[I.D.: Marker drawing of Usopp from One Piece. He's in the middle of climbing up the rope. He's clinging to the rope with one hand, the other reaches down to grab the bag that fell off his arm. He has stressed out but focused expression. He wears green trousers, brown shoes, black t-shirt with patterned undershirt and black bandana with mechanical sniper goggles on his head. The bag is brown, with white leather stripe and yellow clasps /End I.D.]
I completly forgot I never posted this! It's my part of @usopp-art-collab
A little zine? comic? inspired by an amazing story "Freezing water and sweet tea." by JustAnotherFool
[I.D.: Ten page zine about Shen and Feng from Undead Unluck.
First page, with title "How to take care of stubborn dads", with the word "dads" crossed out and "old men" written instead. Under the title there are drawings of Shen and Feng's heads. Shen is looking down on Feng, smiling. Feng is looking up, grimacing.
Shen is standing behind Feng, one hand on Feng's shoulder, with a worried look on his face. Feng is crossing his arms, annoyed, and snarking back. Text reads "Remind them to rest"
Shen is crouched in a battle position, his braid swiching behind him. He looks a bit embarrased. Feng is closer, his back to the viewer, trying to stand up. They're surronded by debree and fallen trees. Text reads "Insist if necessery"
Shen is turned away from the viewer, showing thumbs up. Feng is tucked in his bed, with only head showing. He looks very annoyed. Text reads: "Make sure they're warm and comfortable"
Shen is making tea at the kitchen. There is a teapot and various jars on the table next to him. Text reads "Warm tea can improve both health and mood. Tip: A spoon of honey will do wonders for sore throat!"
Shen steps into the bedroom with tea on the tray. The bed is empty, the covers are thrown away and the window is open. Text reads "…"
Feng is standig under the waterfall in the middle of the river, shivering. Shen is sitting on the rivershore, taking his clothes off and screaming at Feng, very pissed off. Text reads "Inssist if necessery" in all caps
Feng is sitting in his bed, with fresh clothes and wet hair. He has cup of tea in one hand and some medicine pills in the other. He looks annoyed. Shen is sitting next to him, pointing at the pills, his head resting on his other hand. Text reads "Make sure they take their medicine"
Shen is looking down at Feng with soft look on his face. Feng is sleeping, hair scattered around. He looks relaxed. Text reads "Let them sleep as long as they need"
Four xiao long bao dumplings lay in green bowl. Text reads "Remind them they have someone to rely on. Remind them they're not alone"/End I.D.]
Since I can't find any, I started writing a story where Amon is rescued during anteiku raid but loses an arm and continues to lose faith is ccg and his own righteousness while still working for them:
Red on white, the blood seeped into the snow. The last spasm shook the ghoul’s body before she stopped moving.
Amon waited a few more moments, eyes fixed for any sign of life. When he was sure she was dead, his shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh. It was always easier, in a way, when they didn’t talk. When they growled and snarled and went for his throat.
He rolled his arm, easing the tension, and looked around. It was possible she wasn’t alone, he needed to make sure everything was in order before making his way back. His gaze swept over the snow and bushes trampled during the fight. Amon frowned. Now that he could focus, it was weird how much the ghoul kept to one side of the clearing. Surely, it had given her no advantage to stay so rooted. Following the strange feeling in his gut, Amon crept towards the other side, scanning his surroundings. There, between the hawthorns, he saw regular indents in the snow, leading deeper into darkness.
The footprints were light, left in a hurry. Tiny.
“Good work!” Miyazawa patted him on the back. Amon was grateful he had already emptied his stomach in the bushes, because the touch and encouraging words made him want to vomit.
"Trying not to wince at the motion as it made his minor burns sting despite the potion, Lea pulled the ruined t-shirt up and over his head. He was about to let the scorched fabric drop to the floor, but a sudden gasp made him freeze. Freeze and realize what he'd done."
[I.D.: Drawing of Isa, Xion, Roxas and Lea from Kingdom hearts. All of them are in their sleepwear. Lea is sitting on the bed, turned away from the viewer, and is trying to get his shirt off. There are fresh burns on his back and he has big jagged scar on his side. The shirt is covered in sooth and holes. The other three are near the entrance to the room and are looking at him in shock and horror. Isa is holding a bathrobe for Lea /End I.D.]
An illustration of one of my favourite moments from "Instinctively Family" series by Bookwormgal. Just, the shock, realisation and everything around it, the long-avoided conversations? Mwah, perfect
If you like those four, I can't recommend this series enough :D (if you like other characters I recommend it too, the author is quite versatile. they just are the most focused on)
Some sketches from trying to figure out what kind of faces they should make:
An Undead Unluck fanfic. Also on Ao3 and squidgeworld
If harbour seal adopts sea otters, who's fault is it when it's time to say goodbye?
Summary:
There is a wrinkle in the corner of Shen's eye.
-
For most parents, the thought of outliving their kids is the worst nightmare. Feng suddenly realizes it might be his reality.
Notes:
This quick thing came to me months ago, now i guess it's canon divergence hah
Let's just say that the final fight got postponed, so everyone is older but they still has powers. Or that the powers stayed with them, but that's kind of a bummer
There is a wrinkle in the corner of Shen's eye.
It's a small thing, made from squinting and smiling, visible only because his whole face relaxed in anticipation for the kick, and it unnerves Feng enough that he actually misses. Shen moves out of the way, what was supposed to be a victory hit barely skimming him.
Old master grits his teeth and ducks, just in time to avoid the attack from behind. Mui's fist flies above his head, far too close, now focused on Shen. Feng crouches under her, catching the right leg. Switches weight between his feet and swipes, dragging her leg with him.
She slips away from his grasp, shrewd girl, using the momentum to enter high somersault. Mui bends herself, the kick so obvious it almost makes him cringe. He deflects, readying his fist and-
Ah.
Left elbow, hidden by her frame, bashes him in the jaw with a fleshy crunch. Few drops of saliva mixed with blood drip from his mouth.
Distraction helps Shen the most. He backflips a few meters from her and stops, one hand on the tiles. Mui doesn’t wait for him to catch his breath. Instead she dashes, her arm pulled back, aiming for his back. But before it reaches, Shen puts all his weight on the hand and kicks upwards. With the power stored in his bent knees, he strikes her in the stomach. She chokes out quick guttural gasp. Mui swirls around and slides back, putting some distance between herself and the other fighters.
Three pairs of eyes cross above the field, the labored breathing synchronized for a moment. Muscles tensing at the same time, ready for more-
The sound of the gong reverberates in the air, calling for a stop.
"Alright, you all, that's enough!"
Three heads snap in the same direction. Mei's standing there, with the mallet on her shoulder, foot tapping the ground and towels in her other arm. She points at the water clock next to a gong.
"The time's up already. You would have noticed if you weren't so bull-headed."
"Mind your tongue," Feng hisses.
Mei sighs and drops the mullet next to the instrument. "You've been at it for hours! The sun's coming down soon anyway, just give it a rest for today."
Feng looks at the horizon. There's still at least an hour of daylight left.
But Mui is already turning her back on them, stretching her arms with a pop. Shen follows her example, slowly working through the most exhausted parts of his body and the match is over like that. Without a victor once again.
Feng presses his lips together.
"What was that half-assed kick? Getting sloppy, are you, old man?" the boy mocks between breaths.
He doesn't respond to the obvious provocation. Not because he doesn't find it insulting. No, he doesn't respond for the same reason he missed.
The wrinkle distracts him.
