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It had started out as nothing more than a regular meeting.
Ernest may have declined any money from the Dark Jewel Foundation beyond his scholarship, but Pipper had easily come up with a loophole. She knew that Katrielle had a fair amount of debt from opening her detective agency and while she insisted she was fine, Pipper knew that she could do with an influx of cash and well, helping London businesses was exactly what the Dark Jewel Foundation was meant for.
And if that meant Ernest finally got a paycheque, well then that was Kat’s doing, not theirs, right?
It had brought to their attention though that having someone on the board that represented the more small business side of London would likely be a good idea. While not all the Dragons originally came from large business empires before the diamonds, they sometimes forgot what it’s like for smaller businesses with less funds. And so, Kat, and by extension Ernest, had been brought onto the board. Kat had a rapport with all of them already, especially Pipper and Liza with whom she had become fast friends, it made sense.
Official business had been wrapped up and the group was now sitting around Madame Doublée’s meeting room, enjoying refreshments that her maid had brought up.
“I was rather put out by the fact that this young girl showed up rather than the Professor admittedly, but I definitely think I got the better deal in the end,” Madame Doublée was saying. Somehow, they gotten on to the topic of the first cases Kat had solved for each of them.
“You know, I used to interview him every so often for the Times,” Cesar mused. “It’s been a while though and actually, last time I requested an interview I never heard back now that I think about it.”
A strange looked crossed Kat’s face briefly that went unnoticed by almost everyone in the room, save for Ernest and Pipper.
“Really? I came across an interesting artifact on my last voyage and decided to take it to the university and see if he could identify it but couldn’t find him. I assumed he was on an expedition.” Mustafa shrugged. “How long ago did you request that interview?”
“About a year ago, it was just after Gressenheller announced that large excavation site up in the north. I just figured he was too busy at the time and then it slipped his mind, he never was known for his organization after all.”
By now Kat was looking very much uncomfortable, concerning Pipper. “Katrielle? Are you okay?”
“Do none of you really know?” Kat said instead, voice uncharacteristically quiet. “I thought it was much more common knowledge than that.”
The remaining Dragons shared an uneasy look. “Whatever do you mean, darling?” Madame Doublée asked.
“Miss Layton, if you wish, I can,” Ernest interjected, trying his best to be helpful in the situation at hand.
Kat held up a hand to stop him before he could finish his sentence. “It’s fine, Ernest,” she said with a sigh. “It might not be my favourite topic, but it certainly isn’t one I can run away from.” Still, she hesitated over her next words.
Pipper, who was sitting next to Kat, reached out to place a comforting hand on her forearm. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell us,” she reassured Kat.
Kat waved her off. “It really is fine, I guess I’m just surprised, I know it wasn’t broadcasted or anything, but it still isn’t a secret.”
“What isn’t a secret?” It was Phineas that spoke this time.
“My father’s been missing for ten years.” Everyone’s eyes widened except for Ernest, who instead gave Kat a sad look that went unnoticed by her. “I know it never really made news, but that’s likely because we all just thought at first that he had gone on some sort of adventure and forgotten to tell any of us.” Kat smiled wanly. “You said it yourself, Mr. Chance, he never was known for his organization.”
“When did you realize that it wasn’t that simple?” Liza asked, sympathy clear in her eyes.
“Honestly? I don’t know.” Kat’s voice was oddly hollow. “If you all would excuse me for a moment.” She stood abruptly, disappearing into the hallway.
Ernest glanced between the door and the Dragons, unsure if he should go after Kat or try and smooth things out, but before he could decide, Pipper was already up and following Kat out into the hallway. “It’s a, uh, a bit of a sensitive topic for Miss Layton, I’m afraid,” he told the remaining Dragons, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. “I didn’t even know until about a month after I had started working for her.”
Liza perked up, seemingly having had an epiphany. “It’s why she opened the agency, isn’t it? I remember her alluding to something when I asked her what inspired her to go into investigating but she didn’t really answer my question at the time.”
Ernest nodded. “She had hoped to finally have the resources to properly search for her father. She claims it’s because she needs to tell him she solved the last riddle he gave her, but I can tell it’s more than that.”
“My goodness, she would have been nothing more than a child that poor girl. Do you know if there’s anything we can do to help?” Madame Doublée asked. “She’s done so much for each of us, it really is the least any of us can do.”
“You’d have to ask her,” Ernest replied quietly, looking towards the door again.
Katrielle Layton prided herself on keeping her emotions in check.
She’d once teased Pipper about it, but the truth was she was very much the same. So, when she felt herself slipping as she spoke about her father with the Dragons, she made a hasty exit.
She had just barely made it out into the hallway when she heard a voice behind her. “Katrielle?” She turned to see Pipper had followed her, concern written all over her face.
“And here I thought it would be Ernest who followed,” Kat quipped with a half-hearted grin.
“He was thinking about it, but I beat him to the punch.” Pipper chuckled. “I thought it best, as sweet as he is, you and I both know that he would just manage to stick his foot in his mouth.”
This drew a genuine, albeit small, laugh from Kat. “He does tend to try a little too hard.” Still, she could feel the traitorous tears starting to fall down her cheeks. “Sorry,” she said, voice cracking as she wiped furiously at her eyes.
Pipper immediately softened. “Hey now, come with me.” She wrapped an arm around Kat’s shoulders, leading her down the hallway and through a darkened room out onto a balcony.
“Leave it to you to know where the balcony is even in the dark.” Kat’s voice was rough with tears, but the small smile on her face was real.
