Curl

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Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing of the game The Layton Brothers: Mystery Room.

There was something different about Lucy.

Alfendi stared at his assistant as she arranged flowers in the new vase he had bought to replace the one he had flung against the door in a bout of frustration. There was something… different about her, and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was.


Lucy absentmindedly hummed Dolly Hollerday's new single, "Dangerously Debonair," which was another blatant reference to the case they had solved a while back when Dolly was a suspect.

Often times Lucy could be heard humming or softly singing any of her songs while doing various tasks in the Mystery Room, like tidying the shelves or steeping tea. The only songs she wouldn't be caught dead singing were "I'll Be the Death of You" because she was afraid of what would happen if Potty Prof heard it, and "Macho Man (In a White Gown)" because she really really didn't want either side of the Professor to figure out that it was about him.

Lucy knew that her mentor was staring at her, and it was starting to make her worry.

'Do I look 'orrible? Am I doing summat wrong? This is highly sus, it is…'

She turned to Alfendi and asked, "Uhm, Prof? Is there summat wrong wit' me?"

Alfendi's hand went to his chin in thought, "… There's something different about you, but I can't quite-"

A knock sounded at the door, interrupting his train of thought. Lucy smiled, "I'll get it!"

As she pulled the door open, a highly nervous Sniffer came in, wringing his hands. He glanced at the Professor, remembering what had happened the last time he had knocked on the door. It seemed as though he had forgotten, however, when he smiled and courteously said, "Hello Sniffer, what brings you here today?"

A little more relieved, but still visibly distressed, Sniffer answered, "I, er, came to speak with Ms. Lucy… If it's alright with you?"

"Of course it is… Are you alright?"

The upset junior detective seemed to get even more nervous at the question, as he began to sweat. "Er, yes, that is, I uhm… Well…"

Lucy cocked her head to the side; this was very unusual behavior for the normally confident Hauge. "Wot were it you wanted to speak to me about?"

Sniffer gulped, "I was wondering if… Well, I met this lovely young woman and… Well, you see, we have a date tomorrow, and since you're a girl… I was wondering if you'd help me impress her because I really like her and I don't want to screw this up…"

Flabbergasted, Lucy's crimson eyes widened. "Eh? Just 'ow exactly d'you propose I help you?"

"Well, for starters, I'm not sure what to wear and I don't know where to take her… Maybe you could help me decide what to wear and tell me where to go and follow us to make sure it all goes well?" The last sentence was spoken in such a rush of desperation that Lucy couldn't help but pity him.

"Gee Sniffer, I'm not sure I'm th' best person to be asking for help… Romance is a tricky thing, aye…"

Before she knew what had happened, a shock of orange hair was at her feet and were those tears she was feeling?

"Please Lucy, I'm begging you! I really need your help! You're an attractive young woman who's obviously well versed in what women really want and I DON'T KNOW WHO ELSE TO GO TO!" Sniffer began to bawl.

Lucy was torn between being flattered and feeling pity. "Well I wouldn't say I know a lot about romancing, but- Ey up, you reckon I'm attractive?"

A hard clearing of the throat and a stern, almost threatening glare reminded her that Alfendi was still in the room, surprisingly Placid.

"Right, not important, sorry… Eh… Alright Sniffer, I'll help you out, but I can't promise anythi-"

Her arms were suddenly full of a very grateful junior detective, sputtering, "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH LUCY, YOU'RE A LIFE SAVER!" over and over again.

Lucy's face heated up as she alternatively patted her friend on the back and gently tried to pry him off her. "Er, that's alright… No trouble whatsoever… Eh, Sniffer? You're kinda crushing me bones…"

A growl momentarily froze the pair before Hauge was forcibly removed from the Mystery Room assistant, courtesy of Potty Prof. He glared at Sniffer and snapped, "You already have a girl, so stop pawing mine!"

So filled with joy at Lucy's acceptance, Sniffer was nonplussed at Potty Prof's manhandling and rudeness and smiled widely instead. "I'll meet you tomorrow at the Westfield shopping mall at noon! I swear, I won't ever forget your kindness!" Waving cheerfully, he ran out of the Mystery Room, and both of the investigators left could hear him giving off yells of happiness down the hallway.

Lucy was in the middle of trying to process both Alfendi's statement ('Did he really just call me 'is girl?') and Sniffer's intructions when she heard him grumble, "I will be going with you tomorrow."

Her head snapped to look at him, and realized it was actually Placid Prof who spoke. "Eh, that's not necessary Prof. It'll be loads of boring rubbish an' you should take th' day off an' rest, aye?"

Crimson hair flared to its original, disheveled state and she quickly amended, "Or yanno, it's yer day off an' you can do wot you like wit' it… Eh heh heh…" Pausing, Lucy remembered something. "Oh yeah, wot was you tryin' to tell me afore Sniffer came 'round?"

Potty Prof stared at her for a little bit, making her nervously shift from one foot to another as she tried to remain looking directly at him. Then he sniffed and turned his head away, almost childishly.

"Nothing."

'Something's different, but what exactly IS it?'


At noon the following day, Hauge was surprised to see Detective Layton outside of the Mystery Room and at the entrance to the shopping mall.

"Hello Alfendi, what are you doing here?"

He shrugged and put his hands in the newspaper-filled pockets of his lab coat. "I decided to come with Lucy so she wouldn't be alone."

Sniffer nodded, "Yes, that's a good idea! Now, do you know where she is?"

"Ey up! I'm over here!"

Both of the men looked over to where Lucy's voice came from, and were pleasantly surprised, one of them more so than the other.

Lucy had abandoned her work attire and badge in favor of green shorts, a white blouse, and a tan vest with her usual trainers and trademark hat. She waved over to both men and ran towards them, smiling.

"Wow Lucy, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've seen you outside of your usual outfit!" Sniffer commented.

Lucy giggled, "Well I can't exactly go followin' you 'round lookin' like a constable, aye?"

The junior detective nodded, "Good thinking. Now, it's time for me to find something appropriate to wear."

"Eh? I think wot you're wearin' is fine."

Sniffer wore his usual white dress shirt, brown vest, red bowtie, and yellow coat with jeans and trainers. He shook his head.

"No, I was wearing this when I asked her out… And she's seen me wear this loads of times. I have to change!"

"Don't you have summat else in your closet?"

An awkward silence followed her question, and she quickly put her arm around the once again distressed junior detective. "Never fear, we'll find you th' perfect outfit!"

As they began to march forward towards one of the menswear shops in the mall, Lucy glanced back and noticed the Professor still quietly standing there, obviously lost in thought.

"Ey up, could you excuse me for one second? I'll be right back. Meantime, why doncha go to that store there an' pick summat out, okay?" Lucy whispered to her friend before going back to Alfendi. She stood in front of him, and he seemed to be unaware of her as he looked down at the floor in concentration. She tugged on his hand to get his attention.

"Eh… Prof? You okay? You haven't said anything since I got here. Summat wrong?"

Alfendi glanced up at her, and Lucy could swear his cheeks were a little darker than usual. He smiled, "It seems that your new attire has distracted me quite a bit… You look lovely, Lucy."

She blushed, but let him continue.

"Ironic as it is, I'm afraid that in my admiration of you, I seem to have neglected to pay attention to you. Forgive my rudeness, shall we go?"

Lucy smiled and nodded, and to the Professor's surprise, didn't let go of his hand.

"I better make sure you stay wit' us, aye? Wouldn't want to lose you!"

Alfendi's golden eyes widened, then softened as he curled his fingers a little tighter around hers.

"I should hope not."'