How Green Becomes Wood

I understand. Let me know when you can. The adoption will be finalized next Friday. There is no pressure on you to bring anything. He hit send, but then, after a moments' pause, added, Although, if there is a special dish your family used to make, it might be nice for the twins to be able to try it.
 
A family food dish? The only one that came instantly to Tristan's mind was scrapple, and he hated scrapple growing up. Come to think of it, he had no idea how to even begin to make it. There were other dishes, of course, things that he had liked eating like tomato pie and stromboli and shoeflypie, but he didn't know how to make those, either. Thankfully, he did not have to explain all that. All he had to explain was, I shall consider what I could bring, but I must warn you: I am a terrible cook. I do not even have a kitchen. Therefore, if I bring something, it will be storebought. Is that alright?
 
Of course. We just want them to have food from all of their many families, if they can, but there is no pressure if you are unable to bring anything. Dark assured him, You do not have a kitchen?
 
I have a microwave, a sink, and hot plate that is currently dusty, Tristan replied. Considering I do not know how to cook and had no intention of changing that, a kitchen seemed like a waste of space.
 
Dark stared at his phone, completely astounded. Even Cooger knew how to cook some things. The sodium alone in eating how Tristan must was horrifying. If it works for you, I suppose that is what matters.
 
Tristan chuckled, amused. He didn't know Dark well enough to guess the full extent of his reaction, but he could guess. Indeed. Other than potentially a food dish familiar to my family, are you certain there is nothing else I might bring?
 
The next couple of days went by about the same. The twins remained a little cranky and touchy during the school day, but both were making obvious efforts not to take it out on their friends. They didn't want to share their issues, seeming satisfied with keeping things between themselves, but they didn't mean to be harsh to those around them. They threw themselves into their schoolwork in hopes of finding distraction and focused on that.
 
Sloan did her best to be understanding with them, knowing there was a lot on their minds. When a bit of the feelings came out a bit sharply, she redirected them subtly, but let them go. If nothing else, she could see they were trying. Milo, who didn't know what was making them so jumpy, but he did his best to handle it.

That day, Dark brought two stacks of invitations to the post office, and paid an exorbitant amount of money for express shipping for one set, even though he did go ahead and reach out to everyone to extend a more casual invitation and to alert them the formal one was on the way. The twins could distribute the ones to their friends in person, and it wasn't like he knew Becky's address. In Ciara's, he included the same request he had made of Tristan's: if there is any food from their family that matters, they would appreciate it if she could bring it, but understood if it was not possible. She, he thought, would appreciate the physical invitation.
 
The twins came home in the middle of an argument. Not to serious of one, thankfully, but it was getting heated by the time they walked into the house.

"It's for one event. Why do we need it for one event?" Xander was saying as he walked through the door.

Alec checked his phone. "It's a special event! Don't you think it's special? Don't you want it to feel special?"

"I think it can feel special without buying a whole new outfit!" Xander snapped. "We have enough clothes. You have enough clothes. Nice clothes!"

"But it's a new start! Or at least marking a new start. It feels right! And you haven't bought anything new in I don't know how long!" Alec argued, struggling to take off his shoes while holding his phone.
 
"The adoption with the court proceedings and the after party," Alec told him, checking his phone again before sticking it in his pocket so he could pull off his shoes.

Xander kicked his shoes off with ease and touched the salt before coming in. "Mister clothes horse here wants us both to get full new outfits to wear to the event. I say we have enough clothing."

"Yes, we have enough clothing, but it would be nice to wear something nice to such a formal occasion!" Alec protested, stumbling after him. "We can wear them again, you know."

"To what? Another court proceeding?" Xander demanded.

Alec hesitated a moment before stating, "A vow renewal!"
 
Dark would've tugged on his beard as he considered both sides, but Ivy already was, happily saying ah, ah, ah, la, ah while the rest of them spoke, "It is never a negative to have a nice suit. I do not think a suit is necessarily necessary for the court, just nice pants---not jeans or sweats---and a button-down shirt, but the vow renewal will be more formal."
 
"I have those. One pair of those," Xander stated.

"Yes, one pair. What if something happens to those one pair?" Alec challenged. "What's so bad about having two sets of nice clothes?"

"The fact that it can so quickly grow to twenty sets like you," Xander grumbled.

"I do not have twenty set!"

"Do you know how many you do have? Because I don't!"

"I know exactly what is in my closet at all times!"

"You haven't seen the back of your closet or the clothes in it in months!"
 
Fairly certain Dark did probably have twenty pairs of pants, and certainly over twenty dress shirts... and vests... and ties... He chose to avoid that particular point, and instead said, "I advise, overall, having one good suit, with the vest as well as the jacket, and two nice dress shirts. It will last, so long as you do not out grow it, and then you can add or remove pieces as needed, so you have the right thing to wear for all relevant formal occasions."
 
"See? He agrees with me. We don't even have to spend a bunch of money. We can check to see if the thrift stores around here have anything of good quality you can use," Alec coaxed.

Xander rolled his eyes. "It's not just about the money." He let it drop, not agreeing or refusing to Alec's suggestion as he walked past Dark. He offered Ivy a fist bump. "Sup, Mini? How was your day?"

Alec glared at his back but took his backpack over to the stairs and dropped it next to them.
 
Dark watched Xander as Ivy reached forward to return the fist bump, curious about why exactly he was so against it. Later he'd tell Alec privately if he needed a nice suit, he could have one, even if Xander was against it for himself. It didn't seem right to say it just now, "I think she had a nice day. She is just preparing for her last few weeks of being less than a year old. Daizi is outside, she wanted to set cuttings out in the dining room."
 
"Cool. Enjoy those last few weeks, Mini. Life gets really hard and full of responsibilities when you turn one," Xander told Ivy.

Alec snorted as he pulled out his phone to check it again. "Good advice."

Xander rolled his eyes and dropped his backpack next to Alec's. "Whatever. I'm going to head upstairs to get ready."
 
"It is true," Dark agreed, bouncing Ivy, "but luckily, you are still Baba's baby. Even when you are a very old, having lived for a full year."

"Alec, habibi," Daizi called, coming inside, "Can you help me arrange these?"
 
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