How Green Becomes Wood

"Samira means 'Night Companion,' he signed my fate when he named me," Daizi replied dryly, "But, no, he does not support my choice in spouse. I don't think he ever will. I don't even know why, not really. I mean," She waved one hand, "There are reasons, but none that... explain why his hatred is this deep. I don't need to tell you how perfectly my husband treats me. Or how happy he makes me, or how wonderful a father he is. But my Baba...?" She pushed her hair back with one hand, "He doesn't realize I won't let him around his grandchildren if he can't play nice. The twins it just angers, which is enough of a reason, but what will hearing that do to Ivy?"

Still, she chuckled at Sally's admission, "For what it's worth, I think your relative sounds very cool."
 
"I agree, that would be a terrible thing for Ivy to hear or see," Sally said with a nod. "I can only imagine how absolutely devastating it would be to not be allowed around your grandchildren, and I do understand not fully supporting someone's choice, but there is a limit to which it should be allowed. Just because you do not agree with something or someone does not give the right to be uncouth. But that is, sadly, his own bed to make, as they say. I just hope that he takes care. I would not like to see the fall out of that."

"However, my relative, he is very cool, and brilliant at parties. He always knows just how far to push the bar, and his wife absolutely adores him. My dear grandfather refuses to have anything to do with him without realizing that by now, the only person he is hurting is himself now that we have all gotten past the initial pain and stress."
 
"She's as much her father as she is me. And I'll be dead in the ground before I let anyone, especially her family, make her feel like there's something wrong with her because of who her father is. I care about her feelings more than his. For years, Dark told me to let it go, he can handle it, but it's different now." She listened to the little jingle travel around the room, "It's different now."

"Do you know, Alec talked about doing pole dancing, once? I've got no issue with it, I once had a... fling with a drag queen, for a few months, among other... dalliances, so. There's not much that can shock me. But I think Dark is relieved, Alec doesn't seem the type to want to do it in... certain environments, and I'm not sure how much money can be made performing that art outside of those venues."
 
Sally was silent for a moment as she tried to digest all of that. Having a fling with a drag queen was definitely something that would get her in her grandfather', parents', and many other relatives bad books, and despite her efforts not to be and to grow beyond it, she still had some stigma toward that type of group. She worked against it, but it was still an instinctive immediate reaction. And then there was the pole dancing.

"I am not certain how to react to the pole dancing," she admitted honestly. "Is it alright to be amused by the idea? And I do think he would be talented, but I agree, I would not want to see such a sweet, delicate soul in such an environment."
 
Daizi heard the prolonged silence and sighed softly, allowing it to just play out. It wasn't exactly a surprising reaction. If being a witch married to a man almost entirely covered in tattoos living in a haunted manor wasn't enough of a clue, she was very familiar with the fringes of society.

"That's where we got our espresso machine from," She said, after Sally spoke again, "It was a wedding gift. We don't use it as much as we used to, though." Following a brief pause she continued, "Honestly, I'm amused by it, too. He just likes sequins and spotlights, Alec. He wants to perform, he's focusing on Cyr Wheel now. You'd never believe it, but Alec was shy when I first met him."
 
"Alec? Shy?" Sally asked, truly surprised by that revelation. "I never would have thought it! He always seemed like a quiet type around adults, but he is also so bright and cheery! Not to mention the sequins. What is a Cyr Wheel?"
 
"No, I don't imagine many people who know him now would guess it, but he really was. Now he craves the spotlight, I guess to make up for lost time. I wonder if one day it'll balance out, since he's hit the two extremes. The Cyr Wheel is this... giant wheel he stands in? It's a circus thing, I think, it spins and...?" She sighed, "Don't tell him, but I honestly don't really understand what it does. He's had me feel his wheel, because he's got this used one. It stressed Dark out to no end, because they're expensive, and Alec needed to enter into a payment plan for it, and although Dark believes impermanence doesn't equal unimportance, his heart quailed at making such a purchase so soon in his training, especially since Alec has many hobbies, I think more than any of us. I think he decided now that he has options to try things, he's going to try all of it. He's hungry and he's going to feast. And at least for now, he loves his wheel, so. I just know he goes upside-down and spins, but I struggle to understand what that means. In an artistic sense. I just kind of imagine an army of vitruvian men in hamstet balls."
 
