perch on John's shoulder or, very rarely, on Sherlock's brother Mycroft's. Hengasu likes getting close to people as well but, unlike Mendu, it is to unnerve them, rather than show affection.
'Stop that.' Irene whispers as he curls around her neck. They are watching Sherlock and the bobcat's slowly swaying tail and intense gaze has got Mendu glaring at them and Corazon growling.
'Sometimes, I swear they share those dæmons.' Hengasu snarls back at the wolf.
'Well, it doesn't matter. You're not helping by constantly getting into fights with his best friend.'
Hengasu laughed. 'He'll have to chose eventually.'
Irene smiled. 'And they always choose us.'
Izgorjeti crawls up Jim's arm, under his suit jacket and up to his neck. Eventually, she rests on his forehead, two of her legs framing his left eye. Most people find this position creepy, something that the two of them delight in. The spider has been in the other room, trying to get information from an informant by threatening the dæmon with her poison-laced fangs.
'Did she speak?'
'I didn't even have to touch the fox. It's in Moscow.'
Jim smiles, the movement nudging Izgorjeti. 'Well, Sebastian will be happy. He's been looking for that for months.'
'You're just happy to get one over on him.' The spider mutters back as Jim sits down at his computer.
'Don't say you're sad to beat Sagittent.'
Izgorjeti smiles at the mention of Moran's magpie dæmon. She does like competing with Sagi, just as much as Jim likes flirting with the sniper. Izgorjeti thinks they like it though because they keep coming back, asking for help with more and more crimes.
'Any news on the detective?' The spider says, stepping further down Jim's face, covering his eye slightly. They have been looking into Mr. Sherlock Holmes. It's very annoying to be met at every turn by this 'consulting detective'.
'Not much. He solved our latest puzzle. Got the cab-man killed.'
Izgorjeti sighs. 'Great, now we need another assassin.'
Jim raises his eyebrow. 'Hope wasn't an assassin.'
'He would have been. Besides, we've got Sebastian.'
The consulting criminal and his dæmon grin.