(I do not own Professor Layton or anything to do with it! I promise!)

Chapter One

Tokens

Professor Hershel Layton shuffled his papers, glancing fleetingly out the window for a moment as the golden sunlight broke through the cloud to shine on his elegant top-hat, giving it a distinctly ethereal look to it.

"Professor...?" Luke poked his head around Layton's office door, blinking warily as he saw the distant look in his mentor's eyes.

"Yes, Luke?" responded Layton automatically, hurriedly focussing his attention on the ten-year-old boy who stood on the threshold.

Luke scrunched up his nose, as if trying to remember something.

"Dr. Schrader said he wanted to see you, Professor. He says it's important."

"I'll be there presently, Luke. While I'm gone, would you mind putting the kettle on? I'd trust that small task with Flora but I'm slightly afraid she might think it necessary to make a side-dish..."

"Eurgh." Luke blanched at the memory of Flora's 'creative' meal the previous evening, and had a vivid flashback of himself bolting to the toilet shortly after.

"Now now Luke, a gentleman never forgets his manners."

"Sorry Professor."

Layton gave a small smile and ruffled his apprentice's spiky hair as he strolled briskly out the door and down the corridor that lead to Dr. Schrader's office.

He rapped politely on the door.

"Yes?" came the muffled reply from inside.

"Andrew?"

"Ah! Hershel! Come in!"

Layton pushed the door opened and took a tentative step into the room. The room resembled Schrader's apartment in many ways, the dinosaur fossils on the walls and the enormous world maps from when people were under the impression the world was flat lay everywhere.

"I trust Luke gave you the message? He's a good boy, a reliable boy."

"If not a little excitable at times..." added Layton with a warm smile.

"Ah, but weren't you at his age?"

Ignoring the colour that tinged Layton's cheeks, Schrader ushered him quickly over to his desk and brushed several scrolls out of the way.

"This arrived on my doormat this morning." announced Schrader proudly.

"Tokens?" suggested Layton, lifting up the small roll of orange tokens and inspecting them closely, "But there appears to be some sort of code etched at the top."

"Exactly."

Layton paused, turning to review his dearest friend with a meticulously arched eyebrow.

"These are tokens to a carnival." he said slowly.

"Yes." said Schrader, with a slow nod, "Rellik's Carnival of Mystery and Intrigue to be exact."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"My dear Hershel, I need you to investigate for me!"

"But..."

"I know it seems un-worthy of investigation, but there are these disappearances happening lately..."

"I've read about those. But you can't possibly be insinuating that they're connected...?"

"Elsie Turner, Jackson Lake and Portia Matthews all vanished earlier this week. A leaflet for 'Rellik's Carnival' was recovered in all of their homes. You can't say that's pure coincidence, Hershel?"

Layton stayed silent, the brim of his hat shading his eyes as he remained deep in thought.

"I need you to investigate for me. I'd do it myself if it weren't for...for my health."

"I understand."

"So you will?"

"Just this once, Andrew."

Smiling gratefully, Schrader patted his friend on the shoulder. Layton bobbed his head and glanced towards the door.

"I can imagine Luke and Flora shall be over-joyed at the prospect of a trip to the carnival..."

(Okay, okay, it was the first chapter, it's allowed to be terrible...
Please read and review, I shall give you a cookie and un-dying love if you do!)