How Green Becomes Wood

Swiveling his body to look, Dark regretted not coming with binoculars so he could see further out. However, with how the sun glinted off the water, they may not have helped at all. "Maybe it is mermaids."

"I think you're plenty brave, you're just not reckless. I don't want her to be reckless either. But I want her to know..." She brushed her fingertips across Ivy's cheek and the bridge of her nose, trailing off and thinking about the childhoods she and her husband both had. "I want you to know, too. That you're not limited."
 
"Which kind of mermaid? The supposedly hot ones that look like they're going to seriously hurt themselves with their bikini tops or the man-eating ones?" Xander asked.

"That the world isn't all terrifying and bad?" Alec asked quietly.
 
Dark looked at Xander utilizing every ounce of his self-restraint to resist looking at his wife instead, "That is the same type of mermaid."

"That the world isn't all terrifying and bad," She agreed, and then after a moment added, "but also that she can do things. Even when things are terrifying, that she has agency in it. I don't want the world to feel so big that she's frightened into inaction."
 
"I thought the man-eating ones had some kind of magic something-or-other to trick people into thinking they were pretty," Xander commented. "I guess there's no reason why you can't be pretty and deadly at the same time."

"You're the best mom ever to try to teach her things like that," Alec said stoutly. He frowned and asked, "But what if she turns out incredibly timid like me."
 
"I think most deadly creatures are also pretty." Dark commented idly, reaching for his wedding ring before recalling he wasn't wearing it. So he pushed his hair back and looked back towards the water, squinting, "I think you might be wrong, it may be dolphins."

"Timid?" Daizi asked, "You? You performed in front of your entire school twice, what's timid about that?"
 
"Yeah? Cool. I wonder if they'll let slip their plans to take over the world or the fact that they are actually aquatic aliens that run the seas like mob bosses," Xander remarked.

"Oh, that's easy," Alec said instantly. "When you're up on stage, you're in another world. You're untouchable. The people come to see you because they like what you produce whether or not they like you."
 
"Have you been reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?" Dark asked mildly as the boat pulled towards the movement beneath the water.

Daizi nodded, considering his position, but then asked, "Do you think Dark is timid?"
 
"No." After a pause, "Alec has been, though, and watching clips from the television series. I wouldn't mind trying to find the radio drama version. How did one story end up with so many version?"

Alec shook his head. "No, he's reserved. There's a difference between reserved and timid."
 
"That, I could not tell you. It is popular, I suppose, and easy to adapt." Dark replied, looking over towards the water again, "We're moving that way. It must be dolphins, or we're about to change genres."

"He's reserved, I agree. Do you think he would ever perform in front of more or less everyone he knows? Even if he was untouchable?"
 
"Maybe it's sirens calling in the captain, and it's a call only captains hear," Xander remarked drolly.

"If it was for you or Ivy or one of us, yes. Especially for you or Ivy," Alec said promptly. "For anything or anyone else? Probably not." He had no idea where she was going with this.
 
"It better not be, they did not have a life jacket sized for Ivy. I will be unforgiving if sirens cause the captain to run aground."

"Right. Which means you are brave enough to do something your father cannot do." Daizi pointed out.
 
"At least you'll make a pretty big flotation device on your own," Xander told him.

"Wait, he's scared to preform in front of people?" Alec asked in shock. "I thought he just didn't like it!"
 
"I suspect in a crisis such as that, I would be the door in Titanic. I cannot support all of you, however."

"I don't think it makes him feel afraid, but I know it causes him enough anxiety that he would vastly prefer to avoid it. It doesn't make much sense, because he's got a wonderful voice, but it's how it is." Daizi told him while also pulling her hair out of Ivy's mouth.
 
Xander tugged on his life jacket. "That's all right. It's not frigid water, and the rest of us have these. You just take care of the mini."

Alec considered asking Daizi what the difference was between fear and anxiety, but movement in the water distracted him. "Potential dolphin! I'm not positive, but it splashed! It might just be a fish."
 
"I will get Alec, too." Dark said, looking over at his other son, unsure of how Alec would react to the boat actually sinking, "and he can hold onto Daizi. She can swim well, but in the chaos she may lose her bearings."

Not long after Alec pointed out the movement of the water, the cheerful woman with the microphone announced dolphins had been spotted and where on the boat to go to see them. Dark came over to collect the rest of his family to help them to the right area, where first the dorsal fins of some dolphins bobbed up and down out of the water, but when the boat's wake picked up, they began to jump in it. Dark, knowing his place as a 6'8 man, moved to the back of the crowd, knowing he could see over heads more easily than people could see through him, and Daizi, after a moment, handed Ivy to Alec, so she could move back, too. She couldn't see at all, she didn't want to block it from people who could.
 
As promised, Alec held Ivy so she could see what was happening. He didn't have to fake the excitement in his chattering to her at all as he watched the grey, sleek creatures cresting the water. Even Xander couldn't fully hide his excitement, and he helped Alec point out dolphins to Ivy so Alec could keep both hands firmly around the squirming child. They tried to count the dolphins but quickly gave up. They were nearly impossible to tell apart, and they moved so fast!
 
It was hard to miss the sight of the dolphins, even for Ivy, and she squeaked loudly, definitely squirming with glee. She did not know what those things were, but they moved so much! And so quickly! She adored them!

In the back, Dark explained to Daizi everything the dolphins did, but also how the twins seemed to be reacting, what Ivy was doing, and also took photographs of the dolphins to the best of his ability. There was a lot to do all at once, but in between he remembered to enjoy the sight to the dolphins themselves.
 
Alec nearly jumped backward when one dolphin jumped almost right next to the boat, but Xander steadied him, laughing. Alec grinned and told Ivy again that those were dolphins playing in the water. Xander almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his leg, and when he looked down, he saw it was a small kid trying to get a better look. He squished aside to let the kid have more room, and he ended up standing nearly on top of Alec. Alec didn't mind, and they endured the crowd for as long as Xander could handle it before moving back to join their parents and let other people crowd the railing to watch.

"That was better than mermaids," Xander declared.

Alec nodded. "Agreed! They are so beautiful! And fast. I never realized how fast they were."

"Or shiny," Xander added.
 
"They are quite a spectacle," Dark agreed, seeing easily over the crowd. "I wonder what it must be like to live here and be able to see them often, and see them free like this, rather than in captivity. When I was learning English in high school I read a book about a girl who was raised by dolphins."

Daizi took Ivy back from Alec, "Even from back here I heard how much fun you were having, Hummingbird! Do you like seeing the dolphins, baby girl?"
 
"Really? How did that work?" Xander frowned. "Did the dolphins figure out how to get up on land, or did she learn how to live in the water like a hundred percent of the time?"

"She had so much fun! She was just happy as could be!" Alec assured Daizi.
 
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