Chapter Text
Ronald was right to assume they needed a tailor.
It was near ridiculous the hoops he had to go through to ensure his detective would be approved as his plus one to D.M.’s gala. A masquerade out of all things- a cover up for the number of crooks he was sure his dearest detective had exposed once, or twice, maybe thrice for a certain pair.
And all of them, every single one, had a thirst to see a certain detective’s blood spilled on the pavement.
And Naib wanted nothing more than to attend the very same gala, intending to investigate D.M.’s manor as quickly as he could for proof of any connections with the underworld. Anything to point to where his assistant could be. A certain Lady Truth had been missing for too long- and Naib was getting too anxious, awaiting for his friend’s return.
Though, for how he was antsy to investigate the manor, he sure was taking his sweet, sweet time getting fitted for his suit. An interesting pair they were- one red, one black. And it didn’t stop at their daily fashions- no, no, no, their suits were the opposite of one another, that is if you could call what Ronald was wearing a suit. Their masks hung loosely by their hips as the actor took the time to admire the sight. Who was Ronald to deny himself the pleasure of eye candy? Oh no, no, no, don’t get Ronald wrong, he certainly wasn’t taking advantage of the situation to ogle a detective. But could you blame him? It wasn’t everyday the Mr. Inference was forced into a suit that showed off his frame rather than to stick himself into the same shabby tartan coat and deerstalker cap that he was so fond of. It wasn’t the countryside for crying out loud- what deer were there to stalk? Pigeons to hunt? Absolutely none- so it’s only fitting for Naib to be dressed in something that showed him off for once-
The only thing Ronald felt was a shame was that Naib’s face would have to be obscured by a mask.
“Well?” Naib didn’t sound pleased, turning around to face the actor, arms outstretched to show off the near scandalous suit he was in- chest bared for the whole of London to see if they so wished, hidden behind lace that the detective was sure would choke someone. Horrible. He looked like a damned cake.
“You look presentable for once,” and of course , the actual parfait in the room would approve of the suit. Naib didn’t pretend to be ignorant to the tailor’s choke, shooting the man a stink eye before checking under the mask on his hip for his gun. A tight fitting suit with no room to hide his other weapons. He would have a coat but the moment he stepped through the manor, he was certain he would be made to take the garment off. So why not make his costume lethal? Practical even with the number of belts that seemed to circle his hips.
“I’m
always
presentable.”
“To a village? Yes very- do you plan on milling flour and selling eggs while you’re at it?” Ronald scoffed, striding over to the petite detective, adjusting hair powdered white, and a mask of flowers over his right eye. The actor thought Naib looked good in red- he would look good in any colour really. Meanwhile, the detective scoffed at his ex-comrade’s insult. The man wouldn’t know how village life worked even if it hit him square in the face.
In the mirror, Naib could admire the tailor’s handiwork. He couldn’t differentiate the fabrics the man used- velvets and silks and satins- it was like greek to him. But what he could admire was the way it kept close to his figure. Even Norton’s was good- a near perfect mirror of his in everything but the colour and motifs. Sheer black and with tulips instead of red and the butterflies crawling up the detective. And he actually got to retain his hair colour instead of having it be pomaded and powdered into some ghastly shade of white. Did Naib skim over the reflection to look at the actor’s chest peeking through the laced up shirt? Perhaps, but no one would know except for him and the mirror.
What a shame that the outfit was soon cloaked and the two men led behind a door to exit through an alleyway. A cab was already waiting for them- a familiar face as its driver.
A familiar bird as well.
Fucking hell- Naib wanted to smash his head through a wall. Of course instead of joining him in this expedition- Eli would choose to act as their chauffeur and to observe from outside. And the cheshire grin the bastard had- he was finding all sorts of ways to blackmail his colleague already.
“Cleavage on a Thursday evening? My, you’re scandalous.”
“Shut up.”
“Yes sir, right away sir.”
“Please, just stop talking.”
---
The drive to the manor was monotonous, tense even. Really, how bad could infiltration be? Ronald couldn’t get how someone was so nervous for a dance out of all things- it was a gala, even for a case it wouldn’t hurt to take a break and let loose. But his plus one thought otherwise, tapping impatiently at the armrest on the door and radiating so much stress that the actor thought he would age fifty years from his friend.
“Relax, detective, surely no one will recognise you today.”
“It’s not about that.”
“Then what is it about, hmm? You’re going to the outskirts of town where all the rich are going to be dressed as ostentatiously as you. You’re simply a dime in a dozen.”
“Not when half the guests want to kill me and the other half I have arrested before.”
“Right, I forgot about that.”
And their conversation lapsed into yet another silence, Ronald having failed to soothe his detective (his detective? Just who did he think he was, calling the Mr. Inference his? The thought tickled him pink, hidden only by the black mask on his face and the makeup hiding the burns.).
It would be hard to notice the man- he was short, he was dressed like a harlot like every other guest. Even when they pulled up to the gates of the town house where other guests were pouring in, no one gave either detective nor actor a second glance. Though, that wasn’t their names for today, no no, it would be impolite to call one by their real name in this event. The Black Tulip and the Man in Red, that would be their identities for the night. Eventually the car came to a stop, tires squeaking on the gravel the young count insisted on decorating his driveway with. The pair got out of the vehicle, watching Eli drive off into the night to park before setting up camp to keep watch for the night. The moment the two went in, they were alone.
Ah, but oh how lovely was the light pouring out from the manor, when they took the ivory steps up to the door. Ronald must admit that the bastard had an eye for decor, several hedges lined the garden where it met in the roundabout to enter, a fountain with a serpent spitting water as it’s centrepiece. Gaudy, but somehow, it worked. Must be nice to be a member of parliament. Ronald wanted to spit on the ground out of spite until he noticed his dance partner for the evening had stiffened, rooted on the spot like the vines decorating his costume.
