Puzzle 013

[tapshoetomove]

[Action for 726 Anderson Lane.]

[While everything had ended and everyone had returned to Mayfield safe and sound, Luke was still left with the traumatic memories of cannibals, surviving in the wasteland of Mayfield, and most of all - a slow and painful death by radiation.

He cried for the longest time when he woke up, and all he could hope for was

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[puzzlerprince]

[...hey Luke. Have a knock at your door.]

[hintcoinplz]

...Who is it?

[He makes no move to open the door.]

[puzzlerprince]

It's me.

[A pause. Edward's taken his time as well, working up the strength to come see him after all that's happened.]

Can I come in?

[hintcoinplz]

...Solve the door puzzle first, and I'll let you in.

[Not that he didn't want to see the Riddler, but puzzles are the only calming thing he has right now.]

[puzzlerprince]

Door puzzle...? [He takes a step back, staring at the door to Luke's room. And it's here that he notices that a good deal of the objects surrounding it weren't here before.]

All right, then. I'll accept.

[hintcoinplz]

[He knew you would.]

Good. This puzzle should be no problem for you then.

You have 15 seconds to perform an action in front of the door. You can search the objects I have laying outside the door for clues if you like, and when you're ready to solve the puzzle, just say so and I'll start the countdown.

But just so you know, there's nothing you can do to solve this puzzle.

[puzzlerprince]

[Nothing he can do to solve this puzzle? Ha. The Riddler will be the judge of that. There's not a puzzle in the world he can't solve.

So he'll do just what Luke suggested and take a look at each object surrounding the door. Each of them marked by a number, one through five. Something involving a sequence? No, that would be too simple, whether it's in ascending or descending order. But there has to be a trick to this. There has to be. There's something specific he has to do. But is he really meant to believe there's nothing he can do...?

...wait. He's got it.]

All right. Start the countdown, Luke. I'm ready.

[hintcoinplz]

All right then.

Go.

[And he'll start counting down.]

[puzzlerprince]

[And what does the Riddler do after Luke begins the countdown?

Nothing.

Sure, there's various objects scattered around the door, labelled with little numbers. But if what the boy said is true, there's truly nothing he can do to solve this puzzle. Clever wordplay, Luke.]

[hintcoinplz]

[4...

3...

Meanwhile, Luke's ear is pressed against the door, listening carefully for any sounds or movement on the other side.

2...

1.

Puzzle solved.

Luke allows himself a weak smile as he speaks up again.]

You solved it, Mr. Nigma. As usual, you haven't disappointed me yet.

[A soft click and the door starts to open.]

[puzzlerprince]

[Of course he solved it, he thinks to himself. But that sudden burst of self-confidence has just about vanished as quickly as it arrived as soon as Luke opens the door.

Just as he had remarked to Ema before his own untimely demise, dying in Mayfield isn't really something that's very easy to get used to. Not even one day ago, he'd watched Luke die right before his eyes. Held his hand and stayed by his side until the end.

And now here Luke is, standing before him once again. Posing puzzles and tricks just as they'd always done each day.

Question: How is the Riddler like a blank dictionary?

Answer: They're both at a loss for words.]

[hintcoinplz]

[Opening the door was easy enough, but as soon as Luke meets Edward face-to-face, all the memories of his death come flooding back. The bodies, the smell of death, his own death...

His lower lip trembles, and all he wants to do is break down right there. It takes a lot of effort not to burst into tears, because all he wants to do right now is scream and cry and hug the nearest person and not let go.

But he would not look weak now. He had to be strong, he had to be a gentleman.

So he'll quietly look down and push open the door, inviting Edward inside.]

[puzzlerprince]

[Once the door's fully open, Edward takes a step forward and moves inside. He glances around the room for a moment. It appears to be as intact as ever, much like the rest of the house. As if it hadn't been completely ravaged by nuclear fallout this past Thanksgiving Weekend.

His eyes dart back to Luke, after a moment, before heading over to a nearby desk. Leaning his cane against the side of it, Edward pulls out the accompanying chair, turns it away from the desk, and quietly takes a seat.]

[hintcoinplz]

[It's not a very big room, a room made for a small child, but not a growing 13-year-old boy.

Luke takes a seat on the bed just across from the desk, pulling the blanket close to him and staring at the floor.

There's a lot he wants to say, but he remains quiet out of fear he'll break down.]

[puzzlerprince]

[There's a lot on Edward's mind as well, though he can't really find the words. Finally, he manages to find an icebreaker just to get things moving.]

That was quite a clever puzzle, you know.

[hintcoinplz]

[Luke glances up briefly, but doesn't make too much eye contact.]

You think so...? That was the first puzzle I tested out on the Professor, before I became his apprentice.