Chapter Text
Flora wished she could say she couldn't believe Luke and the Professor went off on an adventure without her again , but that seemed to be exactly what happened. Over the last few weeks, the Professor had been acting a bit strange. He had gone to meetings Luke had no prior knowledge of and was carrying around some sort of file he wouldn't let either of them look at. Sure, he said they were student papers, but he'd always kept them in his office and it seemed a bit skinny for that.
The previous night after dinner, Luke told Flora he'd deduced that the Professor must've secretly taken on a case and had learned he was going to meet some people late that night. Luke had also told her that he was going to follow him to the meeting to test the theory, and promised to come straight home after finding the answer. He could've invited her; she was rather great at sneaking, in her opinion.
Now it was morning; Flora had had breakfast and she was still the only one home. Those two were probably off having a grand time without her by now. Well, she could have her own adventure. It might not be as full of mysteries and drama, but it'll be fun .
She put on her favorite dress and boots, tied up her hair with a ribbon, and marched out the front door. A white cat with black spots sitting on the steps halted Flora's plans.
“Checker?” One of the stray cats Luke was friends with; they were probably hungry. “Luke isn't here right now, but I could get you something.” The Professor kept a small bag of cat food in a kitchen cabinet for a reason.
She turned around to open the door only for Checker to run in front of her. “I can't get your food if I can't open the door.”
The cat responded by running past her legs, down to the sidewalk, and meowing. “Do you want me to follow you?” It seemed like a safe enough guess.
Checker's answer was another meow and walking down the street.
That was probably a yes. Besides, plenty of adventures in stories started by the main character following an animal. Flora had an easy time catching up to the feline. The path she was taken on had enough turns for someone unfamiliar with the area to be turned around, and went behind and between various buildings. They didn't stop until they entered a random alley.
At first, nothing stood out. The neighboring buildings’ shadows made the alley a touch dark. There was a backdoor to a… restaurant? Yes, a restaurant she couldn't remember the name of. There were also trash cans, but Checker seemed particularly interested in something behind them.
“Did you find something?” Flora approached only for her stomach to drop. “LUKE!”
Lying unconscious on the concrete, Luke had a black eye, a partially healed cut on his face, and bloodied knuckles.
Checker wanted me to find him. Is he okay? What happened? Where's the Professor? He wouldn't just leave Luke like this. It looks like he's breathing. How long has he been here? What if he doesn't wake up? He has to wake up!
Flora gently but urgently patted his cheek; it was the only thing she could think of. “Luke, Luke, Luke please wake up. ”
Her fingers accidentally grazed the cut, and he winced away, face scrunching up.
“Nnh,” his eyes opened slightly. “Wh-”
“LUKE! Thank goodness.” Flora couldn't recall a time she felt more relieved.
“Flora?” He groggily groaned and sat up. “What’s going on?”
Oh dear, that wasn't good. “I'm not sure, but more importantly, how are you? Are you injured?”
“My head hurts.”
“That makes sense. Can you stand up?” She wasn't very strong, but Flora would carry him if she had to.
“I think so.” He looked slightly alarmed upon seeing the state of his hands.
“Here.” She held out her own and pulled Luke up. He stumbled a bit and looked around. “Um… where are we?”
“Behind a restaurant, Checker led me here. Let's get home, I'll patch you up,” Flora explained.
“Oh… let's also give Checker treats,” Luke suggested. The cat rubbed against his legs; they were definitely a good kitty today.
“Definitely,” she agreed, “and let me know if you need to sit down.”
“I will,” he promised.
-----
Neither child really said anything as Flora rushed them back to the Professor's flat. Luke was okay with the quiet as it allowed him to start processing the current situation. Something had happened when he followed the Professor. His best guess was some sort of fight, but he couldn't actually remember. Whatever it was, it clearly hadn't gone well. The absence of his mentor couldn't quite sink in; Luke knew that was the truth, but his brain couldn't muster an emotional response. Everything was fuzzy.
Any being with sentient thought could tell nothing about this was good.
