hisapprentice | [Puzzle 017]

[Puzzle 017]

[Things in the village continue to move at molasses speeds, ever since the draft ended. Without school to keep him occupied, and with (shock and dismay) a wholly diminished interest in all things puzzle, what with all the sadness and walking on eggshells going on all over the place, he's been...practicing his violin, actually. No one in the house came after him pounding on the door, so it must not be that bad.

It was better, sometimes, than thinking about all the strangers who appeared (from the draft, he learned later) bloody and beaten up, or his friends, coming back with darkness in their eyes.

His plans for this day are tame, and come in two flavors:

In the morning he's at the stables, tending to the horses with the kind of affectionate banter and bounce in his step that he doesn't have many close friends to share with anymore. It's not so bad. Animals are, um, people too. But anyone else there might catch him whistling or seeming to talk to himself.

After lunch (Luke always has a long generous lunch - today he eats at Seventh Heaven) he heads into the school to the music room, balances the open journal on a spare music stand, and pulls his violin and bow out of their case to prepare and tune them.]

So, er. [It doesn't usually bother him to talk to the village but...this is a little different.] You know...I think maybe it's better if I don't say anything first.

[And, after one last, soft check of his pitch, Luke shuts his eyes and starts to play a song whose sheet music he found in the library months ago. It isn't very long, but he goes through it thrice: the first time quietly, too afraid to mess up to really play, and then twice after that. It's a little slow and a little sad but he doesn't feel sad when it's over.]

That's that, then. [Projected confidence or not, he's blushing pretty red on his end of the journal.] I sort of thought, um, that maybe somebody could use a little music.

[[ooc: shh shh pretend it's a violin in the track not a cello...]]

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Or, someone else in this conversation is unlucky or a bad judge of people. It's all right if you've been hurt a bit and stopped trusting others, though...

[Hurt? People have hardly handled Firo with kid gloves throughout his life, but that's not something he's going to admit. Especially not to Luke.]

That's ridiculous! I've just... I've just lived longer than you, okay?

So that makes you automatically right, just because you're older?

It does when it comes to stuff like this.

[He sighs. ]

Look, I've been around longer and I've seen more stuff than you. That makes sense, doesn't it?

Of course it does. You've had more years to see things, so naturally you ought to have seen more of them.

[Luke is grinning.]

And since that means Professor Layton's seen a lot more things than you have, and we even saw some of them together, I think I'll stick with his way of looking at the world.

[What? Firo's startled that Luke accepts his argument. But why does the kid look so pleased?

Oh. Firo really should have seen that coming. He wants to complain that it's not fair for Luke to use his words against him, but he's pretty sure Luke would have a snappy response for that, too.

He's pouting something fierce when he finally speaks.]

...You're too smart for your own good, you know that?

[Beaming now, Luke straightens his hat. In fairness, Firo sort of walked himself into it, and living with ruffians has taught Luke more about setting up a trap.]

Thanks!

[~~Who're you calling a ruffian, punk?~~]

That wasn't supposed to be a compliment!

[He sighs, but even then he can't keep from smiling just a little.]

Really? It sure sounded like one to me.

[He's been smiling since he knew he could win the argument, and he's glad Firo decided to join him.]

No, 'cause one day somebody's gonna get mad at you for bein' a smart ass and what if you don't have me or your professor there to take care a' you?

[It's not anywhere close to the threat it could be--Firo's heart just isn't in it. And he's more faintly concerned and amused than angry.]

I suppose on that day, I'll just have to take care of myself.

[Grudgingly, but... maybe a little relieved:]

You've got an answer for everything, don'tcha?

[Look, Firo, now he's gotten started and he won't stop.]

Well, every puzzle has a solution!

But not everything's a puzzle!

Not everything's a brawl in the street, either.

[Are you sure about that assertion, Luke? Because you certainly don't seem to be pulling your punches right now...]

H-hey! What're you tryin' to say?

[Firo doesn't fight in the street! He does a lot of fighting in back alleys, too!]

The same thing you're trying to say, I think. One method just doesn't work for everybody all the time.

[Luke's right on (though he misses the part where Firo's methods are totally the best) and Firo's annoyance is quelled. He'd been pretty sure Luke was trying to insult him.]

Oh. Yeah, uh, I guess that makes sense.

...Just don't try and force me to do any puzzles, okay?

[His brain isn't ready for that method of problem-solving.]

Why would I force you to do puzzles? You're supposed to enjoy them! Unless your life depends on solving one, then you don't have to do any if you don't want to.

[Luke doesn't get how he could not want to, but Firo's unusual.]

Just makin' sure--I mean, you keep talkin' about the darn things...

[No, Firo, you're probably the only person in this conversation who'd actually try to force someone to do things your way.]

When is your life ever gonna depend on doin' a puzzle?

Er- Well.

[To himself, Luke begins to count. He doesn't make it out of Misthallery without moving onto the fingers of his other hand; he remembers dangling precariously over the pristine tiled floor of a hotel while Layton solved out how to get him down, and counts another finger; by the time he reaches the Bostonius both hands are extended before him.]

More times than you're ever going to believe. I can think of ten right now, and those are all even before we met Flora!

What?! You gotta be kiddin' me!

[He shakes his head and eyes Luke suspiciously.]

How's that even happen? Somebody holds a gun to your head and tells you to do a puzzle?

[Hm. Just how much detail could he expose, and still end with Firo believing his (very true) story?]

The first four all belong to a giant mechanical creature who was rampaging around my hometown, and we had to solve the puzzles to shut it down for good.

[Firo wants to ask Luke if he really thinks he's that gullible, but... stranger things than this have happened.]

Couldn't you have just shot at it?

[Yeah, have fun with the ricochet.]

Shot at it? With what?

[See, Firo, this is what he meant about not everything being a street brawl.]

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