Notes: This is kind of a quiet chapter, but it sets a lot of groundwork for things that will happen later on. Also, it's the next instalment of PL character cameos – the Miracle Mask edition!
The trip to Monte d'Or was a long and complicated one. Badger had to make changes between several different forms of transport along the way and the final stretch saw him spend hours on a coach that drove him through miles of empty desert. Excitable tourists sat all around him, chattering loudly amongst themselves. He felt a little trapped.
But he knew that it was entirely worth it as soon as he got there. The coach pulled up to the outskirts of the city, to give everyone a good view of it. The night had long since settled in and Badger suspected that the driver had timed it that way on purpose, since it allowed for everyone to see the full splendour of the lights from within the city.
Every part of Monte d'Or that Badger could see was lit up. The whole place looked like a giant carnival, with the different coloured lights inviting them inside.
Now that he was off the coach Badger moved away from the tourists, not wanting to be swept up into whatever scheduled events were planned for them. Badger would rather do his own thing, not walk around being told why some building was so important. But he fast learned that it was impossible to escape from tourists here – they were everywhere. Though given that Badger himself also fell into that category he didn't complain.
As he walked around, Badger felt that it wasn't so much that Monte d'Or was a city that never slept as it was one that came alive at night. Everything about this place seemed like a light show set up to entertain people. Part of him wondered what it would look like tomorrow morning when all the lights had gone out. Though he'd have to wait to find that out.
Another thing that stuck out to Badger was how the rooftops here looked like they'd be fun to scale across. Suddenly he wished that all of the Black Ravens could have come with him, since they'd undoubtedly enjoy jumping from roof to roof in a strange new place. That was something that Badger would definitely have to try doing before he left.
Eventually he came across an area where the crowds were almost too packed for him to move. Everyone was huddled together, watching one of the circus shows in front of them. It must have been a particularly impressive one, given the loud gasps the crowd kept making.
Despite his height usually giving him an advantage in these situations, even Badger found there were too many people for him to make out what was going on. So instead he kept as close to the back as he could manage and headed for another street off to the left that looked slightly less busy than this one.
He almost made it there without bumping into anyone. Almost.
"S-sorreh... I'm just trying t' get through."
"Huh? Yer one of the lads tryin' t' open that shop down south, aren't yer?"
Badger looked up and realised that he'd walked right into Dalston. The exact person who Crow had told him to say hello to while he was here. Talk about coincidences.
"Yeah. Um... been travellin' a bit t' see some friends and I wanted t' come check this place out as well," Badger answered. Then he suddenly felt self-conscious about abandoning Crow and added, "...Just 'cause it might be a while before I can once we get the shop running."
Dalston waved a big hand dismissively; "Don't need t' explain yerself t' me, lad. Monte d'Or is a wonderful place, I couldn't blame anyone fer wantin' t' see it."
"It does look impressive," agreed Badger. Then he looked back over at the crowd and asked, "So what is it that they're all looking at?"
"Oh, that's just Bratscot showin' off, like usual," Dalston tutted.
"Y-yer mean Randall Ascot? The actual, real-life Randall Ascot?" Badger gasped.
"Don't let 'im 'ear yer talk like that or 'e might start thinkin' that 'e's famous," grumbled Dalston. But before Badger could point out that he kind of was famous, Dalston added, "Honestly, yer think 'e'd be at 'ome with 'is family instead of prancing around in that silly costume of 'is. Especially now."
"His family? Do yer mean the Ledores?" asked Badger. He felt a bit like he'd turned into one of those silly magazines, asking so many questions about them. But he couldn't stop himself from being curious.
"Hm? Yeah, of course I mean them," said Dalston, as if it was no big deal.
As much as Badger knew he should leave it at that, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about the hurry that Dalston had been in to get back here after he'd heard about the baby. Surely it wasn't too nosy to ask about that, since he had been a bystander to Dalston getting that news.
"So... eh, is the Ledores' babeh doin' ah'reet?" he asked.
"Oh, yer mean Angela's young 'un?" checked Dalston, not seeming to realise what he'd said.
"And 'enry's," Badger reminded.
