How Green Becomes Wood

Dark just shook his head with a little chuckle: He was really, really glad his friend had stopped by. He felt more sane after chatting with him.

~~

"I was helping out at a flower store today," He told her, smiling at how her hair fell. It made him feel less awkward about showing up in his MUFON hat and old jeans, "and I thought you might like these." With only a bit of awkwardness, he held up the slightly crushed bouquet to her. "I dunno if you like daisies."
 
"Nah, I'm thinking a bit more realistic, but a hint of fantasy since people seem to like not-quite realism in marketing photos," Xander said.

~~

Lex looked at the flowers startled, confused, and pleased. "Thank you!" she grinned, accepting the bouquet the same as she might have a dozen roses. "These are some cheery looking flowers! I don't know a lot about flowers, but I do like daisies." She stepped back and nodded. "You want to come in?"
 
"Be careful," Daizi laughed, "Hey may end up loving it. You might create a monster."

"He is already nearly a cowboy," Dark said, stretching deeply, "I would not be surprised if he does like it."

~~

"I don't know a whole lot about them, either, which didn't used to bother me, but now Alec works at the shop, so basically it's just me and Xander who don't know, and I'm only guessing Xander doesn't." He glanced behind him for a moment, "I'd love to come in, if I wouldn't put you out any."
 
Xander snorted. "If he wants to, he can buy my wears and do all the cowboying he wants, but I'm not making a hat."

~~

"Come on, it's no trouble if you don't mind seeing a basket of laundry on the coffee table and dishes in the sink," Lex said with a grin. "I was going to sit down and watch a show while sorting and folding, but I'd rather talk to you and stall."
 
"Why wouldn't you make a hat?" Daizi asked, "That's the most famous part of a cowboy, I thought. That and, you know, dysentery."

~~

"Ah, shucks, I've never minded a bit of mess. Makes the place easier to breathe in. And I love to help people procrastinate." He smiled warmly at her, taking off his hat as he came inside. "I'd offer to help you fold your laundry, but I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to see anything private."
 
"Wrong kind of leather, wrong kind of skill. It's a whole different skill set," Xander replied. "I'm not even close to set up for hats, and I don't really want to jump into that."

"I'd make a hat!" Alec volunteered.

~~

Lex snickered and led him into the living room. Her house was decently clean, though not up to Dark's standards, and not cluttered, but there were items laying around that proved this was a lived-in home. "Make yourself comfortable! Do you want something to drink?" She set the flowers very carefully on a small, wrought-iron end table she'd made herself.
 
"If you started making hats, we'll all need one," Daizi teased, "and we can take a family portrait in them."

"Do you detest me?" Dark asked, jokingly.

"Naturally."

~~

"If you insist," Cooger replied genially, "I don't want to put you out of your way any when I dropped by unannounced, but I don't wanna be a disrespectful guest, neither."
 
"Do you know what it takes to make a cowboy hat?" Xander demanded.

"No," Alec said slowly, dragging it out, "but I know how to make a felt bucket hat from the twenties!"

Xander stared at him blankly. "A what?"

~~

Lex went into the kitchen and soon returned with a glass of water and a glass of cider. "Which would you like?" she asked, holding them out to Cooger.
 
"I have no idea," Daizi replied, "I'm horrible at fashion history, for the most part, because it's rare to be able to touch any of it."

~~

"Oh, I never say no to cider," Cooger replied, taking the glass from her, "Thank you. How've you been?"
 
"It's a hat shaped like a rounded bucket made out of felt, but I don't have any of the tools needed to make it," Alec replied.

~~

Lex chuckled and moved the basket of laundry so they could both use the coffee table. Then she sat on the comfortable chair diagonal to Cooger rater than crowd him on the couch. "Man after my own heart! Before I went completely dry, I loved that hard cider stuff. Now I get to enjoy the regular type."
 
"I..." Daizi tried to imagine she shape of a bucket, with its straight sides and flat bottom, and then imagined rounding it out. Her mind conjured something like a beret and sort of like a mushroom cap, "Well, I'm sure it makes a lot of sense with the rest of the 20s fashions."

