No. 00X - The Fourth Wall

[reminded]

[There sure is a lot of excitement this morning. After getting a vague grip on the situation by talking to some of the wingless newcomers, Layton decides to take a stroll around the village, trunk in hand, and observe. Something very unusual is happening, and there's no point in missing it by staying indoors.

Occasionally, he takes a seat on a bench or at a table and scribbles notes into his journal. Or puzzles into his puzzle index. Because no matter how much hubbub there is, you can never stop the puzzles.]

Comments

[reminded]

[Layton nods and gets to looking. Many of the styles in the store are unusual by his standards, so maybe this won't be as hard a task as it seems.]

"Designed for you"? Do you mean so in the manner of a paradise?

[trainwrecking]

[ He looks around and spots a white dress shirt. However, he hovers over it, his fingers shaking. Maybe he should pick something thicker? ]

Not... exactly paradise. It looked just like a normal high school would. Except there were... non-sentient students alongside us. They― no, we called them NPCs. Non-Player Characters... [ Just in case Layton wasn't familiar with gamer lingo. ]

When I first showed up, I was told not to interact with them.

[brushworkmother]

[yes good keep doing that

…well there is the occasional barging in on people and knocking down the walls of their rooms but it was in the name of a greater cause! And otherwise she behaves perfectly well which is definitely what counts. She whuffs amicably, tail thumping against his leg.]

[thebluepawn]

[He yelps and jumps back from the wings when they move.

They're real for real for real?! Phoenix's hand flies to his chest as if to soothe his startled heart, and he looks most incredulous as he gives Layton the most baffled look he can manage.]

I can't believe this. Did you grow them?!

[reminded]

[Layton can't help but smile. Phoenix makes him feel like a regular magician.]

Your guess is as good as mine. I simply woke up with them. Do you believe me now when I say we are experimented on?

[thebluepawn]

Well... I guess I should.

Actually, wait! You said this was some sort of different place? Maybe we're in some kind of dream world where people normally have wings, so you might not have been experimented on at all!

[There is no point to that line of thought, but the instinct to point out a possibility gets the better of him.]

[reminded]

You're proposing that my wings are only here because a dream dictates they should be? [This is a strangely familiar concept to Layton.]

That's quite the conjecture. But as a lawyer, you must know that the burden of proof falls on you to support it. What do you have to suggest that these wings are the result of a dream rather than a scientist?

[descrier]

Mr. Layton, it's a pleasure to meet you in person. [ Marita extends her hand. Although her expression remains neutral, she seems genuinely interested in her company. ] Marita Covarrubias. We conversed earlier over the network. The guide you sent me was very helpful.

[thebluepawn]

Urk--...! [He has a point. Nick deflates, looking around and deciding that if he wants to point out any objections to this man's explanation, he'll have to look around and find things for himself. Asking what else Layton has to say might better, for now.]

... I'll find that later.

[reminded]

[Layton swallows a bit of cookie before speaking. If only they had a bit of tea to go with their biscuits.]

Correct. There's still reason to worry that you'll draw a black ball, but 75% sounds much better than 50 when your life is on the line. Well done, you handled that one like a pro.

[reminded]

[It's a strange term to him, but he takes it for what it is. He has to wonder if a high school afterlife would be heaven or hell for the average teenager.]

Why not? What harm could they do you?

[reminded]

[ok he will keep doing that

Luke probably would enjoy having a pet in the house, and so might Maiza. Czeslaw... maybe. But it isn't very fair to have an animal as big as this one cramped up in a flat as small as theirs. On the fifth floor. Alas.

His rubbing gets increasingly absent as he becomes lost in thought.]

[trainwrecking]

Nothing directly... They were usually harmless, unless you... went up to them and attacked one, I guess. N-not that I would! But enjoying a normal school life with them― [ He pulls a thick, longsleeved shirt off the rack, though he never size-checks it. Oh well! ]

― it meant you would disappear from the world. The, uh... the theory was you would be reincarnated, but... none of us knew for sure.

[reminded]

[Well, he wasn't expecting that. He brightens upon hearing the name and gives her hand a firm but composed shake.]

Ms. Covarrubias! What a pleasant surprise. It's good to finally put a face to the name. I see that you're just as inquisitive in person as you are on paper.

[nitrogenius]

I think best in life or death situations.

[Or even just about them. Anyway, unless it's cold tea, Tattoi really doesn't want anything to drink. You'll just have to suffer, Layton.]

Any other puzzles like that?

[reminded]

[He almost wants to comment on how the process should be the other way around, but what does he know? He's just an archaeologist.]

I hope you'll share if you do. But you know, I can at least agree with the spirit of your hypothesis.

[reminded]

[... Some sort of purgatory?]

So it becomes a gamble on whether or not there's a life after afterlife. I can see why you and your fellows would hesitate to find out.

[trainwrecking]

That's what I thought too. [ He sneezes. Eww... at least none got on his new shirt. Talking like this is doing wonders for him, though. It makes him think instead of worry, and has him warming up. The teeth-chattering is down to a minimum. ]

But what I found... was that nobody was really afraid of reincarnating. They were all fighting for a cause... And fighting against the unfairness of life. Everyone I talked to there― all of them died with some kind of regret.

[descrier]

As are you. [ She returns to him an utmost professional handshake. ] I've spent the past few days thoroughly reading into what you sent me, but all of this seems to be something entirely different.

I really can't seem to grasp the meaning behind it either, but... this is one of those "shifts" isn't it?

[hisreturn]

What else would it be taken as? [He laughs at the thought of it being anything else.]

[reminded]

In fact, I do. I suppose things are always more interesting when an element of risk is involved.

So you find yourself in another land with strange customs and are convicted of yet another crime. Apparently, you're something of a troublemaker. Again, your fate is to be left to luck. In the presence of the court, the king presents you with a single jar of his own preparation. It supposedly contains two slips of paper: one which reads "innocent" and the other "guilty". You are to draw exactly one slip of paper and receive the sentence written on it.

However, there is a twist. During your time in this land you earned the disdain of the king, who decided to sabotage your so-called trial. You know for a fact that he has replaced the "innocent" slip with a second "guilty", but you cannot speak their language and accuse him of it. You also know that if you try to draw both slips of paper and show them to the court, the king will kill you on the spot to hide his trickery.

How can you outwit the king and be found undeniably innocent despite all this? Violence is not an option.

[thebluepawn]

[Anybody knows how to lawyer better than Nick does, to be honest.]

I'll definitely share! But how would I get in touch with you? I don't think... phones exist around here, do they?

[brushworkmother]

[excellent

Aside from the part where he's becoming more absent-minded about it. She lifts her head with a soft whine, giving him a look. What's on his mind?]

[reminded]

... Hmm. [A thought occurs to him, but... no, he won't entertain the notion.]

So their regrets were preventing them from moving on, so to speak. Are you not in the same situation?

[reminded]

Perhaps. I thought it might be a test of whatever technology is contained within our wings. A new method of incorporation, for instance. I'm sure you've noticed that we are still able to understand them, and they us, despite their lack of wings.