The Mystery Room was a cell. His cell, and Alfendi Layton was more than aware of it. He was resigned to it. After all, things could've been much worse. Stashed away in Scotland Yard, his work as an inspector continued, which he appreciated greatly. He thrived in his work, the only thing he really considered left after everything happened. In his solidarity he managed to wrap up several cases nicely and often without incident, despite the whispers and the rumors that preceded him at the Yard. They never bothered him; why should they? Most of them were gross overstatements, and getting under the usually placid professor's skin rarely happened. Comments about his person bounced off the detached man quite easily, and he even managed to maintain some mild friendships with a few others from different departments.
All things considered, however, he was still surprised to learn that the commissioner had issued him an assistant. The commissioner knew about his condition better than anyone, and though it had been months since the last 'incident', Alfendi still questioned the wisdom of the decision. Why bring a stable innocent outsider into a cell? Besides, he had been working just fine on his own, why did he need a hand now? Regardless, he accepted the decision, on the condition he would be able to test and turn them away if he deemed them unsuitable for the job. The commissioner agreed to his terms. The inspector planned to turn the prospective detective constable out at the earliest excuse.
Then Lucy Baker arrived. And somehow Alfendi failed to bring himself to follow through on his earlier plan. With her around, the mystery room slowly started to show signs of new life breathed into the office, and discussing cases and hearing her hunches became one of his favorite activities. True, the place remained his prison cell, where he was hidden and kept an eye on, but despite that it had seemingly transformed into something more friendly and less isolated. Something that he could very well grow accustomed to, and with any luck, he mused, he would.