How Green Becomes Wood

"Is that what the conversation was about?" Dark asked, amused as he took the diaper bag back, "You could have stowed this beneath the stroller. I saw a place where we could get Popsicles but I decided it would be better for everyone to pick their preferred flavor. I did not want to guess incorrectly."
 
"Didn't think about that," Xander said in reference to the diaper bag. "I guess I could have let the lady think the mini was mine and then called over her mama." He wasn't sure he could have taken it that far, but Daizi might have fou d it funny. "They're over trying on necklaces and trying to find a dolphin with eyes or something."
 
"I think Daizi would have been horrified if you had," Dark chuckled, taking the stroller from Xander if he seemed ready to give it up. "Considering the implication would have been for her. But she might have enjoyed pretending to be the grandmother." He looked over at the pair of them, "They need one with eyes that are stitched on, rather than those raised," he made a small circle with this forefinger and thumb, "marbles? Those plastic raised eyes. Because babies, apparently, love to chew them off and eat them."
 
"Oh, that makes sense. I couldn't figure out what eyes wouldn't be sewn on somehow," Xander admitted.

Alec spotted Dark and told Daizi. He walked over and proudly displayed the seven necklaces hanging from his neck. "What do you think?" He asked, grinning.

"That's a great look for you," Xander smirked.
 
"Are you planning to wear all seven together every day?" Dark teased, bending to get a better look at all of them, "I had not realized you were so enamored by dolphins. I could have decorated your bedroom to be dolphin-themed."

Daizi joined them, moving her hair over her shoulder, "They are very difficult to choose between."
 
Alec laughed and carefully pulled them off. "No, I'm going to pick one, maybe two, and put the rest back. They are so pretty! I think I quite like this one, see all the tiny shells? And how it ends in a big shell? But this one with the mostly turquoise and white beads is also really, really pretty. And this one is a big seashell with a tiny metal dolphin hanging from it. I don't know how they got the wrap like that. It's so cool. Maybe I'll get this one. Except this one is gorgeous with a mermaid and shells! And I have no idea what's happening with this dolphin, but I love it. But then this dolphin is just a simple, awesome dolphin. What do you think?" He held them up to display to Dark, but the question was also aimed at Daizi.

"I like the mermaid," Xander smirked, thinking of the conversation he'd had with Dark.
 
"I like the wire one with the mermaid, too," Daizi agreed with Xander, "I like how much texture it has. It's really nice to hold."

Dark nodded, looking carefully at the different pendants, "The mermaid is lovely, but I think you should get one with a dolphin on it, if you want to commemorate going on the tour. I like the seashell with the smaller dolphin, personally, because it has memories both of the beach and the dolphins. And you can take a fine-point sharpie and write on the inside of the shell the year."
 
Alec looked over the items again and gave a firm nod. "Then I am going to get the wire-wrapped mermaid and the shell with the dolphin. I've decided!" He hurried to put the others back before he could change his mind again. While he was doing that, he picked up a few sting and bead bracelets he thought Sloan and Becky would like. For Tom, he got a tote bag with a cheesy saying about sand. After a bit of thought, he got a second tote bag for Becky thinking she could definitely use another bag. He found a selection of beach music, and he and Xander picked out a CD for Peter together. He wasn't sure what Aunt Ciara would like and consulted with Daizi for ideas for what he could get her as a souvenir.

For himself, Xander picked out a small, simple bracelet that claimed to be a wishing bracelet that granted a wish once it fell off. Then he got a necklace with a simple dolphin for Sloan, and for Milo he got a couple of postcards. His shopping trip took only a couple of minutes while Alec fretted over each item with great care.
 
Daizi did her best to consider what Ciara might like, but found it a bit difficult. Overhearing their discussion, Dark brought over a white ceramic heart that seemed sort of like a cup, but not anywhere deep enough. The inside had a resin-poured beach scene without any of the mess of actual sand, "You put your keys or jewelry in it, for things you use or wear daily." In his estimation, it was simple enough it wouldn't detract from other decor, it was useful so it didn't seem like it was a waste of space, but wasn't wholly devoid of any personality. It was perfect.

For her part, Daizi did not intend to buy anything for Sally. Since her friend had requested to get her some sand, she had brought with her a jar and had filled the base of it with sand, then added some shells from the beach, a rock, and a bit of driftwood, Dark had written the name of the beach on it and the year they went, and that felt like fulfilling the request while also making it a bit more special. ...But then she also picked up a necklace, after some deliberation. Whereas she and Dark, unable to resist, bought Cooger a puka shell necklace, in remembrance of their high school years when he wore one nearly daily, but also picked up a mug they thought he'd like, and decided on their last day, they'd pick up locally-canned fish, for Hank.

Satisfied, after going to eat, Daizi suggested they go to the beach to finally build some sandcastles.
 
