#celia: luke

[callofthxvoid]

WHO: Luke Matthews, Calloway de la Luna, Celia Reyes Ortega

SUMMARY: Three people have dinner and talk about grief.

TW: Mentions of death

luke didn’t feel like his usual self for obvious reasons but most people didn’t actually know why. sure people knew lincoln and him were friends and could chop it up to that but there was more to it than just that. he’d only been leaving his house for work, the bar and to walk lady which is what he was doing now. making sure she could still get her energy out before dusk hit and was letting her run around wherever she wanted to right now.

"I'm just worried about him, I don't know what all he's been up to lately," Cal mumbled as he walked next to Celia. It was their new routine, her coming to the library or him going to the diner, then going back to her place. He'd been sleeping easier now days, less nights spent at the library. He brushed his hand against the back of hers, "Losing someone isn't easy and-" cutting himself off when he spotted Luke and Lady walking towards them. "Well speak of the devil, I was telling Celia it's been a while since I've seen Lady."

Celia was about to take Cal's hand when she heard him calling out to Luke. Looking over at the pair, she greeted them with a warm, if somewhat subdued smile, before crouching down to pet Lady. "Hello beautiful," she greeted, before looking up at Luke. "It is genuinely good to see you, Luke. Both of you." She gave Lady a few more pets before standing back up. "How are you holding up? I… I can't even imagine how you must be feeling at the moment."

the intention wasn’t to run into people but it is a small town after all. luke gave a quick nod to cal and watched as celia pet lady, shrugging at the question. “i’m fine,” he said putting his hands in his pockets. “it’s life i guess, people die in this town all the time what can you do.” he shrugged again.

They'd lost so many people this year, he hadn't known any of them personally. The closest being that reporter who knew Jay's dad's coworker. While he sympathized for them, it hadn't affected his day to day. "Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt still," Cal said studying him, pushing the thoughts of his sister away wanting to focus on Luke. "You eat dinner yet?" Glancing at Celia, technically it wasn't his house, but he hoped she'd understand what it was he was suggesting.

Celia looked at Luke with a slightly worried expression before glancing at Cal. She didn't mind that he had extended the invitation to Luke on her behalf - in fact, that only endeared him to her more. It was exactly what she had planned on doing anyway. "If not, you're very welcome to come over," she filled in. "In fact, I would encourage it. Guillermo is at his other place and Felipe is with Jay. Gives me an excuse to cook for more than two people."

luke only nodded some, it hurt a hell of a lot more than he was willing to show even though it was getting increasingly more difficult to hide just how much this affected him. "not yet, i was just gonna grab something at the diner probably." though he hadn't had an actual home cooked meal since finding out not having the energy to do anything else besides work and caring for lady. "i guess i could come over though, it alright if lady comes with? she's been getting upset when i leave her at home alone."

It was hard to keep his face neutral, part of Cal wanted to just hug Luke and tell him things would be ok. But realistically he couldn't even be sure, that and he knew well enough how hollow that could feel to hear. "Well you have the diner owner offering to cook for you," he tried to joke glancing at her, "No offense to your cooks, but you are the better cook." Bending down to pet Lady on the head, he figured Celia would say yes.

Celia felt a slight sense of relief when Luke agreed to come over for dinner. She laughed softly and shook her head at Cal's comment. "You only think that because at home I cook entirely different food than what we serve at the diner," she reasoned, before looking at Luke again and nodding in the affirmative. "Of course, Lady is always welcome. There might even be a meal in it for her too depending on what I have." Slipping her hand into Cal's, she nodded in the direction that they had been heading in. "Shall we?"

“that’s true i do.” luke managed to chuckle a bit. he nodded some and watched lady enjoy getting all the attention and at the mention of her possibly getting something to her ears perked up. luke shook his head at her with a slight smile and started walking in the direction now. “i’m sorry i didn’t ask, how are you guys?”

It still surprised Cal how easy it had been to fall into step with her, "I have gotten less Luke lectures over my diet not being just coffee now," giving her hand a light squeeze. "Same old same old at the library, other than trying to get Josie to take it easy," he said figuring it be better to take things light for now as they headed back. "Not sure if you heard but she's expecting."

Celia squeezed his hand back before looking over at Luke with a small smile. "It's the same at the diner, just getting used to operating things like normal now that the power is back, and we're not having to pick and choose what to run on the generator," she filled in after Cal's answer. "And the family is good. Now that school is back in session, you might actually see more of my son than I do. When he's not there, he's usually with Jay."

"i saw the paper said she was yeah." surprisingly luke had actually somehow managed to read that at some point, maybe it was a way to distract his mind he wasn't sure since he didn't typically read it. he was looking at the ground as they walked, reaching over a few times to pet lady along the way. "i'm glad powers back on, not that i really needed it for school but i'm sure the kids are glad the ac is back."

