Basil was now looking at you three with his hands on the rail. "Who knows what dastardly scheme that villain may be plotting even as we speak..." He says.

《↬.•.•✿•.•.↫》

"This case is most intriguing with its multiplicity of elements...its many twists and turns." Basil turns to Olivia with a smoke pipe in his hand. "Now, you're certain you've told me everything? The slightest detail may be important." He says.

"It's just as I said. And then my father was gone." Olivia says. Basil thinks for a moment.

"What do you make of it?" Dawson asks him.

"Hmm." Basil hums and begins to pace with Olivia following him. "Ratigan's up to something. A crime of the most sinister nature no doubt. The question is...what would he want with a toy maker?" He asks, stopping for a moment to think before continuing to pace a little more.

Olivia stops by the window. Fidget pops down from above as lightning strikes, scaring her and making her scream out in terror. You, Basil, and Dawson look over at the window to see the fiendish bat.

"Quickly L/n, Dawson, we've not a moment to lose!" Basil shouts as he rushes outside.

"I'm coming!" You shout as you rush out with him.

"Uh, uh I'm right behind you, Basil." Dawson says and follows him outside with you. Fidget was already gone, nowhere in sight. "No sign of the blackguard anywhere."

Basil looks around and kneels down to look at the sidewalk, where Fidget has left behind his muddy footprints. "Not quite, Dawson. He left some rather unusual footprints. They obviously belong to the same fiend who abducted the girl's father - Ratigan's peg-legged lackey." He says.

You look down by the footprints and see a hat, the one Fidget was wearing. You pick it up and inspect it. "Hey Basil, I found something." You say and show him the hat.

Basil looks up and snatches the hat with a delighted grin. "Ah-ha! Excellent work, my dear! Ha, ha, ha!" He rushes inside and you and Dawson follow him.

"The scoundrel's quite gone." Dawson says to Olivia.

"But with Basil helping us he won't be gone for long!" You say to Olivia.

"Precisely, my dear!" Basil says to you and throws off his robe. "We'll find Miss Flamhammer's father soon, I reckon!"

"Flaversham!" Olivia says in an exasperated tone.

"Whatever. Now," Basil changes into a brown jacket, "we simply pursue our peg-legged friend until he leads us to the girl's father."

"Then you'll get my daddy back?" Olivia asks as she rushes over and hugs Basil tightly.

"Yes!" Basil says and pushes Olivia off of him. "And quite soon, if I'm not mistaken. Now, hurry along, L/n and Dawson. We must be off to...Toby's." He says and puts on an Inverness cape.

"Toby's?" You and Dawson ask in a confused tone, unintentionally at the same time.

"Oh, you must meet him. He's just the chap for this." Basil says and puts on a deerstalker cap.

"You're letting us come with you?" You ask with an excited grin.

"You-you want us to come?" Dawson asks.

"Ha!" Basil exhales on his magnifying glass and wipes it clean on his coat. "I should think a stouthearted army mouse like you would leap at the chance for adventure." He says to Dawson before turning to you. "And you, I can tell you have that same thirst for adventure as I do." He says to you with a grin.

"You're damn right!" You grin excited.

"Well, heh, heh. I am rather curious." Dawson says.

"Wait for me! I'm coming too!" Olivia says and rushes to join you three. She grabs her hat and scarf, unintentionally knocking over Basil's violin.

Basil dives down and catches his violin. "What? Certainly not! This is no business for children." He gets up and sets his violin back on the chair.

"Are we going to take a cab?" Olivia asks as she puts a couple crumpets in her pocket.

Basil sighs and puts his hand on his forehead. "Oh...my dear, I don't think you understand." He takes her hand and makes her face him, slightly annoyed with her. "It will be quite dangerous." He sits down on the chair, unintentionally breaking his violin. He grunts and pulls out the destroyed violin. "Why you... Look at..." He takes a deep breath, trying to control his rage with a growl. "Young lady, you are most definitely not accompanying us. And that is final!"

↠❀↞

Basil opens a secret passage in the wall of a giant's home, peeking outside. You peek outside with him, looking over his shoulder with your hand on it. Basil blushes slightly at your touch and how close you were but shrugs off the feeling.

Olivia opens the passage further, making Basil look over at her with an annoyed glare. "Not a word out of you. Is that clear? I-"

Olivia shushes him as two giants walk into the room, who oddly resemble Basil and Dawson. Basil quickly moves the door to the passage to hide all of you, leaving a small crack open for him and you to look out from.

"I observe that there's a good deal of German music on the program. It is introspective, and I want to introspect." The human that resembles Basil says and walks away.

"But Holmes, that music is so frightfully dull." The human that resembles Dawson says and follows him. The door closes, leaving you four alone.

All of you leave the hiding spot and walk around the giant house. "Toby? Toby?" Basil calls out. You follow next to him, looking around in awe.

"This room is huge..." You mutter. You look over at Basil. "It looks like the human you live with is basically a giant, human version of yourself." You joke, nudging him in the arm. Basil stiffs out a chuckle, a grin on his lips. He was starting to like you, he was warming up to you.

