hisapprentice | [Puzzle 011]

[It's early in the morning, and there's a commotion. The village knows about this commotion because things are scattered in the scuffle, including Luke's journal. It thunks onto the floor of the apartment, open and 'on' enough to record...well.

The sounds of a scuffle.

Bangs and clangs and the occasional mechanical whirr or someone shouting (classic noir American accent or subtle/overt British one, take your pick!) and the end result is a nice, spread-out flurry of chaos.

In which one of the people living in the apartment is no longer there.

After a while, there are footsteps; it's Luke trudging over to pick up his journal and gingerly talk into it.]

Um. They came and...took Czes- Benjamin. [Not without a fight!] Maiza and Professor Layton and I tried to stop them, but it- it didn't work. Sorry. [...] Maybe he won't be gone for long.

[[ooc: Those replying may get an answer from Luke, Maiza, or Layton! Depends on who's got the journal at the moment, and who's off trying to clean up the mess in a dejected manner.]]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[Firo may be a weird adult, but...no, that's all he's got at the moment.]

I-I know. I just...don't want anything to happen to him.

What? They did? [She's younger than Czes, though! How awful.] Was it...were you okay?

Thank you, Maiza. [Even if the two of them will probably just end up staring at the kettle until the water boils, and then some more while the water cools.]

There is never a bad time for tea, if you ask me. Besides, I don't see myself going back to bed any time soon.

[As long as Maiza does not get attacked with puzzles about tea in the meanwhile, that's just fine. He might even pass the time by picking up more knocked over things.]

The usual mug, right, Luke?

Me?

[Maiza matches it. The forcing is not so obvious though. It comes to him naturally now to try to cheer up for his family in the Martillos, after all, and he means it, mostly.]

'Course I'll be fine. After all, I believe in Czeslaw -- that he'll come back. And when he does, we're going to take care of 'im.

Sure, I'll have some.

[Truth be told, he feels a little sick now that it's all over and hopes some tea will make him feel better.]

Thanks.

[Layton puts down his ice, gets out a kettle, and begins to fill it with water. Suddenly, mid-pour, he raises a finger.]

All of this talk of tea has reminded me of a puzzle.

[... What?]

A puzzle?

Yeah... Me too. But there's nothin' we can do about it now.

[He grits his teeth. What he really wants to do is yell and punch something, but that's not going to help anybody else, is it?]

It's not like... He's no use to 'em dead, right? So they can't do anything too awful. Besides, he's... You know.

[The way he says it, it's plain that he's trying to convince himself as well. There's plenty of things scientists can do with a corpse, as Szilard's memories don't hesitate in reminding him. And since the Malnosso have already shown they can dampen and restrict their immortality, Firo can't completely brush away that concern.]

[Maiza's smile is convincing enough that Firo feels somewhat comforted. If Maiza can maintain some amount of optimism, maybe things won't be so bad.]

That sounds like the best way to look at it. What do you think we can do? To, you know, be ready and stuff.

[Later on in the day, when the ruckus has more or less chilled out, Layton emerges from his room for a snack. He looks for Luke's form on the couch, but he the finds it curiously missing.]

Luke?

Edited 2012-11-25 06:59 (UTC)

Yeah but...Firo, how much do you really know? About that.

[A lesson in why it will be so much worse for Czes if the Malnosso decide to do anything...uncivilized.]

[A puzzle? At a time like this? He is not surprised in the least.]

Which one, Professor?

[Though his physical presence is nowhere to be found, the sound of him is coming from around the corner, in the room the droids ransacked to get to Czes.]

It's called 'Tea For Two'. Would you like to hear it?

[Layton follows the audible trail over to Czes and Luke's room, knocking twice on the door even if it isn't actually closed.]

Luke? May I come in?

[All sound in the room stops for a few seconds. It is the stillness of being caught with your hand in the metaphorical cookie jar. Then Luke clears his throat a little.]

Um, sure, Professor. The door's open and all.

[And he is crouching on the floor trying to dustpan up all the dirt from a potted plant. Which he should not be doing.]

[Oh, such silence is so damning. Layton opens the door fully and takes a step in, surveying Luke's work.]

... Luke.

[You know what he's getting at, mister.]

[No not that disapproving tone. He cannot escape from that no matter how he tries. Luke kneels up, looking appropriately chastened from just the one word.]

Um, well... [Why is he acting as though he's already in trouble? Perhaps because of the face his dear Professor is making.] Yes?

I—I was okay! They kept me in a scary room for a while and then let me go, and I was okay.

But it was still really scary...

Yeah... A lot of people I know came back and they were in the forest!

But they might come back and be in your sink, or in the ocean, so you gotta listen and make sure they're okay...

[He isn't trying to make the poor boy feel anxious, but they both know he shouldn't be up like this.]

Now, you know I appreciate your eye for organization. But you also know this isn't what you're supposed to be doing, don't you?

About what? About what they do to people?

[That probably answers the question.]

I can't just leave it like this. [There's a talk they need to have sometime about what Luke knows about Life As Czeslaw. It was hard. He feels like he ought to at least clean up the room, since they couldn't do anything about the kidnapping.]

And I'm getting tired of sitting on the sofa all day.

No! About Czes! But if he didn't tell you the I'm not going to tell you either.

Page 4 of 13

[Puzzle 011]

[Voice]

[voice]

[action]

[action]

[Voice]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[Voice]

[Voice]

no subject

[Voice]

[action]

no subject

[action]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

[voice]

[voice]

no subject

[Voice]

no subject

[Voice]