How Green Becomes Wood

"I don't care if it's boring," Daizi replied, sitting upright, holding Ivy against her chest, "I just like knowing about your day."

"You said it was interesting," Dark added, looking at the two twins and recognizing immediately there was something they were hiding.
 
Alec scrambled to figure out how to tell them about the story without telling them about that part of the story. "Well, we have a new guy at school. At least, I am mostly positive he's new. The first couple of days, he sat with the footballers, and I think he's on the team. Today, though, he sat with us in the two classes he shares with us. It's just a little strange."
 
Dark nodded slowly, humming slightly, "That is interesting. But I suppose even a football player can contain multitudes."

"What did he say to you?" Daizi asked, bouncing Ivy as she spoke.
 
"Not a thing," Alec said. "He just sat down. Didn't say a word, barely even looked at us, just sat. Milo thinks maybe he had a falling out and is sitting with us to... support maybe or something?"

"I'm of the opinion he had a falling out and there weren't any other seats he could take," Xander put in.
 
Patting Ivy slowly on the back, Daizi thought about this before asking, "You didn't say hello to him at all? You can say hi to people without them being your friends."

"You have been out of high school a long time," Dark said, stretching one leg out in front of him.

"What, high schoolers can't say hi?"

"High schoolers pick who they speak to Freshman year and seldomly accept new folk who do not fit the criteria for those they already talk to." Dark replied, "We never said hello to anyone."

"We were Arabs in New York City a few years after 2001, we had a different set of rules."
 
Xander nodded at Dark. "That's pretty much how it goes."

"Well, when he first sat next to us, he didn't really look much like he wanted any hellos," Alec said. "I think he'd had a bad day, and maybe I should have said hello, but Xander didn't think it was a good idea."
 
"I know," Dark replied, "I spent eleven years in a high school. I have watched it play out thousands of times."

Daizi shrugged, "I wasn't there, so you could be rigjt. But if he sits by you a third time, I doubt it's an accident or a coincidence."
 
Xander got up off the floor. "Yeah, still not sure about saying hi to a rando. I'm going to go take a shower before dinner."

"He's been grumpy today," Alec said simply. "Unlike you, Ivy! I bet you aren't grumpy at all!"

Xander made a face at Alec but didn't argue as he headed for the shower.
 
"Not today, she isn't," Daizi replied, handing Ivy over to Alec, "She slept pretty well last night, so I'm hoping we're getting past it."

"I think Xander's apprehension is natural, we have had a difficult team these past few years," Dark comments, idly running his fingers around the circumference of his drum, "I think many of them would have been removed by now if they hadn't been winning."
 
"This is true. This is very true! How come these team people can't be nice, eh?" Alec asked Ivy in a baby voice, nuzzling her gently and teasing her. "Silly people! DOn't they know being nice is so much more fun?"
 
Ivy gurgled up at Alec, babbling back at him, and Daizi grinned, "It is true, being nice is more fun," and then proceeded to lightly whack her husband on the chest before he had a chance to say whatever comment he likely had about it.
 
"What do you mean a tiger?" Dark asked, rubbing the part of his chest Daizi had hit, playing up how hard she had hit even though she couldn't see it.

"We really didn't do much more than we do on any other day," Daizi explained to him, "Although Dark did take Ivy jogging on his back today for the first time, which she seemed to enjoy."
 
"I see," Dark nodded slowly, "I think a physical attack is unlikely, but you should be prepared in case he verbally lashes out. And it was a bit distracting having her on my back, but she certainly loved it, if her laughter was any indication."
 
Alec groaned and rolled to flop on his back with Ivy on his chest and stomach. "I haven't been keeping up with my exercises, and it's showing! It's just so... Ugh! But I like the results after."
 
Daizi turned towards Alec, not totally understanding what he meant but not wanting to ask too many questions because she didn't want to risk stepping into something upsetting for him, so instead she said, "I had a baby ten months ago, so I'm sure you're fine."

Dark scratched his beard, "You need to find exercises you enjoy, otherwise you will never be able to keep it up. If you do not like running but like jump rope, just do jump rope, or go for walks. If you do not like pushups, do not do push ups."
 
"That advice doesn't work as well when I need to work specific muscles in order to control the wheel properly," Alec remarked from the floor. "You do it because you like the way it makes you look and feel. Mostly feel, I think. I'm doing it for a purpose, which means it's not all fun and games. I'm working out in order to have fun and games, not because working out is fun and games."
 
Dark shook his head slightly, "It still works. You can work specific muscles in different ways. Pull-ups increase shoulder strength, but so does rowing. You are still working the same muscles. I do not like doing bicycles, so I work my obliques doing exercises I do like. But I am still working my obliques. If you find doing squats boring, there are other exercises you can do to achieve the same goal, and some of those you may enjoy more."
 
"They all sound awful," Alec stated. "I don't like doing any of them." He sighed and lifted Ivy off him to hand to Dark. "But I do like dance and Cyr wheel, so I whine and suffer so that I can do art!" He stood and twirled himself around before walking out of the room. He sang as he went:

And I will work this body
I will burn this flame!
Oh in the dead of night
And in the pouring rain!
Yeah, I'm a work-a-holic
And I swear, I swear,
Yeah, and one day I will beat you fair and square!
Yeah!
 
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