[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

voice

[ahappylie]

[An upset child is more than enough to grab Okita's attention, but hearing such a young gentleman sigh so unhappily about homesickness is guaranteed to ping.]

Perhaps if you talk it out, you'll understand the meaning of your book?

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?

action

[tolivefortoday]

Is it a book you've seen before?

[As it turns out, he isn't alone in the library. There's another kid around and she must've heard him, because she's stopped searching through books to peek around the corner of some shelves at him.]

[Action]

[mikanchibi]

[And then there is another kid peering over his shoulder at what he's writing.]

Whatcha doing?

[failguardian]

[Oh hey, it's Luke!]

[...And he looks pretty upset. Anise frowns and moves closer, just in time to catch his last words. Luke is...homesick?]

[She quietly walks over until she's standing behind the seat next to Luke, with a tense little smile on her face.]

Hey, Luke, mind if I sit down?