Forging New Paths

Evelyn only gave a somewhat smug little smile for Garrett when he couldn't refute her, and this time found herself following after Luca's tug rather than moving ahead of him. Turtles were more interesting than birds, apparently, and he was willing enough to follow on Garrett's heels to find them. Rather than crouch down to look he raised up on his toes to better see over the open top and watch the ones on dry land, a feat easier for him than her given the top of her head only came up to his chin.

"They look happy enough," she said, giving Luca's hand a squeeze where it still rested in hers. "No touching these ones, but maybe we can ask to hold a hamster later."

That got Luca's attention, and he dropped back to his heels to glance at her, attention torn between her and the turtles. "We can?" He asked, making a thoughtful sound as he turned fully back to their new shelled friends. ". . . I want to hold one."

Evelyn only nodded for him, letting him take his time to look at the turtles for a while. "I'll go and ask for help whenever you're ready. Take your time."
 
"Of course we can," Garrett said happily. "Hamsters are sort of similar to cats. They're very small, and very soft. But they don't have as long of claws as cats do, and they're not as prone to biting. They're gentle creatures." Much like Luca was at heart, he realized. When he wasn't being forced to hurt people, Luca seemed exceptionally predisposed to making sure others felt cared for, which was an honorable trait.

Garrett gasped softly and pointed at one of the turtles. "Oh, look! One of the turtles is following my finger. Do you want to try?" he asked Luca. "Just move your finger around the glass, by the water. See?" He moved his finger slowly around the glass, and sure enough, one of the turtles followed after him.

The detective smiled. He resolved to come to the pet store more often. There was something so heartwarming about meeting animals that didn't know him and yet immediately seemed to connect with him.

"You know what I should get for my office?" Garrett asked, mostly to himself. "A little fake aquarium. One that I don't have to take care of, but that I can just watch whenever I need a stress reliever and Watson is unavailable."
 
"Gentle creatures. . ." Luca murmured softly to himself as he watched the turtles move around, and Evelyn couldn't help a small smile at the way he tended to repeat people when they spoke, as if trying to commit the words to memory. Given how his gifts could, eventually, become so overwhelming as to interfere with his ability to focus, she had a feeling she wasn't far off from the truth.

When Garrett urged him, Luca crouched carefully down next to the man, one hand still held awkwardly behind him to keep hold of Evelyn, and very cautiously placed a fingertip almost touching the glass next to one of the turtles that had come to see them. His eyes went a bit wide, lips parting on a silent 'oh' when it started to follow along before melting into a an awed little smile.

"Is it playing?" He asked, ever curious, and Evelyn shrugged in response.

"Maybe it is," she said softly, noncommittally, and gave Garrett an amused look. "Something that doesn't need caring for would be best, you're right. You're not at your office every day, after all." Maybe Luca would like having a fish tank, she thought, but wasn't ready to commit to more animals that would need caring for. Some day in the future, perhaps.
 
Garrett was never sure if Luca repeating words meant certain words in particular had stuck out to him, that he was learning new words, or that he'd related the words to something personal. Maybe it was a combination of those three. In any case, it made Garrett smile; it was endearing. And it reminded him to always speak kindly around Luca when he could help it.

Then he caught another one of Luca's smiles. They were becoming more and more frequent, he noticed, and his own smile widened. "It's hard to tell with turtles," he admitted. "I don't know much about them. But I can tell he's very interested."

He nodded at Evelyn. "Suppose I stop at an electronics store and find some of those animated picture frames? We could set them up with videos of fish tanks. Then I could put one in my office and give one to you and Luca," he offered.
 
Evelyn could only shake her head, waving her free hand back and forth in front of her to brush away Garrett's suggestion. "There's no need to spend money on us," she urged, almost shyly. "We can go and look if you'd like, but why don't you try one out and see if you like it, then you can reconsider buying a second one." It felt strange still, accepting gifts from Garrett, despite the fact that she imagined they were closer now than the day she'd put him on Luca's case.

"I like watching fish," Luca said quietly, distracted by the turtle following his hand still but making Evelyn proud by trying to contribute to the conversation. It was more than he was usually up for. "There's lots, on Animal Planet."