“I am rather predictable once you get to know me.” Pipper grinned briefly before concern took over once again. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Kat didn’t respond immediately, but Pipper didn’t push, instead staying silent, content to gaze up at the stars enjoying Kat’s presence at her side while waiting for her to get her thoughts together. “It wasn’t unusual,” Kat finally said after several minutes. “Him disappearing for a few days or even a few weeks that is. He’s a world-renowned archeologist, he was high in demand. The thought that something might be wrong didn’t even cross any of our minds until we had gone about six weeks without hearing from him.”
“Had he never been gone that long?” Pipper asked, trying to get a feel for the situation.
Kat shook her head. “Not without sending some sort of message. He was occasionally gone for two or three months if it were a big project, but he always contacted us to let us know he would be gone longer than expected or, the occasional time it happened while I was off school, arranged for me to join him.”
“I could see you enjoying that, I would bet there’s a lot of puzzles buried in old ruins.” Pipper smiled at the thought of a tiny Katrielle exploring ruins and solving puzzles. “Katrielle Layton: archeologist’s apprentice. Would make an excellent children’s book.”
“Don’t tell Luke that, he’s very protective of his title of Professor Layton’s number one apprentice.” Kat shook her head, seemingly lost in a memory.
“Who’s Luke?” It wasn’t a name Kat had ever mentioned to Pipper before.
“The son of one of my father’s friends. He spent a lot of time travelling with Dad as a child before either Alfendi or I came into the picture.” Kat sighed. “He was the first person we contacted when we realized how long Dad had gone without contact. Figured if anyone would know anything it would be him.” Tears glinted in Kat’s eyes again.
“But he didn’t know anything,” Pipper guessed.
Kat shook her head. “He nor anyone else we contacted, and there are a lot of people scattered over the globe who know my father.”
“So, what happened then?” It was a risk pushing Kat, Pipper knew, but she could tell Kat needed to talk about it, to allow herself to be open for once.
“We started contacting authorities, but for the most part it became a waiting game.” Kat shrugged. “We had no choice, life had to go on.”
Pipper raised an eyebrow. “Giving up does not sound like something you’ve ever done in your life.”
Kat chuckled wanly. “It isn’t, but there was only so much I could do. Especially as Rosa did her best to keep me from spending all my time on it, insisting that I needed to be a normal kid.”
Another name Pipper hadn’t heard. “Who’s Rosa?”
“She was a caretaker at Gressenheller that Dad hired as a live-in housekeeper when Alfendi first came to live with him. She was the only one he trusted to take care of us when he was away and she was the one I lived with after, well,” Kat trailed off.
“I’m glad you had someone who was there for you during all of that,” Pipper told Kat sincerely.
“Did you have anyone like that after your dad passed?” Kat asked, suddenly curious.
Pipper shrugged. “I had the other Dragons, Phineas especially, but I was much older than you were, I had no need for a guardian.” She turned to study Kat once more. “Now, because we’ve established that you don’t know how to give up, what is it you’ve been doing about everything lately?”
Kat sagged. “I want to remain hopeful,” she whispered. If Pipper hadn’t been standing right next to her, she wouldn’t have been able to hear Kat. “But it’s getting hard to. I keep an ear out for cases of unidentified unsolved deaths and send his dental records every time. It’s morbid, I know, but it’s been so long that realistically the chances of him still being alive are,” a choked sob escaping from Kat’s throat cut her off.
Pipper pulled Kat into a hug, rubbing her back soothingly as she cried. “Sometimes the only thing you can do is be realistic. Right now, I think your need for closure is greater than your ability to stay hopeful and there is nothing wrong with that. All you can do with this situation is your best to keep going, and you certainly have done that.”
“Still feel likes I’m failing him.” Kat’s voice was muffled against Pipper’s shoulder.
“I don’t think you ever could.” Pipper gave Kat one last squeeze before pulling back so she could see her face. “And I know it’s hard, but remember, you aren’t alone. There is an entire room of people here with a great deal of resources who are all so grateful for you and they would do anything to help you, I would do anything I can to help you. Just tell me what you need.”
“Honestly? I don’t know what I could possibly do next, and I think right now that might be the hardest thing.” Kat sniffled. “I’ve never not known what to do next in my life and it’s not a feeling I like.”
“Well, whenever you figure it out, I’m here, alright? I’m always going to be there for you.” There was so much more Pipper wanted to add to that sentiment, but she knew it wasn’t the time to do so.
“Are you sure about that? I’ve been told I’m not the easiest person to deal with.” Kat tried to smirk, but it fell flat with the tears still shining in her eyes.
“Those people clearly don’t know you the way I do.” Pipper reached out, gently brushing a stray tear from Kat’s cheek before cupping it with her palm. “There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you, truthfully.” Something flashed in Kat’s eyes, though it was gone so fast that Pipper wondered if she imagined it. Still, they moved imperceptibly closer, Pipper’s breath catching in her throat…
Kat stepped back abruptly, suddenly flustered. “If there’s anything you can help with, you’ll be the first to know.” She collected herself quickly, giving Pipper a shy but meaningful look. “Thank you, Pipper.”
Pipper had felt a pang of disappointment at the loss of Kat’s proximity, but pushed the feeling aside knowing that her feelings weren’t something to add to an already emotionally charged conversation. “I look forward to it.” Her demeanour suddenly turned mischievous. “So, want to head back in there, or do you want to sneak away and go for ice cream?”
Kat grinned, pretending to appraise Pipper for a second. “Why do I get the feeling that you often sneak out of Dragon related activities?”
“I may or may not rarely stay until the end.”
Kat giggled. “Ice cream sounds good, though I do feel bad for leaving Ernest to the wolves so to speak.”
Pipper waved her off. “He’ll be fine. Between you and me, Liza’s become a bit enamoured with him, not sure she realizes though.”
“Suddenly I don’t feel bad at all.” Kat held an arm out to Pipper. “Shall we?”
Pipper accepted Kat’s arm, wide smile on her face. Perhaps sneaking out was about to become their thing.