How Green Becomes Wood

Daizi's phone began to ring, Tristan. Tristan. Tristan. Both she and Dark paused, but he moved first, "Let me answer it."

"No, Goose," Daizi replied, carefully handing Ivy to him, "He called me. I'll speak to him. Take her, but don't lay her down, it's my turn to do bedtime." Rising to her feet, Daizi walked towards her office, answering it along the way, "Hello?"

Dark hesitated for a few moments and then followed her. If he wasn't going to speak to Tristan, he still wanted to hear the conversation.
 
"Good evening, Daizi," Tristan greeted her. "I hope I have not interrupted your evening too much, but I wanted to see how Alec was doing. There was an incident today at the shop, as I'm sure he told you about."
 
Daizi sighed softly, sitting down on her couch. Although she was calmer about the whole thing than Dark would've been, her voice lacked it's usual friendliness, "Yes, he did. He was very upset, when he came home. He seems to be more settled now."
 
"Ah." He wasn't sure what to say to that. It seemed odd to apologize to Daizi. Instead, he said, "I am glad he is doing better. The whole day was a bit rougher than usual, and it certainly did not end on a high note."
 
"No, I wouldn't say so," Daizi replied, bringing her legs up onto her couch, only shifting over when she heard Dark come in. She spent some time trying to figure out what exactly to say, and then, plainly, she said, "It wasn't okay, what happened."
 
Tristan moved the phone away long enough to allow him a sigh that Daizi and Dark wouldn't be able to hear. When he felt ready, he said, "This is not something that I enjoy or condone. Have I ever given you reason to believe that this is the standard by which I prefer to live my life?"
 
"No, and that is why we were shocked when we heard what had happened," Daizi replied calmly, "But he's our son. I understand mistakes happen, we both understand sometimes we lose our tempers. I don't blame you for that, even the calmest among us can be pushed too far. Tristan," She began and then sighed, shaking her head, staying silent for a while as she considered her thoughts, "He told Dark he felt you might have been right. I wasn't there, but..." She took another pause, "Dark and I have both known people who have lost their tempers on accident, apologized, and made sure it didn't happen again. And we have both known people who lost their tempers, apologized, and continued to make the same mistake. I don't think you're a bad man. And I don't think you're a dangerous man. I truly believe you were a man who was pushed too far and who is sorry, and I am able to forgive that, and I am able to move beyond that. But he's our child, and we trust you to be alone with him. I would not be able to forgive myself if years down the line, while I believed you to be the former, you turned out to be the latter. That is why I asked."
 
"He thought it might be true?" Tristan repeated quietly, confused and shocked. "I have never... I would never... I did not think..." He hesitated, trying to remember every interaction he and Alec had ever had. "I did not think I had ever given him reason to believe I thought that of him. Yes, I said things I regret, and it is not something I ever wanted to repeat, not with him or anyone, but I do not understand why he would say I was right. I most certainly was not, and I did not ever think I gave that impression. Did... did he say why he thought that way?"

Had he been doing something wrong? He had always erred more on the business relationship side of things with Alec since that was where they interacted the most and he did not want to assume anything or give Alec the impression that he thought that since they were related, Alec owed him anything at all. He felt he'd always balanced it well, being only slightly more familiar with Alec than a regular employee when there were no customers around. Had he been too familiar? Too strict? Had he said something that was misunderstood? Or had he really said something terrible that he wasn't remembering?
 
Again Dark tried to speak up and again Daizi hushed him, "He's sixteen, and has his own complicated mess of hormones and insecurities he needs to work through. That we're helping him work through. And he trusts you, and he likes you. It's not like you're just his friend, you're twice his age, his employer, and his uncle. He hasn't said as much, but if I had to guess, he cares about your opinion. You aren't nobody, to him. So when you called him an idiot, it struck him where his fears are." She shifted, tucking her hair back and feeling silly she was having this conversation wearing matching pajamas, "I don't intend to rake you over the coals, Tristan. My intention is not to guilt you or harm you or reinvent myself as the holy, ideal of womanhood to shame you. I've messed up with them too. Because all of us are flawed. We need to be more cautious about what we say to teenagers, they internalize so much."
 
"I know," Tristan said with just a hair of force. "Believe me, I know, and that is why I immediately apologized and tried to correct myself, but I also know that once said, words cannot be unsaid. I did not think he thought that highly of me, and I am sorry to have hurt him in the way I did. It was never my intention, but it is what happened." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How do you wish to proceed?"
 
"Like I said, Alec forgives you." Daizi replied simply, "We are going to trust his intuition. It would cause more problems if we didn't. So unless Alec says otherwise, if you still wish to attend, we will see you tomorrow, we will eat cake, and we will move on. I genuinely believe it is unlike you and you regret it."
 
"And you as well, Daizi." Tristan hung up the phone and sat staring at the collection of plants sitting on his windowsill. Maybe it had been a mistake to allow himself to get caught up in this family. For both of them. Unfortunately, it was not like he could pull out now. He sighed and turned his chair toward bed. Maybe things would be clearer after a good night's rest.
 
Daizi hung up and tossed her phone aside and sat back, rubbing her hands over her face, "I hear you stewing."

"You are too forgiving." Dark replied simply.

Pointlessly waving one hand, Daizi replied, "He apologized."

"He called our son an idiot."

"Alec forgave him, we have to at least try to respect his choices," Daizi replied, turning towards him, "If it happens again, we'll reevaluate."

"If he tells us the second time."

"He will."

"He almost did not today, because he did not want me to be angry with Tristan." Dark pointed out, "Of course I am angry."

"And if we went against his wishes, do you think he would ever tell you anything again?" Daizi asked, shaking out her hair. "Tristan is, what, twenty-nine? He's still working through his s***."

"He's not a child, Daizi, he's almost thirty. Alec is not even an adult."

Daizi sighed heavily, reaching out and finding his hand, "Goose. Love of my life. Can you honestly say you've never accidentally slipped and said something you regretted? Never inappropriate directed your anger?"

"Do not make this about me."

"Ghalib, if we gave up on you when you lashed out while in crisis, you would've lived a lonely, lonely life." She cupped his cheek, "When you were Tristan's age, we were getting married. Right now, a decade ago, we were counting down the days until our wedding. You weren't perfect then. We aren't now. It's a process. He's still a work in progress. And it is about you, my love. You're scared for Alec, but you're scared for you, too."

Dark stared into her face until tears came to his eyes and he had to turn his face away, "I do not know what to do with the pity you feel for others."

"Somebody has to be your conscious," Daizi shugged, kneeling on the couch so she could kiss his forehead, "Alec is not going to find himself under the thumb of a tyrant who only builds him up enough to keep him from wising up and leaving. And Tristan does not have the makings of such a man."

With great effort he looked back at her, "How do you know?"

"Because he has us," She answered, and then answered again, touching ther pointer finger to her forehead, "And because of my third eye. I see inside his soul like I saw inside yours. If I'm wrong, we'll reevaluate. But I'm not wrong."
 
Alec and Xander sat chatting with Amty Zeinab, both of them wondering where their parents had gotten off to but trying to focus on their aunt. Alec felt a twist of anxiety. What were they saying to Tristan? Were they scolding him? Were they going to make him fire Alec? Or tell Alec to quit? Dark hadn't said anything to either effect, but now he was worried.
 
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