Phong Gi had was a slightly odd settlement. Elaine was sure of that. Located in a tropical jungle filled with rich, vibrant colours and with thick heat from the beaming sun in the cloudless blue sky, the village itself consisted of tall huts which looked like tall, overgrown mushrooms with bits of moss growing in spots on the buildings.

The only problem now though was to try and find someone who knew of the Azran egg.

"Aha… aha ha ha! What what? What in heavens is that funny looking thing on your head?!"

The first person they asked, a small woman with thick red hair (the top of which even looked like the top of a mushroom) and wearing a purple dress in the local style might not have been the best person to ask as she giggled to herself, looking at a slightly confused Desmond.

"Ah, good day, madam. If you're referring to this gentleman's hat, it's actually considered to be a rather suave item of clothing," he said, assuming the woman to be giggling at the amused looking Professor's hat.

"No, no, not the hat. I'm talking about what's on YOUR head!" The woman began giggling again as she pointed to Desmond's head. Elaine bit her lip as she looked at Desmond's head. She had a small idea of what the woman was on about.

"Are you quite sure?"

"Yes, yes, of course I'm sure! Oh dear, my sides are splitting!" The woman calmed down a bit after another giggling fit. After taking a closer look at Desmond's hair, her eyes widened with a mischievous glint as she started laughing again. "It's your hair!" she exclaimed. "What's with those funny little bunches? They're so curly, like piggy tails!"

The look of indignation on Desmond's face was absolutely priceless. Elaine had held her hand up near her mouth to hide her own grin at it. She did feel a bit sorry for Desmond though, even if the woman's reaction was a little funny. She thought his hair style quite suited him.

"Piggy… tails?" Desmond muttered to himself, as the woman began to calm once more.

"Alright, alright. No need to get your knickers in a twist." By now she was completely calm. "Anyhow, welcome to our humble home of Phong Gi. I'm Amanita," she introduced herself. With what could have been a slightly better meeting done and over with, the question of if Amanita had seen an egg with markings soon came up and the woman was able to point them in the direction of the 'Grand Stage', and for some reason mentioned something about a performance.

"I think this is the Grand Stage she mentioned," Elaine said as they arrived in a more crowded part of the village. There were some murmurs of excitement from the crowd as they walked in.

"Everyone looks really excited. And look at all the decorations!" Luke looked at the bright feathers and lit torches in awe, and even Johanna looked up at it all in interest.

"The feathers look pretty," she murmured.

"I would wager that there is some sort of traditional festival taking place," said Professor Layton.

That seemed to be the case. On a small stage where in a chair, an old man (presumably the Chief) sat in, while another man stood in front. Both of their hairs, like Amanita's were shaped like mushrooms. Elaine figured it was a very popular style here. Either that, or they really liked mushrooms.

"Hey, Chief, coming up with this routine's been a real brain scratcher. Brain… Scratcher. See?" said the man standing in front of the chief as he scratched under his hair.

… Dear God, there was someone who was just as bad at jokes as Desmond.

"No," the Chief disagreed, with a slightly confused tone. "I don't see. What are you getting at, boy?"

"What peculiar people," Aurora noted. "Are they involved in some kind of contest?"

"If so, I doubt that last man will win," Elaine remarked dryly.

"If I had to guess, I'd say they're trying to make the village chief laugh," Luke brought up. It sounded plausible. There was a slight mutter from somewhere of the Chief being the way he was for weeks, so they must have been taking turns to make jokes and such. Hopefully better than that last one.

"So it would seem, Luke. And I certainly can't fault them for their efforts," Professor Layton said. Aurora stared at the Chief, a questioning look on her face before she brought up,

"But surely this ritual has some bearing on the aura stone, does it not?"

"Aura stone?" Elaine repeated quietly to herself. Was the stone actually here?

"I don't think so." Luke scratched the back of his head as he looked around. "It just looks like a party to me…"

"Then why does he have it around his neck?" A second look to the Chief proved Aurora correct. Hanging by a simple string was the Azran egg. It looked almost identical to the images of such in Desmond's books. It must have been found some years ago and worn by the chiefs of this village. At least, that was Elaine's theory.

Finding it had proved easier than previously though. Getting the Chief to hand it over however…

"So, 'ow are we going to get the stone?" Elaine asked, folding her arms. "I doubt 'e'll just 'and it over."

"Well… If he hasn't laughed in ages, maybe he would be willing to part if we could make him laugh?" Emmy suggested. "It couldn't hurt to try."

"Okay, but how are we going to do that?" Luke asked. The Professor smiled before pulling away for a moment, near some trees.

"I have an idea in mind. Just a dash of preparation before the big performance." Emmy looked amused as the two disappeared for the moment."

"I wonder what they have in mind."

"Can't be any worse than every bad joke I've 'eard," Elaine said, ignoring a brief glare from Desmond. About ten minutes later, they returned looking rather… Interesting.

Luke had a round red nose with black whiskers, while the Professor had put on some fake eyes and had a fake duck's beak strapped around his mouth. Luke looked a bit embarrassed by all this while the others gave some small chuckles.