Olivia tugs on Dawson's coat, getting his attention. "Who is Toby?" She whispers.

"Well my dear, Toby is... well, he's uh, uh..." Olivia waits for an answer. Dawson turns to Basil. "I say Basil, who is this Toby chap?" He asks.

Before Basil could answer, thundering footsteps approach the four of you. Towering over you guys is an adorable basset hound puppy, who is obviously very happy to see Basil.

"Ahh! Here he is now!" Basil says.

You let out a gasp. "Oh my god, it's a giant puppy!" You say with a big grin. Basil stares at your adorable expression for a tiny moment before he wraps an arm around your waist, showing you off to Toby like someone would introduce their partner, unintentionally pulling you closer to him in the process. "L/n... Toby." He says, introducing you to the giant puppy.

"Hello there, Toby!" You say. Toby sniffs you before giving you a big lick, happy to meet you. You let out a giggle at how adorable the giant puppy is.

Basil lets go of your waist and pushes Dawson forward towards Toby. "Dawson...Toby." He introduces.

Dawson nervously tips his hat and pats Toby's nose. "Charmed, I'm sure." He says in a shaky tone.

Toby sniffs Dawson and immediately growls at him. Basil moves in front of Dawson and pushes Toby back.

"Now Toby! Toby, stop that! Toby, cease! Desist! Ha!" Basil says.

Dawson trembles behind the leg of a chair, hiding from the giant puppy that, for some reason, dislikes him. Toby sniffs around the room.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Frightfully sorry, old man. Toby has the most splendid sense of smell of any hound I've trained. But he can be deucely frisky." Basil chuckles.

"Oooh, you've trained more dogs?" You ask with interest.

"Indeed I have, my dear! Toby was the one with the most excellent sense of smell, making it easier to find any fiends." Basil says.

"What were the other dogs like?" You ask.

"Some of them were a little more hostile than others, so much so that I could've lost an arm, but there were others that were...frustrating, to say the least." Basil says.

Toby stops at a footrest, where Olivia was hiding. She cautiously reveals herself and smiles at Toby, who seems to like her just fine.

"Hello, Toby!" Olivia says happily and pats his nose. Toby sniffs her again. "Silly doggy! Would you like a crumpet?" Toby nods happily and Olivia reaches into her coat pocket. She holds it up for him and he licks it off her hand.

Basil reaches into his pocket. "Here now, Toby? Toby! To the matter at hand. I want you to-" He turns and sees Toby on his back enjoying a belly rub from Olivia. You were standing next to Dawson and petting the side of Toby's stomach.

Basil whistles and Toby rolls his head back to see him clearing his throat, tapping his foot impatiently. Olivia slides off Toby into your arms and you gently set her down. Toby rolls back to his feet, facing Basil.

"Good. Now Toby! Toby...I want you to find...this fiend!" He whips out Fidget's hat and Toby starts to growl. Basil barks and growls along with Toby to rile up the dog into searching for the fiendish bat.

"Yes, you know his type. A villain. A scoundrel! Low brow. Close set eyes. Broken wing." Toby pauses and looks at Basil, confused at this last piece of the description. "Oh, he's a peg-legged bat with a broken wing."

Toby starts to growl again. "Yes! Yes! That's the spirit! Got his scent?" Toby nods happily and Basil retrieves his leash. "Good boy, good boy!" He turns to face Toby again but sees him turned around and smiling at You, Olivia, and Dawson. He moves in front of Toby. "Miss Flamchester!"

"Flaversham!" Olivia, Dawson, and You all correct in sync.

"Whatever. Your father is as good as found." Basil hooks on Toby's leash. "Toby..." Toby strikes a 'pointer' pose, ready to bolt after Fidget's trail. "Sic 'em!"

As Toby rushes out, he accidentally stomps on Basil. He, a little dazed, manages to hold on to the leash and quickly regains his wind. "Ah-ha! Yoicks! Tally ho!" He laughs.

"Basil, get back here!" You shout as you, Dawson, and Olivia rush after them, trying to catch up.

⇜✾⇝

Toby was sniffing at the ground in the middle of the street. He gives a sudden howl and breaks into a fast sprint. Olivia was holding onto your waist as you were holding onto Basil's waist, who was holding onto the leash at Toby's collar. You were clinging and pressed up against Basil so you wouldn't fly off. You couldn't see it but he was blushing slightly at your touch, but he tries not to think about it. He should have more important things on his mind, like this case...but your touch was so nice, and you're very attractive... No, he can't be thinking those thoughts right now. Basil couldn't see it but you were blushing slightly as well from how close you were to him.

"The thrill of the hunt, eh, Dawson?" Basil asks him.

Dawson is desperately clinging to Toby's tail and lets out a nervous chuckle. "Q-q-quite!"

"Oh-hoo-hoo. Our peg-legged quarry can't be far now!" Basil says.

《↬.•.•✿•.•.↫》