Assuming Elaine hadn't counted wrong or misread the calendar, she could say she's been held against her will by Descole for nearly a year now. While not a year to the day she was first kidnapped, it was still around the time the previous year she had been in Misthallery. The passing of Christmas had been pretty depressing in her opinion. While there had been a little cheer in the house, it still didn't change that she should have been home with her family. The same could have been said for New Year's, and she didn't even dare mention her birthday when it came by.
Descole's plans seemed to be closer and closer. While he certainly wasn't acting giddy or giggling (Images that would haunt Elaine for some time), he did seem to smile more than smirk some days. Well, it was a cocky, sardonic kind of smile but a smile none the less.
Elaine actually wondered what would happen exactly if Ambrosia did rise. The city itself would hardly cause some sort of supernatural apocalypse. Elaine would be willing to wager that. Descole on the other hand... Elaine couldn't guess what he had in mind. Maybe just take the glory of finding it? That seemed likely considering how arrogant he was. But if it didn't rise? Well, surely he would have learned from his mistakes Misthallery. There couldn't honestly be a repeat, could there?
... Dear God, she was going to have to trust Descole not to get in a hissy fit.
Elaine had been in her room, lying on the small love seat as she looked out through the window with a tired look on her face. She had one of those nights where she wanted to but just couldn't get to sleep. Now with the morning sun shinning in wasn't going to make things any easier. Maybe if she kept awake a little while longer she might fall asleep here and have an excuse not to go outside her room for the rest of the day.
Hearing her door open, Elaine glanced over briefly to see Descole come inside before looking back out.
"So what do you want?" Elaine grumbled as she forced herself to sit up.
"I just want to check something." That was all Descole said as he walked to the love seat and grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled it down a little.
"'E-'ey, what are you doing?!" Elaine was going to move away before Descole grabbed her shoulder firmly and kept her in place.
"Keep still, woman." Descole muttered. After a moment or two he let go and left without another word. Elaine blinked and quickly felt around her back. She didn't feel anything, but that still didn't explain whatever it was that Descole was doing exactly. That made her a little nervous and she took off her top to check the back of it herself in case Descole put something on it. But there was nothing.
"Étrange." Elaine mumbled as she put her top back on and laid back down again.
Elaine had decided to try and forget about that strange occurrence for the rest of the week. Surprisingly it was easy enough to do so and didn't even think about it when Descole came into the library, a slight smirk on his face before he said in a matter of act tone,
"We're leaving in two days."
"For Ambrosia?" Elaine guessed. It was the only logical place they could be going. Instead, his answer was quite different from what she expected.
"At later that night, but before that we'll be going to watch an opera."
"'We'll'?" Elaine repeated, feeling uneasy on why she had to come along.
"Obviously Raymond is coming. You don't expect me to leave you here alone, do you?" Descole scoffed. "I'd sooner trust you to hold a knife to my throat. Besides, I would think you would consider this an award for being a good puppy."
"Stop calling me a puppy." snapped Elaine. Descole however just went on like she never spoke.
"I also got you something to wear. I don't want to risk you being recognised. Besides, you could try dressing more formally for a change."
"Kinda 'ard when I only 'ave the one set of clo-." Elaine stopped as Descole's words repeated in her head. "Wh-what?"
"It's called, 'dressing for the occasion'. I think that should make it clear enough." Elaine narrowed her eyes as Descole smirked.
"Maybe you can take a leaf from your own book when it comes to excavations and not dress in a suit or for the stage" sneered Elaine.
"Maybe you should try on that outfit in your room before I decide to let you be a test for the wolves."
"What wolves?!" Elaine was seeing no sense of Descole's plan. It seemed so simple at the start from what she knew. Find someone to house Melina's memories, get her to sing Song of the Sea and raise Ambrosia. When the hell did opera and wolves get involved?!
"Oh, just some pets I've specially trained for chasing purposes." explained Descole.
"P-pourquoi? Why? Why would even-?"
"It's part of the game."
Elaine was beginning to wonder if Descole was actually messing with her. She would guess that he went insane, but Elaine suspected that happened long ago.
"Do I even want to know what this game is? From what you're describing, I already feel dread for whoever's participating." Elaine said.
"Oh, don't you fret about that just yet. The rules will be explained for the contestants after all." Descole then changed the subject. "I left the clothes in your room." While she was reluctant to do it, Elaine figured she may as well say it before leaving the room.
"Merci." Elaine grumbled as she returned the book she had been reading to its proper shelf and leaving the library.
