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storypaint) wrote2009-03-13 02:54 pm
storypaint) wrote2009-03-13 02:54 pm
Professor Layton and the Mysterious House; or Scooby Doo Meets Professor Layton (Layton gen)
Title: Professor Layton and the Mysterious House; or Scooby Doo Meets Professor Layton
Length: 1185 words
Prompt: Professor Layton (Anon) Fan Meme: Scooby Doo crossover
Pairing: gen
Other: n/a
Excerpt: "Ghost of Lincoln! Ghost of Lincoln!" the first stranger said, pointing from his position on the ground.
A board creaked, and Luke tensed. Layton laughed softly.
"Don't be so antsy," he recommended to his apprentice. "It's just an old house. I'm sure the owner wouldn't mind us coming in for some shelter from the rain. Even though I hate to leave the Laytonmobile in this downpour..."
"It's just a car, Professor," Luke said dryly, relaxing a bit. He didn't like the way the candle played across the shadows.
"A sensitive old car," Layton protested.
"So sensitive it died," Luke pointed out, taking another cautious step. The floor shrieked like demons were after them. Luke winced and hoped it was safe to walk on.
And that's when the two people dashed around the corner and smashed into them.
*
"Aaaaaaaaaah!" someone screamed.
"Raaaaaaaaaah!" someone else yelled thickly.
"Goodness me!" the professor said, climbing to his feet and dusting off his jacket.
"Ghost of Lincoln! Ghost of Lincoln!" the first stranger said, pointing from his position on the ground.
"Excuse me?" Luke began.
"And Todd Lincoln!" the man screeched, scrambling to his feet and darting around the corner. The second person-- actually, Luke thought it looked like a huge dog-- followed after.
"Well," the professor said, adjusting his hat, "I wonder what they're on about. We should go apologize for our home invasion, my boy."
"Good idea," Luke said, and then after a moment, "Professor, who is Lincoln?"
"I believe I've heard the name before," his mentor said thoughtfully, "but I'm not sure."
He arranged matchsticks into a box puzzle and then relit the candle so he could do it properly. When it was solved, they moved deeper into the house, in the direction that the man and his dog had fled.
*
"WE SAW THE GHOST OF LINCOLN," Shaggy insisted as they caught up with the rest of the gang. Scooby nodded, doing his best Lincoln impression.
"Rincoln, Rincoln!" he said. Velma laughed gently. One had to treat the two of them carefully.
"Shaggy, that doesn't make any sense. There's supposed to be a Southern belle ghost here, not a President. Lincoln never even came here."
"We saw him!"
"An' Todd Rincoln!" Scooby insisted.
"Do we really have two mysteries in this little town?" Fred asked thoughtfully.
Velma rolled her eyes, and that's when the two strangers turned the corner.
*
"RINCOLN!" Scooby shouted, jumping into Shaggy's arms, and the rest of the gang gaped for a moment, until the man held up his candle to reveal a perfectly normal, non-ghost-like face.
"Excuse me," he said politely. "We don't mean to intrude, but the Laytonmobile broke down..."
"What's with the hat?" Daphne asked. The man blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"Doesn't matter," Fred said cheerfully. "I'm Fred, and this is Mysteries, Inc."
"Delighted," the man said, doffing his hat to them. "I'm Professor Layton, and this is my apprentice Luke."
"Not Rincoln?" Scooby asked, venturing out of Shaggy's embrace to sniff Luke's offered hand. He let the boy pet him, and Luke grinned. It had been a while since he'd been able to play with an animal.
"There you go, Shaggy," Fred said, waving a hand. "Professor Layton and Luke. No ghosts there."
"Then whooooooooooooo--" Shaggy began, voice rising, "--is this?"
He pointed to a woman in a long dress and a large hat, who had came up behind them as they were chatting. She lifted her head, revealing a ghostly face, and she grinned.
Everyone screamed and ran.
*
"Professor!" Luke said, panting. "Does... something strike... you strange... about this house?"
Layton ducked into the hallway behind his nimble apprentice. Attempting to run and breath and talk as well, he said, "It doesn't make any sense! The architecture!"
"That's what I thought!" Luke said, running straight into Scooby and Shaggy, who screamed and ran in the other direction.
"I'm sure I saw them run in a different direction!" the professor insisted. "Quite a puzzle!"
"You're telling me!" Luke said. "How did we get back here?"
He had a stitch in his side and stopped running, finally, trying to catch his breath. The professor had his hands on his knees, trying to breathe too. And they were right back where they'd met the other people.
"No sense," Layton said, wheezing, as Fred, Daphne, and Velma darted into the room, slamming the door behind them.
