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Post by maidmarian on Mar 6, 2009 18:39:32 GMT -5
Maid Marian and Lady Cluck listened interested as Basil told about his cases. They had a lot of questions, and Maid Marian's eyes were glittering like stars when she looked at Basil. If someone had seen her without knowing about her engagement with Robin Hood, they would have thought the young Vixen was in love with Basil. "Wow, Sir Basil, you really are a man of many talents. I would be proud to have you as my knight in shining armor," she said, her voice filled with admiration. "How did you get suspicious about that man in the first place?"
Lady Cluck chuckled and looked over at Basil.
"That was really clever, Sir Basil. Would you have a piece of cheese cake? I just noticed the dessert wagon."
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Post by Basil on Mar 6, 2009 19:27:18 GMT -5
"Thank you. Cheese cake would be delightful."
Basil thought that about now he ought to say something like, 'but enough about me,' and ask Maid Marian to talk about herself for a bit.
Naaah! He was enjoying talking about himself far too much.
"Really, you are much too kind. Most crimes are not as complicated as they seem to be at first glance. "
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Post by maidmarian on Mar 8, 2009 6:04:59 GMT -5
The head waiter smiled and brought three excellent pieces of cheese cake, finest sort of course, over to the table. Maid Marian smiled and looked over at the mouse, wondering how he would like the taste of the cheese. She knew that this restaurant was famous for its cheesecake. The Chef had won a price for it in a gourmet club. Which was why Lady Cluck had heard of the restaurant, and insisted they went there.
Lady Cluck rubbed her hands eagerly as the cheesecake was placed in front of her, but continued to listen to Basil. Maid Marian seemed more interested in the stories the detective told, than in the cheesecake in front of her. And the questions she asked the mouse, gave away her interest for solving of crimes.
"Sir Basil?" Maid Marian said, her dark brown eyes glittering with excitement. "How do you solve a crime, from the moment you arrive at the crime scene, and to you arrest the criminal responsible? What kind of clues should a brilliant detective such as yourself be looking for?"
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Post by Basil on Mar 12, 2009 18:41:03 GMT -5
<<Brilliant detective? After this, Basil's hat won't fit him any more! ;) >>
"Well, there are the usual things, of course: footmarks, dropped personal items, bloodstains...oh, forgive me for mentioning such a distasteful subject at table, milady."
Perhaps crime wasn't the ideal subject for dinner conversation. Basil would have to be a bit more careful.
"The first thing to do is to examine the scene thoroughly, before any bystanders or policemen can muck it up. Make a note of every detail, even taking notes if one cannot keep the salient points in one's memory. A good magnifying glass is an absolute must."
"Some clues might require laboratory analysis, chemical tests and all that."
"Once a chap has seen all the physical evidence, he is free to question the witnesses. Then comes the real brain work."
"I say, this is awfully good," he said of the cheesecake. Hmmm, eating or talking...?
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Post by maidmarian on Mar 15, 2009 7:18:03 GMT -5
(( ;D Oh, while I remember: Ratigan has heard about Maid Marian's plan to knight Basil, and to prevent this honor to happen to Basil, Ratigan is working on an evil plan to kidnap Maid Marian before the wedding, to stop her from speaking to uncle King Richard about it. I just thought Basil would be interested in knowing that ;) Plot idea?))
Maid Marian and Lady Cluck listened interested to everything Basil told them. They were intrigued by all this fascinating information. Maid Marian sighed dreamingly.
"Oh, it sounds so exciting to be a detective," she said and smiled. "Sir Basil, this is the most interesting conversation I have had for a long time. You should have heard all the boring conversations they had at the table in the Royal court. This is much more fascinating."
Lady Cluck chuckled with laughter and looked over at Basil.
"Sir Basil, please don't apologize. I too find your conversation rather stimulating and refreshing. Both Maid Marian and I have developed a sense of adventure and excitement. These are things you don't get enough of when you live at the Royal court. We are grateful you share your adventures with us."
Maid Marian finally noticed the cheese cake in front of her. She took a bite of it and smiled.
"It tastes excellent. Would you, Sir Basil, by a simple analysis, be capable of finding out what kind of cheese that has been used in this cheesecake?"
Lady Cluck chuckled with laughter.
"Ooooh, excellent idea, mylady. I would love to see the brainwork of a world class detective in action."
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Post by Basil on Mar 15, 2009 22:54:29 GMT -5
<<Does that rat know everything!?! >> "I have trained myself to identify sixteen different perfumes, thirty-seven types of tobacco, and forty-two cheese by scent alone."Sniffing at the cheesecake carefully and with great concentration, Basil considered for a few moments before speaking. "White jessamine."Looking up at their confused expressions, he continued, "Milady's perfume is white jessamine. The cheesecake is mostly cream cheese, with a generous amount of sour cream and a hint of almond extract."