Dalston pulled a confused face at him; "What? The baby's Ascot's, not 'enry's!"
At that, Badger's eyes almost popped out of his head.
"So the gossip rags were right! They are 'aving an affair!" he blurted out.
"Oh bloomin' 'eck, I shouldeh kept me mouth shut..." Dalston murmured, "Look, no one's 'avin' any affair. And if yer tell any reporters owt like that then I'll knock yer block off. What goes on between those three is their business. But yeah, the baby is Randall and Angela's."
This was a lot for Badger to take in, as much as he knew that these people were strangers and whatever they did had nothing to do with him. He stared out to the crowd, where he could just see the remains of an explosion of purple smoke that the people around him were gasping at. It looked as if Randall had finished one of his magic tricks, not that Badger could see it.
"So what's 'e doin' out 'ere if 'e's just 'ad a baby?" Badger thought aloud.
"Like I said before, bein' a show off, as always," answered Dalston, "Though t' be fair, I bet 'enry and Angela are in the crowd with the young 'un anyway. Ascot's keen to show that kid everythin' 'e knows about magic and archaeology and all that, so I guess it's good t' start 'im off young."
"Sounds nice..." Badger mumbled.
It was horrible, but in that moment he felt a little jealous of the baby. It must be nice to have a dad who adored you so much that they wanted to teach you everything they knew. Though as soon as he thought that, a wave of guilt ran through him. Badger knew that his own dad was very ill in ways he didn't understand and how he'd treated Badger hadn't been entirely his fault, even if it felt like it was. And one day Badger knew that when he was in a better place himself, he'd have to go back to visit his dad.
"I guess so, if that's what the kid wants," Dalston replied, "So since yer just got 'ere 'ave yer found anywhere t' stay?"
"No, not yet," admitted Badger.
"That's not a problem, just stay at one of my 'otels," Dalston insisted.
"Neveh thought of that. Are they any good?" Badger checked.
"Betteh than Ledore's..." muttered Dalston. And Badger instantly doubted that this was true, but didn't want to offend him.
"W-where can I find it then?" stammered Badger, before he could say anything else wrong.
"Just follow down that road there until yer come to a big sign with a camel on. Can't miss it. Tell 'im that Dalston sent yer and I'll wave the bill," answered Dalston.
"Really? That's very nice of yer! Thanks!" Badger cheered.
"Us northerners got t' stick together, ey? Now get out of 'ere before you get swept up in admirin' Ascot like every other idiot 'ere is," finished Dalston.
Badger headed off without pointing out to Dalston that he was also here watching Randall's performance without so much as an explanation as to why.
He found the hotel without much trouble, just like Dalston had said. Part of him was worried that they wouldn't believe him about being invited here by Dalston himself, but as soon as he said that was the case the staff just seemed to accept it and went to show him to a room. Perhaps Dalston invited people here a lot. So Badger followed along, nodding politely as the attendant reeled off facts about the hotel. Apparently Badger was very lucky, because the room he was staying in had once been used by the famous Professor Layton, who saved London from the terror attack a few years back. It still felt a little unreal for Badger to hear that the man who had helped protect Misthallery was now famous, but he supposed that he shouldn't be surprised. As he settled down into the room for the night, he wondered about what sort of adventure Mr. Layton might have had when he'd come here.
Badger was woken up the next morning by warm rays of sunlight beating down though the curtains. Monte d'Or definitely saw the benefits of being in the desert and Badger had to hunt through his bags to find a simple t-shirt to wear instead of his usual jumpers. It felt weird to him, coming from a cold place where you had to put on as many layers as possible to get through the day, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant for a holiday. Though Badger doubted that he could live here forever with this kind of heat.
At the front of hotel two parrots were playfully flying about around the camel sign. One was green and the other was red. Badger watched their colourful display for a while before heading out to see what else the city had to offer.
Certainly it was quieter now than it had been last night, although the streets were still quite busy with the early-rising tourists. The first place Badger went to was the circus tent, where he was glad to see the tiger from the flyer snoozing away, as well as a couple of performing rabbits practising their tricks. He had a feeling that if Crow was there that he would have gotten some money-making ideas from watching that.
