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storypaint) wrote2009-01-07 11:36 pm
storypaint) wrote2009-01-07 11:36 pm
Puzzles of the Caribbean (gen)
Title: Puzzles of the Caribbean
Length: 1077 words
Prompt: Professor Layton (Anon) Fan Meme: Pirate Captain Layton and Luke as his cabin boy.
Pairing: ensemble gen; Will/Elizabeth implied
Other: canon-compliant with POT3
Excerpt: Layton awoke with a searing headache, a small body pressed against his, and the in the background, a searing row.
None of them wanted to admit to being lost, so they didn't. They simply wandered in and out of ports, pointedly not looking for maps or aid of any kind. They wandered around the Cape, certainly not lost, for nearly six months-- back and forth, pausing on little islands, cursing the compass that "never" led Jack wrong.
It was Elizabeth who found him, in the end. (Men never asked for directions.) He was a slight, pale man who stuck out in the bar like a sore thumb. The way his hand wrapped around his cup, she thought, was genteel. He practically stuck his pinky out. He didn't belong in here, in a pirate's bar.
She sidled up and sat down next to him, eyeing him in a noticeable manner, but the man seemed focused on his cup, so she elbowed him roughly.
"Oh, excuse me!" he said, and he had the British accent she suspected. He touched the brim of his hat briefly and said, "Ma'am," though his voice was dry as he gazed at her workpants. He probably didn't encounter any reputable British women this far away from civilization.
So she sat up straight and said, "You're a long way from home, stranger."
"Ah, ah, yes," he said, clearly surprised by her perfect diction. "I'm Pr-- Captain Layton, miss. Pleased to meet you."
He offered his hand and it was reasonably clean, so she rested her palm in his. As she suspected he would, he bent to kiss her hand, ignoring the dirt in the cracks of her fingernails. A true gentleman, then.
"Likewise," she purred. "Captain, I'm having a spot of trouble that I think you can help me with..."
*
Layton awoke with a searing headache, a small body pressed against his, and the in the background, a searing row.
"He's good with puzzles!" the woman seethed.
"Don't need someone else to split the haul with, woman," a man said sulkily.
"Well, it's better than sailing around in circles like a headless chicken! Do you have any better ideas?"
"I think he's waking up," a third, impatient male voice said, and there was no help for it. Layton cracked his eyes against the merciless sun.
One of his merciless-- captors?-- dragged him to his feet, away from his still-sleeping companion, and slapped him genially (and too hard) on the back. He smelled terrible-- all of him, from his hair to his breath to the clothes half-baked to his body. Layton tried not to breathe.
"Welcome," the apparition said, "to the Black Pearl. I am Captain Jack and these are my... associates."
Layton managed to discern the woman he'd met last night, and another gentleman, standing behind Jack. They were both frowning and sort of looked like they wanted to hit him.
"I, ah," Layton began, but he was polite to a fault, so he finished. "I am, er, Captain Layton of the Daisyshark. I'm not really sure... last night..."
The man froze for a moment, and then he was in Layton's face, pressed against Layton's body, and Layton felt like he was going to be sick. He stared into the kohl-darkened eyes in horror and watched a dirty, dirty finger brush gently against his cheek.
"Only one captain on the Pearl, my friend, and that's me."
Layton wasn't sure but he thought that the woman rolled her eyes. In any case, Jack stepped back again and waved an arm expansively. Layton rubbed his eyes and then looked around again in horror.
"Where did the land go?"
"Ah, well, got into a spot of trouble so we left bright and early this morning. Must give Layton time to do his calculation, I says, am I right?"
The captain turned to his friends and bowed in a mocking, flowing manner. Layton thought that he seemed drunk, nearly, but it wasn't even midday. How odd.
"I'm sorry?" he said, still attempting to maintain politeness. This time the woman stepped forward. Her hand tightened on Jack's shoulder for just a second before she was steering Layton around so that his eyes weren't in the sun.
"I'm sure you remember," she said, "that we recruited you to help us with our problem. That magnificent puzzle I described?"
"But my ship--"
"It's not your ship," she muttered under her breath, staring him in the eye meaningfully. "I know you're not the captain. You're just the naturalist. It was a good lie, though. They seemed pretty mad to lose you and the boy when we boarded and retrieved your things."
"The boy?" Layton repeated, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"You insisted on him," she said. "Personally I leave my son home when I can but I guess it was better than leaving him with strangers."
She nudged the sleeping form at their feet with one foot, gently, and Luke muttered something. Layton looked down at Luke, and then back at her, the horror spreading over his face now.
"What did I agree to?"
"A quarter of the treasure, no more, no less, and an adventure around the world, complete with hundreds of puzzles to solve and that starts with the map," she said firmly, drawing a slim tube from her pants pocket and wrapping his fingers around it.
"I don't know..." Layton said, and her eyes were suddenly fierce.
"We could always toss you over instead, see how well you swim."
"Who's to say you won't do that anyway?"
"We'd be less likely if you proved yourself useful," she said seriously, and after a long moment, he nodded, looking down at Luke again. Goodness, what had he done?
Nothing stronger than tea, ever again.
"He's not my son, you know," he said softly. Elizabeth raised her eyes to the bright sky.
"So you're one of those funny ones, eh? Couldn't have spotted that on a cloudy night. We don't care. Just get the job done, okay?"
"I say--" Layton began to protest, but the other man's hand was on his back, pushing him towards the door that led below decks. He tossed Layton in efficiently, and then Luke after him. Luke landed hard on the wood and groaned, rubbing his head and half-rising. His eyes were wide as he took in their surroundings.
"Professor, where are we?" he asked.
