Forging New Paths

Evelyn gave a little sigh and shook her head at him. "You haven't failed him," she said, gentle but firm. "You just made a mistake. The important part is that you've learned from it, and that he's fine. He's more resilient than you might think." Even if it was sad to think he was that way because he'd had literally no other choice but to hang on and survive, she was sure Luca would bounce back from things more quickly than they anticipated.

". . . Nothing else for now," she continued, and went so far as to rest a gentle hand on his arm. It wasn't as if her gifts worked on him anyway. "Just. Be careful. . . Okay?" They needed his next mission to be a success, but it would mean little if he got himself killed in the process. She couldn't bring herself to stop him, but she wasn't so callous as to feel no worry for his safety.
 
Garrett clicked his tongue. "I know he is. He has so much curiosity and such a strong will to survive." He pulled in a breath, nodding. "Thank you for speaking with me. I really appreciate it."

Then he glanced up in surprise when Evelyn set a hand on his shoulder. He couldn't help a small smile from crossing his face. He'd never been so emotionally attached to a case before, and he was sure Evelyn could tell; the small gesture of affection was enough to steady his nerves a little. "I'll be careful," he promised. "There's quite a bit riding on the success of this plan. That includes preserving myself. Not to worry."

He pulled in a breath. "There may be other Lombardis aboard the boat. So my plan is to capture Davis, sneak off the boat in a lifeboat, and head straight to the police. As far as I know all of them are in supporting of taking down the Lombardis."
 
Their little talk was supposed to be her berating him for being a fool, but somehow she had ended up feeling the need to comfort him instead. How could she not, faced with such an earnest desire to do better? As much as her research could tell her what cases he'd solved, what people he'd gone up against, and perhaps even what others thought of him, her Insight couldn't touch him. They couldn't tell her how deeply he would care after she reached out to him.

"All right," she murmured softly, "I'll have to take your word for it." She was under the impression that lone wolves in his line of work tended to have very little instinct for self-preservation, so she hoped he was telling the truth that he would look out for himself. "If you need eyes outside the boat, call. If nothing else, I'll always be able to see it." Boats had to sit on water, after all. If he needed eyes on something that was visible from outside of it, her Sight would find it.

After a pause, she stepped back and moved to open the door, offering him a faint little smile. "For now, why don't we go and sit with him for a little while? It's safe here, so if you warn him I don't think he'll mind being in close contact with you." It was easy enough to see, as Luca began to relax in her company, just how starved for affection he was. She was aware that most men were not very fond of physical contact, but if Garrett wanted to sit close and keep Luca company, the offer was there.
 
The detective gave her a thin smile. "Believe me, I have no intention of checking out early. Before it was just the drive to stop the Lombardis from hurting anyone else, but now . . . now I've found myself wanting to help as many people as I can. And I have to be here to do that."

Garrett nodded to her in appreciation. "That would be very kind of you to do so. As long as you keep yourself safe as well, of course."

When she offered him a small smile, he found himself returning it. "That does sound nice, sitting down together for a bit. I'd like that." He walked quietly out of the study and knocked on one of the walls to alert Luca they were on the way. "We're back, Luca! Thanks for your patience. I was wondering, would it be all right if I sat near you for a bit? I could even read a story, if you like."

He had a wide variety of books to read - detective stories and mysteries, of course, but also classic fairytales and more heartwarming stories as well.
 
Like a family. She thought as she followed Garrett out of the office. It made her miss her own family, but it wasn't like they had ever been the very affection sort, anyway. Still, she knew she should call them, with something other than 'work' interests involved. Perhaps once things calmed down here. She wouldn't want to worry them with how much trouble she'd gotten herself into.

Luca was sitting with his arms wrapped around his legs on the couch where they had left him, and it took him a too long pause to pull his eyes away from the tv and focus on what Garrett was saying. "A story?" He asked, something curious in his expression, and offered no protest to the idea of Garrett being near him.

Evelyn, wandering over to sit nearby, gave Garrett an almost teasing little thumbs up, as if he couldn't tell that Luca was interested in his own, muted fashion. "Story time?" She prodded, a small but somewhat mischievous smile on her face as she settled with her cheek resting on a hand. "Do you do voices?" She couldn't help but be amused, as if they were reading bedtime stories to a toddler. Luca spoke so little and acted so timid, it did sort of feel the same.
 
