For Sherlock of some flavor or another

[tofightinjustice]

There's a heavy bag hung up on one of the trees at the edge of the Milliways forest. It's a little off the beaten path, which is nice, and Bryce finds that working in the cool not-Scottish air is a lot less dehydrating than working in the California sun.

For her size (she's middling tall but not very bulky), she's giving the bag a fairly thorough beating.

Comments

[tofightinjustice]

". . . Okay."

How does one tell the difference?

[sicaria]

Well, Bryce could always ask... not that Sherlock is looking forward to explaining, but she'd try.

[tofightinjustice]

After a moment, hesitantly: "What's the difference between an uncomfortable blush and a surprised blush?"

[sicaria]

"I'm not sure I can describe it in a way that's externally meaningful," she muses.

"In either case I don't think the blush itself is a reaction to being either uncomfortable or surprised; the distinction rests on other factors."

[tofightinjustice]

She nods.

"I suppose that makes sense."

[sicaria]

Wryly: "In this particular case I was blushing because I wouldn't entirely mind if Jim were to enlist me in such a scheme."

[tofightinjustice]

"--Oh."

Bryce plays through that scene in her head again.



Now she looks a little pink.

[sicaria]

Sherlock grins.

"Surprised or uncomfortable?"

[tofightinjustice]

"I -- surprised."

No, definitely uncomfortable.

[sicaria]

"Both?" she suggests. "Sorry."

[tofightinjustice]

"Maybe. I guess. It's okay."

[sicaria]

"It seemed the logical extension," she murmurs, shrugging.

[tofightinjustice]

Bryce snorts, pulling a wry face.

"Yeah, it is."

[sicaria]

"But I didn't mean to disturb you by pointing it out."

[tofightinjustice]

"It's not your fault what I think about," she points out with a faint, embarrassed smile.

[sicaria]

"And what were you...?" She shakes her head. "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask."

[tofightinjustice]

"Nothing!"



Bryce sort of wishes she could be hitting something right now, on the grounds that hitting things makes sense in a way that this conversation so doesn't.

[sicaria]

"I'm sorry," she reiterates, raising her hands placatingly.

[tofightinjustice]

"Um, it's okay."

[sicaria]

"All right."

...Now what?

[tofightinjustice]

. . . An awkward pause?

After a moment, Bryce decides to fill it by doing shoulder stretches, glancing sidelong at Sherlock.

[sicaria]

Sherlock still doesn't know what happened to this conversation, but she's okay with that. More or less.

[tofightinjustice]

"What's your name?"

[sicaria]

There's always that.

"Sherlock. Stark. What's yours?"

[tofightinjustice]

She blinks.

"Roberta Bryce Wayne. Is Sherlock a gender-neutral name?"

She'd never heard it before meeting Sherlock Holmes, and based on that evidence she'd assumed it was a male name.