#What have I done? LBMR
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What have I done? LB;MR Fic
First Part, Previous Part, Next Part
Disclamer: Please do not base Alfrendi on any system in the real world. He's not real nor based on anyone real.
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Recovery. They’d forgotten how awful recovery was. Hilda stuck by their side the entire time, all snarky comments and concern anytime the more calm of the two found himself in control. They’d fallen into the habit of calling the one Lucy dubbed “Placid” Al and “Potty” Fendi no particular reason other than if they also used Lucy’s nickname of Prof they would be turning into their father.
Neither of them wanted that. Besides, they had no right to Lucy’s nicknames when they had messed up her life so bad.
It wasn't worth it Al was back, Why was Al back?
I can hear you. Would it have been worth it without me?
Now Al sounded dejected, sad and annoyingly disapproving. Okay yes, Fendi missed being alone in his head. It’d been nice to be alone again in his head. No conflicting feelings on things or having to try to clear it with the other, or worse, pretending Al was him.
At least I don’t think we’re a killer anymore.
If that wasn’t here… He didn't know. He liked Lucy, but an endlessly supporting friend was not worth the cost of his mind. Making Lucy a criminal was not worth him getting his old life back. Never meeting he probably would have been fine.
Thanks,
Fendi ignores Al. Trying instead to work though the feeling of immense guilt. Al was nice, despite everything Fendi liked him. It’d been so hard to get past the whole Al literally suppressing him, being wrestled into the recesses of his own mind and forced to hear his own voice lie.
It’d taken him an unfair amount of time to see Al as the victim too, arguments they’d had, Fendi always blaming Al until one offhand comment by Lucy, “you know, in that castle, you acted so much better as a team.” She smiled at them, “I think you’re both amazing Prof! More when you work together.”
He then realised his mistake. They had their differences, Fendi could spend forever on their differences but they had similarities too. They both hated Justin Lawson and the Makepeace’s. They both liked Lucy and they both wanted to be the best detective.
Al wasn’t a bad detective either even if he had bungled his first case so badly he named them as the killer. He was so much better at making people feel safe too, safe enough to spoil secrets but also safe when it came to helping.
Now Al was quiet, probably upset.
Why was this so difficult? Frustration builds up within him, he balls his fingers in the hospital sheets.
What about if I was just in a different body? Would you have accepted that?
Without Al he would never have made friends with Lucy, Fendi was aware of his short temper, it had startled her when she;d first came across it. Without Al to sort of soften the blow their friendship would never have happened.
He needed Al now to save Lucy. She thought they were crazy and was possibly the only person who had decided that not based on Fendi’s temper, Al’s occasional lack of emotion or even the whole they were two people in one body thing. Instead his bungled introduction.
It would have gone better if he hadn’t been shot.
Why couldn’t you have been nicer? She was planning on hurting us.
Al was right. Damnit he needed Al. He felt the other smile somewhat internally and frowned externally in response.
At least we know she doesn’t want us dead. Maybe she isn’t the killer?
Some would call that foolishly nieve to believe that their friend could not be pushed to be murderous but Al was right. Lucy could have killed him just like Justin could have but decided not to.
She had no reason to want them alive, she’d never met them and they were an inconvenience. She’d said it herself she’d much prefer playing with Hilda than him. Diane had much preferred playing games with Lucy too. Maybe they were similar?
Similar enough to put up with you.
“Oi! I am a pleasure to be around!” Fendi snaps back, but there was no real anger behind the words.
If DIane had somehow gotten to Lucy, and she must have. She had to have been planning the copycat jigsaw puzzle killings for a while.
We need help.
Hilda could help, she’d researched through this before. Al seemed to sigh at that, upset he’d have to pretend to be Fendi. He’d never quite managed it, they’d never hid before. Fendi didn’t even want Al to hide but they were both terrified what people would think.
They couldn't lose everything again.
Where is Hilda? We need her to make the calls.
We can make the calls, we just need to get back to the station.
#professor layton#alfendi layton#layton brothers mystery room#lucy baker#lbmr#fanfic#sorry it's so long#and messy#and weird#action is coming#I felt weird reverting Alfendi to before mystery room started#and I love their relationship#What have I done? LBMR
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CURRENT LAYTON STATUS: AL chapter 4, finished jungle, hillside, desert, and island
That's right, I'm dedicating a post to all the Layton content I've consumed and will consume. Wish me luck gamers. (I'll also add the status of my gameplay videos!) (And a list of layton AUs at the end)
Mainline Trilogies
(note: i call the games by which version i played (UK or US) but i tag by US titles)
(note 2: we only record towards the end of the game because my computer space will CRY and also i do not want to edit all that hope this helps)
PLAYTHROUGH PLAYLIST
CURIOUS VILLAGE: 100% completed
(not recorded)
DIABOLICAL BOX: 100% completed
Uploaded---
Chapter 7: (Part 1) - (Part 2) (fun fact: part 2 features the first instance of me using animated sprites for me and my friends!)
LOST FUTURE: 100% completed, all uploaded!
Uploaded---
Chapter 9: (Part 1) - (Part 2) - (Part 3) (fun fact: part 1 is the first time i use game sprites to give visuals to our improv bits, as well as generally being the start of me putting a lot more effort into editing and trying new stuff!)
Chapter 10
Chapter 11: (Part 1) - (Part 2)
Chapter 12
Chapter 13: (Part 1) - (Part 2) - (Part 3)
Epilogue: (Part 1) (Part 2)
LAST SPECTRE: 100% completed
Uploaded---
Chapter 8: (Part 1) - (Part 2) (fun fact: from this point on, our playthrough group has increased from 3 people to 4!)
Planned---
Chapter 8 -> 1 part left
Chapter 9 -> 2 parts
Chapter 10 -> 2 parts
Epilogue -> just one
MIRACLE MASK: 100% completed
Planned---
Chapter 6 -> 6 parts left (HELP)
Chapter 7 -> 6 parts left
Chapter 8 -> 1 part left
Epilogue -> 2 parts left
AZRAN LEGACY: ch4, finished: jungle, hillside, desert island - next: walled city. and yes i have been doing world times in between each area
Spinoffs & Extras
ETERNAL DIVA: Watched :]
(not recorded)
LB MYSTERY ROOM: completed
(not recorded)
PLVSAA: not started (will play after mainline)
will probably record? perchance?
MYSTERY JOURNEY: not started (will play after plvsaa)
The anime: not started (will watch after mystery journey)
The manga: i saw the lost future one lol ill go check out the rest later probably. I also read up to ch28 of lbmr manga
Layton AUs
i have a lot of clive aus. here's a slideshow. here's their interaction tag
Puzzles Gone Wrong AU: (belongs to pastel-player) A take on "evil Layton" where we ask what if he wasn't evil evil, but morally dubious. Basically he's a dictator now but he hasn't really done much harm to the city of London. He's making some questionable decisions, but... he's still the polite gentleman Layton who cares about his loved ones. Said loved ones have many conflicting feelings about him. Takes place at least 1 year after main trilogy, unclear when exactly. (Ao3 series)
Pastel wasn't doing anything with Clive in this AU so I picked him up and ran off then came back with a whole new design and stuff. Anything I make with PGW Clive that doesn't involve Timeline Hopper Clive's shenanigans is proobably canon to the AU. Basically I'm the ceo of this one guy within this AU and nothing else <3
(PGW Clive's tag)
Layton Assassin AU: (belongs to snekatiemainy and thia-quiche) Layton but he kills people with swords. And also Luke beats people to death with shovels. And Flora also sword. Yayy!!! Initially inspired by our jokes from playing Curious Village, mainly Luke saying the phrase "this man is being VERY RUDE we should KILL HIM" (Ao3 series)
Assassin AU Variant: (belongs to me and snekatiemainy) A variation of the assassin au where Clive is adopted by Layton. Clive picked up a gun and has never been the same since. Guy who loves his 20 guns and is sooo annoying about it <3 Honestly 90% of my assassin au tag is just the variant instead of the actual original au hdtdhdhrfd
(Ao3 series)
(AV!Clive's tag)
Timeline Hopper Clive: (belongs to me, inspired by a-queer-kitkat's post) Post-canon Clive that starts getting tossed across dimensions at random intervals due to an abandoned machine prototype left by one of Dimitri's scientists. Often crosses over with Puzzles Gone Wrong and Assassin AU. He gets worse but then he gets better. Then there's a version where he gets worse again and weird buggified.
Clive Triton AU: (belongs to me and snekatiemainy) what if clark adopted clive. Send post
The BEHUH??? AU: (belongs to me and snekatiemainy) ???? goddamnit timeclive what did you DO (BEHUH??? stands for Butterfly Effect HUH???) (two guys chilling in the river 5 feet apart because get pitted idiot)
CSAU: (belongs to me and snekatiemainy) clive is adopted by descole. I encourage you all to ask us what CSAU stands for several times.