It was almost strange, thinking that he knew enough about modern television to know the networks name, but Evelyn supposed he hadn't had much else to do while stuck in his room but read and watch tv. She tried not to think about it too much, if she could help it. If it wasn't something she was reminding herself of to give her patience, it usually only served to make her sad.
 
The detective scoffed and crossed his arms, smirking. "I don't need to get one for myself, either. But what's the point of having friends if you can't spoil them from time to time, huh?" he asked happily. "Besides, I can't imagine they'll be that expensive."

He'd already planned to buy one for his apartment office and one for Evelyn and Luca. In some ways, Evelyn seemed more hesitant to accept gifts than Luca did, and in the back of his mind Garrett had a slight curiosity as to why. And a slight determination to spoil her as much as Luca.

He glanced over at Luca and smiled. "Are fish your favorite animals to watch?" he asked. "Or is there an animal you like more?" He was already thinking of the aquarium, in the back of his mind. Obviously there would be crowds to deal with. But maybe if he asked very nicely, he could schedule a private tour just for their group. At the very least he could look into it.
 
"I can spoil myself," Evelyn protested with another shake of her head, but there was a small, bemused smile on her face still at his insistence. Garrett did not seem like the type of person that could be stopped once he had set his mind to something. As much as she hated feeling like she was in someone's debt, it was probably best she stop fighting before she accidentally hurt his feelings.

Luca made a soft, thoughtful sound, letting his hand drop away from the glass when the turtle was done following it but staying crouched as he considered. "I like . . . birds," he said, eyes drifting up and to the side as he tried to remember. He didn't get to see very many animals, other than the birds and squirrels that came near the world outside his window. "And . . . Watson." Watson was fun to watch, even when he darted around unpredictably and Luca worried he might run into something. He liked watching Watson best.
 
"Well, of course I know you can," Garrett said with a laugh. "That's not the point. The point is that you both are my friends, and I would like to spoil you both as much as you've spoiled me and Watson." He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "If you must, you could think of it as repayment for putting up with Watson and me," he added with a playful glint in his eyes.

Garrett nodded to Luca next, patiently smiling. "Birds and fish and Watson, eh? Excellent choices," he decided. He slowly stood up. "Now, should we go ask someone about holding a hamster? I see a staff member near them now," he added, pointing to an older man wearing the store's uniform. "Would you like to ask him, or would you like me or Evelyn to?"
 
Evelyn would have crossed her arms if not for Luca keeping hold of her hand, but as stubborn as she could be she knew when it was best to pick her battles and just let go. "I don't need repayment for that," she said a bit quieter, but didn't voice the thoughts further beyond that. No matter how much effort it might feel like to care for a cat she hadn't wanted, or to expend the mental and emotional energy for both taking care of Luca and checking in on Garrett, she didn't see them as a burden.

"You do as you'd like." She said finally, smiling just a bit in response to Garrett's expression. She was sure he thought he was winning the battle.

Luca took a moment to think, rising carefully to his feet again and looking over at the employee Garrett mentioned, then back at the turtles. ". . . I don't know how to ask." He said finally, not quite sad but with an almost confused edge to his words. He could have come up with the words, perhaps, but he had spent most of his life not being able to ask for much of anything. With Evelyn or Garrett it was different; they took care of him, and they were safe, and he still had a hard time asking for things. Asking strangers felt too strange, like the thought alone would paralyze his tongue. He couldn't do it.

Evelyn gave his hand a gentle pat where it still rested in hers. "Don't worry, Luca. We'll ask them for you. We just need to listen to their directions, all right? They'll tell us how to hold the hamster so it's safe."
 
Likewise, Garrett couldn't figure out to explain to Evelyn that he wasn't actually trying to repay them. They were his friends, and he wanted them to be happy, and he was able to get things once in a while that would bring them some happiness, so why shouldn't he? But he only smiled back and shrugged helplessly. "All right. If you say so."

He turned back to Luca and, without thinking, gently patted his shoulder a few times before letting go. "That's all right. Watch me and Evelyn, and we can show you the words you need." He strolled up to the older man and waved a hand. "Excuse me. Is it okay if we hold one of the hamsters?"

