.: Behind the Mask of Unity :. [Inactive since 04/12/2012]

[Jackalfur]

((Drew a quick picture of Masquerade for future reference. I know, it's sketchy and the colors are slightly unorganized (They're also a bit darker than they were on the color palette), but I drew it in a matter of ten-fifteen minutes. ;w;

I hope school goes well for you! c: I'm not really excited about it either.))

"Oh, a-alright. Thanks." Zecora smiled slightly, still feeling a bit awkward. Her mind screamed out her annoyance for herself acting so cowardly, though she bowed gratefully and proceeded to trail over to the bench, which was near the two bickering citizens, though not so near as to hear every single word. She sat down quietly, turning over one wrist and staring at it as if to distract herself. Usually she was peppy and drowned out by enthusiasm and randomness, and one could not help but wonder if the girl had a seperate personality. But even when she acted dull, she perked up surprisingly quickly, though she had no ways of expressing it at the time, as interrupting a conflict with a random phrase would be a bit awkward to her.

Turning her arm back over, the thirteen-year old focused on a tune from a song she had learned on her ocarina. It made her smile a bit; it was the first melody she had known. She silently droned it, her eyes fixed on the ground beneath her.

Suddenly she had the feeling someone was staring at her, and looked up to see something peeking from behind one of the buildings near the Scotland Yard. A pair of hollow, lifeless eyes flashed and disappeared after a mere heartbeat. Zecora stared at the spot it was in for a few long moments, then blinked and raised her hand to press it to her forehead with a sigh. I must be hallucinating. If there hadn't have been a section in the daily newspaper about this masquerade, she could've convinced herself with just that thought, but somehow this time it didn't work as well as the time when the previous sighting of this "monstrous being" every citizen spoke of took place. It was horrifying to think that some deranged creature were to lurk in the shadows of the roads, especially taking the risk of trespassing into home property and intruding houses. Though, something just didn't feel right-- she felt she had seen the creature before, just a few years back. "Oh well," she murmured to herself, heaving another inaudible sigh and studying the ground. There was no use in worrying herself to death about it, when it might've just been a hallucination.


Soon the familiar shape of Gressenheller University came within sight.
"Hm?" Glancing toward the entrance, Layton saw Inspector Chelmey and Barton arguing with a university student and her Percheron horse. He walked over, and noticing his apprentice there as well, he tipped his hat forward in a gentlemanly fashion. "Why hello, Chelmey and Barton. Is there something the matter?" he asked calmly, flipping through the notebook he had in one hand.

((Poo, sorry Layton's is short. ono My brain is melting from my test today.))

[WarriorMoo]

((Eet's so cute :3 And I'll wait til you finish then, :>))

[WarriorMoo]

((Bump))

[Jackalfur]

((Sorry for taking so long! School's taken its toll on me already x_x
And I guess my cousin is only staying over until Sunday... I don't really know what my schedule for the weekend is xD
I edited it, I hope it's okay. ;w;'))

[WarriorMoo]

((That's quite alright :> And they announced the title of the sixth Professor Layton game in Japan, but....Rumor is that it might be the last...))

Artemis and Luke

"Professor!" Both the student and child said in unison.
Artemis shrunk away slightly. While she was always comfortable arguing with Chelmey, she had never met the Professor outside the school campus, and her rather stubborn attitude quickly switched to nervousness, tilting her head down a bit in shame.

She never disobeyed her teacher, and the Professor was no exception. She didn't dare to speak now, allowing Chelmey to interrupt her train of thought rather abruptly. "This girl's being stubborn and all. She always bends the rules, and I'm sick and tired of it!" Snapped the inspector, crossing his arms. "The law says no horses on campus, she acts like she is completely unaware of it."

Artemis gave a huff, resting a hand on Solomon's neck, who had been staring blankly at the girl on the bench, ears perked foward in interest. She dare not look at the others around her, her eyes grown dull and stressed and a taut line formed on her lips.