Apprentice Nils AU: (belongs to me and snekatiemainy) that random miracle mask npc's parents died so layton yoinks him
Randall Possession AU: (belongs to snekatiemainy) what if he became a ghost and hung out with his best friend Layton forever now
Layton Object AU: based on those silly object show things. They're living objects with limbs and faces etc etc and the only real changes in this au right now is just names, designs, and minor things that come with those design changes. i make this kind of au for almost anything i touch loll
Vampire Layton AU: what it says on the tin. One of my earliest tagged AUs. It didn't really go anywhere but it's fun to think about sometimes. Based on a joke we made while playing Diabolical Box.
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LBMR PCP 32 Spoilers
Chapter 32 is here!
Do not search for the post of chapter 31 as it doesn’t exist, sorry ^^”
I MADE A TUTORIAL ON HOW TO RENT THE CHAPTERS FOR FREE 100% LEGAL
Please keep visiting the official page to support the series! https://manga-5.com/series/61
Under the cut, spoilers for the chapter, an explanation in English of what’s happening.
Last chapter ended with Roscoe showing the team the threat letter. Here we can read “Receive the reward for betraying me” on it. Roscoe says it seems to have been planted around the last scene. Lucy points out that “betraying” is weird if Clegg wrote it, and Alfendi points out it’s weird that Roscoe says that “it seems”. He explains that he didn’t examine the room in detail and he only learned later though staff and police.
Lucy wonders who could have sent the letter. The actor keeps insisting it was Clegg. The Prof is not convinced, instead saying that if it was a member of the public, the investigation would be more difficult.
The phone rings and Lucy excuses herself out of the hologram. While they wait in awkward silence, Roscoe asks the question. “You and her… you’re intimate, yes?” “Huh? What are you talking about?” “It can’t be that you’re here all day in this tiny room together and you haven’t done anything at all! How are you even a man?! Are you a workaholic or something?!”
Lucy is back! The agency called saying they want Roscoe back. He starts monologing and calls Lucy “lil’ kitten” one time too many. She is extremely angry at him, telling him to cut it out. Roscoe says his farewell and asks them to catch the culprit. The usual “Of course!” pose has Lucy with a sour face, saying “We will solve it, sure!”.
“Celebrities are sure something, but… A pirate adventure movie sounds interesting… I wanna see…” says Lucy. “I wonder about that…” “You don’t like adventure movies, Prof?!” “Not that. About if he’s really doing that movie.” “Ah! Right! If he gets arrested theres no movie!!”
The rest of the chapter is about how they find him suspicious. At the end, Lucy asks about what Alfendi was saying in the previous chapter about getting Roscoe to expose himself. He answers “See, there’s something strange right behind where you are standing now.”
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CT’s back from the dead to analyze tf outta these images
Thank you to @call-me-rucy for making me aware of Level-5’s tweets with your post.
To open, I agree with @mysticpuzzleno001 that this desk very likely does not belong to Professor Layton. I also noticed the mug with the tea bag at first glance, and thought that it wasn’t the Professor’s style considering he’s a tea connoisseur who likes brewing loose tea.
I also thought that he’s not the type of person to keep mint gum lying around. No evidence for this, just that he never struck me as the type of person who likes chewing gum.
What else is in this image? There are a bunch of photos, and the only comprehensible one is of some buildings. I’m not sure what that thing with the recycling logo is, but it’s possible that it’s a pack of paper, a cardboard package, or a pizza box. If it’s a pizza box, that seems like the type of thing Al and Lucy might have in their office.
Lastly, I can’t tell what the shape on the bottom right is, but it’s outlined much thicker than the rest of the drawing. This leads me to believe that it might be part of a character, since manga artists, especially those working in black and white, want to make their simple, cartoonish characters contrast against the realistic and detailed background. Maybe it’s a shoulder with a short cuffed sleeve? The shadow implied that this shape is in front of/over the table, but it’s hard to tell what it is, especially with the angle of the drawing.
People have pointed out that this isn’t the Yard as it appears in any Professor Layton game nor LMJ/LMDA, but we’ve never seen the outside of the building in Mystery Room. I’m not sure how significant this is since they love to inconsistently redesign the Yard for no reason, but if it’s deliberate then it’d rule out Hershel and Kat as possible protagonists of this manga.
Who/what do I think it’s about?
Considering the overall tone of these drawings, I feel like they’re too serious and down-to-earth to be part of Katrielle’s world and more realistic than the Professor’s. Level-5 once said that they’re either done making PL games or PL’s adventures period (correct me which one), so if his years as a protagonist are over, I can’t imagine him getting a new manga.
Kat is predictable as a main character since the last two installments were about her, but her stories are always bright and bubbly, which doesn’t line up with the messy desk covered in papers and the rainy image of London. Katrielle doesn’t look at evidence and do paperwork, she runs outside and talks to everyone she sees on the street instead and gets right to the scene. The weather is also always uncharacteristically good in her world (someone’s clearly never been to London).
This leaves me with two possibilities. It’s extremely likely that this manga will be about LBMR. LMJ and LMDA both teased a LBMR sequel in Katrielle’s correspondence with Lucy in the game and Lucy and Al showing up at the agency in the last episode of the anime. The images of the desk and Yard match their story because, y’know, they work at the yard and their desks are typically covered in papers. They do their detective work in the mystery room rather than the field, and it’s in character for them to have things like bag tea, mint gum, and what is possibly a pizza box covered in yet more paper. We’ve never seen their Yard (seriously, does the Scotland Yard have multiple locations in the Laytonverse?), and this serious, realistic style matches the style of their game.
Second option. The manga isn’t about any of the three Laytons at all. They never said it would be. As an avid, unapologetic pusher of the Flora Main Character agenda, I’d love to see a new face solving the mysteries. I’m assuming this manga will be canon to the rest of the series, in which case I really hope some old characters at least show up. I want to see them again, and it’s quite frankly weird that we haven’t yet.
Overall, I think a “sequel” of sorts to LBMR is the most likely subject to the new manga. I might rb this post with updates when new teaser images come out, though, especially if my theory changes.
#professor layton#layton series#layton#pl#layton brothers mystery room#lbmr#mystery room#layton’s mystery journey#laytons mystery detective agency#lmda#lmj#alfendi layton#lucy baker#hershel layton#katrielle layton#katrielle and the millionaire's conspiracy#level 5
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Taking a look at the Jigsaw Puzzle Killings (part 1 of 2)
I’ve been thinking about the Jigsaw Puzzle Killings in Layton Brothers: Mystery Room. They’re pretty foundational to the main arc of the game, but there are quite a few unresolved questions about them, little loose ends the game didn’t tie up. Let’s take a look at them, shall we? (This post is comprised entirely of LBMR/PL/LMJ spoilers, you have been warned, thank you for coming and please fasten your seatbelt.)
We’ll start with what we know from the game. The original Jigsaw Puzzle killings took place four years before the events of LBMR. There were 26 victims recorded in the space of a year. At each scene, a puzzle piece was found. The pieces were part of a 32 piece children’s puzzle depicting the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty (as seen at the end of case six). Alfendi Layton was a DCI (detective chief inspector) at the time. He was 24 when the killings began and 25 when they concluded with the death of Keelan Makepeace. The other people covering the case were Hilda Pertinax (rank at the time unknown, but likely a DCI or DI), Justin Lawson (also DCI or DI), and Commissioner Barton.
The killings are said to be completely random. That means no patterns in age, race, sex/gender, occupation, social class, etc. In fact, it might be better to describe the killings as intentionally having no pattern, as true randomness rarely appears so perfectly uncorrelated. The killings also grew more brutal as time went on.
The original Jigsaw Puzzle killer was Keelan Makepeace. Four years later, his daughter, Diane Makepeace, attempted to complete his legacy by finishing the puzzle he left behind with a killing spree of her own.
In the final case of the game, it’s revealed that Justin Lawson was manipulating evidence to hide the identity of the killer, and he used this to strike a deal with Keelan. We’re not entirely sure what this deal entailed, but it’s implied that Justin had Keelan kill certain targets, people who were corrupt but were too powerful to be taken down using the law. Keelan doesn’t seem to resent Justin for forcing him into this deal. In a conversation with his daughter he refers to Justin as a “friend in the force”. He does, however, keep Diane in the dark about the nature of the deal and who he struck it with, and personally I don’t believe Diane and Justin even met during the initial killing spree.
The final case also reveals that of the original 26 killings, 11 were not actually connected to Makepeace, but were the result of Justin placing puzzle pieces at unrelated crime scenes to lump them in with the Jigsaw Puzzle killings. Now, isn’t that fascinating?
The game doesn’t explain this. It might have been set up for a sequel along with Justin’s mysterious motives, but regardless of any canon answers we may or may not find out about in the new manga, there are multitudes of theories to explore. I’m going to review some of my favorites, and I would be happy to hear more if you have some compelling theories of your own.
We’ll take Keelan’s side of things to start with.
There is the possibility that the 11 killings were actually part of Keelan’s repertoire. He raised his daughter to be a killer just like him, after all, and one of her favorite tactics is to use disguises to insert herself into someone’s life and manipulate them into murdering for her. Keelan may have done this as well for these seemingly unrelated 11 killings, and then had Justin place a puzzle piece at the scene to claim the murder as his own. As for the culprits, who knows? Maybe Keelan let them walk away. Maybe he blackmailed them with his knowledge of their crime. Maybe he killed them. Hard to say, but I doubt it was pleasant.