It's nothing weird. The boy is, Feng suddenly remembers, soon to be thirty. It would be weird if he didn't have any at this point. It's easy to imagine him with crow's feet in five years or so, with how much he smiles.
Feng stands in place, forever twenty eight, and finds the dread pooling in his gut for the first time in years.
"By the way, there's something you should know." Shen leans away. He puts a hand at the back of his head and looks almost sheepish. "Mui will have to take it easier soon. Cut down on more demanding fights, rest longer, stuff like that."
"What? Why?" He sends quick look her way. An injury? No, he would have noticed. Sickness? Curse? Artifact?
He licks the blood from his lips. She showed such promise, she's way too young to be out of the game yet-
"Congrats shitty old man, you're going to be a shitty old grandpa!"
The confusion must be clear on his face, because Shen continues before he can collect himself enough to respond.
"Yeah, came out as kind of a shock to us too. Guess we weren't as careful as we thought." The boy smirks. "But really, it's hard to stay focused whens she does this-"
"Spare me," Feng finally finds the strength to speak. "I have no interest in your sex life."
"Alright grumpy. Anyway, we hadn't told the others yet. Mui's scared people would fuss over her too much. You know she doesn't like attention."
"Why are you telling me then?"
"Well, we knew you would throw a hissy fit if it turned out one of your favourite opponents suddenly had to take a break, so we're giving you an early warning."
Shen smiles again. The wrinkle disappears in the creases, but it will be there. Today, tomorrow, next year, joined by the others. How long will it take before this tree stops growing and starts withering? Whatever Shen thinks his silence means, his face softens.
“Well, I heard that people are usually better grandparents than parents. So you’re going to be okay, I think.”
Feng glances to his left. The two girls- the two women are chatting on the side.
Mui is drying herself, muscles glistening with sweat. Her stomach is flat, no sign yet of something new growing inside. She laughs at something, snorting. Scars, both old and new, adore her forearms, the map of years lived.
Mei is a scrawny little thing next to her sister-in-law, but it might be the first time Feng realizes how much she has grown. Maybe some part of him would always look at her and see tiny child wailing in her crib in the middle of the night. And yet, the baby fat and uncoordinated teen limbs are long gone. The woman before him has all the curves expected from an adult, her smile sharp and eyes crinkling in delight.
Mui notices his gaze and sends him another tired smirk. He scoffs in response, steps forward, reaches for the towel in Mei's hand.
And if his eyes keep searching for silver strands in their hair, it's his business and his alone.
[I.D.: Drawing of Reiju from One Piece. She's squating facing the viewer, with her elbows resting near her knees. She's wearing pink mid-thigh dress with double frills going through the middle, brown boots and purple headband. The dress has short sleeves, a turtleneck with a ruffle at the end and a dark-pink bow. She's smiling. /End I.D.]
Original outfit under readmore
[I.D.: collectable card with Reiju in outfit described above /End I.D.]
[I.D.: Drawing of Niji from One Piece. He's dressed in blue kimono with zig-zag multicolor patterns and black sandals, as well as his goggles and headphones. He's carrying a sword with wooden hilt and scabbard, without guard. He's crouching a bit, bent away, with his head turned to the viever. His right arm, carring the sword, is raised, preparing for a slash. /End I.D.]
Original outfit under readmore
[I.D. Illustration of Niji in outfit described above, drawing the sword. There are also Yonji and Ichiji, dressed in green and red patterned kimonos. Ichiji is carrying umbrella. /End I.D.]
I love you [character that got written out of 'canon'] <3
Anyway, a timeline when Kycina managed to skip town with all her kids and never looked back.
[I.D.: Sketch of Kycina, Savage, Maul and Feral from star wars. They’re all Zabraks, so they look nearly-human, with different coloring, dark markings on face and horns. Kycina is a grey-skinned woman with symetrical tatoos on her face. She's dressed in loose clothing with hood over her head. Maul and Feral are toddlers, strapped to Kycina's chest with blue cloth. Savage is a little older and is hiding behind her leg. Kycina is tense, glaring at something before her. Her left arm is craddling the toddlers, the other is outstreched to the right. There are green smoke-like wisps coming out of her palm and swirling around her and the kids. /End I.D.]
I guess i dedicate this to @blackkatmagic, since i first learned about Kycina from their works. Thank you so much!
[I.D.: sketch of a woman and three children, two newborns strapped to her chest and one older kid hiding behind her. They're all Zabraks from star wars, so they look nearly-human, the children have dark markings and horns around their heads. The woman has tatoos on her face and is dressed in loose clothing with hood over her head. She's tense, glaring at something before her. Her left arm is craddling the toddlers, the other is outstreched to the right. There are smoke-like wisps coming out of her palm and swirling around her and the kids. /End I.D.]
[I.D.: Drawing of Yonji from One Piece. He's playing huge sideway drum with thick wooden sticks, with his right arm beating on the drum and his left pulled back for another swing. He's positioned so that the viewer can see most of his outfit. He's dressed in japanise-style clothing. He wears loose black hakama with dark underpants and black tabi socks on the lower part of his body. His top is wrapped in front, with left side wrapped over right, and tied with black sash. Right side above the sash is black, left side is made of weavy and circular patterns (mostly in greens, with white blue and brown accents). Right side under the sash is made of similar patterns, left side is golden with a pattern of overlapping circles. He also wears headphones and green headband. /End I.D.]
Original outfit under readmore
[I.D. Game illustration of Yonji in outfit described above. There are also Niji and Ichiji, dressed not the same but in similar style, with blue/white and red/golden respectivly used as colors for accents /End I.D.]
I should thank you @pharaohzeth, this prompt gave me motivation to finally work something for my kingdom hearts x one piece au <3 i mean, in the games Nobodies are kinda described as dead so i think it's close enough to count...
By rules of the games Nobodies should look like normal humans but I like when people make them look like corpses or give them some inhuman traits, so that's what we're going to do here folks
[I.D.: Two-panel drawing of Niji and Sanji from One Piece in my kingdom hearts au. Niji is on the upper panel. His skin is greyish and there are places where it came off, showing muscle and bones. His eyes are almost entirly black, his hair blue with yellow undertones. He's wearing the black zipped coat like the one used by antagonists in Kingdom Hearts games. He's smirking, head tilted to the right, holding his goggles in the left hand. Next to him is his yonger version in similar pose. The kid's eyes are covered by black smear. His hair is yellow with blue undertones. Second panel shows Sanji's shocked face. Panels are separated by words "Oh, come on... Don't you recognize me?" said by Niji. /End I.D.]
Eyes trailing over the places where rotting skin revealed the muscle and bone underneath, Sanji wished he didn't. Wished there was no familiarity in the way the creature tilted its head, that the mocking smirk didn't bring back memories he buried a long time ago.
He remembered how those monsters grabbed Niji, the way life had left his eyes, the way Sanji would have shared his fate if Reiju didn't push him through the window, into the sea. The way she didn't have time to jump after him.
It couldn't be him. Sanji refused it.
More about the au under the cut
So, quick KH lore for those unfamiliar: The universe is made from different worlds and it's difficult to move between them but not impossible. Also, it's possible to separate person's heart and body. When it happens, the heart turns into Heartless - monster of darkness that is drawn towards hearts and attacks people to get them, creating even more Heartless in the process. Meanwhile, the body turns into a Nobody - barely humanoid husk of a person. In some circumstances, Nobodies can retain their memories and looks, but without the heart they still lack emotions (at least at first). One of the main antagonists in the game is organization 13, made of Nobodies whose goal is to recover their hearts. Their motivations range from "I'm so desperate to get the heart I'll do literally anything" to "I don't really care but since I'm not human anymore I don't belong anywhere else". Those are the people I'm basing Vinsmokes role on.