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Post by maidmarian on Mar 18, 2009 7:32:46 GMT -5
((The rat is co-operating with Lady Tremaine, who has a network of spies who keeps her informed of her enemies )) A wide and impressed smile crossed Maid Marian's face when Basil guessed her perfume with just one sniff. "Why, Sir Basil! That's right! I really am using white jessamine. It is my favorite!" She was even more impressed when Basil told about everything in the cheesecake just by sniffing on it. Her eyes were glittering stars when she looked admiringly at him. "Wow, you really are the greatest detective in the world!" Lady Cluck chuckled. Also she was impressed with the Master Detective's skills. "That is excellent, young man. Do you take any special courses to develop these talents? Or do they come naturally?"
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Post by Basil on Mar 19, 2009 18:31:05 GMT -5
<<Keep talking, ladies and I will tell you the entire story of my life >> Basil wasn't modest enough to blush at this praise, but at least he acknowleged that his mentor, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, was more skilled than he. "Oh, well, I have always had some little knack for observation. My parents were quite put out by it, when, as a child, I would discomfit total strangers with deductions about their lives.""Since I came up to London, however, I have honed my craft by studying those special branches of knowledge that might be useful in crime detection. For example, I spent a good many hours in the ladies' shops sampling the perfumes so that I might recognize them when needed."
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Post by maidmarian on Mar 20, 2009 10:31:33 GMT -5
((Ooooh, I can't resist an invite like this ^^ ))
Maid Marian tried to picture what Basil looked like as a child. The image that flashed through her mind made her heart melt completely, and she had to stop herself from pulling Basil close and hug him. She didn't want to frighten him away. Her dark brown eyes glittered while she listened to every word he said. She smiled dreamingly and sighed.
"I wish I could be a detective. It sounds so romantic. Do you think I could learn how to do detective work, Sir Basil? Or at least how to assist a detective?"
Lady Cluck chuckled and hushed her.
"Lady Marian, I am certain that Sir Basil already have an assistant. Please don't interrupt his story."
She looked over at Basil and smiled, while placing a good English Stilton cheese from the dessert wagon on his plate.
"Sir Basil, you must have been a wonder child. I bet your parents were very proud of you. Only a highly intelligent mouse such as yourself could tell total strangers about their lives! How did you know?"
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Post by Basil on Mar 20, 2009 18:29:12 GMT -5
"How did I know? It just came naturally, the same way, I suppose, someone else might show a talent for singing or drawing."
Basil declined to mention how his unusual habits caused rather the opposite reaction. People thought him more odd than otherwise, and his parents mostly forbad him from mentioning his deductions, at least to his elders. And the trouble it got him into with his schoolmaster...
The mouse thought it better to change the subject slightly.
"Oh, any intelligent chap...or lady, in your case, can learn to make deductions. It's quite elementary, really."
"The first step is to observe, not merely to see. For example, if I may be so bold, when I look at Milady's hands," here he took her hand in his and turned it over for inspection, "I see this smallish mark around the first joint of her left index finger, a mark commonly made by a thimble."
"Now, My Lady Marian is not a seamstress by trade, nor does such a high-born lady do her own mending. Thereby eliminating all possibilities save one, we arrive at the correct conclusion: Milady is fond of fancy needlework."
Basil smiled rather smugly.
"You see? Simplicity itself."
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Post by maidmarian on Mar 21, 2009 11:02:47 GMT -5
Maid Marian blushed under her fur when the most famous detective in the world took her hand and studied it, before he came to the most exact conclusion she had ever seen. Her face brightened in a wide smile and she looked at him, clearly impressed.
"Oh Sir Basil! Everything you said about me is true! That is absolutely wonderful. Now I admire you even more! Just one look at me, and you know everything about me!"
Maid Marian looked at him with so much admiration in her dark brown eyes that Lady Cluck, who was watching the young vixen at this moment, wondered what Robin Hood would say if he had seen it. She laughed and turned to Basil.
"Now it's my turn, young man! What can you say about me?"
((Please feel free to use your imagination, Basil ;D ))
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Post by Basil on Mar 21, 2009 12:08:10 GMT -5
Basil studied Lady Cluck's hands for a mere moment before replying, "You, madam, are fond of knitting, from the marks here and here. If there was such a dint on one hand only, it would indicate the frequent use of a pen. When on both hands, knitting needles."
"I further observe these singular callouses, which I have only seen on the participants in that game of American football in which I officiated."
<<Hope that's okay--in the movie, Clucky plays football, sort of, while escaping the rhinos>>
Basil failed to consider his breach of etiquette in mentioning such an unladylike pastime. He often became so caught up in deductions that he neglected propriety.
"Now you try, Lady Marian." He held out his hands to her. "What do you observe?"
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