This theory appeals to me because it means that Keelan was invested in completing the puzzle himself. It means that he had a hand in all 26 of the deaths where puzzle pieces were left.
The alternative gets a little tricky, but it is equally interesting. If the 11 deaths were, in fact, completely unrelated to Keelan, then his kill count was 15 people, and it redefines the meaning of the puzzle pieces. Before this I’ve been assuming that the puzzle pieces are more than just Keelan’s signature. They were a countdown of sorts until he reached 32 grisly deaths, which is why Diane was so devoted to finishing the puzzle with six murders of her own. But that might not be the case. After all, any puzzle pieces used by Justin wouldn’t be fulfilling their purpose as part of the countdown, because they weren’t Keelan’s murders. It would defeat the purpose if he didn’t get to kill all 32 himself. Maybe he thought of the puzzle pieces as simply calling cards and didn’t have a specific number of murders in mind when he started. It’s also possible he picked the puzzle to lead the police to believe there would be 32 murders, when he actually had something else in mind.
This is where I wade pretty deep into the waters of speculation, so bear with me. It’s a headcanon of mine that Keelan Makepeace had a fixation on Professor Layton. He used puzzle pieces as his calling card, he deliberately killed victims with no discernable pattern, and he even dressed like the professor for the confrontation at Forbodium Castle. The Jigsaw Puzzle Killings were a challenge to London’s puzzle solving gentleman. Of course, going by the canon of the anime, Layton had disappeared 6 years prior to Keelan’s brilliant idea, but LMJ (Katrielle’s game) makes it evident that this isn’t common knowledge. Most of the public is in the dark about the good professor’s disappearance, and I’d bet that a lot of Scotland Yard was as well. Fans have theorized that corrupt officers buried the case and suppressed information on it and that’s part of why it took so long to find him. Perhaps Keelan was trying to draw Layton out of hiding with the murders. If the man was still somewhere in the world, surely he would return if London was put in such dire straits.
In this case, it’s possible that instead of 32 murders, Keelan was going for a specific number, something related to Layton. Whether or not Keelan considered the murders he committed for Justin as part of his plan or as something separate changes the range this specific number could fall within, but it caps at 21, since at least 11 puzzle pieces were used by Justin. From the 15 murders that Keelan completed to the 21 he might have intended, two numbers jump out at me. 19 is the number of years from Layton’s last large public case, Unwound/Lost Future, to the end of Keelan’s murder spree. 17 is how old Layton was in his first archeological adventure, which is covered in Miracle Mask. It’s also the age of Katrielle, Layton’s only daughter, who just happens to be the same age as Keelan’s beloved Diane.
The puzzle pieces that Keelan didn’t use would likely be handed off to Justin, but under this theory Keelan had either 4 or 2 murders left to go when he was killed. Incidentally, there are two Laytons living in London at this point. Keelan could have culminated his plans with the murder of Layton’s children. Wouldn’t that be poetic?
Maybe that’s why Alfendi was in such a hurry to get to Forbodium that day.
Anyway! Thanks for reading. This is absurdly long as it is, so I’m going to put my thoughts relating to Justin Lawson’s side of things in a separate post. Until then!
#layton brothers mystery room#professor layton#alfendi layton#justin lawson#keelan makepeace#diane makepeace
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Kinda a long ramble about Layton stuff that goes nowhere, but tl;dr I’m doing my annual Layton replay and have big PL brain ‘cause of it... buuuutttttt even though I’ve been doodling a lot I don’t have any motivation to neaten stuff so you may see new art posts here, maybe not.
But here this is proof!! A small compilation of some of the doodles with colour lol
I’ve started chapter 5 of PL6 after the longest chapter in existence kdfgkj but I’m having fun still.
This time round I’m including LBMR (but I gotta pay for the eps again, rip) and LMJ (which I liked but never actually finished).
I think afterwards I’ll also sit and watch the anime in it’s entirety. I only watched 6 episodes to find out what happened to Layton (& Luke??) ‘cause the game that introduced the mystery did not answer it... it makes me wonder if they planned to answer it (and Sherl’s mystery) in a follow-up game, like as an overarching story similar to the prequel trilogy or if it was always their intention to be done in the anime... either way I have complicated feelings about that story-line (and I’m not huge on what they did with Paul/Don Paolo).
But then I’ve had problems with Level 5′s writing in a lot of instances including in my favourite games of the series so what can you do lmao.
ANYWAY...
...Since getting back into the series I remembered a lot of takes that just... I don’t know... I didn’t vibe with? And honestly seeing a lot of takes going around now... I don’t think I’d connect with the fandom very well lol;;
I remember when people had their pitchforks raised at Layton because he investigated Henry as a suspect in PL5, but did not bat an eye when he investigated literally anyone else - or even Clark in PL4 despite their history.
ALSO people made assumptions about my opinions based on AU art I did which was kinda annoying... like they thought I was trying to redeem Bronev or down play what he did. Like nah, son... I still think he’s a villain?? I just don’t think he was a bad dad PRE!Targent because that’s what the game showed us.
Speaking of bad dads... lol I don’t... I don’t think Layton is one OOPShgfdj;; LIKE... when it comes to Flora, it was fandom’s interpretation that she was now his daughter. Now don’t get me wrong I LOVE that headcanon... but officially she’s just a protege... or worse in the japanese version... a bride candidate... yeaaaaaah no. When it comes to Kat? Well it took a while to get there but what he did, even if it was a bad decision, he did for her... so as much as I’d rewrite what happened... I dunno I just don’t really like that idea and I’m frankly tired of it where is does happen in media.
There’s just too much I don’t agree with that I’m worried about how my art would be received if I posted any again;;
I literally don’t know what I’m ranting about anymore anyway keep any PL female character slander away from me (rants about LEVEL 5′s writing of them is acceptable).
#*personal post#*don't reblog#*delete later#???#my art peaked a long time ago and has not improved and sometimes has gone backwards#especially when i look at some of my last layton pieces waaah#been going through the 3ds data files too looking at models and stuff which is fun lol
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Out of Sight - Ch. 10
First chapter
Previous chapter
A/N: This story is like my poor, neglected child. The good news is that now that this chapter is uploaded, there are only two chapters left to go, and my direction for the story is much stronger. I’m on holidays right now and one of my goals is to get back into writing. It’s been hard, because I haven’t written anything in over a year (yikes!), but I’m absolutely determined, because you guys deserve an ending as much as Lucy and Alfendi deserve happiness.
Also - I mentioned this a while back, but like some other fans of LBMR, I’m no longer using the names Potty and Placid. Firstly, the nicknames just sound terrible, and secondly, they’re quite demeaning. Instead, I’ll be using Al for Potty, and Fendi for Placid. These nicknames are delightful and suit each personality nicely.
Enjoy!
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Being an inspector of Scotland Yard carried a few perks.
Certainly not the pay – both Alfendi and his bank account could attest to that with confidence. Not the long working hours either, though neither side of him had ever minded that part of the job.
The freedom one gained after the tedious climb up the ranks was incomparable. Alfendi was in the fortunate position where he wielded enough influence for people to actually listen to him, yet was shielded enough from the public that most of his wrongdoings would go unnoticed by the media. The fire raging in the town might be a different matter, but it was the least of his worries for the moment.
However, as he was wheeled through the hospital on a stretcher, he knew that the real benefit to being with the Yard was queue-jumping the medical process like injured royalty. Neither Lucy nor himself would spend any time in waiting rooms.
But everything was happening too quickly for his drugged body to fully process. Craning his head, he saw only strangers.
“Wh-Where’s Lucy?” His fingers gripped the sleeve of one of the nurses, but the material slipped away from him. He stared at the digits, numb and disconnected from his body and mind.
Fear clutched at him and in his panic, he tried to sit up. Gentle hands pushed him back into the stretcher.
“You’re being treated for different things, dear,” a calm voice replied. “She needs to see different doctors. You’ll see her soon.”
He didn’t like that, but his words died the second he tried to summon them from his throat.
They arrived in a large room, where one doctor tended to the gunshot wound on his ear, whilst another focused on his right arm. The glass had been removed by medics on the way to the hospital, and after checking that there was none left and that the scratches had been disinfected, the second doctor applied a clean bandage that wound from his elbow down to his palm. Checking him for signs of concussion – had he hit his head? – she appeared satisfied that he would be okay.
“You’re going to have a rough few weeks, but I can’t see any signs of lasting damage,” she explained. She handed him a glass of water and two painkillers. “Keep your excitement to a minimum, and you’ll heal just fine.”
Through his blurred vision, Alfendi tried to make out her name badge.
She noticed and smiled. “Doctor Wells.” She extended her hand.
“Thank you,” he murmured, shaking it weakly.
“Get some rest,” she said. “Doctor’s orders.”
He didn’t have much of a say in the matter as he was wheeled to his room (completely unnecessarily, Al thought, but Fendi had the sense to accept).
The painkillers kicked in as soon as his head touched the pillow, though he felt like he sank right through and was falling down and down.
--
He awoke from nothing with a gasp, hands gripping the sheets.
“Alfendi!”
