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Forging New Paths

Luca blinked wide, surprised eyes at Garrett first, then down at Watson again as he settled in. "He does?" What did it mean, he wondered. Purring meant Watson was happy, so did purring louder mean he was more happy?

"He likes you a lot," Evelyn agreed with a little smile, amused by the childlike wonder in Luca's eyes, though they had only drawn a very small smile from him. He must like cats a lot, she thought, or animals in general, to only have smiled at them so far.

"Hm?" She mixed her salad a bit with her fork, glancing over at Garrett. "It's just called Mike's Pizza. Just a few minutes' drive away, and they deliver." They were quick, and had good food, and weren't horribly expensive as many restaurants in the are were.

"We walked there." Luca volunteered, soft and hesitant still but growing more used to attempting conversation than he had been when they'd first met.

Evelyn only nodded along. "We've been taking walks, gradually. It was our turning around point yesterday."
 
"Ahhh, so that's where it is!" Garrett said cheerfully. The name sounded familiar, and he realized in delight that it was one of the few businesses that had been vetted by his informants. Mike's Pizza, as far as he and his informants knew, tried not to associate with the Lombardi family. "I've heard about them a few times, but never had the chance to try it. I think I'll start ordering from there myself. This is delicious."

He texted Evelyn a bit of extra information. [I've got excellent news. Mark's Pizza has been personally vetted by one of my informants. They do their best not to be influenced by the Lombardis. They're definitely a business the three of us can wholeheartedly support.]

All at once, Watson smelled the pepperoni and mewed. He poked his head up above the table, and then reached out a paw to try and snag a slice of pepperoni off a nearby piece of pizza.

"Ah! Watson! You have your own treats," Garrett said with a laugh. He reached into his pocket for the bag, out of which he took two tuna bites and held them out to Luca. "Here, Luca, want to feed him? Just hold your hand flat and he'll eat the treats right out of it," he said.

Watson's attention had now switched to the treats, at least for the moment, and he meowed loudly and tried to scramble towards the food.
 
Evelyn had begun thinking Garrett was a little too enthused about just pizza, though enthused seemed to be his default when he wasn't on a case, as far as she knew. The message she received when she glanced at her phone explained it more, but also left her a bit dazed for a moment. She knew theirs was a crime filled city, but it hadn't quite occurred to her that she should be vetting the places she ate. Was there nothing the crime family hadn't touched?

As predicted, Luca didn't try at all to stop Watson from taking his food, despite his own voracious appetite. He was considering pulling the pepperoni off so the cat could eat it when Garrett held out treats, and looked surprised at the way Watson tried to get to them before remembering that when handed things he should hold out his hand.

When Watson snatched them up out of his palm, Luca was unbothered by the way he got licked in the first place. "Oh. He likes those. . ." He'd gobbled them down so fast!

Evelyn smiled a little and reached across the table a bit belatedly to pull Luca's plate a little further away from the edge. "No paws on the table. That's your food, Luca, not his. Pizza would hurt his stomach."

That, at least, held Luca's attention, and he nodded with a somewhat tight-lipped expression she'd come to call his Determination Face. As many things as he could forget or not notice, he would remember how not to hurt Watson.
 
For most places, including the ones he ate himself, Garrett wouldn't bother vetting. The Lombardis had a tendency to at least keep their restaurants on the down low and relaxed. But seeing as how Luca was so closely involved with the Lombardis - and how he walked out to one of the restaurants with Evelyn - Garrett thought they'd appreciate knowing the restaurant closest to them was also a safe one.

The detective's attention returned to Watson and Luca, and he nodded. "Oh, he loves them! You know, I've been doing a lot of research on cats, and I'm almost done making a list of foods that are safe for him to eat. Would you like a copy, Luca?"

He blushed in embarrassment and smiled sheepishly. ". . . I also have a tendency to share food with him. We like to eat together in the evenings. He even has his own little plate to eat off of."

Watson purred and sniffed Luca's hand, checking for more treats. Then he licked it to make sure he'd gotten all the food off. Satisfied at last, he went back to curling up on Luca's lap and purring.
 
As tired as she was, Evelyn was not currently making the connection, but would surely appreciate the information later on. As far as her walks with Luca went, she generally kept them to 'nicer' areas of town that were less likely to have any overbearing Lombardi influence, if not less crime in general.

Luca was already nodding before he thought to look at Evelyn, then down at Watson, then back at her with something shy but hopeful in his expression. ". . . can I share?"

