How Green Becomes Wood

Ivy looked at the sand in her brother's hand and proceeded to grab it and try to bring it to her mouth. Swiftly, Dark gently grabbed her forearm and stopped her, "No, Hummingbird, baby, we do not eat sand." Only then did he recognize this was going to be a constant problem.

"Of course creatures actually live in them," Daizi chuckled, taking a shell from Xander, "they just outgrow them."
 
"I think you are fighting a losing battle," Alec snickered, watching him. "She is definitely going to get at least some in her."

"How do you outgrow a shell?" Xander asked, suddenly wondering if he'd find a turtle shell.
 
Dark frowned down at Ivy before taking her from Daizi and lifting her far up above his head, making her laugh, "You are probably right, but I have to try. If I can prevent at least some mouthfuls, I will be satisfied." He lowered her down, kissing her belly before lifting her again.

"Because a sea shell isn't their body part. Like, a mullosk or a clam live in it, but they make it, it's not like a turtle where the shell is part of their ribs. Crustaceans like hermit crabs take shells from dead mullosks and use them until they grow too big and need a new shell." Daizi explained, operating from her limited shellfish knowledge.
 
"True. She's not a bird, so she doesn't need grit," Alec grinned, remembering Milo's birds. "I bet she'll appreciate your efforts later. Wanna go show her the water?"

"Then... what about snails?" Xander asked, mystified and curious. "Do they make them or find them or what?"
 
"I am not sure she will ever realize all the little things we have done for her," Dark said, bringing Ivy back to his chest and kissing her on the forehead, "Yes, let us take her to the shore. But we cannot let her in it just now, she is not in a swim diaper yet."

"I think snails make them," Daizi said, turning the shell over in her hands, "I'm not totally sure, though."
 
"We can let it touch her toes!" Alec hopped ahead a few steps and then froze. "Right?" he asked worriedly. "There's nothing that'll eat toes?"

"Huh." Xander leaned over to pick up a smaller shell, this one conical shaped. He looked at it a moment before putting it in Daizi's hand. "I didn't know shells were interesting."
 
"Yes, we can let it touch her toes," Dark said, finding himself rather excited to let Ivy touch the ocean for the first time, but did not walk straight to it. Instead he went back to Daizi to wait for her to be finished discussing shells with Xander, because he didn't want to put Ivy in the ocean for the very first time without Daizi getting to participate, in case she wanted to.

Daizi twirled it around in her fingers and brought it to her ear, "These are the sort of shells you can hear the ocean in."
 
"Yes!" Alec cheered. He started to run forward, realized Dark wasn't following, and retraced his steps to wait for Daizi.

Xander looked at the waves only a few feet away and then back at Daizi. "Um." He looked again. "That doesn't seem too hard of an accomplishment."
 
"Listen to it when we're not here. It'll seem more special," Daizi said, putting the shell into his hands, and, for once, breaking her stance against touching it to fold his fingers around the shell. She had felt it, she knew it was a good shell. He deserved to hear it, when the time was right.

"We were going to let Ivy put her feet in the ocean," Dark said, "I did not want to do it without you there, if you wanted to be there."
 
Xander watched Daizi's hands in surprise, but for once, he wasn't the first to pull away. He didn't even flinch. When Daizi let go, he lifted the shell to give it a closer look. It looked like just a shell to him, but the way she'd said it made him think that perhaps it was special. "Yeah," he said, lowering the shell. "Let's test out the waters with some shark bait."

"Why do you have to say things like that?" Alec scolded, walking with Xander toward the water.

"Oh, come on, it's not like there's actually going to be any sharks," Xander said, rolling his eyes.
 
"Not this close to shore anyway," Daizi said cheerfully, making her husband sigh heavily as he doubted how well Alec would take that little comment, but Daizi just giggled happily and went with her husband to the shoreline. Both she and Dark got down on their knees and set Ivy down on her feet, supporting her in a standing position, while the tide was out.

Ivy looked down curiously at the wet sand, confused by this new texture, but then the water washed over her feet. At first she lifted one foot up, and set it down she put the other back down. When the second wave came, though, she laughed, and at the next she laughed harder, bouncing ecstatically.
 
"This close to the shore?" Alec asked in a strangled voice, coming to a stop. "Then... there are sharks?"

"Relax," Xander told him, following Dark and Daizi. "Even if there are, they aren't this close."

Alec did not look that comforted, and he stayed back to watch Ivy experience the waves. He and Xander grinned and laughed at Ivy as she splashed, and Xander remembered to take a couple of pictures for Dark. He managed a couple of good ones and tucked his phone away to watch as her toes dug into the sand. At least one of the minors wasn't at all worried about sharks!
 
"It is the ocean," Dark said mildly, "of course there are sharks somewhere in it, but you are more likely to get killed by a falling coconut than you are to be attacked by a shark."

"Is that fun, Ivy?" Daizi asked, laughing at the sound of Ivy's unrestrained joy with the water, all at once entirely certain this was a perfect decision for all of them. "That's the ocean! Does Ivy like the ocean?" Daizi gasped, and then kissed Ivy's cheek a few times, "She does!? That's so special for Miss Ivy-Qadira!"
 
"Which means someone at some time has to get attacked by a shark in order to even make it a statistic," Alec said nervously.

"Then we'll just stick to shallow waters," Xander told him. "Come on. Ivy's not the only one who can have fun in the water." He stepped forward boldly and stepped into an oncoming wave, glad he was wearing shorts.

Alec hesitated and then followed Xander. "Whoa! It's warmer than I expected!"

"Probably from the fish pee."

Alec squealed and jumped straight up before turning on Xander, who sprinted off laughing maniacly.
 
"Someone at some time has died doing anything," Dark pointed out coolly, not minding as the waves crashed over his knees. "Tomorrow, Baba will take you swimming, my darling girl. I will go in the water, and I will hold Ivy so close and so tight, and we will bounce together in the waves. Yes we will! But do not worry, you are going to be so safe!" He was certainly not going to bring her out any further into the water than shin height on himself, but it'd be enough for Ivy to 'swim.'

Daizi laughed at the twins' antics and Dark pulled Ivy out of the water when she seemed over it, and then he looked at her and said, "You have sandy toes, my darling. Yes you do, you have sandy toes."

"I love listening to them run," Daizi sighed, "I never get to run."

"You could run here," Dark said, turning to look at her. "There’s nothing to hit."
 
Xander came speeding back past Dark and Daizi, going the other way now with Alec in hot pursuit. Their feet splashed through the shallow water at the edge of the waves, sometimes hitting water, sometimes hitting wet sand. In the old days, Xander could have easily outpaced Alec, but now Alec could almost keep pace with him, even if he was yelling all the way. Xander laughed and kept just out of his reach.
 
"I could?" Daizi repeated, sitting back with something near to wonder in her eyes.

"Yes."

"I feel like I'd hit the twins."

"Maybe now," Dark agreed with a shrug, "but maybe when they relax."

"I never get to just run."
 
"You have become much more athletic," Dark chuckled, impressed with Alec's showing. Xander may have let him win in the end, but it was closer than it used to be. "I was telling Daizi she is able to run freely here, since there isn't anyone or anything to crash into."

"I never get to," Daizi murmured, "I'm always tethered to something. Or someone."
 
Alec gasped and clambered to his feet, letting Xander get up, as well. "Mama, you should! This is the best place ever to run! Unless you run straight to the house, there's nothing to hurt you, either. At worst, you might get wet."

"True," Xander agreed, attempting to brush off the sand. "You could give it a shot and see if you're as athletic as Alec."
 
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