Layton pursed his lips. "On an adventure, apparently," he said, his voice disapproving, and he sat down at the desk and spread the map across it, setting to work.
Length: 1077 words
Prompt: Professor Layton (Anon) Fan Meme: Pirate Captain Layton and Luke as his cabin boy.
Pairing: ensemble gen; Will/Elizabeth implied
Other: canon-compliant with POT3
Excerpt: Layton awoke with a searing headache, a small body pressed against his, and the in the background, a searing row.
None of them wanted to admit to being lost, so they didn't. They simply wandered in and out of ports, pointedly not looking for maps or aid of any kind. They wandered around the Cape, certainly not lost, for nearly six months-- back and forth, pausing on little islands, cursing the compass that "never" led Jack wrong.
It was Elizabeth who found him, in the end. (Men never asked for directions.) He was a slight, pale man who stuck out in the bar like a sore thumb. The way his hand wrapped around his cup, she thought, was genteel. He practically stuck his pinky out. He didn't belong in here, in a pirate's bar.
She sidled up and sat down next to him, eyeing him in a noticeable manner, but the man seemed focused on his cup, so she elbowed him roughly.
"Oh, excuse me!" he said, and he had the British accent she suspected. He touched the brim of his hat briefly and said, "Ma'am," though his voice was dry as he gazed at her workpants. He probably didn't encounter any reputable British women this far away from civilization.
So she sat up straight and said, "You're a long way from home, stranger."
"Ah, ah, yes," he said, clearly surprised by her perfect diction. "I'm Pr-- Captain Layton, miss. Pleased to meet you."
He offered his hand and it was reasonably clean, so she rested her palm in his. As she suspected he would, he bent to kiss her hand, ignoring the dirt in the cracks of her fingernails. A true gentleman, then.
"Likewise," she purred. "Captain, I'm having a spot of trouble that I think you can help me with..."
*
Layton awoke with a searing headache, a small body pressed against his, and the in the background, a searing row.
"He's good with puzzles!" the woman seethed.
"Don't need someone else to split the haul with, woman," a man said sulkily.
"Well, it's better than sailing around in circles like a headless chicken! Do you have any better ideas?"
"I think he's waking up," a third, impatient male voice said, and there was no help for it. Layton cracked his eyes against the merciless sun.
One of his merciless-- captors?-- dragged him to his feet, away from his still-sleeping companion, and slapped him genially (and too hard) on the back. He smelled terrible-- all of him, from his hair to his breath to the clothes half-baked to his body. Layton tried not to breathe.
"Welcome," the apparition said, "to the Black Pearl. I am Captain Jack and these are my... associates."
Layton managed to discern the woman he'd met last night, and another gentleman, standing behind Jack. They were both frowning and sort of looked like they wanted to hit him.
"I, ah," Layton began, but he was polite to a fault, so he finished. "I am, er, Captain Layton of the Daisyshark. I'm not really sure... last night..."
The man froze for a moment, and then he was in Layton's face, pressed against Layton's body, and Layton felt like he was going to be sick. He stared into the kohl-darkened eyes in horror and watched a dirty, dirty finger brush gently against his cheek.
"Only one captain on the Pearl, my friend, and that's me."
Layton wasn't sure but he thought that the woman rolled her eyes. In any case, Jack stepped back again and waved an arm expansively. Layton rubbed his eyes and then looked around again in horror.
"Where did the land go?"
"Ah, well, got into a spot of trouble so we left bright and early this morning. Must give Layton time to do his calculation, I says, am I right?"
The captain turned to his friends and bowed in a mocking, flowing manner. Layton thought that he seemed drunk, nearly, but it wasn't even midday. How odd.
"I'm sorry?" he said, still attempting to maintain politeness. This time the woman stepped forward. Her hand tightened on Jack's shoulder for just a second before she was steering Layton around so that his eyes weren't in the sun.
"I'm sure you remember," she said, "that we recruited you to help us with our problem. That magnificent puzzle I described?"
"But my ship--"
"It's not your ship," she muttered under her breath, staring him in the eye meaningfully. "I know you're not the captain. You're just the naturalist. It was a good lie, though. They seemed pretty mad to lose you and the boy when we boarded and retrieved your things."
"The boy?" Layton repeated, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"You insisted on him," she said. "Personally I leave my son home when I can but I guess it was better than leaving him with strangers."
She nudged the sleeping form at their feet with one foot, gently, and Luke muttered something. Layton looked down at Luke, and then back at her, the horror spreading over his face now.
"What did I agree to?"
"A quarter of the treasure, no more, no less, and an adventure around the world, complete with hundreds of puzzles to solve and that starts with the map," she said firmly, drawing a slim tube from her pants pocket and wrapping his fingers around it.
"I don't know..." Layton said, and her eyes were suddenly fierce.
"We could always toss you over instead, see how well you swim."
"Who's to say you won't do that anyway?"
"We'd be less likely if you proved yourself useful," she said seriously, and after a long moment, he nodded, looking down at Luke again. Goodness, what had he done?
Nothing stronger than tea, ever again.
"He's not my son, you know," he said softly. Elizabeth raised her eyes to the bright sky.
"So you're one of those funny ones, eh? Couldn't have spotted that on a cloudy night. We don't care. Just get the job done, okay?"
"I say--" Layton began to protest, but the other man's hand was on his back, pushing him towards the door that led below decks. He tossed Layton in efficiently, and then Luke after him. Luke landed hard on the wood and groaned, rubbing his head and half-rising. His eyes were wide as he took in their surroundings.
"Professor, where are we?" he asked.
Layton pursed his lips. "On an adventure, apparently," he said, his voice disapproving, and he sat down at the desk and spread the map across it, setting to work.