How Green Becomes Wood

"Would you have preferred me to have said, 'Okay, Xander. It is easier for you to save money because you do not have bills?'" Dark lightly chided, folding his arms, somewhat amused by his son's reaction, "I am proud of you. You earned enough money to afford a car with a business you started. Unless you are about to tell me you have been scamming your clients or sneaking out to steal from the less fortunate, I am going to be impressed by you."
 
Xander flushed a little, both at the deserved chiding and at the embarrassed pleasure that surged through his chest at Dark's words. Didn't matter how often he heard it, hearing Dark or Daizi say they were proud of him struck deep. It was easier to believe and accept now than it used to be, but it still caught him off guard and took him a second to believe he was hearing right. He mumbled something in the vicinity of "thank you," and glanced around. "It looks like everything's cleaned up. Need anything before I go do homework?"
 
As Xander headed up for his room, he texted Cooger. Hey, can I ask a favor?

Alec heaved a dramatic sigh. "I should go do my homework, too, so that I have the weekend free." He gave Daizi another hug and waved to Dark before scampering after Xander.
 
Depends on the favor. Cooger replied after some time had passed.

"Alright, habibi," Daizi said, ruffling his hair as he hurried off, and then she grabbed Dark's hand and led him to the living room, and not long after she had settled down beside him, they heard Ivy's cries over the baby monitor. Taking a very slow turn to face him, she said, "I told you."

"But, we were able to eat our dinner in peace."

"Go get her," She commanded, laughing slightly because she had forseen this exactly.
 
Could you keep an eye out for a bicycle? Second-hand's good, nothing too fancy, but it's gotta be in good shape for riding around town. Xander set the phone on the desk where he could see it and sat down with his laptop. He booted it up and launched a program.

Alec bounced in and glanced at Xander. "Whoa! You're at the desk!"

"Figured I should use it at least once before we get rid of it," Xander grumbled.

Alec leaned over to see what was on his screen. "You're putting together a spreadsheet?" He glanced sideways at his brother. "Who are you?"

"Business Xander, the other side of footloose and fancy free Xander," he said, rolling his eyes.
 
You got it, kid. You better find a helmet. Not gonna get my ass beat by your dad cuz you're stupid. Cooger replied, feeling fairly certain he would be able to find a bicycle fairly easily.

Downstairs, Dark brought his crying baby to Daizi, who sat back and fed her. It was a good thing, she thought, that the twins were upstairs because she really hated having to go to another room to nurse, it was one thing that had never gotten any easier in these months with Ivy, but it didn't seem worth making her boys uncomfortable to adjust them to it. But sometimes she was comfortable or tired and didn't want to go elsewhere, so it was nice when it worked out that Ivy was hungry and they were already off doing their own thing.
 
Thnxs! I'll get a helmet, no worries.

Alec was looking over Xander's shoulder at his spreadsheet. "Looks good, but what's this category?" He pointed to one marked with a B.

"For a bicycle," Xander said, setting his phone aside. "Don't worry about it."

Alec squinted at the numbers. "Looks like it's going to set back your plan for a car by... a few weeks?"

"Yeah, but some things are worth it. And I gotta make sure I keep enough money back for supplies and stuff. Maybe new tools. Emergencies. Things like that."

Alec gave him a hug from behind. "You astound me!"

Xander snorted. "Says the fellow who decided he wants to pole dance for a living. Come on. Let's get our homework done."
 
After settling Ivy back down, Daizi sighed heavily and leaned back against Dark, still holding their baby, who was happy, warm, and quiet, although she was still awake because of her disturbed sleep schedule. But that wouldn't take too long to fix, hopefully.

"Xander almost has enough money to buy a car," Dark said, one arm wrapped firmly around Daizi's waist and the other wrapped so he could lay a hand on Ivy while still holding his wife.

"Really? That's incredible! He hasn't even had that buisness for a year!" She swiveled towards him, grinning.

"That is what I told him. He found it difficult to accept his accomplishment as an accomplishment."

Daizi hummed, resting her head on his shoulder and shutting her eyes, "That boy would invent the moon and make a point of telling you it doesn't actually create its own light."

"Well, pride is a sin," Dark chuckled, not minding the way her hair tickled his face, "but I do not know if I am supposed to tell you, so if he tells you, pretend like you did not already know."

