How Green Becomes Wood

"I think I just need to work my way back into it. I really do enjoy the podcasts I used to listen to, and I think if I ease my way in and reframe things, I'll be okay." Daizi said.

Dark glanced in his rear view mirror, "What proportion of states have we passed?"
 
"That is not too bad. I do not expect to see too many, we are only driving through three states. We really have to hope enough people on vacation will fill out our map."

Eventually, just after their normal dinner time, they pulled into the hotel they were staying at that night so they wouldn't need to make the trip in one day. Dark instructed them not to take all of their belongings inside and instead only take what they needed. It wasn't a particularly fancy hotel room, and because of how short a time they'd be there, it just had two double beds in one room. Less fortunately, both beds were a queen, which meant Dark was exactly as long as the mattress.
 
Alec and Xander brought in only exactly what they'd need and then went outside for a bit. They ran around feeling more like six-year-olds than sixteen-year-olds except that they resisted the urge to yell a bunch. Then they came inside again, ready for food and willing to be more mannerly. It was their also their first time of officially sharing a room with Dark and Daizi and Ivy, and that was an odd thought for some reason.
 
Out of the car for good that night, Dark stretched deeply, feeling pretty stiff from so many hours of driving, even with the number of breaks they had needed to take. He very much understood the twin's desire to run around, and some small part of him wanted to join them, but he was busy setting up Ivy's pack-and-play for the night. Daizi took the twin's jaunt as the perfect time to breastfeed, since the room was small enough that she knew it wouldn't be easy to feed her without them having to see at least part of it.

Normally, mealtimes made Ivy a bit sleepy, but she, too, was extra energetic after so many hours locked in the car, so when the twins came inside, she was playing with her parents on their bed.

They ordered food in, and Dark let Daizi shower and change first. It was weird for them, too, sharing a room with the twins, which is why for their actual rental, they had different rooms, but it was one night, and they'd be alright. Neither Dark nor Daizi snored, so they weren't too concerned. Also, Daizi remembered while she showered, they had once all slept in the same bed, so... how strange was it? Dark found it more strange that he found it strange, considering he had grown up in a one room house.
 
The twins argued over who got to go after Dark, so after Daizi had gotten out of the shower and Dark had gone in, the pair of them play-wrestled on their bed until they fell off. Undeterred, they continued on the floor until Alec won. They were careful not to get too thumpy or noisy, but Alec did let out a whispered crow of triumph as he sat on Xander's back. Xander grumbled and growled as if he hadn't totally let Alec win, and then the pair of them took turns playing with Ivy while one and then the other quickly showered.

When it was time for bed, the twins snuggled up without a second thought to sharing a bed and didn't even fight over the blankets or pillows. Though the pillows were disappointingly flat and lumpy. Other than that, it was decently comfortable. Alec called good night to each person individually, and then they were out.
 
Dark's shower was quick and frustrating, having basically had to fold in half to wet his hair, and even Daizi found it a bit too short.

The mattress was comfortable, but with how tall Dark and Daizi both were, finding enough space for them to be comfortable on the bed was like a game of human Tetris, and if the twins ever doubted the necessity of their absurdly large bed, their twisted, awkward bodies on the little bed proved it. The hypotenuse of the mattress was long enough for Dark, but that cut the bed in half for Daizi, so flat and lumpy pillows were the least of their worries.

Dark swore that the moment he actually fell into a comfortable sleep, Ivy was awake for the morning, but Daizi pointed out Ivy was really very useful, as she made sure none of them missed the complimentary breakfast. Dark suggested Alec try the coffee, to illustrate to him the difference between standard drip-coffee and what he made, while making it through his own, pitiful cup. He would have foregone it, but he had slept poorly and he was going to be driving.

Daizi, feeling clever, went to breakfast slightly late, so she could have the room to herself to nurse.
 
Alec woke up far too bright and cheerful but quickly toned it down when Xander smacked him with one of their pillows. Then they did the usual morning routine before tromping down with Dark for the breakfast. Xander loaded up his plate, feeling fear that they'd run out of snacks and therefore, he must not be hungry for a while. He and Alec shared a little bit of the coffee, and both had violent enough reactions to satisfy Dark. It was nothing more than a bitter, gritty, tea-like liquid that had no business existing. They watched Dark drink his cup in fascinated horror. How desperate must he be to drink that stuff??
 
Dark made it through the coffee entirely through his own righteous indignation at its existence. This drink only proved his point.

Before too long, they were back on the road, but their drive was shorter today than it was the day before, and soon, gratefully, they caught sight of the cool blue water against sparkling sand.
 
Alec caught sight of the water first. "Water!" he yelped, making Xander jump.

"Don't do that!" Xander scolded, but he scooted to the window so he could see it, too. "Yep. That's water," he agreed.

The pair of them watched the water and the sand and discussed what they were going to do when they arrived. A sandcastle was, of course, on the schedule. It was most of the schedule.
 
