It didn't take long for the Prof to finish changing and what he wore was a complete contrast to what she had been used to for the past week.
"You don't wear the lab coat." She said before she could stop it when he walked out of his bedroom, crimson button-up and black slacks extruding a display of professionalism. "Of course you don't." She murmured to herself, shaking her head. She supposed he had thought he was equally as strange outside the Mystery Room, but even he was a normal bloke at the end of the day.
"Lucy, if I wore the lab coat outside the office, I think I would gain myself more than a few looks. Do you see anyone wearing a lab coat when you came here?" He laughed, strolling past her. "They'd see me as some creepy scientist."
"Or a pharmacist." That earned her a chortle, "Where are we going?"
"You'll see." He winked to her, flinging open the door and beckoning for her to follow. With no other choice, she adjusted her hat and followed her mentor out the flat with no complaint.
Lunch ended up being at the nearby bistro, halfway between the Scotland Yard and his flat. It was clear he was a regular, as the owner smiled at him in familiarity and already had his order rung up. Lucy ordered a mere sandwich, hoping that it was to satisfy her hunger but the Prof shook his head.
"No, that won't quite help. You'll need a bit more." He commented. Lucy glanced to him in confusion. She supposed this was going to be a daily occurrence, what with him being mysterious and her being on the receiver end. Nonetheless, she accepted her newfound position with grace, knowing that she did sign up for this. No point in complaining.
"What do you mean, Prof?" The Prof glanced a knowing look to the owner, who merely nodded and jotted down an order that was most likely completely off from what she wanted.
"Your diet needs to replace what I take. My fair man here knows what to do." Paying for the orders, he lead her to the back of the bistro and sat in the booth, crossing his arms in amusement.
"Then what did you get for me?" She inquired, adjusting her hat.
"Something to coincide with the diet that tends to be recommended to donors. I didn't want to assume what you wanted so I let you rattle off." The same man from earlier came back, placing two sandwiches in front of them along with some fruits in a bowl. Lucy's sandwich looked exact to the picture that she had seen outside.
"But what's the difference?" Lucy asked, poking at the sandwich warily. She knew that he wouldn't necessarily attempt to hurt her, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. With no response, she glanced up at him questionably.
"There isn't any difference. I'm joking with you, Lucy." He smirked, taking a bite of his sandwich. "It's good to see you're careful with yourself though. It's exactly what you ordered, though I highly encourage you to eat the fruit, it will help."
"Blimey Prof. What a sense of humor you have." She rolled her eyes, also biting into her sandwich. Like promised, the sandwich had nothing of flavor that would indicate tampering. "I do hope you know that I'll eat whatever I need to if it means you won't pass out like earlier."
"Quite right. But there's no sense of adventure with being proper." He was about to continue on when he looked behind Lucy and his whole demeanor shifted, as though all the color in his face had drained just like when she found him. It was as though he had seen a ghost.
"Prof?" Lucy turned to where he was looking to find herself staring, at a large mass of blonde. From her demeanor, it was clear she was used to dominating the room. Lucy was almost inclined to say that her stare towards the Prof was of ice, almost akin to when one would stare at their longest frenemy. Almost to say that there was more history that Lucy wasn't quite aware of.
"Al." The woman addressed him curtly, as though his mere existence already frustrated her.
"Hilda." He returned her greeting with a kindness that thinly veiled his true thoughts. Lucy felt uncomfortable, as though she was stepping into a conversation that she shouldn't be apart of. Perhaps she shouldn't be.
"I take it this is your new donor." Hilda spoke as though the Detective Constable wasn't present, her glare still affixed to Lucy's mentor. "Why the Commissioner put you with someone so...inexperienced, I will never understand. Suppose it's the only way to keep you intact without causing a scene."
"Er hello there." Lucy stood, outstretching her hand to this Hilda, attempting to ignore the woman's rudeness towards her as though she didn't exist, "Lucy Baker."
"I'm aware of who you are. I've been told plenty about you. I must say, you're intentionally laying with the devil by staying around him." She did not shake Lucy's hand, but rather crossed her arms pointedly to the Prof. Lucy frowned at her choice of words. Laying with the devil? "Please tell me you don't plan on keeping this one. Being a donor is a challenge that I'm sure Lucy here wouldn't want to deal with."
"What I do is none of your business, Hilda. It isn't even my choice." The Prof responded curtly, the edge in his voice giving Lucy surprise. He never talked like that before. "I take it you're disappointed your bonus has been given to someone else?"
"On the contrary. I'm glad you no longer need of me. Taking blood out has always been such a chore." Her voice and face expressed indifference, but even Lucy could tell it was still a touchy subject.
"That's not what you'd say about Justin." The name, whoever that was, brought even further annoyance on Hilda's features. Rather than gracing him with an answer, she briskly turned on her heel and walked away. Lucy bit her lip, sitting back down and turning to the Prof.
"Who was that?" Lucy questioned, taking a strawberry and biting into it. The Prof pinched the bridge of his nose, already tired of the affair as it was.
"Hilda Pertinax. My previous donor." He explained, the edge in his voice gone as quick as it came. Lucy filed it in the back of her head that she was going to ask about it later. "She's another Investigator at Scotland Yard, you'll probably bump into her more now that you've seen her. Cunning, ruthless, and constantly choosing work above all. I'm surprised she's even out on this Saturday-she tends to stay in her office all days of the week. The man I referenced is Justin Lawson, her main feeder. The one she belongs to."
"Is the blood from those vials hers?"
"Quite right. They placed me under her care originally with Justin's insistence. After some...quarrels, I no longer fed from her directly." He murmured, his plate clean save for some bread crumbs. "She's always been quick witted and a vixen."
"You say like you have quite the history with her, Prof." More than you want to tell me. But Lucy knew better than to open old wounds. Even seeing Hilda was an open wound in of itself.
"To a degree, I suppose you could say so." He mused idly, then checked the time on a nearby clock. "If you'll excuse me, Lucy, I have some things to attend to. Do finish the food though. I can't have you falling apart before Monday."
"Prof-" She couldn't even call for him before he fled, leaving Lucy in a pile of questions with no answers.