Garrett's entire expression lit up. He went to the bookshelf and selected one of his favorite stories from childhood, The Clever Mouse, which was a story about a mouse who became a detective. "Yes, Luca. A story. One of my favorites," he added.

He turned off the TV, settled down on a chair where both Luca and Evelyn could see him, and held up the book with a small chuckle. "I can do the voices. Not very well, but I'm willing to try." He cleared his throat and began.

The mouse in the story had been told of missing food by his mouse friends, and using a variety of human sized detective equipment, he managed to discover the culprit had been an old crow who was very hungry. ". . . So the mice made friends with them, and from then on they shared their food. And if anyone ever had a mystery, they knew just who to turn to. The Clever Mouse. The end," he finished, gently closing the book. "How was it?"

He knew not everyone was a fan of detective stories, but he hoped this one was at least enough to hold his audience's interest.
 
Evelyn could have laughed at how eager Garrett was to please, and to participate in Storytime. Curious at his book choice, and at how far away he sat from Luca, she settled in on one end of the couch to listen. It was a children's story, and for a little while she thought she should advise him that even though Luca had clearly not had the time to mentally mature into full adulthood he was, at least, not a child either. But halfway through, when she looked at him to see what he thought, Luca was sitting with his chin atop his arms, eyes focused vaguely on the back of the book and with a peculiar little smile on his face. Pleased, but also, she thought, a little bit sad.

Luca was quiet for a little pause, as usual, but clearly not completely gone. His eyes had shifted away, towards the floor between them, and the strange little smile lingered on his lips. "I like it," was all he said, very softly, and for a moment Evelyn wondered if he was thinking of his own childhood, if his mother or father had ever read him books like this when he was little.

Abruptly, her eyes went distant, and after a pause she put a hand over her own mouth to cover the way it fell open in shock, fighting back a faint sound of distress. Luca was lost in thought, paying her very little attention even when she got very suddenly to her feet and walked away with a stricken expression. In the guest room, she sat on the bed with her head in her hands and just tried to breathe through the sudden tremors in her chest. As much as her Insight could benefit her, there were times when it told her things she was not ready to know. She should have guessed already that his parents were gone, or someone would have been looking for him all this time.
 
Garrett had picked the book very specifically, though. For one thing, Evelyn had told him Luca didn't have a very long attention span. A chapter book didn't seem like a good choice yet. And for another, he knew Luca had an interest in detective tools after spending time with him the other night. He was delighted when Luca announced he liked the story. "I'm glad you do. Perhaps tomorrow, when I come back, we can start another one. I have just the book in mind," he added with a smile.

Tomorrow seemed like a good time to introduce a shorter chapter book, hopefully to help strengthen Luca's attention span little by little.

He was about to offer dessert to the group when Evelyn suddenly hurried off into the guest room with an upset expression. But he could tell it wasn't at him. At least this time, he knew how to handle the situation a little bit better. "Luca, I'm going to go make sure Evelyn is okay. Would you like some ice cream and cookies when I come back?"
 
Luca tuned back in to Garrett's voice when he suggested another book, nodding a little to himself and then giving a faint, confused frown when he finally realized Evelyn was gone. She had walked away quickly, he recalled, and he hoped she wasn't sick. She hadn't seemed injured, and they had been together all day so he didn't know when something had could have happened.

"Okay," he said, thinking Garrett might know better what happened to make people sick but interested in the prospect of dessert. He didn't often get sweets, so ice cream or cookies would be a rare treat.

Evelyn was still sitting on the bed with her elbows on her knees, face covered by her hands. When she heard Garrett's footsteps come to the door she steeled herself for the effort of speaking, made herself sit up straighter and ran hands that trembled forward and back over her knees as if to quell the tension in her joints. She took in a slow, shaking breath, and did her best to let it out slowly, to reach for calm.

"Sorry," she managed with a shake of her head, her voice unsteady and breaking after just the one word. "I'm sorry, I - I'm fine. I'm fine." How was she supposed to tell him? He, who had looked crushed at just the thought of causing Luca emotional distress? She wasn't sure if she could. She should stay silent, keep it for herself. She could handle it.
 
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The detective was grateful Luca seemed to be willing to wait for a few moments; maybe he'd even read a few books while Garrett was in the other room. But in the meantime, he wanted to help Evelyn.