The man turned around and raised a bushy eyebrow. He didn't have much of a visible smile as it was hidden under a beard, but one could read the warmth in his facial features. "Well, sure. What hamster do you want to hold?"

Garrett beamed. "Thanks. Luca, can you point to the hamster we should look at? I can't decide." He hoped the subtle shifting of focus onto himself would help Luca feel less in the spotlight - and maybe confident enough to show the staff person what he wanted.
 
The fact that the employee in question was a large, bearded man was something that worried Evelyn just a little, and only in the back of her mind. She wasn't sure yet just what kind of people might make Luca feel uncomfortable, like a dog that had been abused might dislike men, or hats, or particular sounds. She didn't quite like the comparison, but it was accurate enough.

His hand stayed relaxed in hers, and he didn't look as if he were trying to hide or not be seen, and eventually her Insight brushed past a few loosely defined but reassuring concepts. Luca's Shadow kept him safe from physical harm, so he had no need to fear an attack, and Evelyn and Garrett were taking care of his needs for things like food, water, and clothing, so there was little this man could offer that would be frightening. As nervous as he could be, and as unskilled and unpracticed as he was with social interactions, he was not quite afraid of them.

When Garrett touched him Luca flinched just a little, a barely perceptible twitch of his head towards the man, and a sudden blink or two in response to the still strange feeling of his gifts shifting away, however briefly. They returned quickly, and were never truly gone so long as Garrett didn't stay in contact with him, but if he had to use them it would be difficult without having that energy stored up inside his body. It didn't bother him, truly, and he always felt glad inside when his friends touched him so gently, he just had been too distracted to anticipate the motion.

Luca tried to listen carefully to Garrett's words, as it seemed the man wanted him to, and made a soft, surprised sound when he was asked to choose. He looked over the cages almost anxiously, eyes wandering past hamsters that were sleeping cozily under their bedding or shelters, and the ones that were eating, not wanting to interrupt. Finally he pointed to one of the largest ones who was wandering around his cage, doing nothing in particular.

"That one?" He asked, hesitant and unsure. Was it okay, holding that one? Hamsters were very small and fragile-looking, but this one was bigger than the others, so it would be harder to accidentally hurt. At least, he hoped. He wanted to hold them, he just had to be careful like he was with Watson.
 
Garrett smiled and nodded when Luca went forward, albeit a bit anxiously, to the cages to select a hamster to hold. He didn't want Luca to go through too much stress. But it was inevitable, considering the difference between Luca's past life and his current one, and Garrett was hopeful giving him stressful situations in small doses - coupled with rewards like holding hamsters, doing things he liked, and lots of encouragement - would be easier on Luca than dropping him into highly stressful situations all at once.

It seemed to be working so far.

The older staff member nodded, heading for the enclosure to open it from the back. "Sure thing. Now, you ever held a hamster before?" he asked gently as he lifted the hamster out. The chunky hamster sniffed around with curiosity, clearly used to being handled. "What you want to do is keep your hands cupped, like this. And if the hamster wants to walk, move one hand to get under him so he doesn't fall. Like so," the man added, moving his hands as the hamster crawled from one to the other.

Garrett stepped forward to get a better look at the hamster. He was a soft brown with white spots, and a little pink nose. The detective smiled; he sure was cute. Then he glanced at Luca. "Luca? Would you like me to hold my hands under yours, like a safety net for the hamster? Or you could sit on the floor while you hold him, so if he jumps or falls, it'll only be a short distance."
 
Luca could only shake his head when the man asked if he had ever held a hamster before, afraid that he might not get to hold it if that was the wrong answer, and paid attention closely to what the man said when it was clear he wasn't being denied. When Garrett asked if he wanted a safety net, Luca frowned for a moment, not wanting to think of what would happen if he dropped something so small from so high up. It wasn't as if his eyes had turned off when Davis had told him to hurt people, and he had seen what happened to bones when a person dropped from a building, or was tossed to a similar height. Hamsters were small, so he thought the height of his hands was equivalent to a tall building.

"I can sit?" He questioned finally, glancing between Garrett and Evelyn even as he finally released her hand to sit cross-legged on the ground. "Like this?"

