How Green Becomes Wood

"I promise to be good to her," Alec promised. Then he changed the subject as Xander got closer. "How long do you think Ba will be trying to find his perfect pumpkin?"

"I got a wagon! Bring your pumpkins!" Xander called, guiding the wagon closer but stopping several feet away.
 
"It depends on the year," Daizi replied grinning, "He's an artist. And I'm not saying that sarcastically. I can't imagine what he sees, but he has a sight not everyone posesses." Turning her head, she heard how distant Xander was standing, "Is there a reason you're standing so far off?"
 
"There's a couple of vines between me and thee," Xander called, choosing not to mention he felt a little uncomfortable getting closer while Daizi was nursing. Plus, it was technically true. He could get around it if he really wanted to, but he didn't really want to.

Alec stood up and carefully juggled his two pumpkins. "Then I shall bring my pumpkins to you! I'll be back for Ivy's, Mama," Alec assured her. He took his two pumpkins to the wagon and came back for Ivy's little pumpkin. "You need to pick a pumpkin, Mama."
 
"I see," Daizi replied, accepting him at his words, "If it really means something to you, I'll pick one, but I can't really carve it."

As she said this, Dark stretched up from somewhere barely in sight like a Giraffe at the start of The Lion King, holding his prize aloft. At last! The perfect one! With it in hand, he began making his way back towards wherever his family had gone.
 
"If you don't want to, I don't want to pressure you into it, but it feels strange that everyone has a pumpkin except you," he told her. "You could... you could glue shapes onto your pumpkin! If you wanted. Or leave it as it is. If you wanted."

"Ba has found his pumpkin," Xander said dramatically. "Looks like he found a good one."
 
"You have two pumpkins, so I think it evens out. But if you really think I should have one, I'll pick one." Daizi replied, and then tutted at Xander, "He's proud of himself. This is a big deal to him "

The pumpkin Dark had found was tall yet still round with a lovely, curly stem like a snake. When he found them, he came up to them triumphantly, "This is a very good year."
 
Xander frowned lightly at Daizi. "I didn't say it was a bad thing. It's obviously a big deal." He turned back as Dark approached. "What is it?"

"It's a pig on its head!" Alec crowed, tipping his head sideways. "The stem is its tail!"

"I think it's a snake about to strike," Xander said, turning his head the oppisite way.
 
"That is for me to know," Dark replied, holding it up with the look in his eyes he always had when there was something thrumming inside of his mind. Yes, this would do quite nicely. You will see it, after it is carved."
 
"Aw, come on!" Alec begged, straightening. "You're not going to tell?"

"You know he ain't, so might as well not waste the energy begging," Xander snorted. He pointed to the wagon for Dark. "Does it want to ride with the others?"
 
"Certainly not." Dark replied, immensely pleased. He set it safely into the wagon, "Right. Where to next?"

"There's always the pumpkin slingshot," Daizi grinned, "You'd probably like that, Xander."
 
"What's a pumpkin slingshot? Is it exactly like what it sounds like?" Xander asked, immediately perking up. "We can sling pumpkins?"

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Alec agreed instantly, though he was slightly less enthusiastic than Xander.

Xander tugged the wagon along and aimed in what he hoped was the slingshot pumpkin direction. "This way?"
 
"It is exactly what it sounds like," Dark confirmed, lingering until Daizi had finished and Ivy was buckled back into her stroller, "There are targets you are meant to aim at, but really, the joy is in sending pumpkins hurtling to their doom. And it makes replanting easier on the farmers."

"Afterwards we can get something to eat," Daizi said, "It feels around that time. And it'd give us time to decide what else we want to do."
 
"Food, and then games! After the pumpkin shots," Alec declared, coming up to help Xander pull the wagon.

Xander nodded. "Yeah! Food, then games. Absolutely!"

"How many pumpkins do we get to do?" Alec wondered.

"Probably one each, but maybe it depends on how busy they are. Let's go find out!" Xander encouraged.
 
Dark led them to the sling-shots, paying the small fee so they all were able to shoot two pumpkins each. They weren't large, but they weren't little ones, either. "Who goes first?" He asked, holding his shooting pumpkin on his hip.
 
