How Green Becomes Wood

"Oh," Daizi turned and quickly crossed her arms, a bit surprised but grateful. Over the sounds of Ivy crying she said, "No, I don't mind. I don't like covering her head, though, if that bothers you. Dark joins me sometimes, but he has to find a balance between sitting with me and Ivy and sitting with the boys." She paused for another moment to see if she could talk longer, but the baby crying was overwhelming so she hurried to the cradle and gently lifted Ivy, cooing to her in Arabic as she tried to get her at least a bit calmer until they got to the nursery, "You're welcome to sit with me, Sally, but upstairs. I know how the twins feel about it, and I'd hate a guest to wander and see something they're uncomfortable with."

"I do know of the Emu War," Dark said with a nod, "and you do not have to worry. Most of the fun parts of history are not actually in my curriculum. Have you heard of the Great Windham Frog Battle?"
 
"Only if it is alright with you. I would not wish to intrude if this is your quiet time with her," Sally assured Daizi as she followed her at a respectful distance. "I just wouldn't want you to feel isolated while everyone else is enjoying themselves."

"Hmm, no, I can't say that I have," Jack said thoughtfully. "Was it a battle over frog legs in France?"

Alec raised his fork. "Windham, Connecticut! In 17-something! The people thought they were under attack by a great army because of all the bullfrogs crocking in the nearby farm."

"1754," Peter said with a nod. "At least, that's what the local legend says. Apparently, there's still some debate if it really happened or not."

"I hope it's true," Xander said around a mouthful of turkey.

Peter grinned. "Same."
 
"I do appreciate the time I get alone with her... but she gets hungry every three hours, so I'm feeding her about eight times a day, so I promise I won't grieve one spent with a friend instead of just the two of us. Not now, anyway, I'm sure in a few years when she's weaned and starting kindergarten I'll regret not dedicating more time to just being alone with her, but..." She shrugged, opening the door to the nursery and sitting down in the rocking chair so she could nurse, "It can be isolating. The twins aren't comfortable with me nursing around them, I was hoping they'd adjust but they haven't so..." She paused to let Ivy latch and then breathed a sigh of relief that the crying was over, "Dark joins me sometimes, and at night he's always there, but it's still hard sometimes."

"Daizi would say it does not matter if it is factual or not. It is an important part of that community's story and culture, so it has value regardless," Dark said.

Cooger, meanwhile, leaned over to Ciara, "I've never been big on history, myself."
 
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"No matter what you do, there will always be something you regret," Sally pointed out with a little smile. She found a seat and settled down comfortably. "This Christmas get-together is a lovely thing you are doing for the twins."

~~

"Sure, but it's still nice to know if something really happened or not," Xander pointed out. "Different type of value."

Jack shrugged. "I kind of agree with him," he admitted. "I'll not dismiss the value myths and legends have, but I do believe there's also value in chasing the truth. Either way, you learn about the people and about yourself."

~~

Ciara tensed a little, mostly in surprise at Cooger's sudden inclusion, but she relaxed quickly. "Nor have I," she admitted. "I had to learn it and focused on recent history, but it never held any real appeal to me."
 
"Do you think?" Daizi asked gently, "We want to show them we respect their traditions and history too. And that they've not, you know, been passed over," She rubbed her thumb against Ivy's hair, "last year we gave them a little present to mark the day, but now we really want it to be a thing for them."

~~

Dark held up his hands in mock surrender, "I am a historian, I agree with you. I believe in seeking historical truth. I was only defending my wife's position, since she is not here to express it. And she makes a good point: outsiders coming into a place and telling them their idea of their history is wrong is not always the best choice. And sometimes it happens the legends turn out to be true, many Indigenous tribes of the Americas have stories of how their people came here, and when, which for decades were said were apocryphal, only to learn much later there is truth to them. It is delicate."

~~

"I always had the most boring history teachers, the kind that'd drone on for hours and say nothing," He said, slumping a bit in his seat, "I was just 'bout crushed when Dark said he was getting a degree in history." He looked at her, "What were your subjects in school? To me, you look like a math lady. Probably captain of the chess club, too, if you don't mind my saying so."
 
