hisapprentice | [Puzzle 018]

[For house 48]

[A typical day in this house begins with Luke up and about, making breakfast and tea. Whether Firo shows up to have any is up to him. School's back in session and he needs an earlier start, that's all. This morning is no different, Luke pulls on his sweater while walking into the kitchen, headed for the refrigerator. It's when he pulls open the door that everything gets weird - starting with the whole room losing its household vibe and becoming much more...archaeological.]

[Action]

[Incredulous adventures aside, Luke finds it difficult to adjust to the busier lifestyle that comes with school starting and warmer weather ending. It gets darker, colder, Luke grows lonelier. He's out and about in the autumn sun, off to his usual stop at the bakery (okay, okay, one of his three or four usual stops) when a brownish figure passes him going in the opposite direction.

Luke stops. Spinning left, he sees the figure retreating down the path the way he came, and though all logic tells him it can't be real, he takes off running after it.]

Professor! [Because there is no one else. It must be him.] Professor, wait! Just- hold on a minute, please!

[Luke did not realize a vision from the past could hurt so much. When Layton's back and top hat fade into a false mist and then nothingness, Luke has run himself all the way back across the village, nearer to the rec center. Out of breath and out of spirit, he sits down on a bench to stare at the dirt.

Today is awful.]

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[Luke is so surprised by the green whirlwind landing in front of him that he jumps - jumps poorly at that, knocking the bench over backward and himself with it. Ow.]

Wah- [That about sums it up, actually.]

[As driven as he is, can't help but notice Luke take a tumble.

He can't go to help Luke without turning back from his chase! Or... was this part of Gai-Sensei's test as well?! That must be true... and Gai-Sensei would want him to help someone in need!

So Lee makes a skidding turn and leaps through the air, landing to balance himself on the edge of the upturned bench.]

Luke-kun! Please don't worry! [He reaches a hand to help him up.] Gai-Sensei is testing me!

[Oh great of course it's Lee this is so not the time. Luke sits up, groaning; he didn't know he had enough force in himself to turn the bench over.]

Why are you shouting like that? [Too busy wincing and feeling sorry for himself to notice the extended hand.]

[Or this is exactly the time! He still keeps the arm extended.]

Am I shouting?! Gai-Sensei is nearby so my youth must be at full power! But I cannot ignore your plight, Luke-kun? Has this bench betrayed you?!

You're always shouting! [The nice (?) thing about Lee is that yelling at him never offends him. It still isn't very gentlemanly, but Luke does not care today.]

The bench didn't do anything. You jumped down and yelled like that and surprised me.

Perhaps it is because I am always young! But I apologize if it offends you. And... I apologize for surprising you! Are you harmed?!

No, I'm fine. [Still selectively blind, because he ignores Lee's hand again in favor of getting up and brushing the dirt off the back of his sweater.] Don't you ever look where you're going to land?

[Lee still keeps his hand extended for another moment.] Ah... I usually make that there is ground to land on! But beyond that, I only look ahead at the object of my pursuit! [He then glances back in the direction that Gai's ghost ran, but there's no sign of him.]

The 'object of your pursuit'? Who were you chasing?

[Maybe somebody else went by, but Luke was far too mopey to notice.]

Gai-Sensei! He's back!! [That's the only acceptable explanation.] Has been performing a mighty run across Luceti, and my test must be to try and catch him!

Let me guess. He doesn't answer when you talk to him, right?

[He nods intensely.]

That's true! He doesn't always answer when he's caught up in the hot-blooded spirit of youth. He must be testing me! If I can catch him, then he will speak to me once again!

[Luke shakes his head, all glum.]

You don't understand. It's because he wasn't real.

What do you mean? You... you don't believe in Gai-Sensei?! [That's like not believing in The Mighty and All-Powerful Santa-Sama!]

[Good thing Lee keeps some of his thoughts inside his head.]

I mean the person you saw today isn't real. He's...an illusion.

An illusion? Ah... I see! The true test must lie deeper, in that case. Where could the real Gai-Sensei be hiding?! [Unfortunately, ninjas casting illusions of themselves can be kind of an everyday thing.]

[There's no convincing Lee of something he doesn't already believe.]

I don't know. Not here. Probably not even in Luceti.

What do you mean? Could he... Could he really be...

Has he learned a method of casting illusions across worlds?! That would be... amazing! I expect no less from you, Gai-Sensei!

[This is going to give him a headache faster than actually getting hit in the head would have.]

No! I don't mean that either! It's a- a shift or something, all right?

[Well, bringing pain to someone's head without hitting them technically could be the sign of an efficient ninja.]

A... a shift? What makes you think that, Luke-kun?

Because Professor Layton wasn't real either.

[His shoulders rise as if to add, all right? Are you satisfied? though Lee is not the object of his venom.]

[He frowns as he considers this.]

Are you saying that you saw someone as well?

Mmhmm. I was following him and then he just disappeared.

Are you sure that he was not using an ability?

An ability?

[Lee, what.]

It doesn't matter, he would have answered me if he could hear me at all. But instead, he just kept on walking away, very fast. It can't have been real.

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