The woman seated next to him jumped, her hand rising to her chest.
“Hilda?” he croaked, registering her blonde, wavy hair. “Hilda, what-”
“Hush,” she ordered, and though her tone was sharp, her expression showed her concern. “I know you’ve never liked shutting up but give yourself a minute before you start babbling.” Leaning forward, she rearranged his pillows before pushing him into them. Waiting a further few seconds, she was satisfied that he was listening. “It’s currently half ten at night,” she continued. “You arrived here at five. Doctors assessed your condition and you’ve somehow come out of this without lasting damage.”
He remembered that much. Breathing in, he waited for the rest of his thoughts to unjumble. His ear throbbed – he’d been shot. His arm was heavy – there had been glass shards in it. His head was foggy – he’d fallen and hit it.
After he’d deduced those things, all the events came back to him at once. He tried to sit up but his head throbbed. “Lucy-”
“-is fine,” Hilda interrupted. A smile caught the corner of her lips. “She’s been asking about you too. You’re much worse for wear than she is.”
Hilda’s answer eased his mind as much as it could, without actually seeing Lucy in person. He needed to know more. “What are her injuries like?”
“She was treated for her hand wound. It’s nasty, but with time and rest it will heal. They’ve also checked her for potential poisoning, which-”
“Poisoning?” he spat.
“She was drugged when they captured her, Alfendi,” Hilda replied. “As a precaution the doctors have taken a blood sample to make sure it was nothing bad.”
“And the results?”
“The hospital hasn’t returned them yet. However, it seems you’re both well liked. One of your colleagues from the Yard – the small one, brown hair – ran her own test.”
“Florence Sich?”
“Yes, that’s the one. The results came back clean.”
Nothing could have restrained his sigh of relief. If Florence had run the test, then he knew it would be reliable.
It was fine. It was fine.
As much as he longed to seek out Lucy’s room, he knew that given the hour, she was probably in a much-needed slumber herself. Not to mention that even though he hadn’t seen his reflection yet, she would be horrified by his condition. His hand reached up to touch the dressing on his ear, and he instantly recoiled as sharp pain shot through it.
“The bullet tore through some cartilage,” Hilda said. “The doctor has told me that it shouldn’t impact your hearing, but it won’t look the same as it did before.”
He didn’t know what to say to that. His mind was too foggy to think about what this might mean for him in the future. He was about to thank Hilda, but when he looked at her face, he knew that there was more.
“Both of the thugs have also been admitted to hospital. The one that was shot, and the one with glass in her eyes.”
“Carter and Briggs,” he replied. “I didn’t shoot Carter – neither did Lucy. He eventually turned on his partner and she shot him in retaliation. He was going to try to free us.”
“Do you think Briggs is the head of the operation?”
“97.3% sure,” Fendi replied automatically. “Is Carter okay?”
“He’s come out of surgery, but it looks promising. The testimony from him, you and Lucy will be very valuable.”
“I think he’ll cooperate. His partnership with Briggs has been sour for a while, from what I could tell.” Thinking about her caused spite to run through him. “And what of Briggs?”
“Handcuffed to a bed and heavily guarded. She’s a spiteful thing, isn’t she?”
Something stirred within him, and he swung his legs off the bed. It took all his effort not to wince. “I want to see her.”
She sighed. “Alfendi-”
“It’s my only chance, Hilda. After she’s discharged from hospital, she’ll be in custody, and given I’m now a victim in this case, there’s no chance they’ll let me question her then.” He saw her firm expression and tried again. “Please. She hurt Lucy.”
To everybody else in the world Hilda would have looked the same, but he knew her well enough to see that his bid had worked. Ever so slightly, her lips softened, and her piercing gaze lowering a fraction. “I’m well aware.” She looked him over once before sighing. “You are too convincing for your own good, Alfendi. Follow me.”
--
Hilda did him the favour of walking more slowly than usual to ensure he could keep pace. Regardless, his body ached, and he had to stop twice to rest.
Arriving at the room, Hilda waved to the guards and they stood aside. Turning to him, she nodded. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Pushing the poor open, his eyes took a moment to adjust to the room, the only light source being the lines that had crept in from the gaps in the blinds.
Briggs was upright on the bed, as though she had been expecting somebody. A thick bandage was wound around her head, covering her eyes. She made no move when he closed the door.
“Greetings,” she said. “To whom am I speaking?”
“Briggs,” he replied, ignoring her second question.
“Oh, it’s the inspector,” she replied, amused. “Last I saw you looked pretty terrible. It’s a shame I can’t confirm that now.”
“I look better than you.”
“That’s a low bar.” Her teeth flashed as she grinned. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Alfendi couldn’t answer right away. He learned against the wall to steady himself. It was a reasonable question for her to ask. He knew he wasn’t here as an inspector of Scotland Yard – it had become much more personal than that.
Eventually, he knew what he wanted to say. “If I hadn’t come,” he began, “what would you have done?”
“Are you trying to prove to yourself that you were a hero?”
He ignored the dig. “I’m sure you want to tell me.”
“You’re right.” She paused. “When your cop awoke, I was going to question her. I was going to establish how much the police knew about our operations, by any means necessary. Regardless, Carter and I would have left the town in the same day, in case the search party stumbled across our base.”
“And what of Lucy?”
“That’s something I’ll keep to myself. I still have a trial, after all.” She smiled back at him, and though he knew she couldn’t see him, he felt as though he was being watched.
That told him all he needed to know, and she hadn’t had to admit to a single thing.
Calm down. She’s fine. She’s okay. Fendi was talking to himself more than Al.
“Speaking of which, you look cheerful for somebody who is blinded and facing trial,” he commented.
“It’s exactly because of that – I still have a trial,” she replied. “When you think of that, things are looking quite lovely for me. After all, I’m a suspect horrifically injured by a police officer. That same man committed arson, which I’m sure is against protocol.” She laughed. “A good lawyer can do a lot with that. With Carter gone, it’s the cops’ word against mine. Oh, the things the public will say about you!”
“There is far more evidence against you,” Al spat. “It won’t be that easy.”
“Won’t it?” she asked, her voice sing-song. “This event will ruin you. You’ll probably lose your job. You and that girl will never be the same after this.”
She wants you to be angry.
He knew that – both sides of him – but his fists balled, and he felt himself shaking. He longed to cause Briggs the same pain she’d caused him, but more importantly, the pain she’d caused-
Lucy.
I love you.
He remembered the moment they’d shared, she locked in the basement, he on the other side of the unbreakable door. His hand pushing against the metal, willing it to melt away as they both spoke assurances that things would be okay, even though their chances of success were slim.
Yet through trust and determination, they’d made it out of that basement and that blasted town. Despite being harmed, they would recover. Their position now was far better than he could have hoped or expected.
He took a step towards Briggs, Al allowing Fendi to come forward. “I’ve heard your version of the future. Now, listen to mine.” Fendi paused, studying her face. He knew he had her attention. “In no more than a few days, Lucy and I will leave hospital. We’ll take a few weeks off work – paid leave, thanks to you – and then we’ll return. We’ll re-enter our back-office, make a coffee and tackle whatever case is waiting for us. We’ll solve it, then another, then another. We will continue our careers, and our lives, together. We’ll meet other criminals, much more interesting than you, and while we won’t forget you, I doubt we’ll think of you often.”
He leaned in close, knowing she would be able to feel his presence.
“But you?” Al said, scoffing. “You’ll be handcuffed to this bed until you’re well enough to be moved to custody. When your trial comes around, you will receive a sentence so long that you’ll have wished your life had ended in that basement. Then you’ll go to prison, likely the worst we have in the country for the crimes you’ve committed, and the world will keep spinning without you.”
Briggs opened her mouth, her lips dry as she exhaled, before closing it.
His work was done, and he retreated. “Oh, and one more thing,” he said, poised by the door. “I wouldn’t be so sure about the lack of witnesses. Carter’s alive, and given Lucy and I saved his life, I’m sure he won’t mind putting in a word against you in the trial.”
He heard the beginning of a shriek as he closed the door behind him.
--
“Cathartic?” Hilda asked as he shuffled down the hallway, florescent lights flickering above them.
“Yes.”
“I’m impressed. I expected to hear much more yelling – that’s what the old you would have done.”
“I’m not the old me, and not only because of Fendi.”
“Lucy?”
He hesitated a second before nodding.
“You two suit one another,” she added. “She makes you a more tolerable person.”
He smirked. “And you didn’t?”
“No.” Her tone was amused. “I think part of me enjoyed our arguments too much. Lucy will actually scold you for being ridiculous.”
Talking about Lucy had lifted his spirits, but he felt a pang of longing.
They’d reached his room, and when he pushed the door open, his jaw dropped.
Lucy was sitting atop his bed.
His eyes took her in all at once. Her hair was damp and combed, and she wore a thick robe that seemed to engulf her. She was pale and exhausted, her eyes drooping. Her hand had been bandaged, but that was the only sign of injury.
At the sound of his entrance her head snapped up. She stared back at him, and her lips trembled. “A-Alfendi.”
He staggered towards her, still in disbelief as he pulled her into a hug. Ignoring his aching body, he took a moment to appreciate the warmth of her body against his, the smell of her hair, the sound of her breathing.
