How Green Becomes Wood

Ciara debated, but since Daizi seemed serious and completely sober, she moved the drink back into reach and carefully touched it against Daizi's hand. "Here you are, then. I do not know why you would wish me to carry on loudly, but I shall remember that you said to."
 
"Thank you," Daizi said, taking a sip of it, "And it's not just you, it's everyone. I just think we all get so stuck in our heads and tense and we need a release. I've gotten Dark to howl."
 
Ciara decided not to touch that statement with a ten-foot pole. Thankfully, the official lineup of beat poets had started once more, saving her from having to make an immediate reply. What Daizi and Dark did together was none of Ciara's business, and she'd prefer to keep it that way.
 
After a few moments of silence, Daizi exclaimed, her face turing quite red, "I didn't mean like that!" Although. "I meant, like---" but then she had to silence herself because the poetry started back up so she finished her drink in one needed gulp.
 
Ciara smiled faintly, playing with her own almost empty, nonalcoholic drink, somewhat pleased Daizi couldn't see her smile. After two poems, there was a short pause as the act set up the stand-up bass, and she leaned over to tell Daizi what was going on. It had to be awkward, sitting listening to a bunch of shuffling and not being able to see what was going on.
 
"I looked into Emma when it seemed they were serious, but I have not looked into Claire. Merely a basic background check, nothing more than what a standard job interview might run, to ensure there are no issues," she said. "I highly doubt a high schooler would be involved with anything worth checking into, but they are still technically under their parents."
 
"In a strictly moral sense, I take a level of umbrage with heavy surveillance," Daizi said slowly, "but as a mother, even if it may not be strictly necessary for a high schooler, I can't deny feeling a bit of comfort knowing they have that. Especially if they date as adults, where there may be more to find. Even more so when Ivy dates some day."
 
"It is an interesting line to walk: Enough surveillance for safety's sake, but not so much as to truly invade someone's privacy," Ciara agreed. "I trust that if there was something truly amiss, you would handle it, but there is no harm in extra resources."
 
"I'm sure we would, but... Well, it's good for peace of mind, especially with Ivy. All of that is so far in the future, but I've never felt so protective over anyone before. It's intimidating to be in charge of someone so little and who has never been hurt by anyone before. It's inevitable that she will be, but I still delusionally want to prevent it."
 
Ciara nodded. "That does seem to line up with my limited knowledge of parenting. I am sure you will be able to find a balance with Ivy. Something that will not cause her to resent you for."
 
"We can only hope," Daizi snorted, "I do know that in trying to avoid messing her up the way our parents messed us up, we'll make a whole new batch of mistakes with her. Hopefully, smaller ones than were made with us."
 
"No, of course not, but there can still be other failings..." She shrugged lightly, "Anyway, it doesn't matter. All we can do is our best, and at least we're more prepared for when she's a teenager than others."
 
"I don't know if it was easy," Daizi admitted, "When Dark first found them sitting outside in the cold, he would've much preferred to take them somewhere else, but the only way to make sure they wouldn't be stupid and run off somewhere was to bring them home. We were only planning to keep them there for a night, but we got so snowed in, and bureaucracy all but shuts down over the holidays, so... We didn't have an option but to either kick them out into the snow or let them stay with us for the winter. Dark and I had a lot of long conversations during that time, trying to figure out what the best course of action was. Then we sort of... Selfishly landed on if we foster them just long enough to get them emancipated, then we could maybe finally convince someone to allow us to adopt a child of our own. In a way, I guess it did work out that way, just not like how we expected it would."
 
[I'm going to guess that certain applications were not kept on permanent file or else Ciara would know this.]

"I was not aware that you were interested in adopting a child," Ciara remarked. "I imagine certain factors worked in your disfavor in that regard."
 
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