[Puzzle 004]

[hisapprentice]

[A dejected little boy young gentleman in blue sits in the library today at a table, journal open off to the side. In front of him is a book with a red cover, full of intermediate-level puzzles and riddles. There's a piece of paper beside it, on which he solves most of them - if they require paper.

There are a few interesting ones copied down into the journal, for reference later.

YYHLYEYT?
6L=12 6S=18 6LS=?
Meanwhile...

After a while, Luke sighs in a most ungentlemanly way.]

I wish I knew why this book feels so important. [the sound of ruffling pages] Maybe if Professor Layton were here he-

[Luke cuts himself off almost sharply, closing the puzzle book and doodling a few little pictures of fish and mice instead. One of the little mice wears a tall top hat.]

I wish I could go home.

Comments

written;

[endgames]

[What he hears over the journals is what originally draws Shikamaru to this. The ratio of teenagers and adults to kids in Luceti is ridiculous on the best of days. It's something he misses about Konoha.

...homesickness is a common element for a lot of people here. Not that there's a statement he can open up with that doesn't sound like a cheesy greeting card. Sometimes you just need to find a way to take your mind off things, though, and puzzles he can do.]

YYHLYEYT [Nothing's written after that, not for a few minutes at least. Shikamaru taps his pen against the paper though trying to figure out the code, making a series of dots against the journal paper that begin to resemble ellipsis.] . . . . .

[...aha. Not a code, maybe.]

Sequence?

written;

[hisapprentice]

It's a puzzle for later.

written;

[endgames]

That's cool. Mind if I take a crack at it on my end? I won't spoil it for you.

[Figuring it our yourself is half the fun sometimes.

written;

[hisapprentice]

Sure, I guess. The rest of the puzzle says "What are the next three letters?"

written;

[endgames]

[So it was a sequence puzzle then, like he thought. Shikamaru turns to the back of his journal to write that down before responding again.]

The second thing a puzzle too? Or is that algebra.

written;

[hisapprentice]

I'm taking notes on them, so I can work on them even without the book. I didn't write the whole thing down - some of these are for everyone else to solve!

written;

[endgames]

How do you figure that?

written;

[hisapprentice]

I'll write it down here for the whole village to try if they want to!

written;

[endgames]

That could be fun. [Hey, it's his idea of a good way to spend your time, anyways.] I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

written;

[hisapprentice]

I did one already, you know. One I made up all on my own!

written;

[endgames]

The thing with the shapes, right? That was a good one.

written;

[hisapprentice]

You saw it? Why didn't you solve it, too?

written;

[endgames]

I did. [He just didn't say as much over the network, at the time.] It was B. I got to it late, though, so I just did it on my own time.

[...semi-true. There were other draining things going on for him that day, so really he just wasn't on the journals much.]

written;

[hisapprentice]

You even remember the letter! I guess you did solve it.

...Do you know any?

written;

[endgames]

Puzzles? Sure. I can give you one to solve, if you want. It sounds like a good trade.

written;

[hisapprentice]

Really? Great! I'm ready.

written;

[endgames]

3 7 10 11 12

What do these numbers have in common?

written;

[hisapprentice]

[Ooh numbers! Luke turns to a new page and starts writing things down, frowning to concentrate.]

written;

[endgames]

[Shikamaru checks back in on the journal every now and then to check his progress, grinning when Luke starts writing the numbers out as words instead. He's on the right track.]

Figured it out?

written; 1/2

[hisapprentice]

three seven ten eleven twelve

written;

[hisapprentice]

That's an awful lot of letter Es!

written;

[endgames]

You're good at this. Maybe I should've given you something tougher.

written;

[hisapprentice]

[The sheer amount of puzzles he has solved might break your brain, Shikamaru.]

Thanks! I've had a lot of practice.

written;

[endgames]

[It'd certainly leave him envious. Throw in a shogi board and some clouds to watch, and it's like how he always pictured retirement at 30 would be.]

I'd say so. Hobby?

written;

[hisapprentice]

[R-Retired at thirty...

The handwriting here is a little slow.]

Professor Layton is an expert at puzzles and a true gentleman, and I'm his apprentice.