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 Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:15 pm
It might have been contrived, but as far as Stephen was concerned, there was no better place to take his ward to meet other children but the park. And, given how shy his ward was was, socialization was just what he needed! Especially given some of Luka's inherent...differences. He'd just have to be careful not to overdo it- he didn't want to intimidate or frighten the little kit.
As it was, he was taking things slowly- first, the calico had to get used to Stephen himself (he still wasn't sure Luka was entirely acclimated to him, given the rate at which the boy scrambled under beds or behind curtains to hide) but they were making some undeniable progress. Maybe making a few friends and having a few nice encounters with neighborhood kids would help the process.
He glanced down to the toddler that was clutching his hand tightly and distractedly tugging at the shirt Stephen had wrestled him into. The older man hoped dearly the boy would keep it on- it wasn't uncommon to find the kitten sitting in the middle of his living room, coloring away happily, completely devoid of whatever clothing he had formerly been wearing.
He passed the gates and stood by the benches, looking at the jungle gym. He coaxed Luka forward. "Here we are! Why don't you go play with the other kids?" he encouraged softly.
Luka clutched at his guardian's pantleg, kneading at the taller man's thigh subconsciously. He...he didn't like it here. It was noisy and he didn't know anyone here except for the man beside him...and he didn't even know Stephen that well yet. Quite frankly, he wanted to go hide. So he did the logical thing- he let go of his guardian and ungainly scrambled under the nearby bench, drawing his knees up, ears flat against his skull.
This was not quite the reaction Stephen had wanted, but it wasnt unexpected either. The blonde crouched down on his hands and knees, being an attempt to try and either shoo or coax the boy out.
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:23 pm
"Would you like any assistance?" Came a voice approaching behind the man. A tall slender father came walking down the sidewalk, three small children following him. The man had a rather peculiar look about him. His long hair was simply braided and tied off at the end, his clothes looked fairly out of place as well. He wore a cloth wrap around his waist and cloth shorts underneath. He had on a green and gold vest that matched his waist cloth. His skin was dark and his eyes were calm, looking at the other man crouching under the bench amiably.
The three children looked obviously like siblings though some of their features were strikingly...bovine in nature. The red headed boy watched his father for a moment before quickly losing interest and taking off for the monkey bars.
The other two children seemed more patient, the girl was picking wildflowers from the grassy islet on the side of the sidewalk.
The black haired boy was looking curiously at the man under the bench and whatever he was trying to get to. He held a superman figure in his hand and a lex luthor in the other. Out of the three children he seemed the most interested in the going ons of the park.
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:20 pm
Stephen looked up, trying to find the source of the voice. Well, that was certainly an...interesting-looking man. Stephen himself didn't look too outlandish. He was wearing a pair of dark-wash denims today and a red button-up shirt and his hair was pulled back into a small ponytail. The only thing remotely 'wild' about him was a small blonde soul patch (one that his aunt Jeanette was always on his case to shave off). He pushed himself up, dusting his knees off and looking down at the hiding toddler, emitting a sigh before he smiled at the other man and offered his hand.
"Ah, he's just...shy. He'll come out eventually." he said, though he didn't sound entirely sure of himself. Hopefully, he added mentally. "He's still getting used to everything."
Luka remained stubbornly hiding under the bench, wide blue eyes watching the new arrivals with a mix of cat-like curiosity and child-like wariness. No, he decided, he still didn't want to come out just yet. Especially not that there were more people he didn't know! He trembled a little, staring right back at the other boy that had leaned down to look.
Stephen looked over the three children that were in tow of the other man. They looked...almost like little cows. He wondered for a moment if they were at all like Luka but...not every animal-like race came from that corporation.
"Those three yours?" he asked. He was having enough trouble with one kid...he couldn't image three!
