Forging New Paths

Evelyn crossed her arms as Luca moved his hands around in the water, squinting her eyes at Garrett when he came over to them and fighting the urge to go deeper and move away from Luca's side just to get her bare feet out of the mud. "You owe me." She muttered dryly to him under her breathe, quietly enough for Luca not to hear while he was distracted and only half kidding. She had really only come because he and Anthony seemed to want to, and she had no better ideas for how to introduce Luca to water without other people around.

"It's cool," Luca murmured, distracted by the difference between the warm sun and the not-quite-cold water, the way it moved around his hands. He usually took showers, not baths, so it had been a long time since he'd touched more than a bowl's worth of water. ". . . Rocks?"

He was absent minded, but trying to pay attention to what Anthony was saying, and Evelyn couldn't help the little twist in her stomach at the way he was always so interested in anything that was outside. It was just a reminder of how long he had lived secluded, rarely able to see much or do much. He was always looking for sensation or stimulation, and at the same time unused to and overwhelmed by too much of either. It was delicate balance, and Evelyn was grateful to Anthony for his ideas. Searching for things in the water where he could still see the bottom would keep her from having to worry about whether he could swim or not.
 
Anthony's eyes lit up. Luca seemed interested, at least. So he nodded and reached his hand down into the mud. "Right. There are lots of rocks buried in the mud. You can run your hand through it to feel them, and then pull them out." He held out a grey rock and smiled. "The fun part is you don't know what color it's going to be until you take it out. It's a surprise. I like to make a pile on the beach of the ones I like, and then sort through them afterwards and then throw them back in."

He looked the grey rock over and shrugged. "This one I don't like as much. So I'll drop it back in, unless you want to put it in your pile on the beach?"

"I think I might join in, too. Rock hunting sounds fun," Garrett agreed with a smile.
 
Luca looked over at Anthony finally, stilling his hands to watch and see what the younger man was doing. Curious, he dug his fingers into the mud a little harder, twitching a little in surprise when they brushed against something rough, and felt around it for a moment before attempting to free it. When it came loose he took a while gently cleaning the mud off until there was nothing left, and lifted the rock out to look at it. It was grey, so he wondered if it was supposed to be a bad rock, but it had little stripes in it he liked to look at, so he wasn't sure.

"This one?" He asked curiously, holding it out to Anthony for him to see. Was it good enough?

"You should save the ones that are round and flat," Evelyn chimed in, rather than make the decision for him. "Then we can try skipping rocks across the water when you're done."

"Oh. . ." Luca looked up at her but stayed crouched with the rock held out for Anthony still. "I've seen that." He thought maybe he'd done it when he was little, but he didn't remember how.
 
"You can pick the rocks you like," Anthony said with a smile. "So if you like the grey ones, then yeah! That one. Here, I'll show you a good spot to leave rocks." He swam over to the shore and set the grey rock he'd found near some tree roots. "It's pretty flat ground here, so they won't roll back in the water. You can put your rocks here, too!"

Then he swam back out, filtering his hands through the mud and water. Eventually he held up a rock with a variety of red and brown speckles. "Oooh. I like ones like this, with lots of colors. Wanna see?" he asked, and he swam over and held the rock out to Luca.

Detective Garrett searched for rocks as well, picking up a few gingerly from the shallows. "And I like rocks with unusual shapes," he added, holding up a stone with a vague bird like shape.
 
Evelyn stayed still, if only just to see what Luca would do with the idea of walking away from her on his own, and likely repeating the action multiple times. She was pleasantly surprised when he only hesitated for a moment, then got up and walked after Anthony. He crouched down again, curious to look at the rocks and where Anthony had chosen them, and set his choice gently in the grass as if it were at risk of breaking.

When Luca came back he joined in the search at his own speed, staying in water shallow enough that if he needed to reach down and get a rock he wouldn't have to dunk his head under the surface. Evelyn trailed along after him at a distance, not entirely pleased with the muddy lakebed beneath her feet but enjoying the scenery nonetheless - and perhaps, maybe just a little bit, keeping an eye out in case any other people decided to show up. It was good to see Luca getting to explore outside, and interacting with others, at that.

