LittleMissTeapot here. This is my first fanfiction and while most people say something along the lines of, "Don't review too harshly," I want you guys to review as hard as you can so I can improve my writing :) Drop me a favorite or a follow (planning on writing 2 more chapters) and be sure to check out my profile!
When the Tea is Bitter...
Even truly gentlemanly, puzzle solving, archaeology professors have their off days, and this just happened to be one of them.
As Layton drinks his evening tea, he decides it was a bit too bitter for his taste, but then again, what hadn't been bitter about his day.
"Luke, my boy, are you almost ready? It appears we are running quite late."
"Almost, Professor! I... I just can't seem to find my schoolwork!" Muffled thuds are heard from the young boy's room as he haphazardly tosses books and puzzle boxes, among other things, onto the floor in an effort to find his missing papers.
"Well, please, do try to hurry. We are already five minutes late as it is and a true gentleman must always move about in a timely manner." Layton's eyes darted to the clock on his wall. Almost 6 minutes late now, he thought. But alas, what was there be expected on a Monday morning such as this one. He could almost picture Luke hurrying to finish his schoolwork on Sunday night before staying up to read and solve a few puzzles before bed.
"I've found it Professor!"cries Luke excitedly, running down the hall with wrinkled papers in hand. "It seems I had accidentally used them as scratch paper to solve this particularly tricky riddle..." And indeed, Layton could see various diagrams strewn across the back of the paper.
"Well, come along then. We haven't got all day." Layton grabbed his umbrella (the low, grey clouds clogging the skies didn't seem all that friendly) and turned around to see Luke immediately proceed to trip and crash into the hardwood floor. The contents of his schoolbag thrown across the room.
"I'm alright, Professor. Really, I am." Luke stands up slowly, wincing. He looks at the professor who stares in disbelief at the mess Luke had just created. The professor lets out a huge sigh.
"We are late, Luke. Eight minutes now, to be more precise. But, I do suppose you cannot go to school without any supplies. Quickly, Luke, gather up your things, I'll help you, my boy." The two pick up the items of Luke's schoolbag as quickly as they can. Unfortunately, in his rush to help pick up, the professor drops his umbrella where it lies forgotten on the floor.
Out the door, check. Luke is with him, check. Hat on his head, check. Keys and bag, check. Driving, check. Hat on his head, check. Layton goes down his mental checklist as he drives Luke to school in the Laytonmobile.
"Now remember Luke, I have a meeting today after classes, so it is Emmy who will pick you up from school. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Professor," The boy paused. "I really am sorry about the mess. Really." Luke stared down into his lap, clearly apologetic.
"It's alright, Luke. We are only a few minutes late." Layton replied in the cheeriest tone he could muster. Thirteen minutes. I cannot believe we are thirteen minutes late. "Also, Emmy has notified me that she will be busy after dropping you off at home, so she will not be able to watch over you. I presume you can take care of yourself for a few hours before I come home." He glances in the rear-view mirror to give the boy a look.
"Don't worry about me, Professor! I am your apprentice number one, after all!"
After dropping Luke off, Layton drove hurriedly to Gressenheller University. The traffic seemed to be a bit heavier than usual, not to mention the lack of parking spaces in the car park. The whole ordeal was aggravating, really.
"Professor, where on earth were you?" Emmy, Layton's assistant, hissed in a low voice as Layton walks briskly through the front doors, towards his classroom. She follows after him. "I've been waiting for you for ages, you're twenty minutes late, your students think you're not going to show up, and I have a funny feeling that even Dean Delmona is suspicious!"
"Nonsense." Layton briefly slows to peer up at a wall clock."You see Emmy, I am only eighteen minutes late, not twenty." Layton says as he continues to walk down the hallway. "Now, about my schedule... There is a test before my lesson today if I recall correctly?"
"Yes, Professor. And you also have a faculty meeting today after classes. I will be bringing Luke home from school." Emmy pauses for a moment. "I think that's all for today."
As the two near the classroom it is obvious the students inside were clearly taking advantage of the lack of supervision. Layton walks into his classroom and the room silences instantly. The class seemed to collectively straighten their backs as a whole. If he hadn't been so tired from hurrying about in the morning, he might have said something to them but today wasn't really the day. Slowly, the professor walked over to his desk, put his Laytonmobile keys in the top drawer, and looked up to address the class.
"Good morning. I apologise for any inconvenience my absence may have caused." The class murmurs responses quietly. "Test today. I presume you have all been studying while I was gone? Books and notes away, we will begin shortly." Layton turns towards his assistant. "And Emmy, a cup of tea, please, if you would be so kind."
A few moments of last minute studying later, the professor passes out the tests and crashes into his seat at the front of the room. Layton sighs. He begins grading the weekend homework assignment piled atop his desk as Emmy returns shortly after with a large cup of steaming tea.
"Thank you, Emmy."
"No problem at all, Professor!"
Layton takes a sip and sets the cup on top of his desk. He resumes grading and becomes so consumed in his work he entirely forgets about the cup of tea Emmy had brought him.