[I.D.: Close-ups of adult and kid Niji's faces. /End I.D.]
Now to the au.
Judge was researching the power of hearts and darkness by conducting experiments on captured Heartless.
One day something goes wrong and the Heartless escape, stealing the hearts of everyone in the castle. Except for Sanji, who falls into the ocean and is carried away by the weaves, washing up on the beach in adjacent realm and meeting Zeff.
Later Sanji joins the Strawhat Pirates, the crew wandering between the realms in search of the legendary treasure - Kingdom Hearts.
Sanji enjoyes the adventures and nowdays barely thinks about what happened to his siblings (and his sperm donor too I guess). At least until something looking a lot like Niji runs into him on the recon mission...
Probably because of the experiments Judge was doing on them ever before the Heartless attack, Ichiji, Niji, Yonji and Reiju kept their memories and looks. They assumed Sanji was just too weak-willed and turned into the mindless Nobody after loosing his heart. Judge continues his experiments, now with a side of figuring out what powers lacking a heart will give you. Which includes sending Heartless into other worlds and observing the carnage...
Reiju didn't tell anyone she managed to get Sanji out of the castle, partly because she's not sure he didn't just drown and partly because she doesn't know what Judge would do if he discovered Sanji's still alive. Her worries are validated when Niji comes back with the news and Judge orders them to bring Sanji back to the 'family'.
Because she was older when she lost her heart, Reiju is better at pretending to be human than her brothers. She remembers having emotions and usually gives more appropiate responses. Ichiji, Niji and Yonji kind of suck in that regard since they barely remember what the appropiate response even is. At first Niji didn't even realize Sanji was scared of him when they met again.
Sometimes what you were looking for was in your pocket all along
After coming back to work after Unwound Future, Hershel discovers someone broke into his office. Together with Flora, they set on a journey to uncover this new mystery! On the way, he might just discover how strained their relationship really grew. Also on Ao3
Chapter 4 - On the run
Notes:
This work is part of Layton Big Bang, so here's wonderful co-creators! The artworks were made by: Polysaurus: twitter, tumblr Angie_creations: carrd, intagram, bsky, twitter
The puzzles were designed by Louise: tumblr
The buildings passed by in a blur. Flora didn't have to turn around to check if she was pursued; the shouts and ruckus behind her was all the proof she needed. People, she had to find more people!
But no matter how much her eyes darted around, the streets remained empty. Another turn let her catch a look at the man. Cold shiver ran down her spine and she sped up. Her legs protested but she paid them no mind. The glimpse of sun reflected on the barrel of a gun tucked behind his belt was more than enough motivation.
Her shoes hit against the pavement as she slithered through the alleyways, desperately trying to shake off her tail. She tried not to think about how she couldn’t recognize the buildings anymore. How with every turn it felt as if the town was swallowing her, slowly backing her against the wall, with nowhere to run.
Her breath hitched when out of the corner of her eye she saw another person. Flora felt like crying, but not from relief. What help would an old man and his fruit stand be? Unless…
She reached her hand to her right. Without slowing down, she grabbed one of the legs and pulled with herself. A pang of guilt shot through her heart when she heard the sound of wooden crates and ripe fruits falling on the street, alongside two cursing voices.
“I’m sorry!” she shouted, not looking back. It seemed to work at least. The footsteps grew quieter, or maybe Flora’s laboured breathing covered the noise. She was still running, but one thing was clear - she was slowing down. How much time did she have before she had to stop? A minute, two? Less than that? And then what?
Flora found herself slipping into wild panic. She couldn't stop!
She rounded the corner and ran head first into something too soft to be a wall. The force of the impact threw her on the ground. She quickly scrambled to get up and bolted, every second mattered! Someone caught her arm and Flora’s heart went up her throat, fear choking her. She thrashed around until the hand let go. Not wasting time she rushed forward, ignoring the shouts behind her.
“Wait, you're going to-”
Flora crashed into something exactly as hard as a wall should be.
The pain bloomed behind her eyes, dazing her but also slowing down the race in her mind. She had just enough clarity to lift her head and look at the person standing at the mouth of the blind end she found herself in.
Before her stood a tall woman with a worried look on her face and one arm outstretched in now useless warning. The woman opened her mouth but before she made any sound her body went rigid and she snapped back, eyes on the man who just appeared behind her.
“I’ve got you, you little-”
He noticed the woman and all colour left his face with lightning speed. Without a word she crouched down and aimed a powerful kick at his arm, making him drop the gun he was reaching for. She quickly followed it with a turn and downright punch. The man barely avoided it and retreated a few steps. He shot Flora one last look before turning tail and running away.
Flora was looking at the scene with stunned awe. She fell on her knees, sudden relief overwhelming her. The woman jumped forward to run after her prey but Flora’s sob stopped her in her tracks. She came closer to the crying girl.
“Hey there, it’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you. Can you tell me what this guy wanted from you?”
In response Flora hugged her knees and curled on herself, tears still flowing.
“Okay, uh, maybe something simpler. What's your name?”
“Flora,” she finally found her voice.
“Nice to meet you Flora, my name’s Kusaila.”
Flora focused on the black boots on the ground before her. Stray sunlight reflected on its enforced metal toes. Getting hit with them hurt for sure. She worked her way up: denim pants rolled at the calves, buttoned jacket tied around the waist, plain white shirt and finally the face. At first Flora assumed the woman was at least Professor’s age, but now she could see Kusaila couldn't be that old. She was a young woman with dark eyes and short brown hair, loose curls tucked behind her ears.
She smiled at Flora.
“Well, that guy won’t be bothering you anymore, promise. Say, where are your parents?”
At that, Flora felt tears gathering in her eyes again. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
“They're gone,” she blurted, unable to stop neither tears nor words. “I never should have left.”
Kusaila looked out of her depth.
“I’m, oh shi- sorry that happened kid. Uh, please don’t cry… No, I mean, if you want to cry it’s healthy to do so… there there?”
She patted Flora on her back, which just made her cry harder.
“He didn't want me here, and he was right, I can’t do one stupid thing without screwing up! I should’ve just listened and stopped being a bother!”
And then it all came crashing down. Things she repeated over and over until they were nothing but a background noise to her life, things she thought but never shared, things she could barely admit to herself. Flora wasn’t sure what she was saying anymore, but it was hard to care at this point.
She didn't know how long they sat like that, Flora spilling her guts between sobbing fits and Kusaila rubbing her back soothingly. Finally, the crying subdued, until all that was left were watery hiccups and Flora could breathe a little easier.
"Are you feeling better Miss?"
Flora nodded, too tired to answer.
"I'm glad. You seem to have a lot on your shoulders, heh?" Kusaila tapped her head, making Flora look up. "Can you walk? Your dress will get dirty if you'll stay like that."
Her limbs felt like they were made of lead but with Kusaila's help she managed to stand up. A few breaths later, the woman addressed her again.
"I'm sorry this happened to you, Flora. I can't say I understood everything you said, but thank you for telling me. It must've been hard."
Flora lowered her gaze and blushed. Whether it was from adrenaline coursing through her veins or the terror she felt, once the first words had spilled from her mouth, it was simply impossible to stop. Like a dam keeping them away finally cracked, leaving them to flood out. Now that she was coming out of it, she was finally aware enough to be embarrassed.
"Say, you mentioned that you're here with someone, right? The professor, you called him. Do you want to go to him now?"