Luca's attention was divided between Anthony and Garret's choices, enough so that he moved very slowly and didn't find very many of his own. Most were just normal rocks, but every once in a while he would find one that he liked which was very smooth or had a bit of blue in it, or something Garrett or Anthony might like that he would hold onto until they came to show him something in case they wanted it.

Evelyn was content to watch their antics for a while, but eventually, after the search had gone on, she walked over to Luca and put a gentle hand on his arm to get his attention. "Let's try going a little deeper." She said, and took his hand to walk very slowly backwards into deeper waters so she could keep her eyes on him the whole time. He had frowned a little, at the request, but had offered his hand willingly for her to hold and hadn't protested. She wanted nothing more than to keep him safe from absolutely everything, but part of her knew they would need to test his limits at times, if only to find out what they were. She would need to start treading water before he did, but she wanted to see what he would do if they went deep enough for it to cover his chest.
 
When Evelyn suggested going deeper, Garrett realized at once what she was trying to do. The detective nodded and smiled. "Deeper sounds good! We do have quite a few rocks. How about we take a break and try swimming and floating?" He hoped that by joining the activity with the pair, Luca would be more willing to go swimming and wouldn't feel he was missing out on rock hunting.

Anthony noticed the small frown on Luca's face at once. He swam over and stood nearby, joining the pair at the depth they were in. "Don't worry. We're all here if anything happens. And Garrett and I are strong swimmers. We can help if you need it."
 
There was a little furrow in Luca's brow as they moved slowly away from shore, his eyes shifting between Garrett and Anthony, then back to Evelyn with something conflicted in his expression. He didn't normally like being surrounded, didn't like the memories that came with it of the people he'd been told to hurt, but Evelyn always kept him safe, and Garrett never told him to do bad things. It was okay, wasn't it? He could trust that they wouldn't ask him to do things that were bad.

Evelyn didn't push too far, keeping her eyes on him and her expression relaxed, and stopping when the water came up just high enough to touch her chin. It left Luca submerged only up to his chest, his shoulders still mostly above the water, so he didn't need to swim but could feel the way his own buoyancy began to pull at the way he stood. She wouldn't let go of his hand, not until he decided he needed both of his arms to help keep him up.

"You're all right," she soothed gently, her thumb running back and forth over his knuckles where their hands were submerged. "How does it feel? Familiar?"

The frown was getting worse, and she worried that the memories associated with swimming, with lakes, or just with water would make him upset, but he didn't try to get away. ". . . I don't know," he said finally, quiet and hesitant. "I think so. . . We can go deeper?"

Despite the fact that it would force her to take her feet off the ground, Evelyn only nodded and pulled him forward more, until she was treading water as gently as she could so as not to jar him, and the water was up to his chin. She hadn't really planned on getting her hair wet, but it would be all right. If it wasn't just hopeful thinking, she was sure some of the tension in his expression was beginning to relax behind the distant look in his eyes.

She stayed there, patient despite the effort of staying afloat while also staying still, until he finally moved closer again, following after her until he had to let go of her hand so he could use both of his arms to tread water next to her. His movements were a bit hesitant at first, but she sensed no panic from him, and if nothing else she thought perhaps the gentle sounds of the water moving around them might soothe him. He hadn't truly swam anywhere yet, but at least she knew now that she didn't have to worry about him drowning.
 
Last edited:
Garrett kept a close eye on Luca as he and Evelyn moved deeper and deeper into the water, but thankfully, although Luca seemed unsure, he didn't seem to be on the brink of a panic attack. Garrett was still at standing height when Evelyn began treading water, and when he noticed both her and Luca gently paddling, he nodded and relaxed a bit. So Luca could at least keep himself afloat, then.

"If anyone needs an arm, mine's here," he offered the pair gently. "I'm still touching bottom here a bit." The water was up to his chin, but his feet were still solidly on the mud lake floor.

Anthony smiled gently and began swimming in slow circles in front of the pair, making sure not to splash. "There you both go! Look at you paddling. You've got at least a survival level of swimming skills, then. That's great!"
 
Evelyn was busy feeling relieved that Luca was still okay, but spared enough attention to give a soft pff at Garrett's offer of his arm. "Not all of us are gifted with superior height," she said with a little smile and a shake of her head. "But maybe stay on standby."

