#i'm here for her being sus of sholmes u.u EVERYONE should be sus of him at all times

[tenacquity]

Hurley.

The name is all it takes. Before Iris has so much as peeped another word in regards to what specifically about him requires discussion, Ryunosuke already feels his shoulders sag, the original stroke of worry melting into a puddle of dread spawned from experience by now. Because nothing is ever simple with that man. Nothing would ever be simple. And without even knowing what in the world the great detective had done now to cause this stirring of unrest in Iris, of all people—who’s clearly the most accustomed to his antics than anyone—Ryunosuke can’t help the trace of exhaustion he already feels tugging at him, as if his body is preparing ahead of time.

But none of this is directed at her, no. Surely not. And while parts of him begin to tangle in anticipation of what will come next, he endeavors not to show it—endeavors to be the person Iris needs right now, as truly . . . he’s flattered she’s chosen to come to him in the first place. (The least he can do is try to ease her worries, then. Not that Ryunosuke would ever claim to be good at it.)

When she announces what troubles her, however, he has a devastatingly stronger reason for a thousand and one knots to twist and pull at his insides, enough so that he’s forced to look away, feign a momentary preoccupation with the nearest window (or perhaps debating climbing on out of it). The girl’s too smart for her own good, he oftentimes muses—and further wonders precisely how Sholmes manages to keep anything from her. But he has. No, they have. And all too readily does that seed of guilt in Ryunosuke’s chest spring a blossom he swears is blocking his airway.

What other explanation for how long it takes him to find his words . . . ?

“I—” His lips move soundlessly after that one syllable, eventually thinning to a line complemented by a thoughtful, vexed hum. Ryunosuke runs a finger over his mouth as if to loosen it, peers back at the clever little girl waiting for an answer. “You’re right, Iris . . . I’m rather positive there’s plenty Mr. Sholmes chooses to keep from all of us.” It comes out slightly more bitter than he means it to. He clears his throat, eases out a breath that partially grates through his teeth. “But if something is truly bothering you, then— Well, I-I suppose you ought to ask him about it.” (And hope he tells the truth . . . unlikely.)

While he isn’t entirely sure he wants this (backing himself into a corner, that is), Ryunosuke poses, “Is it a topic you’d like to discuss with me before going to him—?”

"Aww, you're too kind! Thank you, Runo!"

Happy to hear her tea receive such high praise, Iris clasps her hands together and grins. But she lets her arms fall to her sides after a moment, and then a somewhat more serious expression forms on her face. It's not grim or worried - it's more like it's just serious enough to tell that whatever she has to say is something important.

"Well... it's about Hurley." she starts - and then smiles again. She doesn't want Ryunosuke thinking that anything serious is wrong, or to worry him, after all, and it's really not something all that urgent... it's just that it's important to her. But of course, the best way to ease Ryunosuke's worries is just to get into the details without delay.

"It may sound a little strange, but... I know there's something he's keeping from me. I'm not angry or upset about it. Hurley has lots of things he doesn't talk about, and I understand that he's just trying to protect me."

It's a mature perspective from such a young girl. But deep down... she can't help but feel a little sad whenever she thinks about it. Is that selfish of her? She's not sure what exactly it is that makes her sad... perhaps because she hasn't spent too much time thinking about it, telling herself that she's being silly or unreasonable. But Iris knows that her feelings aren't unreasonable to have, and if there's anyone she can talk to about it - she knows that she can trust Runo.

"But I wanted to talk to him about it. I'm just not really sure where to start." She hums thoughtfully, before looking back at Ryunosuke again - her gaze having at some point wandered off. "Would it be okay... to ask for your advice?"