How Green Becomes Wood

"I do not know how I missed a carnival coming to town," Dark remarked, too focused on that news to even worry about the inevitable crumbs in his car.

"Because you spend all day in your shed," Daizi replied, teasing him, "Do you need to change too?"

Dark took a quick glance at his paint covered clothes, and even though Daizi hadn't seen him, she had guessed correctly. He quickly scrambled off to change into something more presentable before hurrying back, "By the train station?"

"Yes, now let's go! Bye Enkidu, my sweet boy!" Daizi said in the brief moments before Dark had pulled her out of the house.

It was a brief drive, but Dark bounced his leg the way dogs wag their tail when told they're about to go for a walk the entire time.

And at last, they arrived. It wasn't at the train station itself, or else Dark would have seen it, but it was close enough they didn't need much help finding it. Parking was a bit hard to comeby, but when they did, Dark nearly leapt from the car, and looked at the rides as if it were his very first time.
 
"I thought we were supposed to be the super excited ones," Alec murmured to Xander as they watched Dark.

Xander snickered and got out of the car after Dark. "Careful. You almost forgot to turn off the car," he teased Dark.

"Be nice," Alec scolded, scrambling out after Xander. He offered his arm to Daizi if she wanted it, bouncing only slightly from excitement. "Our first carnival together! Maybe we should have been wearing something easy to spot in case we get separated."

Xander glanced back at his little brother. "I don't think we have to worry about that," he said, nodding to their supremely tall foster parents.
 
"No, you should've dressed so I could spot you," Daizi teased, finding Dark's arm and holding tight to it. She enjoyed the carnival, although certainly less than he did, but there was no way to know where anything was without being guided, so she held tight.

Dark took a quick glance at them before beginning to scan the midway for the ticket booth, "What, did you expect me to feel nothing about going to a real one after how much work I've put into my miniature one?"

"You're going to ride everything then?" Daizi asked, allowing herself to be led further in. Everywhere around them was the sounds of people screaming in either delight or terror on the rides, the scent of fried foods, and, somewhere in the distance, music. Dark had spotted the ticket booth, but rather than being laser-guided to it, he looked all around him as they went further in, trying to spot every game, where the best prizes were, and what rides they had.

"Everything I am not too tall for," He nodded, "but the Ferris Wheel we need to save until sunset."
 
Alec trotted to keep up, watching Dark scout. "No, I fully expected you to be excited," he told Dark. He did not say how he hadn't expected Dark to be this excited or look so much like a kid at a, well, a carnival. It was a little unsettling simply because he had grown accustomed to how Dark normally was, but it was also exciting! Dark's excitement was contagious!

Xander nudged Dark's free arm and indicated a booth with a few stuffed animals as big as a human as prizes. "How about we win us one of those?" he asked, smirking. "That won't take up any room at all."
 
"There is just something about them," Dark said, looking down at Alec, "There is an energy. I think in an alternative Universe, my miniature carnival is real, and we travel all over North America."

"But it's enchanted, and somewhat insidious," Daizi chimed in, and Dark looked at her in full agreement.

"Those are always the best ones. There is Something Wicked This Way Comes, and 'The Illustrated Man,' and years ago they released this movie-musical called 'The Devil's Carnival' which was, as the title suggests, Hell but a Carnival."

"Oh, that was good," Daizi smiled, resting her head against his arm while, at the ticket counter, Dark bought the right number of wristbands and tickets.
 
"That is a wonderful idea for your miniature carnival! Should really get around to reading those books," Alec muttered to himself. He felt like he was missing out on a fantastic inside joke.

"What are the wristbands for?" Xander asked, eying his wristband skeptically. He eventually put it on, keeping it nice and loose. "They certainly ain't stylish."

"Are they for unlimited access?" Alec asked hopefully.

Xander turned his skeptical eye from the wristband to Daizi. "How come you knew about the carnival before mister carnival obsessed did?"
 
"My cab driver mentioned it," Daizi replied, "and when it's this time a year I keep my ears open. As to how he missed it was happening..." She shrugged, "I think he's just been distracted doing whatever secret nonsense he's up to in his shed, plus breaking down the furniture in the nursery so we can replace it with baby furniture. Which we still need to get, by the way."

"I know," Dark nodded, putting his wristband on. Daizi didn't have one, since all she could really ride was the ferris wheel, "but there is no point in buying furniture until the wallpaper is put up, and it has not been delivered yet. Otherwise we just have boxes sitting around. And the wristbands allow us to ride the rides as often as we like."

"It's weird not being able to be your ride partner this year," Daizi sighed slightly, "and next year we'll have uneven numbers. We missed our one chance at everyone having someone to ride with!"

"Next year we bring Cooger, it will balance out. We normally bring him anyway, I am surprised you did not invite him."
 
Alec gasped and turned to Daizi. "You mean... Cooger got left out? Oh no. I hope he won't be too put out." He was genuinely worried for Cooger.

"I guess we'll just have to come back soon," Xander replied. "Such a pity. It'll be such a hardship. How does tomorrow sound?"

Alec giggled and shook his head. "Never mind. We're going to have so much fun. So much fun!"

Xander looked to Dark. "Where to first?"
 
"No, not left out. I did invite him, he's just unavailable. He's visiting his parents this weekend, and I had to get in quick so I could take Dark here before he knew about it." Daizi explained, waving her hand.

