[Since these are meant to be comment fics (i.e. the length of one comment), I had to drop some of the backstory and work with one scene from this. Hope this works for you! This was inspired by my friend taking one look at this prompt and going “Sherlock would be a terrible guide.”]
serenity, courage, wisdom
“–atson. Try and follow the sound of my voice back. Your guide tells me that hearing is by far your strongest sense, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for you. I know my voice is unfamiliar to you, but all the more reason for you to pick up on it, yes? If you want to know who I am and what I’m doing in your house, you’ll have to come out of your zone. Smell, apparently – oh, no, shouldn’t talk about that now. Don’t focus on that, just pay attention to my voice. You know, I seriously think that one of the criteria for guides should be people who can go on for hours about the same topic without wanting to rip their own throats out. It’s astonishing how many of us wind up constantly having to monologue about listening to us. There’s only so many ways you can say the same thing, you know? After the first dozen times or so, things start getting repetitive, though I suppose if you’re working with a sentinel you haven’t met before, they wouldn’t know either way – oh, there we go.”
“You really can go on for ages,” John says. His throat’s scratchy and sore. How long had he been zoned out this time?
“Welcome back,” the man sitting in front of him says, with a smile. He looks familiar, and after a moment, John manages to place him.
“Director Sandburg?” he asks, cautiously.
“Please, just Blair will do,” Blair says. “I happened to be meeting with the English team here when the head officer’s... brother, I think? – came in saying you’d zoned and he couldn’t bring you out of it. Frankly, it was a welcome excuse for me to get out of that meeting. Jim might have made me go, but nothing says I’ve got to enjoy it. So obviously I took the chance to offer my assistance. I think Mycroft’s got his brother locked up somewhere and is yelling at him though. As much as he ever yells.”
John massages his temples. Right. Sherlock. Of course. “What did I zone on?”
“Formaldehyde, apparently,” Blair tells him. “Your guide’s been instructed to attend mandatory remedial training; it should have been obvious this would set you off. He can’t forget things like this, especially if he wants to conduct experiments at home.”
“He deletes things,” John says, then sighs when he takes in the look on Blair’s face. “Sorry, I’m not being a very good host.”
“You’re a patient, not a host,” Blair tells him with a grin. “But now that you’re better, I should be off. There’s only so long I can put off those meetings. Now, I won’t suggest you look for another guide.”
That, John thinks, will be a first. Everyone he’s ever met has told him Sherlock’s not guide material. He’s brilliant when he wants to be, of course, but he’s not quite the sort of person you should trust your personal safety to.
If John had wanted safety, he’d never have joined the army.
“But don’t let him walk over you, either,” Blair says. “Give and take. You’ve learned to work with a detached guide. Now make sure he learns how to work with you.”
John scrubs a hand over his face. That’s easier said than done. But Blair does have a point. He wants to keep Sherlock as his guide, and that desire’s made him let Sherlock get away with far too much.
“Thank you for your help,” he says, standing and giving Blair a warm smile. “We’ll be fine from here on.”
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2013-01-17 08:20 am (UTC)This was inspired by my friend taking one look at this prompt and going “Sherlock would be a terrible guide.”]
serenity, courage, wisdom
“–atson. Try and follow the sound of my voice back. Your guide tells me that hearing is by far your strongest sense, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for you. I know my voice is unfamiliar to you, but all the more reason for you to pick up on it, yes? If you want to know who I am and what I’m doing in your house, you’ll have to come out of your zone. Smell, apparently – oh, no, shouldn’t talk about that now. Don’t focus on that, just pay attention to my voice. You know, I seriously think that one of the criteria for guides should be people who can go on for hours about the same topic without wanting to rip their own throats out. It’s astonishing how many of us wind up constantly having to monologue about listening to us. There’s only so many ways you can say the same thing, you know? After the first dozen times or so, things start getting repetitive, though I suppose if you’re working with a sentinel you haven’t met before, they wouldn’t know either way – oh, there we go.”
“You really can go on for ages,” John says. His throat’s scratchy and sore. How long had he been zoned out this time?
“Welcome back,” the man sitting in front of him says, with a smile. He looks familiar, and after a moment, John manages to place him.
“Director Sandburg?” he asks, cautiously.
“Please, just Blair will do,” Blair says. “I happened to be meeting with the English team here when the head officer’s... brother, I think? – came in saying you’d zoned and he couldn’t bring you out of it. Frankly, it was a welcome excuse for me to get out of that meeting. Jim might have made me go, but nothing says I’ve got to enjoy it. So obviously I took the chance to offer my assistance. I think Mycroft’s got his brother locked up somewhere and is yelling at him though. As much as he ever yells.”
John massages his temples. Right. Sherlock. Of course. “What did I zone on?”
“Formaldehyde, apparently,” Blair tells him. “Your guide’s been instructed to attend mandatory remedial training; it should have been obvious this would set you off. He can’t forget things like this, especially if he wants to conduct experiments at home.”
“He deletes things,” John says, then sighs when he takes in the look on Blair’s face. “Sorry, I’m not being a very good host.”
“You’re a patient, not a host,” Blair tells him with a grin. “But now that you’re better, I should be off. There’s only so long I can put off those meetings. Now, I won’t suggest you look for another guide.”
That, John thinks, will be a first. Everyone he’s ever met has told him Sherlock’s not guide material. He’s brilliant when he wants to be, of course, but he’s not quite the sort of person you should trust your personal safety to.
If John had wanted safety, he’d never have joined the army.
“But don’t let him walk over you, either,” Blair says. “Give and take. You’ve learned to work with a detached guide. Now make sure he learns how to work with you.”
John scrubs a hand over his face. That’s easier said than done. But Blair does have a point. He wants to keep Sherlock as his guide, and that desire’s made him let Sherlock get away with far too much.
“Thank you for your help,” he says, standing and giving Blair a warm smile. “We’ll be fine from here on.”