"We need a plan!" Fred said cheerily. He didn't even appear winded.
*
It would have probably been much easier to use more willing bait than the dog, who had to be bribed, and it might have made more sense to set up something more foolproof than the involved contraption Fred had invented. Layton suggested several useful improvements, which Fred ignored cheerfully, and after a while, he began to tell Velma puzzles. She was quite good at them.
"All right, Scoob, are you ready?" Daphne asked the dog as he prepared to play the distraction. His knees knocked together-- something Luke would never have believed if he hadn't seen it-- but then again, he didn't seem like a very put-together dog.
"Reary!" he said, gulping, and he and Shaggy managed to get into the hallway before shouting and fleeing.
"It's as if the monsters are attracted to them," Velma explained. "Works every time."
There was a decisive crash as the monster fell into the trap. Luke looked at Layton and shrugged. Whatever worked, he supposed.
By the time they'd made it down the hallway, Velma was already pulling the mask off of the ghost.
"Just as I suspected," she said triumphantly. "Maisie Golddigger, the caretaker's wife!"
The woman frowned as police sirens began to wail in the distance.
"Professor," Luke whispered, "if they had a phone, why were they staying in this house in the dark?"
"I'm not sure, my boy," Layton said, leaning down to reply.
They were certainly the least orthodox mystery-solvers he'd ever seen. And he himself was a famous archaeologist who solved puzzles and mysteries in his spare time.
"And I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!" the woman said grumpily, and to Layton's surprise, the group of them began to laugh.
"The rain seems to have stopped, Professor," Luke said.
"Perhaps we should take our leave, then," he said, and they left the gang with their criminal.
*
The Laytonmobile was persuaded to start after a few moments of careful thumping and some odd noises. They were away down the road and had been traveling for a few minutes before Luke spoke.
"You know what's strange, Professor?"
"Hmm?"
"Well, I mean, those guys were pretty strange all over, but, it's just..."
"Yes?"
"They acted like their dog could talk to them!" he said, leaning back in his seat and looking out the window at a passing van that had to have been painted by a man on an acid trip. It honked at them as it went.
"Well, you've told me you can talk to animals, Luke," Layton said reasonably, dodging potholes. Luke held onto the car a little tighter.
"Yeah," he said thoughtfully, "but that dog didn't speak English, that's for sure."
Layton began to laugh, and after a moment, Luke joined in. (Later, neither of them were quite sure, but they left the incident there. It seemed like the ending.)
Length: 1185 words
Prompt: Professor Layton (Anon) Fan Meme: Scooby Doo crossover
Pairing: gen
Other: n/a
Excerpt: "Ghost of Lincoln! Ghost of Lincoln!" the first stranger said, pointing from his position on the ground.
A board creaked, and Luke tensed. Layton laughed softly.
"Don't be so antsy," he recommended to his apprentice. "It's just an old house. I'm sure the owner wouldn't mind us coming in for some shelter from the rain. Even though I hate to leave the Laytonmobile in this downpour..."
"It's just a car, Professor," Luke said dryly, relaxing a bit. He didn't like the way the candle played across the shadows.
"A sensitive old car," Layton protested.
"So sensitive it died," Luke pointed out, taking another cautious step. The floor shrieked like demons were after them. Luke winced and hoped it was safe to walk on.
And that's when the two people dashed around the corner and smashed into them.
*
"Aaaaaaaaaah!" someone screamed.
"Raaaaaaaaaah!" someone else yelled thickly.
"Goodness me!" the professor said, climbing to his feet and dusting off his jacket.
"Ghost of Lincoln! Ghost of Lincoln!" the first stranger said, pointing from his position on the ground.
"Excuse me?" Luke began.
"And Todd Lincoln!" the man screeched, scrambling to his feet and darting around the corner. The second person-- actually, Luke thought it looked like a huge dog-- followed after.
"Well," the professor said, adjusting his hat, "I wonder what they're on about. We should go apologize for our home invasion, my boy."
"Good idea," Luke said, and then after a moment, "Professor, who is Lincoln?"
"I believe I've heard the name before," his mentor said thoughtfully, "but I'm not sure."
He arranged matchsticks into a box puzzle and then relit the candle so he could do it properly. When it was solved, they moved deeper into the house, in the direction that the man and his dog had fled.
*
"WE SAW THE GHOST OF LINCOLN," Shaggy insisted as they caught up with the rest of the gang. Scooby nodded, doing his best Lincoln impression.
"Rincoln, Rincoln!" he said. Velma laughed gently. One had to treat the two of them carefully.
