How Green Becomes Wood

"She is a thief," Dark said, standing aside, but near enough to retrieve his child if it became necessary.

"Every time I wear sunglasses she takes them off and puts them on," Daizi explained, "We bought her some of her own, she still only wants mine."
 
"How interesting," Ciara mused. "I suppose she likes your taste in glasses." She had no clue why Ivy might want Daizi's glasses and not her own, not knowing much at all about children. As far as she was aware, Ivy just liked the thrill of stealing sunglasses. Hopefully, that kleptomaniac tendency would not survive childhood.
 
"She must," Daizi sighed and knelt down, "Hummingbird, can Mama have my glasses back?"

"No," Ivy shook her head, letting go of Ciara's leg, "Vee!"

"They're not Ivy's, they're Mama's," Daizi said. When Ivy again refused to hand them over, Daizi sighed softly and then, pretending to be very sad, instead said, "But Ivy-Qadira, Mama really likes her sunglasses, and I was really wanting to wear them tonight."

Ivy watched her very closely, and following a few moments of clear hesitation, Ivy went over to her mother and tried to put the sunglasses onto her. She did poke Daizi a bit in the face, and slightly mess up her hair, but she mostly got them on properly. Then she leaned in to hug her mother and hugging her back, Daizi thanked her.

Dark, meanwhile, looked at Ciara and explained, "She is discovering empathy."
 
"That is an excellent thing to discover," Ciara said gravely as she waited patiently. "Empathy is a highly valuable quality." She'd never thought about it needing to be taught, so it was a fascinating experience for her to watch this interaction.
 
After taking a bit of time to say goodbye to Ivy, Daizi stood up holding her and handed her off to Dark. Then she kissed him goodbye, called a goodbye to her sons, and then picked up her cane, "Are you ready to go?'
 
The twins called back for their mother to have fun.

"Yes. My car is directly in front of the house," Ciara said, placing a hand on Daizi's arm to guide her to the car door.
 
"When were you last at one?" Ciara made sure Daizi was comfortable, then she went around and got into the driver's seat. "I was at one once in my college years, and I have not been to one since. A younger coworker was talking about some experience she had, and I thought it sounded like something you might have more experience in than I."
 
"Not at this location, no," Daizi answered, fiddling with one of her many earrings, "but a few years ago, not long before we took in the twins, the Speakeasy my friends and I go to hosted one. It was a lot of fun."
 
"I am sure that we shall have a good time," Ciara said with more conviction than she felt. She was doing this for Daizi. She hoped to enjoy herself but was prepared to not, and that was okay.

After a relatively short drive, she pulled into the parking lot and took a moment to orient herself and where the door was before going to fetch Daizi. "It is a warehouse," she told Daizi as they walked toward the building, "and the club is in the basement. There is a bouncer at the door and a short line, but it seems to be moving very quickly."
 
"That is not an option," Ciara said without missing a beat, "but if it should happen, then I shall take you to the restaurant or similar establishment of your choosing as a consolation."

The line did move quickly, so Ciara and Daizi did not have to stand long. There was a momentary pause, but then a small clump of people left, allowing more in. When they got to the bouncer, he gave them both a once-over before letting them in. For once, Daizi was not the source of the second glance. It was Ciara who got a confused double-take, but the bouncer, a professional, said nothing. Ciara warned Daizi of the stairs, and they descended downward into the basement area.

In structure, the club bore a strong resemblance to a speakeasy, but with a low stage at the center of attention. The bar was off to one side, and while well stocked, clearly not the focus of the room. A tiny kitchen in the back offered a short menu of easy to eat items. Bold, avant-garde pictures and several posters hung on the brick walls, surrounding the multiple small tables that could fit four chairs at most. No one was on the stage at the moment, and a soft hum of conversation filled the air.

"What is your prefered seating?" Ciara asked Daizi, guiding her off to one side so they were out of the way of the door, but able to discuss where to sit.
 
"You speak like you've never been denied entry at a place," Daizi grinned, holding lightly onto Ciara's arm, "I wish I could say the same."

Once they had actually entered, she asked a few questions regarding the location and the decor, and then answered, "Dark and I usually sit near the back of places, since he can see over most people's heads and I only need to hear, I suspect you have more opinions on where to sit than I do."
 
Ciara did not answer Daizi's comment, but, as she thought back, she realized that, no, she never had been denied entrance. Then again, she rarely went anywhere where there would be a need to deny her entrance. A few places at her job, especially when she was younger, attempted to, but she normally had someone more senior with her who handled things and got them into wherever they needed to go. Now she was the senior agent, and though she rarely did any field work, she had yet to be denied.

"Would you feel safe if we sat in the middle of the room, or would you feel more secure near a wall?" Ciara asked, scouting the tables quickly. She guided Daizi in the direction of a few open tables, ready to change direction the moment Daizi stated a preference.
 
"It's really no bother to me," Daizi assured her, "as long as I can hear everything, I'll be alright, I try to avoid getting up in the middle of shows because finding my seat again is a nightmare anyway."
 
"I understand," Ciara assured her. She glanced around, judging the acoustics of the place, and then picked a table near the middle-ish of the floor. That area seemed to have the best acoustics of the available tables. She pulled out Daizi's chair for her and ensured she'd be safe from the average passerby.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink? I can read the menu to you," Ciara offered as she sat down.
 
Ciara reached into her purse and pulled out her reading glasses. Once they were perched on her nose - sealing her fate as a librarian - she read off the options to Daizi in a calm, deliberate tone that carried well. It was the voice she used at work when she needed to convey important information over the phone, and thus crystal clear and perfectly enunciated. The food options were limited, with several greasy options like chicken wings, but there were a few slightly less greasy options, like soft pretzels with a variety of dips. There were a lot of alcoholic options as well as a handful of non alcoholic variations.
 
Being not at all interested in greasy options, Daizi said they could get the pretzel if Ciara wanted, or one of the other lighter options, but otherwise it didn't bother her to not have anything to eat just then. She did get a nice cocktail consisting of blueberry lemonade with a bit of vodka.
 
Ciara agreed to wait, not particularly hungry, either. She ordered a Shirley Temple and sat back as it appeared they were getting ready to start.

When the waitress came back with the drinks, she glanced between them and remarked, "Just to let you know, we have a zero-tolerance policy with hecklers."

Ciara raised her brows. "This is good to hear. Heckling is uncouth behavior, and I am glad to know our evening will not be interrupted by such behavior."

"Right," the waitress said, seeming caught off guard. "Can I get you anything else? The next show will be starting in a couple."
 
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