Flora moved quickly after she unlocked the door and sat him on the couch. She grabbed the first aid kit and a bowl of water while Checker hopped up next to him, deciding a nap was the best way to celebrate a successful mission. Luke's teddy bear was placed in his lap just before water and disinfectant stung his knuckles, clearing the fuzz.
“Ow!” He flinched, but Flora prevented him from pulling his hand away.
She reached for the bandages. “I have to do this two more times, you know.”
“Sorry, I'll sit still.” It probably wasn't gentlemanly to make things more difficult for someone trying to help you.
“It's alright. Give me your other hand.” Flora repeated the same steps. “After I'm done, I'll make us tea and you can change into clean clothes.”
Oh yeah, he was unconscious in a dirty alley for a bit. Fortunately, he kept a spare outfit here for times like this, along with a set of PJs in case he suddenly needed to spend the night.
“That should do it for your hands,” Flora declared. “Wait, do the bandages need to be changed daily? I think they do.”
“That sounds right.” Luke wiggled his fingers to check how secure the bandages were. His knuckles were definitely going to hurt for a while. Flora placed the roll next to the first aid kit.
“I'll grab a washcloth for your face.” She walked into the kitchen.
Luke grabbed the box of plasters from the kit to see what his options were. There were a couple solid blues, along with a few other colors and patterns, but the one he decided on was light blue with a little bear head on it. It was the perfect plaster.
“I have a washcloth!” Flora announced, quickly returning to her seat.
He hugged his bear as dried blood and dirt was wiped off his face.
“Do you think it'll leave a scar?” he asked after the plaster was stuck on.
“Hmmm… probably not, it seems pretty shallow. Why?”
“I was just wondering.” He'd never gotten a cut on his face before. “Thank you, Flora.”
“No problem.” She packed up everything except the bandages. “Once the tea is ready, we'll talk about what happened last night.”
“Right.” Between the two of them, a lead was bound to crop up.
-----
Flora had selected Luke's favorite tea blend, oasis berry, for the two of them. The cups were ready on the table and Luke's footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs, though she felt like she was forgetting some-
“He hasn't had breakfast,” she whispered to herself. Something big wasn't an option, but something else could be made.
“What are you doing?” Luke asked, taking a seat.
“I'm making toast for you. I'd make something else, but there really isn't time,” Flora explained, pushing down the lever. It was time to get down to business. “Now, what do you remember from last night?”
“Um… I remember following the Professor for a few blocks and you waking me up in the alley,” he answered. “Sorry, I know that's not much.”
“No, but it can't be helped.” She took the seat next to him. “Hm. Well, whoever took the Professor has to have something to do with his mysterious investigation.”
“It'd be stranger if they didn't.” Luke tapped the table with his finger, staring into his tea.
Flora thought for a moment. There had to be some small detail; there usually was in mystery books. “Did he have the file with him?”
His finger stopped. “Not that I could see, which means it might still be here. We could also find some other clues in his office.”
“We'll need to stop by Gressenheller later, then.” Flora sipped her tea. The Professor didn't do much work at home, but he still had an office area in his bedroom.
Oh! We're planning an investigation! Flora realized. She was finally part of one! Granted, it'd be better if it wasn't because the Professor had gone missing, but it was still a mystery and she and Luke were doing it together.
“If we're lucky, we'll find his journal. It'd have all the details about this case,” Luke added. “But he always has it on him so that's unlikely.”
“And I didn't notice any sort of book when I found you.” She paused. “Your tea is going to get cold.”
“Oh, thank you, Flora.” Luke finally took a sip. “Oasis berry,” he quietly noted.
“You're welcome.”
The toaster dinged.
“Ah!”
“Eep!” She'd forgotten about that.
-----
“Do I need to open the door?” Flora asked, slightly teasing.
“No!” Luke simply hadn't been in the Professor's bedroom before. They were usually at his office, and if they were here at the flat it just didn't come up. Going in felt a bit strange like… trying a solution to a puzzle that wasn't intended; he couldn't come up with a better analogy. The doorknob was cold.
“Woah, it's so clean,” Luke thought aloud.
