Paradox Lost
There were two museums in the area that could be the destination for the boy named Hesch. Luke parked the scooter by one of them and propped his arms on the handlebars, glaring back and forth between the two buildings. It seemed like he was fated to have this streak of misfortune, as both museums were directly across from each other on the same street. After a few more minutes of glaring, Luke sighed and got off the scooter, leaving it in place while he strode towards the first museum. Best to just get the whole thing over with so he could get the watch back.
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"Excuse me, madam, but may I trouble you with a few questions?" he asked of the curator once he was inside the building. The woman turned from her work to blink at him in confusion and Luke tipped his cap politely, "I'm searching for someone and I'm not sure if he's come to this museum or the one across the way." He added a bow for good measure, then straightened and smiled genially. "My name is Luke, and the boy I'm looking for goes by the name of Hesch. He's small, rather young, and wore a dusty red shirt. Has he come by here recently?" he went on. The curator returned the smile, looking faintly perplexed.
"Oh, good afternoon, sir! I'm sorry, but no one by that name or description has been here." she replied, "My name is Olivia Hawkes; I'm the curator for the Museum of Science." She gestured towards the grand doors that made up the entrance to the museum. "You can try asking at the Historical Museum, though." she offered and blushed slightly, "We may not have the types of displays the archaeologists bring to the Historical Museum, but I do hope you'll take the time to visit us and see our collection of scientific wonders." The offer surprised Luke for a moment, but he recovered quickly and managed another smile.
'Be a gentleman, Luke; never refuse the requests of a beautiful lady.' The words echoed through his mind as he thanked Ms. Hawkes for the invitation and promised to do just that when he had time for it. Another tip of the cap and he was off to the museum across the street. Along the way, he jotted down his new information. There were two museums within walking distance of the last spot Hesch was seen, one was a museum of science, the other of history. Hesch wasn't seen at the science museum. Also, he was invited to visit the science museum by the curator, Olivia Hawkes. Now that he was armed with his new facts, Luke marched up the steps to the Historical Museum, determined to find the boy that stole his pocket-watch.
The inside of the Historical Museum was far grander than the Museum of Science, with wide halls and tall ceilings and display cases showing off all sorts of treasures and relics from the old world. Awed by the majesty of the museum, Luke nearly ran into another gentleman. He caught himself at the last moment and apologized quickly, bowing once in greeting.
"I'm dreadfully sorry! I was at fault. Are you all right, sir?" he asked in concern, watching the taller man dust himself off and straighten his coat.
"Yes, yes. I'm fine. No harm done, young man." he returned stiffly and gave Luke a once over with a stern expression before pushing his glasses up his nose, "Yes? May I help you, young sir?" Luke blinked, frozen in place by what had just happened. That was an odd way of greeting someone. "Well? Speak up!" the gentleman remarked briskly, "I've important matters to attend to and I must be on my way quite soon!"
"Ah, yes, of course. My apologies." Luke murmured, lifting a hand to run his fingers through his hair again, "I'm looking for a small boy that may have come here. He wore a dusty red shirt and..." The man stiffened, nostrils flaring in irritation as his eyes blazed.
"BOY!" he bellowed suddenly, turning to direct his voice at a door not far from him and Luke, "Get out here and confess what you've done this time, before I take a switch to you!" Luke jumped at the first roar of anger, stepping back and lifting an arm for a shield, one hand automatically going for the dagger hidden in his coat. Luckily, he was able to stop himself from grabbing it, but the sudden high tension was beginning to wear on him. Reacting like that had become second nature after the Professor...
Again, Luke shoved those thoughts away, refusing to give in to the tears and the self-berating, focusing instead on the door that opened ever so slowly to reveal a young boy peering out at them fearfully. The gentleman waited, arms folded over his chest and furious look on his face. The boy looked over at Luke, eyes widening at recognizing him, then he swallowed hard and stepped out of the room, walking up to them both meekly.
"What did you do this time? And if you lie to me, so help me...!" the older man growled and Luke instinctively stepped between him and the boy.
"Sir, I'm not certain as to what is going on here," he told the man carefully, "but I only wanted to locate the boy who helped me find my watch. I had dropped it, you see, and this boy picked it up. Since I had an errand to do and couldn't meet him right away to reclaim it, I asked him to hold on to it for me until we did meet." Luke glanced back at the frightened child, shifting his weight to block him further. "However, in my carelessness, I neglected to ask for his name or where we could meet. So I asked around to find him." He watched the gentleman stare back at him in silence, hoping that he would buy the story and let them both off the hook. As far as he could see, the man didn't take very kindly to Hesch; could this be the boy's father? Was this the 'problem' that the boys were telling him about?
"He found your watch and was holding it for you until you could reclaim it?" the man questioned in obvious disbelief. Luke held his ground, nodding stiffly with an equally stern expression on his own face. Another moment of study and the other man huffed, pushing his glasses up again. "If that is your claim..." he remarked briskly, "Now, I must get to my meeting. I don't have time to bother with an errant child." He glared at Hesch warningly, "You will go home to your mother, boy, and behave yourself, or you will be punished for disobeying me. Do you understand?" Hesch nodded quickly, gripping Luke's pant leg and shrinking behind him for protection. With that, the man straightened and gave a curt bow to Luke. "Good day to you, sir." he bid his farewell, and then he left.
