How Green Becomes Wood

Ivy squeaked, stretching out and then flopping with another little giggle. The ducks, meanwhile, gave the sort of side eye only a duck can and waddled back a pace.

Over by the tree, Dark watched this unfurl with no small amusement and then turned to root around at the tree trunk until eventually he found the box, and came back to his family to open it up with them. It was definitely one of the three keys he had, "I do not imagine the key in the birdseed would unlock it," he said as he sat back down on the blanket with them, turning the box over, looking for any clue to indicate if it should be the snowdrop key or the nursery key. This time, again, there was nothing, so he shone the light on the letter, as he had in the past, but this particular paper didn't light up.

After a few moments of thinking it through, he decided to shine the light on the lock and on the box, where a... near approximation of a snowdrop illuminated, and he unlocked the box, leaving him now with only the birdseed key and the nursery key.

Inside, as in all other instances, was a puzzle piece and a letter:

I hope you've enjoyed your diversion from your quest, my darling. I wish I could let you stay longer, but I'm not as patient as I'd like to be. And I miss you terribly. I keep telling you to hurry, and yet... Oh, but you'll be here soon, if you're clever, which you are. You've made it this far, after all... But there are people you need to speak to, first. Raise your voice and speak an ocean away, see if the Fates who decide all things judge your heart true. They have before, the women anyway, you're safe from the men.

"Oh god," He said with a low chuckle, "I think she is going to make me talk to the Aunties."

~~

Daizi gave Sally the address to Tristan's shop and then settled back in the seat, fiddling with the hem of her dress. It was really exciting.
 
Xander tossed out the last of the seed to try to keep the ducks close by so Ivy could watch them, and Alec held onto her securely. She could look, but she couldn't touch! Or, worse, end up in the pond.

They looked around at Dark at his statement and half groaned, half laughed. "Oh no! Not the aunties!"

Alec turned and swung Ivy gently back and forth with each step as they went to join Dark. "Surely that can wait for just a little longer!"

~~

Sally drove them to Tristan's shop, though she did get turned around briefly. She found the way back in no time and then pulled up in front. "My, this is an adorable little shop! No wonder Alac likes to work here." She got out and opened the door for Daizi, again just because it felt like the thing to do on a special day.
 
After the bag was empty, Dark turned it over, and there was, of course, a puzzle piece buried inside, which he added to his collection, "Just a bit longer, certainly," He agreed, kissing the top of Ivy's head when she was swung gently towards him. "We do need to come here as a family more often, before the weather turns cold. It would be nice for all five of us to have a picnic here."

~~

"Dark was filling in, people kept coming in just to flirt with him," Daizi said idly, thanking Sally as she opened the door and following her inside, "Hi, Tristan," She said as she entered, having absolutely no idea where in the store he was at that moment, "I promise I'm not just here to bother you, I actually did want to pick up flowers again."
 
"Not a bad idea," Xander agreed.

"I think it's a great idea!" Alec chirped. "And Ivy agrees."

Xander glanced at her. "Yep, I think she does."

~~

Tristan was refilling the daffodils, and he turned to greet Daizi. The rest of the shop was empty for the moment. "Hello, Daizi. Welcome!" he greeted her genially. "It is always a pleasure to see you. And you, ma'am."

"Sally Hollis," Sally introduced herself with a smile. "I am merely a chauffer today, but I will be back I assure you."

"How can I help you today, Daizi?" Tristan asked.
 
"We will, then." Dark said solidly, tipping his head back to look at the sky. This whole day had been wonderful, and he knew there were only better things to come, but sitting here, feeding the ducks, hearing his baby laugh, talking with his sons... It pulled at him. Last week had been difficult. His entire life had been difficult. And he carried scars from it, both physical and emotional... mental. But he could see the reflection of the clouds on the pond, he could hear insects buzzing around in the tall grasses, and the breeze tossed his hair. Somehow, in the middle of everything, he had a little bit of peace.

Shutting his eyes, he wished he could travel a long way back, and bring his childhood self here to let him know he'd have all this one day. To tell him one day he'd wake up, and the woman he loved would surprise him with an adventure, and he'd end up sitting right there by a pond, with people who loved him, and would just get to feed the ducks.

If this was it, and Daizi's scavenger hunt ended here, it would've been the perfect end to the day. But it wasn't the end, which meant she had something truly spectacular planned, if it was something that could beat this. The thought of it made him, a man so solid, stoic, and sad, nearly giddy, but only on the inside. He wondered if anyone would believe him if he said he knew how it felt to have butterflies.

Opening his eyes he said, "I have to call them," he said, "my wife is waiting for me somewhere. I do not suppose she expects you to participate in the call, although you are welcome to."