Cal grimaced at the mention of the paper, he'd have to check in on her later he thought. Having all your business out there wasn't going to help her out of whatever spiral she kept slipping into. "The kids and Jay seemed pretty happy about," he agreed, "Grateful for having it back for the library, having to open all the windows was getting a bit much." As they walked back he kept an eye on Luke, trying to gauge how he seemed to be doing, not feeling particularly reassured even with the affection he showed Lady.

Celia listened in, letting the two of them carry most of the conversation as they made their way back to her house, occasionally chiming in with a comment. She caught Cal's glances toward Luke a couple of times and each time she squeezed his hand to let him know that she was there. When they got to the house, she unlocked the door and swiftly made her way toward the kitchen. "Please make yourself at home," she called out."Can I get you anything to drink?"

luke nodded in agreement, he wasn't feeling very talkative as they walked so it was mostly cal speaking but he'd still try and chime in to keep the conversation going so neither of them felt like he was ignoring them. he let cal walk inside first then let lady follow behind, closing the door behind himself when he actually walked in. "oh um, i'll just take a water please." luke headed towards the living room instead so he could keep lady in there with him so she wouldn't try and get into the kitchen while celia was in there. "thanks for inviting me over by the way."

Cal had followed Celia into the kitchen grabbing three glasses and a small bowl. He set a water glass near her already knowing how she could be when cooking. Taking the other to Luke and setting the bowl for Lady down. Taking a seat on the couch he took a sip, "Course, you know I always have time for you." He wasn't always this open about his sincerity but with everything going on wasting time on being afraid of making things awkward no longer seemed worth the effort. Taking another sip he debated the elephant in the room before deciding to at least slide into it. "You been sleeping ok? Was pretty hot there for a minute."

Celia smiled at Cal at mouthed a 'thank you' before following him with her gaze as he left the kitchen and walked into the living room. She spent the next time in the kitchen humming to herself and preparing various ingredients. If they needed her, she reasoned, they knew exactly where she was.

luke took the glass and gave a quick nods and thanks before taking a sip from it. he held it in his hand as he leaned against the back of the couch and gave a simple shrug. "yeah a bit, doesn't help i've got this giant fur ball wanting to cuddle at night." he was grateful for it though, he needed it and lady knew that so he really didn't mind. "she's been coming with me to work more often too, the kids have been excited about that."

Cal scratched idly at Lady's head when she came over to sit next to him, he took a long sip sneaking a glance at Celia. He knew she was listening so if this went sideways he hoped she'd step in before he glanced back at Luke. "You know, no one would blame you if you needed to take some time off work. I didn't start at the library till at least a month after I got here. I didn't really feel like myself, least not a me without her," he said briefly grimacing at the end.

Celia continued cooking.

luke shook his head. "i'm fine, i don't need to take the time off work. he was just a friend so whatever, i'll get over it eventually." though he knew he'd told cal and celia otherwise or at the very least mentioned it being his best friend and it would've been easy to put two and two together. "i don't want to take the time off anyway." he needed the company even if it was the form of his students that he had to teach, it still helped.

Cal chewed on his lip as he rubbed the back of his neck, hell he'd barely dealt with his own grief who was he to say anything to him? "This isn't the kind of thing you just get over Luke, and…the way you talked about him, he wasn't just a friend was he?" He wasn't sure at what point they'd reached but with how Luke was talking he was leaning towards them still being in that weird limbo zone.

Celia had forgone humming to herself while cooking in order to listen in on their conversation. She stopped in her tracks when she heard Luke refer to Lincoln as just a friend, a memory of a conversation they'd had a while back resurfacing from the back of her mind, causing her to furrow her eyebrows. Judging from what Cal responded, it seemed the two of them had had a similar conversation, and she quickly went back to preparing their food, albeit paying closer attention to what was being said.

luke was chewing on the inside of his cheek at this point. cal wasn’t technically right but he also wasn’t wrong either. “he was.” he said, taking another drink from his water to try and stop himself from saying anything more at that moment. it took him a second to gather his thoughts before he just blurted it out anyway. “but i wanted us to be more than that.”

Cal's gaze softened as he studied look, without thinking he'd glanced over at Celia while Luke wasn't looking at him. Partly to see if she needed help and partly just for the moral support for all this. Feeling a bit guilty that he had that while Luke didn't. "I'm sorry," he said glancing back at Luke, "How have you been feeling about this, or…are you just holding it in?"