"What's worse, this kid of yours decided to get himself involved! Keep a closer eye on him, Layton!" Chelmey spat.
"Hey!" Luke sneered, his lower lip stiffening as he tried to defend himself. "I was just trying to help!" He said crossly, folding his arms.

"Look," Finally, the student piped up, her voice softer, with a tone that sounded just a little short of being apologetic. "I'll say it again, all I was doing was going to pick up my guitar, and be on my way. Satisfying enough?" Her gaze rested on the inspector, once again a small gleam of dread in them. Had the Professor not been here, it was probably she would have continued her stubborn argument.

[Jackalfur]

((Aw, really? D:
I only heard that it'll be the last game starring Layton as the main protagonist, but even so, it wouldn't be the same without him ;n; I'm hoping they change their minds, but if it's been announced...))

Zecora hesitantly looked up as the Professor neared them. While she thought she had better not get involved, another part of her mind thought otherwise, and at last she spoke up when Chelmey accused Luke of getting involved. "He was just trying to help," she insisted, getting up from the bench and waving her arms dramatically. "Now, I think it's time for this argument to stop?" She lengthened the word stop a little, her random humor rushing back eventually. It wasn't long before she'd picked up the courage to speak, and the courage to act a little silly as well.

She glanced between the group, tipping her head to one side as if nothing had happened at all, though it was obvious something was bothering her, even if she didn't act like it. The incredibly skinny figure that seemed it had been staring at her before nagged at her brain, tensing her nerves slightly. "We don't have to fight, right?" she echoed her own thoughts, yet again the ghost of a shy-seeming smile on her face. It was almost like she was barely ever unhappy, and even when she was, she bounced right back up to the plate as quickly as possible.

But then, as she noticed the Professor staring at her in what seemed to be mild awe, the girl silenced and decided to let him deal with the rest. After all, he was older and wiser than she was, and at the moment Zecora thought her words wouldn't do a thing to help. "Ehe... Sorry."


Layton blinked in surprise as the young girl that had been sitting quietly on the bench walked over and spoke up. Fine words, he thought, looking at Artemis and then to Chelmey. "This young lady is right," he said thoughtfully, closing the notebook. "We don't have to cause conflict, and I'm sure Luke was just trying to help. Can you let it pass this one time, Chelmey?" he inquired, "I'll be sure it doesn't happen again. But the law does say no horse parking on the university campus, yes."

For a moment the Professor had a feeling the young light-blond haired girl had already seen the nicknamed "Masquerade," due to how uneasy she had been. Of course, it wouldn't have been the first sighting. "Instead we should focus on the present case," he continued, trying to calm the scene. "I had an encounter with a citizen who had her purse stolen not too long ago today." Rubbing his chin in thought, he cleared his throat.

[WarriorMoo]

((I hope he'll atleast make appearances in future games, if they make them. But seriously, how did I somehow know they were gonna put Luke in an open jacket?))

Artemis and Luke

Artemis cocked a brow in interest as she noticed the blonde haired girl pipe up from the bench, waving her arms in defense of the child who had interfered, and who had apparently knew the Professor. The girl seem to acknowledge the Professor's surprise for her sudden interference, to which she apologized. "Ah, no, it's not a problem, really.." Artemis replied aloud, in an almost unbothered, yet slightly surprised tone as she pulled a lock of dark hair behind her ear, running her hand down her thick ponytail.

Chelmey gave a groan, stuffing his hands into his pockets. While he usually would argue, he truelly did see Layton as a respectable man, albeit sometimes a little too soft in the Inspector's opinion. "Alright, I'll let it slide for now. But if I catch you again with that horse here, there will be no excuse!" He muttered, giving a roll of his eyes. Almost instantly, the student's face lit up, as did the face Layton's young apprentice. "Wow, good on you!" He smiled at the young woman.

