How Green Becomes Wood

"It is for the best," He said, twirling her one last time before they came to a stop, "You should know, if something happened to me, and it was traced back to you, I think Daizi would spend the rest of her life hunting you."

~~

Daizi chuckled, "It could be worse. It sounds like the song is coming to an end, you should ask your aunt to dance."
 
"It wouldn't be," Ciara replied with a small, cold smile that disappeared as quickly as it came. "Thank you for the dance," she said graciously. "That is one thing I can put on my list of things I have done in my life."

~~

"Alright," Alec agreed. "I'll see if lightening will strike twice!"
 
He chuckled, nearly making a joke about how Daizi may divine it but didn't want to push his luck, "I am very glad to have been the first person to ask you to dance. For your first time, you were quite good."

~~

"How could she say no to you, habibi?" Daizi asked, cupping his cheek in her hand, "You're her nephew."
 
"Thank you, you are too kind," Ciara said, stepping off the dance floor and walking back to her seat where she'd left her purse.

Alec giggled and kissed Daizi's cheek lightly. "You are really pretty tonight, Mama. I'll be back!" He hurried off to Ciara, reaching her before she could sit. "Aunt Ciara, I didn't know you danced! Would you like to dance with me?"

Ciara hesitated, clearly conflicted. "I do not really dance. You father wanted to ensure I was enjoying my time, but I was thinking it was about time I head home."

"Oh, please, Aunt Ciara? One time," Alec begged shamelessly.

"I don't know. One time was quite a lot," Ciara hesitated. Alec was a lot more exuberant than Dark.

Alec smiled and took her hand. "I'll go slow and careful."

She gave in, feeling a never-fully-fading sense of guilt and obligation. "Very well. One time." She allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor and hoping she wouldn't regret it as Alec beamed.
 
Daizi smiled as Alec scurried off and then sat back again, rubbing Ivy's back and humming to her. Even though she knew she had no reason to, some small part of her felt guilty for not having spent more of her day around her baby. Ivy was clearly okay, she had been loved all day, and was now snuggled up in her Mama's arms, sleepy and about ready to go home with Amty Zeinab, who was too old to party all night, but it was still hard to not feel like she should've tried harder. More than anything, Ivy was happy to be back in her Mama's arms. It was where she liked the best.

"I should probably be taking her home," Amty Zeinab said, coming up to Daizi gently.

"I know," Daizi replied, "It's hard to give her up. It'll be the first night I'll have spent away from her."

Zeinab smiled gently and hugged her niece with one arm as best she could, "It's harder on Mamas than it is on babies, she'll sleep through it all."
 
Sally approached Daizi, waiting until Zeinab had had her say so she wouldn't interrupt anything before saying, "Daizi, darling, I am afraid it is time for us to be heading home. I am so sorry to be such a party pooper."
 
Daizi turned towards Sally with a smile, trying to work up the courage to hand Ivy to her aunt, "There's nothing to apologize for, as much as I'd love for you to stay all night, I know that's not possible for everyone."
 
Sally gave Daizi a light hug, Ivy and all, and kissed her cheek before whispering in ear, "It'll never be easy to give her up, but it will get easier every time." Stepping back she said, "Jack is trying to locate Peter right now, and he wished for me to tell you that he is very happy and had a delightful time."
 
Daizi smiled and leaned into Sally's hug, "Thank you. My aunt told me something similar." She sighed, resting her cheek against Ivy's hair, "She's just so precious. But I know I can't have the night I have planned with her father if I take her too." Smiling at Sally, she said, "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I think it's turned out to be a really great party. And from the sounds of it, it's not quite winding down yet."
 
"No, not even close," Sally laughed. "It is still going quite smashingly! I would stay if I could, but we both have work in the morning, and I am not in my twenties any longer. Trying to peer into a microscope while hung over and running on two hours of sleep has long lost its appeal. Now, you enjoy yourself as you should, and call me later so we can have lunch together again sometime."
 
"I do not envy you working on a Sunday morning," Daizi shuddered, "Your hours are brutal. I'll be sure to call you. Have a safe drive home, I'd tell you to call me when you get there, but I don't think I'll be able to answer," She gave Sally one last hug and then, before she had a chance to convince herself not to, handed Ivy to Amty Zeinab, made those goodbyes, and swiftly walked away, surprised by how sad it made her. To distract herself, she finally, with the help of other guests, managed to track down her other son, "There you are, habibi. With all the people here, it was like you vanished!"
 
"Sorry, Mama. I didn't know you were looking for me," Xander said, frowning a little in concern. He hadn't even thought of letting Daizi know where he was in case she needed him. "I was mostly raiding the buffet table - it's pretty empty now- and talking to people." Or standing quietly in a corner, but she didn't need to know that.
 
"It's not your fault. I love parties like these, but they're a bit of a nightmare to navigate. Luckily everyone here," She paused for the an almost imperceptibly amount of time, "is a loved one, so I don't need to worry. I'm glad the food has been nice, I hope you haven't eaten too much. Did you know your father convinced your aunt to dance?"
 
Xander snickered. "Yeah, I saw them out on the floor together. Poor lady looked like she was made out of sticks, but they did all right. Didn't look like she stomped on Ba's feet too much, and they were even talking. I think I saw Ba smile."
 
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