He walked quietly to the door of the room and knocked on it. He was about to ask if he could come in when Evelyn spoke first, and Garrett frowned slightly. Clearly she was not fine. "Evelyn," he said softly, "Would you like a hug?"

He had a suspicion that Evelyn's distress was due to her powers in part. It probably wasn't related to the book itself - at least, he hoped it wasn't. In any case, he stood hesitantly in the doorway, wanting to help comfort Evelyn but being as mindful as possible about boundaries.
 
As much as she felt like she'd gone into shock, Garrett's request managed to pull an almost startled, watery little laugh out of her. "N- No, no," she managed softly with a little shake of her head, fingers curled tightly over her knees and for a moment refusing to look at him. "I'm all right. Thank you. . ."

She took a moment to breathe carefully, each inhale and exhale shaking still, and rubbed her hands briefly over her eyes. The ache in her chest was unbearable, but she refused to cry. "It happens. . . Insight can sometimes be aimed in a direction, but I don't . . . really get a say in what it shows me, or when. I . . . I'll be fine. Eventually." She didn't want to burden him with knowledge she thought could distract him. It was usually easier than this, but she was too close to the subject of the insight she'd gained to keep a neutral facade. She just needed a few minutes. In a few minutes she would be fine. At least, she hoped.
 
"All right," Garrett said gently. He wished he could help her feel better, but he knew Evelyn understood her own powers well, and maybe space was what she needed. "In that case . . . I'll be right outside with Luca, if you need anything. You're more than welcome to join us for ice cream and cookies if you like." He gave her a smile and delicately closed the door behind him.

Then he headed towards the kitchen. "All right, Luca! Time to get ourselves a snack." He felt much better as he started pulling out a variety of toppings and two kinds of ice cream. Then he slid a bowl towards Luca and nodded. "Go on, Luca. Dig in," he said happily. For his own bowl, he settled on vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and crushed Oreos, which he mixed all together before eating.

He glanced towards the door a few times before realizing he should probably let Luca know partially what was going on. "Evelyn said she'd be all right. She probably just needed a few minutes to herself. I hope she'll join us for ice cream."
 
Evelyn only nodded, grateful for his keeping Luca busy, and let Garrett leave. She didn't know how to tell him that Luca's family was gone. Didn't know how to tell him they were the first ones his power was used to kill. She just needed time to breathe, and process, and think. It was a burden of knowledge that she had to carry by herself, as all other blessings and curses her Insight gave her. At least, until after the man that held such power over her dear friend was locked away.

Luca, having waited patiently on the couch, got up and followed after Garrett when called. He watched quietly, out of the way, as the man got ice cream and other seemingly random sweets out and put them on the table, expression curious and a bit puzzled. Even in the rare times he'd been given treats, he had never eaten ice cream with other things on top of it. When he had a bowl held between his hands, he looked at it a moment, then at the things on the table.

"Okay. . ." He said, unconcerned about Evelyn given Garrett's reassurance but seemingly baffled by the curved spoon he'd scooped the ice cream with. "I get it myself?" His food was always given to him. He never served himself.
 
Garrett smiled patiently at the young man and nodded. "That's right. You can get it by yourself. And anything else you want to eat or drink, too. The kitchen is always open to you." He took another scoop of his own ice cream and tapped his bowl. "Though I do advise not scooping more than what fits in the bowl. Otherwise you could get a tummy ache. I know; it happened to me," he added with a chuckle.

His phone buzzed for a moment, and he glanced down at it briefly to check the message. "Ah! Message from my informant. I hope they're doing okay." He scooped the phone up and opened the message, reading it carefully. Then he sighed in relief and sank back. "Good. They're feeling much better, they said."

He smiled and put the phone down. At some point, he should ask Evelyn if it would be a good idea to get Luca a phone.

"Anyway, if the ice cream is too frozen to scoop, just let me know. I can help," Garrett said at last.
 
Luca hesitated, but did eventually pull the vanilla ice cream closer to himself, pick up the spoon, and look it over curiously before attempting to mimic the way Garrett had twisted his wrist to use it. Unpracticed at it, he did make a couple mistakes and had to catch more than one piece of a scoop with his hand to keep it from slipping away, but at least managed not to get any on the table. He got himself the equivalent of maybe a scoop and a half of vanilla ice cream, and paused uncertainly before deciding not to take any of the extra things he'd never eaten with it before.