“Do you think you can relax, you look like a lost child
.
”
“I suppose, as best as any other
child
could in these circumstances,” Naib’s voice was dry, deadpanned at the thought of having to play pretend. That was Eli’s role for a reason, he was much more personable than Naib would ever be. The very thought that he had to rub elbows with so many people he busted sent shivers down his spine. Especially from previous journeys to the manor on other occasions, he knew for a fact the gala would be in the main hall where there wouldn’t be any place for the detective to hide. If he had to go to a room to search for something all of a sudden, it would be difficult to appear inconspicuous. All the cogs turning in the petite detective’s head had Ronald sighing, descending down the steps just so he wouldn’t lose his plus one.
“Now, I don’t have to remind you not to have any alcohol for the night?” Ronald raised an unseen eyebrow, reaching an elbow out for the detective to grip. It was as if they were the last of the lot, the time being nearly nine in the evening when they arrived. His detective had a penchant for a spirit or two when anxious- he recalls too many nights in the army where he had to haul the oaf back to their camp from a nearby bar before his promotion to a colonel. Now look at him- anxious and the both of them standing outside someone’s home like a juvenile couple anxious to meet the other’s parents.
“A sip wouldn’t hurt.”
“And have you sputtering drunk? Be realistic, you’d find the nearest waiter and ask for a whiskey on the rocks just because it would knock you out.”
“I’m not that bad a lightweight.”
“The number of times I’ve carried you out of a pub in the army says otherwise.”
“It isn’t as iif dance is rooted in any sort of realism- they’ll know I’m a fake from my limp.”
“You have been practising, I’d hope you’d learnt to not step on my toes in that time.” Naib turned away, watching the fountain for a moment more, the unsaid sentence hanging in the air.
“Trust me, to cover for you just this once.”
That was what Ronald wanted to say, but instead he was caught in the silence the detective gave him.
But Ronald understood it all the same, pulling Naib into the manor and past its doors before the detective had the time for any second guesses about his mission. Think of the spectacle if someone caught a masquerader spying from a rooftop, what a joke! The atmosphere quickly changed from cool to humid . Gone was the chilling night air that had their skin prickling like chickens, now the humidity threatened to melt their makeup away.
None of the guests had noticed them too much- just a stray guest or two nodding to the Black Tulip while giving the man in red not as much of a second glance. Ronald was right, no one really cared for who Na- the Man in Red was now that he was in costume with everybody. He simply had to focus on the mission and play his part, get as much information on everyone to see if they knew anything, anything on what happened to Emma and then-
“Watch it,” a voice hissed over the white haired man. Naib looked up, wondering just who it was before he recognised the face. Kreacher Pierson, former orphanage director turned petty thief just to make a living. Now, Naib had never personally investigated the man, but several rumours he heard placed him on high alert, namely, the feeling that his pocket was emptier than it should have been. In a crowded room, it would have been easy to get away. Quicker than he- the Black Tulip walked in the thief’s direction to retrieve his partner’s pocket watch from the thief.
“You pickpocket?”
“It’s a sleight of hand trick- very easy to learn.”
“But not an easy one to perfect, you were a thief.”
“On the contrary, it is if you grew up around the nouveau rich who simply did not know how to be subtle about their wealth.”
“Nes-”
“Tulip.”
“Yes,
Tulip
, surely you wouldn’t be prideful of being a thief, no?”
“When it got me this?” A worn pocket watch dangled out of Ronald’s gloved hands, that bastard- he hadn’t any intention of returning Naib’s watch so freely! “Surely I’m the luckiest- to have stolen on behalf of my beloved
Man in Red
.” A Cheshire grin spread across that handsome face and had Naib his cane, he would be knocking on the actor’s ankles.
“Give it here-” the shorter man missed the watch, swiping at air when Ronald danced around him.
“A dance? A kiss even? To loosen those old bones of yours?”
“In your damned dreams-”
And the lights of the hall went off, bathing the room in a deep dark. Murmuring broke out in waves.
The main event of the night was beginning. And the master of the home had finally made an appearance with how a single spotlight was on him.
The elusive D.M.
There was much Naib didn’t know of the man, knowing only that he had helped circulate the illicit Belladonna perfumes, involved himself directly in the case of Madame Bella and effectively helped unearth several old cases. But there was something off putting of the man, such as how his military history was so muddled that not even Naib could find any documents on the man. He just needed to know if he knew where Emma was and then he could leave and pretend he never met the man.
Meanwhile, Ronald looked absolutely unimpressed. Calling the darkening a cheap trick.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I trust your evening has been going well thus far, no?”
More murmuring had broken across the room, growing louder until the nobleman held a hand up for silence. What presence did he have- to be able to have power over some of the crooks Naib never wanted to see again so long as everyone called him Mr. Inference.
“This night is an opportunity- to mingle and see what lies ahead of you tonight, the main course- an auction, will occur in the next rooms.”
Auction?
“There are several items of interest- sculptures, art, perhaps even information, if you so wish,” in that moment, the detective felt as if D.M. was looking him in the eye. Ronald’s hand sneaked into his, squeezing to ground him. “But it appears, we have an unexpected guest tonight.”
The spotlight opened above them, lighting both men up in warm yellow. One black, one red, what a pair they were. Murmurs broke out once more when some of the guests recognised Ronald- while he could hide the scar on his face, his chest and physique a trickier thing. While some of the more slippery members of the crowd stared straight at the detective, trying to ascertain his identity
“The oh so magnifique Ronald of Ness, and his lovely detective.”
---