"Shaggy, that doesn't make any sense. There's supposed to be a Southern belle ghost here, not a President. Lincoln never even came here."
"We saw him!"
"An' Todd Rincoln!" Scooby insisted.
"Do we really have two mysteries in this little town?" Fred asked thoughtfully.
Velma rolled her eyes, and that's when the two strangers turned the corner.
*
"RINCOLN!" Scooby shouted, jumping into Shaggy's arms, and the rest of the gang gaped for a moment, until the man held up his candle to reveal a perfectly normal, non-ghost-like face.
"Excuse me," he said politely. "We don't mean to intrude, but the Laytonmobile broke down..."
"What's with the hat?" Daphne asked. The man blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"Doesn't matter," Fred said cheerfully. "I'm Fred, and this is Mysteries, Inc."
"Delighted," the man said, doffing his hat to them. "I'm Professor Layton, and this is my apprentice Luke."
"Not Rincoln?" Scooby asked, venturing out of Shaggy's embrace to sniff Luke's offered hand. He let the boy pet him, and Luke grinned. It had been a while since he'd been able to play with an animal.
"There you go, Shaggy," Fred said, waving a hand. "Professor Layton and Luke. No ghosts there."
"Then whooooooooooooo--" Shaggy began, voice rising, "--is this?"
He pointed to a woman in a long dress and a large hat, who had came up behind them as they were chatting. She lifted her head, revealing a ghostly face, and she grinned.
Everyone screamed and ran.
*
"Professor!" Luke said, panting. "Does... something strike... you strange... about this house?"
Layton ducked into the hallway behind his nimble apprentice. Attempting to run and breath and talk as well, he said, "It doesn't make any sense! The architecture!"
"That's what I thought!" Luke said, running straight into Scooby and Shaggy, who screamed and ran in the other direction.
"I'm sure I saw them run in a different direction!" the professor insisted. "Quite a puzzle!"
"You're telling me!" Luke said. "How did we get back here?"
He had a stitch in his side and stopped running, finally, trying to catch his breath. The professor had his hands on his knees, trying to breathe too. And they were right back where they'd met the other people.
"No sense," Layton said, wheezing, as Fred, Daphne, and Velma darted into the room, slamming the door behind them.
"We need a plan!" Fred said cheerily. He didn't even appear winded.
*
It would have probably been much easier to use more willing bait than the dog, who had to be bribed, and it might have made more sense to set up something more foolproof than the involved contraption Fred had invented. Layton suggested several useful improvements, which Fred ignored cheerfully, and after a while, he began to tell Velma puzzles. She was quite good at them.
"All right, Scoob, are you ready?" Daphne asked the dog as he prepared to play the distraction. His knees knocked together-- something Luke would never have believed if he hadn't seen it-- but then again, he didn't seem like a very put-together dog.
"Reary!" he said, gulping, and he and Shaggy managed to get into the hallway before shouting and fleeing.
"It's as if the monsters are attracted to them," Velma explained. "Works every time."
There was a decisive crash as the monster fell into the trap. Luke looked at Layton and shrugged. Whatever worked, he supposed.
By the time they'd made it down the hallway, Velma was already pulling the mask off of the ghost.
"Just as I suspected," she said triumphantly. "Maisie Golddigger, the caretaker's wife!"
The woman frowned as police sirens began to wail in the distance.
"Professor," Luke whispered, "if they had a phone, why were they staying in this house in the dark?"
"I'm not sure, my boy," Layton said, leaning down to reply.
They were certainly the least orthodox mystery-solvers he'd ever seen. And he himself was a famous archaeologist who solved puzzles and mysteries in his spare time.
"And I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!" the woman said grumpily, and to Layton's surprise, the group of them began to laugh.
"The rain seems to have stopped, Professor," Luke said.
"Perhaps we should take our leave, then," he said, and they left the gang with their criminal.
*
The Laytonmobile was persuaded to start after a few moments of careful thumping and some odd noises. They were away down the road and had been traveling for a few minutes before Luke spoke.
"You know what's strange, Professor?"
"Hmm?"
"Well, I mean, those guys were pretty strange all over, but, it's just..."
"Yes?"
"They acted like their dog could talk to them!" he said, leaning back in his seat and looking out the window at a passing van that had to have been painted by a man on an acid trip. It honked at them as it went.
"Well, you've told me you can talk to animals, Luke," Layton said reasonably, dodging potholes. Luke held onto the car a little tighter.
"Yeah," he said thoughtfully, "but that dog didn't speak English, that's for sure."
Layton began to laugh, and after a moment, Luke joined in. (Later, neither of them were quite sure, but they left the incident there. It seemed like the ending.)