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It's not really torture if they're paying for it.

I think it actually still is.

Why??

Why do I do anything? Boredom, and perhaps the eventuality of someone owing me a favour.

[ Lestrade cannot adequately explain over text how wrong this is, do you get that? This is a bit different from his usual objections based on moral principles. He finds this particular thread of panic to be both new and unexpected. ]

Look, I can't believe I'm having to say this, but inflicting torture on people isn't something you just do out of boredom. We're not talking BDSM here, Sherlock. This is different.

_{[ Sherlock has always had a very different idea between what is morally right and wrong - and even now, he can't really see the problem with it. Yes, it's certainly out there, but it took him years to work a name up for himself in London and now he's starting from the ground up.

Perhaps it seems like an odd request, but Crowley is powerful. Proving a good work ethic and the ability to think on his feet will be an asset later on.

The old adage of 'if you can't beat them, join them' rings true here - Sherlock is not powerful enough to protect the people he loves here. He is not capable of fighting beings that have powers beyond his comprehension.

But he can certainly get on friendly terms with them, and it doesn't hurt to start building up a network of allies by putting his best foot forward. It might seem like a wrong turn, and it may even seem like Sherlock is indulging in a darker path - but the reality of the situation is that it's really not his cup of tea. Oh, interesting enough, certainly - who knew bodies could react in such ridiculous ways when pain bleeds into pleasure? There's definite a scientific fascination hidden beneath his motives, but he hasn't lost sight of who he is or what he's doing.

And of course, Sherlock will explain absolutely none of that to Lestrade, because it's not really any of his business, is it? ]}

You can't begin to know what I would do to get out of being bored.

[ Lestrade doesn't believe for one minute that Sherlock is indulging in some kind of new sadistic streak. He can't. What he does see is Sherlock falling in with someone who registers to him - both on old cop instincts and new angelic ones - as being far worse than his seemingly casual attitude would imply. And it's not so much that he's worried about what they might directly do to Sherlock - though that is always a concern - but rather about how dark a business this is skirting into.

Bad influences are easy to come by down here, and he knows there's not really much he can do about it. The fact that this is all consensual helps... somewhat. But whatever Sherlock's exact motivations are, the idea of him helping these sadists (and that's probably the kindest word that could be used for them) nearly makes him ill.

He shoves those thoughts aside, and is only left with the kind of frustration that comes along with being powerless and rather miserable about it. It's not breaking any of the ridiculous laws down here, obviously, and Lestrade can't tell him what to do.

It's really down to whether or not he trusts Sherlock. Again. Isn't it always? ]

I know you wouldn't start committing atrocities instead of solving them.

_{[ Oh, he knows that Crowley is a force to be reckoned with. There's an ominous sort of mystique that trails him, dark, mysterious and dangerous - which is all the more reason to get on his good side. Ignoring him entirely and leaving his head in the sand is hardly going to get him anywhere, especially when he's already on so many people's radars. His personality isn't one that goes ignored for long, so he'll step out of the shadows when it's under his terms and he'll use his name, face and expertise to crawl his way up the social ladder.

The best way to establish oneself is by saying yes to as many opportunities as possible - he didn't gain his homeless network by alienating people, he didn't gain the help of Angelo by hiding behind a screen and hoping for the best. He put in the groundwork; he fixed shelves and he ran errands, because it meant somewhere, someone will owe him a favour in future. That's always a useful thing to have. ]}

Assuming there's something to solve.

[ Because there's nothing. Nineteen days without anything significant. Nineteen days of overworking himself in order to be too exhausted to confront the fact that his mind is slowly but surely unravelling at the seams.

Eighteen days clean.

He's not sure how long that's going to last. ]

[ Greg honestly doesn't know what would happen if Sherlock truly came apart at the seams. He's seen his consulting detective in fairly bad ways before, and the idea of returning to any of those is not something he wants to think about. He just knows what Sherlock won't do, and if there was ever any inkling of doubt in his mind, it has long since been dismissed. ]

We'll figure something out.

[ He knows it's not going to be easy. He never expected it to be. ]

_{[ Unfortunately for Lestrade, Sherlock's... just not going to reply.

He's not so sure they will.

Not for an eternity, anyway. ]}

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