Hilda had been right. She was okay.
Releasing her slightly, he stared down at her face, and she smiled back up at him.
The door closed behind them as Hilda gave them some privacy.
Wordless, they sat atop his bed. Lucy’s hand cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing against his face. Her fingers ran over his stubble but stopped before she reached his ear. He watched as she studied it a moment, and despite himself, a spike of anxiety hit him, because he cared what she thought about it.
When she leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss upon his bandage, he released a sigh he didn’t know he’d been holding in.
When she drew back, she didn’t meet his eyes, and he knew why.
“It wasn’t your fault, Lucy,” he murmured.
She still didn’t look up. “I made a choice, and it got you hurt.”
“You made a choice, and got a criminal arrested,” he replied. “You fulfilled your duty. I also made a choice to come and find you.”
“You had to.”
“Of course, because I love you.”
“P-Prof…” Her eyes had filled with tears, and she shook her head. “I never wanted you t’get hurt. When you fell down the stairs, I didn’t think you’d make it out, a-and…”
As she choked on her works, he pulled her into his chest, resting his lips atop her head.
The ordeal had been harrowing. It had been excruciating for him to walk down the basement stairs and witness Briggs grabbing Lucy by her hair as she bled from her hand. How awful had it been for Lucy, to see him shot and pulled down the stairs, left fighting for his life?
“We’re both here, Lucy,” he reminded her. “Here and well. Briggs will go to prison, because of the evidence you found. In a few days we’ll both go home. In a few weeks my arm will be healed, and so will your hand, and not long after my ear will be as good as it can be. We’ll have some time off work. Perhaps we’ll go away somewhere – we’re both long overdue for a holiday.”
She sniffed, looking up. “Dropstone sounds nice, Prof. Your dad’s stories have made me want to go.”
“Then we’ll go to Dropstone.”
She grinned up at him. “So it takes a hospital visit to get you to agree to a holiday?”
He smiled. “Perhaps.”
She laughed, and holding his face gently, she kissed him. Her lips were warm and soft, and as he reciprocated, he realised how much he’d longed for her. Pulling her closer, the day’s turmoil faded. As one of her hands rubbed the back of his neck, he was lost in his senses, as though he hadn’t experienced Lucy in years.
“Ahem.”
Startled, he pulled back, Doctor Wells standing in the doorway. Lucy let out a surprised gasp, before a nervous giggle.
“You appear to be feeling better,” she commented, smiling.
Al chose that moment to relinquish all control, leaving an awkward Fendi behind. He scratched the back of his neck. “Ah, I’m-”
“Not to worry. It’s a good sign, really.” She turned her attention to Lucy. “Your test results have come back clean, Lucy. As long as you avoid using your hand for a few weeks and finish your round of antibiotics, you have nothing to worry about.”
“Ta, Doctor,” she replied, beaming.
“We’re happy to discharge you both tomorrow, as long as you’re feeling well enough. For the moment however, I’d recommend you get some more rest.”
He couldn’t help but agree. Now that he’d spoken with Briggs and seen that Lucy was alright, fatigue had begun to creep back into him.
Lucy appeared to be the same, as she stifled a yawn. Still, she fiddled with her hands, nervous. “Ee, Doctor?”
“Yes?” Doctor Wells replied, scribbling something on her chart.
“I… well, given I weren’t been monitored by any machines in my room, d’you think I might be able to stay here for the night?” Her faced reddened. “Just for sleeping, of course!”
“I see no reason why not. You might be able to stop him from wandering around the hospital.”
He liked Doctor Wells.
“Call a nurse if you need anything,” she continued. “I’ll let them know about your room change. I’ll be back tomorrow to check how you’re doing.”
“Thank you,” Alfendi said, nodding.
As she left the room and turned out the light, he and Lucy pulled the covers up. Lying on his side to ensure that his ear would not be affected, Lucy held him from behind, her head resting in the crook of his neck. Her rhythmic breathing relaxed him.
“Alfendi?” she whispered, as he was on the cusp of sleep.
“Mm?”
“Thank you.”
His hand fumbled to find her own, fingers loosely entwining.
“Always, Lucy. Always.”
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LBMR Secret Santa '17
Hi, @artistically-stupid! I was your LBRMR Secret Santa. Here’s Lucifendi cuteness with some Lady Layton references... from Florence Sich’s perspective. (She really ships Lucifendi.)
There are mentions of alcohol in this fic, but nothing heavy. I hope that’s ok!
Scotland Yard’s Secret Santa
“What if I want to get a gift for more than one person?”
Lucy was struggling to grasp the concept of ‘Secret Santa’. It was a Christmas tradition at the Yard, founded by Inspector Gilbert back in the fifties, but Lucy claimed she had never experienced it before.
That’s wasn’t too surprising, Florence supposed. Scotland Yard was Lucy’s first full-time workplace and she was one of their youngest recruits. (Dustin’s mental age didn’t count.) Plus, it was Lucy.
She had just bounded into the lab with a cup of tea and a box of biscuits for Florence. If anyone else had done the same, Florence’s suspicions would be on high alert. Last week, Sniffer had tried to sweet talk her into letting him skip the forensics queue.
Former Chief Inspector Britannias had bribed her to identify Katrielle Layton’s DNA at a crime scene. Kat proved her own innocence before the evidence reached the lab or Alfendi was made aware.
Al was livid, obviously, but none of them had ever seen Lucy so enraged. She was ready to bite Britannias’ head off when they brought him in. (How dare he accuse Kat?) Her fury was fuelled by her love for her friends.
Lucy didn’t expect anything in return for her love. People flocked to her side like pigeons foraging for crumbs. How could she refuse them?
“If you really want to spend shocking amounts on everyone, feel free,” Florence sniffed. “Just don’t expect much in return.” Aside from the Commissioner, who paid for their Christmas party, they were all too stingy to buy multiple gifts. Florence preferred it that way. She had received enough pity presents during her time in hospital.
“Not everyone…” Lucy nibbled on a biscuit. “Just a couple of people.”
“Like Al – Cough! – and Fendi?”
Blood rushed to Lucy’s cheeks. “A-and you, Hilda, Dustin, Sniffer – “
“I bet you wanted the Prof for your Secret Santa.” Florence wheeled herself over to her desk drawer.
Lucy glanced at the door as if she expected Alfendi to burst in. “I don’t know what you’re niggling at.”
“If you say so…” Florence pulled out a slip of red paper with the name ‘Alfendi Layton’ written on it. Lucy gasped. “I was going to swap Secret Santas with you, but since you don’t want Al – “
“Alright,” Lucy squeaked. “I want him.”
Florence handed her the slip of paper, which Lucy folded into her pocket.
“So, who did you get?” Florence asked.
Lucy cringed. “Deputy Commissioner Chan.”
“Never met him in my life. I’m sure he’ll enjoy the stress ball I bought Al.”
Laughing, Lucy looped her arm around Florence’s shoulder. “Ta, Flo!”
“Don’t mention it. Just mind the drip…”
Naturally, Florence’s cold worsened in the days leading up to the Christmas party. But she wasn’t going to miss it for the world. They hadn’t had a work do since Hilda’s birthday. (Hilda dancing on the table was truly a sight to behold.)
This year, Barton had booked a table at the local pub with Christmas dinner and mulled wine for all of them.
Florence couldn’t join her colleagues in the festive drinking due to the medication she was on. She didn’t really mind. She was just glad to see her colleagues unwind for once, particularly Alfendi.
They had never seen both sides of Alfendi consuming alcohol. It was surreal how his hair flashed from purple to crimson like a Christmas light. The placid half of him – the half Florence knew best – rarely drank. His alter ego... or rather, his original ego, was more indulgent.
“Before the accident, he and Justin would go out for the odd pint,” Hilda sighed. She and Florence were a couple of seats down from Al and Lucy. Emiliana Perfetti had claimed the spot next to Lucy and was grilling her with questions about Katirelle Layton.
Florence hummed. “Did you ever join them?”
“Me?” Hilda snorted. “Goodness, no. I can’t stand pints. Wine, on the other hand...” She took a sip of wine and smiled at Florence.
They looked at Alfendi when he roared with laughter. From the sour expression on Emiliana’s face, it seemed like something had offended her.
Hilda’s smile widened. “It’s so wonderful to have him back.”
Florence wiped her nose and nodded. She was still warming up to the ‘old’ Alfendi, though he was nowhere near as bad as she’d initially believed. He was all bark, but would only bite the criminals who deserved it. He would never turn on any of them – especially not Lucy.
At that moment, he and Lucy were playing tug of war with a cracker. Alfendi won but he gave the prize to Lucy and put the orange paper crown on her head. Florence couldn’t help smiling. How were they so cute together?
“Ta very much, Prof!” Lucy said, handing him a box-shaped present from under the table. “Here’s yours!”
“Lucy, you shouldn’t have... It better not be a hat – “ He tore open the box. Florence sat up in her seat, hoping to see what it was. “I don’t know what to say.... Thanks, Baker.” He tried on a pair of green headphones. “These will be perfect for listening to police reports on the go.”
