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]

They picked quite the time to drop you off. [He closes his book, stows it in his trunk, and stands.]

Come along, then. I think you could do with some proper attire.

[trainwrecking]

Ahh... They? [ He speaks more quickly now, trying to communicate in spite of the cold. ]

Y-yeah... I-I don't want to impose on y-you though. [ Still, he's quite desperate and does indeed follow. ]

[reminded]

Not to worry, it's no imposition. They are the Malnosso and the ones you have to thank for the wings on your back, as well as the bar code on your neck.

[trainwrecking]

... B-bar code?! Wait― [ He stops dead, scratching at the back of his neck. He can't see it or feel anything. His fingers are too numb... ]

Are you sure? W-why would anyone do that?! This c-can't be real...

[reminded]

[Layton stops as well, turning back to look at his new acquaintance with a frown and a twist of his hat.]

Quite sure. It's a means of identification. We are of scientific interest to them, you see.

[trainwrecking]

Scientific... interest? [ Otonashi sounds like he might very well be sick. That, or the cold has gotten to him so he is sick. ]

T-there's nothing interesting about us... How c-can I leave, then?! I'll get the wings off m-myself..!

[reminded]

[Maybe he should've broken the news a bit more gently. He raises a placating hand.]

Calm down, now. You'll only do yourself harm if you act rashly. Take a few deep breaths, and then I'll explain the situation properly for you.

[trainwrecking]

How can I be calm..?! I was just told―

[He cuts himself off. This nice man is trying to help him, and is actually rather level-headed about all of this. Otonashi tries for a deep breath, but the chill air has him coughing.

Close enough. ]

M-may we... go i-inside first?

[reminded]

... Of course. The plaza is straight ahead. Let's hurry before you catch a cold.

[It is all a bit to take in, so Layton understands. He turns to lead them on at a brisker pace, and the stores surrounding the plaza will come into view soon enough. The clothing store is one of the largest.]

[trainwrecking]

[ All of this is hard to process, surroundings included. It has been a while since Otonashi has seen a proper storefront, but he shakes his head. ]

Is th-that the... the clothing store? I-it should be warmer― [ Unless Luceti is interested in experimenting on stores as well... ] ―but I... I d-don't have any money.

[reminded]

[It's busier around the plaza, so Layton navigates traffic while glancing back at his companion every so often.]

You don't need to worry about that. Everything is free and provided for here, so you're free to take anything in the stores you need. Just one of the perks, I suppose.

[trainwrecking]

Nnf... I-is that how it works..? [ Pardon him, but he is all too happy to stumble inside the shop once they're close by. His skin is pale and his fingers, lips and toes are a touch blue. He should have come to Layton first. Nobody else had been helpful... ]

T-thank you, uh... Mister...?

[reminded]

[Layton comes in at a more leisurely pace, shutting the door behind him. He'll just enjoy the heat while he's in here.]

Layton. Hershel Layton. It's no trouble at all. And you are?

[trainwrecking]

[ It must seem so strange, but Otonashi has to pause to think about the question. He remembers his surname, at least... ]

Otonashi... ah. I... s-still can't remember m-my given name.

[reminded]

[That is strange. He's never heard of anyone who only forgot one part of his name before.]

You have some sort of amnesia?

[trainwrecking]

Y-yeah. T-they said my memory would... c-come back to me eventually. [ He sniffles and rubs at his arms, very slowly warming up. He's still off-color, but the threat of literally freezing is gone. Which begs the next line of questions: ]

You... s-said something a-about catching a cold. S-so we... we c-can get sick in this place?

nppp

[reminded]

[Very strange. Oh well, Layton isn't one to pry without reason. He begins to walk further into the store to free up the entrance.]

Well, yes. We have a number of skilled doctors in the village--or healers, if you're so inclined. However, death here is impermanent. You'll be revived in about a week, though given a penalty for the trouble.

\o/

[trainwrecking]

A week for revival? That isn't s-so different from home... [ Of course things had to start getting weirder. The idea of a penalty is a new concept, however. ]

Uh― w-what kind of penalties? [ As an aside, he eyes the clothing racks. This stuff is all free for the taking...? ]

[reminded]

[Though Otonashi (or anyone, really) won't be able to see it, Layton's eyebrows rise underneath his hat. A world other than this one where people are revived from death?]

Typically, a loss of some kind. Sight, voice, or memory, for instance. Penalties can be removed, but only with the consultation of an individual from the Malnosso named John.

You say revival happens in your home as well? Where do you hail from?

[trainwrecking]

Mal... nosso? [ So he has to be much more careful about death here. That sits just fine with him, because he never adjusted to the idea of death not sticking. And it should not be hard...

... Unless Noda is here, but he won't linger on that. ]

Ahh... yeah. It's... nn. Y-you seem level-headed, so you might not panic the way I did... haha... I came from... sort of an afterlife.

[reminded]

[Well, that does make him pause.]

The afterlife, you say? Fascinating... We have our fair share of the deceased arriving, but I have yet to hear about an afterlife. Would it be all right if I asked more about it?

As for the Malnosso, remember that they are the ones who experiment on us. In some cases, they'll perform services for us as well.

[trainwrecking]

Right... You said that already, huh. [ Now that he's warming up, he's slowly regaining those crazy motor and brain skills. He's paying attention, honest! And with more focus now that he almost has feeling in his limbs. ]

S-sorry... But, ahh―

Of course you can ask. I've been asking you about this place, so... I-I'll tell you anything you want to know as best as I can.

[reminded]

[Being frozen to death can be pretty distracting.]

Thank you. By the way, there's a chance you'll find your original set of clothes among the racks. I'll help you look for them, if you'll describe them for me. [It's a bit awkward to be standing around in a clothing store without browsing the wares, after all.]

Now then, I suppose the most pressing question is: what is it like? One hears so many beliefs about the afterlife that meeting someone who has experienced it is quite the opportunity, if you'll pardon me for saying so.

[trainwrecking]

My original clothes..? [ Why would those be here..? Maybe Layton means the afterlife's default school uniform, not the customized ones he and his friends wore.

Fair enough, he would describe the original uniform. ]

I-it's just a black high school uniform with a red...ish... necktie. It's p-pretty― [ He sniffles. ] ―nondescript. And a white dress shirt goes u-under... underneath the jacket. [ But he can also look for it himself! ... Once he gets over the whole oh gosh this won't be considered stealing, right? ]

I don't know if... my s-story of the afterlife is a good indication. Everyone there was high-school aged... It was like a― a section?― for young people who had... passed on. It was as if... the world was designed for us.

[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?