Luke waited until he was certain the other man was gone, then breathed a sigh of relief before looking down at the boy behind him, only to find that he had bolted and was racing for the doors to the museum. With a shout, he gave chase, dashing through the huge doors and taking the stone steps leading down in short leaps, easily catching up to Hesch. He reached out and grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt, holding him fast as he twisted and flailed frantically.
"Lemme go! Lemme go! I'm in enough trouble already!" the boy wailed but Luke held fast, growing more annoyed by the boy's behavior.
"Shut it! I just put myself out on a limb there to make you look good to that man and you dare to run off with my watch again!" he snapped, "Hand it over, pipsqueak!" Hesch twisted again, lashing out with little fists in an effort to beat himself free.
"No one asked you to do that!" he shouted, "And everything was fine until you showed up! You made it worse! I just wanted some time with my father and you ruined it!" Luke ground his teeth together in irritation.
"A true gentleman protects the innocent and the weak from those that would do them harm!" he growled out through clenched teeth, "But it also takes a gentleman to acknowledge the help others give them and be gracious about it! You're just a spoiled brat! Now give me back my watch!" Hesch struggled more fiercely, angry tears running down his cheeks as he kicked small brown shoes about in his efforts to free himself. Finally, he dug into a pocket and pulled out the golden pocket-watch, holding it tight in his hand.
"Fine! Take it, you meanie!" he blurted and threw it at Luke. The young man immediately let go of Hesch, stepping back and scrabbling to catch the watch before it could fall and break completely. The boy darted away from him, stopping several feet away to catch his breath and glare at him. Once the watch was secured, Luke could focus his attention on the boy standing some distance away from him. Hesch was breathing heavily, wheat-colored hair matted and messy from the struggle, his shirt rumpled and dirty.
"Bugger!" the boy suddenly yelled at him, pulling an eyelid down and sticking out his tongue for good measure. Luke twitched, growling as annoyance turned to full-blown fury. How dare he?! Hesch seemed to sense the shift in moods, as he yelped and began fleeing the scene again.
"Get back here, you little runt!" Luke yelled, giving chase and putting every ounce of speed he had into running after him. Be a gentleman, his ass! That brat was not going to be getting any of the mercies Professor Layton had taught him! Not a one!
The chase took the two of them from the Historical Museum, down several streets, across a park and through a few yards and gardens in the higher class residential areas. Luke finally cornered Hesch in one of the gardens, both of them panting from the exertions of running and dodging like maniacs through the better part of London. The boy looked around himself frantically, back pressed against a hedge as he found himself surrounded by the foliage, and finally shut his eyes with a squeak of terror, throwing himself down onto the grass.
"Okay! Okay! I give up!" he wailed, voice muffled by grass, "Just make it quick!" Luke's breath hitched and he nearly choked, startled by the boy's cry of surrender.
"Wh-what?! What are you talking about?!" he exclaimed, baffled. In all honesty, during the mad dash after Hesch, Luke had forgotten exactly why he was chasing the boy to begin with. Hesch lifted his face from the earth, looking up at him with wide, teary eyes, equally as puzzled-looking as Luke.
"You were chasing me to hit me with a switch, weren't you? Why else would you run after me?" the boy replied in confusion, "Father hits me all the time when I'm not being good, so I thought..." Luke stared at him in shock, then groaned and put a hand to his head, feeling himself sink into guilt.
"No, no. I'm not going to hit you. And for the love of God, your father isn't supposed to hit you like that, not to the point of you running scared like this!" he declared. He sighed and straightened his clothes and hat once again, trying to bring himself back into order. "I'm not entirely sure why I chased you. Maybe because you were annoying the living daylights out of me. But I'm not going to be hitting you!" he added firmly and eyed the boy carefully, "Are you okay? You don't look well." Hesch gave him a weak little smile as he sat up and rubbed his own head ruefully.
"I did a lot of running today, so I'm really tired. And I'm really sorry about taking your watch. I just wanted to fit in with the other boys, make some friends, you know?" he apologized and looked up at him as though realizing something, "Oh! That's right; how did you find me?" Luke grinned, a faintly arrogant air to the smile as he reflected proudly on his sleuthing.
"That was easy. I'm kind of a detective where I'm from so I just followed the clues you left behind to track you down." he returned and Hesch lit up.
"Really?! Wow! I want to be an achey-ologist when I grow up! Like my Father!" he blurted out excitedly, then faded to a more somber tone, his hands twisting into each other, "Maybe then he'll like me and can spend time with me." Luke lifted a hand to his mouth in thought, considering the boy before him as he sighed dejectedly and picked at the leaves in his clothes.
"You are often abused by your father, yet you wish to spend time with him, to the point of wanting to be in the same field he is just to gain some recognition beyond that of a truant." he mused aloud and the boy looked up at him, puzzled by his use of large and complex words. Luke sighed again, smiling uncertainly. "You are a strange one, Hesch." Hesch blinked, jerking his head back in shock.
"Huh? Why did you call me that?" he asked and the young man matched his confused expression.
"Isn't that your name? The other boys called you Hesch." he replied and the boy shook his head fiercely.
"No way! Hesch is what they say because they can't say my name right, so they mess it all up and call me Hesch!" he defended, shaking his fists indignantly. Luke scowled faintly, folding his arms over his chest.
"Well then, short stuff, if Hesch isn't your name, what is it?" he griped. The boy rolled his eyes.
"Hershel." he replied, mimicking Luke's arrogant tone and stunning the young man into silence, "Get it right! For goodness sake, it's not that hard to say!"