Forging New Paths

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Luca was still apprehensive about the idea of flipping something so big, and stepped back to give Garrett room to do so. Even with two spatulas he thought that there was too much weight for the bread to withstand, but after being told over and over that he didn't know and was too stupid to understand anything, he was always hesitant to voice opinions that went against someone else's. Surely the detective had to know better than he did, right?

His eyes followed the pancake as it popped up much too high, and then back down until it landed on Garrett's head with a wet pap. He closed them then, cringing at the mess for a moment before daring to crack one eye open again and both see and hear Garrett laughing. They'd ruined the pancake, wasted the batter, and it was all over Garrett's head, but he was laughing. It caught Luca off guard, enough so that he didn't manage to find his voice again before the other man was gone. The very idea of continuing to smile and look happy after something that felt disastrous was so confusing it had him reeling for a long minute or two before he recovered enough to get an oven mitt and gently nudge the pan away from the hot burner, not knowing how long Garrett would be gone and not wanting anything to burn.

He was still standing anxiously near the stove but not next to it when Garrett came back, wringing the oven mitt absentmindedly in both hands. When asked to try again he could only shake his head a little, shuffling back a bit further from the stove like he didn't so much as want to touch it again. "S- Sorry. . ." He managed faintly, eyes aimed away and with a nervous hunch to his shoulders. He'd only done what he was told, and Garrett wasn't angry, but he couldn't help the reflex to apologize and try to look small, like that would help him be in less trouble. Sometimes it was hard to remember that everyone wouldn't be so mad all the time anymore, even if he couldn't recall a time when Evelyn or Garrett had ever been mad at him before. Maybe he was saying sorry for that too.
 
The smile faded off of Garrett's face. "Oh. Luca. Luca, you're not in trouble," he said gently. He went over at once and pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back. "There's no need to apologize. You did everything right, Luca. I just flipped the pancake too high. That's all. No one got hurt and we still have plenty of batter to make more pancakes. It's all right."

Eventually he pulled away again and smiled. "Tell you what. Why don't we make some more regular pancakes, and if there's extra batter left over I'll try making another giant pancake then?" he asked. He didn't want Luca to go hungry just because he wanted to try making big pancakes, and there was no telling how many pancakes Luca might want for breakfast.

Then he glanced over when he heard the first round of bacon sizzling. "Oooh! Bacon's ready." He reached over with some tongs and pulled the bacon off the pan, setting it aside on a paper towel to cool. Then he picked one up after a few seconds and took a big, crunchy bite. "Mmm. They turned out so crisp! Want to eat one, Luca?"
 
Luca might have flinched if he hadn't gotten so used to aching for human contact. When Garrett pulled him close, Luca tucked his head down into the detective's shoulder and held on tighter than normal, fingers twisting into the back of Garrett's shirt like pressing them together harder would make the anxious fear in his stomach go away.

"Sorry," he repeated like he couldn't stop even as Garrett tried to soothe him, his voice faint and muffled. "Sorry. . ." He didn't mean to be upset, didn't want to tremble and breath in quick, heavy breaths like he was about to be locked away again, but he couldn't help it. He didn't know how to make it go away. It helped, holding tightly to someone and being held, and having Garrett quiet his Shadow so he wouldn't accidentally break anything.

By the time Garrett let him go he had calmed some but still wasn't brave enough to go near the stove again and contine helping. He only nodded when asked if he wanted one, and took small, careful bites when one was handed to him.

Evelyn emerged from the hallway around then, her makeup done and hair carefully tamed into the usual bob to distract from the moments during the day that she would seem tired after not sleeping all night. "Good morning." She said softly as she came in to see them, but immediately went to Luca's side to touch a hand very lightly to his arm, wary of the flighty look in his eyes even when she glanced at Garrett for answers. "What's wrong? Are you both all right?" Had she missed something while she slept? She'd thought their voices sounded a bit strange as she came in.
 
"It's okay, Luca," Garrett said softly, replying to each one of the boy's apologies. "It's all right." Once he'd finished messing with the bacon, he gently wrapped an arm around Luca again. "How many pancakes do you want to start with, eh? I'm thinking of starting with three myself." Hopefully giving Luca an example might prompt him to pick a number for himself.