"Well, this is certainly something," Emmy noted. "All that's missing is a tail for Luke, and maybe some cat or mouse ears."

"We couldn't find anything to substitute for either, sadly," explained Professor Layton. "Now, after you, Luke. With aplomb."

The pair went on stage, and to give their performance of making faces and duck noises. While they did look ridiculous in a good way and did get some laughs from the people, the Chief didn't look too amused. It didn't stop Emmy from giving some encouragement though, along with a little from Elaine as well.

"I admire their courage. I, for one, could not do… Whatever it is they're doing," Desmond noted.

"What if you were wearing a mask?" Elaine asked in an innocent tone, not looking to see his reaction.

It appeared nothing was going to make this Chief (or Chief Morel as they heard someone mention) laugh. It seemed even worse when it was learned that he used to be the complete opposite until recently, for whatever reason there was.

"Perhaps a crab impersonation would have had more charm…" Professor Layton said after he and Luke left the stage.

"I got right up close, pulling all sorts of faces at him, and still not even a titter!" Luke added sadly.

"I thought you did alright," Johanna commented quietly.

"Yes, it was a, er… gallant effort nonetheless," Desmond agreed. "Perhaps I'll have a go."

"Maybe your hair will do the trick, Professor Sycamore!" Luke suggested, grinning up to the slightly cringing professor. "It certainly made Amanita crack up!"

"Ah ha…" his laughter was a little forced. "Well, rather than relying on my fashionable hairstyle, I thought I'd have a shot at some good old British comedy."

"I thought we were trying to make the Chief laugh," Elaine mumbled, but Desmond ignored her comment.

"A bit of dry humour for that wet blanket. That should cheer up Mr. Morel."

"Y-you tell jokes, Professor?" Luke looked surprised, maybe even a little doubtful. "Well, er… good luck, then!" As Desmond did ascend the stage, Emmy looked to Elaine and asked,

"Elaine, have you heard any of his jokes before?"

"I 'ave, sadly," Elaine confirmed with a frown. "Unless the Chief as the same sense of 'umour as Desmond, we won't be any closer to getting that egg."

"Are his jokes poor?" Aurora asked with some curiosity.

"Just watch and see what awful jokes I 'ad to put up with for nearly a month in that cave."

"What's that sickly sweet smell?" asked the Chief Morel suddenly when Desmond approached him. "Is there fruit cake somewhere around here?"

"Ahh, I believe that scent you've detected is my cologne," Desmond explained, giving a charming smile. "My name is Desmond Sycamore, and I'd like to tell you a little joke in exchange for that egg."

"Hmph. Go on." Morel didn't sound like he was expecting much. Elaine was actually glad he wasn't getting his hopes up. Desmond cleared his throat before he began.

"Once upon a time, there was a family of deer in a forest: a mother, a daughter and a son. The mother deer was renowned for baking delicious cakes, and she would make them for all the other animals in the forest. Everyone talked about what a lovely family they must be, so kind and giving!

"One day, though, the mother deer caught a cold, so she asked the son to go out and deliver the treats in her place. The son agreed, picked up a basket filled with goodies and left the house. His first stop was a house belonging to a family of rabbits. The rabbit family had never met the boy, but they welcomed him in, saying that, knowing his mum, he must be a lovely boy indeed.

"They sat down, and to the rabbits' surprise, the young deer began to scoff up all the cakes right in front of them! He then proceeded to smash up their home, before darting off, shouting and screaming. Shocking behaviour!

"Needless to say, the animals of the forest learnt an important lesson that day: 'you shouldn't judge a buck by its mother.'"

There was silence around. A perfect silence broken only by the tropical birds. Elaine had to keep herself from groaning aloud. Chief Morel nodded sagely to Desmond.

"Wise words," he said in an agreeing tone. "Didn't you say you had a joke to tell me?" Desmond's smile became a little strained, and began to try and explain himself.

"… Well, you see… That bit at the end WAS the joke. It's a witty play on a common idiom."

"Witty? What was witty about it?"

Elaine suddenly found respect for this chief. He may not have laughed for a while, but he at least knew a bad joke when he saw one and appeared to know when something had to be said.

"Are… all his jokes like that?" Emmy asked with a grimace.

"Sadly, oui. They are that awful," Elaine confirmed as she shuck her head sadly.

"I forgot what Papa's jokes were like," Johanna said with a frown. "They were funnier when I was six."

"Either 'is 'umour changed, or your's did," said Elaine as a slightly annoyed looking Desmond came back to them. "Do you want to 'ave a go, Emmy?"

"I don't really know many jokes. What about you?"

"I would try, but my funniest ones are a bit… Well, it wouldn't be a good thing to say them around kids," Elaine said as she lightly jerked her head in the direction of Luke and Johanna.

For now, they would have to ask around the village and try to deduce the cause for the suddenly non-laughing Chief.

So, I decided to make that Ask. FM account. I have the link in my profile if any of you are interested.