The room itself was lit only by sunlight coming through a window. The bed was practically untouched, while a few books were stacked on the bedside table. Overall, it was astounding how neat it was compared to the Professor's office, especially the desk, which only had a few pens and sheets of paper on its surface. Unfortunately, no file was in sight.
“Probably because he spends so much time at Gressenheller,” Flora pointed out.
“He does,” Luke agreed.
“Where would he hide something?” she wondered, refocusing the conversation.
“Well, he certainly wouldn't expect us to poke around, but wouldn't rule out the chance someone could, so he'd probably hide something in a drawer or behind something else.” That gave them plenty of places to look. “It shouldn't be too difficult to find.”
“Alright, I'll check the bookshelf and you look in his desk,” Flora decided.
“I'll check the nightstand, too.”
“Perfect!”
If I wasn't in his room, I'd have a hard time believing this is the Professor's desk , Luke thought. Though, recently he'd been getting a bit better at keeping papers from spilling to the ground. If that file wasn't in this room they were going to Gressenheller, and if it wasn't there either… a gentleman never gives up. A gentleman also needs to be focused on the task on hand.
He opened the wide drawer and couldn't stop himself from laughing. Of all the things to find at a time like this.
“What did you find?” Flora asked.
“The Professor's… duck mask,” Luke answered between giggles. “I…I didn't know he kept it!”
“The Professor's what?” She turned to face him, a thick book in each hand.
Luke carefully held up the wooden mask to show her.
“HA! Why does he have that?”
“Um… it's a long story. I'll tell you later.” Luke had more important things to think about than something that happened months ago.
“I'll take that as a promise,” Flora said, and placed the books on the bed.
-----
“Have you found it?” Luke checked. “The only other thing in this drawer is a rubik's cube.”
“Not yet, but there's still plenty of books to move.” There was also a tall box on the bottom shelf, but Flora had a feeling it wasn't relevant. This would be easier if most of the books weren't so heavy.
“He keeps puzzles in his nightstand,” Luke stated.
“Well, he needs to keep them somewhere,” she joked as she put her hand on a book about the Azran, whatever that was, and felt something off. The front cover wasn't quite laying flat, the way it would if someone had put extra pages in there. Pulling it off the shelf revealed quite a few tabs sticking out of the side, and a small but noticeable gap in the pages.
Please have this be it, she thought as she opened it.
“I found it!” Flora announced.
“Yes!” Luke cheered.
The two of them sat on the floor at the foot of the bed, anxious to get a starting point. Flora took a deep breath, put the file on the wood floor, and flipped it open. A sticky note on top of a short stack of papers.
Luke peeled the note off for a closer look. “Blossom Cafe, 2 pm, dated a few weeks ago.”
“Blossom Cafe… I think it's close to Gressenheller.” Flora remembered a few instances of overhearing students agreeing to go to an ‘american style cafe’. Luke pulled out his notebook and stuck the note on the inside cover, and she continued her thought. “He probably met the client there.”
“Most likely, but what I'm really curious about is who this client is.” He scribbled something next to the sticky note.
The first paper seemed to be a rough pencil sketch of a doll with long hair and a fancy dress. Even in a simplified style it reminded Flora of the intricate, handmade dolls her father sometimes bought for her during his business trips. The quality of the drawing seemed too good to be the Professor's work; he wasn't terrible , but his skills were restricted to diagrams and puzzle visuals.
“Maybe the Professor was looking for this,” Luke suggested. “It's definitely important if it's at the top.”
“Is the client a doll collector?” Flora suggested.
“Hm.” He pulled out the remaining sheets and began flipping through, and held them so she could see too. “A map?”
It was drawn in pencil, similar to the doll, with only 3 places labeled: the train station, Clover Dolls & Toys and the Local History Museum. Actually, it was a pretty crummy map. There appeared to be a few unlabeled landmarks, like a statue and fountain, but absolutely no street names.
“It's not anywhere in London,” she added, “at least not anywhere I've been.”
“You're right, it's not,” Luke confirmed. “I'll hold onto it.”