He heard Evelyn's voice behind him, and he turned and gave her a soft smile. "Hey, good morning. It's okay. We'll be all right." He cleared his throat softly. "We were making pancakes this morning, and I thought it would be fun to make a big pancake. But, um - it got in my hair when I flipped it. I told Luca he doesn't have to apologize for it - it was my idea, after all - and we just now started the bacon," he explained. "We ought to be more relaxed soon. Uh - how'd you sleep?" he added sheepishly.
 
Luca was quiet, partially soothed but shy and hesitant again when he thought of pancakes and how many he could eat versus how many would fit on a plate. Eventually, he held up four fingers so he wouldn't have to talk. If he wanted more he was allowed to have more now. He could make himself remember that, at least.

Evelyn didn't think Garrett was wrong that they would be all right. Luca looked upset, but he was calming down as he took small, careful bites of his bacon, not quite meeting anyone's eyes but not fleeing the room either. Feeling like he had messed something up while trying to make breakfast, and without her around as well, was surely upsetting to him. He had always been yelled at or punished for 'screwing up', before.

"As long as no one's hurt, everything's okay," she reassured him, but after a few gentle pats on his arm let him go so he could try to adjust on his own. Some days, less stimulus was better than trying to coddle him. "I slept well enough, I suppose. Were you all right on the couch?" She preferred to move away from thoughts of her own restless night, but was actually concerned for his own sleep. She was sure she should have known better, though; Garrett could sleep just about anywhere.
 
"Four to start with, huh? Excellent," Garrett said with a smile, and he began sliding pancakes off the spatula and onto a plate. He was grateful that Luca seemed to be relaxing again already, especially after what was a considerably upsetting event for him.

Then he glanced back at Evelyn and chuckled, nodding. "I'm always quite comfortable on the couch, thank you. It may as well be a bed, what with the pull out mattress and soft cushions. I'm getting quite accustomed to it," he joked.

He scooped his three pancakes onto his own plate, and then began pouring more batter. "Evelyn, how many pancakes would you like? They're chocolate chip this morning," he added brightly. He was sure whatever pancakes they didn't eat could be refrigerated and eaten later on; even with Luca present and a large pancake in the trash, he didn't think they'd run out. He was making a big batch.
 
It felt a little better, with both of them around him and Garrett smiling and being relaxed. Luca stayed quiet and wouldn't help with more pancakes, but he didn't leave the kitchen, at least, only stood out of the way and leaned against a counter where he could watch. If he didn't touch anything, his subconscious insisted, nothing else bad would happen.

"Well, the mattress hadn't seen much use before," Evelyn mused as she retrieved a glass to fill up with water, offering a small smile, "so at least it isn't broken down. Your other options are the floor or Luca's bed." Which she was sure the younger man would be fine with, but a twin mattress wasn't very well suited to holding two people. As she hadn't expected overnight guests in her home, she had never purchased an air mattress.

"Being adventurous today?" She asked, amused, as she poured one glass for herself and one for Luca. "Just one for me. I don't eat a whole lot for breakfast." It was important to have something, but she didn't like anything too heavy in the morning, and her stomach was a bit unsettled from being up all night.
 
Garrett nodded happily. "Both of which are very nice options. I don't mind either way. As long as a surface is fairly dry, mostly flat, and not sharp, I'll be quite happy."

He chuckled when Evelyn teased him about being adventurous, and he carefully slid a single warm pancake onto her plate. "Why yes, I was. It was quite exciting." He spent a few minutes cutting up fresh fruit and passing it out, and eventually sat down at the table to eat. "All right. Now, let's see . . ." He stuck a forkful of pancake into his mouth and pulled out his phone, checking for updates. He smiled and nodded. "Anthony and the others are all doing well. Sounds as though they're researching the lighthouse today. And I've gotten an email about a case a few hours ago, it seems."

He opened the email and scanned it over carefully for a few minutes. Then he nodded. "Seems like a normal enough case. Would you both mind if I gave them a call after breakfast?"
 