Luca looked at Anthony, then Garrett, considering the fact that Garrett always kept him safe, and the fact that if he touched the man his Shadow would go away. He wasn't sure what it would even do for him in water, as it largely protected him against physical attacks and not things like heights or suffocation, but when he was uncertain he was always afraid to lose it. Besides, he liked the way it felt to move through water.

Evelyn was watching him, careful and considering, not taking Garrett's hand despite the faint guilt it incurred in her because she needed to know if her Insight would warn her of anything going wrong. "How do you feel? Do you want to go back?"

Luca shook his head slowly, peering down at the distorted images of their limbs in the water rather than looking at anyone's faces, then finally looked at her again. ". . . I want to go under." Was that okay? Was he allowed? He remembered something about it, about how it felt to be put his head beneath the surface, how it sounded. If he ducked down, he would remember it. He was sure of it.

A concerned furrow formed in her brow, but after a pause Evelyn nodded for him. "Let's move to shallower water, okay? So you can stand again if you want to." She didn't know what was going through his head, but she didn't want him to panic.
 
Last edited:
The detective was content just to stand near the group, making sure everyone was safe. And slowly but surely, he was feeling more relaxed about the situation. Luca seemed to be on the verge of something. Garrett wasn't sure what it was, but something in his gut told him it would be okay.

He stood calmly in the water and only carefully observed.

Anthony, meanwhile, was delighted that Luca really seemed to like the water. "Underwater? Sure! I'll meet you down there in the shallows," he promised. He swam back a ways, and then dove under. Despite being a lake, the water was fairly clear, and he Gould see several feet out in front of him. He smiled and held his breath while he waited for Luca to join him.

"I'll stay above the surface, just in case," Garrett promised the group with a gentle smile. Things were working out to be better than he'd thought.
 
Evelyn looked over Luca's shoulder at Anthony when he spoke, nodding to him as she moved closer to shallower water. "Thank you." She said softly, but didn't say any more. She didn't want Luca to feel embarrassed that they were all watching over him, even if she wasn't sure he was capable of feeling that yet. But she didn't really want to put her face in the water if she didn't have to, so she was grateful for the way Anthony seemed willing to try and help.

When they were back to where Evelyn could just stand on her toes, the water coming most of the way up Luca's chest if he was still, she finally let go of his hand. "Don't stay under too long," she said softly, more a request than an instruction, brow furrowed still. "I'll worry. . ."

Luca nodded and took a slow, careful breath, then let his weight relax and pushed up a bit with his arms to drop his body down into the water, but the words didn't really hit him until he was there. He could hear movement under the water, from Anthony shifting around nearby, from his own hands, but everything was muted. Muffled. Like it came from a long distance away. When he dared to open his eyes he could still see the shapes and colors of Evelyn and Garrett's bodies, standing nearby, but the way light came through the water was so different.

He remembered being small and unable to touch the bottom of the deep end of the pool, trying to push himself down towards it while other children splashed about nearby. His mother had taken him to the pool at least twice a week during the summer, let him swim and play until he was tired, gave him watermelon as a snack, let him fall asleep in the car on the way home. For a moment he closed his eyes and covered his ears, tried to remember how she'd always told him to be careful, to have fun, how he would come out to see her leaning over the side of the pool to tell him it was time to go. He wanted to stay, to reach harder for her voice, for the sight of her face, to remember before she slipped through his fingers.

But his chest was starting to ache with the need to breathe, and he could hear Evelyn's voice more clearly. I'll worry. He didn't want her to worry.

Natural buoyancy was already pulling him up, so all Luca had to do was get his feet beneath him again and push himself up to his feet, until his head was above water and he could take a breath. He felt almost winded, just from staying under the one time, but he didn't want to let go of how it felt, unsure if the memories would start to hurt like the diner had or if they would stay muted and peaceful.

"I want to swim deeper. . ." He said when he'd brushed enough water away from his eyes to see properly again. ". . . I can go?"

Evelyn was worried still, keeping quiet and not trying to reach out and take his hand even though she wanted to. Making choices and showing initiative, as well as the ability to not only want things but to ask for them was a lot of progress from the voiceless robot he had been the first time they'd met. She didn't want to stop it, even though she was worried. "All right. Just be careful, and if you get tired or you just want to come back, let us know, okay?"

