hisapprentice | [Puzzle 018]

[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.]

Threaded | Flat

[Ghosts tend to be everywhere. But not all of them move in dignified patterns.

A green blur dashes along the roof of the rec center and leaps to land right before Luke before dashing off, without making any sound upon hitting the ground.

And then another green blur is following in his footsteps. But this one is audible and more recognizable. Especially given that he shouts right when he's in front of Luke.]

GAI-SENSEI! I WILL CATCH UP TO YOU!

[Firo doesn't mind waking up early; though he was never required to be at his casino all day, he liked to be there at the start of things. He has considerably less to wake up for in Luceti (especially now, with so many gone), but the faint noise in the kitchen has him awake and out of bed. Truthfully, he's been more than a little lonely these days and he wants to catch Luke before he goes off to school.

Sleepily slipping into his jacket, Firo enters the kitchen. And suddenly looks very awake when he notices the changes.]

What the hell happened to this place?

[Jean is on his way home for the day, his mind on dinner and homework - hoping that the pages of his book don't revert to wood pulp in his hands again - when he notices Luke sitting on the bench. He almost walks right past him without seeing him, he's hunched over so small there. Jean hesitates in his step. He doesn't know Luke all that well, but it doesn't feel right to just leave him there.

With his gait unsure and his expression sharpened in concern, he strays from his course to approach Luke.]

Hey...you doing alright?

[ Korra turns around at someone's yelling, confused. ]

I'm no professor. [ Somehow the ghost must have disappeared right as Korra turned the corner without her seeing him. All she sees now is a kid running in her direction. ]

Hey, hey, slow down. What's wrong?

[The sight of Luke outright sprinting past him draws Jack's attention immediately for the simple reason that Luke doesn't normally run, much less in so desperate a manner, seemingly chasing something.

Naturally, Jack can't help but follow the boy, curious to see just what it is that prompted that sudden burst of activity. What he finds is Luke sitting on a bench looking more than a little dejected and no sight of either a pursuer or any object of chase.]

... Luke? Are you all right?

Threaded | Flat

[Action]

[House 48 Action!]

[action]