Celia turned to catch Cal's eye, offering him a small smile before mouthing the words 'be right there' and turning her attention back to her cooking, at least until it reached a point where she could leave it alone for a little bit. Luckily, growing up in a house as chaotic as theirs had resulted in a lot of her staple meals being of the 'throw shit into the pan and wait for it to cook' variety. Setting the pan to a simmer, she picked up her glass of water and walked to the frame of the door, leaning against it as the watched the two of them on the couch. "Did you ever get around to telling him?"

luke took a deep breath and fell silent for a while. cal somehow always knew how exactly he was feeling about something even if he didn’t express it and as frustrating as it was in the moment it helped. luke shrugged now, “no i never got to tell him.” he decided to answer celia first since that one was easier. “and i… don’t know. maybe? i guess i haven’t fully come to terms that he’s gone yet.”

Cal had gone back to petting Lady, mostly to not stare at Luke, opting to let him work through his thoughts. He gave Celia a grateful nod, shoulders relaxing when she came over to the doorway. He bit back a sigh at Luke's confession, or well lack of confession. Nodding his gaze fell back to Lady, gently motioning for her to go back to Luke. "Yea that…that's the hard part. You wake up and you don't…you um," swallowing he shrugged, "You forget sometimes, then it hits you again, but uh…it does get easier. It doesn't hurt as much." He managed to give Luke a small smile, "It does get easier, he was a great guy."

Celia had planned on staying in the doorway to the kitchen, but Luke's admission that he hadn't told Lincoln how he felt and Cal's awkward attempts at comfort prompted her to make her way to the couch, perching on the armrest next to Luke and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I can't say that I've ever gone through what you're going through," she started, squeezing his shoulder lightly. "But when I was at my lowest, the biggest mistake I made was trying to carry on with my life as if nothing was wrong. I needed help, and I refused to ask for it, and that ultimately made things harder for myself and the people around me."

luke had heard that it'd get easier before, he didn't believe it then and he wasn't really believing it now. maybe that was partially because of what celia had added on, acting like nothing was wrong and that he wasn't as upset as he was leading people on to be. he hadn't noticed lady coming back to him until she rested her head on his knee wanting attention so he scratched her head. "i just don't know what to do, every time i think about him all i feel like doing is crawling into bed and crying thinking that'll fix everything. like somehow my tears will bring him back but they don't and they won't." luke cleared his throat a bit, biting the inside of his cheek. "i was supposed to see him the day after i found out… i was going to finally tell him then.."

Cal's sister had been the people person, better at talking than him. He'd like to think she and Luke would have gotten along, probably bond over teasing him. His insomnia hasn't been as bad lately, can see the same look in Luke's eyes he'd seen on the mirror for months. "You don't have to do anything, just take it day by day," he said, "Honestly crying isn't a bad way to let it out." He grimaced at Luke's words, "It might not be the same but if you ever wanted to go see him and tell him that way. Might at least let some of what you're carrying go."

"Cal is right," Celia filled in, glancing up to give Cal a small smile while keeping her hand on Luke's shoulder. "Even if crying doesn't bring him back, you shouldn't stop yourself from feeling what you need to feel." She leaned forward to set her glass of water down on the coffee table before looking back at Luke. "You're not alone. If you'd like to go see him and talk to him, one or both of us can come with you if you think that would be easier."

luke shook his head again, partly because he wasn't even sure where lincoln had been buried and could only assume it was on commune grounds. "no. if i see him then i'll know it's real and i'm not ready to admit this is real yet cause then i'll start crying and i don't think i'll ever stop." he'd been able to hold out this long, only letting a few tears slip every now and again before he'd push the feelings down to find something to distract him.

Cal remembered that feeling, it taken having to watch the video of the event on repeat the first few days for it to really sink in for him. "We can go whenever you feel ready, or even if you only feel half ready. You can change your mind at any point, there's no rush to going through this," he said. As much as he wanted to tell him to let it out, he knew from experience it was easier said than done. "Look tonight we eat dinner, maybe have a drink. We don't have to figure everything out now."

"Drinks can definitely be on the menu if you'd like," Celia reassured him, giving Luke's shoulder one last squeeze before standing up and starting to make her way back to the kitchen to check on the food. Stopping in the doorway, she looked over her shoulder at the two men on the couch. "There's no wrong way to grieve. You know that, right? You do what you have to do, and when you need us, we'll be there." In a way, she was speaking to both of them when she said that, before disappearing back into the kitchen.

“drinks sound nice.” luke said quietly. of course they did since that was majority of what he was doing lately anyway. “and i’ll get back to you on the whole going thing, i don’t know if i’ll ever be ready for it honestly.”

Cal tried not to flinch at her words, he's let her know a lot about him, but that part has stayed pretty buried. "I can grab drinks," he offered, considering Celia is already busy with dinner. "Take your time, like I said no rush. It hasn't even been a month, Luke, and I mean in this town we kind of have nothing but time," he tried to joke to lighten the mood. Grabbing a set of glasses he set some wine at the table, figuring Luke would come and join him. Glancing at Celia, "Need any help?"