He nodded, waiting for her to nod back, to move a bit more out of the way and gesture for him to go so he knew it was okay. What she hadn't expected was for him to drop below the surface again and push off the bottom of the lake to swim away from them under water. It put an immediate, nauseating flutter in her stomach even though she knew in theory that he was not a child, that he was grown up and he apparently knew how to swim, and it was all probably fine.

"Garrett." It was all she could manage, voice a bit strangled with panic but trying to stay calm. Someone needed to follow him now.
 
Last edited:
While Luca was under the shallow water, Garrett could make out the vague outlines of both him and Anthony. He wouldn't tell Evelyn yet, but he trusted Anthony to let him know if Luca was in trouble. So he leaned back and let himself float in the waves a bit, casually watching the pair enjoy themselves below the waves.

Luca resurfaced at last. And he wasn't sure, but Garrett thought he could catch a somewhat different expression on the boy's face than he'd seen before. Something more present, more alive, even, than he'd been before.

He glanced briefly at Evelyn when Luca asked if he could swim deeper, and he was relieved that she said yes. Then he watched Luca drop below the waves and push off against the bottom of the lake bed. Where Evelyn panicked, he gasped in delight and stood straight up. "Wow! Look at him go!" he burst out. But he realized, all at once, that Evelyn was probably worried about not being able to see Luca well. He turned towards her and smiled gently. ". . . It's all right, Evelyn. Anthony's with him," he told her, pointing to where Anthony had dropped under and pushed off after Luca to swim near him. "It's about ten feet out there. You want to come tread water with me near them?"
 
Evelyn fought the urge to glare, giving a little grimace instead with a closed fist pressed to her chest like it would keep her heart from trying to beat its way out. She knew that she and Luca weren't so different in age, and that she had no tangible reason for watching over him so closely, but was this what it felt like, she wondered, for mothers when there was any sort of potential danger near their children? She knew, in her head, that Luca was swimming fine and Anthony was near him in case anything happened, and he really wasn't so far away - but her heart was not convinced. Knowing it was illogical didn't help make it go away.

"Just -" She shook her head a little and just started to push herself slowly after them. "Just stay close to him." She didn't want to ruin his fun, but she didn't want to be too far away if anything happened.

Luca resurfaced when he needed air again, popping back up out of the water and breathing a bit heavily despite not having gone far. It was strange, doing things he hadn't done in a long, long time. He might have forgotten, but his body remembered. Swimming in the lake wasn't the same as the little brushes of memory that came to him of public pools, with dirt instead of cement, and no other children running around, swimming, and playing, but it still felt so familiar it was almost confusing. He liked the feeling of moving through water, even if it was more exercise than he'd had in years and he couldn't hold his breath for as long as he had when he was little.

He was allowed to have this, wasn't he? Even though the memories should have hurt, he could keep them, couldn't he? For the first time in years, he didn't want to let them go.
 
Garrett nodded, and his expression softened. Even if there was nothing to worry about, Evelyn was worried, and he was going to do his best to reassure her. "I will," he promised, and he swam right out to where Anthony and Luca were, treading water calmly and watching the pair explore the deeper parts of the lake.

Anthony popped up soon after Luca did, bobbing beside him. He didn't need a breath yet - not even close, he was used to free diving - but he wanted to check on him. He shook water out of his hair and smiled. "How you holding up, Luca? Having fun?" he asked hopefully.

The detective looked on at the pair with a warm smile. He was grateful Evelyn and Luca had come swimming, especially since it seemed to be having a huge impact on Luca.
 
Evelyn was slow to follow and kept her distance, not wanting to get in the way or to draw Luca's attention away from whatever it was that suddenly made him so eager to move. On top of that, she wanted to keep her eyes on all of them, and the surrounding area, in case there was anything her Insight needed her to see to prompt it for any important information. Perhaps she was paranoid, but paranoid preparation had been serving her well for years.

Luca only nodded at first when Anthony came over, trying to catch his breath still and looking out at the trees nearby. "I like swimming," he murmured softly, and for him it was almost a revelation. He had forgotten a lot of things in the times when he'd thought he could never have them again, and each one that came back was a strange mix of familiar and foreign.

After a long pause, his attention drifted from the trees down towards where their legs moved in the water. ". . . Can I touch the bottom?" It wasn't that far, was it? He had forgotten what ten feet felt like when it was so far from his feet. If he held his breath and tried to swim down, he wondered if he could reach it.
 
