Puzzletober 2025: Award

Fourteen months have passed since that day. Victor and Dan sit at an oaken bar and reminisce about what happened afterward. Victor says, "It really is a miracle that we can still make S.O.S. calls out here. I didn't trust John completely, what with his one-sided 'stache and dilapidated hairstyle, but the police found the exact amount of money I reported missing in an indiscreet bag in the car after intercepting it along the road... and a confession was made, so I can't complain. The thief hasn't come back and I haven't been stolen from since." "Things are looking up," says Dan, raising his glass in a solitary toast. "Since we've gotten all this tourism. Evidently, some newsgroup received a story about the case from an anonymous source and people from nearby states just had to see the 'Hotel Drywall'." "Yes," says Victor, "but less and less people are wanting to stay there, especially now that we're building this newer hotel a mile away from it. I'm fine with that."

Jett walks by with a fresh set of newspapers (they still haven't gotten cell service) and gives one to Victor whilst pointing to a specific article. He accepts it and focuses on the content. "We've been nominated for best residential upstart of the year in the county!" There is much applause within the room. "We're going to have to sign some things if we receive the award." Dan retrieves a pencil from his pocket and draws on his napkin, saying, "I'd better practice my Hancock."

Rules: Solve as a Legalese. Any statements referred to by dots the signature line uses must be true. The events happen in the order they are passed through from the left endpoint to the right endpoint. To prevent confusion from irrelevant statements, the events need to be highlighted to read them.

A2: Xavier whittles away at a wooden dissection puzzle. He mutters to himself, "I gotta start with the most restrictive sections. Then everything will fall into place. Fingers crossed."

A3: The clerk and maid receive much-appreciated pay raises following a noticeable increase in tourism.

A4: A resident of the hotel is told by another, "Thank you for standing up for me in the cabin when the investigator was there. I'm glad you understand that it's my choice to make; neither of yours. Can we just be acquaintances?"

A5: The maid unclogs a sink downstairs and finds a necklace. She returns it to its rightful owner.

A6: Ande plays a standard round of chess against Blaise. The game is close until the end, when Blaise is heavily under attack and about to lose. Ande benevolently ponders the next move. "You definitely shouldn't go to C6; that's mate in two. I also don't think you should be going to E6, or D5, for that matter. Should I tell you why?"

B1: The diver encounters a rare sea creature near the shore of the ocean the lake feeds into.

B2: Xavier enters a room upstairs in the hotel and says, "Ah, just how I remember it. Well, except for that missing tile in the bathroom. I bet someone had a moment in here. The place looks so well taken care of despite my absence. You know I never expect you to do it for me. Frankly, I'm flattered."

B3: A long conversation takes place outside the front door of the hotel. It ends as follows. "I've been thinking of the lays things could have gone. Did I miss those chances?" "Don't worry about that. Just because something hasn't certainly happened doesn't mean it will never happen."

B4: Roger wins an archery competition at the national level.

B5: A phone conversation transpires between two people who frequented the hotel. One side of it goes as follows. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised that you decided to spend it on me. What on earth were you thinking?" "It was never about the money. Did I give you that impression? I enjoyed his personality." "No, I can't bail you out." "I'm not your lawyer, but I can tell you this. Do you remember a year ago when we caught each other red-handed in the lamplight? We swore to secrecy. If you break the vow, then I will as well."

B6: The door to the seventh room falls off its hinges. All the doors in the hallway upstairs are promptly replaced with ones that have an electric locking system.

B7: The farmer cultivates a prize tomato.

C1: While excavating before working on the Hotel Drywall's plumbing system, Victor finds some buried coins.

C2: Anastasia remarries her last husband. They work alongside each other at her place of employment.

C3: Dan plants a bag of cash in someone's car while John is at the hotel.

C4: Right after John leaves, Victor turns on a television plugged into the drywall and happens to watch the ending of a PSA led by Ande. "So remember, misinformation is everywhere. Not just in statements, but also the assumptions that statements rely on."

C5: Dan vehemently swears to Victor that he never told anyone about the safe.

C6: Roger sighs while sitting at the original spruce bar, reminiscing over the errand of John, Waverly, and Blaise. He too had seen the fire in the cabin out his bedroom window, but he was too late to take the initiative. Perhaps he could've encased an arrow in ice and sent it cleanly through the open windows without having to run all the way there. The thought makes him smile a bit.

C7: Ophelia writes a best-selling book.

D1: The innkeeper wins a grant to build his first hotel.

D2: While waiting outside the ninth room, Waverly overhears Victor muttering a three-number combination to himself.

D3: Victor wins the award for Best Residential Upstart Of The Year in the county.

D4: An undercover private investigator who goes by John spends a night at the Hotel Drywall.

D5: The long-time resident of the second room gets to host an event for the first time. It's a round of trivia. One of the answers sparks intense debate over whether a certain food is a fruit or a vegetable.

D6: While observing the sunset from a beach with her daughter, Ophelia spots Samuel's houseboat in the distance. She signals to him, he recognizes her, and the trio are fully united for the very first time. They have a group hug which lasts more than one minute. He successfully convinces them to accompany him on the houseboat for the rest of his life.

D7: The Hotel Drywall literally crumbles under the weight of neglect. The innkeeper salvages whatever artifacts are still intact and finally folds to the regulators. His newer hotel, which had already gained a good reputation for its modern amenities, continues to thrive.

E2: Xavier Vitale files for divorce. It breaks his heart to be unable to explain why.

E3: The innkeeper is stolen from for the first time.

E4: The economist makes a once-in-a-lifetime-sized profit on a stock exchange. Half of it is donated to charities and half to Victor.

E5: While on break from filming a highly-anticipated movie, Ande randomly remembers something Anastasia had told him. He had always found it inexplicably odd, but he only just now knows why: he had never told her himself. Since John had left without a trace, he reasons that the other man had learned the errors of his ways. The thought comforts him and he decides not to question it anymore.

E6: While playing a round of poker, Victor holds a full house for the first time in his life, allowing him to easily win the round.