Celia was in the middle of taste testing her sauce when Cal asked if she needed any help. At first, she shook her head, but quickly changed her mind. "Actually, can you help set the table? I've still got some of this to do and you know where everything is anyway." She looked over at him, a small smile automatically growing on her face, before she turned back to the food. "And grab a plate for Lady as well. She's getting food too."

luke nodded and stayed on the couch for now just continuing to pet lady as cal and celia went into the kitchen. he wanted to chuckle at cals joke but couldn’t bring himself to actually do so then leaned forward to put his glass on the table. he took a couple of deep breaths finally getting up from the couch and headed for the kitchen where he stayed in the doorway, leaning against the wall.

Cal waited when she shook her head, had gotten use to her initial reaction to deny help before changing her mind. He didn't hold it against her, just happy she'd started letting him help. "Course she is," he said chuckling as he set the table as well as leaving a plate near her for Lady. Glancing at Luke he walked by and squeezed his shoulder, "Wine alright or would you rather have a beer?" He'd already poured the glasses but wouldn't be hard to switch it out he mused.

Celia smiled to herself, focusing on getting the food ready while listening to Cal moving around the kitchen, finishing up and place everything in serving bowls before carrying them over to the table. She offered Luke a small smile when he joined them before plating the food she'd prepared for Lady and setting the plate down on the floor. "We might also have some moonshine left behind by my brother, although sadly, I cannot vouch for the taste of that," she offered, before gesturing toward one of the chairs. "But either way, dinner is served."

[yoki-loves-stars]

tmp version!

next is avatars/side characters :D

[old version]

[tma version]

[tma version part2]

[all versions in one post]

[whatdoyouseemartin]

Alice making this compelling protagonist comment after probably watching her parents straight up die in front of her is going to hit so different after we find out what happened to them:

[pinkelotjeart]

I saw @/humanteethmarksonhumanbone do this so I might aswel.

Random magnus protocol headcanons:

- Gwen has a crusty white dog named Lady.

- Gwen is clearly autistic.

- Elias is Gwen’s weed smoking uncle (I wish he were her brother but uncle makes more sense with the time line.)

- Celia is biracial, Asian and black.

- Celia is a cat person and own multiple cats.

- Celia IS tma Celia and she regularly mentions how she was part of a cult but everyone always assumes she’s joking with how light heartedly she brings it up.

- Luke knows and jokes about Grifters Bone but doesn’t know it is ACTUALLY real.

- Colin is a gay man and is married to a really sweet husband. (I truly believe this until it’s proven other wise.)

- Alice has at some point tried to instal minecraft onto a work computer, it shut down the whole system for a week.

- Needles and Ink5oul are best friends (they serve cunt together.)

I can’t think of more at this moment…

[tumb1rprincess]

I know I’ve said it before, but Alice taking none of Gwen’s shit makes me smile every time. I love her. And Gwen can’t even fire her cause that would leave just Celia to handle this and she’s a mess right now.

Speaking of Gwen, she needs to sort out her priorities. Finding Sam is more important than backlogged cases. Is she just avoiding trying to help find Sam cause she has no idea what to do? I don’t know how much I buy her excuse of not wanting the higher ups noticing if the backlog gets too bad and that doing the cases will actually help Sam in a roundabout way.

“I doubt he would notice if we burned the place down.” That line gave me flashbacks to Gertrude trying to burn down the Magnus Institute in TMA. And it’s already been burned down in TMAGP. Maybe the OIAR will meet the same fate eventually.

The statement was kind of confusing, so the woman was possessed by Liverpool itself or something? I’m going to have to see what other people are saying, I was having a hard time understanding what was going on.

Poor Alice, the voicemail she left Luke was just sad. She feels so alone right now.

[theanxiousghostartist]

TMAGP 32 Spoilers!

Reactions and theories

(Sorry, this is a day late, y'all. I got busy and couldn't listen last night 😭)

Reactions:

Alice, what are you doing? Are you looking to stop Freddie? ...are you looking for Colin?

All alone? Where's Celia?

Gwen, you don't sound like the boss 😭

Aww, she's looking for Sam.

Yeah, I kinda expected that.

I agree with Alice here, Trevor seemed useless 😭

Gwen does have a point though.

Noriss!!!

For my notes lol: Kyla Barber from Liverpool - environmental health officer (the corruption perhaps?); emergency contact - Violet Weaver; Doctors - (physical) Dr. Mika Volkova; (mental) Dr. Allen Cielo, Jozef Block (ooo, maybe Spiral then)

Alchemy????!!!!

