"Three cheers for Mega Burger!" Everyone's mouths were too full to cheer, but that didn't deter Kurain village's burger expert from leading it herself. "Yeah! All hail Mega Burger, king of the burger meal!"

"And the murderer of my bank account," sighed Phoenix, pushing a piece of lettuce in circles around his plate. "I never expected them to charge so much for a couple of burgers around here." A distant roll of thunder seemed to pity him, echoing across the ocean. The rain increased to a dull roar, pounding on the glass windows and tap-tapping against a pot set beneath a leak. Despite the tempest outside, Rouge's tavern was warm and cozy, the candles on the creaking chandelier casting a friendly glow on the small party beneath.

Sent packing back to London on yet another legal exchange (Maya helpfully suggested that the League of Attorneys was trying to get rid of him), he'd taken the initiative to contact the Professor and Luke ahead of time. A trip to Labyrinthia was scheduled, with Maya talking his ear off about how thrilled she was to see everyone, how they should race to see who could swim Eve's lake the fastest, how she hoped to pack her robes full of bread to take home. Even after he threatened to shut her in the witch apparatus and drop her into the (fireless, of course) death pit, she only grew more excited and begged him to promise that he would, since "it was too scary last time to really get a feel for the ride."

"You should really try it too, Nick. Then you'll know what it feels like to be a witch; you'll be a cinch for the next Bezella pageant."

So here they were, with his wallet empty and Maya carrying gifts of Mega Burger meal deals for everyone, as well as extra burgers because "you can't eat just one!" And to her credit, he had found himself reaching for a second helping. There was plenty to go around, seeing as it was a semi-private party, with Rouge closing shop early so that they could have a place to sit down and enjoy each other's company.

Mrs. Eclaire and the Storyteller were there, taking up the end of the bar with her oven mitts stacked neatly next to her plate. He was to Mr. Cantabella's left, Maya to his left, with Luke and the Professor sharing the corner. The far side of the bar, shorter as it met with the wall, held Eve with Espella to her right and Sir Barnham to her left, both inhaling burgers at a speed to rival Maya's. Stuck in the middle, she seemed to pointedly ignore them both as she spoke quietly to Layton. And Rouge was behind the counter, making sure everyone's chalices were filled to the brim.

"I've never had wine and burgers," Maya noted. "I like soda better, but this is pretty good too."

"I wouldn't know," Luke admitted, looking dolefully at the imported water in his own chalice.

"This must be how the rich live!" she decided, clapping her hands together. "Nick, let's start buying bottles of wine with our burgers from now on!"

"Let's not."

"Oh, cheer up!" Maya slugged him, nearly knocking him off his barstool. "Edgeworth always says there's no price to fine for a meal with good wine!"

"And when Edgeworth starts paying for your meals, you can have all the wine you want." Rouge pushed him the bottle with a silent smirk, eyeing the two of them as they argued.

"Well, if you'd just gone along with my original plan, you wouldn't have had to pay extra for London burgers."

"You can not smuggle a crate of Mega burgers across international borders!" He gazed wearily at Rouge's wine bottle before draining his chalice and refilling it. If he had to argue international law with his assistant, then he ought to at least have a good buzz going first.

"Only because you didn't let me try."

"I believe, Mr. Wright, that Ms. Fey could do just about anything she sets her mind to." Professor Layton politely dabbed at his mouth with the napkin on his lap, balancing everything efficiently on his own barstool and managing to avoid the mess splattered his way from Espella and Barnham, who were fighting over a packet of mustard until Mrs. Eclaire glared at them across the bar.

"Yes, but somehow I'm always the one stuck with the consequences." Phoenix sagged in his seat, sloshing the wine in the chalice before taking a big gulp. "You'd see my mug shot on the front page of the Times."

"I bet you'd take a good mug shot, Nick."

"Don't say that!" Rouge looked at them once more before laughing, rolling her shoulders as she shook her head.

"You know, that reminds me of an old fairy story I heard when I was young. It was about a boy who was always lucky—they said he was like a cat, always landing on his feet no matter how hard he fell." Mr. Cantabella perked up in his seat, rubbing at his chin.

"I know that story." He took a bite of his burger, chewing carefully before he spoke. "Lucky Hans."

"That's the one." Espella stared at her expectantly, but when the bartender didn't say anything more she huffed.

"Well? Aren't you going to tell us how it goes?" Rouge arched a brow before waving her hand dismissively, ring glinting in the light.

"No way. I'm not a big storyteller; besides, it's just kid's stuff. A babe's tale."

"Oh, come on!"

"Yeah!" Luke chimed in. "Please, Ms. Rouge? Just the one?"

"Aye, you shouldn't have opened your mouth if you weren't going to say anything else," Barnham pointed out.

"You shut your mouth, Zacky, or I'll tell one of your stories instead."

"Ha! Go ahead, they already know about the Wild Ride; 'tis nothing worse than that."

"How about the time you got so tuckered you crafted a tune to serenade your lady love with? I think I still have the lyrics written down somewhere—"

"Y-you wouldn't dare!"

"Try me!"

"Alright now," Mrs. Eclaire said in a no-nonsense tone as the two redheads made to square off and fight. "She doesn't have to tell the story if she doesn't want to."

"Oh, but it'd be so fun!" Espella sighed, her hands clasped pleadingly. "We could all tell our favorite fairytales while we wait for the storm to pass."

"It's not like we have anything better to do," Maya pointed out. "And I know a really good story."

"I can think of one or two!" Luke adjusted his hat with a boyish grin. "I'm a really good storyteller!"

"It's true that telling tales around the fire is a time-honored tradition," the Professor mused. "The first fairytales were just oral stories repeated and passed from generation to generation."

"Well, I don't know…." Rouge wrinkled her nose, tugging absently at one of her pigtails. "But if everyone else is game, I don't see why I should be the odd one out."

"Then it's settled!" Maya slammed her fist onto the bar, upsetting Phoenix's wine. He quickly put it back to rights, dabbing a wadded napkin at the stained edge of his sleeve with a frown. "Rouge, you go first! Tell us about Lucky Hans!"

"Well, how about this…." Rouge still looked hesitant, but obligingly leaned against the bar with her chin on her fist. "Let me tell you about Lucky Maya Fey…."