Title: No Response Necessary
Fandom: Elementary
Pairing: Joan Watson & Sherlock Holmes
Rating: G
Length: 300
Alternate Link:
AO3Author's Notes: Written for the
watsons_woes JWP 2016 Prompt #27: Thx 4 Nothing - Show a time where a communication shortcut did more harm than good. Set in late season 1 or early season 2. Unbeta'd, so please feel free to point out any errors.
Summary: The benefits of text shorthand in efficiency and velocity may, at times, incur a cost in clarity of content and tone.
Joan was chopping some dried apricots to add to her lunch when Sherlock emerged from his bedroom wearing boxers, bed-hair, and the scowl that said he was already deep in thought.
"Hey," she greeted him. "I got your text from last night. Do you want to talk about it?"
He froze half-way across the kitchen and turned to face her. "Not particularly."
Joan wiped her hands on a towel and pulled out her phone.
143 2:53 am
NRN 2:57 am
"NRN means no response necessary, right?" Joan asked.
He nodded cautiously.
"But why were you texting me about a hit and run in the middle of the night?"
"A hit and run?" he said, face screwed up in confusion.
"Yeah. A 143 is the police code for a hit and run, right? I could have sworn …" Joan pulled up Google on her phone and started to type in a search.
Sherlock cleared his throat. "No, I mean yes, you're absolutely correct. Your studies are progressing well."
Joan put her phone away with a smile.
"There's no need for discussion; I've already solved it. I'd been up for over a hundred hours at that point, and reached the halcyon stage where every new thought seems a revelation, even those that are perfectly obvious in retrospect."
"OK," Joan said with a shrug. "Did you want some lunch? I'm making a salad. There's enough for two."
Sherlock nodded. "I need to brush my teeth and get dressed. After that, I should very much like to join you. We should review the verbal and nonverbal cues that may indicate dishonesty in a witness."
He marched out of the kitchen. Joan shook her head and wondered how deep she'd fallen down the rabbit hole, because that actually sounded like a fun study break.
fini
Joan is absolutely correct.
143 is the police code for a hit and run - in Quebec. The NYC PD uses some 10- codes, but they are not standardized nation-wide, and there is no such thing as a 143 or 10-43 police code in New York.