"I am sure we will come back next weekend," Dark said coolly, but he meant it, "and we have to do the really spinny rides first, before we eat. I do not trust the strength of your stomachs, since they have not been tested."
 
"Thank you for putting that so politely," Alec said, making a face. "That is wise, but gross."

Xander smirked at Dark. "You underestimate the power of my stomach! Come on. What's first? The closest one or the farthest one?"

"The farthest one and work our way back?" Alec suggested uncertainly. They both looked at Dark, waiting for instructions.
 
Dark cast his gaze around the carnival, and then slowly said, "There are only about ten rides here, or at least ten we can ride, the rest are for little kids, and we have all day here, so I would say we start at the back, but then move based on line length."

"That's a very unorganized system for you," Daizi teased.

"Maybe I am feeling spontaneous," He replied, leading her, "but it is good, it allows us to see more of what they have!"
 
"It's not too terribly busy yet, at least," Alec said happily, touching Daizi's arm briefly to help himself feel connected and so she could know where he was. "Busy, but not terribly busy. That will likely change soon, but for now we have some space!"

"Maybe we should go in order of most popular to least so we have a jump at the longer lines," Xander mused as he walked next to Dark. "They'll be shorter now."

"I'd rather go for the shortest line right now so I can try a ride!" Alec protested. "I want to ride at least one ride before we're stuck in line for hours."
 
"Tilt-a-whirl." Dark gestured, "It is popular, has a short line, and it spins. Or Gravitron, but you have not yet been tested, so best start simpler." He said this as if their tilt-a-whirl ride would not be perhaps more intense, because he had a lot of weight to use in the lean.

"I'm so jealous, I wish I could ride them! You have to have all of the fun for me, because there's basically no fun allowed when your pregnant." Daizi sighed, and under his breath Dark murmured something to her, in Arabic. Whatever it was, she laughed and then lightly smacked his arm--Something inappropriate, then, it seemed.

Whatever it was, he said it wish a mischievous look in his eye, but then with a low, quiet chuckle, he turned back to the twins and said, "But those are the two I would start with. It is your choice between them."
 
"Then what are we doing hanging around, then?" Alec demanded. "On to the tilt-a-whirl! Let's go!" He grabbed Dark's forearm and started tugging on it as he tried to walk fast as if he were five instead of fifteen.

"Move your boots, old man!" Xander grinned, not reaching out to Dark but clearly challenging him. "Let's get a ride going!"

"It's right over there, and the line isn't too long!" Alec urged.
 
"Don't pull him too hard!" Daizi laughed, hurrying along to them, "I'm anchoring him down! Don't make me run!"

"What, do you want me to abandon my blind and pregnant wife while we scramble off?" Dark replied, not at all annoyed as he was himself pulled along. Or, as Alec attempted to pull him, but it wasn't like the tinier of the two teens could ever hope to move him.

"For my sake!" Daizi pleaded, still laughing as they headed towards the line. Before Dark actually joined it, though, he brought Daizi to the guard rail, so she had a place she could hold in her mind as an anchor point in case she wanted to wander off.
 
"There's a bench, but it's kind of out of the way," Alec told Daizi. "We should have brought you something soft to sit on. Are you sure you won't be bored? I'm sorry, this can't be very interesting for you."

"You mean all the running feet and the shouts and the screams and the noise of the games are boring?" Xander teased. "Come on, Alec, this was her idea. She had to know what she was getting herself into."

"It's still polite to notice another person's discomfort even if they went in knowingly," Alec sniffed. "Are you certain you'll be alright?"

Xander was already edging toward the line, but he did linger close enough to hear Daizi's answer.
 
"No, I'm okay, I promise! Go have fun, I don't need anything soft, I'll be just fine. These rides only last, like, three minutes anyway, so with the lines as short as they are?" She waved her hand.

Dark leaned forwards and kissed her quickly, "I wish you could ride with us too. I know you know the right times and directions to lean."

"Oh yeah, compared to these two? They're coordinated with each other, so they'll probably lean in unison, but in the wrong way, and since their combined weight probably equals yours, you'll end up not moving at all," Daizi teased.
 
"Ooo, now that's a fun challenge," Alec mused. "The stationary tilt-a-whirl!"

"Come on!" Xander groaned. He grabbed Alec's arm and pulled him over into the line. "Stop being the stationary statue! We should be able to get on the next round."

The line was reasonably short, and it was not long until it was their turn to board, but the twins waited for Dark, forcing him to lead the way. He was supposed to be their guide, after all, and a self-proclaimed carnival enthusiast. He would know the best way to get on or whatever.
 
Dark lead them onto the right car, and before sitting down, he said, "Okay, Alec, you have to sit all the way on that side, and Xander needs to be in the middle, so that we have an uneven weight distribution. Xander, I'm really sorry, but for every ride where we can control the spin, if you want to maximize it, you need to be in the middle. But there are not many, only this and teacups, I think."

Then, sitting down he added, "And you both need to pay attention to the direction the cart wants to lean in, because that decides everything, okay?"
 
"Ugh," Xander moaned but willingly climbed in. There were worse fates than getting stuck between Alec and Dark for a ride.

Alec listened to Dark with the intensity of a soldier getting his marching orders and nodded. "Got it! It already feels like it wants to lean toward the back... that way, I think. Do you agree?"

"Feels right to me," Xander said, testing the bar. "This thing doesn't give you a lot of room to lean, does it? Guess we can work with it anyway."
 
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