Professor Layton and the Odd Keys

Chapter One

Return to Folsense

"Professor, a letter's come for you."

"Really? From whom?" Hershel Layton peered over his cup of Earl Grey toward the apprentice, Luke, who seemed to be triumphantly holding the daily mail.

"There doesn't seem to be a return address."

"Nothing at all? Hm. Let me see." Layton took the letter from Luke and looked it over. "No, no address. But the stamp on it says Folsense."

"What do you suppose anyone in Folsgate wants?" Luke asked. He flopped lazily on the embroidered sofa.

The Professor carefully stripped open the envelope and proceeded to read aloud.

" 'Dear Hershel, I regret to inform you that my Grandfather, Anton, has passed away.' " Layton sighed.

"Oh no. That's from Katia, isn't it?" Luke said quietly. "Do read on."

" 'It would be only appropriate for me to invite you and Luke to his funeral on the fifth of next month.' "

"I don't like funerals." Luke moaned.

"A gentleman never refuses an invitation, especially if we know the people involved."

"Ohh alright."

"We'll arrange for the proper transportation immediately."

Ever since Folsense had been exposed for what it really was, all sorts of commitees and people stepped up to the plate to fix the situation. The noxious fumes were subdued, and the city was restored. The transtation at Dropstone had been expanded so that an entirely different train drove to Folsense, while the Molentary Express went on it's way.

And so the esteemed professor purchased the tickets and within two weeks time he and Luke were on their way to visit Katia. Flora chose not to come, since she was still rather afraid of the city, even after almost two years.

Layton and his apprentice arrived two days prior to the funeral. They were greeted by Katia at the trainstation and taken to the manor.

"It's so good to see you after all this time." Katia said.

"The pleasure is all mine." Layton told her politely. "Again, I'm terribly sorry about your Grandfather."

"After all the time we spent together," Katia said, sullen. "I didn't know what to do once he passed. I even tried to tell myself that it was going to happen soon."

"Death is a shock to us all." Said the Professor. Luke nodded.

"Grandfather's funeral is Wednesday. So we'll have all day tomorrow to spend time in the city. It's changed quite a lot."

Professor Layton, Luke, and Katia passed beneath the still-sooty clock tower of Folsense to find that the city itself was decently cleaned up. It wasn't beaming like the hallucinations, but the buildings were much tidier.

"It appears that there has been quite a lot of renovations." Said the Professor. Katia hummed in agreement.

"Grandfather and I spent most of our time arranging the construction." She said. "He wanted nothing more than to make Folsgate a happy place again."

"Well I think he did an excellent job at it!" Luke beamed.

They walked past a cafe that was full of chatting people.

"I agree with Luke." Said Hershel.

"Let's go all through town tomorrow." Katia announced. "For now we can head to the manor for dinner."

Obviously, the manor had been fully reconstructed. Although it still stood at the end of the forest, the once-mining-town of a crater was completely gone. Now, a beautifully modest house stood in it's place.

"Ah, what architecture!" Layton exclaimed at the new building.

"Grandfather redesigned it himself." Katia said.

"A brilliant mind."

They walked through the white columns by the door and into the rich brown foyer. Goldleaf statues lined the walls and were reflected in the bright, caramel-colored marble floor tiles. Katia led them to the dining room on the left, which was just as gorgeous as the entryway.

"I'm quite awestruck." Said Layton.

"Thank you." Katia replied, blushing.

"What happened to Nigel?" Luke asked, peering around the table. There seemed to be an entirely new staff working.

"He left town." Katia said quietly. "I'm not sure why, but the new butlers are wonderful."

"Are the Mistress and her guests ready for the evening meal?" One of the new crew, a lean man with thinning black hair came out of the kitchen. He was dressed in a pin stripe suit, with an apron neatly tied around his waist.

"Yes." Katia told him politely. "Hershel, Luke; this is Lester, our head butler."

"Good evening Lester." Said Layton.

"Lovely weather." Lestor replied. "Tea?"

"Yes please." Layton and Luke said simutaneously. Luke laughed, which made Katia giggle.

"I'm glad to see you're still in high spirits though, Katia." Hershel said.

"Thank you." she answered quietly.

The three continued to talk throughout the evening, dining quietly on the remarkable food which Lestor and his ladies brought out dish-by-dish (Luke was particularly fond of the baked rosemary potatoes). As night grew near, the table was cleared and Katia led them to their rooms.

"If you haven't noticed," Katia began. "The manor is smaller than the original. And the bedrooms are a bit far apart."

"No matter." Said Layton. Katia smiled.

"Professor, I've had Lester bring your baggage into this room. And Luke, I'll show you yours. It's just down the hall here."

"Thank you Katia." Layton headed into the room. It wasn't exactly large, but a comfortable size nonetheless. The fluffy bed sat in a corner beneath a wide window, which looked gracefully over the forest. A small table of dark, polished wood was opposite the bed, with a round mirror mounted the wall behind it. The Professor drew the rich gold curtains shut and prepared for bed. Katia knocked at the door.

"Come in." Layton called. The door opened slowly.

"It means a lot to me that you two came." Katia said.

"Of course."

"You made Grandfather so happy. He spoke kindly of you often."

"I'm honored to hear. Unfortunately I never had the chance to really get to know him."

"I loved him dearly." Katia said softly.

"I believe he felt the same toward you." Layton said. Katia began to cry quietly. Hershel walked to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Loss is something we all face." He told her. "None of us are immune."

"I feel embarrassed." The woman whined.

"Why?! Crying is a normal reaction." Layton coaxed.

"You're so refined. I shouldn't let my emotions overtake me in your company."

"That's just silly. You cry as much as you wish."

Katia suddenly flung her arms around the Professor and wailed against his chest. He blushed.

"Well..." Hershel said, quite taken. "I...You...Believe...Hmm..."

The woman's crying subsided, and she looked up at the Professor.

"I believe bedrest is in order." He told her. She nodded.

"I'll have Lester bring tea to your room in the morning." Katia said, releasing the man from her lock. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Layton's Journal

October 3rd

"The lady Katia isn't as strong as she would have you believe. The death of her Grandfather is weighing heavily on her shoulders. The poor dear. The manor is a splendid structure; once a seething castle of misery, now a gorgeous temple to begin anew. Anton must have worked endlessly in his old age to fix his city. I believe he died knowing that he did as much as he could to restore Folsense. He must be with his Sofia again, finally. Oh, love. How very queer."