"I..," Flora stuttered, a bit unsure. She honestly didn't know what she would do if she saw the professor now. Apologize to him? Cry in his arms and beg to let her stay despite what happened?
Or she could lie. It worked before after all. Just share what she heard and skip the chase completely.
"Do you know where the train station is? We were supposed to meet at the motel nearby, but I got lost."
"Sure thing!" Kusaila pointed her thumb at her chest. "Leave it to me, I know this town like the insides of my pockets. I'll just make the phonecall, okay? We can't let people like that to go around and do as they please."
She flipped her phone open, punched a number and put it to her ear.
Flora paused, remembering what Layton confessed on the train. Would she put him, or his brother, in danger if she went to the police with it? It was better to not connect him with any crime committed here. She turned to Kusaila, who was throwing the alley another look.
"You're calling the police, right? Could you not tell them about me? I don't think I'm able to handle it right now if they'll want to ask questions."
Kusaila looked back at her.
"Okay, I can be discreet." Flora heard the sound of connection. "Oh, hello, I saw guy with a gun near Teresen Street, near the theater. He run when he saw me but I got a good look at him. Average built, short dark hair, button nose, wore sunglasses. Grey pants, blue jacket, stupid blue hat." She listened to the other side. "I can't follow him." Silence again. "Great. If you'll have more questions I'm under this number. Good luck officer," she added cheekily and ended the call.
Flora frowned. "That wasn't very respectful."
"Well, that's because I don't respect him."
She didn't have anything to say to that.
"So, the train station? It's pretty far from here, I can guide you."
"Thank you," Flora dusted off her dress.
And so they went. Flora would be lying if she said seeing streets fill with more and more people didn't bring her relief. If she didn't run into Kusaila...
Flora heard ruffling and glanced to her right. Kusaila was putting on her jacket. She shuddered and looked down at Flora. "Is it me or did it get breezy? The evening must be coming sooner than I thought."
Flora blinked a few times. The air around them was as warm as an hour ago. She looked down and saw her own hands, clasped together and shivering, and felt a wave of gratefulness flowing in her gut. Suddenly, even embarrassment ceased a bit.
"It is a bit chilly." Flora rubbed her arms, calming herself down.
They fall in silence after that. At least until Kusaila went and cut through it again.
"Listen," she started. "I'm... Well, I'm not exactly someone who should be giving those type of advice. Stop me if I'm talking too much." Flora pursed her lips. Was this about something she said during her breakdown?
Kusaila took the quiet as permission. "So, you were supposed to stay back from everything. Then you saw that guy being suspicious and decided to follow him and you ended up getting hurt. But also... that's not the first time you were told to stay away, is it? Or even forced to do so." She groaned. "What I'm trying to say, I don't think it was fully your fault."
"Professor warned me that there would be danger. I chose to take a risk. How is that not my fault?" Flora argued.
"Yeah, I guess. Why did you do that then?"
"Excuse me?"
"Follow him. Go against that 'professor's' warnings?"
Flora hanged her head, drilling holes in the paving stones with her eyes. What was she supposed to say?
"Can you let me guess?" Flora nodded. "Okay. You were told 'it's too dangerous for you' over and over. Now, it might have worked a few times. But then, the next 'dangerous' thing happens and suddenly you realize it's less about keeping you safe and more about keeping you out. Am I getting this right?"
"...Maybe."
"And with time, you just... stop reacting to those warnings. Why should you? They clearly aren't there to protect you." She sighed. "Don't get me wrong, stalking someone in unfamiliar city is pretty stupid, but, well. Making mistakes is how you actually learn, not by avoiding risky situations altogether."
Maybe there was some truth to it. But if Kusaila got all that just from listening to one outburst, why did no one else notice? Luke was still a kid, but why didn't Layton, one of the smartest people Flora knew?
Why didn't dad?
"We're here," she said instead.
The station was ahead of them, she could see the motel on her left. Flora headed its way and sat on a bench in front. Kusaila stopped two steps before her, eyeing her with unasked questions. Flora patted her knees a bit, unsure what to do with her hands.
"I lost my mom when I was younger," she confessed. Now that the flood was over, the words were
painful to let out. "My dad didn't want me to be alone. Or in danger." She tugged her ponytail. "So he built this entire town, just for me, with anything I could possibly want. I wasn't supposed to leave until someone who could protect me came along and solved his challenge." Her voice dropped to whisper. "Would it be bad if I resented him for it a bit?"
Kusaila took a deep breath, looked up and slowly let it out. With a sigh, she plopped on the bench next to Flora.
"Sometimes people who should take care of you fail to do so. It's not necessary because they don't care about you - but it's never your fault if they don't." She weaved. "I'm not going to say if what your dad did was a good thing or not, but from what you said, it did hurt you. You're allowed to have complicated feelings about this.
"But it's not only about you father, is it. This professor of yours, he's the one that solved the challenge, right?" Flora nodded. "And now he's the one keeping you out of things. The way I see it, nothing's gonna change if you don't confront him about it. It's good to be wary when people tell you it's 'for your own good', you're old enough to ask questions. It sucks that you have to push to be treated fairly, but it's better than hanging your head and just taking it. If he actually answers, tries to explain, that's a good sign, because maybe he'll listen to your reasons too. And if he doesn't..." She closed her eyes and leaned on the bench. "Sometimes it's better to walk away. It hurts, but you'll never reach your best without a room to grow."
"Did you have to walk from someone before?"
"Yeah, something like that. I spent way to much time excusing someone who, in the end, would never saw me as an equal."
"I don't think professor's like that.."
"Then talk to him. If he hurts you, you need to make him see it. Otherwise it'll just get worse."
"I'll... think about it. It's a lot-"
The ringtone interrupted her mid-sentence. Kusaila fumbled a bit before fishing the phone out of her pocket. She murmured something very unladylike when she saw the caller's ID.
"I'm sorry, can I-"
"No, of course, it could be important!" Flora cut her, raising her hands.
Kusaila smiled thankfully and got up. Too far to hear anything, Flora watched her answer. Whatever it was, the look of concern that took over her features was telling enough. Or the way she started to bite her thumbnail halfway through, eyes locked forward.
"Okay. Don't do anything stupid until I'm there," Flora managed to catch the last words before Kusaila ended the call. She now stood in place, glancing between the phone and Flora. Coming to some sort of conclusion, she came back with an apologetic look.
"How long do you think it'll take before your friend gets here?"
"I don't know. Did something happen?" she pried.
"It's... Well, my friend got into the accident. He'll need my help to get home." She scratched her neck. "I really don't want to leave you here alone after all that. I think I can stay a bit longer."
Flora pursed her lips. On one hand, she felt safer with her around. On the other, if Layton would find her with a babysitter, it would just make things worse. If she wanted to be takes seriously she couldn't afford it.
"You don't have to. It sounds serious." Seeing Kusaila looked unconvinced, Flora took a different approach. "Really! I would feel awful knowing that you couldn't help your friend because you stayed with me." She folded her hands on her lap. "I'll be fine now. If anything happens, there is a lot of people around."
It was maybe a little unfair, but it worked. Kusaila bit her lip, eyes darkening with worry. She pocketed the phone.
"Well, if you're sure..." She waved her goodbye. "Take care, Flora. Don't worry, that guy will pay for scaring you so much."
She winked and turned away. Flora giggled despite everything. It was hard not to get infected by the woman's energy.