Sally chuckled softly. "One thing they will not feel is forgotten or passed over. That I can promise you." She smiled at Ivy. "It's a difficult thing to bring a new child into a family dynamic. It's not something I've ever had much experience with, but I think you are doing very well."

~~

"Oh, I completely agree with you there!" Jack assured him. "I once read in a book - well, it was SciFi, but I think it applies to the real world - that an 'expert' was someone from off-planet with a briefcase. It's so annoyingly true. A person should never discount the knowledge of the natives."

~~

Ciara smiled slightly. "Math and science. I am afraid you are wrong about the chess club, but only because I chose not to go. My school had mathletes, and I was the captain of that team as well as involved with the chemistry club, and I edited the school paper in my spare time one year because I had a crush on the fellow who was actually supposed to be running it. He was an excellent report and a terrible writer."
 
"I had sincerely thought the hardest part of introducing her would be when I was pregnant, and when they got used to the idea, she'd be easily integrated. I'm not sure why, delusion, I guess. It took Alec a long time to accept she had been conceived, and I think Xander thought Dark and I were irresponsible... But it's easier, now, than it was a few weeks ago. Alec is calling me his mother, again." She smiled, rocking in the chair, "She adores them, I think. And sometimes Alec will hold her when Dark and I need a break, she's had some days where if you stop holding her she'll just cry and cry."

~~

"I cannot tell you the number of people who have told me I am wrong about life in Iraq. And that pales in comparison to those who have told Daizi she is wrong about Egypt. There are so many conspiracy theories about the Ancient Egyptians she sometimes gets unhinged emails sent to her professional account." Dark said, "Obviously, Daizi does not have lived experiences in Ancient times, but she is part of the descendant community. She has some lineage that is not native to Egypt but you can track her family tree back for generations."

~~

Cooger chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. After a moment, he rested his crossed arms on the table and, leaning slightly in towards Ciara more, asked with a teasing grin, "Were you one of those kids who talked all the time about stuff looking 'good' on their transcript? And treated every grade like it had the potential to destroy your entire future?"
 
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Sally nodded. "That is often the hardest part, especially listening to it. Sometimes - not often, but sometimes - we have to let them cry, and it hurts. The rest of the time, we hold them and rock them until we hurt in a different way. It is a difficult thing to balance, but I am so happy to hear that Alec's relationship with both you and her is growing."

~~

"I mostly get asked if I ride a kangaroo or what my criminal background is since Australia was only inhabited by the worst of the worst criminals and absolutely no one else," Jack said dryly. "That or if I feel guilty for personally harming the natives."

~~

"Yes, and graduated valedictorian and went on to have a 4.0 in college, a feat thought to be absolutely impossible," Ciara said without missing a beat, her eyes twinkling slightly. "It got me quite far in life career-wise. And you? Were you the jolly sportsman in college who adopted all the underdogs you met and barely managed to graduate?"
 
"It's horrible, and my shirts..." She raised her hand to gesture but stopped midway, "she's got such strong lungs now, she gets loud. I mean, you heard her. Once I heard it in my dreams..." She smiled sadly and was quiet for a little while, "I'd take her crying like that over how frail she was when she was born any day of the week, though. And Dark is obsessed with her, Xander is curious. I really think we're beyond the worst of it. At least, beyond the worst between us."

~~

"I would take that," Dark admitted, "at least you can create clever lies about your ancestry. I only get--" He paused, frowning to himself, "See, this is why Daizi is the better conversationalist. I always bring the conversation back to some gloomy topic."

~~

"Eh you're close, I'll give ya that," he chuckled heartily, noting the glimmer in her eyes, "I was on the wrestling team, but I wasn't all that jolly, and I wasn't friends to all the underdogs, just one in particular. Or, two, I guess. You would've hated me. And I actually did pretty average in school, Cs and Bs, mostly, with the occasional D and occasional A. I did well enough I coulda gone to college. Got a wrestling scholarship and everything, but it's not really my thing. Turned down a full ride. Probably broke my mom's heart."
 
