How Green Becomes Wood

"Oh yeah. Professional card reading is pretty big, I would be sent money over paypal, then we'd go into a video call and I'd read for them. And yeah, I really just got too busy to keep it up," Daizi confirmed, taking Alec's seat at the table. "And it might surprise you, but doing readings actually takes a lot of energy and I couldn't maintain it at that scale while still keeping my normal job, and I was still in school... Had I kept doing it, it would've had to become my full-time job. Maybe when I'm retired. Then Dark will finally get his tattoo license, and we'll open up a shop where we do both fortune telling and tattoos."

"That is the dream," Dark murmured, and by the tone in his voice, meant it deeply, "And we will require anyone wanting a couple's tattoo have their fortune read first."

Daizi laughed, "Some day, Goose. But you know, Alec, very often people would message me later to tell me I was right."
 
"Well, why wouldn't they? You'd have to be right. It's you," Alec smiled. He still didn't believe it, but he was not going to discount something Daizi felt so strongly about. A tiny part of him reserved the thought that he might be wrong, and he'd be okay with that, but he'd rather not believe and be wrong than the other way around.
 
"That is the correct opinion," Dark said.

"I don't dictate what's in the cards, I only interpret it," Daizi told them, waving off the praise.

"But you are a wonderous interpreter," He argued, joining her while their dinner was in the oven and temporarily taking Ivy back, "and you cannot pretend otherwise to me. You are sly, my love, and cunning, but not that sly. Hummingbird, one day you will know." Ivy dug her fingers into his beard and grinned her toothless grin.
 
Alec patted his own chin, suddenly glad that Xander had proven that beards were not in their genetics. That looked like it hurt! He shook his head. "I have been giving some thought to theater," he stated. "I want to give it one more try, but I don't think I've been enjoying it as much as I hoped I would, and it seems like theater is something you have to enjoy to do properly."
 
"I'm sorry you haven't been enjoying it... But, you know, learning what you don't enjoy is just as important as learning what you do enjoy." Daizi told him, "It's really impressive how you've been branching out and trying new things this school year... Is there something you're interested in trying next?"

While Daizi asked this, Dark was busy allowing Ivy to tug lightly at his face, and gave her the impression she was able to move his face around, a game she very much enjoyed. When she least expected it, he kissed her on the forehead and then lifted her up high above his head, after freeing himself, of course.
 
"I enjoy the acting part, but I don't really enjoy trying to learn the lines or... I dislike saying this, the group I'm with," Alec admitted. "Tom, Becky, and a couple of others are okay, but the rest... they aren't very nice to each other a lot of the time or act like being in certain roles is somehow better than than others. I'm not going to lie, being the lead is amazing, but there aren't very many one-man shows out there. Perhaps I can try acting in a community theater for one show to see what that's like? Would they allow something like that? Especially with my school schedule? Outside of acting, I would like to try something new, but I'm not really sure what. I want to give it some thought."
 
"Community theatres would definitely let you audition for them, but depending on which theatre it is, there may not be many shows with characters your age, or if there are, it may be full of the same kids you're dealing with now," Daizi told him, "I'm sorry most of the other kids aren't kind, and the environment isn't a fulfilling one... Have you considered doing anything backstage, with the people who make and design sets?"

"Crew kids tend to be nicer," Dark said, speaking from his experience a decade of meeting theatre kids in his classes, "and you do not have to interact much with the actors."
 
"The crew kids are nice, but these ones are pretty tight-knit. I think they are worried about letting an actor kid into their group. Not that I blame them," Alec admitted. He mulled it over for a moment. "What if I tried something that might bolster a later acting career? Like taking dance lessons? Are there dance lessons around here? Surely there can't be too many styles to choose from, right?"
 
"We can find dance lessons," Daizi said slowly, doing her best to hide her confusion, "but do you want to bolster a future acting career? If you don't find memorizing lines enjoyable and you don't like the egos in theatre... I'm not sure if doing it professionally will have any less of it than high school has."
 
"Hey," Daizi said gently, "I don't mean to discourage you. There are plenty of kinds of performance that aren't acting like we normally think about it. I don't want you to foreclose upon musical theatre as the only kind of performance available to you, and focus in on it as a career if there's a lot to it that makes you unhappy. What specifically about performance makes you happy?"
 
Alec considered the question. "Well, I do enjoy the attention, I'm not going to lie, but mostly, it's just so much fun! I like engaging with people and making them happy, and I like trying to pretend I'm a character. I like... the thrill of everything happening on the stage when its going right."
 
Daizi nodded slowly, "I understand... Well, if you find a type of dance you're interested in, let us know, and we can find classes for you. I'm not sure what kind of performance would be best for you, but I'm sure there is one. I'm glad you enjoy it... I just really wish the people were better."
 
Daizi smiled, "I could see him enjoying that. All the fun of being an actor without the notoriety.... Although I guess if you're identical, he'll be recognised on the street anyway, but that would be true if you became famous and he had nothing to do with it."

Dark, meanwhile, lifted Ivy up above his head and then carefully flipped her upside down before righting her back up again. Then he squinted at her face, looked at Alec, and said, "I am fairly certain I could do that with all of my children."
 
"You basically did do that to Xander," Alec reminded him with a grin. "Only, him you tossed over your shoulder, and both of us you might get kicked in the face if we flailed."
 
"That is true," Dark nodded, "I bet I could pick you up off the floor by the ankles, if I tried. I could hold you completely upside down." He looked down at Ivy, "I cannot demonstrate on her, she is still too delicate. One day."

"I think you'll always think she's too delicate," Daizi remarked, getting up to take the food out of the oven when she heard the timer go off.
 
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