~~

"She's one of my best friends," Daizi introduced, "I just wanted to get a bouquet for Dark, I'm seeing him not too long from now. I should've thought ahead and called, but you would not believe the amount of planning I've been doing."
 
"Oh, I'm totally listening in," Xander smirked. He laid back on the blanket and stretched, pleased and relaxed, but not fully off guard. They were on a mission, which meant he felt he couldn't fully relax. That did not mean he wasn't enjoying himself. He was! It was really nice here. He would not mind coming back and skipping rocks. As long as he wasn't in danger of hitting the ducks. It could be nice.

Alec was already considering coming back and thinking of the picnic they could bring. It would be a fabulous day! Was the pond safe for swimming? Probably not, but it was a thought!

~~

"It is a pleasure to meet someone so important," Tristan said, dipping his head to Sally, who smiled back and turned to investigate some of the hanging plants. "I have no doubt! Does this planning you are doing have something to do with black dahlias and snowdrops?'
 
Dark reclaimed hold of Ivy, standing her up in his lap, and taking out his phone called Amty Zeinab over a video call, presuming all the other favoured aunties would be gathered around. He could have called over the phone, and not have to put himself on camera, but he knew they liked to see Ivy. They liked to see the twins, too, but did so less often since the twins didn't like to be photographed.

"Hi, Aunties," Dark said in Arabic, a bit resigned to his fate and appearing, as he very seldomly had to, as the dutiful nephew. All of them, immediately, began to coo and fuss over both him and over Ivy, who Dark managed to get to wave hello without him moving her hand. She had absolutely no idea these people on the tiny screen were real, or that they were her family, but this was essentially the only screen time her parents ever allowed her, and she responded to it with the same rapt attention other babies gave to Cocomelon.

"Amty," He said, trying to cut through the chaos to get to whatever clue he needed, "Daizi had me call you---?"

"Look at her!" Khalaty Neha sighed, "She is getting so big! She's going to be tall like her Baba!"

"Inshallah, Khalaty, but--" Dark replied, quickly being cut off.

"Zalmi," Amty Zeinab tutted, "Have you been eating properly? Look at you, you're wasting away! When I visit, habibi, I'll cook for you, and I'll see you restored."

~~

Daizi paused, a sly grin passing over her face, "It does. And how did you guess that?" She asked, one hand on her hip.
 
After listening for a bit, the twins had a near-silent discussion and came to a quick agreement. They inched around so they could each be seen over Dark's shoulders, Alec on the left and Xander on the right, and watched. They didn't try to catch the aunties' attention yet, just watched, sometimes wiggling a bit or making a small, funny face. Nothing too extreme or disrespectful.

~~

"I received a picture of a bunch of keys with words on them," Tristan chuckled. "I could not decide at first if I was being asked to solve some sort of ritual riddle or asked to make a bouquet that had something to do with keys or both." He quickly finished putting the flowers away and rolled back his chair. "Would you like for me to make a bouquet of those flowers, or shall I make an attempt at recreating your wedding bouquet with what I have on hand?"
 
When he caught sight of one of the twins from his peripheral vision, Dark turned to look at them for just a moment, a little glimmer of a smile coming into his eyes before he looked back at the screen. Amty Fadia was talking then, going through a long drawn out story of an absolutely horrid experience she had at the doctor's, because the wait was so long, and she thought she would drop dead in the waiting room before anyone had the chance to see her.

"Oh, Amty, are you ill?" Dark asked, with only the most mild of concern. Fadia was often 'ill.'

"Well, wouldn't you believe---" She began, seemingly about to go into some other tirade, but Amira, the youngest aunt, rolled her eyes and interrupted her.

"Fadia had a cold, and we were all so worried we bought a box of tissues." Being the youngest, she was most aware that Dark did have somewhere to be, and wasn't just excited to talk to her family about anything in the world, "But, I know our sweet Daizi had you call us--"

Amty Zeinab caught sight of the twins and cried out, switching to English, "Ah! There are the boys! Oh, they look so grown up! Look, they don't have the baby fat they had last year! Zalmi, are you even feeding them?"

"Yes, I am feeding them," Dark answered.

"Not enough!" She huffed, leaning in more towards the screen and squinting, "And why do you two never call, hm? I hear so much about you from your mother, but I never get to see you!"

~~

Daizi chuckled, elegantly moving her hair off of her shoulder, "I'm not sure if that's cheating or not, I'll have to make up my mind if he should be punished for that." She drifted further into the shop, "Dark came home with a miniature version of most of our wedding bouquet last weekend, so it might be too soon to get another. Come October, I may hire you to make a more actualistic replica, though, especially if tonight goes well. For now, though, I want to give him flowers that feel like him. Moody, dark flowers, if you have some?"
 