"That is the Atlantic Ocean," Dark said as the water seemed to grow larger, and larger as they approached it. The town they drove through was clearly designed for tourists, it had multiple shops with different names that clearly sold identical stock, with big fake sharks or other sea animals as an entry door, and other various, frivolous little shops for souvenirs, ice cream, or other part-day entertainment.

Nearer to their rental, within walking distance, was a board walk with a ferris wheel and some carnival games, but also similar shops to the downtown area, and places to rent equipment for the ocean, including jet skis, inner-tubes, and paddleboards.

Finally, after two days of travel, they parked outside the quaint beach condo they rented, so their vacation could begin in earnest.
 
"You didn't tell us there was a carnival!" The twins exclaimed as a single unit, practically plastered to the windows as they starred out at the Ferris wheel. Dark's love of carnivals had slowly infected them, and now they were almost as excited to see a Ferris wheel as they were to see the ocean.

The moment the car stopped in front of their rental, the twins scrambled out, fighting briefly at the car door to get out, and then bolted out to look around. They took just a moment to stretch out their legs and look around before returning and dutifully helping to carry everything inside. Alec dropped multiple things as he tried to carry his armful, and Xander followed behind picking up everything he dropped.
 
"It is not a full Carnival," Dark said, rather pleased that he had found such a boardwalk. When he was their age, they'd visit Coney Island with Cooger and Daizi fairly often, and this reminded him of that, although it was significantly smaller.

"I like how much is in walking distance," Daizi said, stretching deeply enough to pop a few vertebrae in her back, then she shook it out and unbuckled Ivy from her car seat. "We're here, habibti! No more yucky driving anymore!"

The first thing Dark brought in was the pack-and-play so that they had somewhere to put Ivy where she could stretch out while they brought the rest in. The condo was nice, and a decent size, although Dark realized that although he walked in the front door fine, the interior doors he needed to duck under to pass through, and he knew, inevitably, he was going to hit his head. Besides that, however, he knew it was not small enough to be cramped.

The condo was one floor, and the door opened essentially into the living room with only a halfwall seperating the kitchenette from it, and the two bedrooms were on opposite sides of the house from each other, which meant there were no shared walls, and therefore, privacy, and each bedroom had an ensuite bathroom.

All of the colours were light and airy, with lots of open space, and a sliding backdoor that opened right onto the beach.
 
"Whoa, this place is nice!" Xander declared as he set the food stuffs in the little kitchenette.

"I can see the ocean!" Alec called from the backdoor. He'd carried the stuff that was supposed to go to their room clear through the house and stood holding it as he stared outside. "Wow! This is the best thing Ever!"

"Which bedroom is ours?" Xander asked, refusing to get sucked into the view.
 
"The one with the smaller bed." Dark said, still feeling a bit of a crick in his neck from the night before.

"That's really the only difference between them," Daizi said, standing about Ivy's foldable crib and stroking her cheek, having already placed both her own and her daughter's bags in their room. "We're too tall to spend a week on a tiny bed. Ivy, are you excited to see the ocean? You get to see the waves, baby!"
 
"Then let's go claim our space," Xander said, going to pull on Alec's arm. Then he stopped and stared out at the ocean. "Oh. That's cool."

"Right?" Alec asked.

They both stood staring out the sliding door, utterly hypnotized by the waves washing up on the beach. It was like neither of them remembered that they could put down their things and go outside and experience it for themselves. Instead, they stood and stared through the glass.
 
Dark chuckled at the way they stared and he said, "You are allowed to go outside, you know. At any point this entire trip you can simply, go outside and go swim in the ocean or sit on the sand."

"I love the sound and smell of it," Daizi said cheerfully, scooping up Ivy and opening up the door so the sea breeze could wash over them the way the waves washed over the shore. Some gulls cried overhead, and Daizi stepped outside onto the little patio to stand in the sun.
 
Alec whipped around to grin at Dark. "No way, really? That's awesome!" He started to reach for the door, but Xander stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Hang on! We don't need our clothes for the week strewn out on the beach," he said, leading Alec toward their bedroom.

"Oh, right." Alec ran with Xander to dump their stuff in the bedroom. Then they both bolted out the back door, forgetting to close it behind them. They didn't go far, staying close to the building, but in no time their socks and shoes were off and they were exploring the sand. Alec spotted a little creature running around and was chasing it, trying to figure out if it was a lizard or not. Xander chased after Alec, keeping a safe distance back just in case.
 
"Yes," Dark confirmed, choosing to wait until later to tell them just how much freedom they had here. It was enough to watch them simply enjoy the shore, because the first time anyone saw the ocean it was special.

Daizi kicked off of her shoes using just her feet and then stepped outside, enjoying the feeling of sand between her toes as she brought Ivy out to the shore. Dark followed them out, shutting the door behind him, pleased to be by the water, and beyond pleased to be finished with the drive.
 
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The twins eventually remembered there were other people in their group and returned to Dark and Daizi. Alec brought a handful of sand and held it up for Ivy to see. "Look! This is made up of tiny rocks and sea shells! See how pretty it is?"

Xander held up a shell skeptically. "Do creatures actually live in these, or is it like a pineapple under the sea? I've never seen an actual live one."
 
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