When Kusaila disappeared behind the corner, Flora let her posture relax more. Now she just had to wait for Layton to show up.
twitter tumblr made by @polysaur
Hershel lost the sight of Flora half an hour before. That wasn't a cause for concern yet; the motel was fairly recognizable building. Surely, she would have no trouble reaching it.
In the meantime, he could continue the investigation without distractions, asking locals about the way to the site and recent discoveries.
There was just one small problem.
"So you're here for the Azran too?"
Hershel was taken aback by the sudden hostility in the vendor's voice. Though perhaps a bit less than when it happened with the last three people.
"Not exactly, but it does seem worth looking into. Please forgive me," he said, "but did I offended you somehow?"
The man scoffed, throwing Hershel another suspicious look.
"Depends. Why you're interested?"
"Well, I teach archaeology at the Gressenheller University, so the subject is close to me. Since I'm in the town anyway, I wanted to check it out, so to say."
He was relieved to see that some of the apprehension melted away from man's face.
"Maybe that a truth, but tell you what? Find something else to look at, Mister. It was better buried; now it's just one thing after the other!"
Hershel tilted his head. The newspapers didn't mention any trouble.
"Could you elaborate?"
"Bad things came out of that dig." He leaned forward, gesturing for Hershel to come closer. His voice dropped to the stage whisper. "People started disappearing."
Hershel's brows shot up. "Disappearing?"
"Yeah. My pal said she saw someone got dragged towards the tomb, not to be seen again."
"I wasn't aware it was a tomb."
"Well, that's what all the folks at the site call it. Found some descriptions and what not." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "If you ask me, something's alive inside. Alive and hungry." He rolled his eyes. "Doesn't stop people from flocking here. Mostly tourists, but also some sketchy types, not even the one's that are after your wallet." He scratched his beard "A couple of actual archaeologists too."
"Do you remember the names?" Hershel felt his heart beat faster. Maybe...
"Eh, Molvit and Den-something? Denner? Denker?"
"Nobody else?"
"Not that I know of. Why?"
Hershel stopped disappointment from showing on his face. He was familiar with both doctor Molvit and professor Dekker. Respected in their fields, any other time he would be thrilled for a chance to chat with them. But it was not the time.
"Nothing, just curious." He inclined forward. "Thank you for your time. And warnings. I'll be on my way now."
With a few apples in his bag and a wallet a bit lighter, he stepped away, cogs already turning inside his head. The situation complicated. He wasn't discouraged by the absence of one Desmond Sycamore. Of course it couldn't be that easy; the professor was dead to the world, vanishing after 'tragic incident' during exploration of Azran Sanctuary. To this day part of him detested the lie he decided to go with.
While it would be a nice surprise to find his brother in the open, he wasn't really counting on it. Just because nobody recognized him didn't mean he wasn't there. On the contrary, unusual happenings around town only added to Hershel's conviction that he was involved somehow. Hopefully not as a perpetrator this time.
His thoughts turned to a close-by Monte d'Or; did they knew what was happening here? Hershel could hardly imagine Randall not jumping at the opportunity presented by the site that close to home.
As his legs carried him towards the train station, Hershel let his mind wander. It was obvious he couldn't let Flora get involved from now on. It will be too dangerous moving forward, it was better to go in alone. Maybe if Luke was there...
He shook his head, banishing the thought. Luke was with his parents, where he belonged.
Flora was sitting where he expected her to be. She was slouching forward, eyes glazed over. Hershel cleared his throat, causing her to jump.
"Professor! I didn't hear you coming."
"You did seem lost in thoughts."
He would need to send her back, probably alone. Hershel suppressed the pang of guilt at the memory of her excited face.
"How was your time in town," he added, not exactly there.
"Mixed. Actually, I wanted to talk with you, professor."
"Oh dear. About what?"
She will understand, he told himself.
No she won't. Did I already forgot what happened the last time I wanted her to stay behind?
Oh, but she's a bit older now. Surely that harrowing experience tempered her need to go against my instructions.
"A lot of things. For starters, I feel like sometimes you don't really listen to me."
He massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. No, even if he told her to go home, she would find a way to come with him whether he liked it or not. He needed someone to keep their eye on her, so he could safely continue the search. And he should probably contact Randall and the others.
He needed...
"Attention passengers!" the intercom came to life, interrupting his train of thoughts. "The evening train to Monte d'Or, leaving from platform 7, will be delayed 10 minutes. We apologize for inconvenience."
What was that saying about two birds?
"You can tell me on the way, dear. We're going to visit some old friends of mine."
Sometimes what you were looking for was in your pocket all along
After coming back to work after Unwound Future, Hershel discovers someone broke into his office. Together with Flora, they set on a journey to uncover this new mystery! On the way, he might just discover how strained their relationship really grew. Also on Ao3
Chapter 3 - Investigation begins
Notes:
This work is part of Layton Big Bang, so here's wonderful co-creators! The artworks were made by: Polysaurus: twitter, tumblr Angie_creations: carrd, intagram, bsky, twitter The puzzles were designed by Louise: tumblr
Something should have happened.
Flora lied to professor. Well, not lied, exactly. It wasn't lying if he didn't ask, was it?
Was she supposed to feel guilty? Everything she was taught over the years screamed yes, and yet she couldn't bring herself to.
All she had was a feeling of cold hand grabbing her insides at the mere thought of Layton stumbling upon the truth somehow. It was like that time, when mum was still around, Flora took a plate of pastry meant for the guests and ate half of it, hiding the rest in the kitchen cupboard to get rid of the evidence.
It wasn't guilt, though it could be easily mistaken for it if she was a few years younger.
The rest of the journey was almost insultingly normal. Layton tried to keep up a conversation and, surprising herself, Flora chimed in sometimes.
"What was his name? You always say 'my brother', professor. Won't it be easier if I know who to look for too?"
He scratched his head.
"That's not as easy thing to answer, I'm afraid. He has a habit of taking new names and discarding them once they outlast their purpose. I personally knew him under three, and I have no idea if he even uses any of them now." He crossed his arms. "Though I suppose if you hear something about 'Jean Descole', it's probably him."
Flora turned from the window. Bruno told her once about people choosing another name for themselves, but he probably hadn't meant using them like suits to change on a whim.
"Well, what do you call him, professor?"
Layton send her a smile, but it hadn't quite reach his eyes.
"That is something I wonder myself, dear."
This seemed to finally kill any chatting mood. Layton sunk deeper into his thoughts and Flora sunk deeper into ignoring the gnawing feeling in her chest.
Caradan welcomed them with sun and delicate breeze dancing between the flags and someone's hanged laundry. Flora stayed silent when Layton chose the motel they were going to spend the night in. "Now," he said, "I want us to stay together but if we get separated, you need to wait for me here." Then they set off into town.
It was much smaller than London. Flora was glancing around, taking in the cobblestone street, odd-looking buildings and flocks of pigeons that took flight at any slightly louder sound. It reminded her of home a bit.
As they went further towards the city center, Layton's caution seemed less and less unfounded. The crowds weren't overwhelming yet, but losing each other wasn't out of question.
They stopped near the stand selling pocket watches. Layton leaned over the rows of rhythmic ticking and asked the owner something Flora didn't hear. On the material next to the working clocks laid one dismantled, with cogs and springs displayed for all the world to see.
Flora turned away.
She let her eyes wonder, until they landed on the cafe on the other side of the street. Through the window, a group of four people caught her eye. They were laughing, but their mood wasn't what grabbed her attention; it was their clothes. It was well past he carnival, and yet each of them was dressed like they just left a party. She could see a vampire with an orange bag, a robot in a bowler hat, another person with wings and arrows and next one with what looked like a Sherlock Holmes costume? They even had a pipe! It only blew bubbles though.