"Of course," Dark replied, getting in place behind the slingshot and loading the pumpkin in. The elastic cords which powered it were a bit stiff, but he was strong and knew how to use his weight to his advantage. Sure, his first pumpkin barely hit the board, but it flew hard and fast, bursting spectacularly with a dramatic thwack as it smacked the corner. If the board wasn't so solidly built, it would've wobbled from the force.

His next pumpkin he launched similarly, but adjusted his aim, so this time it hit squarely on the board, albeit not quite as the bullseye. This was not a carnival game, this was just launching pumpkins. The point was not to win, it was to explode gourds.
 
"Nice," Xander said with a nod of approval.

Alec cheered as if he'd hit the bullseye himself. "That was awesome!! Pumpkin guts everywhere! Nice shot!"

"Alright, my turn," Xander said once the appropriate amount of cheering and congratulations had passed. He stepped up and felt how stiff the bands were and how it felt before putting his pumpkin in the sling. He was not nearly as heavy as Dark, of course, so he had to put in a lot more muscle power to pull back the bands. Incredibly, he managed to get it back as far as Dark had, though his arms shook under the strain. He took only a second to ensure where he was aiming and then let go. The pumpkin flew through the air and smacked solidly into the corner opposite where Dark's first pumpkin had struck and a little farther in. His second pumpkin struck the outer rings of the target with a satisfying spew of pumpkin innards.

"Wow! That was even better than Ba's!" Alec cheered, clapping Xander on the shoulder as Xander shook out his arms. "That was amazing! My turn now. I bet I hit the bullseye."

"If you do, I'll buy you a funnel cake," Xander promised.

Alec, having neither Dark's weight nor Xander's musculature, could not get the bands back nearly as far. His first pumpkin did make it to the board, but only just. It cracked and splattered a bit, but not much. Undaunted, he tried again. He managed to get the bands back farther the second time with a lot of effort, and the pumpkin flew smoothly to clip the bottom of the board and shatter in a much more satisfying manner.

"I hit the board!" Alec crowed.
 
"Well done," Dark nodded, impressed with Xander's success and with Alec's attempt.

"It sounded awesome," Daizi cheered, walking up to the slingshot, "That's the best part, I can hear it just as well as the rest of you."

Placing one of the pumpkins into her hands, Dark said, "It is your turn."

Grinning like a cat, Daizi placed the pumpkin into its receptacle and began to pull back. She struggled less than Alec, but certainly more than Xander. Clearly, she was capable of pulling it all the way back, but she still hesitated, and as she let it go slack, without releasing the pumpkin, she turned towards her husband, "Goose, can you help me?"

"Why? You had it." Dark replied, once more leaning against the stroller and watching her differently than he watched his sons.

"I don't know..."

"Spider," He mused, seeking answers in her shy smile, "I know exactly how strong you are."

"What if I pull my hair?"

"I am looking at your hair now, it is in no risk of being pulled."

"Goose, I can't aim," She pouted even as her eyes shone behind her sunglassed, "Please help me."

Fighting back a smirk, Dark stood up from the stroller and went behind Daizi, placing his hands over hers. "You have to let go when I tell you."

"I promise I will."

"You better."

"Don't you trust me?"

He snorted as he began to pull back, "Of course not." If her true motivations were not immediately evident, her giggle as she had to lean up against him as pulled the elastic band back revealed them.

With the two of them pulling the slingshot back, when they finally released, they stumbled a bit from the force, but Dark caught her by the waist. The pumpkin itself hit beautifully, just below the bullseye, exploding in a horrific mess of bright orange goop.

"I did it!" She cheered, still leaning against him, "All on my own!"

"All on your own?" Dark raised an eyebrow.

"You hardly helped at all," She teased.
 
The twins watched first in confusion and then in exasperated amusement. Alec was annoyed that Daizi had less trouble than he did. He was working out consistently! And he wasn't sure she was. So what was different? Still, he cheered when she/they hit the target. Even if she was cheating with Dark's help, it was still an impressive explosion of pumpkin, which was what they were here for.

"Look at that. Look at the precision. Look at the singular effort," Xander drawled.
 
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