~~

"I do still like hard cider," Cooger admitted, taking a sip, a slow frown crossing his face, "Is it okay I still, you know, partake in certain substances?"
 
"Fringes, frills, and beads?" Xander asked uncertainly, trying to conjure the image in his mind.

"Squares, rectangles, boyish looks, and drop waists," Alec corrected him. "Flappers were only fancy, rich people, or ladies who, you know, worked certain jobs."

~~

"Oh, yeah, sure," Lex assured him quickly. "All I ask is that it's not at my house, sitting in my fridge. I don't even mind a bit of drinking in the yard, but I've learned that for whatever reason, being inside the house changes how I look at it. Maybe it's because I feel I can hide it behind my own four walls?" She shrugged. "Whatever the reason, I don't test my luck, but if we were out somewhere, it means nothing to me if you get a drink."
 
"I've never really liked how I felt in boxy outfite, but Ido like drop waists," Daizi commented idly, "I considered that cut when I was looking for my wedding dress. I ended up going basically the complete opposite."

~~

"That's no problem, I don't typically store things in someone else's fridge," Cooger replied, "but it's good to know if we went out to dinner, we'd both be able to have what we like."
 
"I don't think we've ever seen a picture of your wedding dress," Alec remarked. "Were pictures allowed at your wedding?"

~~

"Yep, if we went out, there'd be no problem at all," Lex agreed, her eyes twinkling in amusement as she watched him.
 
"The painting of Dark and I in the dining room is from our wedding," Daizi said, gesturing in that direction, "We had photographers, not that I know how the pictures came out."

Dark rejoined the conversation, "They are incredible. We have a videographer, too, so we also have a beautiful video of the ceremony and reception."

"And I still have my dress, obviously," Daizi added, "I think we have Dark's suit, but I'm not sure if it would fit him anymore."

~~

"Good," Cooger replied, smiling back at her, "We'll have to do that, then."
 
Alec immediately got up and went to the dining room to look. "Well, now I feel silly, because it never struck me that that was you," he said, coming back in. "You look gorgeous in that dress, and the waist placement was perfect for you."

"Why do people keep their wedding clothes? It seems kind of, I dunno. It's not like you can wear them again, right?" Xander asked uncertainly.

~~

"Maybe an actual dinner? Not too fancy, but something a little better than a truck stop might be nice," Lex remarked.
 
"Who else would Dark be dancing with?" Daizi laughed, "I really loved that dress. That's why I kept it, Xander. It's special to me. Our wedding was the first time I've ever truly beautiful. Especially when we signed the paper." A wistful look came over her face for a moment, and after letting the memory play out, shook it out and said, "I didn't keep the dress from my first wedding, though."

"I kept my suit because I did not expect I would outgrow it," Dark replied, scratching his beard. "It does not take up much space, anyway."

~~

"I would like that," Cooger said, looking down into his cup almost shyly, "I know a place with pretty good burgers, I don't know if you'd want something a little more upscale than that."
 
"You should have kept it and cut it into scraps you could use for other things," Alec grinned.

"As if anyone would do that," Xander grumbled. "The suit makes sense. I'm not sure I get the dress, but if it makes you happy, I don't need to get it."

~~

"I love a good burger," Lex told him, leaning forward a little. "I'm free basically every evening past five this week."
 
"I think I needed the money more, I had just been cut off from my entire family," Daizi replied, nudging Alec, "My dress isn't so over the top that I can't rewear it. Not to another wedding, obviously, it's still a wedding dress, but if I had a halo crown I could wear it to a costume party, or some other black tie events. And some people give their wedding dresses to their daughters."

"I would have been sad if you got rid of it." Dark admitted, "It is one of my favourite dresses."

~~

"Cool. We could do Friday?" He offered, "Saturday I'm busy, we've got something pretty important going on."
 
"Oh, that's cool," Xander agreed.

"It is beautiful," Alec told Daizi, "and if it's Ba's favorite, it's a good thing you kept it! For Ivy's sake, too."

~~

"Friday it is. What time?" Lex asked. She looked arund for her little notebook and found it on the table where she'd left it. She opened it to make note of when and where.
 
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