His and Hers

Chapter 4: Intricate Procedures

It was a bit of domestic bliss, if the Prof was to be honest on how to describe their situation at the moment. Despite being at some fancy and posh hotel with the intent of stopping a murderer, he couldn't quite help but feel as though he and Lucy were a domestic couple. Perhaps because she did, indeed, make the effort. Even in their room, when nobody was watching. The concept didn't evade him, but he couldn't continue to ponder it to such an obsessive degree. Rather, the Prof chose to worry about the case—more specifically, the case file that seemed to betray him by just being useless.

"Do you know how hard it is do be a detective when we practically have no information of what we need to prevent?" The Prof gritted out, skimming once again the same text he had read while they were on the train, hoping he had missed something. But no, he hadn't. It was simply because the minimal case file lacked so much. Lucy glanced up from the wardrobe--she had specifically asked that she'd put everything away, much to his chagrin--and shrugged to him.

"We've gone on little information before, innit Prof? We know we're to prevent the possible-victim from getting murdered from one of his people, right? We also know who we need to keep an eye on, eh? It's more than our usual three but...you could probably narrow it down from there." She responded, closing the wardrobe and coming close to him. She leaned forward against the back of the chair where he sat, plucking the case file from his hands and examining it for herself.

"Yes, but we had motives before. We had reason for people to do things to them. Here, I don't see any reason for anyone to be blackmailed or even remotely have any reason against Luke Tucker. Most people here are socialites and delegates, nothing to compare to how...plain Luke is. There's nothing that necessarily draws anyone here together except that meeting." The Prof used a finger to tap at his chin, "I should have read the case file before we even set foot in that car, Lucy."

Lucy only smiled, closing the case file and setting it on the coffee table.

"We'll bat down any case that comes to us, one at a time, isn't that what we said?" Lucy recalled, back to when she had first met him.

"You mean, what you said that day." The memory amused him, to which he had recalled that he had previously wanted absolutely nothing to do with her--an assistant wasn't what he had needed, he needed closure. But he had gotten that and more after her arrival, to which he couldn't say he regretted being her mentor. "I remember."

"Aye, well, you know what I mean! It still applies. Don't tell me that the great Alfendi Layton can't solve a case because he doesn't have enough information. We got three days, innit? Three days to figure out who's gonna do it." She kissed the top of his forehead as though it was a normal thing for her to do and smiled, "I'm going to use the shower first, Prof. Go mull it over some more, I'm sure your brilliant mind will figure summat out." She rifled through the wardrobe, finding something appropriate with a hum, and closed it. The door to the bathroom opened, closed, and it felt like an eternity before he heard the shower turn on. The Prof let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, attempting to ignore the fact that Lucy was naked in the other room. Rather than entertaining some silly thought further, he opened the doors to the balcony, allowing the breeze to cool him off.

"This is idiotic. We're like a petulant teenager gaining the affections of a long-admired crush. How could she have us like this?"

"If I knew why she was putting up this charade while nobody is watching, you wouldn't have to say anything to me."

"My deduction is that she's getting into character. Getting used to being attracted to us. She is a natural at what she does, but chooses to continue instead of breaking the magic."