“Your sisters helped me pick them out,” Lucy admitted, chuckling.
Alfendi stared at her and stated, “I love... them.”
No! There went his chance. Florence pressed her head on the table. She jerked up when Hilda cleared her throat.
“You were my Secret Santa.”
“Oh...” Florence peered into the silver gift bag Hilda has placed in front of her. It contained hair products, lotion and bath salts. Despite her blocked nose, Florence recognized the scent of Hilda’s perfume.
“It’s a pamper pack,” Hilda explained, as if she didn’t know. “Ideal after stressful days at work... or if you’re feeling under the weather.”
All this must have cost more than your trivial Secret Santa gift. “Thank you,” Florence mumbled. She glanced up and down the table, avoiding Hilda’s gaze. Was that Deputy Commissioner Chan next to Inspector Hastings?
She tossed him the stress ball from her handbag. “Merry Christmas, Deputy Commissioner!” The ball bounced off his head and everyone burst out laughing. Even Lucy braved a chuckle at Chan’s expense. Al’s arm was wrapped around her shoulder now. Florence doubted anything would separate them that evening.
The next morning, Florence received a visitor at the lab. It was Katrielle, hunting for Alfendi and Lucy. Neither of them were in the Mystery Room office and Alfendi wasn’t answering his phone. (That wasn’t too unusual for Al.)
Florence asked if she had tried ringing Lucy. Kat shrugged her shoulders and admitted that she didn’t know Lucy’s number. The two of them usually communicated through letters. She was a far cry from her tech-savvy brother…
Never mind. Florence reached for the lab phone, checked her list of staff numbers and rang Lucy’s house.
After three rings, Alfendi’s voice roared, “WHAT?”
“Oh… Hi Al,” Florence said, watching as Kat’s eyebrows rose.
There was shuffling on the other end – probably Lucy wrestling the phone out of Alfendi’s hands.
“Mornin’, Florence!” Lucy sounded a lot more chipper than him. “What’s the sitch…?”
“Sorry to disturb you both right now, but Al’s little sister is here – ”
“Kat?” Lucy’s squeal was loud enough for Kat to hear. “Eeeeee, you’ll never guess what happened!”
Florence rubbed her ear and handed the phone to Kat. Kat mouthed “Thank you!” and grinned as Lucy launched into an explanation of the Christmas party and all that had occurred afterwards.
“I’m very happy for you two,” Kat giggled. “Now, if you’re not too busy canoodling, I could use your help with a case…”
As Kat chatted away, Florence leaned back in her chair with a smile. Love was in the air – she could even feel her cold clearing up! Maybe now she could finally pluck up the nerve to ask Hilda out for lunch.
#professor layton#layton's mystery journey#layton brothers mystery room#LBMRSecretSanta2017#alfendi layton#lucy baker#florence sich#Hilda Pertinax#lucifendi#Hilda/Florence#yeah I ship them now#constable barton#emilianna perfetti#katrielle layton#PL fanfic#LBMR fanfic#artistically-stupid#Sniffer Hague#Dustin Scowers#Chief Inspector Britannias#Gang's all here#my fics#Christmas 2017#secret santa 2017#I didn't call Alfendi by the names he's given in-game#I tried my best
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Headcanon on the bonds between Al and Kat
Late night thoughts! Hope you guys don't mind. I am also doodling some LBMR stuff so just stay tune for more art :9
Tl;dr, I think their relationship with each other isn't really strong..
Let's go to before the incident at Forbodium Castle 1st! I'm sure both respect each other as siblings but their personalities will crash with one another. While Kat adopted the gentlemanly attitude from Hershel, Alfendi is the complete opposite, a narcissist. No doubt that their thinking will differ a ton and they might not talk to each other much tbh. However, I still feel that Kat still have a soft spot for Al as a brother, worry for him from time to time, especially how ruthless his actions can be. Maybe Al do care, in a way by covering them under threats, or maybe he doesn't, who knows <:T ---
After the Forbodium Case, I suspect that Kat has regretted not spending time much with his brother and do interact with him more often. With Placid now existing, although she is able to speak with him much better than with Potty (also probably get to have some habits from him), she would feel a sense of loss, like how Probably Hilda felt. With rejections from people like Hilda or his close ones, Placid probably would have days on doubting his existence and 'knowing he has murdered someone' With the negative atmosphere al made and also about what he 'had done', Kat probably distanced herself from him and tried to live independently.
As much as I do wish so, I can’t seem to picture them being together happily.
MAYBE its possible now that Alfendi is off the hook and Potty is returning back, which is great T v T/
So yeaaa, that's what I have thought off today @ u @ " What are your thoughts? Do you agree or no? Or do you have more to add? Would love to see what you have to say o u o!
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What Have I Done? LB;MR Fic
First Part, Previous Part
This is the final part. I'm sorry.
Disclaimer: Alfend is no representation of DID. Sometimes fictional shooting also upsets me.
------
Alfendi noticed the gun was missing a few minutes after they noticed Ercule’s car leaving, with Flora in it. They had to follow her and of course they remembered St Mystere. It’d only been the best story he’d heard. Parents who cared enough about their children to make them a whole village. It sounded amazing! He’d always wished for it.
He’d even been there before. After Flora left when he turned sixteen, he’d found her village. They all seemed so friendly, and he’d known it was the right place because how many villages had a destroyed tower. It was the closest he’d felt to her on the time she was away. They should have gone together.
Al manages to push himself onto command as they all got into the taxi. Katrielle offering a generous tip if he took them all the way to St Mystere and even more if he got there fast. She wasn’t kidding about the detective agency doing well. The driver was all too willing to accept. They got there in record time.
They agreed to split up, Katrielle wanting to interrogate the village people and Alfendi wanting to avoid being bombarded by puzzles headed straight for the mansion. All around him people were eating normally. You could never tell they were clockwork. Not even the puzzles truly gave it away, not when Hershel managed to act almost exactly the same and there was no way he was clockwork.
Alfendi crossed the river making his way over to the house, Matthew meets him outside, “it’s been too long Alfendi! I think you need to come in and see this!” he brings Alfendi to the portrait, he frowned. It moved? Clearly, he had not done his father justice last time he’d come here not realising this simple secret door. He headed through, finding himself in a room full of gold, spying the note left by the Baron he pauses. Unwilling to disturb anything. Destroying this village would destroy Flora’s trust in him.
Speaking of, where was Flora. Matthew climbs in, shutting the portrait behind him, locking the door, “I’m sorry Alfendi, she has Flora. I can’t let any harm come to her. You understand.”
“No! I need to find her. You don’t understand there are other people here, if they find her their lives are in danger! Please! This is my mess, don’t let anyone else pay for it.”
“Alfendi,” he interjects, “please, maybe we can keep them in here but I can’t stand to see the mistress hurt.”
“Fine!”
He sits on the ground until a knocking on the entrance reveals Lucy, “showtime!” She grins at Alfendi, “You better do what I say,” she grins.
Lucy looked so vibrant, so light on her feet. The idea of finally getting her revenge was a weight off her shoulders. It drained him further, like she was sucking his soul out of him. Even Fendi couldn’t seem to summon his usual rage around her. This was the end.
“Run through here and shoot Flora,” she hands him a gun, grinning.
“No,” What the hell was she thinking? He could never do that.
“Yes! You don’t have to do anything else, just run through and shoot her. I’ll forgive you if you do!”
“I- I…” he stares at the gun in her hand before taking a breath. He wouldn’t hurt anyone, but he wouldn’t have to. She would.
His sister was going to die. He’d be framed for something he’d never do. She puts the gun in his hands, “think about it. Either you kill her or I do. I’ll make it so much harder for her! She’ll still die. I’ll just make it worse and then, I’ll destroy this village too.”
“No!”
“Yes!” It was twisted, how it was Lucy’s voice telling him to do these things. She presses the gun into his hand, running off, “and, action!” Alfendi runs into the next room, spying Katrielle out the window and Flora standing in front.
Understanding shone in her eyes, “do it,” she smiles at him, “don’t worry about me, just keep Katrielle safe, and yourself. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you too.”
“She’ll think I did it,” he shakes his head, tears leaking out his eyes.
“Tell them what happened,” she drops her voice, “there are witnesses remember?” Al’s hands tremble, “Please.”
She was begging to die. No.
Yes.
Fendi pulls the trigger. Blood blossoms from Flora’s chest. Flowing out across the chest of her dress. She was already dead. He had ensured that much. “no!” He heard himself call as she collapsed backwards, glass shattering behind her as she fell to the ground. Katrielle rushes to her sister Ercule looks through the window, eyes meeting Alfendi’s.
“We have the place surrounded,” someone calls, “come out with your hands up!”
Backup. Of course he’d thought to call for backup, if Al had fought for just a bit longer maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
He couldn’t seem to get his legs to move, instead they gave out from under him and he collapsed to the ground. Staring at the bloodstained carpet, nauseated.
He’d done this.
In this reality, he really was the murderer.
#guns#gun violence#blood#murder#professor layton#alfendi layton#layton brothers mystery room#lbmr#fanfic#lmbr fic#katrielle layton#flora reinhold#professor layton and the curious village#What have I done? LBMR
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What Have I Done? LB;MR Fic
First Part, Previous Part, Next Part
Disclamer: Alfendi is not a representation of DID.
