Professor (Doctor) Hershel Layton

Although his primary field of study is archeology, Professor Hershel Layton nevertheless holds an interest in nearly any and every academic discipline in existence, as well as a prodigious ability for solving puzzles – a talent that recently went on display when he almost single-handedly thwarted a kidnapping scheme and an attempt to destroy London from the bottom up. Shortly after this feat, however, he announced a hiatus from teaching, citing a combination of work exhaustion and personal issues. He soon discovered that whiling away his days with puzzles, tea, and the occasional intellectual conversation was completely unbecoming of a gentleman, and began seeking some work on the side that he could throw himself into with his usual passion. A respected friend and colleague recommended he give Landel’s a try, despite the fact that he had never obtained an M.D. let alone a degree in psychology.

But a gentleman always tries his best in every venture that he undertakes, and Layton certainly acts as if he’s determined to uphold that standard. As the picture of the classic English gentleman, he is courteous, attentive, and even kind when dealing with his patients, and will remain so even if said patient doesn’t have the sense to reciprocate his manners. His accent, however, is unusually faint.

Likewise, he dresses the part: foregoing the traditional white coat, Layton will usually be dressed in a plain, high-collared brown jacket, vest, dress shirt, and neck kerchief. What patients will probably notice the most, though, is his top hat, which will never leave Layton’s head under any circumstance. Some people have even dared to call it part of his body…

Oh – and even though he’s out of his usual environment, Layton’s enthusiasm for puzzles certainly hasn’t diminished in any way. He may often share one with a patient if they express a fellow interest or if he feels like they should take a break in the middle of their therapy session; the thing to keep in mind, though, is that said puzzles will never be given frivolously. Additionally, said puzzle-solving ways have also made Layton a very methodical thinker. While he’s had his fair share of brushes with the impossible (time travel, for example), he’s loath to believe accounts unless there is solid proof to back them up.

Prof. Layton’s office is painted in a light tan shade, and it screams academia. While he tries hard to keep his desk neat, it usually ends up cluttered with various pieces of paper, books with at least five bookmarks apiece stuck in them, and field journals – all of which, upon more detailed inspection, are likely to have nothing to do with psychology and everything to do with Timbuktu or ruins in the Amazon. In the topmost desk drawers are an assortment of fountain pens, pencils, note cards, and two photos: one depicts Layton with a small boy in a blue hat; the other is a younger version of him with a woman in a lab coat. In the leftmost bottom drawer are mostly his patient files, as well as an assortment of cheap puzzle and brainteaser books; most of them have been finished. The other drawer contains a full tea set and a few tins of Twinings brand tea.

Behind Layton is his framed degree as well as two bookshelves. The two shelves are crammed full of books on wildly varying topics and have the odd artifact stuffed between them as bookends, such as an urn or a statuette of some mythical creature. The tops of the bookshelves are graced by more such artifacts. There is a small, threadbare brown couch off to the right of his desk and two Victorian-style chairs in front of his desk; these two are looking a little worn. Completely destroying the mood of the room is his own, blue-backed, utilitarian swivel chair.

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Played by: Tiki (AIM: theroarmaster)