Layton was still talking with the seller when they stood up and left the building, still chatting, and walked past Flora. Her eyes followed them for a bit before returning to the window. She squinted; was that a book left on the table? Maybe one of them forgot to take it with themselves. Not thinking long, Flora scurried up the stairs, the bell near the door announcing her entrance. She headed towards abandoned book, grabbed it and brought closer to her eyes.
"The body in the hill," she read the title. A mystery novel? Flora looked at the back to see the description. "While digging new garden area, Patricia discovers a disturbing sign: her recently passed away aunt, with her left hand cut off. Who did mutilate her body and hid it there? Was her death really an accident? And who's next? A puzzling story about family secrets, grudges and gardening."
Flora's brows shot up. That did sound interesting, if a bit macabre. She turned a page. She's just going to skim through the prologue...
"Are you going to order anything?"
She jerked up. Her eyes met a waiter, who impatiently tapped the pencil on his notebook. Flora felt her cheeks get warm; she was a good thirty pages in. It seemed she got too engrossed in the story... She quickly apologized and left.
Layton wasn't outside anymore. Of course. Flora sighed and looked around. She could return to the motel, or she could-
Struck with an idea, Flora reached to her bag. But before the idea could crystallize into clear thought, sudden realization stopped her in her tracks.
She still had the book. Of course she still had it. She wanted to return it, that's why she even went inside... But what now? The group could be anywhere, or worse, they could've split up by now. Should she go back to the cafe? But would they keep the book until the owner returned for it?
She wiped her palms on the dress. Somehow the book seemed to gain another pound with every minute she hesitated.
"What's wrong, applepie?"
Flora spun around, book close to her chest. She saw two older women behind her, one taller than the other, with the shorter one leaning on a cane. They were both staring are her now.
"E-Excuse me, were you talking to me?"
"Sure we were," the shorter one chirped. "What happened, dear? You look especially troubled."
"Ah." Flora clutched the book harder. "It's not really that big of a deal. It's just... going to bother me, I guess."
The ladies were still staring. Flora started sweating.
"So?" the taller one droned.
"So?" Flora echoed.
"What is your problem? You hadn't answered yet."
"Well..." She prayed the book away from her chest. "There was a group of people in the cafe, and one of them left this book here. It's a very good book," she added defensively.
"Hm. What did they look like?"
"They were all dressed up, I don't know which one's book it is. There was detective, vampire-"
"Oh, these pals! You're lucky, they sure love their costumes."
"Do you know those people?" Flora tilted her head.
"Why, my dear, we sure do!"
And then the ladies started talking over each other:
"You see, at the end of this street there stands four houses, numbered 2, 3, 6 and 7."
"In each of one of houses lives one of four friends - Franken Rebot, Juliette Vantire, Leia Cupeed and Sherlock Detect."
"Each one of the always picks a certain outfit."
"Each one loves to read a certain genres of books."
"Exactly one of them has their first name related to their favorite genre, but it's not Mr. Detect."
"Exactly one of them has their costume related to their favorite genre, but it's not the one Martha was talking about or the one dressed like a Detective"
"Exactly one of them has their costume related to their last name and it's neither Sherlock nor one of those from before!"
"The women live in houses with odd numbers, and Franken's number is a multiple of Science Fiction fan's home number!"
"Which should tell you something, because Science Fiction fan and Horror fan are living just next to each other."
"The Cupid lives in one of the last two houses, and the Detective in one of the first two."
"And the last thing: The man with a name related to Mystery has a Robot costume, but he doesn't like Science Fiction."
In order to return the book, I need to find out which one likes mystery novels.
Flora put her finger on the chin, deep in thought. It will probably be easier to draw it out...
(Please don't scroll further if you want to solve it on your own!)
She quickly sketched the grid and get to work. The two women kept their distance, glancing at Flora from time to time, chattering and snickering. Flora smirked. Well, good to know everyone here is having a grand time.
After a few minutes she was pretty sure she got it figured out.
"In house 2 lives Sherlock Detect, who wears robot outfit and likes horror stories. In house 3 lives Leia Cupeed, who wears detective outfit and likes science fiction. In house 6 lives Franken Rebot, who wears cupid outfit and likes romance. That leaves Juliette Vantire, who lives in house 7, wears vampire outfit and likes mystery!"
The shorter woman clapped her hands. "Such a sharp mind, dear! Yes yes yes!"
"Now, if you want to catch her, we saw her going to the market square some time ago."
"Just go down that street and turn left two times, then to the right when you reach the fountain."
"Thank you a lot!" Flora weaved her goodbyes and took off. Who knows how long Miss Vantire will stay there?
She arrived at the market short of breath. The hive of bright shirts, coats and dresses buzzed around her. How was she supposed to find one bee in it?
Then, the shadow of a black cape glistened between the colours. With new life in her step, she jumped forward. "Excuse-" But then the person turned and Flora bit her tongue when she saw the middle-aged man instead of a young woman. She quickly shuffled forward, not looking back at him. Maybe he didn't notice.
Flora maneuvered her way through the square, making circles around the groups of gossiping people. Her eyes danced between the faces, trying to find her vampire without repeating previous mistake. So far, she had no luck.
Just when she was ready to give up, she saw another person in dark cape in front of a vegetable stand. Once burned, twice shy - so Flora squinted her eyes and scuttled closer. Apart from the cape, they wore high collar shrouding their head and Flora let herself hope. Then they reached to the side, pointing at some tomatoes, and a familiar orange bag slid down, sticking from behind the cape. Yes!
"Excuse me! Miss Vantire?" she shouted.
The woman looked over her shoulder, brows furrowing when she noticed Flora.
"That's me. Do you want something?"
Flora run up to her, thrust the book forward and let out in one breath: "Is this yours?"
Juliette stared at her dumbfounded before shifting and rummaging through her bag. She then looked up and smiled so wide Flora thought her vampire teeth were going to fall out.
"Oh, thank you very much! I didn't even notice it was gone, it would've taken me ages to find it again."
Flora couldn't stop large grin from appearing on her face. "No problem. I was happy to help." And she wasn't lying, it really made her giddy inside. Maybe that was the part she missed the most from adventures with Layton. The ability to just encounter a problem and solve it, helping people on the way. Somehow it never happened when she was going through London on her own.
She was about to say something more, when out of the corner of her eye Flora noticed something. A few meters away, a man took out large envelope from his pocket and swiftly sneaked it into another man's hand, before they walked past each other without another word. The whole encounter took less than 10 seconds. If she wasn't by accident looking there, she wouldn't have even noticed.
"Everything alright?"
"Ah, yes, I just thought I saw my friend over there. Have a nice day!" She pushed the book in her arms, turned on her heel and started forcing her way through the crowd. Her instincts, or at least that's what she would put a blame on if anyone asked, told her to follow the man with the envelope. Her eyes darted around, trying to find him in the sea of people. She pushed down the sound of triumph when she spotted the man some distance before her. Flora slowed down after that - as long as she could see him it wouldn't be wise to be too close.
The man moved further and further from the market. The crowds thinned and Flora found it harder to keep up without being noticed. She resorted to hiding in the shadows of the walls and behind the stairwells. Thankfully, after the man entered a maze of alleys she had a lot of nooks and crannies to choose from.
It's not that bad, she thought.
The sound of pebble being kicked away resounded impossibly loud between the walls.
She rushed behind the corner, hands on her mouth. Flora didn't bother holding her breath; part of her was sure the beating of her heart would betray her anyway.
