How Green Becomes Wood

"Just any small favour?" Sloan asked, "Are you fey? And it's just if I like it, I won't have to love it over any other dessert? I guess if I'm allowed to say no to the favour, that's a bet worth taking."
 
"If I was fey, I wouldn't give you veto power," Xander pointed out with a smirk. "And, no, you don't have to love it best of all. Just find it really good and better than any other cake you've had."
 
"In my defense, you started it," Xander retorted. "Who's more competitive? The person who accepts an offered bet, or the person who keeps trying to set up bets just to make the other person accept?"
 
"You're not very good at being competitive since you didn't even say what would happen if I was wrong and you hated the cake," Xander shot back. "I didn't 'randomly' decide anything. I just matured half a speck."
 
Sloan shrugged, taking half a step to the side, "I don't think being competent makes you immature. I just think it's kind of fun to challenge your friend to a pointless challenge. What's the harm in it?"
 
Xander started ticking things off on his fingers. "Going overboard, letting the competition get too serious, raging, breaking things, getting ridiculous in what you'll challenge other people in, people getting physically hurt doing stupid stuff, feeling getting hurt when emotions get too hot... Did I mention raging and losing your temper?"
 
Sloan watched him carefully, trying to figure out if what she wanted to say would set him off or not. Finally, she decided to risk it, "No offense, dude. But I don't think those are problems inherent to being competitive. I don't break things when I'm competing," she paused, cracked a little smile, and said, "Except for records. And once or twice a bone, but mostly I've only broken things while training. I also don't really rage if I lose. You can have that fire without it, you know," she waved a hand, "burning you."
 
"Goody for you, but not all of us have a good attitude about winning or losing or frustration, all of which get pulled out by competition," Xander said, unoffended. "You definitely earn those records and those trophies, and you should keep going as long as you can."
 
"I dunno. Sounds like something you can work on rather than walking around like a werewolf," She replied, "I like having my trophies, but it's kinda weird to bring people to my bedroom because it looks like I'm bragging. I feel like I need to warn people."
 
"Oh, they definitely couldn't be out here. They'd be too not-beige. They'd ruin the aesthetic." She looked over towards the drab living room, "It'd be like putting something with a smile in your living room."
 
"Alec's tried a couple of times, and something tells me that might change if the mini takes after rainbows and glitter like him," Xander remarked. "Ba is going to die of a heart attack if that happens. He can barely deal with the glitter and sequin level now."
 
"I think for a period of time, all things made for little girls are glittery and either pink or rainbow. It's actually kind of sexist, but it's inescapable. The hard part will be when she's able to get her own toys out, because then there's no keeping them put away in the aesthetic toy box." Sloan chuckled, "It'll be a nightmare, but he chose this path."
 
"I guess it's still technically better than if he had to deal with traditional boy stuff, though. Glitter is annoying, but it's better than everything being camo." Sloan replied, "Camo and trucks."
 
Becky bounced over, grinning as her high-placed pigtails swung. "Sloan! This party is fantastic! And the cake you picked out amazing. And you can never go wrong with pizza!"
 
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