No birds??? Canaries???

Notes again: Mann Island Developments

Ok, so she was marked. "Home" was capitalized.

This reminds me of the tree guy from s1

So she became the land??

The statuc as she gets angrier is such a cool detail!

Ok, so the land took her and Became her, using her as its vessel?

Celia!!!!

The plan seems pretty soild, but I'm suspicious of Celia's intentions with Sam.

A hand??? Colin??????????

Celia you saw teeth in your keyboard????

Is Freddie having trouble "digesting" Colin??

Gwen, babes, you're going to need help 😭

What email did you find Gwen???

Luke!!!

He's abroad?

Yeah! Let out your feelings!! Go Alice!!

Why do I feel like something bad has happened to Luke????

Theories:

The casement this episode reminded me of the guy from S1 who had killed his wife and turned into a tree that later connected to Newton's experiments with his dog. In this casement, Kyla seemed to have taken over (?) by the land and used as its vessel. This also reminds me of the Custodian of the Hilltop Centre, who seemed to have Become Hilltop Road itself. Based on this casement, I'm wondering if this is what was starting to happen with Colin. Freddie was trying to use him as its vessel, and when he resisted, it ate him. Gwen saw a hand pop in and out of her PC screen and Celia found teeth in her keyboard, this leads me to believe that Freddie is having trouble "digesting" Colin, which would also be the reason Gwen and Alice found his hand in the server with wires coming out of it. Matter cannot be created (unless Freddie has access to quantum physics and extremely fast/high powered energy/particles), so Freddie is struggling to reinvent his mass (aka the particles it stripped from him when it ate him). I think that this will go on for a while until we hear his voice in the 'puter, when everything will be finalized. Then, is when Freddie will start trying to create its body. However, I think it will need more victims and will go after whoever it assigned itself to (who will probably be the new IT person, whether the Team likes it or not).

I'm having trouble hearing the Freddie buzzes this season, but according to the comments, when Celia talked about Sam "leaving," it buzzed. This is basically confirming to me that she pushed him in.

Also, IDK why, but I feel like something really bad happened to Luke. He's traveling abroad, which could mean Vampyres or Werewolves as we saw in TMA. It would be very cruel to have Alice's only outside (unaffected) connection dead and force her into the horror completely (like S2 Jon). I know there are also some theories that Alice will be the next to die (mirroring Tim), but I think that she will be one of the last to do so. Wouldn't it be more cruel to have her watch everyone she cares about die or leave or betray her so she can't get an escape from the horrors?

Well, what about Teddy? If my theories are correct, he is either Becoming, working for Starkwell, or both. So, not really much of an escape. He IS the horrors.

Anyway, really good episode. I absolutely loved the casement. The writing was absolutely beautiful!

See y'all next week (hopefully on time too lol)!

[last-pages]

me when they're doomed from the beginning... me when the ending is prophesized and it's sad... me when i know the ending at the start but read it anyway

[witchinatree]

magnus protocol episode 15 recap -amble

i think recap is the wrong word for these actually? its more like a live blog situation. i think i'm gonna change that

anywayy i'm so many days late its TIME

oh sam is so smooth with the tickets i adore the two of them

"if only to see your face" WHAT and then alice walks in oh my fucking god. babygirl i love you so much but i really need you to leave

human baby reveal holy shit

"babies are cool" alice honey i am so so sorry for your repeated fumbles but i really think you just need to leave

i thought that was tim for a second i genuinely believed that was tim. i think i am hallucinating him (i miss him).

oh shit.. this is very lesbian of me but she sounds so fucking cool in the scariest way ever

this weirdly reminds me of what happened to daisy but like if she.. died..? you know what i mean??? oh SHIT SHES ACTUALLY IN THE VOICEMAIL OH MY GOD. WHAT? WHAT WAIT SHES IN THE? THATS NOT THE VOICEMAIL THATS THE REAL THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT honey no honey celia run celia book it so fast

GWEN? GWEN? GWEN??????????? GWEEEENNNN???????????????????????????? MY LOVE????????? MY DEAREST BABYGIRL WHAT THE ACTUAL WHAT ARE YOU DOING BABE BABE??????? AND THE BOUCHARD LORE MY HEAD HURTS OS BAD

and it keeps going. it keeps going. oh is this luke? how did i put this off for so long oh my fucking jesus christ

awe i love that alice and luke are so close

......okay where are we now?? how are there 7 minutes left genuinely what is taking place in this podcast rn

ALICE??????????? ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE ALICE I AM I AM AFRAID I AM AFRAID I AM AFRAID I AM AFRAID I II III IIIIII DO WE REMEMBER HOW WORM SEX GIRL GOT POSSESSED BECAUSE SHE TRIED TO HELP JANE PRENTISS DO WE REMEMBER THAT DO WE REMEMBER WORM SEX GIRL

babygirl.. babygirl no youre in a horror podcast never ever ever touch the victim this is this is awful alice no why did it fucking have to be her my babygirl my sweet cheese my good time boy

A TAPE RECORDER. it's so over? it's so over? it's so over?

