Chapter 1: Trígōnon 

Archive Of Our Own

SPLAT!

The car pulls over; Tommy is crying in the back as Jess's shoulders heave. Her whole being already hated today. Unbuckling and getting out of the car, she tiredly picks up a piece of garbage, some brown paper, and picks up the poor animal. It still feels warm in her hand as she walks across the small parking lot and throws it into the sand. Better to let the crabs pick at it on the shore than another animal getting hit trying to eat it on the side of the road, after all.

She stares at the bird a little while longer; she had always been told it was bad luck to kill seabirds. Of course she didn't believe it; it's just an old sailor's tale, but she watched a little longer as the waves brushed up against its feather. Maybe it was better that she brought it to the shore because it was just a little closer to the ocean it loved. She didn't have much longer to contemplate, however, because at that moment Tommy let out a particularly loud yell for her.

Her mood still sour, she gets back into the car, and breathing heavily, she slams her fists on the wheel. "Tommy!" she yells, "Tommy, shut up! I don't wanna hear any of this when we're on the boat, ok!"

Tommy quickly quieted down the minute her hands touched the wheel. She had put her windshield wipers on and sprayed some wiper fluid on, it making a horrific sound beforehand that had made Tommy scrunch up his face and cover his ears. She had learned early on with him that if she kept the sound going, he would yell and cry, so she figured it was better to just quit wiping the windows when it started up again.

The rest of the ride was silent. There was a small feather stuck just out of reach of her wipers that was bothering her, but aside from that, she appreciated the peace that Tommy was allowing her just this moment. Preparing herself to be around a group of people she doesn't know for a whole day.

Pulling into the harbor, she noticed she hadn't buckled when she got back in the car but shrugged it off. Turning behind her, she looked Tommy in the eyes; he lowered his gaze to his hands lying in his lap. "Tommy, look at me." He looked up at her face, not her eyes. "You're going to behave ok. These are Mommy's friends, and they want you to have a good time, so you're going to be a good kid for them, right?"

Tommy's eyes lowered again, and he nodded in agreement. She got out of the car and walked around, unbuckling him from the back and letting him get himself out of the car the rest of the way. 

Jess grabs hold of Tommy's hand as they start walking up to the docks; a larger man wearing a sleeveless flannel walks up beside them.

"Jess!"

"Um, hello? Have we met before?"

"Might as well with how much Greg talks about you!"

"Oh, you must be Victor then. Where is Greg, by the way? I mean, which, uh, dock is he parked at?" Victor lets out a snort.

"You mean where is he docked? It's over here; we're gonna be late if we don't hurry!" Jess and Tommy follow him towards the Triangle. Victor looks over at them. "So you must be Tommy then, huh?" He says, "I'm Victor. I heard you like to paint?"

Tommy averts his eyes but nods slowly. Jess lets out a nervous chuckle, "He's a little shy; I'm sure he'll get used to you after we set sail." Victor tilts his head in acknowledgement as they walk up to the boat.

Greg is waiting there looking at them and pats Victor on the shoulder as he passes. Going up to Jess, he gives her an awkward half hug. "Hey Jess, Tommy, how are the both of you?" He greets, smiling.

"We're good, right, Tommy?" She squeezes his hand a little bit, encouraging him to reply.

"Y-yeah, I'm alright." Tommy says quietly.

Greg leans down to him, "That's good. Have you ever been on a boat before?" Tommy shakes his head no, clinging a little closer to Jess now that Greg is looking right at him. "Well, it'll be really cool. We're going to put the sail down, and the wind is going to help us move in the water." 

Greg steps back up and shows them onto the vehicle, watching as Jess guides Tommy up the steps and lifts him over the water onto the deck of the boat. Other people are there waiting for the two, and Greg introduces all of them.

"This is Sally and her husband, Downey." They shake hands and greet each other, "This is Heather, Sally's friend. You met Victor already. So! Let's go sailing!"

"Hey, um, Greg, I was wondering if I could lie down for a while. I'm not really feeling the best right now." Jess hesitantly questions.

"Yeah, of course! I used to get seasick all the time when I first started sailing, but you'll get used to it. I'm sure Heather and Sally wouldn't mind watching over Tommy for you while you're in the cabin." 

Jess nods, and Greg calls them over. Heather comes, but Sally stays put, and Greg explains the situation to her. 

"Yeah, I'd be fine watching Tommy!" Heather exclaims.

Jess smiles at her. "Thank you," she says before taking hesitant steps down the steep ladder.

Heather looks at Tommy; he's sitting just beside where Greg is standing at the wheel and beside Jess's old spot. She decides to sit where Jess previously did.

"So, Tommy, what do you think of sailing so far?" She pauses, waiting for a response but getting none. "I think it's a little boring—" she playfully pushes on Greg's arm.

Greg seems a bit annoyed, rolling his eyes and replying, "I love sailing." He turns around a bit to once again face Tommy. "I live on this boat, you know, and so does Victor!" Greg faces forward again, pointing at the Bow where Victor is.

Tommy follows where his hand is, eventually speaking up, "I like it." He softly says. The two pause, waiting for him to continue.

"That's good," Heather says finally. "I wonder if there are any games we could play out here? What about I Spy, though that might be too easy? What do you think, Tommy?"

Tommy stares at her for a bit, replying a bit faster this time, "I like I Spy."

"Ok, well, then I suppose I'll go first," Heather says, she and Tommy going back and forth for a while before being joined by Victor when he makes his way back towards them. Greg stays quiet for the most part, mostly replying to Victor. Sally was sitting on the stern talking with Downey the whole time.