[Puzzle 011]

[hisapprentice]

[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.]]

Comments

[contaeoro]

[He doesn't answer that. Instead, he holds up his hands. It was supposed to be friendly, but he's reminding himself that he shouldn't tease Firo so much.]

Sorry, that was mean.

[immamartillo]

[He shakes his head as quickly as he can.]

No, no, it's okay.

[He's about to just let it drop and return to his typical state of blissful self-ignorance, but since someone else brought it up just a little while ago, he has to wonder if maybe he is a bit childish. Just a bit, though. Maiza's the only person in Luceti he trusts to ask this.]

Do you... Do you really think I am sometimes?

[contaeoro]

... It's not a bad thing, Firo. Understand this over anything else. Nobody wants to be treated like a child, and you're the Family's youngest capo among a bunch of old guys that love to jest. [And a bratty freeloader nowadays, but he's pretty old too.]

If you ask me you're capable and I want to treat you as an equal [except for moments of teasing. remember: old guys that love to jest] and nobody's gonna hold it against you, or Luke, to not like being treated like a kid. It comes with our cultures, I'll say.

[immamartillo]

[He blinks, suddenly watching Maiza intently after that first sentence. The answer does surprise him and he's not really sure what exactly culutre has to do with it, but knowing that Maiza understands is reassuring. It suddenly occurs to Firo to wonder if Maiza went through the same treatment; he was young once, it's just hard to actually imagine it.]

...Thanks, Maiza.

[He straightens up and clears his throat.]

But still-! I'm gonna try to not let it bother me anymore.

[...Yeah, that'll last about five minutes.]

[contaeoro]

[He smiles and thumps Firo's shoulder encouragingly.]

That's the spirit. Now, you ready?

[immamartillo]

[Firo laughs and nods.]

Of course I'm ready! Just tell me what to do and I'll get it done.

[contaeoro]

All right. Well, we got most of it fixed up so it's just lifting the larger furnitures, like those chairs over there.

[immamartillo]

Alright. Where do ya want 'em?

[Firo rolls up his sleeves and looks the furniture over, sizing it up. He can totally move most of that by himself, can't he?]

[contaeoro]

They were in the corner by the window. They didn't move far. [He's already moving over to lift one up.]

[immamartillo]

[Firo nods and grabs another chair, setting it down next to Maiza's.]

It looks pretty nice here when everything's all back in place.

[Now that Maiza's around, he's been seeing a lot more of the place. Czes wasn't always so eager to have Firo over and Luke wasn't the most fond of him.]

[contaeoro]

We try to keep it looking nice most of the time. Why, you don't come here often?

[Czes aside, he thought Firo and Luke were acquainted since the boy knew him.]

[immamartillo]

I've been over a few times. I think Czes needs a bit a' space. When he came here he didn't really know me, but I knew him, so it was kinda weird.

[He figured he should probably hold off on showing up uninvited.]

[contaeoro]

I can't blame him for being unnerved, then. He's always been a jumpy kid. [In one way or another.]

[immamartillo]

Yeah, I guess he is.

[He sighs.]

I just wish i could do somethin' about it. Back home, it seemed like it was Ennis who he really warmed up to.

[contaeoro]

She's a hard one not to befriend, with how kind she is. Maybe he's jealous.

[immamartillo]

She really is...

[No, no, he's not blushing at all.]

Jealous? Why?

[contaeoro]

She is his older sister now, after all... I suppose. [Isaac and Miria called him a "gift" though.]

[immamartillo]

Yeah, she says she is. But why would that make him jealous? He's jealous of the people who're still back home with her?

[To be honest, Firo sort of is too.]

[contaeoro]

He's probably jut jealous of the guy who gets along with her so well.

[immamartillo]

But Czes gets along with her just fine, who else-?

[Thinkthinkthink...

Oh.]

...You mean me?

[contaeoro]

Yeah, who else?

[immamartillo]

I-I dunno. I just didn't think he'd be jealous... She's close to both of us.

[This after they got into an argument over if Firo knew her well enough to trust her as much as he does.]

[contaeoro]

[Poor Firo.]

... Czeslaw is a lonely guy. [Maiza remembers the tiny "family" Czes had back when he was younger. He thinks about how the kid showed up alone in New York, and how Begg was alone when he met him through the Runorata, too.]

Thank you for agreeing to take him in that time, Firo. I'm not sure if I coulda done for him what you and Ennis have been able to do.

[immamartillo]

Of course, we love havin' him around. Especially Ennis.

[His smile fades. Why would Maiza go and say something like that?]

What? ...That's not true. I'm not tryin' to get rid a' him, but I'm sure you coulda' done just fine with him!

[Maiza did help Firo out, after all. Even after what Firo can remember about Gretto, he still doesn't doubt that Maiza's a good big brother figure.]

[contaeoro]

Nah, what I think he needed was someone new, really. Between the two of us we only had sad memories to share, from before.

[He doesn't expect Firo to need him to explain, as much as he doesn't want to remind him.]