"I'm glad you like swimming," Garrett said with a grin. "We can go often, if you want. Especially to this lake. It's nice and quiet here."

"Can you touch the bottom?" Anthony clicked his tongue. "Probably. It'll have to be fast, though, depending on how long you can hold your breath. How about I swim down with you? If you need help getting back to the surface afterwards, I can help you." Ten feet wasn't that deep, and theoretically Luca should be fine. But he clearly couldn't hold his breath very long, and Anthony wanted to make sure he stayed safe.

Garrett took a breath and glanced briefly at Evelyn. He felt it was all right for Luca to test his abilities, but he wasn't sure how Evelyn would feel about him swimming so far down.
 
Evelyn was not happy, not with the prospect of Luca swimming so far down and not with Garrett's telling him they could keep coming back. He had a habit of making promises that would end up involving her without consulting her first, and while she knew it was because he wanted Luca to be happy, and she was sure it was the anxious feeling in her chest making her so irritated about it, she still didn't like it. For now, she only put on her best poker face and kept watching.

Luca nodded along, looking down and down even as he calmed and was able to breathe properly again. As eager as he was, he only managed to wait until he had enough capacity for a deep breath, then ducked back under the water. Trying to swim down while his body wanted him to go up was strange, and he only managed to get perhaps six or seven feet down before he had to stop. Getting back up without anything to push off of was slower than he anticipated, and the burn in his lungs was both familiar and not.

When he popped back up above the surface, he took a breath before his body had stopped bobbing up and down and ended up coughing up a bit of water that had gotten in his mouth accidentally, but wasn't really bothered by it. He only thought it tasted strange, his memories having come from a place treated with chlorine. Reaching the bottom was probably an impossible goal, but he wanted it without really knowing why. He'd always tried to reach it when he was little, too.
 
Of course, in Garrett's mind, Evelyn didn't need to come with if she didn't want to. Garrett himself was more than happy to take Luca to the lake - especially now that Anthony could come with them as well.

Anthony, meanwhile, had gone down with Luca. He was a very experienced swimmer, and his body moved somewhat like an otter, curving and slicing through the water. He kept a close eye on Luca when he turned and started heading for the surface, but he made it up on his own just fine.

Anthony popped up again and beamed. "Wow! Six and a half feet! That's way over halfway," he burst out. "Dang, and that's just now, when you haven't had much breath holding practice. Imagine how far you can go once you do!"

"Easy, Anthony," Garrett said gently. "Not everyone likes free diving. But yes, Luca, I'm glad you were able to get down so far. How do you feel? Are you proud of yourself?" he asked genuinely.
 
Luca had to shake his head a little to clear it, to focus on the way Anthony spoke to him. Six and a half feet. That was longer than he was tall, he thought. Was that good? Anthony seemed to think it was good, and Anthony swam a lot so that meant it was good, right?

". . . I don't know." He managed after a moment, looking at Garrett with clear confusion on his face as he tried to catch his breath again. Are you proud of yourself? He had only ever heard those swords spoken with mocking venom, and generally not directed at himself, so wasn't sure what to do with them. Was it a good thing, to be proud of himself? He wasn't sure he knew what pride meant anymore. "Tired. . ."

His chest ached a little, even though it was going away quickly now that he could breathe again. Holding his breath was hard, and his arms were starting to feel tired already, but he wanted to do more. Maybe he could just stay above water for a little while.
 
"Tired, huh?" Anthony asked before Garrett could even respond. "Here, let me show you something. Not only is this relaxing, it could save your life if you're ever stuck in water." He lay on his back and let his feet go upwards. "This is called floating. You let the water carry you. Your head kind of goes back a tiny bit, and your legs go up like this. It doesn't use as much energy."

Garrett nodded. "He's got a point. Floating's pretty useful." He glanced over at Evelyn, more worried for her now than Luca. She'd gone through so much stress just watching Luca swim, he was sure of it. "How're you doing, Evelyn?" he called gently.

He figured once Luca was fully worn out, the group could either take a nap on the picnic blanket or go home to let Luca sleep while Garrett or Evelyn made dinner - after dropping Anthony off, of course.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back