Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Professor Layton franchise.
Specifically, the games Unwound Future and Layton Brothers Mystery Room.
The young up-and-coming fashion designer works on designs that will be sure to impress. This is the most important project of her career for the deadline of a prestigious job promotion is soon approaching. She would prove her worth to the company that she has recently become a part of. Because fashion has become her life.
Something about the various designs of clothing made Flora feel free. It allows her to hide her fears under a protective layer of identity she wanted to assume. Some days she appeared refined, sophisticated, while other days she was spunky, or sassy. When the world witnesses her wearing her designs, they see her confidence and ambition. Traits she had strived to earn. There would be no limits to who she would become, but she knows she definitely wants to be someone. When inspiration hits Flora, it is nearly impossible to get her out of her far off land that is focus and concentration.
"Flor-Rah! There's someone at the dooor!" Alfendi bellows from downstairs.
Flora ignores her brother, too deeply buried in her work to be bothered, but his calls for her are relentless. Her train of thought departs and wouldn't return until she had peace and quiet.
She descends the stairs as fast as anyone could in a pair of three-inch heels. Flora prefers to dress professionally even if she didn't leave the house. Her brother Alfendi on the other hand could care less about how he appeared. He is found lounging in their father's reading chair. He sports a pair of baggy navy jean shorts and a crimson red T-shirt with a faint jam stain. His bare feet are propped up on the table and a Sherlock Holmes novel is in his hands. The most aggravating fact of all is that he is merely fifteen feet away from their foyer.
"Alfendi, why couldn't you have answered the front door?" Flora inquires, miffed by his laziness.
"I'm no longer permitted." He retorts in bitter resentment.
"Oh... right..." Flora remembers.
Her brother could be rather... tactless when he conversed with strangers. Many of Professor Layton's associates would pop in from time to time to speak with their father. When Alfendi spoke with them he had a tendency of being rude enough to scare them off. Both Layton and Flora are still trying to show him more respectful behavior and mannerisms, but at times Flora found his veracious bluntness to be a refreshing dose of honesty.
"Now you decide to listen?" Flora teases while ruffling up his messy head of red hair. She knew he hated that, but how can she resist? It is so adorable how his shaggy red mop sticks out every which way. Alfendi frowns at her before he sticks his nose back into his book, probably a little mortified.
Nothing could have ever prepared Flora for their visitor at the door that day.
Her welcoming smile she uses to greet all their lovely guests dissolves with a gasp, for she immediately recognizes the man. He still wears a dark blue jacket, a white button down shirt, a dark grey tie, and his mahogany pants. However, the fabrics are rather crumpled and his shirt is missing a button. His shoes have been scuffed and his tie tattered. If the clothes aren't convincing enough, the dark circles under his eyes provided evidence of his rough condition.
It has been ten long years, but she certainly could never forget him. He is a terrorist! He nearly destroyed all of London! He used her as a hostage! To this day he haunts her nightmares.
"Hello Flora," Clive Dove greets her very politely, though she stares back at him with eyes consumed by fear.
"EEEEeep!" Flora slams the door and hurriedly locks it before he can stop her. Her thoughts 'This can't be happening! How is he here? He should be rotting away in a cell! Far away from her!'
The knob jiggles a bit before he gives up. A fist pounds on the door, "Please open the door. I need to talk to you."
She hugs her arms and backs away. He knocks again, making it clear he isn't going to leave without getting what he came for, but he couldn't have her!
"Who is that?" Alfendi asks, apparent interest in his eyes. He throws his book aside without bothering to mark his page.
"No one," Flora squeaks, but she is clearly shaken. Flora's face has become much paler than usual, like a fragile porcelain doll. She could easily shatter to a million pieces.
Alfendi frowns, knowing that this is a lie, "What's wrong?"
"Flora?" A voice calls. It is no longer a muffled sound coming from behind the door they stand beside. It rings clearer from a different area of the house.
"Is he in our kitchen?" Alfendi asks incredulously.
When he says this, both look at one another with alarm wondering how he could have gotten into their house.
"The back door! It must have been unlocked!" she gasps in horror, "You have to get out of here!" Flora shoos her brother towards their father's study where there is a phone, "Call dad! And the police!"
"Why do I have to?" Alfendi looks up at her in disgust, still not understanding the severity of the dangers this certain intruder brings.
"Go please!" She begs him. If he is to listen to one request of hers she prays it is this one. He hesitates to leave her because she is so frantic, but with a firm push in that direction his long legs take him to the study in a few short strides.
She quickly removes her tall shoes and pushes them into a corner of the hallway so that she may move in silence. It would also benefit her to be flat on her feet in case she needs to make a run for it. Flora struggles to remain calm as she searches for this ghost from her past. Somewhere, he is lurking just waiting to snatch her again.
He is not spotted immediately when she peeks into their kitchen because he technically is not in their home. Clive rests his arms on the sill of an open window. She supposes that it would be rather foolish to be sent back to jail so soon for breaking and entering. His eyes directly lock with hers from behind the top pane of glass. Flora drops the eye contact feeling sickened to look at him. Her gaze falls to her painted toes as she carefully makes her way closer to the window.
"Flora," he begins sincerely, "I'm sorry. I am so so sorry. I know it is rather late, but you deserve an apology. What I did was monstrous. I have come here to beg for your forgiveness."
She slaps her hands on the window frame, having a few words to say to him as well. It takes all her inner strength to face him for she is shaking so terribly, "Your apology is not accepted!"
Clive shrinks back at the blatant response. She is glad to see it has wounded him, "But I've changed Flora! You'd only have to give me a chance to see that," he insists.
"Likely story! It sounds very similar to all the other lies you told!" She accuses. Everything he ever said was a lie. His words could not be trusted. He is a lying, deceiving, and manipulative criminal!
"No! Flora... I never wanted to hurt you," he sounds as if he is choked up, but she would not fall for it this time.
"I don't want to hear it Clive!" She goes to shut the window, but he places his hands flat on the sill to keep her from closing him out.
Flora jumps back with a scream at the sudden movement. As she cowers, the window suddenly slams shut and Clive lets out a yelp of pain. She glances up to see her brother opening the window again to allow Clive to release his smashed fingers. The second he pulls his hands away, Alfendi shuts the window and locks the latch to keep him out.
A hand goes to the back of Alfendi's wild hair with unease, "Dad is on his way," he mumbles. "I'll keep an eye on... Clive."
Tears stream down Flora's face and she hugs him tightly in his arms with unspoken gratitude and relief. Alfendi remains silent as she clings to him, while he tentatively pats her back and lets her sob into his mess of hair.
Here are some things you should know. As you have noticed Alfendi is in this story! :D He's a young boy, but he doesn't get a definite age. If he is Layton's biological son then he may have just turned 10. If he is adopted I imagine he he was close to an age where he would understand this. He can be smart and insightful for his age, but still as immature as he pleases. I didn't give him a brother (if there is one) because we haven't been introduced to one. I personally believe Layton brothers refers to the personalities.
I'm guessing Flora's age during unwound future was 15? so in the story she is 25. Clive had to be 21 to go to a casino... (I'm not sure how little Luke got in because you do have to be 21 to go to a casino.) If we throw all logic away maybe he was 18 at the time. So 28-31 for him.
Alright! The age gaps are taken care of in the most vague way possible. :) I'm excited for this and once I post this first chapter there is no going back!