Evelyn gave him a skeptical look at his description of decent places to sleep, raising an eyebrow at the idea of anything like a hard floor being at all comfortable. If the couch didn't pull out, even a normal couch would have been better than the floor. Maybe it made her sound a bit like The Princess and the Pea, but there was no way she could sleep on the floor or the ground outside unless she was completely exhausted.

After a moment to consider chiding him for not treating his body better, she just let it go and gathered a third glass of water for him because she thought he should drink it more often, and there were more glasses if he wanted to get himself something else. "A research project should help keep them busy." When he brought up a job, Evelyn only shrugged, thinking of how she herself should go back to working once things had settled down a bit more for them. "I won't stop you from working," she said as she picked up a bite on her fork. "I've always said that. Don't worry, we'll be fine." If Garrett needed to go and live his own life, she wouldn't stop him, even if now she had been to feel a little jolt of adrenaline at the thought of being alone, whereas before it had always brought her comfort. Soon she would be fine, she told herself. She just needed to give it time.

Luca, having settled quietly at the table as they did, had been very careful to be quiet while cutting his pancakes, and had taken a bite or two by the time Garrett asked about his job. He didn't want Garrett to leave, but he also didn't feel up to making conversation so he wasn't sure what he really wanted.
 
"I know you have," Garrett said with a gentle smile. "But it's a minor case, so it's one I'm comfortable putting off if I need to. Although . . . although I do enjoy a good mystery." He nodded to himself and took another bite of his pancakes. "I think I will call them after breakfast. I'll go outside in case they want privacy, and then I'll come back in and let you know what's going on."

After breakfast, he cleared his dishes and set them in the sink, and then made his way to the backyard. There he paced casually with the phone for a few minutes, chatting and listening with a curious expression on his face.

". . . Fascinating," he announced as he strolled back inside. "Mr. Emerald thinks he has a ghost in his house. I asked if I might invite a few friends along to help, and he said certainly. Do either of you know anything about ghosts? I'm afraid I've never been sensitive to that sort of thing."
 
Garrett was sweet, and thoughtful, and he'd devoted a lot of his time to helping them, but Evelyn knew he had a lot of his heart in his work, and truthfully she had begun to feel guilty the longer she kept him from it. Luca was an innocent third party, and all of his needs came to them because of her, so she couldn't rightly blame him for any of it. She needed to dig back into her independence, long habits said, to need nothing so he wouldn't be compelled to stay so close to them all the time, as if thinking that she needed his help was the only thing keeping him around.

For now, she only said "Of course," allowing him free reign of her home and property, and let the guilt settle in the background where it belonged.

While Garret was gone, she made sure Luca ate his fill and took care of dishes while he continued eating, and was only just coming back to the table to retrieve Luca's plate when the detective came back in. "Ghosts?" She asked, a skeptical eyebrow raised, and rested a hand on the back of Luca's chair. "I can't say I've ever believed in them. There's usually a very mundane cause for any supposed sightings."

Luca only looked between them, a little confused but feeling a bit better now that his stomach was full, despite the worried furrow in his brow. "Ghosts?" He had always thought ghosts were scary. He hadn't had much time or opportunity to decide whether or not he thought they were real, tangible things. He didn't much like the idea.
 
The detective nodded. "I tend to lean towards that reasoning, Evelyn. I don't quite think ghosts are real, either. But then . . . on the off chance they are real, I do want to keep an open mind. There are people with powers in our world, after all, and suppose someone has the power to both levitate and turn invisible? Or perhaps there are real ghosts. Who's to say?"

He settled down at the table again and plucked a strawberry up from the fruit bowl, popping it into his mouth and chewing. "Anyway, the incidents Mr. Emerald has described are very tame. Cupboards opening seemingly on their own. Odd noises at night in various spots of his house. You both are more than welcome to investigate it with me, if you like. Personally, based on his descriptions, I quite think the cupboards are off kilter, and the other noises could be explained away as well. I'm thinking of setting up some cameras when we go over, and then we could check the footage in a day or two."
 
While she did not approve of entertaining the idea that ghosts could somehow be real, Evelyn did at least agree that there could be something more human at play, perhaps not even maliciously. A young neighbor could be playing tricks, or someone could have imbued their pet cat with invisibility. Strange and unlikely she would believe, but not supernatural.

