How Green Becomes Wood

"I will see you." Dark replied, retreating back into his sanctuary. How thrilling.

"Who was that?" Daizi asked, coming downstairs while fluffing out her hair.

"Lex," He replied, locking the door, "Apparently, her family is visiting. And her brother is a racist."

"Oh."

"That is what I said."
 
"Apparently Lex's brother," Daizi said, turning around, "Her whole family is coming over this weekend, and we're told to expect noise and, it would seem, racism. Goose, I'm going to play Egyptian music when I garden."

"No, Spider," Dark rubbed his face. He foresaw this, "You cannot do that, it is just going to make him angry."

"If he gets angry, we send one of the twins to the door!"

Dark inhaled slowly, "Our children are not sacrificial."

She snapped her fingers, and grinned her crooked grin, "We'll have Cooger over! And he'll answer the door!"

"No, we cannot--"

"And I have light hair, I'll put on my American accent and I'll say I got a spray tan because I am from California!" She wiggled her shoulders with a grin. It was much more fun to joke about it than deal with the fact they still lived in a world where they had to be worried about it. "Or we'll have Sally over, and she'll answer the door, and we'll put her in a Pith helmet, and she'll say she works for the British museum, and they are looking to acquire Egyptian music to go along with all of our artifacts!"
 
"I like the version where Mrs. Hollis is the sacrificial lamb," Alec offered.

Xander snorted. "I doubt he'd make it as far as the door if Lex had anything to say about it."
 
"I like the version where we do not bait racists." Dark replied blandly, walking into the kitchen with a wave of his hand.

"I like walking Enkidu," Daizi replied, with a laugh that her disappointment about the situation just barely managed to break through, "Ivy likes the walks, too. I hope it rains, so I won't have to debate what I'm willing to put up with."
 
"I guess so." Daizi sighed, "It's just a shorter walk in that direction because we're the last house on the street. But, it's the best option, I guess. At least it's just for the weekend... I just hope we don't end up in a situation later in the year where my family visits at the same time as hers."
 
"You can always go around the block instead of just on our street," Alec suggested. "It'll be fun! And I bet we won't have that family situation. What are the odds?"

"When is your family coming by again?" Xander asked, checking the time. He should get out to his shed and get to work. Thanks to his concussion, he was behind on a couple of orders and still hadn't fully caught up.
 
"October," Daizi answered, unable to keep the excitement from her face, "They want to come for Ivy's birthday. We haven't decided how long they're staying with, and it feels like I've not been with them in ages because the last time they were here between the hospital and the shock and the pain and the lack of sleep, the entire time they were here it was like I was underwater. But this year it'll be different. We're still figuring out all of the details, though."
 
"That'll be so much fun!" Alec crowed.

Xander headed out toward the back. "Sounds like a party. I'll be out in my shed if anyone needs anything. Alec, you wanna go with me to the post office tomorrow to mail some of my orders?"

"Sure, if you have them finished by then," Alec called after him.

Xander waited until he was out in his shed to pull out his phone. He hadn't heard from Milo in some time now. He hesitated, considering texting him, but what should he say? He wasn't good at small-talk, and maybe Milo wasn't too happy with him after the talk they'd had. Perhaps it would be better to wait until Milo reached out first. He set his phone aside, got some music playing on the tiny radio on his work bench, and set to work.
 
"I can't wait. I know it's always a bit hectic around them, and exhausting, but I do love my family. Even though my father can be a bit of an ***." Daizi said, and then let the twins head outside before sitting back with Dark on the couch so they could have time time alone together before their baby woke up. She wanted to play her harp, but it felt a bit... risky, given Ivy was napping. Sometimes it woke her up, sometimes it didn't, and she wasn't much in the mood to test it.
 
A few minutes later, Xander's phone buzzed. He paused in his careful, precise placement of a shaped metal stamp that was only a quarter of an inch long to look at the text. It was Milo mentioning the carnival. He'd remembered that! Xander set aside his work and went inside to talk to Dark about going and taking Milo with them. Once they had the time worked out, Xander texted Milo back with two options for when they could go. He'd tell Dark the moment Milo decided when was good for him.
 
Milo didn't spend too much time deliberating: It was summer break, and although he was languishing through summer school, he still had more free time than if it were the school year. Once it was set, Dark was unable to fully hide his excitement. Despite how many carnivals he had been to throughout his lifetime, they never ceased to thrill.
 
Thus it was that a couple of days later, they were in Xander's van driving to the carnival. They would have taken Dark's car as usual, but with two adults, three teens, and one baby, it was impossible to fit. Xander did offer to let Dark drive the van for his own sense of security, and Daizi could si up front while Alec kept an eye on Ivy in the middle seat, and Xander and Milo sat in the far back. Lots of space for everyone! Xander didn't warn Milo about Dark's carnival enthusiasm, letting him see it for himself. He'd mentioned Dark liked carnivals and fairs, but not how much he loved them.
 
In between the conversation between Milo and the time they actually went to the carnival, Dark had the stiches taken out of his hand, and by then his rib was actually feeling more or less fine. Maybe a little stiff when he stretched, but he was allowed to return to his full exercise load, and he had begun the process of regaining the muscle mass he had lost in the meanwhile.

This particular carnival, he knew, was bound to be special. Daizi could ride everything again, which she was happy about, and it was Ivy's very first. Well, first that she was out in the world for. And he was going to win her something.

Milo was happy to go, but not bouncing in his seat or anything. "My grandma bought bins for her scrapbooking stuff," He told Xander after they had bought wristbands. "The desk has to stay but I'm able to put my stuff in it."
 
"Really?" Xander asked, struggling with his wristband. "That's rad! You got your own desk now."

Alec caught Xander's arm and helped him with the wristband. "That's really cool, Milo! Help?" He was asking Xander.

Xander helped his brother with the band, and Alec offered to help Milo with his wristband.
 
"It still takes up a lot of space, but it's built into the wall, I guess." Milo said, putting his band on himself by holding his wrist against his chest. Behind him, Dark and Daizi helped each other and then they stepped inside, the big question being, of course:

What first? After sizing up the midway, first, Dark knee that was a firm requirement: they needed to see what was going on.
 
Alec wanted games first. Xander reminded him that any prizes they won, they'd have to carry around to all the rides unless someone wanted to stand holding stuff. They then turned to Dark and asked him to decide since he was the carnival master. They assured Milo Dark knew what he was doing. Usually.
 
Dark suggested they rides first and then play games after they ate lunch so that they didn't get sick. It wasn't something he had ever worried about, but he didn't know how Milo coped and seemed to recall one of the twins getting nauseous the last time. Daizi was particularly thrilled to get on some rides, because it sucked when she could hardly ride any of them.

"Do you want to start with a more intense one or work our way up to them?"
 
"What if we stagger them?" Alec asked, feeling a little uncertain. He wasn't a fan of the more intense rides and didn't like the idea of standing around waiting for a bunch of rides to be over.

"Staggering sounds good, or working up in intensity. Either one," Xander said. He glanced at Milo. "Preference, Stitch?"
 
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