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 4:40 pm
Marco nodded his head, "Yes, Deidre, Romeo and that was Clay," He said as the red head had taken off anxious to improve his monkey bar abilities, "Sorry if I bothered you at all. I just saw you crouched down under that bench and thought you'd dropped something. I had no idea you were trying to get your son out of hiding," He said giving a good hearted laugh.
"Hi," Romeo said as he watched the boy curiously, he looked scared. He approached the bench closer, "Whatcha scared of?" The black haired boy asked crouching down and sitting underneath the bench alongside the other little boy. He was curious as to why this was a fun place to sit.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 12:06 pm
He laughed back. "Oh, no bother at all. Thanks for the concern." he remarked, waving his hand dismissively. He sighed, looking at the bench again, which now had two children under it- his ward and the little black-haired triplet the other had introduced as Romeo.
Luka scootched back a little as the other clambered under. His ears were still peeled back and when the other advanced he let out a startled hiss, still quivering. He looked at the other, clearly more scared than feral.
"Scared...." he repeated.
There were too many people! Too many new things. It wasn't that he resisted change and newness- it had been exciting to explore Stephen's house (if only to find the best hidey-places). But he had felt relatively safe there; it was quiet and without so many new people, the new setting had been easier to digest for the skiddish boy.
He swallowed a few times, trying to figure out how best to answer the other boy. "Too many." he uttered, gesturing vaguely towards the playground where the other children romped. "Loud.
Stephen watched the exchange, having jerked his head around when the boy hissed. Well, at least he was talking- he hadn't said much in last week that Stephen had him and he was starting to worry. D-corp said that they had been working on Luka's verbal expression skills and all but given the nature of his disorder, it would be in best interest for Stephen to keep up with it. He had been trying! Not giving into the boy when he emphatically pointed at something or gestured instead of speaking was working well enough to have him saying the basics of what he wanted or felt (glass, water, hungry, ball, tired) and even stringing small sentences...but it seemed conversational speaking was something the boy didn't feel inclined to bother with most of the time.
He sighed a little. "I just received guardianship of him recently, you know, and he just came to stay with me. I suppose he's getting used to the big, wide world." he said as he watched the boy size Romeo up (probably trying to decide if the little cow was a threat or not). "Ah, I have enough trouble adequately caring for one, so I have to admire someone who has a group of three and the effort it must take."
Oh, he never gave his name, had he? "Ah, let me introduce myself. I'm Stephen Moore." he said, extending a hand.
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Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 4:55 pm
Romeo shrunk back a bit at being hissed at. He'd never been hissed at before, it was peculiar and a little frightening. Though Romeo settled down again once the other boy started talking again, "You don't have to be scared," The cowlet replied giving the boy a kind smile, "I'll whisper if it helps," He said lowering his voice for the other kid, "My names Romeo, sorry if I scared you," He said offering up his superman figure, "Want to play?"
Claydon wasn't far away, he was on the monkey bars but they were close enough for him to hear his brother and that weird kid under the bench. He grinned to himself as he started to get some ideas.
Deidre didn't seem to mind anyone around her, she was more interested in the wild flowers than the other kids in the area.
"Well it's difficult caring for children no matter how many there are. Though I think the reward of it is well worth it," He said looking around at his kids in a very fatherly and loving manner, "It's nice to meet you Stephen, I'm Marco Barlow," He said taking the mans hand in a shake.
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Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 8:33 pm
Luka watched a the boy a little longer before slowly crawling forward a little bit. After all, he was shy, not distrustful. It helped that the little cowlet was making an effort to be more quiet and less overwhelming than some of the other children at the playground. Still, he wasn't exactly inclined to play with others. He was a boy far more content and at ease with playing and coloring on his own.
He shifted a little, looking at the toys the boy held. They looked nice and all...but he didn't have any himself. He shook his head, pointing at the toy.
"Don't have one." he said simply, looking down.
Stephen nodded slowly. "Yes, child-rearing is a challenge regardless of number." he echoed.