She almost wanted to say no, but finally just sighed and shook her head at them with a little smile. "Thats unbearably cute, but you're going to spoil him rotten. If Garrett has a lift of safe foods, then yes, you can share with Watson. Just not at the table." She was only letting Luca hold the cat at the table because she knew it would break both their hearts to tear them apart. She had to pick her battles.

Luca didn't mind the way Watson licked him, and only very gently ran a hand from his ears to his tail a couple of times, then went back to eating. Evelyn was proud of him for focusing, at least, and not drifting off into space like he usually did. The excitement of breaking routine and seeing both Watson and Garrett again seemed to be helping him focus.
 
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Garrett chuckled. "I'll make sure to get those lists ready right away, Lucas. I know Watson will appreciate it." He finished his slices of pizza and started on his salad. "Did I tell you both I made friends out of both of my regular informants? The three of us went to a museum the other day. There was an exhibit on different habitats, and one of my informants kept saying how much he'd like to live in them."

Then he blinked and sat up straighter. "Oh! That reminds me, I meant to ask you, Evelyn - are you all right if I share my address with my two informants? They probably wouldn't come over much, but I wanted to make sure you would be comfortable with that. I understand completely if not," he added gently.

Watson purred louder when Luca petted him from his ears to his tail; his ears seemed to be one of his favorite spots to be petted. But then, so did everywhere else. He squinted his eyes and snuggled down further against Luca's leg with a content sigh.
 
"Mm, that sounds nice," Evelyn murmured softly, listening to Garrett as he spoke though she knew she wasn't really taking in every word. He was making friends, so that was nice. It was what he'd said he wanted to do, after all. Unfortunately, as tired as she was, she was more prone to reacting rather than calmly thinking through her words before she spoke, and her tired brain did not take kindly to the idea of losing what she'd begun to think of as a safehouse.

"Only if you don't want us to come back," she said with a frown, which then almost immediately turned into a grimace. ". . I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." Shaking her head, she took a moment to press her thumb and forefinger to her eyes and will herself to focus. "I just meant, I would like to look into them myself first, if that's all right."

It was his house, so if he wanted to bring people over that was his business, but if she didn't personally think they were trustworthy the statement she'd made before her usual brain-to-mouth filter could kick in past the insomnia would hold true. Garrett's house wouldn't be a safe place to hide Luca in an emergency if just anyone could find out where it was.

Luca spent a minute or so while they talked just gently petting Watson, getting used to the idea of being able to touch him even though he felt so small. Eventually, hungry as always, he left the cat alone to rest and went back to his food, oblivious to the tension in Evelyn's voice.
 
The detective held up a hand and smiled gently. "It's all right, Evelyn. That's why I asked first. I won't share the apartment address, then. I think my public office - where I take cases, you know - would be a sufficient spot for them to go if they needed somewhere to escape to. I'll use that instead," he said calmly.

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "But you know . . . I think it may be advisable for me to purchase a third property of some kind. One that doesn't even look like a home - as a sort of hideaway." He smiled again and pulled out a notebook to make sketches. "Yes, I think that ought to be my next course of action. And thank you for your honest input, Evelyn. I do appreciate it."

After a few moments, he nodded and held the notebook towards Watson. "I say, Watson, what do you make of this?"

Watson blinked and sniffed at the paper. Then he yawned and curled back up again.

Garrett chuckled. "Wonderful. And what about you two, Evelyn and Luca? Any input on disguising the hideaway to blend in better?" he asked, showing them the notebook.
 
Honest input. More like impulsive input, she thought. It was irritating, not being in complete control of her own responses, and she let Garrett go on without protesting and insisting she'd been rude while she took a moment to compose herself. She needed to focus better, to stop letting her mind drift - if this was what Luca felt like all the time, it was no wonder he was always so quiet, and at times needed multiple attempts to get his attention.

"A third property?" She asked finally, doing her best to ignore the way he talked to Watson like a sidekick, lest she accidentally encourage his cheesy detective humor. "In this city? Wont that be expensive?" Either he had some hidden inheritance somewhere, or detective work was more lucrative than she thought.

Luca followed the notebook with just his eyes, looking down at Watson with some amusement at the way Garrett talked to him. Like the real Watson. "Disguise?" A house, with a disguise? It sounded so strange. What was the house hiding from?
 
"Not necessarily expensive. It depends on the part of the city I purchase. Some lots sell for as little as five hundred dollars. It'll really just be a glorified hiding place. I don't have enough to furnish it or anything yet," Garrett explained.

He hadn't minded Evelyn's outburst in the slightest, especially since he knew exactly what she was going through. Between the stress of keeping Luca safe and the little - if any - sleep she was getting, he thought she'd had a rather controlled response, all things considered.