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The twins considered this question as they edged closer to Dark so they could be on the screen more.

"You know, I don't really have an answer for that," Xander admitted.

"Perhaps it's because we aren't getting fed enough and we're too weak from hunger to call!" Alec exclaimed dramatically.

Xander nodded soberly. "It's a tough life. It really is."

~~

Tristan sat perfectly still for a moment as he considered her request and mentally went through his inventory. Then he smiled at her. "I think I have just the thing! Are there any flowers I should avoid?"
 
Zeinab and Amira laughed at that, and Neha chuckled softly. Dark held the phone further out so there was more frame for the twins to be in.

"I know, I can tell!" Zeinab tutted, "When I visit, I'll fix it. Somebody has got to feed these boys, honestly! Don't worry, I'll cook every night when I'm there."

"Careful," Fadia chided, "You'll end up too 'healthy' by the time she leaves."

"No such thing," Zeinab huffed, "And once they're fed properly I'll be allowed to see them more."

~~

"Not that I can think of," Daizi replied, "He cares a lot about flower meanings, though, so he'll recognize if one of the flowers means something dreadful."
 
"I look forward to being fed up properly," Xander said with great seriousness. "It will be an honor."

Alec tried and failed to nudge Xander out of frame. "I'm the younger one! There should be more for me!"

Xander pushed Alec back, nearly getting him out of the frame. "Hey, this isn't about you."

"It's not about food, either," Alec retorted with a smirk, pushing against Xander.

"Right, it's about the giant in the room!" Xander said, accidentally falling against Dark as he play-wrestled with Alec.

~~

Tristan started with the deepest, reddest roses he had - that was a given - and deep, dark blue irises that meant hope, optimism, and a promise of better things to come in the future. A blue hydrangea would have made a good meaning as it indicated a longing for a deeper connection, but the shade of blue he had clashed with the theme he was designing. He hesitated on black flowers as the only real meanings to most black flowers were either that of mystery or negative things, but after some consideration, he added in a few black calla lilies as the calla lily could mean resurrection and rebirth, but it also meant strength and resilience in the face of adversity. That seemed to fit Dark and Daizi quite well.

Once he had his main flowers chosen, he started arranging them with a quick hand, adding in several pieces of dark green fern, eucalyptus, rosemary, and a few bits of ivy worked in. He would have added something for the twins, but he did not know off-hand what flowers or greenery might represent them. The tiny pieces of ivy peaking through the dark, moody, and yet vibrant bouquet was an obvious choice to him as it was easy to guess why it was there.

"He is quite something to watch," Sally admitted quietly to Daizi. "I have never actually watched someone do a floaral arrangement.

Tristan wrapped up the bouquet in black and red ribbon and added on a tiny key charm before tying the bow. Then he pinched the eucalyptus and rosemary lightly to accentuate their scent and rolled over to Daizi with the large but not unwieldy flower arrangement. "Your order is ready! I hope it meets with your expectations."
 
It was absolutely delightful for all the aunties to see how the twins got along and how much Dark seemed to adore them--because certainly they couldn't imagine many people being able to flop against him and have him take it in stride.

"Of course," Neha said calmly, "Daizi did have you call us for a reason." We have this letter---"

She held it up, and was just about to open it, when Ivy sneezed and fell over, which immediately caught every auntie's attention.

After Dark (admittedly to his delight) was made to answer a great number of questions about how Ivy had been doing, as if Daizi didn't call weekly, finally they managed to read the letter.

Zeinab read it out, as dramatically as she could:

When you asked me to run away with you---

"Well," she said, "That's weird, let me switch out the word choice."

When you asked Daizi to run away with you, she had been feeling so trapped, like she had taken the wrong fork at the road and there had been no way back.

Zeinab paused, looking up at the camera, "And that's because she didn't think to take her troubles to her aunties. And what do we learn from that, you four?"

"Always listen to your aunties," Dark answered, taking the most sly glance he could manage at his sons.

Thankfully, it went unnoticed, and Zeinab continued:

I'll always be grateful that when we went back to my home, to figure out what we should do, Amty Zeinab, Khalaty Neha, and Khalaty Amira helped us, because I don't know if, without them, who knows what we could've managed.

Neha put one hand over her mouth and looked away for a moment before saying, with an earnestness which demonstrated the familial bond between her and her niece, "She's so sweet, isn't she?"

"She gets that from our side," Amira commented, mading Fadia roll her eyes---although she couldn't argue.