It was a bit unusual, for someone his age and size, but Evelyn only nodded for him rather than try to stop him or explain. "Nice and safe," she assured, and stood close at his shoulder so he would know she was there, a sort of backup in case the hamster fell and ran. She was sure it would be fine.

Luca looked up at the friendly employee with an expression that was a mix of worry and anticipation, putting his hands together like he'd been instructed and holding them up to accept the small, squirming bundle as it was passed to him. The hamster moved a bit too much at first, making a little swell of anxiety in the pit of his stomach even as he mimiced the hand-over-hand motions that had been shown to him to keep it from falling, but eventually stopped to sit in the warmth of his palms and just look around.

When it was settled, he relaxed some, nose wrinkled a bit with what was clearly amusement in his voice. "His paws are cold."
 
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"Yeah, you can sit," Garrett agreed. And he plopped down on the floor beside Luca, mirroring the way the boy sat to try and help him feel more at ease. "At lot of people don't realize that sitting is an option most places. Myself included. I forget, sometimes."

The employee very gingerly set the hamster in Luca's hands, looking on with the same benevolent glance a grandfather might give his grandson. "Ah, he likes you, huh? Animals know. I tell you what."

Garrett gave a soft chuckle. The employee didn't know the half of it.

"Yep, hamsters often have cold feet," the employee continued, "Usually in the literal sense. What do you think of him, huh? Like his little button eyes?"

The detective didn't have the heart to tell him the group was only holding the hamster for fun, not to purchase, although somehow he got the feeling the staff member wouldn't mind either way. He just seemed happy to have someone polite to interact with.
 
'Animals know' what, Luca wondered, but couldn't spare the attention to ask out loud. As it was, he only stole glances at the older man as he spoke, afraid to take his eyes off the hamster lest it start to walk again and tumble out of his hands. He wasn't sure how it couldn't know that doing so would hurt, but maybe it had never fallen before and didn't know.

Luca only gave a soft, affirmative hum at the man's questions at first, tilting his head to better see the hamster's little face. He relaxed rather quickly with Garrett on the floor with him and Evelyn standing so close her parasol occasionally brushed lightly against his clothes where it dangled from her wrist. He felt a little better after having had that bit of practice keeping the hamster from falling.

He was a bit bold for a moment, daring to give the little thing a gentle pet with just his thumb, and gave a startled little "oh" when it twisted and touched the digit with a paw. It was facing him more now, and he made a worried face when it touched his sleeve as it was sniffing around. "What . . . What if he crawls up my arm like Watson?" He knew what to do when it walked away but not towards him.

"Don't worry, Luca," Evelyn said softly, a hand running gently over his hair to reassure him of her presence. "Garrett or I will get it for you." He couldn't hold the thing forever, not while they were taking up the employee's time and keeping it from its home, however temporary. She just hoped this small trip didn't make Luca want to keep rodents in the house. Beyond not delighting in the smell of their bedding and cage, she knew it wouldn't be good to have both them and Watson around.
 
Garrett stayed where he was nearby, nodding his agreement when Evelyn assured Luca they'd catch the hamster. "That's right. We'll make sure both of you stay safe," he promised.

After a few minutes, perhaps thankfully for Evelyn, the hamster gave a quiet yawn, and the staff member smiled. "Aw. Looks like he's about ready for his nap. Mind if I put him back in his enclosure?" the staff member asked. He knelt down and held out his hands patiently for Luca to give him the hamster.

Once he had, he set the hamster back in his enclosure, who promptly burrowed into some bedding and began preparing for a nap.

"Aww," Garrett murmured as he stood up. "What a cutie. Thanks for letting Luca hold him," he told the staff member.

The older man smiled and nodded. "A pleasure. Thank you all for being so kind and polite. Is there anything I can help you find today in the store?" he added.

The detective brushed off his pants and coat. "Maybe some cat toys. We've got a little black cat at home who's absolutely perishing without them," he added with a chuckle.

"Ah, I know the feeling. That's my old dog Mitsy with her treats," the staff member said with a smile. He led the way down a few different aisles and pointed. "Cat toys are straight ahead here. I'll be wandering around if you all need anything else, all right?"
 