An hour later, the first students began coming up to the front to return their completed tests. Professor Layton was nearing the end of his pile of weekend assignments.
"Well done, ladies and gentlemen. I feel you all deserve a short minute break before we begin the next part of our lesson." Layton stands up to stretch, a little too quickly, and knocks over a very full cup of cold tea. It spills across his table before rolling to the ground with a loud smash, shattering into pieces.
The room is silent as Layton surveys the mess. He lets out an audible sigh before bending down to pick up the shards of the broken teacup. Emmy, who was filing papers, comes over to help.
"It's a shame, really, that poor tea going to waste like that." Layton says as he mops up the last of the remaining tea. "But, I suppose, it had gone cold anyways."
"Yes, and after all that trouble I went to get it."
Layton makes an apologetic expression. He turns back to survey the damage the tea had done. Nothing much, luckily, he thought. A few of the test booklets near the bottom of the stack, a couple papers and miscellaneous notes, nothing too important.
Still, spilling his (cold) tea did nothing to lift the professor's spirits.
The rest of class passed rather uneventfully (if you could call dropping a particularly important artefact on the floor during lessons and tripping on his own two feet not once, but twice, uneventful) as did the faculty meeting (he only managed to spill some hot tea on himself).
Emmy had left early to pick up Luke and attend to her errands. The professor was just closing the office door after this very long, and tiring day. He rummaged through his bag for a quite a while, even emptying out its contents onto the hallway floor when...
"Oh dear... It appears I have left the keys to the Laytonmobile in my desk drawer."
(Assume that he normally keeps his keys in his bag and the office keys are on the same keychain as the keys for the Laytonmobile, poor professor, it's such an off day for him...)
"Well, I suppose I will have to walk," he says, to himself with a sigh. Picking up the contents of his bag, Layton heads outside. The sun is starting to dip beneath the horizon but the clouds still hang low in the sky.
I hope Luke is alright. At this rate I'd be forty-five late.
As the professor begins walking towards his flat, a light drizzle starts to fall which soon turns into a heavy downpour.
"Well, it's a shame I didn't bring my umbrella, there is no possible way this day could get any worse. Speaking of my umbrella, this reminds me of a puzzle," the professor says to himself dejectedly. Sadly, no one was near to hear his puzzle. At that exact moment a sudden gust of wind blows towards the professor and yanks his hat off his head.
Layton turns with a start. His hat was not on his head. The dark clouds, rain, and setting sun made it difficult to see but the dim glow of the street lights illuminated his hat as it landed sideways in a rather deep puddle on the side of the road.
Layton goes to retrieve his beloved hat but, to his wonderful luck, a man running to escape the rain promptly stomps on it before hurrying into a nearby shop.
An hour later, a very wet, very cold, and not so happy Layton enters his flat using a key hidden beneath the doormat. Water drips from his stained coat and rather crushed hat, pooling beneath his aching feet.
"Luke, my boy, I'm home. Would you mind getting me a towel? I appear to be soaking."
There is no response.
"Luke?" Layton goes to check on the boy in his room, leaving a small river trailing behind him. He turns on the lights only to see the young boy sleeping at his desk with his clothes still on. Layton smiles. The poor boy was worn out. That's when he realised just how exhausted he himself was.
He goes to clean himself up and change into some dry and clean clothes. By the time he finishes mopping up the water and tucking Luke in for the night, it's nearly time for bed.
This day has been utterly disastrous. But that's nothing a good cup of tea can't solve.
Layton walks to the kitchen and opens the door. Dirty dishes and various pots and pans are piled up in the sink. The fridge is left ajar and several containers of food are left open on the counter. It appears that Luke had attempted to make himself dinner and failed miserably. But judging by the lack of crisps in the pantry and the crumbs left all over the floor, Layton could assume the boy didn't go to sleep hungry.
Layton surveys the mess. He did not have the energy nor will to clean this up. Instead he gingerly puts a kettle to boil on the stove, tosses in a few ingredients (without even bothering to check), and waits for the tea to be ready.
When the kettle whistles, Layton pours himself a cup and slumps into his armchair. He sees a puzzle sitting on the table and decides to give it a go while his tea cools.
"Hm." No matter what angle the professor approached the puzzle the solution did not reveal itself. "This one is quite tricky, perhaps I'll use a hint coin." Layton breaks a coin apart.
The answer might not be obvious at first, try looking from a different angle.
"I believe I am quite done with puzzles for the day." Layton puts down the puzzle and takes a sip of his tea.
He grimaces. The tea was bitter. Not just slightly bitter, but a very strong and very unappealing bitter. A bitter end to his bitter day. He sets the teacup back down on its saucer.
A true gentleman must never become too upset, no matter what the circumstances.
The professor heads to his bedroom with no dinner, no tea, and a puzzle unsolved.
Perhaps, tomorrow will be a better day.
And done with Chapter 1! Be sure to drop me a review, favorite or follow :) I also take requests and collaborations if you are interested!