After the circus he doubled back into the main bulk of the city. There was plenty to do here and Badger found himself wandering through an art gallery and an amusement park. He very nearly went into a casino was well, but he knew that gambling wasn't for him. Besides, the guy standing by the door in the sunglasses had looked intimidating...
There were many market stalls as well, which was always where a Black Raven's main interests lay. It amused Badger to discover that even though the Masked Gentleman had once terrorised the city, he now seemed to be something of a novelty mascot and the stalls had replicas of his mask hung up by the dozen. Badger bought one to take back for Socket, since he did promise. It might just have been made from cheap plastic but it would do the trick.
Then it was a matter of finding something for Wren, since he didn't want to buy for one but not the other. Perhaps there was nothing amongst this tourist tat that would be of much interest, but it was the thought that counted. Eventually Badger settled upon a small figure in the shape of a bird, which he assumed had 'Monte d'Or' written along the base in gold. As well as this he picked up a wind-chime based on a deconstructed version of the famous mask for their mum, as a thank you for letting him stay.
Once that was done Badger figured that he'd seen mostly everything, excluding whatever events they put on at different times and the massive Reunion Inn, which according to a passing tour guide was apparently interesting from an architectural standpoint... whatever that meant. He figured that for the rest of his time here that he'd plan his schedule around whatever was on, but today had been about getting the lay of the land and he'd managed that just fine.
There was still a long afternoon left though, so after dropping his gifts off back at the hotel Badger let temptation get the better of him and climbed up onto the rooftops.
It wasn't hard to make his way up there, though he did have to duck about to escape notice from the streets below. But once he'd made it, Badger felt glad that he was able to see the city in a way that few other people probably had done. He supposed that it'd be even more amazing during the night, when all the lights were on. For right now though, it was a better idea to do this in daylight so he could work out where was best to climb. One wrong footing could be disastrous when scaling these heights, after all.
As he made his way from one building to another, Badger realised that while it was still hot up here, being away from the bustle of the crowds meant that it wasn't quite as... sweaty (as gross as that sounded) and the breeze blew through the air easier. He much preferred getting around this way to being on the streets.
He had a few minutes of blissfully hopping about, minding his own business, until something caught his eye. From a few buildings away, another figure drew itself up to stand and stared right across at him. Badger was not the only person here.
Without stopping to think, Badger panicked and fled. The best idea would be to make his way back from where he'd came, but Badger wasn't entirely sure where that was now. It had been somewhere near the hotel he was staying at. Which was... that way?
Badger turned about to look for a route he recognised and instantly regretted doing so. The figure who'd spotted him had decided to follow. There was a flash of white and gold behind him. It was too much for Badger to take.
Turning back the way he'd been going, Badger put a foot out to jump to the next building. But he'd miscalculated. He slipped.
His legs scrambled beneath him as he lost his footing, but before he could fall too far his pursuer reached out and grab him around his waist. The wind was knocked out of Badger as he was pulled backwards, but considering the alternate had been plummeting to the streets below, that was the least of his worries. He was heaved back onto the edge of the roof, then the other person let go of him.
"Are you okay? It's dangerous to run about up here."
Badger sat down for a moment to find his bearings again. He felt dizzy and sick.
"Yeah... I'm ah'reet..." he murmured.
"That's good. Though I guess I shouldn't tell you not to do it, since I'm up here all the time. But you don't see many others brave enough to try. I admire that about you, kid. So what's your name then?"
"B-badgeh..." answered Badger, "And yer... yer must be... oh no..."
As Badger took a proper look at the person who'd saved him, he realised that he didn't need to be told who it was. The white suit from all the posters, the silk top hat and the golden mask that Badger doubted was one of the plastic ones from the stall. To send away any doubts he might have had, the Masked Gentleman removed his mask to reveal a mess of red hair and a cheeky grin.
It was only the actual Randall Ascot.
"Some people call me 'oh no', but I reckon that just comes with the territory," Randall joked, "So what are you doing up here anyway?"