". . . Are they hurt?" he asked, curious but absentminded as he set the scoop on the ice creams lid so it wouldn't make a mess, pleased to not have been scolded for his fumbling. People were usually sick or injured when someone asked if they were better, weren't they? He wondered what an informant was. The word sounded like it was someone who informed, but he wasn't sure what else it could mean, or what kind of information they could possibly have.

Unconcerned with the fate of a mystery person he'd never met, he took a very small bite of his ice cream and waited to see if Garrett would tell him where he should sit, or if he was supposed to stand and eat it.
 
"Yes. They were with me earlier when we got jumped by squatters; they suffered a sprained knee and twisted ankle. But they just texted me that they're feeling better," Garrett explained. He raised an eyebrow as Luca started to eat his ice cream standing up. "You can sit down to eat, if you want. Anywhere you like. Or you can stand and eat - I do that too myself, on occasion."

He was glad Luca had been able to serve himself some ice cream, more or less, and that he was already eating it.

"I can't tell you much about them, for privacy reasons. But they're one of my most trusted informants. And I think, once I finish my mission tomorrow, I'd like to try and make actual friends with them at some point," Garrett went on. "I haven't given myself many opportunities to make friends in a while, you know. Actually, you and Evelyn are the first friends I've had in months. Maybe years."
 
Luca listened, idly eating his ice cream in tiny little bites as he listened, and only made a thoughtful hum around his spoon when Garrett mentioned injuries. As thoroughly as his Shadow protected him, he didn't really know what those things would feel like. In theory he knew what broken bones or sprained limbs looked like, knew that they caused pain, and had even seen a few people with those types of injuries, or bloodier ones, but the concept was still foreign to him personally.

"Friends?" He parroted with a little tilt of his head, even as he took a hesitant seat at the dining room table because he thought that was where people were supposed to eat. Friends were another thing he mostly knew of in theory, or from the examples or stories of other people. He'd had friends when he was little, hadn't he? It was hard to remember, and it had been a long time since then. Sometimes it was easier if he didn't think about things he'd had Before. It had been years since he'd had any hope he would ever have those things again.
 
Garrett smiled warmly. "Yes. Friends. They're like . . . people who know each other, and trust each other, and spend time together willingly. They want to be by each other." He ate another scoop of ice cream and nodded. "That's how I feel about you and Evelyn. It's nice getting to spend time with you both. And . . ."

His voice trailed off. He'd been going to mention wanting to continue to spend time together after Luca and Evelyn moved out. But he didn't want to cause another panic attack.

". . . And I'm very glad I have that opportunity to do so," he added at last. "Which reminds me - are there any activities in the home you like to do? Like card games, or cooking, or reading?" Maybe if he knew a few of Luca's hobbies, he could ease him into similar ones in the outside world.
 
Evelyn and Garrett. Friends. It felt nice. He hadn't known them very long, but they had taken him away from Davis, and were trying to keep him safe, and they were nice to him. If that was what it was like to have friends, he thought he liked it.

When questioned, Luca tilted his head a bit and tried to think. "Activities?" He repeated thoughtfully, eyes drifting to the ceiling as he tried to decide what that might mean. ". . . I like reading." He didn't play games, unless the puzzles he was given sometimes counted, and he wasn't allowed to cook. Mostly he had been given books, or watched tv, or slept. He'd had school books, too, sometimes, and he'd liked learning things. He wasn't sure if that counted as an activity.
 
"Oh! Marvelous. So do I," Detective Shiver said happily. "Well, you already know where my bookshelf is - so you're more than welcome to read any of those at any time. There's nothing quite like reading a good book in a comfortable chair." He smiled and finished his bowl of ice cream. "Are you interested in cooking or baking at all? I'm not . . . amazing at it, but perhaps we could learn together," he offered.

He cleaned up his own dishes and glanced at the table. "Do you want any of the toppings, or can I put those away?"

Once or twice, he glanced toward the bedroom, hoping Evelyn was truly doing all right. But he respected her privacy and boundaries, and he decided to leave her be for the moment; he did trust her, after all, and if she said she'd be fine eventually, then she probably would be.
 
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