How Green Becomes Wood

"He is not even eating more?" Dark asked, looking back at Xander, "Do not mess with your cut, it will get infected. If you need it cut off, we will do it at home." Then he looked back at what he was doing, "I do not know enough about animal psychology to advise you. But I hope you are not harming yourself in trying to help him."
 
Xander looked down. He hadn't even realized he was messing with it. Seemed like he was picking up some of Milo's bad habits. he shoved that hand in his pocket. "He eats a bit. One of the other stable hands said, 'just enough to keep body and soul together.' It's barely anything, and I don't know if he can exist on the little bit he's eating. I don't have anything to do with him. I'm not allowed in his stall when he's there, I just talk to him sometimes. I don't think he cares. His ears don't even move half the time."
 
"Hm. I do not like to imagine what that horse has been through. At least he has people trying to help him, that is more than can be said for some animals..." He thought about it for a little while, "You should talk to Cooger. He has some experience with horses, and plenty with animal rehabilitation."
 
Xander shrugged and started setting the table. He didn't want to set the table or really help at all, but he needed to do something. He needed to get out of his head! To get away from his own feelings! He half tossed things around, getting one step away from reckless.
 
"Be careful," Dark said without turning around. Although fully aware this had a high chance of backfiring, it still felt like something he was obligated to say. His dishes may not be the most important thing, but he still didn't want them broken. Xander really did take after him, but saying so seemed likely to be unhelpful at the moment.
 
Xander grumbled but tried to be a little more careful. His therapist had suggested he try something called a "Calming Kit" a couple of times, but he'd shrugged it off. Then again, with how the dishes were fairing, perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea. "Table's set," he muttered, not looking at Dark. "Anything else?"
 
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"No, that is all. Thank you for your help. I will go get the rest of the family." He brought the bowl of pasta, a salad, and the cuts of salmon to the table and then went upstairs, knocking on the music room door first before opening the door.
 
"'Kay," Xander mumbled. He got everyone something to drink and plunked back down in his seat, moodily spinning his spoon round and round in his hand.

"Hey, look, Ivy! Baba's here to join the music games!" Alec said cheerfully, waving his caterpillar at Dark.
 
"Maybe next time." Dark replied, bending to pick up his delighted daughter, "I came to get you, dinner is ready." Rising to her feet, Daizi expressed how hungry she was before following him downstairs.
 
Alec trotted down and ran to Xander, throwing his arms around him. "Hey! I heard you get home, but I was holding Ivy. I thought you'd come join us after your shower."

"Didn't feel like it," Xander said a little tensely, but he didn't pull away.

"That's okay," Alec assured him. "Hey, my meeting tomorrow is at two. You're coming, right?"

Xander hesitated only a beat before nodding. "Sure. If you want me too."

"Of course I do!" Alec moved to sit in his usual seat. "I'll have to buck up and do the actual interview alone, but I would love if you could be there." He looked at Dark. "Then we could dye my hair after? I don't want to do something like that right before my first job interview."
 
"I believe the terms of our agreement was you wear the outfit for a full day," Daizi pointed out, sitting down as Dark set Ivy into her high chair.

"Again, it is not permanent dye. It comes in a can, you spray it on like hair spray, it lasts until you shower." Dark repeated to Alec, uncertain of how he could make this more clear, "I need to do it the same day we dress you up, otherwise it will not still be there when we do. I do not even think it qualifies as hair dye."
 
Alec sighed heavily. "I know it's not permanent, but I'd hoped we could do it after my interview. The whole thing. Not just the hair dye. I'm fully, fully willing to uphold my end of the deal, but I never specified when I'd do it, and if we dye my hair and stuff now, then the twenty-four time period would put us past my interview time."
 
"I think we should just do it the day after your interview." Daizi said, "and I think that's Dark's point. You want to wear clothes you like to your interview, but if we have you change after, you'll need to wear it twice in a row."
 
"I am uncertain you were not attempting to get out of wearing it all day," Dark mused as he took a sip of wine, "Thank you. You will all have to let me know if I should make it again."
 
Xander picked at his dinner, still eating a good amount, but less than usual and without his noram enthusiasm for food. He excused himself early and went out into the garden. He intended to go to his shed, but instead ended up wandering aimlessly. He picked one flower off a bush filled with them and picked the petals off one by one as he walked, crushing them in his hand before dropping them. He could hear the sounds of the road from the garden. Unusual. It sounded busy.

Alec helped clean up after dinner and looked out front. There wasn't a car in sight outside of a few parked ones. It seemed to be quiet tonight. "Toby's out practicing," he reported, "and Lex has a few things she's trying to fit in her car. I wonder if she'll get a truck one of these days."
 
"I am surprised she does not already own one." Dark commented idly, looking out the window, "Perhaps she really enjoys tetris. She seems to often build things that look like they would not fit."

Daizi bounced Ivy on her hips for a few moments before asking Dark to take her and stepping outside into the garden. Things had felt weird at dinner, and she wanted to check on her other son, although it was difficult to find someone by sound when the garden was so soft.
 
Alec watched as she dragged out a large piece and laid it on the grass. Then, after a couple of seconds of her fiddling with it, it came apart in much smaller pieces. "Huh. Wow! That was cool. Really big Tetris." She started loading them up in her car, occasionally pausing to talk to Toby as he passed on his board. "I wonder what that's for. I can't tell what it is. Can you?"

Xander spotted Daizi first and hesitated just a bit. Then he turned and walked toward her. "I'm here," he said when he was close enough that he didn't have to yell. He didn't really want to talk, but it would be better than playing whatever the opposite of Marco Polo was.
 
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