Zeinab looked over at the three of them, "Please, I am trying to get through this, this is important."

So I wanted them to help us again. It's a bit difficult setting up a puzzle across an ocean, so if you've survived this call, I'll count it a success.

"The sass on her!" Amira commented, feigning offense but unable to stifle a laugh.

"She gets that from your side, too," Fadia said dryly.

But once this call ends, you're free to seek a lake, and our eldest friend.

~~

"Neither have I," Daizi joked, following Tristan to the counter and taking her wallet from her purse to pay for it, "Thank you so much, Tristan. It smells absolutely wonderful, and I'm sure he'll adore it."
 
The twins nodded soberly at the proclamation that they should always listen to their aunties, and Alec managed not to smile. They leaned over Dark, listening to the letter curiously. Plus, the aunties' accents were fantastic. It was easy to forget how amazing of an accent it was when living with it.

"Oh! I know that one!" Alec blurted.

Xander put his hand over his mouth. "Nope! Not yours!"

Alec humphed unhappily but nodded.

~~

"You do so love that joke," Sally said in amusement.

Tristan charged Daizi a little less than he normally might - a friends and family discount that was a closely guarded secret - and said, "I hope I get to hear all about how this goes later. I imagine you will be having a wonderful day! And Master Dark, as well."
 
"I know it too," Dark agreed, "It is less obscured than some of the others I have had. Thank you, Aunties, for helping with this. It means a lot to us both."

"Of course Zalmi," Zeinab said affectionately, "You have fun, habibi."

All the aunts wished Dark well, and expressed their love to the whole family, and Dark was just about to hang up when one of the aunties got on one final tangent before finally, they said their goodbyes all over again, and the call ended.

~~

"There are only so many blind jokes out there," Daizi replied with a little smirk, "I'd be glad to tell you, once it's over. And if you don't hear it from me, I'm certain you'll hear it from Alec. But now I have to go, if I don't make it to the restaurant before he does, I'll have done all this for nothing."
 
"Looks like our time is up," Xander said, getting up and brushing off his pants.

"Shame. It was a lot of fun, but the fun doesn't end here!" Alec said happily as he scrambled up as well. "You need to get going, Ba."

Xander started picking up the blanket and making sure they hadn't forgotten anything. "And, no, you can't take the Mini with you."


~~


Tristan made a shooing motion. "Then go! We cannot have that. Be safe and enjoy yourself to the fullest!"

"Oh, she will," Sally murmured in amusement as she got the doors for Daizi again. "What is the address for the restaurant?"
 
Dark kissed the top of Ivy's head and handed her back to Alec, "My darling girl, Baba has to go see Mama, okay? Have fun with your brothers." Ivy gurgled, reaching back out to him, but Dark only squeezed her hand for a moment, and then let go.

"We should walk to our cars together," Dark said, helping to clean up now that he wasn't holding Ivy, "but I thinks she will end up falling asleep in your car."

~~

Daizi laughed lightly and hurried back out of the shop, telling Sally the address as she went, "I've spoken with them already. Obviously. There's this upstairs loft, and they agreed to close it off so it'll just be us two."
 
"Most likely," Alec agreed, turning Ivy so he could carry her easily and she could still see everyone and everything around her.

Xander toted the diaper bag and assorted items toward his van. "How do tiny people produce so much stuff?" he grumbled.

"Drive safe!" Alec encouraged his father as he opened the van door. "And enjoy!"

~~

Sally followed the directions toward the restaurant. She didn't say much as she drove, but she was thinking that Mr. Hollis was going to have a warm night tonight! "Here we are!" she chirped when they arrived. "Would you like for me to walk you in? Or do you have it from here? The door is directly in front of you when you get out of the car and face away from it."
 
"They do not produce a lot of stuff, they just need a lot of stuff," Dark answered, briefly hugging Alec with one arm and saying to both twins, "Thank you both for participating in this, whatever this is."

Then, with a wave, he got into his car, buckled his seatbelt, and after watching to make sure the twins didn't have any trouble getting Ivy into the van, drove to Cooger's.

~~

"No, I'm okay, thank you," Daizi said, taking a deep breath. This was it, or would be, soon, "Dark and I come here often enough, I could navigate it in my sleep. Thank you, Sally, seriously, I don't know if I'd have been able to put this together without you, especially since you're the one who first suggested a vow renewal."
 
The twins got Ivy in, and after they were on the road, Alec texted Daizi. The goose has left the ducks. The goose is flying! The goose is heading for the fox.

~~

"I am more than happy to help! And I may need the favors I have earned from this," Sally teased. "Now go! Go make his and your dreams come true!"
 
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