Alec declared the dish absolutely perfect, as did Xander when he saw it, and they left completely contented with their purchases. Alec was already wearing one of his necklaces with pride. Xander later asked for some help tying on the wishing bracelet, which Alec did even though Xander refused to tell him what the bracelet was supposed to represent. (There were various colors and stone or bead types that were supposed to represent types of wishes, like for protection, love, wealth, or similar.)

The twins eagerly agreed to the sandcastles, and they barely waited for their parents before dashing into the rental, grabbing their stuff, and then out onto the sand. They'd brought a couple of garden spades, a couple of small buckets, a couple of rulers, and a few other little items they hoped to use to shape the sand.
 
Daizi waited inside when they first began to build, because Ivy needed a nap, she thought it was better she not sleep in full sun, someone needed to be around, and Dark was better at building, anyway. After a little while, though, Daizi cautiously moved the pack-and-play to right inside the back door and sat on the porch with the screen open so she was still at least partially included.

Despite, technically, being a sculptor, Dark's craft was reductive, he took away material to make the shape. The reverse, where he needed to add to he material tripped him up a bit, because it was the complete reversal of his usual process. And that was without getting into how sand compared to wood behaved. Still, he was certain that once he had it into a general shape he was okay with, he could make it look proper by cutting away the sand, like he knew how to do.
 
The twins, especially Alec, chattered away happily as they worked together to mound up the sand as much as they could, using their buckets to bring over water or add more sand to the mound. Xand laid on the pile to help pack it down as much as possible. Then they started trying to shape it properly. It was quite the creative disaster as they used rulers and scrapers and poked holes with bits of sticks. The "castle" looked horrible, but they were having a blast doing it. Once they got something that looked vaguely building like, they started packing their buckets full of sand and upending them to create a wall of rounded pieces that encircled the "castle." It encircled Dark, too, and then they started adding a second layer to it.
 
When the twins started building around him, Dark pulled his eyes away from his meticulous work, the sun turning his amber eyes yellow the way it hit him, "What are you doing?" His own castle, although small, he was fighting to add windows and arches to. The arches weren't going perfectly, to his irritation.

"You should catch a crab and make him the lord of the castle!" Daizi called from the porch.
 
"Every castle needs a wall," Xander replied, carefully reinforcing the spot where one bucket of sand rested on two others. "A captive dragon couldn't hurt, either."

"That's a great idea!" Alec agreed eagerly. He took his bucket and ran off to try to find one.
 
"Am I the dragon?" Dark asked, setting his pocket knife aside and resting his elbow on his knee.

"I think the crab is the dragon," Daizi countered.

"You are going to get Alec pinched by a crab," He chided, turning to look at his son run off.

Daizi scooted a little bit closer to the end of the porch, "How big is what you built?"
 
Xander packed in the wall, making it look like one solid piece instead of a bunch of bucket dumps. Then he brushed himself off and stood. "Um... The castle's about as tall as the mini sitting down, and about as big around as... uh... her laying down, but a little less. Then there's the wall." He glanced toward the water to see Alec still dashing about eagerly. His voice floated in on the breeze as he scolded the seagulls for interrupting his search.
 
"How big is the wall?" She asked, "How tall is it? At some point, if Ivy doesn't wake up, I'll make Dark switch with me so I can experience it all for myself, but I don't know, maybe you've trapped him."

"I am not trapped," Dark said flatly, picking up his knife to return to working on his own building, recontextualizing it almost as though, now, it were feudal lands. The twins had built the main castle. He had, perhaps, built the church. They should add serf houses. Trapping him within the walls changed a lot.
 
Xander examined his bucket. "Two to four feet tall and a foot and a half foot wide. Give or take." He continued on his endeavors, adding a second level to the wall. "You can touch it all if you want."

"I got one!" Alec called, trotting over. "I got the king! Or queen. No idea." He moved to the far side away from Dark and quickly tipped the crab out. More correctly, crabs. He'd managed to catch three close to each other and chose to put them in together.
 
"Did you get pinched?" Dark asked, leaning to the side to get a good look at the crabs, wondering how long they'd stay here before escaping.

"As soon as Ivy is awake or Dark learns to free himself, I will." Daizi said, resting her chin in her hands, "It sounds like you've built something really special."
 
"Nope! I used a stick to guide them like a shepherd to very pinchy sheep," Alec said proudly.

The crabs hunkered down in place for a bit, but as Alec did his best to hold still, they started cautiously inching around. Alec moved to help Xander with the wall, and the crabs froze. Then they started moving around more freely and exploring their new area.

"Ba has a better castle thing, but it's a lot smaller than ours," Xander told her. He eyed the crabs. "Maybe we should have built something they could love in properly. At least shelter."

"I can adjust the side of our castle while you finish the wall and the moat," Alec suggested.

"Perfect," Xander agreed.
 
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