"If he doesn't mind the extra company, it wouldn't be entirely useless to have a look around." For all they knew, Insight would discover the problem for them without much effort at all. "What do you think, Luca?" She turned a little to look at him, running her fingers gently through his hair to push it back out of his eyes. "How are you feeling today? Do you want to go and see the weird cupboards?"

He looked up at her, then over at Garrett, then down at his hands on the table where he was fiddling with his fork, and with her attention on him and physical contact between them it was easy enough to know why he was quiet. He didn't want to speak still, and he didn't want to be in the way.

"It's all right if you just want to come with us and look around." She reassured gently. "You don't have to talk to Mr. Emerald, and we'd like to have your company, but if you don't want to go you and I can stay home."

He shifted a little in his seat, then finally just nodded and leaned his head a little towards her, silently inviting her hand to stay. If it was okay to not talk, and he could be with them both, he wanted to go.
 
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"Excellent. I'd love to have you both along," Garrett said with a smile. "Want to bring your detective kit, Luca?" He was so much in the habit of trying not to use Evelyn for her powers that sometimes he completely forgot she had them; today was no different. Insight would certainly make the job easier if he asked for her to use it.

Luckily, the case seemed fairly simple from what information he had, and Garrett was confident it was a safe case that would be easily solved.

So once everyone was finished eating breakfast and cleaning up, he got up from the table, stretched a bit, and ambled towards the door. "All right. Any final questions before we head over to Mr. Emerald's home?" he asked brightly.

He texted Mr. Emerald briefly while he waited, letting the man know who was coming and that Luca probably wouldn't be in the mood to talk. Mr. Emerald texted back to acknowledge he understood, and that he was relieved to have an entire team of people coming over to help.
 
Luca nodded a little, though Evelyn wasn't sure if he would actually feel up to using the kit. She planned to bring it for him anyway, and made sure he had it once he was dressed and had brushed his teeth. When they were on their way out, finally, she gave a thoughtful hum as she considered potential problems.

"Does Mr. Emerald have dogs?" She asked, not wanting to get there and be surprised. They made Luca nervous, after all, and she didn't want to stress him out any more. "Does he live with anyone else? And does he know that all three of us are coming?"
 
Garrett waved a hand. "No, he has no dogs. No pets at all, in fact." He pulled on his coat and carefully adjusted the sides. "He lives by himself. He's about seventy-three years old, enjoys collecting stamps, and has a big white mustache that is very fashionable. And yes, he knows there are three of us coming." He put his hat on and sighed happily. "Ahh. Feels good to get back to business. I'm more than happy to drive if you both feel comfortable in a car. Or we can walk - the place is only ten minutes from here on foot," he added.

He tried to stay low-key for Luca's sake, but Garrett was excited. Not only was he about to take on another case at long last, but it was a nice easy one, too. It was perfect for getting back into the detective business without overexerting himself.

And maybe he could practice filing and sorting notes right away for once, instead of waiting five days. Maybe Evelyn would even be willing to suggest more efficient ways to sort them. But for now, he stood patiently near the front door, waiting to hear whether the pair wanted to take the car or walk.
 
Evelyn took a long moment to consider once she and Luca were ready to go, the tip of her parasol resting lightly atop her shoe. Luca was having trouble with cars, but the more she avoided them herself the worse it would get. If it was such a short ride, perhaps it would be all right to test the waters, let him get in and out with as minimal stress as possible, despite knowing he was already on edge. It was like she had told Garrett, what felt like so long ago. There would be days either of them might cause Luca pain or distress, but he would never heal if they never pushed him.

"Let's take the car." She decided finally, with a decisive little nod, and ushered them out so she could lock up behind them. "We should let breakfast settle a little. We can take a walk later on. Why don't you take shotgun, Luca? I'll sit in the back."

He didn't like it, clearly, a little frown on his face, but he held on to the strap of his bag which held his detective kit and just nodded. If she was sitting in the back seat, she would know if anything scary was back there, like the last time. It was okay, wasn't it? Still, when they got into the car his stomach didn't feel right, and he had to be reminded to put his seatbelt on before they started to move.

