"It has been too long- too long indeed!" 'Victor' replied with much more cheer. One might think that he was overacting, but anyone who knew Sherlock better would be aware that he was always this loud and dramatic when he spoke.

He cast one quick glance over his shoulder, to where the big plant was standing in a distant corner (currently immobile), then stepped aside. "Do come in! But please don't mind the mess. I was in the middle of a bit of spring cleaning, you see. Would you like some tea?"

Sure enough, the way leading into Victor's lab was littered with a few stray tools, papers and leaves. The lab itself had even more papers sticking out of drawers, implying they'd been crammed in there with incredible haste. There's also what appeared to be some singed leftovers of papers in the fireplace.