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A figure in a green dress runs out the block of flats and straight into a car. A spot in her hand. Blood spattered accross her dress. Hilda's blood. Who knew a tiny collection of pixels could be so horrible?
"And that's the last time we see her. If there's anything you can tell me," Blane turns to Alfendi. The detective just stares at the screen, Blane sighs, "Alfendi?"
Alfendi did in fact recognise what was in Lucy’s hand. The contract. He'd spent days studying it. There had to be a loophole. Apparently his home wasn't a safe place for things like that. It appeared both Hilda and Lucy had broken in.
"Alfendi?" Blane asks again. He scowls, Blane was the worst. He hated him. He wasn't even qualified to solve this.
"No, I can't help you." he really didn’t know about anything other than the contract. He wasn’t sure what to do.
"Come on, please? I can't solve the case without your statement."
"I can't! I don't know what you want!" No one would believe him about the contract. It was a wonder Lucy had. She'd always believed in him and it’d never occurred to him that it could get so twisted.
He'd been forced to take a break. With pay. He also wasn't allowed to go home. Katrielle and Flora both lived in London. He had started slacking in responding to them but they both would offer a place.
He didn't want to live with them though. If Lucy had found the contract she would be after the people he loved. He couldn't risk them. He couldn't lose anyone else. He had to undo this. Go back and beg for it to be undone. He'd do anything at this point.
"Okay that's the last of the questions. Call me when you feel like talking," Blane sighs, rubbing his temples.
Alfendi walks out, straight to the backroom that could have once been the mystery room. It was full of files and stationery. He shuts the door behind him, sliding down it and begins to cry.
Fendi wasn't even talking to him anymore. He'd just gone silent. Despite their best efforts they were once again alone.
He'd lost everyone.
#professor layton#alfendi layton#lucy baker#lbmr#fanfic#lmbr fic#layton brothers mystery room#blood#death#kinda sad#kinda short#I'll give y'all longer next time#What have I done? LBMR
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What Have I Done? LB;MR Fic
First Part, Previous Part, Next Part
Disclamer: Alfendi isnt a representation of DID. Real shooting is bad but I do enjoy a bit of fictional shooting.
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It’d been a day since Hilda had seen Alfendi. Ever since he’d been shot he’d grown withdrawn, sometimes he was completely devoid of himself. Maybe she'd been too harsh continuously sending him home instead of letting him stay. They were in the office. No one got hurt in the office, right?
Still, she'd done the right thing. It was regulation. They might ignore it sometimes but Alfendi's health wasn't something she'd ever want to gamble. Him getting shot had been terrible. Working with him made her feel invulnerable sometimes. Every lie, any criminal, no matter who they were he knew. He always knew. Always so happy to work it out. So happy to prove it…
It was why she loved him. His unending devotion. The highs of the chase. He was passionate about this. He would always be passionate about it.
This was different though. He’d always been passionate about her. Rough and rugged and right. She loved that. He would always fight for justice. They could do anything. He made her feel like they could do anything.
Where had that man been in that last interaction? He was confused meek, vulnerable.
She needed to talk to him.
Alfendi had never brought a house. He lived in a small flat at the top of a massive block. Opting to pay for a view over the space. It was easy to walk in. Everyone had seen her before. The crazy woman who seemed to trust their overly aggressive neighbour. Not that she minded. There was always a level of respect in the way they looked at her.
Breaking and entering was illegal but he hadn't answered the door and she was worried and… well she was sure she'd find something. Besides, Alfendi wouldn't press charges against her.
The place was messy. More than usual. Alfendi wasn't exactly a neat person but he liked things in their place and they weren't in their place. The table was covered in papers. With one in the middle.
Hilda creeps closer, not exactly knowing why but the paper, a scroll? Looked out of place and some irrational part of her felt like it was watching. She snatches it off the table. Turning it around.
The grand, extravagant writing was weird. It looked hand written. Hilda scans it, and then spots Alfendi's signature. This warranted some looking.
The fine print was hidden in the embossed sides on the back. It made her heart stop.
He'd thrown Lucy Baker under the bus. This poor young woman's life had been stolen.
Wasn't she the murder suspect?
"Ain't this illegal? I thought the police didn't break in." An unfamiliar voice calls from the doorway. Hilda turns. Lucy.
She was sporting lime green lipstick which matched her dress. Bold choice, she would be easy to pick up on the cctv.
"I had a key," Hilda lies, "and even if i was it's not as bad as murder."
"Eh, I think it's worse. You go around, loading how much better you are than the rest of us but behind closed doors your just as bad."
"I didn't break in."
"Just like your boyfriend didn't break into the station."
"Where is Alfendi?'
"I were hoping you could tell me that. He's an odd one."
"So you haven't hurt him?"
"Nope! Why ain't you arresting me?"
"I read something on you."
"My file? Ah I'm sure you've seen worse. My parents are loving and alive. Very disappointed in me."
Hilda hesitates.
"What is it?" Lucy sits on the worn down sofa, leaving toward Hilda, "you look concerned."
"I am."
"You can tell me anything."
"No, no I can't Lucy. You're a murderer."
"Not a gossip!"
"How can I even trust that. You've murdered people. This is stupid." Hilda scoffs.
"You're worried about something. Now I am a great catch for a copper like yourself so if I try to share with anyone like you I won't survive will I? I'll find myself all locked up." Lucy stares at Hilda, "come on. Who else is going to listen?"
Lucy was right. She didn't have anyone. She was so utterly involved in her work and she also couldn't tell anyone. Hopefully, maybe, Lucy had the answers.
"I don't think Alfendi is who I thought he was." She admits, "he's changed. Ever since he got shot. I think it has something to do with you."
"I did shoot him." Lucy agrees, sympathetically.
"Not that. Well… he's just different. Look at this," Hilda hands the scroll to Lucy.
The criminal scans it, "You're joking. You're insane."
"Look at the back. It's got the fine print." Hilda's voice comes out horse.
Lucy scans it, "tell me this is a joke."
"Do you know him? Did you know him?"
"There's no way he could have met me," She shakes her head, "I knew you two, after catching Justin. Made you famous."
"Oh, so…" Hilda's voice trails off.
"This isn't real." Lucy’s voice is hard, "my life isn't run by some idiot."
"He couldn't have known."
"He didn't try to know hard enough," Lucy looks it over.
The silence was tense. Fir the moment Lucy and Hilda were in the same side, investigating and exposing Alfendi. She'd never expected to be here.
"He gave up a life working in the mystery room with me, I dreamed of this…" Hilda looks over, wondering what she could say, could she defend Alfendi? "He did some of this for you."
It's an accusation. Lucy was implicating Hilda.
"I never knew. I never would sign something like this!"
"Do you love him? After this do you still live him?"
"...Yes" knew it was an admittance of guilt. She knew Lucy wouldn't respond well.
Lucy was on her feet first. Hand darting to her pocket, Hilda went straight for hhe gun, knowing there was no time for anything else bit Luvy was faster to draw.
BANG
The bullet scrapes Hilda's neck, drawing blood and pushing her back.
BANG
Brains exploded everywhere, arching into the sky, splattering against the walls, the sofa, the papers, the ground and Lucy herself.
Blood spat out of Hilda for a moment, like a fountain, gushing down her clothes, staring her once pristine blouse scarlett. Her blazer scarlett, her hair matted and scarlett.
Lucy turns, running out.
#professor layton#alfendi layton#hilda pertinax#lucy baker#lbmr#fanfic#lmbr fic#layton brothers mystery room#I've been busy#writing is hard#shooting#I didnt give lucy the gun the writers did#original writers#not me#fictional#gun violence#blood#gore#violence#What have I done? LBMR
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What Have I Done? LB;MR Fic
First Part, Previous Part, Next Part
Disclamer: Alfrendi does not have DID and he is not written like he does I am not an expert in how to write DID please absolutely never base your views on real world people off my fanfiction.
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The florescent lights, the blossoming pain, the eventually darkness. All things he'd been through before and somehow it still hurt. Maybe it was worse. That felt like an exaggeration.
Hey
No! You're not back, I'm not letting you take over again.
How did we end up here?
Lucy…. Go away, I need to help her!
Oh.
You are not taking over again.
I wasn't taking over last time.
You did! I got shot and-
And Justin did something but he's not here now.
How are you here?
I'm not quite sure. We made the deal and it went dark. I've just been waiting really
It's still dark. This isn't normal. I, we, had a place last time. Our father's study… Where is it? What have we done?
I don't know. It hurts though.
What happens when we wake up? I can't bae trapped again. I can't do that again. I dong care.
No… I'm 67% certain that I was always here.
Why?!? I just wanted to be normal. We could have just been one person
Keeping all the memories had a price. I told. You to not be rash.
The steady beeping of a heart monitor interrupts their internal discussion they both pause, listening to it. Remembering the last time they woke up from this.
What happened?
We caught Justin. It's been two years. It doesn't matter that you're here either.
Oh, well good. How are we going to explain me?
