Snippet #2376286

Theodore was pulled from his thoughts with the sound of the door creaking quietly opening. For most, the act of someone coming and going from their office would be commonplace, either by a partner or coworkers delivering documents or just to talk. That was not the case for the young DI. For all the world, his office seemed almost off limits, a place where he took himself away from the world to ruminate on whatever case was placed before him. Rumor had it that if someone interrupted his concentration, he would blow up at them, shouting abuse and maybe even throwing something if their reason for being there wasn't deemed good enough. Such a thing had never happened, of course, but it was a rumor that Theodore himself did nothing to dispel. That way, even on slow days, he could hide away in his office to do homework. So, the noise of the door opening was altogether unfamiliar and probably meant that there had been a break in the case or one of his superiors was coming in to badger him about a press conference (which he had steadfastly refused to hold; he was no friend of the media, especially in this case) or to ask him when he'd finally catch the art thieves.

Wrong on all counts, he realized as he glanced up. In the dim lighting, illuminated by the hallway's lighting fixtures, stood a girl, well, a girl compared to the other women working at the police head quarters. She was short and pretty like one of the porcelain dolls his grandmother insisted on collecting with her flawless skin and icy blue eyes. He hadn't seen her around before, unsurprising given his habit to not socialize with a majority of his coworkers and even those others mostly for cases or the occasional expedition to a pub.

"Excuse me...I'm Eclair de Bordeaux. I've been assigned as your new partner."

The first thing that hit him was her name. Not that it sounded familiar, but her name was Eclair like the pastry. Even the though of food sent his stomach grumbling, echoing loudly in the otherwise silent space. His eyes wandered to the digital clock next to his desk(he'd had to put it there once he needed more room actually on the desk). Noon already? He rubbed his eyes. He'd been locked in here for at least nine or so hours then.

"You're my new babysitter then," He commented, a wry smile crawling onto his tired face as he took another drag of his cigarette, puffing the gray smoke in the opposite direction of his new partner. Partner. The higher-ups had tried this before and it had yet to work out. His partners often quit after a while, fed up with his behavior or irritated that they were being bossed around by someone younger and with less experience than them. Theodore stood up, stretching as he did so, and made his way past the mess that was his desk and around it, over to Eclair de Bordeaux.

"Nice to meet you, Bordeaux," He said, sticking his hand out for a handshake. She may be young, but if she was to be his partner, she was going to be treated like any other officer. "DI Theodore Valentine. You can call me Teddy, I guess. What do you know about the art thefts?" The change in conversation was quick, but it seemed fluid in Theodore's mind, still filled to the brim with stories about Renaissance artists, clever thieves, and obstinate teenagers.