"Will you roll the windows down just a little, Garrett?" Evelyn asked as they pulled away from the house, hoping keeping open airflow in the car would help Luca stop worrying about a repeat of the gas that had filled hers the day they were taken. "It's a little warm back here."
 
"The car it is!" Garrett replied happily. He opened the driver door and slid in comfortably. Hoping showing Luca that he felt safe would help the others relax as well. He raised an eyebrow when Evelyn asked to roll the windows down a bit - but then he remembered, and he cleared his throat and quickly complied. "Yes, of course. Nothing like some fresh air."

Once everyone was buckled up, he made his way to Mr. Emerald's house. It was a small brick building with white trim and a white picket fence. Mr. Emerald was sitting on the front porch enjoying a glass of lemonade and a plate of cookies, and he waved when he saw the group pull up. His white mustache made his smile seem even more pronounced when Garrett led the way up to the porch. "Mornin'!" he called out. "Thanks for coming out. I know it's not exactly the most exciting case, but it'll make me feel better knowin' what's going on."

Garrett smiled and patted his shoulder. "There's no case too small. I'm here to help. Ah - Mr. Emerald, these are my friends, Evelyn and Luca."

"Nice to meet you all. Oh! Anyone care for a cookie or glass of lemonade before we head in? Don't want you working on an empty stomach," Mr. Emerald added with a laugh.

"Ooh! Are these snickerdoodles? Yes, please!" Garrett said, taking a cookie and pouring himself a glass. "Evelyn? Luca? You want any?"
 
Luca was nervous, still, but with the window's down a bit and able to feel the breeze against his skin, he was able to relax at least a little. Evelyn, personally, didn't like the way it tossed her hair about, but it was only a short drive. If it helped Luca, she would endure. By the time they pulled up to the house, at least, it seemed he was feeling better.

"Good to meet you," Evelyn said with a polite little dip of her head when introduced, knowing Luca was standing behind her but not offering anything from him since he wasn't up for talking. When offered food, she gave a little wave of her hand to dismiss it. "No, thank you. Luca? Do you want anything?" She looked at him over her shoulder, enough to catch his eventual nod. "Which?"

". . . A cookie." He said finally, voice quiet, and after a pause, "Please."

She nodded for him and gave Mr. Emerald a small smile. "If you really don't mind. It's very kind of you."

When Luca had his cookie she settled herself beside him but continued to give their client her attention. "With your permission, I'd like to have a look around," she said, polite but businesslike, not cold but not quite as friendly and open as Garrett could be while he was working. "Psychometry might be able to tell us what the problem is. But if you would prefer, I can refrain from touching anything."

Some people weren't so open with their secrets, and felt the little glimpses she got into their lives were intrusive or violating. She wouldn't tell him all of what her Insight could do, but for the purpose of full disclosure she could at least let him know that touching the things in his home could tell her something about it, or him, or his mystery.
 
Mr. Emerald beamed. "Wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it. Here ya go, kiddo." He held out the plate of cookies to Luca, and once he'd taken one, he set the plate back on the counter and sank into his rocking chair. Then he took a sip of his lemonade and nodded to Evelyn. ". . . I haven't the foggiest idea what psychometry is. But if it'll help the case, you go right ahead. And the front door's open for ya. Help yourselves."

"Oh. Before we head in, anything else happen in the house?" Garrett asked.

The older man hummed and tapped his chin. "Hm. Well - the blankets in the guest room looked like they moved once or twice." He cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly. ". . . An' I sworn I heard a voice a few times. I've started talking to whatever it is, you know. I think his name's Isaac."

Garrett's eyebrows raised. "You . . . think his name's Isaac?"

"Yeah. Least that's what it sounded like. Anyway, make yourselves at home," Mr. Emerald added.

"Hm. Thank you, Mr. Emerald," Garrett said, and he led the way into the home.

The rooms had faded but clean wallpaper, with doilies on various surfaces, a faint scent of pleasant perfume, and a large intricate cuckoo clock that hung on the far wall and was ticking softly. Soft blankets were draped over the living room couch, along with various pillows. One pillow had a dent in it, as though someone's head frequently rested there.
 
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