She wasn't sure what to expect really. She didn't get her hopes up though. For all she knew, Descole could have gotten something very gaudy or something she would have felt stupid in. But arriving at her room, she could only sigh and get the shock out of the way and opened the door.
Stepping inside, she saw clothes on her bed and after closing her door she went over to take a proper look at them, and was met with a pleasant surprise.
The long, column dress was off white with pale pink trimming on the sweetheart neckline. The buttonless coat that went with it was a pale salmon colour and had elbow length sleeves. There was a pale pink belt to go with it that had a realistic looking white waterlily on it.
Elaine picked the dress up and held it to her as she looked in the mirror. It did seem like it would look wonderful on her. It was a nice colour too.
After putting the dress back on the bed, Elaine sat down on it and picked up the coat and after looking it over, held it close. A tiny, gentle smile playing on her lips. She wasn't sure why, but she felt… Special, maybe? That felt like the right word. For the first time since coming here she felt some true, genuine happiness. This almost felt like an award in a…
But Elaine then frowned. Why was she feeling happy? She was a kidnap victim. Granted she was in luxury compared to most people in that situation, but that still didn't change that she was here against her will. She couldn't be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, she was too stubborn for it, right? There's no way she could feel anything positive towards Descole, right? That's why she didn't tell him about Song of the Sun…
But that thought sent that slightly familiar dagger of guilt through her gut. She put the coat back down on the bed and held her head down and put her hands to it.
"I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine. Descole deserves to fail…" She said this once in English and repeated it in French several times.
But each time that last phrase was said, a hammer seemed to pound on that dagger.
OMAKE THEATER: Where Layton characters are chibi-fied!
"I'm hungry." Aurora said, a small frown on her face. For no reason worth mentioning whatsoever, Aurora, Desmond and Elaine were at Professor Layton's house along with Luke and Emmy. The Professor himself frowned and went to the cupboards to find some food, but none was found."
"Well I'm afraid we're all out of food. I don't understand though, I just brought some this morning."
While everyone's bellies rumbled, Luke had shifty eyes. More so since his stomach was the loudest and could be faintly heard from outside.
"So, what should we do?" Desmond questioned, with a slightly bored tone.
That's when it began.
Desmond noticed Luke staring at him. Or more correctly, his hair.
"Um... Why are you..." But Desmond never got a chance to finish that sentence as Luke suddenly leaped up at the young looking man and tried to take a bite of his hair. Desmond of course did what any responsible, caring adult would do, and kicked Luke into a grandfather clock.
"DESMOND?!"
"THAT LITTLE TWERP TRIED TO BITE ME!" Desmond yelled back at Layton before Luke looked out of the clock and pointed at Desmond.
"HIS HAIR IS BREAD!" Desmond scoffed.
"I can assure you all that..." Desmond trailed off when he heard chewing close to his ears and felt some saliva. Much to his disgust, he noticed Emmy and Aurora on either side of him, chewing on his hair like cows on grass.
"MY HAIR ISN'T BREAD!" roared Desmond, shoving the girls away from him as he quickly stood up. Wiping saliva off of himself as he glanced at all the people he tried to bite him. Not trusting them to leave him be.
"Well... It couldn't hurt to test it..." Professor Layton pointed out, causing Desmond to back away from him. His only hope now was.
"Get your own hair bread!" Elaine snapped, grabbing onto Desmond and growling. "That tasty hair is mine!"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Desmond got away from Elaine and ran to the front door. He turned back only to see everyone moaning and walking towards him in a zombie-like way. All of them moaning the same thing.
"Bread..."
"Breeead..."
"Bread!"
Desmond was hyperventilating as he struggled to get the door open before he finally forcing it open and running out into the streets. But that wasn't really a good choice.
Several people seemed to turn into the same state once they saw him and several birds tried to take a bite of his hair.
"It's not bread!" Desmond cried as he ran. "It's not bread! I can't help that my hair grew in a funny way!"
He kept running until he arrived at what was possibly the only place he could hide until this madness was over.
An abandoned house. Because they're always safe in horror movies.
So Desmond ran inside and locked the door shut. Feeling safe, he lied down on the floor to rest. But that rest was disturbed as the door slammed open. Desmond sat up quicker then you could say 'a' and saw everyone there. Still moaning about bread, and Professor Layton int the lead.
Bastard must have used his damn puzzle powers!
"Bread..."
Desmond screamed high pitched, higher than a little girl really as they closed in.
Desmond's next trip the following morning, was a wig shop and then his lawyer's office with the intention to sue everyone.