"You don't care about sin."

"No, I do not."

"Do you think Alec is really gong to become a pole dancer?"

"I do not think he will be an exotic dancer." Dark replied, after taking some moments to consider it. "I suppose I can imagine him taking pole-fitness."

"Goose... you know too much about pole dancing." She laughed a little too loudly, and fought to restrain herself so Ivy didn't think it was playtime.

"Are you trying to imply something, my dear?"

"I don't know everything you got up to while we were broken up," She teased, grinning her crooked grin at him, "Maybe you tried out a new hobby. They make decent money at the right establishment."
 
The next day, Xander hid out in his workshop for a couple of hours after breakfast. Alec spent that time inside either talking with Daizi or trying to play with Ivy when Dark didn't have her entire attention. When Xander finally came out of the workshop, the twins went outside to watch Toby practice tricks on a couple of handmade ramps out on the sidewalk and street. It was a quiet street, so he didn't have to worry about traffic. He really was quite good, and he even let Xander ride on his board and showed him how to do a couple of simple tricks. Next door, Lex worked in her garage, and the occasional colorful expletive drifted over on the wind.

[if you want to do something here before they go to their gig, feel free!]

That evening, it was time for the twins and Peter to perform at the pizza parlor.
 
It was a fairly relaxed day for Dark and Daizi. They traded Ivy off, still working on the balance between taking a break from their week and from work against spending time with their children and each other, while still finding time for their hobbies. Dark needed to spend some time working on the wardrobe and the high chair, and Daizi needed time to do literally anything else to maintain a sense of personhood rather than exclusively motherhood.

And, gratefully, just as she said, she and her friends went to see the twins' band. She brought Ivy (and her little ear protection that Ivy wore at the arcade), because they didn't know how long they'd be out, and because Daizi's friends lived in the city and didn't get to see her baby as much as they'd like.

All of them the twins had met before, although never all gathered together. This night, when they performed, at one of the tables near the front, but not immediately so for the sake of tiny baby ears (protected though they were), four women who would've been immediately recognized as Daizi's friends even if she was not there, joined the twins' mother as they waited for the show to start. Daizi looked like she was probably the oldest amongst them, but they generally ranged in age, and in sense of style.

The youngest seemed to be going for a pastel punk, beside her was a woman who looked like she was heavily inspired by moss. Then, dark academia was seated with someone who dressed like a mermaid who was just discovering life on land. And between them all, their very classically witchy friend, who was very excited to get to brag on her boys.
 
The boys had to set up, so they couldn't go say hi, but once they got up on the stage, Alec waved excitedly to Daizi and her friends, and Xander and Peter gave quick nods toward them. Though they would deny it, they had chosen a lot of their list to be much more indie-inspired to follow more of Daizi's likes. They threw in some popular songs and ones that they knew were favorites of some of the patrons, but they also sang a couple of songs they knew Daizi would like. Florence and the Machine even made an appearance, and they even let Peter have a jazz song. Alec poured his heart into his job as the lead singer and performer, half dancing around the stage while Xander and Peter mostly just stood - or sat, in Peter's case - and did their jobs. Alec had talked Xander into singing one song, and Xander had agreed to sing "The Breakup Song" by the The Greg Kihn Band. It suited his slightly rougher voice, and even though it was supposed to be a sad, bitter song about a breakup, he was clearly having fun.

During their break, Alec came running down to say hello to Daizi and her friends while Peter and Xander went to collect their pizza, which was their payment outside of whatever tips people gave them. "Hi! Having fun?"
 
All of her friends, who had never heard them before, weren't totally aware of what songs they usually played, but Daizi recognized quickly they were playing many songs that she liked, and, as soon as she recognized the pattern, whispered it to her friends.

When Alec came to say hello, she leapt up and hugged him tightly, not caring for a second about performance sweat, "Oh, habibi, you sound so good! We're having the best time, right?" She waited for her friends to share their agreement.

"You do sound really good," Her moss friend agreed.
 
"Mama! I'm sticky! And probably smell," Alec giggled, but he shamelessly hugged her back. "I'm so glad you enjoy it! Peter likes some of our new songs in the rotation, too."

"How's it going? How's the mini holding up?" Xander asked mildly as he and Peter joined the group. He handed Alec his share of the pizza.