Luca glanced up at Evelyn, and over at Garrett, and relaxed gradually at the assurance. We'll make sure you stay safe. That was the way they always made him feel, even if he had to do things that felt strange or uncomfortable. He almost couldn't remember the last time he'd felt safe, before they found him.

When the hamster yawned Luca looked interested at its little teeth, but obediently gave it back, putting his hands over the older man's and separating them slowly until the hamster slid down into his hands. Luca got to his feet as it was put back in its cage, watching as it snuggled in and murmuring a very quiet 'goodnight' Evelyn wasn't sure anyone else had heard.

Despite having to say goodbye, he was content with his new experience, following after her and the others when she held his hand again. When the employee that had helped him started to move away, he managed to focus again and looked hesitantly after the man. ". . . Thank you." He hadn't been given anything he could keep, but giving him the hamster for just a few minutes still counted as sometning he was supposed to say thank you for, didnt it? It felt strange, saying it to someone that wasn't Garrett or Evelyn.

She gave a small, pleased smile and nodded for him to show he'd done well. "Yes, thank you." She didn't have the time or the words to let the man know how much it meant for Luca to have positive interactions out in the world, so those words would have to be enough.

When he was gone, she turned back towards the cat toys, gave Luca's hand a squeeze, and pulled him gently towards where they hung before letting go. "Why don't you pick out a couple things Watson might like?"
 
The staff member turned around, have a slight nod of his head, and smiled. "You're all very welcome. And you're all welcome to come on by whenever you'd like to chat or watch the animals. It's good for them to interact with kind people. And for me," he added with a soft chuckle. "Just ask for Ol' Hank if you're in the store and can't find me." With that, he ambled off down the other aisles to sort supplies and feed some of the animals.

"Thanks, Hank. Nice to meet you," Garrett called out after him. Then he turned his attention to Luca and Evelyn, who had turned their attention to the wall of cat toys. He gave a low whistle. "Look at all these choices! I'm thinking . . . hm." He reached for a nearby small wicker basket and held it up. "We'll want a place to put all his toys when he's not playing. So I think whatever can fit in here, that's what we'll get."

The basket looked like it could hold somewhere between five and ten toys. Garrett was hopeful that having a physical space to picture the toys going into would help Luca narrow down his choices.
 
Luca was already looking at toys, but mumbled the name Hank quietly to himself as he looked, trying to commit the name to memory. Even when it was hard to focus, he was good at remembering names and faces. It had been important before, when different names, voices, or faces could mean bad things for him.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow like she might protest Garrett choosing decor for her house, but didn't deign to say anything about it. If she hated it, she could replace it some other day. "I'm sure five or six should be enough." She said, though she wondered idly if Garrett was planning on Watson spending more time in her place than she had anticipated. It didn't matter so much now that she had the litter box, she thought. She would just have to vacuum more often. If Garrett needed to spend more time not alone, she wouldn't complain.

Luca looked thoughtfully over the toys, picking them up here and there and making sure to put them back where he'd gotten them afterwards. He held on to a toy that had dangling pieces, thinking Watson would like to bat at it like his jacket strings, and curiously shook a pair of little plastic balls with bells inside. "Cats . . . like these?" They were all cat toys, so maybe they were all fine and he should just pick a few.

Evelyn only shrugged, looking to Garrett for answers. "What are his favorite toys at your place?"
 
"Yes, five or six should be plenty," Garrett agreed with Evelyn, grateful she'd made Luca's goal even clearer. "Then I can bring this toy basket to your house when he comes to visit, and bring it back with me when he comes back home. It'll be like his own little suitcase," he said happily.

He looked over the toy Luca had picked out and nodded. "Oh, yeah. He'd like that one. Some cats are kind of picky with toys . . . Watson is not one of them. You could give him a string or a paper clip and he'd be happy." Then he chuckled. "But his favorite actual toys, hm . . . he really likes his stuffed fish on a string. Anything with strings and dangly bits, really. And anything he can grab onto and kick."

The detective rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Speaking of a suitcase, maybe I should get him one. Then if I need to drop him off at your home, he'll have all the supplies he needs handy. I'll put food, and brushes, and a bed, and these toys in it. I think that should suffice. What do you think, Evelyn?" he added.
 
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