Sally tried not to laugh, but she could not help a few quiet giggles at the idea of a bunch of men in hamster balls. Adding in the extra limbs made it that much more bizarre. "I will look it up later to see what it looks like," she promised. "Payment plans are not optimal, no, but I suppose he craves a certain amount of independence now that he has income of his own. It is a good thing he has you two to help slow him down and guide him a little as he experiments with life. What about Xander? I know he does something with leather. Has he changed dramatically, or does he desire to try everything?"
 
"I'm sure that's where it comes from. I don't really mind, but money always worries Dark. He tries not to be annoying about it, but his background... All Dark wants is to provide for everyone, give gifts and treats and, I think, show off his generosity, now that he can afford to be generous, but at the same time, I think his heart starts palpitating at the sight of a big purchase. I don't imagine it's an easy balance to walk." She hummed lightly, "Xander is more stalwart, more like his father. He's found the things he enjoys, and sticks with them. Although awhile ago, he was questioning if he still finds Judo fulfilling, and he doesn't really want to be in the band anymore. That, at least, was something he only ever did for Alec."
 
"That's good to hear," Sally said. "It's nice to hear that Alec feels secure enough to explore, but it's also a good thing to find what you love fairly early." She checked the clock. "I'm sorry, darling, but it is nearly time for me to go back on the clock."
 
"No, it's alright. I called you without much warning. I didn't know you worked Sundays-- you get back to it. I'll see you on Saturday."

After hanging up, Daizi reached out her arms to Ivy, calling to her, and soon her baby happily crawled back into her lap.
 
"I don't normally, but I agreed to work this Sunday in exchange for a couple of other days off while I wait for a catabolic reaction and... Boring stuff, really. You go enjoy your baby and give her an extra cuddle from me!" Sally hung up, happy Daizi was happy and peered into her microscope for a moment before returning to her book. Things were happening on the slide, so that was a good thing! Not nearly as good as other things happening outside of the slide. Maybe she and Peter should go out on a mother-son date.
 
Daizi scooped Ivy up in her arms and blew a raspberry on her tummy, grinning at the way Ivy squealed and squirmed.

"Mama loves you, Ivy-Qadira," Daizi cooed, feeling so close to her daughter. It was just two little syllables, but it meant she was doing something right. And she needed that. There was so much she felt like she had lost or sacrificed, but she had that. It made her want to cry, but she didn't want to worry her baby, so she held it in.

Eventually she brought Ivy back downstairs to reconnect with everybody else, and the day ended peacefully enough. As soon as Daizi was in bed, she finally broke, and Dark held her against his chest.

Come morning, she was cooking breakfast while Dark sat at the counter wearing a heavy frown and writing a list.
 
Xander wandered in first and walked past Dark to help with breakfast. He paused and looked at Dark and his paper curiously. "Are you taking inventory and you think you've missed something?" he guessed.
 
"I am making a list of everything which needs to be done before people begin to arrive tomorrow." Dark replied, not looking up, "Is your room clean? And your bathroom?" He frowned at his list and made a note, "We need to wash towels."
 
"Bathroom's clean. Working on the bedroom." Xander looked up as Alec came in, yawning. "Hey, Ba says you gotta clean your room before you go play with your friends."

Alec frowned at him. "Last I checked, two people shared that room."

"And last I checked, my side was clean and tidy while yours still has things everywhere," Xander pointed out.

"I just have to put things on shelves and it's done. It'll take five minutes!" Alec complained.
 
"Just," Dark held up one hand, "Make sure it is done. I am thankful you agreed to let Amty Zeinab stay in your bedroom, but she deserves a tidy, neat room to sleep in. I do not want her to trip over something and break a hip."

"Walla, please don't joke about my aunt severely injuring herself at our home," Daizi groaned as she stood over the stove.

"Who is joking?" Dark asked dryly, "It is important. And not something on the list I can do."
 
Alec gave a groan of exasperation and spun around to go back the way he'd come. "It's not that bad!" He clumped back out and up to his room to take care of things.

"It is that bad," Xander said quietly. He moved so he could look over Dark's shoulder. "Where's my list of things to do?"
 
"We have known about this long enough to be prepared," Dark commented. Inhaling slowly, he slid his list towards Xander, all of it written in Arabic, "I have not been delegating. Luckily, these are only the last minute things, because I have been preparing, but. We have to clean the baseboards, dust, mop..." He sighed, much of this had been done only days ago for the adoption party, but this was different. It needed to be repeated, "If you can wash towels and bedding, that would be a help."
 
"Sure, I can do that. How about the baseboards, too? Save your knees and back a bit," Xander suggested. He wasn't even going to argue with Dark about whether or not the baseboards needed to be done considering who was coming. "What else?"
 
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