Then he smiled when Lucas asked about the disguise. "Yes. A disguise," he agreed. "You see, I don't want anyone else to know the hiding place is there. If we disguise it as something else - a dumpster, an old car, something like that - they'll be more likely to leave it alone. That'll make it safer."
 
If it was a hiding place only, she supposed it didn't exactly have to be in a good part of town. The idea of hiding a building with a dumpster or other facade was so far-fetched to her she hadn't even considered it an option - but then, if no one else thought of it either it could be something 'just crazy enough to work'.

"As long as it has proper ventilation," she conceded, not really wanting to argue but still mulling over the idea, "and a functioning bathroom." It wouldn't be worth anything if you had to keep coming and going where someone could eventually see you.

Luca tilted his head slightly to the side, food momentarily forgotten as he tried to wrap his head around the concept. Eventually, he sat up just a little straighter, like the connection had finally been made in his brain. "A secret base." Like a superhero. He wasn't allowed to go anywhere, but he did watch tv and movies, and read books. He'd seen comic books before.
 
Garrett smacked his head. "A bathroom! Of course, how could I forget?" he burst out, hurriedly scribbling a bathroom into the design. He nodded to himself when the design was finished and smiled. "Excellent feedback, Evelyn."

He turned towards Luca when he caught what sounded like a hint of excitement in the boy's voice. "That's right. A secret base," he agreed. Then his eyes lit up. "Say! I just thought of a fun idea. What if the two of us built a secret base for Watson the next time you come over? He could hide and play in it!"

Luca's interest was contagious - especially when Watson or anything detective related was involved.
 
Evelyn paused, surprised when he seemed so taken aback by the idea of a bathroom, and laughed softly at the oversight. "Food, water, and a bathroom - you've got to remember the necessities. A bed might be nice, too." The forethought to think of hiding a secret base underground, but not for practical matters. He would have thought of it eventually, she was sure.

Luca blinked at the suggestion, glancing at Evelyn and then looking down at Watson as he fidgeted, rubbing a little lock of the cat's fur gently between his fingers. ". . . I can help?"

It was a hesitant question, and quiet, but Evelyn had been hearing more and more of it as the days went on. When she was cleaning the house, when she was cooking dinner, when she was making the bed. Can I help? Can I do that? No matter what activity it was, big or small, Luca was always happy to be a part of it, or to sit nearby if she didn't need or want help.

"That would be fun," she said gently, with a small smile. "Building something for Watson. I'm sure you could help somehow." He might not know how to build anything, but as long as Garrett could give him something to do, he would enjoy helping.
 
"Yes, you certainly can," Garrett said cheerfully. "I would love it if you came over to help. Evelyn, you're invited too, of course." He wasn't entirely sure how the secret cat base would look yet, but he was pretty sure it would consist of coloring a cardboard box or two and probably taping them together. He wasn't the best at building, either.

He pulled a small calendar from his pocket and smiled. "What days are you both available? I'm open most early evenings throughout this week. As early as tomorrow, if you're interested," he added. "I can't do tonight because I've got to go and buy the supplies, and check in on one or two things. But otherwise any day would work."

One of his informants had recently described an uptick in Lombardi activity, and this particular evening Garrett was planning to join them in a small investigation. The family's influence over the city was massive, but he trusted his informant that there was a group of Lombardis who might have some important information, if they were able to listen in on their conversation.

It was a mildly dangerous mission, in Detective Shiver's eyes. Mild enough that he didn't bring up the specifics with Evelyn or Luca, for fear of worrying them.
 
For a moment, Evelyn almost entertained the idea of dropping Luca off and letting them have their fun without her just so she could rest - but that idea felt selfish. She was here to guide Luca along in his new life and keep him safe, a few nights of sleeplessness couldn't stop her.

"We're free most days, right now," she said, resting her chin on a hand and trying to think. She had nothing pressing that needed dealing with. "I haven't really been working. . . How about the day after tomorrow? Would that work?"

Luca was listening but not interrupting, only eating again after Evelyn pointed at his plate to remind him. He liked the idea of building something for Watson, even though he had no idea how or what it would look like, and having Garrett say he would love if Luca helped felt good. He was never allowed to help with things before, or do much of anything that wasn't by himself, so he would do most anything if anyone asked, or let him.
 
Garrett beamed. "That would work perfectly," he agreed, writing the pair into his calendar. He'd invited them both as he didn't want Evelyn to feel left out - or feel like he only wanted to spend time with Luca, not her. He also wanted to give Evelyn a bit of an excuse to rest.