[quantomeno]

Clive Dove, is that you?

[4lice-d13dr]

Loneliness seems to envelop me... I should be scared, and yet it's so comforting... Everyone's gone, everyone's gone and I just talk with my thoughts.

[lutiaslayton]

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

ＰＡＲＴ　１１

〚ＦＩＲＳＴ〛〚ＰＲＥＶ〛〚ＮＥＸＴ〛

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation for the Japan-exclusive novellisation of the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The original novel was written by Aya Matsui under the supervision of Akihiro Hino, and belongs to Level-5.

This translation only aims to be a pleasant read for non-Japanese fans, nothing more: I made a few deliberate changes while translating in order to get the writing style closer to what is usually found in English fanfictions, as the Japanese storytelling can sometimes be different than what we are used to.

＊ The Island of Ambrosia

How long had we been on the lifeboat?

It felt like such a long time that I began to wonder if the explosion on the Crown Petone had even occurred.

Was it real? Or had it been a dream that all twelve of us here had seen at the same time?

There were only twelve of us left. First there were me, the professor, Janice, Mr Whistler, the seven-year-old Melina, Amelie, who was said to be a British chess champion as well as a high school student, and Mr Brock with his iconic backpack…

And then, there were the people who had taken the other lifeboat: the former captain O’Donnell; Mr Bargland, who looked in such good health, it was hard to believe that he only had six months left to live; there was the gorgeous Mrs Raidley, and another woman, Miss Annie Dretche, who wrote mystery novels…

And finally, believe it or not, there was Mr Starbuck, the former footballer from the national team who was known as the ‘Legendary Left Leg.’ Any member of the national team was a star among stars in the whole United Kingdom, but Mr Starbuck could not bear talking, or even hearing about his past carreer.

Annie secretly told me why: his ‘Legendary Left Leg’ was tattered with scars from the surgery he had received after an injury… and because of it, he could no longer play football. He had an unwavering determination to play football once more, and this was why he was trying to obtain eternal life.

I had woken up in the lifeboat during the early hours of dawn, and Annie, riding on the other lifeboat next to ours, had been the only other person awake. With nothing better to do, we had spent the time chatting.

By that point, the boats had slowed down, and were now leisurely headed towards the island that had appeared in the distance.

I was hungry and thirsty, but still had enough energy left to talk. So Annie also told me this: Mr Bargland was the president of a giant trading company, the ‘World Fleet’ corporation, and Mrs Raidley was the widow of a billionaire as well as a queen of high society. This lady had said that she was participating in this puzzle-solving game for the sake of making her beauty shine forever…

“I am quite partial to gossip magazines,” Annie concluded, winking at me with a mischievous smile.

Annie herself was a mystery writer, and fairly well-known in the United Kingdom; even I knew that any mystery written by Annie Dretche would always be number one in the sales charts upon release. My mum was a big fan of her works.

“Annie, the first film I ever watched was ‘Murder on the Thames.’ I saw it with my mum in a small cinema in Misthallery.”

I had been kept on the edge of my seat from start to finish, wondering how the protagonist would be able to solve the perfect crime in the River Thames. When I told her, she flashed a very happy smile.

“I think it’s a pretty good mystery, if I do say so myself.”

But then she fell silent. She looked in the distance and murmured:

“Luke, if I could have eternal life, what do you think I would do?”

“Huh? Um, I don’t know…”

It did not immediately occur to me.

“I am going to keep writing masterful mysteries, forever. I believe I can.”

As she said this, her eyes were sparkling against the horizon. I wondered… How old was she?

Definitely younger than Captain O’Donnell. About as old as Mr Bargland and Mr Whistler…

And yet, I thought that in this very moment… she was thinking about death.

Maybe she had too much talent, and not enough time, to live a normal life. There were so many different reasons for people to wish for eternal life…

With this in mind, I too continued to stare silently at the horizon.

We arrived on the island together.

Mr Bargland looked around cautiously. “What on Earth is this island…”

“At first glance, it seems to be uninhabited…” Captain O’Donnell mused.

At that moment, Mr Brock began to dash off. As he was running, he was muttering in excitement:

“Impossible! Could it be? Finally…?”

At the end of his course, he hugged a rock and exclaimed:

“There’s no doubt about it… This is Ambrosia!”

Ambrosia!? I was not the only one to be astonished.

“Ambrosia, you say?”