"Have you been taking time to look after yourself, as well?" Sally asked gently. "Even now when she's so little, it's good to establish a habit of doing something for yourself, even if it's stealing an extra cookie now and then.

~~

Jack grinned and asked, "How often do you get asked what it's like driving a car after riding a camel across the desert all the time? Or if you like indoor plumbing?"

~~

Ciara chuckled quietly. "Oh dear, your poor mother. I can only imagine how traumatized she was at your refusal." She turned her glass around in her hand before continuing, "It may surprise you, but I do not actually subscribe to the idea that every person must go to college immediately upon graduating from high school."
 
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"I--Well, I try to. I do grab an extra cookie, when we have them. But besides that, I don't really know... how to..." She traced the length of Ivy's small arm and held her tiny hand, "all I think about is her, and my boys, and Dark, and our pets. And we're barely sleeping, so... I have been doing some light exercises, again. Not for a long time, maybe fifteen minutes a day, not like Dark who copes through it."

~~

Dark looked down, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "About as often as you would guess. But I prefer those questions to some of the other ones I get regarding my ethnicity and nationality. When we were at the hospital, Xander made friends with this little girl, and she asked me if I was a vampire. I enjoyed that one, and when he first saw my tattoos," he nodded towards Xander, "he asked if I was 'Arab Mafia.'"

~~

"I think I've done pretty well for myself without having a fancy degree," he said, "I can fix just about anything, so if you need trees cut down or a dishwasher fixed or a room painted, you call me, okay? But I am glad you're not one of those college degree snobs, can't tell ya the number of people I've met who treat me like I'm a bum just 'cause I don't gotta piece of paper with my name on it."
 
"I can't tell you how to take time for yourself, though I can give you a few suggestions if you would like," Sally said. "How you take time for yourself is not as important as the fact that you do take time. Both you and Dark. At least ten or fifteen minutes a day doing something that is just for you. Whether it's making a meal that you want to eat, playing your harp alone, taking a walk, whatever it is that reminds you that you are more than just a mother. You are a mother, and that's an important part of you, but that is not all that makes up who Daizi is." She smiled and put a hand on Daizi's shoulder lightly before pulling back. "It's normal to feel guilty even if you know it's nothing to feel guilty about."

~~

"The Arab mafia?" Jack laughed. "Oh, that's a good one! I do like Vampire, though. At least you aren't sparkly."

"I thought he looked like the Japanese mafia dudes," Xander shrugged. "Except scarier."

~~

"You do not have a piece of paper with your name on?" Ciara asked, her tone serious. "Have you lost your birth certificate?" She was not actually serious.
 
"I guess it's not too hard to find fifteen minutes a day... The difficult part will be remembering to commit to it..." She murmured, and after a little while raised her head, "Actually... Do you think you could do something for me? Not yet, but... I know months ago Peter asked the twins if they'd like to have a sleepover, and... If, maybe, in a month or so, when Ivy is sleeping through the night, if you could try to get Peter to convince them to try one, and then... Host it at your place?"

~~

If Dark had been an expressive man, he would have made a face at Jack's comment about vampires being sparkly, but instead he rolled up his sleeve slightly to show off the one he got for the twins, which was now much more healed, "And now he and Alec are immortalized on my skin. But I am glad I am more frightening than the Yakuza."

~~

For a few seconds, Cooger was confused by what Ciara was saying, but when it clicked for him, he cracked up laughing. "I know, it's an absolute mess, ain't it? No piece of paper, but!" He patted around in his pockets like he was searching for something and then took a buisness card from his wallet and handed it to her, "Luckily, I do gotta bit of cardstock with my name on it. Can't be used to get a passport, but it's good enough for daily life."
 
"Absolutely! I would be delighted to," Sally said with a little chuckle. "It will be fun. You just let me know when it's time."

~~

"That's a good one," Jack said, leaning over to admire the tattoo. "That's a really good one. Almost makes me want to get one for myself, but... I know what's in those dyes. It's one of those situations where when you know, you can't go back."

Alec and Xander both looked at him. "Why? What's in them?"

Jack smiled and shook his head. "That's for you to figure out."