She stood in place, her heart still trying to escape her chest, before she heard footsteps moving away again. Instead of going right after, she whipped a hand mirror out of her bag and tilted it towards the street, just to be sure.
The man was turned away, next to the metal fence four buildings over. He took out a phone, looked around a few times and entered through the gate. Flora sighed, relieved; she didn't botch everything yet. With more careful footsteps, she followed him.
The gate lead to a junkyard, with piles of scrap scattered about. Flora could see a few old cars towed against the nearest wall and some kitchen appliances stacked together. She surveyed the dumpsite, watching for any movement. There, some piles away, blue coat caught her attention, and soon after she heard a voice:
"---the archaeologist--- no, we need --- Yes, I--- it, I --- don't understand---"
Between the distance and how the man murmured, it was hard to understand what he was saying, so she gulped and took another few steps, making sure something was always covering her from his line of sight.
"The boss will be furious if we don't finish on time. We need this treasure." He listened to the person on the other end of the line. "Yeah. Yeah. No. Listen, it's not my first time with the Azran, I know what I'm doing. Someone has to be there to collect the package, it might as well be me."
Flora pushed down the gasp building in her throat. So it was something important after all. She licked her lips. She couldn't afford to miss anything.
He moved deeper into the junkyard, his voice fading away. Flora slowly crept between the piles until she heard him again.
"Of course no one saw me leaving the base," the man scoffed. "After the meeting, I went to the nearest restaurant and then to the main square." He let out annoyed grunt. "No, I didn't take the shortest path, I couldn't, I had to avoid the neighborhood watch posts. Damn bumpkins won't be making anything easier for us. But I did took the exact same number of turns as if I'd taken the short path, and I never backtracked." The man nodded a few times more. "Yeah, I guess. Well, I hope the delivery is not a bust. Can't repeat the last time. Take care."
The call seemed to be coming to the end. It was time to go.
Flora took a step back, and felt her shoulder bump into something. The whole word seemed to slow down. With terror, she watched as the tower of cans wobbled, suddenly remembering that gravity existed.
When it hit the ground, Flora was already on the run.
Sometimes what you were looking for was in your pocket all along
After coming back to work after Unwound Future, Hershel discovers someone broke into his office. Together with Flora, they set on a journey to uncover this new mystery! On the way, he might just discover how strained their relationship really grew. Also on Ao3
Chapter 2 - On the train
Notes:
This work is part of Layton Big Bang, so here's wonderful co-creators!
The artworks were made by:
Polysaurus: twitter, tumblr
Angie_creations: carrd, intagram, bsky, twitter
The puzzles were designed by Louise: tumblr
Flora was shifting her weight from foot to foot, glancing at the big clock in the middle of the hall. Ten minutes ago Hershel told her to wait while he got tickets, and the departure time was coming worryingly close.
What if he left me here? Maybe I was wrong about the train and he decided he was better off without me? Should I look for him? No, I promised I would listen to him, that was the deal! If I leave now he will left me for sure-
Gentle tap on her shoulder broke Flora out of her spiral. She flinched and turned her head.
"Everything's alright dear? You look a little pale. We can always put off the trip..."
"No!" she shouted, then added more calmly, "I mean, no, I feel fine. Just a little nervous."
Hershel nodded. "Alright then. Take this." He handed her a ticket. "I managed to get places in the third cart, let's go."
Flora looked at her ticket and blinked a few times. "Professor, I thought our last stop was Monte D'or? What is 'Caradan'?"
"Ah, you see," he replied, "it's an express train so there's not a lot of stops."
Flora frowned. "I know, that's why we were going to the last station, right?"
"Yes. Yesterday I skimmed a few newspapers looking for places the train stops at, just to see if I find something helpful." Hershel fixed the brim of his hat. "Along the way something caught my eye. Next to the last stop is a city named Caradan, which made a headlines a few weeks ago because of an interesting archaeological discovery - a well preserved cavern, covered in Azran runes." He smiled. "If there is a place I would look for my brother, it's around fascinating ancient excavations."
"...You want to take a look at the site, aren't you, professor?
He blushed a bit. "Ah. Well, I'm sure it won't hurt to look either way."
The train arrived in a puff of smoke just moments after they came to the correct terminal. They boarded it without wasting time.
"Here we go," said Layton, putting her suitcase on the racket. When he was bending down, something sharp flashed through his face and he grabbed the seat to steady himself.
"Professor! Is everything okay?"
"Ah. Don't worry, dear. I must admit the research took a bit more of my night than I expected," he said, massaging his forehead. He got seated across her. "The journey will last a few hours at least. I hope you don't mind if I rest my eyes a little. It might do me some good."
True to his word, soon his whole body relaxed and Flora could hear softer, more rhythmic breathing. She sighed and took out a mystery novel from her bag. At least she brought something to kill the time.
Less than half an hour later, she was bored out of her mind. Serves her right for bringing a book she almost finished. Flora's eyes wandered around their compartment; there were no other luggage besides their own. She supposed that's good, for privacy. Nevertheless, it would be nice to have somebody more to talk with. She send Layton another look, that the man didn't notice, still sleeping soundly. It won't hurt if she went for a stroll, right? She'll probably be back before he wakes up anyway.
Careful not to wake him, Flora lifted herself from her seat and sneaked past the door. The carpet muffled her steps as she shuffled through the corridor. She kept one hand on the wall, enjoying the texture. A few doors she passed by were open, but every time she glanced inside she was met with more empty space. It seems not a lot of people take the train at this hour. It reminds me of the Molentary Express.
The thought quickly soured her mood. At least she was inside now. It would be harder for Layton to leave me behind while the train's still running, told her treacherous mind.
Her hand caught on something smoother than the wood paneling she felt before. Flora squinted and read the sign: The Restaurant Compartment.
As if on cue, her stomach grumbled. She frowned. The sandwiches she prepared for the journey were left behind in their compartment. She could come back for them.
Bad thing, Flora wasn't sure sure where Layton put them after she gave them to him on the station.
Good thing, she took her handbag with herself; she should have enough money to buy something light to eat.
Her mind settled, she strutted on the wooden floor in the right direction. At the end of the corridor, she noticed a woman pondering something on the wall. Flora slowed down, before coming to a stop a few steps away.
The woman was dressed in a well-tailored blue dress, additional seafoam green hem falling in graceful waves around the skirt. Her hair, blond with some graying strands, was fashioned into low curls that surrounded her neck like a fur collar. She looked like she was taken straight from a portrait hanging over the fireplace in a decades-old house.
She's beautiful, Flora thought. The her hands struck her chicks with a dull whap - What was she doing? She just spent entire minute staring at a stranger! Extremely rude!
She glanced up. Thankfully, the lady was too focused on what's looked like a menu pinned to the wall for her to notice Flora's faux pa. Maybe she could sneak past her... But no luck there - she was standing just next to the door. It would be impossible to open it without disturbing the lady.
Flora cleared her throat and braced herself for embarrassment.
"Excuse me, is this the restaurant?"
The lady startled, finally taking notice of her.
"Yes, it is. Terribly sorry," she said, moving away from the door. Flora thanked her and made a move towards the entrance.
"I wish they would make it clearer..." she heard a murmur. Flora paused and looked back, taking in the stranger's concentrated expression and eyes focused on the menu.
"Is something wrong?"
The lady sighed and turned to Flora.
"Well, I'm in quite a pickle. I wanted to buy myself soup, dessert and something to drink, but for the love of me I can't figure out how much I'll have to pay. The menu is difficult for me to parse through."