“You are the one with the bag.”
It went without saying that the Professor knew what the map meant. Maybe it was actually a puzzle he solved in an instant or it was explained to him. The last thing of real note, as it seemed the Professor did put a few unrelated papers in the file, was a newspaper cutout detailing a mysterious doll resembling the drawing appearing in an auction.
“ This doll is said to bring great luck to whoever owns it ,” Luke read. “Maybe the client is a collector.”
“I know I'd rather have a lucky doll than a deadly box.”
“Yeah, hopefully there isn't hallucini- hallu- hallucina… hallucinogenic gas again. I've had enough illusions for a while,” he stated, frustrated, either because of the word or remembering the truth about Folsense (finding out an entire town was an illusion sounded very jarring, but Flora still wished she could've joined them). “Anyway, if there's any more information, it'd be at Gressenheller.”
“Which is where we're going next!” This really was an investigation! She couldn't help smiling.
“Right, um…”
“Hm?”
-----
Luke had two options on what to say next and it was difficult to choose. On one hand, he'd never been on an investigation by himself before and Flora seemed kinda excited (even though this is serious , but it could be excused by a couple things already fitting together), but on the other hand, what if something happened to her, too? She hadn't properly been on a case yet and he'd already failed to help the Professor.
That's it, Luke would simply do what his mentor would! "Maybe you should-”
“Don't even think about finishing that sentence, Luke Triton!” Flora interrupted, pointing at him. “ We are going to Gressenheller together and that's that .”
“But it could be dangerous,” he attempted to argue.
“I know, I patched you up!” she pointed out. “What if something happens again and one of your animal friends doesn't find you?”
Luke couldn't argue with that. Honestly, he didn't even fully believe what he'd said, other than the dangerous thing. That was undeniable. “You have a point, but let's make sure to stick together this time.”
“Of course. Now let's get going!” Flora cleaned up the file and put it on the bed.
Luke followed her out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Nothing would happen now, he reminded himself; it was the middle of the morning, they were just going to Gressenheller, and surely he wouldn't make the same mistakes twice, whatever they were. Neither of them would get hurt on his watch. I'm going to keep Flora safe, and we're going to find the Professor! That's a promise, and a gentleman always keeps a promise.
-----
Their departure was delayed by waiting for Checker's nap to finish, and then by bringing them outside and giving well deserved treats and scritches.
“Have a good day, Checker,” Luke said.
“Meow.”
“I will.”
“What did they say?” Flora asked.
“Be careful, human,” he translated.
“You better be.”
They managed to catch a bus, shortening the trip by a good few minutes. Flora took the window seat and enjoyed watching buildings and random people she'd likely never meet fly by. More recognizable buildings passed and she noticed a pink sign reading Blossom Cafe .
She grabbed Luke's arm, breaking the silence. “There it is!” What luck, they could go there first!
“Oh! It's closer to Gressenheller than I thought,” he noted.
The two of them were almost running off the bus after it jerked to a stop, only to run in opposite directions for a few steps.
“Flora, where are you-”
“I thought-” Flora attempted at the same time.
“You first,” Luke said after a beat of silence.
“Okay. I thought we were going to go to the cafe first since it's right there,” she explained, pointing to the building slightly down the street.
“Oh.” His expression gave Flora the feeling the thought hadn't occurred to him. “I suppose it doesn't really matter where we go first.”
That was a yes, so she smiled and grabbed his wrist. “Let's go then!”
-----
Blossom Cafe was very cute, the walls painted a soft pink and a few different flowers were used for decoration. Everything smelled of coffee, tea, and warmed pastries. It made sense why the place was popular with stressed university students, though when Luke and Flora walked in there were only two people there: a lady with brown hair pulled back in a braid behind the register wearing a pink uniform and a guy with a brown coat, thick glasses, and messy blonde hair sitting at a table with a notebook and a cup of coffee. The current lack of business was probably because a lot of morning lectures would be in session.
The lady perked up when she saw the two of them enter. “Good morning. Welcome to Blossom Cafe!” she greeted. Getting closer allowed them to read her name tag: Mary. “What would you like to order?”