Chelmey gazed at the boy for a few moments, before resting those sharp eyes on Artemis for one final glance, and then turned away, stepping back down the streets with Constable Barton loyally following.

"Whew! And I thought he'd never leave!" Artemis gave a sigh of relief, casually wiping a hand across her forehead. "Uh..Thanks, Professor. I didn't really expect that to happen, I'll admit it. Sully here gives his thanks here, too." She said, gazing at the ground with a look of embarassment. She then ran a pale hand down the silvery gray neck of the Percheron, who turned his head slightly to catch sight of his rider.

"That's never a problem for the famous Professor Layton, right, Professor?" Luke smiled, gazing at his top-hatted mentor diligently. "Hey, so you know each other huh? Well, although it wasn't exactly necessary, thanks for standing up for me too, kiddo." The student chuckled lightly. "And uh, you too," She nodded her head towards the blonde haired girl.

 "Say, speaking of Masquerade, I was wondering about that. It intrigues me, really. I mean, how many times do you see a fox thing or whatever with a skull for a mask? Better yet, I'd like to know what kind of skull." Artemis spoke up with excitement, cocking her head to the side. "Do you think that thing stole her purse...But why would a fox steal a purse? I thought they just rummage through the garbage and rubbish." Artemis kept note on her terms, after all, this was England, not America. She had been keeping herself aware of that for ten years now.

While Artemis had been occupied with Layton, Luke quickly stepped over to Zecora, the smile on his face growing wider. "Thanks for your help. I think you can come over with us now. Don't worry, the Professor's really nice!" He said heartedly, trying to enlighten the child.

His stomach suddenly growled, catching Artemis's attention, and making her even chuckle a bit. Luke blushed with embarassment; he had slept in a little later than he should have this morning, and in such anxiety and excitement, had skipped breakfast to meet with the Professor by Gressenheller. Luke clutched his blue sweater as soon as his stomach growled again, rather loudly as well. "Uhm..Professor? Can we get something to eat?" He said with a rather innocent tone in his voice.

[WarriorMoo]

((Bumps to keep from falling on the second page o,o))

[Jackalfur]

((I don't know x3 But yeah, me too.
Poo, so sorry ;n; I guess plans changed and my cousin wanted to stay until Monday, so today we brought her back to Sandusky. We had to drive the turnpike four times xD))

Zecora studied the ground a little bit, just out of earshot of Artemis's thoughts on Masquerade. She looked up as Luke thanked her, a smile creeping upon her face. "No problem," she responded in a singsong voice, adjusting her ivory hat in some sort of happy pride.

As her friend's stomach rumbled, she giggled quietly under her breath, then gave a stretch. "Food... my number one favorite noun!" she declared jokingly, folding her arms behind her head. She was always hungry, and that was that.

The girl glanced over to where the Professor was standing. Wow, I wonder what it's like to be the famous Professor Layton's apprentice. she thought to herself, somewhat amazed. It wasn't everyday when you actually met the Professor and his apprentice face-to-face.

Zecora's stomach felt hollow already, even though she had already ate earlier that morning. Right now, she guessed it was at least 10:00 AM, but she had woken up a little later than usual. "I'm actually a little hungry, too..." she admitted, struggling to hide a giggle of embarrassment.


"Hm? Of course." Layton tipped his hat a little, having been acknowledging Artemis's muse on the recent crime. He then looked to the young blond-haired lady, who wore a top-hat as well, though smaller and with an off-white color. "Do your parents know you're out?" he asked.

"Yes, I need to be back by sundown. I'm sure they won't mind," she replied with a timid smile.

"Alright, then. Would you like to join us?"

"It'd be an honor."

"Alright, then. Where shall we go? You may choose," he added, referring to the whole group with a gentlemanly hand gesture.

[Jackalfur]

((Little bump~ <3 I edited. I think I may be getting writers' block, it's starting to take me an hour or two to think up a long-ish reply. ;A;))