Flora's eyes sparkled.
"Maybe I can help? I'm good at puzzles."
"If you want to, I would appreci ate it." She gestured at the board next to the door. Flora come closer, her brows furrowing when she saw what was written on it.
{Today's offer:
Steak, dessert and drink 2 8 -,
Steak, soup and dessert 34-,
Steak, soup and drink 30-,
D essert of the day: Apple pie - only 7 picarats ! }
That's a puzzle alright, she thought, searching through her handbag for a pen and something to writ e on . At least I know how's much for the pie.
Let's see. If steak, soup and dessert is 34 but steak, soup and drink is 30, then the drink is 4 picarats cheaper than dessert. So, it should be 3, right? And if steak, dessert and drink is 28, that means steak is...
Flora scribbled strings of numbers on the paper, tip of her tongue sticking out of her mouth. Adding here, subtracting here...
With a sound of triumph she underlined the last equation and lifted it higher for the lady to see.
"It's 19!"
The lady stared at her with an unreadable expression. Flora gulped. Did she said something wrong? Before she could start overthinking, the lady chuckled and send her a fond smile.
"Thank you so much, it was getting a tad frustrating. You really must like puzzles, you were practically glowing." She glanced at the entrance to the restaurant cart. "Say, could I repay you with a cup of coffee? Or a dessert perhaps?"
Flora fidgeted with a hem of her shirt, feeling a bit embarrassed that she forgot to iron it out in the morning.
"No, I... I didn't do anything, really. There's no need..."
"I insist." And then, as if noticing her discomfort, she added: "I travel alone, so I'll be glad to have some companion to have lunch with. Especially such lovely young lady as you."
Flora bit her lip. It was so tempting to just say yes.
"I.. If you insist..."
"Oh my, where are my manners!" The lady extended her hand. "Angela Ledore, at your service. It's great to meet you Miss...?"
"Flora. Uh, Reinholds." She took the hand and shook it slightly. "Pleasure to be your acquaintance, Miss Ledore."
She stopped, hearing light snicker. Flora looked up and found the women covering her face with a slight blush."I'm terribly sorry. It's just... I didn't expect such formality from someone your age. Nothing wrong with that!" She quickly reassured Flora. "But really dear, you can call me Angela."
"Oh, sure, Miss Angela."
Miss Angela led them to the table a little to the right from the door. Flora sat at the free chair and straighten her posture when she saw her doing the same. After some insistence, she ordered a cup of tea and pie for herself.
Flora's first impression was correct: Miss Angela was every inch a classy lady, with perfect manners and in control of herself. Flora found herself enjoying their shared meal. The possible topics seemed to never end; every time there was a lull in a conversation, Miss Angela made a comment that made Flora gush about the book she last read, or the flowers she liked the best. Really, dear? That reminds me of someone- and then Miss Angela would share short story about another friend of hers. And she knew so many people! Flora felt her mind swimming - she was sure the woman was on a first name basis with more people than ever lived in Misthallary, including the robots.
"I didn't travel much before." She traced her finger on cup's edge. "I spent most my life in one place, pretty far from main roads. It's still my home, but the past few years I was able to see so much new things I can't really regret leaving."
"Nothing's bad with trying new things, dear." Miss Angela sipped her tea. "It's the other way around for me - my teenage years were spent moving around a lot. Now I enjoy having a place to have roots in. I've been living there for some time now."
"Doesn't that feel stiffing?
"Not to me. I like having the people I love in one place. Besides, Monte d'Or is anything but boring. I rarely have a need to leave it."
Flora tilted her head. "So this trip is something special?"
"It's a business trip of sorts. I wanted to visit my friend in London." She took another bite. "I was looking forward to see him again, but I had bad luck." Miss Angela sighed. "I don't have his address, so I asked around at his work, and it seems he left a few days ago with hardly a warning. Didn't even inform anyone where he was going or for how long." She send Flora lopsided smile. "I was told it's typical for him."
"I know someone like that," Flora snickered.
"Really? Maybe someone should introduce them to each other." She arched her brows teasingly. "And what brings you on this trip? Are you visiting relatives?"
"No, nothing like that! Well, at least not mine." Flora shifted in her chair, trying to imitate Miss Angela's posture better and corrected her hold on the teacup. "My..." What should she call Layton? 'Guardian' was the most accurate, but won't that made her sound childish? "...friend is trying to reconnect with his brother. Apparently it was a long time since they last talked, so we're investigating where he could be."
"Oh, you're traveling with a friend? I'm sorry, if I knew I wouldn't be so pushy about you joining me. Is he waiting for you?"
"I don't think my friend," the word tasted weird, "would mind that I'm here. Last I saw him, he was dozing off anyway," Flora hastily replied.
"If you're sure. I would hate to keep you here when you have much better things to do." She smiled apologetically. "But I digress. Please, you were telling where you're going."
"Ah, like I said, we're looking for someone. My friend thinks he might be in Caradan. He's interested in archaeology, so he could come just to look at new site there."
Miss Angela frowned.
"Caradan? Well, it catches a lot of attention as of late, that is true..." Her fingers drummed on the table, thinking. "If you're sure he's here, I would advise caution. I live not far from there, and I heard worrying rumors. Some unsavory types loitering around the discovered cavern, disappearing equipment, and other suspicious activity. Some even say the site is haunted. Can't say if there's more to it, but please keep your eyes open while you're there. It could be dangerous."
Flora's face clouded. On one hand, maybe those rumors were exactly what would attract someone like professor's brother. On the other, dangerous? How dangerous? She froze. What if he decides it'll be too risky for her to come?
Oh, wait, she had company. She looked up to see Miss Angela watching her with worry. Flora forced a smile.
"Thank you for the warning. We'll try not to get in trouble."
Miss Angela slumped her shoulders. "I really hope so."
Flora nodded.
Their finished their food quickly after that, the conversation not as lively as before. As much as it pained her, Flora tried to end it politely fast. She could feel herself slipping and really didn't want it to happen in front of other people.
The storm of thoughts in her head only gained momentum when she entered their compartment. Layton sat hunched over and leaning forward, his hands clenched together with his head resting on them. She couldn't see his face.
He jerked up when she closed the door and focused on her.
"Ah. You're back, good. There's something I wanted to talk with you about."
Flora felt shivers down her spine. "About what?"
Layton shook his head and motioned her to the empty cushion. She sit down, growing even more tense; something she wouldn't thought possible barely a minute ago.
Despite what he said, it took a while for Layton to address her again.
"I feel like I wasn't entirely honest with you," he started. "It wasn't out of malice, I thought it would be for the best. However," he sighed, "I gave it some thought and come to the conclusion I should give you clearer picture of what this trip could require of us.
"I said that me and my brother were separated and had a rough start later on. Whether to spare your feelings or mine, I may have downplayed how bad it was. There was violence involved, thankfully only material losses, but it could have easily turn into tragedy; Luke almost got seriously hurt!"
And yet you still took him on your adventures, she didn't say. Flora gritted her teeth. She could see where this was going.
"He doesn't enjoy causing harm, but he's a rather impatient man, and can grow quite obsessive. With that, he's quick to anger and that can cloud his common sense. Troubles seem to follow him, whether by his own or fate's design." Layton let out a laugh that probably came out more mirthless than intended. "Some could say that's the quality we share. I have no way to tell where our path will take us. For now, you can travel with me and we'll look for him together, but I want you to step out if it turns out he got himself into something serious. Do you understand?"
Flora was staring at him with empty eyes, hands gripping her skirt. Oh, she understood perfectly.
