hisapprentice | [Puzzle 014]

[Sometimes, in the wake of a foundation-shattering event, all anyone can do is stare at what remains.

That is not true for Luke this time, and hasn't been in the entire two weeks since all of himself came rushing back. All things considered, he's been as upbeat and energetic as ever. Helpful, too - so many others seemed devastated in the aftermath, he felt and still feels like he ought to make up for it somehow.

The first thing he does with the free time in his Monday is go to the bakery and get a dozen of something. Donuts or cupcakes or similar things, anything sweet and delicious. Those treats are going to people he knows, if he can find them, especially the ones that haven't shown their faces of late.

Then it's time for the real substance of his day.

A puzzle.

He handwrites it out first, then reads it out for the benefit of anyone stymied on the writing front.]

A family gathers in a room for a party. In this family, there is a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a brother, a sister, an auntie, an uncle, a niece, a nephew, and 2 cousins. However, there are only 4 people in the room. What are their relations to each other?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Great! Here, you pick. [He opens the box and holds it out with a smile.]

[That's certainly quite an array of sweets, so she looks for something that isn't too sugary. A glazed donut works nicely.]

Thank you, Luke. So... how have you been holding up?

Oh, I'm all right. I usually am, no need to worry! [He claims all-rightness even when things are falling apart, to most people.]

Is that because you're trying to be a perfect gentleman?

I'm not sure anyone could be a perfect gentleman, not even Professor Layton. [Luke rubs his chin in thought. A true gentleman, yes, but not a perfect one.] But I'm doing my best.

Yes, I can tell you are. How is the Professor? [She's been meaning to talk to him since... everything blew over, but somehow contacting him personally just never seemed to happen. And he didn't reach out to her, either.]

He's all right. He's been reading a lot, must've found something really interesting. [Or a new book of puzzles.] Er...how's your brother? [He isn't at all sure she even has a brother.]

My... brother? [That seems to confuse her - Genis is home as always, but no, of course he'd mean the invasion.] Do you mean Haru?

[To be honest, she hadn't yet caught up properly with him.] I haven't spoken to him. I heard that there was an incident the other day in the plaza, and now he's recovering in the clinic as far as I know.

Edited 2013-09-18 21:33 (UTC)

Oh. I'm sorry to hear that then. I hope he's all right.

He's - not really my brother, you know. [My brother isn't here, she almost says, but doesn't, in that pause.] I only met him during that situation... but in any case, I'll keep checking up on him for now.

Oh. No, I didn't know that. Well, it's the same as the professor not being my real dad, I guess. [This got awkward fast.] Erm, my mum's not...she's still...they're both all right.

Well... I knew you weren't related. [Even if, arguably, Layton could have been an uncle or some other family member that wasn't necessarily a father, or just a father-figure. What did she really know about him?] You still knew each other beforehand, at least.

Mmhmm. He and my dad were good friends in university. ...Well, and now we're friends, too.

You seem to get along very well.

We know we can count on each other.

What sorts of things have you done together?

What sorts of things haven't we done? Most of the time I'm just learning how to be a gentleman, but when people ask Professor Layton for help with their puzzles or their important cases, I get to go with him too! I've been places I could never have imagined before.

From what I've heard that must have been very exciting, indeed. [Not that she's heard that much.] World traveling can open your eyes to all sorts of new things.

Have you traveled very much?

Yes, I've been to many locations back home.

So you know what it's like, then.

In that sense, yes. [The reasons behind the traveling were very different, but that's another matter.]

[Puzzle 014]

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