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

[thebluepawn]

[Hopefully the professor doesn't mind that his puzzling is going to get interrupted by a spikey man who has no idea where he is. The professor looks nice enough! He's probably not going to bite his head off is he just waltzes on over to ask questions!!]

(Right?)

Um, excuse me, can you tell me where this is?

[reminded]

Hm?

[He looks up from an overly elaborate drawing of a bunch of overlapping pipes and straightens.]

Certainly. This is Luceti.

[Could he explain more than that? Sure he could. But he doesn't.]

[thebluepawn]

Oh I see, this is Lucet--

Where is that?

[reminded]

None of us can be sure, but this world isn't like any Earth I know. My apologies, but I suspect you're a very long way from home.

boo

[hisreturn]

[No, Layton, never stop puzzling! Anyway, a certain friend of yours (who is an adult and post-Miracle Mask) is just strolling through the village. He's pretty fascinated with it, though, despite being randomly dropped in it. Guess who recognized your top hat?] Hershel? Hershel, is that you?

SCREAM

[reminded]

[Now, how could he ever forget that voice? He closes his index and stands, hand on the brim of his hat.]

Randall!

[brushworkmother]

[suddenly there is a nose resting on the other side of the table and two curious eyes above it

what is this what are you writing]

[clairifying]

[Visibility is good today— Layton will be able to see the reflections off the windows of nearby shops today. Most of the time, it's just people wandering around, heading into the shops ("What?" tends to be the catchphrase of the day), the usual.

But sometimes, just sometimes, he might catch sight of Familiar Faces from the other side of the window...]

[thebluepawn]

That's what I thought...

But what do you mean, like any "Earth" you know?

[reminded]

Oh, hello.

[Layton smiles at his audience and leans back from his puzzle index, where he was jotting down a puzzle inspired by a strange-looking tree in the woods. It's multiple choice, even.]

Can I help you?

[He's come a long way from being self-conscious about talking to animals.]

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

[hisreturn]

[Archaeology broooooo you're here, wanna go exploring together.] Aha! It is you. Well, I feel a bit more relaxed now. [Onto more important matters.] You don't seem that distressed, though. Know where we are?

[brushworkmother]

[who could possibly be self-conscious when talking to this face

Ammy whuffs at him, lifting her head a little, tail thumping. What is that he's got there?]

[reminded]

[After seeing not one, but two other acquaintances today, Layton has been keeping a sharper eye out for familiar faces in the crowd. It isn't realistic for him to expect any single person out of so many in his life to make an appearance. He knows that. But there's still a certain manner of dress, a certain tone of voice, a certain shade of hair that makes him turn just to be sure.

He's absently scanning the storefronts when he moves past a troublesome spot of glare on one window, forcing him to look away and blink the spots out of his eyes. When he turns his gaze back and looks through the window, he freezes. Maybe even stares.]

Claire...

[reminded]

What I mean to say is that we may or may not be on Earth at all. That is where you're from, isn't it?

[clairifying]

[Too far away, too soft.

Her head darts inquisitively to the left, as if having heard something (something not him) and she moves. To the other direction, mind you, away from him.

Something seems to have caught her attention.]

sccreeaaamssssss.........

[reminded]

[Count on Randall to be perfectly adaptable to all of this. Layton can't help but smile.]

As a matter of fact, I do. I hope you're prepared for a bit of a lecture.

[reminded]

[A dog who wants to see his puzzle? Yet another thing that somehow unfazes him.]

Did you want a look? My sketch is on the unpolished side, but it should suffice.

[He moves the book over, angling it for Ammy to see. A thick tree with wild, criss-crossing, improbably tangled branches is illustrated. A single acorn hangs high in the leaves.]

Would you like to hear the puzzle that goes with it?

[reminded]

[He can't lose her.

He begins to run, managing to dodge the people in his way just enough to avoid impropriety. It doesn't occur to him to look through the window again and make sure that it's her; he only opens the door much too quickly (but with enough presence of mind to keep it from slamming) and searches the faces around for the one he's looking for.]

[brushworkmother]

[oh hmm this looks relevant to her interests! …more so if it was an actual tree but hey.

She flicks her ears towards him, lifting her head. Sure, why not?]

[clairifying]

[Really, Hershel, is this how a gentleman should be?

But— ah, yes, there she is, up front at the counter, speaking to someone animatedly. Perhaps about clocks, as the other person seems to be having a pocketwatch out (silver, shiny, probably worth a 40 picarat puzzle or two).

It's definitely Claire. Or should it be..."Celeste"?]

r u read y

[doggtier]

[Here's Dave taking a seat next to Layton on the bench, mumbling under his breath.]

--world openin' up with a crack
of awe and horror, yo Jesus is back!
says the j-crew throwin' themselves at his feet
after waitin' God knows how long to meet
so Jesus stoops down to greet
them, offering benevolence like a motherfuckin' treat
and, only it's not Jesus and this ain't no Heaven
when we're not all treated equal
not everyone gets savin'
see, we are all
led here
dead here
fed on holy water and bread here--

Meh, too dumb maybe. God damnit, what's next?

[reminded]

[She can understand him, right...? He hopes so, because otherwise he's going to feel very silly at the end of this.]

A hungry squirrel wants to reach an acorn at the top of a tree by traveling up its branches. However, he lives by a curious method of climbing: by the time he reaches the top a tree, he always turns left an even number of times and right an odd number of times at branches and intersections.

With this in mind, which of the four starting branches must he have taken to reach the acorn?

[reminded]

[He spots her and waits until she turns her head just enough for him to identify her without a trace of doubt. His hand tenses around the door's handle.]

Cl...

[And then he feels someone rap him on the shoulder.

He turns around to see an impatient woman standing behind him. Because he's been blocking the only entrance, and dammit, she wants to shop. Layton hurries out of the way and offers an apology, mollified by her look of annoyance and his own inconsideration. It really isn't good of him to forget his manners, no matter what the situation. He is supposed to be a gentleman, after all, and a gentleman never makes a scene in public.

So now he looks back at Claire, hangs awkwardly near the entrance, and realizes that the moment has passed. The longer he stands there, the more he feels it would be rude of him to interrupt their conversation. He tugs at the brim of his hat. Maybe he should wait for them to finish before approaching.]

yes, yes let it all out

[hisreturn]

[This is the guy who dragged you down into danger-ridden, deadly ruins. A new planet is no big deal.] As long as there's no test afterward. Come on, Hershel, I'm all ears.

screeaaaaokay i'm good

[reminded]

[Yes, those ruins went so well that bigger obstacles are guaranteed to be similarly trauma-free.]

All right. [You asked for it.] We're in an enclosure called Luceti. We were brought to this world by an unknown influence, but are confined to the area by a group called the Malnosso. Their scientists grafted wings onto our backs with the supposed intent to ensure our survival, and we die if they're removed. For reasons beyond my understanding, those like yourself who arrived today lack them.

The Malnosso conduct experiments on us from time to time. They claim to be equally foreign to this world and solely intent on learning how to return people to their home worlds upon command. As things stand, we are only able to depart by chance; after an unspecified amount of time, we simply disappear without warning.

[Phew.]