~~

Ciara accepted the card and read it over before carefully stashing it away in a pocket. "Thank you. Now I am guaranteed to never forget your name or number should my sink ever back up again."
 
"Thank you," Daizi said, a little bit embarrassed, "I just know it'll be nice to have time mostly alone with my husband, and I think it'll be a lot less awkward if they think they're just having a fun night over with their friend rather than being shipped off to sleep over at their uncle's house."

~~

"Tattoos are something you cannot have just one of," Dark told them, rolling his sleeve back down. "Most people do not get as many as I do, but once you get one, they are tempting. A whole new realm of self-expression."

~~

"Good. And if I find out you called someone else, I'll be real hurt. And you'll be sorry too, 'cause you'll probably be overcharged." He said, grinning at her before sitting back, "I shoulda learned a magic trick to make revealing my card more impressive."
 
"Ah, is that the real reason? I thought you really did just want to arrange a nice night out for the boys," Sally teased gently. "I suppose I might be able to keep that a secret. Perhaps even lead them to believe it was their own idea."

~~

"I think I'd rather henna ink. Then I can change it as often as I want!" Alec said cheerfully.

"And no needles," Jack agreed. "My biggest problem is I am never quite satisfied with a design. At least, not enough to commit." He nodded to Dark. "You have an excellent artistic eye."

~~

"Hmm, most people don't have the charisma and flair to pull off something like that, but I think you just might," Ciara agreed, appraising Cooger thoughtfully. "You should show me if you ever do learn a trick or two."
 
"It can be both!" Daizi replied, blushing, "If they thought it was their idea, that would be great. I'm not sure if we can manage to be that subtle... but it is good for them, because Alec tends to be pretty nervous about sleeping away from home, which I can't fault him for, with his history. It's good for him to expand the area he is comfortable sleeping in, and if he happens to learn that in a few months when Ivy is consistently sleeping through the night and Dark and I can be alone together, that's just a bonus positive benefit."

~~

"Thank you. I designed most of them myself, or collaborated on them with my artist. Or, artists, I have had a number of them over the years." He shrugged, "There are a few old and cheap ones I either want to get covered or touched up. And, Alec," he looked at him with a far away look in his eyes, "henna is lovely. You should have seen the henna tattoos Daizi had at our wedding."

~~

"I'm a bit of a jack of all trades, so I think I have the right personality for it." He agreed, "if I do learn one, I'll be sure to show it off to ya."
 
"I'll see what I can do," Sally promised, laughing softly. "Perhaps when it is warmer, Jack can take them out on a boys' camping trip when he goes on one of his photography trips. He wouldn't mind doing it once or twice."

~~

Alec raised his brows at Dark's reaction but decided not to call attention to it. Still, henna might be fun! He hadn't thought of it before, but he liked that idea far more than real tattoos.

"I prefer to get out my artistic streak with a camera," Jack told Dark. "I've never been good at drawing or painting - or never had the patience to dedicate to getting good - but I'd say my photography composition is pretty decent!"
 
"That could be fun for them. We'll have to see." She was about to say something else when Ivy finished nursing, so Daizi cooed sweetly to her in Arabic as she cleaned the both of them up. While rooting around for the burping cloth, she grinned slightly, "Do you want to relive your glory days and burp her? You don't have to."

~~

"I have never really liked having my photograph taken," Dark said, "I appreciate photography, and there are many absolutely beautiful photographs, I just prefer to not be the subject. I always feel somewhat on display in a photograph, at least most of the time."
 
Sally laughed but accepted the task and took Ivy from Daizi. She cooed and chatted softly to Ivy while holding her to her shoulder and giving her a few gentle bounces while patting. When she had burped Peter as a baby, she'd always put him on her knee and given him a bit of fast bouncing while patting. That had worked wonderfully for her, but she felt Daizi might think it a bit to aggressive for tiny little Ivy. The shoulder method was much gentler and sweeter.

~~

"Completely understandable. Sally always complains that I'm not in enough pictures because I'm always behind the camera," Jack chuckled. "I tend to feel a bit self-conscious myself. Although that does remind me, weren't we going to do a family portrait for you at some point?"
 
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