“Oh, um, we aren't actually here to order anything,” Luke explained. “We were wondering if you saw someone here a few weeks ago.”
“I’ve seen a lot of people at this job. What do they look like?”
“He wears a top hat-” Flora began.
“Like Professor Layton?” Mary interrupted.
“Yes, exactly like him.” Saying they were looking for the actual Professor could cause some problems.
“Hm… I’d definitely remember seeing someone like that ,” Mary responded. “Do you know if he came in the afternoon? I usually work mornings.”
“He did,” Luke answered, his gaze drifting to the pastry case with cakes, cookies, muffins, other things like that.
“Sorry I can't be of more help,” she said. “Is this part of a game or something?”
Luke's head snapped back forward. “A ga- ” He was cut off by a slightly harsh nudge.
“ Yes , it is,” Flora lied. “A… mystery game.”
“Cool. Are you sure you don't want to order something?”
“Are you still hungry?” Flora always forgot how big Luke's appetite could be.
“A little,” he admitted.
“Take your time looking, don't feel rushed; we aren't exactly busy at the moment,” Mary said.
“I recommend the muffins,” the coat guy said. “And I'm fairly certain I saw the person you're looking for.”
“Really?” Luke asked.
“Eli here is a regular,” Mary added. “Apparently flowers and mediocre coffee are good for writing.”
“My creativity requires ambience and caffeine,” he responded. “Anyways, a few weeks ago a man resembling Professor Layton, hat and all walked in and sat… over there.” He pointed at a table against the opposing wall.
“Did anyone else show up?” Flora asked.
“That sat there? Yes, a young lady with black hair, round glasses, and a yellow cardigan. I kept an eye on them, but I couldn't tell you what they talked about.” He shrugged and sipped his coffee. “I can tell you she gave him some papers.”
“Why were you keeping an eye on them?” Luke looked a little off-put by that bit.
“I people-watch sometimes, it helps with brainstorming,” he explained, tapping his open notebook. “But I don't eavesdrop. What people discuss is their business.”
“Hm.”
“Well, thank you for your help, Mr. Eli,” Flora said.
“I’m happy to help.” Eli began scribbling something on a blank notebook page.
Luke and Flora got two chocolate chip muffins before leaving.
-----
As they approached Gressenheller, Luke made quick notes of what they learned in his notebook. Were the papers the Professor received in the file or were they something else? They had a general idea of what the client looked like now, at least.
“What should we tell people if they ask about the Professor?” Flora asked.
“We could say he's off on another investigation. It's technically true,” Luke suggested.
“Yes, but how do we explain you being here ?” she mentioned. “I know! You could hide if people approach. You're small enough to fit behind a lot of things.”
“I'm not that small!” he huffed. “We can say he needed us to get something from his office.” Then again, there'd be questions about his injuries.
“We'll decide in the moment,” Flora stated.
“Hopefully we don't run into Rosa.”
-----
They managed to get to the office without running into anybody, though there were a few close calls. They overheard some of the Professor's students speculate over whether or not class was canceled again.
The room was the same as ever: apple on the table, weird rocks and artifacts on shelves and in cabinets, and too many papers and books precariously stacked on the desk. It was vaguely comforting, in an odd way.
“That took longer than expected.” Luke carefully shut the door so it didn't make a noticeable click. They might've gotten past the hard part, but sneaking was still needed for now.
“We should've grabbed disguises,” Flora thought aloud.
“There are more important things to worry about, like going through the Professor's desk,” Luke asserted, gesturing towards the pile of papers and books. At least nothing was threatening to spill off the edge. “He's the only one who can navigate that, so it's the perfect hiding place.”
“It's amazing he gets anything done,” Flora remarked as they approached.
“I tried to get him to tidy up once and he got distracted reading articles.”
“He made his own archeological site,” she joked.
“Hopefully this is a short dig,” he added, glancing around. “Wait, what's that?” Luke reached for a small, thin book poking out of one of the stacks on a front corner of the desk.
