How Green Becomes Wood

"It is her gift, I would not have denied her the opportunity," Dark said, wondering what on earth he'd have to do next year. When Daizi came over with Ivy, he helped her to set his confused-but-curious daughter down on the little saddle.

"Hold on, Hummingbird," Daizi murmured, kneeling down beside the horse and helping Ivy find the pile.

Milo scurried to where Jack told him, surprised to be remembered, much less noticed. This was as close to posed pictures as he came, but the way Ivy laughed when her father began to carefully rock the horse made it acceptable to his bizarre moral compass.
 
Sally cooed excitedly and clapped, truly thrilled to see Ivy and her family having so much fun. Peter stayed out of the way, grinning because who didn't love a small child on a large wooden horse? Lex half leaned against Cooger, watching in amusement and shared joy. The twins cheered Ivy on, clapping for her.
 
His love of his granddaughter equaling his distaste for her father, Saladin sat back and enjoyed the sight of Ivy having fun. When his children were little, they had a rocking horse, albeit not something like this. He hadn't expected how it would move him to see someone so little use it again. Even though, really, Dark should've spent more time with his family instead of making this and really, when it came to it--this was very solidly built. What would happen to Ivy's toes if she tried to pull up on it and it rocked forward? Really. But. He took out his phone and with all the grace of an old man stumbled through taking his own pictures of her. None of his friends' grandchildren had something so nice.

Zeinab only cooed, talking to anyone around her about how beautiful and special this was and how brilliant of an artist Dark was. But Dark's whole pride was focused on the joy on the faces of his family.

When Lex leaned against him, Cooger paused for a moment and then smiled a more and leaned against her, too.
 
The twins waited for most of the picture taking to subside a little, and then they came forward to examine the horse more closely. They smiled at Ivy and praised her horse riding skills, and Xander considered if he could make tiny accessories that could hang from the horse and be changed out without affecting the beauty that was already there.
 
None of the horse's details were simply painted on. Even the subtlest features had at least a bit of incising so all of it felt real. The musculature was carefully carved and subtly painted to give it dimension and the mane and tail were both given highlights. On one side of the saddle was Ivy's name spelled in the Arabic alphabet and painted in gold.

Despite having been around during its construction and having gotten to examine it in her own time before now, Daizi still ran her fingers over its details, "Goose, you did a phenomenal job."

"I still don't understand why you don't sell your work, Zalmi," Zeinab tutted, "Your name would be known all across the world, and you'd earn so much money."

"Because it is not what he wants Amty," Fadia, Saladin's sister spoke up, "It's important to let artists create for the sake of creation."

"I do not know if I call myself an artist with such gravitas," Dark said quietly, making Fadia scoff.

"I have seen your work, I'll provide the gravitas if you won't do it yourself."
 
Dark shrugged slightly, not good at this type of praise. "I am just glad to be able to make things to make my family happy."

Daizi beamed, touching the back of his neck, "It's a shame Ivy won't remember this birthday."

"I think it is probably time for cake."
 
"To cake!" the twins cheered.

"What kind of cake?" Peter asked, joining them.

Jack moved closer to Milo, looking through the pictures he'd gotten on his digital camera. "Not my favorite camera style, but I think it did okay. What do you think?" He showed Milo a couple of the pictures of Ivy on the horse, beeming her little heart out as her two brothers were caught in the act of fussing over her, Alec with his hand out to steady her.
 
Milo nodded, holding tight to his own camera when he looked at this display on Jack's, "Yeah, it's good. It's good." He looked at it for a few moments and then, hesitantly, said, "I like to, um, increase the contrast. In happy pictures. Not a lot, but a bit."

Daizi scooped Ivy up off the horse and hugging her close, "Are you excited to try your first piece of cake ever, habibti?"

Cooger came over to help bring the cake over while Dark got candles and a box of matches.
 
"That's a good idea," Jack agreed. "It is kind of fun to play with editing software. I guess a lot of photographers have felt that way since 'photoshop' is as old as photography. But for the good stuff," he indicated Milo's camera, "you can't get better than analog!"

"Nice, fire and babies and sugar! This is going to be a great mix," Xander smirked happily.
 
He looked down at his camera, "I wish, um," he swallowed, "I prefer film, but sometimes," he pointed at the screen, "it'd be nice to know in advance, if I got it. Right?"

"She gets one perfect candle for her one perfect year," Daizi said brightly, letting Ivy pull at her face. One great thing about being a blind parent, she thought, was not needing to look where she was going as she walked, so she could have her face pointed directly at her daughter's as they set up for cake.
 
Jack nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. The mystery and surprise is great, but sometimes you just want some instant gratification."

"It's perfect and amazing," Alec told them both. "This is going to be so fantastic!"

The twins helped finish setting things up for the cake with Peter doing what he could to help.
 
