How Green Becomes Wood

"She is ten months old," Dark answered, pleased people were interested in his baby, "so if I brought her home flowers now, she would only try to eat them."

~~

Daizi laughed, obliging Alec in the twirl, and he was right to ask because the skirt spun well, and hugged him before lifting Ivy to give her a proper couple, "Yes, dad," she teased, "I don't expect we'll end up going that crazy, don't worry. But I am going to stop by Tristan's shop on the way, I want to bring Spencer and Mittz flowers."
 
A cacophony of gasps, titters, and "oh, how precious!" rang out from the gathered group.

"What color are her eyes?" asked one of the women, watching Dark closely.

~~

Alec giggled as he took Ivy back. "You are going to leave poor Da completely head over heels and useless to Tristan."
 
"It took a long time for them to settle. When she was born they were murky," Dark replied, fiddling idly with a pink cinquefoil, "Now they are a warm brown, the sort of brown that truly glows when sunlight hits them, but they're ringed with a soft greenish gray, it makes me think of the forest if you visit early in the morning, before the winter frost has melted."

~~
"Well I'm hoping I won't stay long," Daizi chuckled, "and I'm going to wear my coat in, I don't want to risk making his buisness have a very different energy altogether."
 
Speaking of "melting," the women listening were clearly melting under Dark's words. This was a father who clearly cared and paid attention to his child! Every single one of them suddenly found themselves tingling with jealousy over whoever managed to snag such an incredible man.

~~

"Probably a good idea," Alec agreed with a laugh. "Have fun!"
 
"I will," Daizi promised, and after giving the biggest, best goodbye she could manage, forced herself to hand Ivy back over to Alec. Leaving her was still difficult, but she knew she had to sometimes.

She pet Enkidu goodbye, put on her coat and sunglasses, grabbed her cane and purse, then met Gwen on the porch and hurried to the car so she didn't need to hear Ivy's distressed cries, which is why her friend didn't stop inside.

They drove to Tristan's store, showing up just as Dark was impressing the women with how devoted he was to his baby, and with the noise of the store, Gwen helped her navigate directly to the counter, not knowing over everything where her husband was, "Hi Tristan, it sounds busy today! I promise I'm not here to bother your employee, we're," she gestured to Gwen, who was wearing an off-the-shoulder dress in a mushroom pattern, "on our way to our friend's Bachelorette party, and we wanted to bring her flowers."
 
Tristan smiled his greeting at the pair, giving a nod to Gwen. "Hello, Doctor! And friend. Yes, we are surprisingly busy today, but I am sure Master Dark would not mind taking a break to say hello to you. As for the flowers, may I suggest a lavender medley? The standard bouquet comes with white roses, white carnations, lavender Peruvian lilies, baby's breath, and perhaps a couple of others depending on what I have in stock at the time."
 
"That sounds lovely," Daizi replied happily, "None of them are pink, are they? That's one thing, Spencer hates pink, she won't have anything to do with it. Where is my husband, by the way? Oh, and this is Gwen."

"Hi," Gwen smiled warmly, turning to look for Dark, and when she spotted him, she turned sharply around and looked at Tristan, biting her lip, "He looks pretty... busy."
 
"None of them are pink," Tristan assured her. "I'll need only a moment to put one together. Small, medium, or large?" He backed away from the counter and turned toward Dark. "Let me fetch Dark for you." He rolled forward and easily steered around a couple of younger women to reach the edge of the gathered older women. "Excuse me, excuse me, ma'am, excuse me, please." It took a bit to make his way to Dark. When he reached Dark, he merely pointed toward Daizi and Gwen without a word.
 
"Small is alright," Daizi replied, and then, almost shyly asked, "Is there any chance... he, could make it for me? I want to see how well he does."

Gwen fought back a giggle and stood to the side as Dark looked up and smiled (in his imperceptible way) at the sight of his wife. To the women he said quickly and softly, "Excuse me a moment," and crossed the store to her in a few quick strides, "What a perfect surprise," he murmured to his wife, and, fully aware of how his adoring fans watched, bent and, taking Daizi's hand in his, brought the back of it to his lips to greet her. "How may I help you?"

"I needed a bouquet for my friend," Daizi replied, a faint blush coming to her face.
 
A pack of envious older women looked on, some sighing quietly as they watched and a couple clasping their hands to their breasts. It was better than watching a soap opera!

"Are you familiar with the lavender medley?" Tristan asked Dark, holding up the small "cheat" card he'd made for each of the standard bouquets so his helpers could also make them with relative ease. Arranging took practice and time, but they could at least get things close even if he had to polish the end product. "You may take your visitor to the back to make it, if you would like."
 
"I do not," Dark admitted, only briefly tearing his eyes away from his wife. What a delight. "But I would be glad to make an attempt at it, for her sake."

"Who are all these people?" Daizi asked, realizing the bits of conversation she had overheard when she walked in.

"My fan club," He replied, "They are rather focused on me." When a tiny change came over Daizi's face, Dark's eyes glimmered and he began picking the flowers the cheat sheet said he needed, completely forgetting everyone else in the store. Although Daizi didn't, and as she followed him, she'd occasionally trace her fingers down his spine and touch his arm.

Gwen shook her head and shuffled slightly nearer to Tristan, "She's jealous."
 
"So I see," Tristan mused mildly. He was slightly tense, both amused by what was happening but also uneasy that theirs was the highly unhealthy type of jealousy. He hoped this job hadn't put Dark in the dog house. "For whatever it is worth, he has been very well-behaved. You just missed a conversation about his little daughter. He waxed quite poetic about her eyes, and he hasn't missed a chance to mention his wife."
 
"Oh, yeah, absolutely," Gwen replied with a chuckle as Dark reached over Daizi for a flower, "Everyone knows nobody else has a chance with him. Tarot especially." Gwen was not the type to share her friend's intimate details, but she knew it was all a game to the two of them.

When all the flowers were chosen, Dark walked Daizi to the back, where, in relative privacy, they were able to laugh about how ridiculous the situation was.
 
"Ah, I see. How did she get such a name?" Tristan asked with a smile. He excused himself for a moment to ring up a woman who wanted to buy a couple of vases. He returned to Gwen and said, "Unless, of course, that is private and privileged information."
 
"I think it's just because she's witchy, you know? She does tarot readings and she's the head of our coven, now, so it just makes sense. I started engaging with those things because of her, actually."
 
"Oh, she is actually a part of a coven?" Tristan asked, somewhat surprised. He had thought that the "witchiness" was just a style she liked and did not want to jump to the assumption that she was a witch or Wiccan or similar, and it was almost a surprise to learn that she actually fit the stereotype. "That must be a good way to maintain friendships and networks of various types."
 
"She is, yeah. We don't always do rituals together, because we don't live close enough, but they're a really big part of her life, and I know she doesn't mind people knowing that. It's really enriching, honestly," Gwen explained, glancing towards the backroom, "A lot of people aren't very supportive, though, which is annoying. It's no different than any other religion."
 
"I suppose it's like people who focus on the Spanish Inquisition, certain scandals with priests, horrifying movie representations, and protests at soldiers' funerals," Tristan remarked. "As a species, we seem to almost enjoy focusing on the negative or anything. In any case, it is always interesting to learn more about people. But what about you? What flowers would you like?" He cast an eye over her and smiled. "Perhaps a small terrarium style with living moss? With a few Shitake. Maybe an air plant or two? And... pansies. I get the sensation of pansies with you, otherwise known as the Johnny Jump Up and Three Faces Under a Hood among others."
 
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