"I were..." Badger felt like his mouth was suddenly stuck together. His whole throat dried up. It couldn't be real that this person was here talking to him. Though it was real and Badger needed to say something soon, because Randall was looking at him expectantly. He mustered up his strength and said, "...I were just... getting a betteh look at the city. I like climbing more than walking, so..."
"Well, I guess that's thinking outside the box. It's what I would have done," Randall praised, "But it seriously is dangerous up here if you don't know what you're doing. Sheffield would have my hide if someone got hurt on these roofs on my watch."
"B-but I know what I'm doing. U-usually. Back where I come from we do this all the time. I'm just not used t' it 'ere," argued Badger. He felt that he should defend himself.
"So are you a circus performer?" Randall asked, "The big top here is always open to new talent and that was some speed you had on you back there. I bet they'd take you on."
"N-nah, I'm nowt like that!" gasped Badger. Then he suddenly realised that he shouldn't sound as if this was an offensive suggestion, given that Randall himself was doing some kind of street performance last night. So he quickly changed tact and said, "Um, if it's okay t' ask, what were yer doing up 'ere yerself?"
"Oh, I was just getting ready for tonight. These magic shows don't set themselves up, you know? It takes a bit of work on my part," Randall replied.
"It sounded like yer did a realleh good job last night. I couldn't see much of it, but the crowd were well impressed," said Badger.
"Thanks! I do pride myself on getting it just right. Maybe it is hard work, but the pay off is definitely worth it. Especially when my family gets to watch and enjoy it. I wouldn't be anywhere without them..." Randall wistfully stated. Then he seemed to think of something else; "Hey, if you want to get a better look tonight then why don't you climb up here? The main part of my show takes place over there, so you'd get a good view from up here as long as you stay out the way once I start flying about and tightrope walking."
"Mebbe I will," agreed Badger, "Thanks fer the advice."
"No problem. Just be more careful next time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to making sure everything's ready," Randall finished.
He took a low bow to Badger, replaced the golden mask and then, just like that, he was off again. Badger watched in awe as he jumped gracefully across the gaps between the rooftops. Clearly he'd done it a lot before.
So that was Randall Ascot. Gone before Badger could embarrass himself by asking any probing questions about his relationship with the Ledores or the new baby. Although that was probably for the best. And he did seem like a nice guy. Much nicer than Badger had been expecting from what all the gossip usually said about him.
Badger did take him up on his suggestion as well.
By the time darkness fell once more, he'd climbed back up to that place again and found somewhere that he could sit that gave him a clear view of the stage below, without getting in the way of any of the invisible wires Randall had set up.
The crowd started to form long before Randall himself came out. Badger spotted Dalston again, as well as the shady-looking man from the casino. After looking around for a while he saw two blonde figures right at the front, one of which was holding a baby. His heart skipped a beat when he realised it was the Ledores. He'd seen so many well-known faces today. Part of him did wonder if Randall might have talked to them about the strange boy he'd saved from falling today, but then he figured that they probably all had more interesting things going on in their lives than that.
After a while the spotlights came on. They swivelled up to a pillar above the stage, where the Masked Gentleman himself stood, all grand and smart in his outfit. He took a few steps out, seemingly onto mid air, swinging his cane around as he went, before he suddenly stopped and jumped off. A pair of wings sprouted out from behind him and saw him glide safely to the ground. Badger honestly wasn't sure how he'd done that trick, but it very much impressed the crowd. If Badger had been here early enough to watch this opening act yesterday then he definitely wouldn't have left.
Everything after that was just as amazing, from the big, grand tricks to the smaller, more subtle ones. All eyes were on Randall and he seemed to know exactly how to please the crowd. In a weird way it reminded Badger of how Crow would be when he was at the front of an auction hall, dressed in his Black Raven outfit. Some people were just born to do this.
The act seemed to fly by all too quickly, although in truth Badger had been sat up there for more than an hour and he felt a bit numb when he tried to stand up again. Before he left, Badger watched the Masked Gentleman draw out his wings again, only for them to suddenly transform into a flock of doves that covered the whole stage. Once the doves parted, Randall was gone and the crowd burst into a final loud applause.
Maybe there was a trick to everything, but in that moment Badger felt as if the show, and indeed Monte d'Or itself, was magical.