He could tell she wasn't sleeping well. Maybe knowing Garrett was building things with Luca would give her enough peace of mind to take a nap, and maybe he and Luca could surprise her with dinner when she woke up.

His apartment would work much better for that than Evelyn's. Evelyn was, as far as he was concerned, far more scrupulous about keeping her space clean. And since he and Luca were both learning how to cook, the kitchen would end up exactly the opposite of clean. But Garrett didn't mind a mess in the slightest.

"So, what are you both up to tonight?" he asked pleasantly. "Anything exciting?" He glanced between Evelyn and Luca, happy to be talking with them both about something that resembled normal conversation.
 
She was close to saying aloud that she would remember, but given how inattentive she had been the last day or so she changed her mind and quietly made a note of their plans in her phone. It would be nice, she thought, to let Luca spend some time with Garrett that was productive, and creative. They hadn't done any sort of projects like that yet, only normal household chores.

"Very mundane," she said when he asked after their plans. "We were going to watch a movie before bed, but we hadn't decided on what yet. We've been catching up on new Disney movies."

Luca tilted his head a little to the side, as if contemplating for a moment. "I've seen the old ones. . . What does a cat's secret base look like?" Somewhere warm and cozy, maybe. Watson liked sitting with him, and curling up on pillows, so maybe he would want something soft.
 
"Ah! If you're looking for a suggestion, I humbly offer The Great Mouse Detective. It's one of my favorites," Detective Shiver said with a giggle.

His eyes twinkled as he turned to face Luca. "That's the fun part, Luca. A secret base can look like anything. So we get to decide how we want Watson's secret base to look! I thought we'd start with a box shape since boxes are easy to find, unless you would like a different shape to use?" he offered.

Watson had finally had enough resting. He wriggled his hindquarters and leapt off of Luca's lap, running laps around the room for a moment. Then he pretended to stalk Luca, his eyes dilating.

Garrett stifled a laugh. "Oh. Here he comes, Luca. He's pretending to hunt you."
 
Evelyn managed a little chuff of laughter, shaking her head at him with an amused little smile. "Of course it is." At this point she couldn't tell if it was a joke anymore. But she hadn't watched The Great Mouse Detective since she was little, so maybe she would give it a try. Luca would surely like it if it made him think of Garrett, and Sherlock Holmes.

"Anything?" Luca's expression went thoughtful as he drifted off thinking about the idea of anything at all. He couldn't imagine what it should look lIke. A spaceship? A castle? Just a box? Cats liked boxes, didn't they?

When Watson got down and zoomed around the living room Luca blinked back into the present, watching curiously as the cat came back and stayed very still a ways away, watching him intently and wiggling slightly back and forth. Garrett's explanation made him frown rather than smile, anxiously shifting his feet and hands like he didn't know what to do with himself.

"He shouldn't. . ." He murmured faintly, voice gone quiet at the thought. "He might get hurt. . ." What if Watson tried to get to his leg? His powers didn't exaclty lash out without his input, but Watson ran over with his sharp claws and the Shadow stopped him with a wall, what if it hurt him to run into it? Luca didn't want to be the reason his little friend got hurt.

Evelyn frowned a little in turn, uncertain if something as small as Watson would trigger Luca's defensive powers, and glanced around for something else to get the cat's attention. "Maybe it's best to toss him a toy or string, instead?" She was sure Watson would be fine, since Luca wasnt trying to hurt him, but she didn't want him getting upset about it.
 
Garrett rubbed his chin. "Hm." Half of him wondered whether Luca's powers could tell the difference between an actual threat and a pretend threat like a playing cat; he was pretty sure they could. But Luca seemed anxious, and he didn't want to make things worse by pushing him out of his comfort zone. So finally he nodded and gave Luca one of his shoelaces. "Here, you can use this. Drag it on the floor and wiggle it a bit. He loves shoelaces and strings."

Thamkfully, Watson's focus went to the shoelace almost at once. He chirruped and started stalking towards that instead.

The detective sighed in relief and smiled. "There we are. But if it's any consolation, Luca . . . your power seems fairly sentient. I don't think it would hurt Watson while he was playing. I imagine it would be similar to when he climbed up your leg with his claws - it didn't hurt him, but I noticed it seemed to create a thin film around you that he couldn't get through. Of course we don't have to test that hypothesis. But if for some reason you're ever alone with Watson and he pretends to hunt you, I don't think you'll have to worry about him being hurt," he explained gently.
 
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