No. 002 - Lost and Found

[reminded]

[Action?]

[Somewhere, a puzzle sits. Abandoned.

Why? How? Nobody knows. But it looks innocent enough. Little blocks in playful colors, purposefully arranged inside a handcrafted house of wood. The blocks slide easily with a nudge, almost as if they were born to do so. It looks like the big red block would fit perfectly into the space on the right. In fact, it looks like it would be a pretty easy task. Might as well give it a try, right?

But this cheerful little puzzle has a dark secret. To the savvy, it's worth 99 picarats and requires a series of 81 moves at minimum to complete. To the not-as-savvy, that means it's a lot harder than it looks. This is not a puzzle for the weak.]


[Voice, evening]

Good evening, Luceti. I’ll only be a moment. I seem to have lost a puzzle of mine -- a sliding block puzzle, to be precise. Has anyone seen it? I would appreciate any word.

(( OOC: I don’t count on him actually getting the puzzle back, but it can be spotted anywhere and everywhere. And if you'd like to play out puzzle frustrations with someone other than Layton, go right ahead! Puzzle destruction is also a thing that is acceptable. Just sayin'.

P.S.: a video of the puzzle if you want to see it in action. ))

Comments

[hisapprentice]

[Yeesh. Now that's just mean.]

Whoever finds it is probably going to want to give it back. That one's hard.

[reminded]

Yes, I can foresee a furrowed brow or two over this one. [He probably sounds a little too cheerful about that.] I hope it won't spoil anyone's fun.

[hisapprentice]

The sort of person whose fun would get spoiled by a puzzle probably won't pick it up anyway. Do you want to go look for it?

[reminded]

I've already retraced my steps, but I suppose you never know. [Maybe someone's found it and abandoned it in frustration somewhere new by now.] Did you want to come along?

[hisapprentice]

Sure! Maybe we should split up and look.

[reminded]

[Hmm. Luke really has done some growing in his time here.]

It certainly would be faster. But what do you say we look together? It's long past time for urgency, anyway.

[hisapprentice]

[You don't have to ask him twice. He picks up his bag from where he hooked it over a chair, settling it on his shoulder instead.]

Have we ever hunted down a specific puzzle before? Besides the big grand archaeological ones.

[reminded]

[Layton begins to head out, assuming Luke will be right behind him.]

No, I don't suppose we have. They usually come to us. [And they're never left wanting for more, that's for sure.] But not so much in Luceti, I've noticed.

[hisapprentice]

The same few people always answer puzzles when I write them in my journal, too. I guess it's like London, only smaller - just a few people really enjoy them enough to notice.

[reminded]

And I very much appreciate those few. I just like to think that anyone can enjoy a good puzzle, given the right exposure.

[hisapprentice]

I suppose some people are just better at doing jigsaw puzzles instead.

[reminded]

Which are perfectly respectable, of course. Speaking of which, I was able to get my hands on rather large jigsaw puzzle some time ago. We should make an activity of it with Maiza and Czeslaw.

[hisapprentice]

We should! I bet they'll both be better at one of those.

[reminded]

Jigsaws are truly the everyman's puzzle. This one in particular depicts a hat shop, so I think it suits us quite nicely.

[hisapprentice]

...We do all wear hats. And they're all different hats, too. [What would happen if they all switched hats one day? Luke pictures Czes in Layton's taaaaall top hat and the professor in Maiza's dapper fedora and-

This is very funny.]

[reminded]

[His top hat would swallow Czes whole.]

But of course. True gentlemen can't be without them, after all. And for that, I must commend your choice in flatmates.

[hisapprentice]

We sort of...chose each other, a little bit. I think in the end Maiza felt sorry for me, thinking I was a kid and all alone. {Which are two true things but Luke refuses to believe them.]

[reminded]

[Which was very kind of Maiza. Layton believes those two true things.]

Is that so? I thought Czeslaw might have been the one to invite you.

[hisapprentice]

[Then he hasn't known Czes for very long at all.]

Hmm-mm. Er, well, not exactly. But it doesn't matter anymore, does it? We're there now.

[reminded]

[Maybe he did it... subtle-like...]

I suppose you're right.

[And because they're supposed to be looking for a puzzle, he looks around for anything that might have changed since the last time he passed through. He veers off to the sidelines to check any suspicious bushes or rocks...]

[hisapprentice]

[Luke is just looking, in general, particularly under things that a tallish man like Layton might have been reluctant to peruse. Benches and shrubs and things.]

Maybe someone liked it so much they decided to keep it.

[reminded]

[He pauses in his rock-turning to think about that.]

I suppose in that case, I couldn't begrudge them. Puzzles aren't meant to be sequestered, after all. What is a puzzle if it isn't being pored over?

[hisapprentice]

[Luke has disappeared under a plant. He emerges rather dirty and scraped but victoriously clutching-!

A marble.]

Waiting for us to find it, I think.

[reminded]

[He smiles.]

I like that answer. Speaking of which, it looks like you've found something of your own.

[hisapprentice]

It's just someone's lost marble. They probably don't even know it's missing.