hisapprentice | [Puzzle 011]

[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.]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It may not be too obvious but Luke remembers fragments of what Czes had to go through and thinking of it now makes him uncomfortable.]

They should leave him alone. [Fighting words, accompanied by a slight wince.] They should leave all of us alone.

[Luke's spirit is inspiring, but Layton doesn't let it take him far. There are few things more humbling than the chains of futility as they arrest you in your tracks.]

I only wish that they would. Taking a child in this manner and for such purposes is simply deplorable.

[Unlike Luke, Maiza knows nothing about Czes' experiences. He just thinks about his friend, and states what he hopes is true and hopes sounds more confident than he's sure he feels.]

... Czeslaw will come back, and we'll be here to make sure he's all right when he does.

Luke, you don't happen to know if there're any clues about where they take these people, do you?

I think it's some kind of...of laboratory somewhere? [This would not be out of the ordinary for his experience in the past few years, either.] Somewhere secret and outside the barrier.

[He drops some ice into a plastic bag before wrapping the whole deal in a towel, then repeats the process once more. Once he's done, he heads back over and hands Luke as many as he wants.]

And away from help and prying eyes, I suppose. They certainly know how to keep our hands tied. How long should we expect to wait before he's returned to us?

[Professor, you'd better bu using some of that ice too. You don't have any bruises under that hat of yours, do you? (it's so early and you're already wearing your hat...)]

... And what do the folks that get kidnapped usually say about the things that happen there?

[All of the adrenaline has worn off, and Luke accepts the bag of ice with a mumbled thanks. Holding it against his side, he turns to sort of lie down. Excitement over, he's ready to go back to bed.]

It's maybe a week, or more, usually. They don't...talk about it much. I think it's usually pretty bad. Sometimes people...come back with things, uh, sort of wrong. They can't see or they're the wrong age.

[The couch is not your bed, but Layton isn't really one to speak. He keeps the second ice pack for himself and presses it to his side while he carefully begins to pick up littered house items, all the while minding the hat that is very much on his head even at this hour because a true gentleman is never without one.]

... I see. Then we'll need to keep an extra vigilant eye out for his return.

I got it. [He picks up a chair and sets it right, gesturing to Layton to sit down. He'll even hand a cushion over to Luke -- he's not the type to care about kids sleeping on the couch; they're kids.]

Do those people who're the wrong age grow or shrink physically? [Hard to imagine Czes being anything other than ten.]

[Luke is trying not to let his sudden lack of energy get the best of him. These are important questions and what's more, they will worry about him if he just suddenly starts looking as worn as he feels.]

Most of the time they do, that I remember. [Ice is cold even through a towel and Luke is shivering a little between that and the crash.] But that wouldn't be so bad. Not...I mean there are...worse things.

[It doesn't feel quite right to let Maiza do all of the tidying, but again, Layton can't refuse his kindness.]

Worse things, you say.

Let's hope those things don't happen, then. [He's about to ask Luke if he wants to lie down -- but decides to wait for a moment. Bombarding the kid with questions like that might make him feel coddled, and in Maiza's experiences kids -- especially boys -- don't like to feel coddled.]

[He's lying as down as he will get for the time being. He also keeps looking at the door, as though he expects the droids to return.]

I don't really want to talk about it.

Very well. I suppose there's little point in distressing ourselves any further this morning. [He also supposes he'll see many more examples of these effects in days to come anyway.]

Now then, if there are no other urgent matters to attend to, I think I'll get a brew started. Do either of you have any requests?

... You're right. I'm sorry, Luke. [He's careful to avoid bruises as he pats the boy's shoulder.]

Get some rest, and ah, Professor -- I can help out.

You're going to...make tea?

[It's just the right mix of comforting and 'really, Professor?' to feel like...like things ought to be. Even though Czes is temporarily gone.]

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?

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?

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

Which one, Professor?

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

[Luke seems to be taking this in stride so he decides to do the same.]

Sure, why not?

[After a stretch of trying to remember if he knows this puzzle, Luke shrugs. Carefully.]

Of course I do.

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