He supposed the reward of raising a well-adjusted happy child was worth it in the end. It was why he got into this project- he was giving a child with special needs the care he required and getting the chance to participate in one of the most fascinating genetic projects he'd ever heard of. At first, he was compelled by the knowledge and expirience he'd obtain from working with D-corp but just having the boy for even a short time had shifted his motivations. Now information simply seemed like a side perk to helping the kid along. It was strange the effect children could have, he supposed.
"And it is nice to make your acquaintance as well, Marco." he smiled. Now what? Ah, he wasn't good with small talk outside of work! He supposed this was as much socialization for him as it was for the boy...
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 5:09 am
"That's alright, you can use one of mine," Romeo said handing out his toys for the other boy to pick from. He was good with sharing, he always had been.
Romeo didn't mind which one the other boy would pick, he generally liked playing Batman but he was just fine playing as one of the others, it was almost exciting as Romeo waited wondering who the other child would choose.
Marco smiled and nodded his head again before taking a seat on a nearby bench, "So is this your first time bringing him to the park then?" He inquired, "The triplets love it here, they were a bit apprehensive at first too, perhaps every child just needs time to get used to the new surroundings," He suggested watching the children play.
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 6:27 pm
Luka still eyed the boy nervously for a bit before slowly reaching out for the Superman toy. The bright reds and blue contrasting against each other appealed to him. He liked colors. He examined the doll curiously, fidgeting with the cape. He held it a bit, unsure of what to do with it before swinging it about a little, making a few half-hearted attempts at making him look like he was 'flying'. He looked over at the other boy for either approval a cue of what to do. Alone, he knew what to do, he knew what wanted to do; but with other people? He wasn't so sure...
Stephen inclined his head in confirmation. But then, he'd only had the kid for a week or so and much oif the first few days had consisted of trying to get the boy used to him and his home. He'd tried to go slowly with things. Yes, he certainly agreed every child needed an adjustment period...especially children like these.
"That it is. I only recently was given guardianship of him and a lot of the first few days was mostly acclimating him to his new surroundings and purchasing new supplies." he explained. "But it's high time he got out and I figured...what better place than a park, right? I guess I forgot the whole shy thing was poorly conducive to socializing..."
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 1:04 am
Romeo continued to smile as Luka picked Superman and started to play, or at least attempt. Romeo jumped in with his toy. He began to voice Batman, playing make-believe with his action figure. He wondered if Luka would make-believe too, he wondered if he even really knew who Superman was. The cowlet didn't much mind though, unless Luka continued to be uncomfortable playing, then maybe he'd try to think of something else, he didn't much like seeing another little kid so shy and scared.
"I'm sure he'll do just fine. After all this is the first time taking him to the park, who knows; maybe he'll come out of his shell maybe not," He shrugged, "Either way it should be a good experience for any small child,"
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Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 6:09 pm
Well, those were the only two options, right? Either he adpated and became outgoing or he didn't. All Stephen could do was expose the boy to situations and people and hope for the best. He didn't have much for parenting skills and D-Corp was aware of that. It was one thing, counseling parents and informing them on potentially ways to handle disorders and disabilities and refer them to resources for further help. It was another to try and apply it to your own kid.
"I suppose so...let's just hope he lands on the 'does' side of the spectrum as opposed to 'does not'." he nodded. "I just worry about overwhelming him. But...if I don't socialize him now, it'll only get worse. It's about finding a balance. Ah, who knew being a parent was eerily similar to being a juggler...?"
Luka kept swinging Superman around and at first he tried to interact with the other boy but...slowly it diverged to him whooshing the Superman around on his own. It wasn't a purposeful switch... he didn't even notice it so much. After awhile he set the toy down and looked at it, and then at the other boy. He just wasn't good at this. As he watched the other boy, though, he noticed the tufty tail. He crawled slightly around the other, raising a hand and tapping the tail lightly, curiously.
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