Tea Sipping Gent

 ᒥ  ♦Լ♦  ᒧ He paced  back and forth through  the living      room,  a  stern  frown on  his face. It  had  been      several    weeks     since    Randall’s    sudden      disappearance,  and  Hershel  couldn’t  help  but      worry. It wasn’t  like Randall to not  rave about      where he was going, or, at the  very least, inform      Hershel    at       least        ten       times.

❝Why haven’t you come home?❞

 ᒥ  ♦Լ♦  ᒧ Of course,  he was  trying  his best  not to      make  a  scene.  After  all, Luke  was  home,  and      sitting in the  room with him,  silently staring at      the small gift he had  left on the table. Randall      had,  in his  absence, missed  their  anniversary      without even so much  as a call. That  only worried      the professor more. With a small, agitated sigh he      added,    fear   shaking    him   to    the   core;

       --{♦}-- A tip of the hat and a sip of tea. Another fine puzzle solved by a gentleman of the utmost wit. Logical thinking is the key to success. Of course, he had spent his entire afternoon solving one after the other, with his signature cup of earl grey by his side. Of course, he was merely waiting for his apprentice to arrive home from school.

       --{♦}-- Well, he hears apprentice, but recently that’s been a tad less the focus. It was barely 3 years ago now, the untimely demise of the young lad’s parents in an unfortunate fire. Hershel had only just barely managed to rescue the scared young boy from the blazing inferno before the entire house collapsed. Since this incident, Layton has taken him in as his own, preparing an extra bedroom for the younger in hopes of making him more comfortable.

       --{♦}-- And finally, as of a few months ago, his adoption papers had finally gone through, and he became the legal guardian and step father of the orphaned boy. It finally seemed like he was getting over his emotional distress over the situation, enough to add Hershel’s ‘Layton’ name as a hypenation to the end of his own.

       --{♦}-- Luke Triton-Layton, what a name. A name that couldn’t leave the professor any prouder of his young son. And honestly, it was nice to have the documentation on paper, despite Layton having considered Luke a son of his own since they first began their adventures together. That document was just the reassurance Hershel needed that his precious son wouldn’t be taken away from him.

       --{♦}-- And finally he heard the sound of the door swinging open, and footsteps entering the house. Hershel rose from his seat, moving to greet his son.