"Ma'am," Peter said, nodding to each person politely.
 
"Alec," She attempted to sounds serious, but failed, taking his face in her hands, "I have a five-month old. It is okay." After allowing herself to give him one last squeeze, she released him, and said to Xander, "We're all having a great time, and D'Arcy says Ivy is adoring the ceiling lights."

"And playing with my gauges," The punk woman said.

"I warned you to wear one of your sets with a closed hole," Daizi pointed out as her friend pried curious baby fingers from out of her ear.

"I know, I forgot! I'm Ellis, by the way," She told Peter, and would have shaken his hand if she wasn't freeing herself, "I'm your friends' mother's friend. And this is Spencer, Gwen, and D'Arcy." She pointed to the dark-academia friend, the moss friend, and the mermaid friend, respectively.

During the introductions, Daizi still couldn't help but beam in the direction she believed her sons were in, "I'm not going to embarrass you in front of everyone, I'll wait until we're home."
 
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"A pleasure to meet you all," Peter said, beaming as he nodded to each one as they were introduced. "Do you need help with her hand, Miss Ellis?" He set his pizza and drink on the table next to where Daizi and her friends sat.

Daizi's gaze was close but not quite right. Rather than correct her, both twins silently shifted to be where she was looking. "We don't mind. It's a pleasure to be embarrassed by you," Alec said cheerfully.

"If we didn't mind, then wouldn't that mean we weren't embarrassed?" Xander pointed out.

Alec ignored him. "We'll be at the table next to you. We get twenty minutes before our next set. Do you have any requests? If we know it, we can probably work it in. No promises, of course."
 
"Oh no, I've got it, thanks," She said, finally getting herself free, "And you don't have to call me Miss, I'm only 27. I feel like Miss is for teachers, young afab children, and eighty year olds who never married and are proud of it."

"No, I don't have any requests," Daizi told them, still absolutely beaming, "I want to hear the music you like to play, and its their first time hearing you, so they should have the authentic experience, right? I miss when you were able to rehearse at home," with a swivel, she spoke to her friends, "Until Ivy came along, they would rehearse at The Necropolis, so I got to hear them all the time, it sounded like an Unplugged Album."

Spencer pushed her cropped blue-black hair back, "I appreciate the inclusion of a keyboard. They're neglected in a lot of bands."
 
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"Yes, Ma'am! You got it!" Peter said cheerfully, giving her a playful wink.

"Good point," Alec told Daizi. "We'll give them some of our favorites, then." To Spencer, he said, "I'm glad you like it! Sadly, when you're a cover band, it's hard to always find songs that include it, but I like having it as an option. By the way, I love the color of your hair."
 
"There is nothing wrong with taking a cover amd adding and adding or changing the instruments in the original song," Spencer told him, serious but not condescending, "You just have to learn how to do it properly."

"Spense, we get it, you were a groupie when you were twenty," D'Arcy teased, shoving her, "She likes to be really opinionated, never go to an art museum with her."

"Why would I take Tarot's son to an art museum?" Spencer asked, "They're clearly great kids, but me and a teenager alone in the city is absurd."

"You don't have to be alone, maybe Tarot and Dark want to bring them to an art museum, but want your art degree expertise!"

As the two continued to bicker, Gwen, the moss coloured one leaned towards Xander, "I'd hurry off and take your break before you're sucked in."
 
"Good idea. Nice seeing you again." Xander caught Alec's arm and quickly pulled him away to their table.

Alec laughed but let Xander pull him over, and they joined Peter for their quick pizza break. They didn't eat as much as they might have otherwise since it was never a good idea to perform on a full stomach, but they did have a quick bite to ease the hunger pains and water. Soda would be too sticky. They discussed the upcoming playlist, agreed on a couple of changes, and then went back up for their second set.

Their usual playlist was not quite as indie-inspired, though a couple of songs did make their way into the list. They had a wide coverage of older songs and newer, sticking mostly to happier, upbeat and usually popular songs. They also did a few lesser-known songs like "Judy and Hugh" by James Harker and "Changing Days" by Rose Betts, which did use the keyboard. Alec was in his element and even got some of the patrons to join in singing the chorus to a couple of the better-known songs. Even Xander seemed to be having fun, and they gave Peter a couple of chances for a drum solo to show off his rather impressive skills.
 
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