"It's, um, the security," Milo mumbled, "knowledge that I got it, right?"

Once the cake was all set up and ready, Daizi called all the guests over so they could sing happy birthday. Looking at the single lit candle on his baby's birthday cake was another quiet, profound moment for Dark, and he put one arm around Daizi's waist and pulled her in close. When they all sang Happy Birthday and helped Ivy blow out her candle, it hit Daizi in the same way.
 
Jack nodded. "Especially if you're the type to try to photograph things constantly in motion. Animals, birds, insects, people... You feel like you get the shot of a lifetime, and then when you develop it..." He shrugged. "Happened more than once." He quieted and went after the other guests to sing to Ivy.

Alec and Peter sang lustily while Xander rolled his eyes and sighed his way through it, ignoring his brother's attempt to get him to join in. Alec put one arm around Sloan and tried to coax her into singing louder and more boisterously as well. When the song ended, they cheered happily and Alec called for Ivy to dig in! First sugar ever!
 
Sloan playfully shoved Alec off, not particularly interested in making a fool of herself, but Cooger easily did. It was his very first and only niece, after all! Dark only murmured the words to Ivy, watching her as she looked around in wonder at what went on in the room with the glow of the candle on her face. At first, Daizi sang along, but when it became too emotional, she only mouthed her words with her cheek against Ivy's hair. Fourteen years they had waited for a celebration like this.

Of course, Ivy was served the first piece of the chocolate-and-strawberry cake. Dark made a point of putting her largest bib over her and spreading party coloured napkins over the food tray to try and prevent mess, "I tried to argue I should simply feed her myself," He said dryly, "but I was overruled and told it only counts if she eats it with her bare hands, frosting and all."
 
"Of course it only counts if she does it herself!" Alec said happily. He glanced around at the visitors. "Right?"

"I'm thinking I should have brought a plastic bag for my camera," Jack said to Milo in amusement as he backed up a little. Peter's first birthday cake had been... widespread.
 
Dark glanced at Ciara with a shallow sigh, trusting if no one else, she would take his side. Spencer, too, agreed it wasn't necessary, but she couldn't voice it because her wife was completely in favour of watching a one-year-old demolish a cake.

Milo looked up at Jack anxiously. Could his camera be ruined by this? Really? He looked back over at Ivy, but decided he was interested enough in these pictures to risk it.

"Ah, c'mon, Dark, she's a big girl now!" Cooger said, squeezing his brother's shoulder, "One year old means she's a toddler now."

Daizi scoffed as if wounded, taking Ivy's plate of cake and setting it down, "She's just a little baby. Mama's sweet baby girl, right Hummingbird? Eid milad saeed, habibti." Daizi kissed Ivy's forehead, smoothed her hair and sat down to eat her own piece of cake.

At first, Ivy was hesitant about this new food, but when she saw everyone else eat it, she took a hesitant handful, and after being urged, tried it. After eating the first bit, she stared at the fistful of cake and a silly smile spread across her face before she ate another bite with a little giggle.
 
Ciara was no less repulsed by the idea than Dark was. She understood in a roundabout way that children were messy and were supposed to be allowed to be messy, but this seemed like a step too far to her. It was asking for a rather terrible mess of sticky substances with the potential to stain. Not to mention, what was even the point of encouraging this sort of a mess while eating? It seemed like it was only asking for trouble. She stayed back, struggling to keep the distaste from her expression and only mostly succeeding.

Alec and Xander ate their cake with their hands, too, showing Ivy how it was done, though they were being far more careful about it and not shoving their hands into it. They weren't quite that committed to the bit.

Jack took his pictures, relieved that Ivy was, so far, being more restrained than his child had been, and then put his camera away for his own piece of cake. He used a fork, as did the rest of his family.

Lex sat with Cooger and debated with him over the merits of fork vs. spoon vs. hands for things like cake. Soft and spongy and easily speared on the bottom, but soft and creamy and needing more of a scoop for the top.
 
"Honestly, I think most desserts are better with a spoon, at least ones that need utensils anyway, but as much as I would love to make as big of a mess as that little kitten over there is," He nodded towards Ivy, whose face and hands were quickly turning blue, "Have you ever tried to get frosting out of a beard? It's a nightmare. So I gotta be neat, just this once."

Hiding his anguish at the absolute sloppiness of this cake disaster, Dark ate a piece not much larger than the one he had cut for Ivy, using a fork, "Is that good, Habibti?"

Ivy squeaked, somehow managed to get frosting in her hair.
 
"Hmm, can't say that I've ever had beard troubles, but frosting in the hair isn't much fun," Lex grinned. "Certain types do just kind of melt away in hot water, at least."

"She says it's the best thing she's ever tasted," Alec supplied.

Ciara took tiny bites of the smallest piece of cake she could have gotten. "At least she does not seem to highly dislike it," she managed to say.
 
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