That's easy, we're not. You'll just have to stay out the way.
What? We've been over this. Please. I thought you accepted me.
I do! You think I'd be fine sharing with most people. Don't be stupid. No Lucy never became a detective. She's working with Diane. I, well we, have to reverse this and we will probably have to break a few laws.
…
Come on. She can't be haply like this she didn't smile. I've never seen her so hold. We have to fix things. No matter what.
For Lucy? Not so you can get revenge on Dianne?
For Lucy.
Okay. I'm in.
#lmbr#lmbr fic#fanfic#professor layton#alfendi layton#layton brothers mystery room#lucy baker#I am writing this on my phone whenever I have two minutes#on google docs#it's great#I have lots of free time yes#no lies here#What have I done? LBMR
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What Have I Done? LB;MR Fic
First Part, Previous Part, Next Part
Disclamer: Alfendi isn't a representation of DID.
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The Reinhold fortune wasn’t something Lucy really needed but it was enough to keep the Layton’s out her way. It’d been no accident finding out that these people were automated, she would just have made a brilliant detective. Shame she’d been robbed of that.
A poster of the theme park with a young girl who looked a lot like Flora had revealed the apple shaped birthmark on her neck, which had led her to the paining and then the passage. She knew what’d happen if she took the gold off the platform, destroy the entire village of clockwork people. Destroy what Flora had to hold dear, otherwise she’d have taken the gold for herself.
Flora drove like a madman. She’d visited her village more often than she’d care to admit and by now she knew how to get there like the back of her hand.
Hopefully Alfendi would be able to figure it out, and maybe Katrielle her younger siblings were smart and they’d been being told Professor Layton’s adventures since they were babies but they’d have to figure out the clockwork village was real and find it. Hopefully they remembered what it was called. She didn’t want to be there alone but every second wated was a second Lucy could be hurting one of her villagers. Villagers her father had made, some with the faces of her deceased family. She ran, like a bat out of hell across the village to the mansion.
Her old home.
The place that homed the likeness of her mama. The portrait was open and Mama was staring at the hole, she turns to Flora, “do you know what this is about?”
“No,” she stares in there, “well not really, look mama.”
“I am not your mother.”
“Right, sorry.”
“Do I look old enough to be your mother?”
“No…”
Matthew rushes out, “Flora, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” he hugs her, Flora leans into the hug, her clockwork villagers, her clockwork village. She didn’t know if she could go through the portrait. She didn’t know if she could face the end.
“Now Delilah, stop making such a fuss,” he chastises the likeness of her mama, “anyone would be proud to have a daughter like Flora, look how grown up she is.”
“He’s right about that, if I were older maybe I’d wish I had a daughter like you,” she tucks a strand of Flora’s hair behind her ear and kisses her forehead, “now, I think you should investigate, Matthew refuses and I simply can’t.”
Flora stares at the portrait, “okay,” she gives Delilah’s hand a squeeze, “okay, you both know I love you, right?”
“Of course Flora,” Mathew gives her a reassuring smile.
Flora walks through the hole in the wall, knowing she was entering a new world, knowing this was the end.
“Hello Flora.” Lucy greets her, she sat on the ground next to the pressure plate, her gun still in her holster but she didn’t needed, all she needed was to grab one of the gold bars right next to her. “I don’t think we’ve ever had the pleasure. I’m Lucy Baker. Apparently I used to be Alfendi’s friend.”
“He has told me about you, he’s very worried. He wants to help you, he may have acted rashly but he’s a good person.”
“Could you forgive someone who ruined your life?”
“He didn’t mean to!”
“I don’t mean to either, I just want some gold!”
“No!” Flora steps forward. Betraying how much she needed her village to stay standing.
“I need you to do something for me Flora. Your village will survive as long as you do this.”
“What?” Flora didn’t trust Lucy and she didn’t want to hurt Alfendi but this was her village. She was willing to weigh up the odds.
“Nothing much, I just need you to get shot!”
No one got hurt, well no one other than her. Flora was willing. She couldn’t let them die. She’d take their place. One life for many clockwork ones. Easy.
#professor layton#alfendi layton#layton brothers mystery room#lbmr#fanfic#lmbr fic#katrielle layton#flora reinhold#professor layton and the curious vilage#What have I done? LBMR
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What Have I Done? LB;MR Fic
First Part, Previous Part, Next Part
Disclamer: Alfendi isn't a representation of DID.
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They spend days working on the case. Diane Makepeace’s body surfaces and makes it up to the newspaper. The only clue that’s been left was a note on her chest, “You aways stood in my way”
“And you’re sure that was Lucy?”
“Positive,” Fendi stares at the newspaper. It was so hard to believe that Lucy, the girl who’d actually sympathised with that killer was the killer now, the killer of killers. She’d been so sweet, even to the worst of them, she’d made him want to be something better. This was… this wasn’t what he wanted.
Flora brought out dinner, it was slimy and crispy with specks of pink and what looked like it’s once been cheese before it’d been cremated.
“I’m getting pizza,” Ercule stands quickly.
“Now now, no one would deny a lady’s cooking,” Fendi smiles, shooting Ercule a smug look, he stares at the plate in front of him, “okay then…”
They both turn to Katrielle who was already digging in, “is that bubble-gum? And toffee? I love it!”
Flora grins at her sister before turning to her brother, expectant. Fendi pokes it with his fork, “if I get food poisoning you owe me,” Flora glares and he gulps, she knew how to stand up to Fendi and he would be eating this, he owed her. He takes a mouthful, the flavours screamed out over eachother, he crews quickly trying to get t down quickly, but it was almost impossible, eventually he just gulps it down with a mouthful of water. Flora gives him an expectant look, “you still can’t cool, I wait for the day when you can admit that to yourself.”
She chuckles, whacking him over the head with some oven gloves.
���If you’re not having it, I’ll have it!” Katrielle scoops it off his plate, and then off Ercule’s. He looked sick.
“Right, I’ll get some pizza now, if you’ll permit it miss,” he looks at Flora, she chuckles, “okay, that’s fine. I’ll stick with this if you don’t mind.”
“Uh, no not at all,” he rushes to leave.
Katrielle finds Alfendi a sponge cake she had left over and then the siblings chat about how Katrielle’s detective agency was going, she spoke animatedly about it, telling them of the strangest cases. They laughed about how easily scared Earnest was and the dog that Katrielle could somehow understand. He seemed to be a lot more human than dog, at least to Katrielle. They discussed theories well into the night.
The next day Flora reciveved a letter. “Dear Flora Reinhold, I suspect you know what the enclosed means.” A cog falls into her lap.
Flora runs off, she drove moped, that’d be too small. Ercule’s car! She grabs his keys, Alfendi’s gun, fleeing the house and jumping into the car.
#professor layton#alfendi layton#layton brothers mystery room#lbmr#fanfic#lmbr fic#katrielle layton#flora reinhold#honestly thought you deserved some fluff#What have I done? LBMR
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What Have I Done? LB;MR Fic
First Part, Previous Part, Next Part
Disclaimer: Alfend is no representation of DID.
------
Flora was less impressed when she found out. She called the police who assigned Ercule Hastings to their house, as he already knew Katrielle and he refused to stand in the way of the investigation, instead helping out.
At night, when Katrielle and Ercule had gone to bed she confronts Alfendi, “How could you talk to him! I told you that in confidence!”
“I don’t know! I just needed to fix it!”
“No! No that’s not good enough! I trusted you! I trusted you and you broke that trust!”
“I had to fix it!”
“Did you think about anyone else? Are you thinking about how you’re endangering Katrielle? How you betrayed me? Can I trust anyone? After everything I’ve done, I can’t even trust you! You’re just like the Professor!”
“How dare you! I’m nothing like him!”
“Oh really? You break promises! You disappear whenever I cook, and you don’t care for my or Katrielle’s wellbeing! Her life is in danger! I can’t protect you both from a murderer!”
“Flora…”
“And that’s not it! Who took you in when the Professor left? Rosia didn’t have the time to look after two children, so I took you in, I took care of you! I looked after you. Did I leave too soon? I know sixteen is young, but I wanted my own adventures! I’m sorry!” tears streamed down her face.
“No! No,” he stares a moment, speechless, “you took care of me, you were there for me, I’m sorry. Your cooking isn’t very good but that’s no excuse.”
“It’s much better than it used to be! Not that anyone will give it a chance!”
“I’ll give it a chance, alright? I’ll give you a chance and I’ll take better care of Katrielle. I promise,” there was fire to his words, expression, Flora looked up at him.
“Did I leave you too early?”
“Nonsense, I had Rosa and you remembered to send letters. You were always there,” except in my world. When you stopped sending letters. When I hid myself.
“Oh,” Flora grins, “good.” She takes a breath, “Why did you make the deal.”
Now was the time, he should tell her everything. Flora looked at him hopefully, “I’ve told you everything.”
The hopeful look disappeared, “I’m tired. Sorry,” she pushes past him and rushes up the stairs.
Fendi sits there, stunned, tired.
#professor layton#alfendi layton#layton brothers mystery room#lbmr#fanfic#lmbr fic#katrielle layton#flora reinhold#What have I done? LBMR
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