“Or should I say, this is where Ambrosia used to be…”

For the very first time since I met him, Mr Brock lowered his backpack and pulled something out of it with great care. It was a scrapbook, and it seemed to be an extremely important one to him.

“This is a scrapbook dedicated to the immortal kingdom of Ambrosia, which I, Marco Brock, amateur historian, cobbled together in my spare time from work!”

“It’s so thick…”

“So you’re a History geek…”

Mr Starbuck and Mrs Raidley were both taken aback, but Mr Brock was so engrossed in turning the pages that he didn’t seem to have heard their voices at all. Instead, he soon took out a sheet of paper from one of the pages and aligned it close to the rock he was facing.

“Just look at this! It’s the same crest!”

He was holding a drawing of the incomplete coat of arms. And indeed, there was something carved into the rock that seemed to have the same symbols.

The professor walked up to him and gazed at the crest.

“Indeed, this looks like the coat of arms of Ambrosia. I have seen it before in Dr Schrader’s study.”

Mr Brock’s voice was trembling with excitement and emotion.

“See? It’s here! I finally got my wish!”

Captain O’Donnell was also deeply moved. He looked around the island once more, this time with a completely new expression.

“I never thought I would be able to set foot here in my lifetime… But I see now. This is Ambrosia…”

Mr Bargland’s eyes squinted… then sparkled.

“So the elixir of immortality is hidden somewhere on this island?”

At these words, everybody came still, as if frozen in place. After all, they had just realised… This had been our intended destination all along.

It was then that Mrs Raidley’s voice rang out. “Wait, look over there!”

I followed her gaze, and saw that a table was set up under a tree on the beach. Food and drinks were laid out, ready for a meal.

“Food…”

“And wine, too…”

Mr Starbuck and Mrs Raidley both voiced their excitement, walking up to the table. We all followed suit.

A message written on a small card that had been placed between the rows of treats caught my eye.

“To all participants in the game…” I read out loud.

“Thank goodness… I was so thirsty.”

“Is this a reward for solving those puzzles?”

Everyone competed for a chair, rushing to eat. Ms Bargland was the first to pick up the wine, and he eagerly began to pour it into a glass.

“Or perhaps… Could this be a new puzzle?”

At Amelia’s words, everybody stopped their hands. Mr Bargland’s wine gurgled and overflowed from his glass.

But then, Melina reached for a plate of fruit and… began to eat, carefree. I had never seen this type of fruit before, I wondered if it could be native to this island… Regardless, that was what she was eating. I couldn’t take it any longer…

“…Well, who cares, I’m eating!”

We all took Mr Bargland’s words as permission to eat. We were simply too hungry.

They say that hunger makes the greatest kind of seasoning, and indeed, never had I ever had such a delicious meal.

“Oh, it’s so good!”

“Really…”

Janice smiled, as she tasted the same fruit that Melina had picked earlier. The professor too closed his eyes when I grabbed a handful of food. Usually, he would casually say something like, “A gentleman should always watch his manners, Luke.” But it seemed like today, he would let it slide.

After the meal, I went on a stroll along the beach. My stomach was full, I was happy, and I just… well, I kind of wanted to be alone, away from everyone.

I found many beautiful shells on the beach. And there was no one to pick them up, on this desert island… Well, I could afford to keep one or two.

I could hear Janice’s voice in the distance. She was enjoying a chat with the professor.

“This all feels like a dream… The game, this island… and eating outside like this, with the great Professor Layton, looking at the sea side by side…”

“The part about eating outside… would be quite normal for the archaeological survey class.” Somehow, it sounded like the professor had been saying this as if he were actually asking a question.

“Ruins and beaches are two different things,” Janice replied with a shrug. “But I suppose that ruins are more romantic to you.”

This reminded me of the fact that she used to take classes with him when she was a student. That was years before I met him… She probably had many memories of her school days that she remembered fondly. She probably missed those times by his side.

This suddenly made me feel… very lonely.

I decided to walk away so I wouldn’t hear their conversation anymore. Melina was picking up shellfish too, just a bit further. When looking at her like this, she seemed to be even younger than just seven years old. Did this child really say that she had eternal life…?

I walked up to her and tried to offer the shell I had picked up earlier, but she wouldn’t even look at me.

I pressed the shell to my ear and crouched down beside her, before saying:

“If you do this, you can hear the sound of the waves.”

Melina remained silent.

“Well, that’s what I’ve been told, but… I was never able to hear them properly.” This was an honest confession.

“…I hear them,” she muttered.

Her words surprised me. “Really?”

She brought a shell to her ear and began to sing.

♪

Hm-hm-hm-hm… Hm-hm-hm-hm… Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm…

The melody was somewhat melancholic, but very beautiful.