“Luke, wai-” They both flinched as books and papers crashed to the floor.
“Oops.” If there was somehow a system here, it certainly just got disrupted. “I hope I didn't displace any puzzles.”
A few beats of silence passed before Flora asked, “Is that the Professor's journal?”
“No, there aren't nearly enough pages.”
“Open it, then.”
Luke opened the front cover and they were met with a photo taped inside. It was of the two of them standing with a cow in Dropstone, Luke's face getting licked and Flora laughing. They both remembered it being taken, but hadn't thought about it since.
“Oh!” The two said in slightly surprised unison.
“I think there's a bookmark there,” Flora observed.
Luke looked closer at the top edge of the pages. There was something thin and straight, just barely visible. Obviously, he flipped to the marked page. “A train ticket?”
“Poppeton, tomorrow , 6 am,” Flora read over his shoulder. “I wonder how he was going to explain this .”
“There are 3 here,” Luke realized there were multiple when he grabbed them. “I think he was going to bring us along.”
“Hm.” Flora's expression was hard to read.
Luke's eyes drifted to the neat cursive on the left page. Two notes were written, the first crossed out with a single line.
“‘Meeting with Chelmey’? What would he need to talk to him about?” He wondered. “I guess we're heading to Scotland Yard next.”
“‘Dolly Clover-Clover Dolls and Toys- Noon.’ Noon… tomorrow? And wasn't Clover Dolls and Toys on the map?”
“That must've been a map of Poppeton.” Luke flipped through more pages. “This looks like a book of reminders.”
“I thought you kept his schedule?”
“I do , but this is more everyday things, like a reminder to tell Dean Delmona something or where he left materials for a lecture,” he elaborated. “Except for the meeting with Chelmey, that's definitely important.”
“I think this is enough to carry on the investigation,” Flora said, “but we can still sort through the papers if you want.”
“I'd rather not, but I'll keep my eyes peeled while I clean up my mess,” Luke decided.
“And I'll keep my eyes peeled while I help.”
“Flora, it's my mess.”
“If I help we'll definitely be able to have our muffins before heading to Scotland Yard,” she insisted.
“... Fine , you can help.”
-----
Nothing of particular interest was in the stack, just archeology articles, and none of the books were damaged. The train tickets were moved to Luke's notebook before they sat down on the couch. Looking at the clock showed it was lunchtime.
“Let's go over what we know,” Luke started. The Professor always made sure they regularly reviewed information. “A few weeks ago, the Professor was asked to find a doll that brings good luck, which seems to be important enough to fight over.”
“And he met the client at Blossom Cafe, a young lady who's most likely named Dolly Clover,” Flora continued.
Luke took a bite of his muffin. “This is really good.”
Flora tasted her own. “Yes, but I could make them better.”
“Uh… where were we?” He hoped his face didn't give away his unease.
“Dolly Clover,” she answered.
“Right, and she's probably from Poppeton-”
“-which he bought tickets for all of us to go to.”
“Yes,” Luke finished.
“That reminds me, Luke, how are you doing?” Flora asked. “You've been surprisingly calm all day.”
“Oh, well, um, I am a little worried, but one needs to keep a clear mind for a successful investigation,” he said. “Also, raising an alarm would make things more difficult.”
“True.”
“If you mean physically, I'm a little sore but otherwise fine,” he continued. “Does that answer your question?”
“I suppose, but you will tell me if something is bothering you, won't you? I think a successful investigation requires everyone to be on the same page.” Flora considered her statement. “Or, neighboring pages, at least.” The Professor seemed to be at least one page ahead of everyone else, after all.
“Right… how are you feeling, Flora?” Luke decided to have more of his muffin.
“I'm a little worried, too, but this is also a bit exciting,” she admitted.
He quickly swallowed. “This is serious!”
“I know!” she assured him. “And don't choke!”
“I won't!” Luke took a deep breath. He wasn't being very gentlemanly. “Maybe we should take the apple with us, so it doesn't go bad.”
“...It'd be a shame to waste a good apple,” Flora agreed.