I sighed. “That’s a pretty song.”

“…The sea taught me.”

“The sea?”

Did she really hear the song just now, coming out of the shell?

I was about to ask, but the howling of a beast was heard from somewhere.

I looked around in all directions with a start. Just this instant, this had been the sound of a ferocious, cruel… yes. The voice of a wolf.

“Did you just hear…?”

When I turned my head back to her, Melina was gone. I looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen.

I ran up to Mr Whistler, shouting in panic: “Mr Whistler, Melina’s disappeared! She was right here a second ago…”

He did not bat an eye. “She must have gone off to play elsewhere.”

‘Elsewhere’…? He was so careless!

“What is that look for? She will come back.”

I wanted to object, but suddenly… I heard that voice again.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your little break is about to end.”

At the same time, a pack of wolves darted out of the bushes behind me.

“P-Professor! Wolves!”

Mrs Raidley screamed. When the man’s voice rang out again, it was as if he could see how upset and scared we were; and it was tinged with a sinister laugh.

“Now, shall you all be the wolves’ dessert next?”

“R-r-run!”

Everyone else ran as fast as they could, and they did not need Captain O’Donnell to do it. But I stayed behind. The wolves growled and slowly came closer, and closer…

That was when I was struck by a flash of inspiration. If I could try talking to them… I could talk to animals, after all.

People would sometimes ask me how I could have this ‘magical power,’ as they say… but I have been able to talk naturally with the neighbourhood dogs and cats for as long as I can remember. So when they would ask me how… I don’t really know myself. I will simply talk to them when I need to, because I can.

And in that moment, I really needed to.

I jumped in front of the wolves to protect Janice, and started talking to them.

“Grr… Gruh! Garuh! Grruh…”

In proper English… “We’re not doing anything hurtful!”

The wolves replied…

“Gahooo…”

What? Funny?

I had no idea what they were talking about. Usually, I would know for sure…?

“Professor, this isn’t right! They don’t understand me!”

“Someone must be manipulating them.”

As he said this, the professor threw sand at the wolf that tried to attack him. This scared off the pack for a small moment.

“Janice, Luke, we have to go!”

All three of us set off at full speed towards the forest, catching up with the others.

“I, I can’t, run anymore…!”

Annie sounded like she was in pain.

“…Yet you’re running anyway,” Mr Bargland huffed with disdain. “You’re stubborn, old lady.”

　⇚　　　　　　　⇛

[daily-coloring]

GOOD GRIEF Trailer (2024) Dan Levy, Luke Evans

[monsterintheballroom]

Luke being the only rooster in the yard 🤭

[milliondollarbaby87]

Good Grief (2023) Review

When Marc’s husband dies unexpectedly his world is shattered and he must rely on his two best friends Sophie and Thomas for support, both with their own issues to try and deal with. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Continue reading Untitled

[fazcinatingblog]

Luke McGregor is so sweet and funny, up there on stage telling his cute little autistic stories and cool facts like "every day there's always someone on earth who does the biggest poo" and

[gastronauts]

Now presenting the trailer for new @dropoutdottv series, Gastronauts! 🚀🧑‍🍳

Launching October 11th, Gastronauts takes you to the final frontier of culinary chaos, as host Jordan Myrick brings aboard 3 comedians every episode to task real, professional chefs with increasingly absurd challenges. It's a cooking competition like nothing the universe has ever seen.

In addition to Jordan Myrick, the show features a slew of comedians, including Brennan Lee Mulligan, Isabella Roland, Oscar Montoya, Ify Nwadiwe, Lily Du, Grant O'Brien, Zac Oyama, Jacob Wysocki, Vic Michaelis, Sam Reich, Elaine Carroll, Kendahl Landreth, Rekha Shankar, Jess Ross, Luke Field, Mike Trapp, Chris Grace, and Brian David Gilbert.

The chefs include Angel Ortega Gonzalez (Chopped), Arturo Avallone (Chopped), Cici Celia (Chopped), Dominique Crisp (Save The Leftovers), Harrison Bader (The Next Food Network Star, Supermarket Stakeout), Jessica Tiffany Luevano, Jeromy Wright (Chopped, Supermarket Stakeout), Joshua Mouzakes (Beachside Brawl, Alex vs. America, Chopped),  Kat Turner (Chopped), Kenneth Anderson (Supermarket Stakeout), Kyndra McCrary (Chopped), Lauren Lawless (Supermarket Stakeout, Hell’s Kitchen, Masterchef, Chopped), Mark Esposito (The Great Food Truck Race), Patrick Costa (Chopped), Pratik Bhakta, Samantha Quintero (Chopped) and Trevor Ross (Supermarket Stakeout).

The 6 episode season will air biweekly, exclusively on Dropout.