How Green Becomes Wood

"He pulled it off better than you may imagine," Spencer mused, looking around at people heading that way, "I suppose so. I'm not sure if it's kind or cruel to Dark. Typically he loves avoiding all socialization at a party, but this isn't just any party." She gestured, going to fetch her shoes before heading outside. "Have you had Masgouf before?"

~~

"There is a statue of Aphrodite wielding her slipper against Pan, lovingly referred to as The Slipper-Slapper," Dark told Jack, "It is an old and prestigious tradition."

~~

Daizi smiled softly, "I probably should drink water, but I'm not tired. It's just a very big day. It's not just making sure everything runs smoothly and that everyone is enjoying themselves. It's important, and it's not lost on me. You know how people say the first birthday party isn't for the baby, it's for the parents?"
 
"I do not believe I have," Ciara replied. She took off her shoe covers when they were close to the door. "Is it a special meal?"

~~

"I'm sure there is, and I don't doubt that it's a tradition as old as time," Jack said in amusement.

~~

"I guess so," Alec said. He fetched her some water and brought it over. "So many people are so happy to have Ivy here! It's wonderful. And nearly everyone is outside now, so I guess kidnapping the food was the way to go."
 
"It is the national dish of Iraq," Spencer answered, holding the door open for Ciara, "It's a point of pride for your---for him." It was too late into her sentence before she realized she wasn't sure how Dark and Ciara considered their relationship, and it felt awkward to say your-nephew's-father. "I've only had it once before."

~~

"It is not something I could do to my children," Dark said, poking the embers, not admitting sometimes he understood the inclination, so long as the slipper wouldn't actually hurt them. And it wouldn't frighten them. If they'd find it funny.

~~

Although Daizi came near to saying something more but decided against it. It wasn't something he'd understand anyway. "Life is better with her here. I'm glad people finally migrated outside, Dark doesn't deserve to miss his daughter's birthday because he's cooking for it."
 
"This is an auspicious occasion. It is a perfect occasion for such an auspicious dish," Ciara said, politely pretending not to notice Spencer's verbal stumble. She was uncertain what their relationship was, either, and she didn't think Dark was any help.

~~

"I threw a shoe at my boy once, but in my defense, he'd put a little crab in it as a joke," Jack commented.

"Ba, how's the fish coming?" Xander called, wandering toward the fire.

~~

Alec smiled and walked with her outside. "At least Mr. Hollis is keeping him company."
 
"Auspicious," Spencer repeated softly to herself, "He'd like that." As she stepped outside she went into the inside pocket of her suit jacket and put on sunglasses.

"There you are!" Mittz said brightly, practically skipping up to the pair of them, "I was wondering when you'd get out here. I have sunscreen in my purse if you need it, Spence." She'd need it. "Hi, I'm Mitzi, you must be Alec and Xander's aunt." Cheerfully, the tiny woman with purple hair held out one hand to Ciara.

~~

"Perfectly," Dark replied, checking his fish and then the time, "Ivy-Qadira is napping, I presume? By the time she wakes, it will be ready."

~~

"And now we can too," Daizi replied, following the sounds of the crackling fire and the scent of smoke and fish.
 
"Ciara Cunningham. Yes, I am the boys' aunt," Ciara greeted her formally, accepting the hand. She glanced at Mitzi's purple hair and inwardly sighed. What was it with people today and messing with things like dying their hair a thousand colors, piercing so many holes in their bodies it was a wonder they didn't leak, and printing permanent pictures on themselves? She understood youth doing such silly things, but not adults. Then again, if Mitzi worked with small children, looking like a cartoon person might be useful. None of this showed on her face, which was set to, "politely interested" mode.

~~

"Yeah, I think so." Xander glanced away. "Those two can tell you more accurately."

"Hi, Ba! Hi, Mr. Hollis. Uncle Rashid," Alec greeted each of them.

"Xander!" Peter called, waving. "There you are. I've been meaning to tell you something."

Xander left the group and wandered over to Peter to see what he wanted.
 
"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Mitzi Romano. It's a great party isn't it? At least by children's birthday party standards." She wasn't cheerful in that overwhelming way some could be, but nonetheless she was all smiles in a way which made it seem like she was truly glad to have met Ciara and not only mingling out of obligation.

~~

"She's sleeping," Daizi confirmed, taking the monitor out of her pocket and handing it to her husband, "She needed it too, it's a lot for her. One year old..."

"One year old," Dark repeated, the weight in his voice matching hers. "I was worried she would be too overestimulated to sleep, I am glad to be wrong."

"I am delighted to have finally met her," Rashid said, putting his arm around Daizi's shoulders, "You made a sweet baby."
 
"This is the first child's birthday party I have been to since I was a child. It is less chaotic than I anticipated," Ciara admitted. She glanced around briefly and gave a little nod of approval. She had always liked the backyard here with all of the gardens. It was not something she was interested in committing time and energy to herself, but she recognized the artistry and hard work.

~~

"She is ridiculous. Way too sweet for her own good. I did not think something like her could possibly exist in reality," Jack said with a grin.

"And she is all for hugs and loves," Alec added happily.

~~

Xander and Peter sat in one corner of the deck looking at something on Peter's phone and discussing it between themselves. Xander looked up as Tristan cautiously navigated the threshold of the door onto the porch, and when it was clear Tristan did not need help, he went back to Peter's phone and their conversation.
 
"It helps there is only one baby here," Mittz replied, "Once Ivy has her own friends, it'll be different. But in my line of work, I love the chaos. It's loud and exhausting, but I prefer it."

~~

Dark's eyes lightened softly, imperceptible to Rashid or Jack. It was nice to hear them talk so lovingly about his child. If it was more private and he was not in the presence of so many people he felt unable to open up to, he'd have expressed how he didn't know how someone like Ivy came from someone like him.

"I brought a wagon," Cooger said from the deck, leaning with his arms on the railing, "I thought the kid'd enjoy a wagon ride." Then he turned and looked over at Tristan, "How're you, man?"
 
Ciara was not certain how to respond to that. "It is a necessity for the job, I imagine, to form some sort of tolerance for such environments," she said at last.

~~

Tristan smiled at Cooger as he carefully maneuvered his chair into a comfortable spot out of the way. "I am doing well, thank you, Cooger. I was not certain I would be able to make it today, but, thankfully, everything decided to cooperate so I would not miss such an important event. How about yourself?"
 
"I don't think anyone loves birthdays more than children. It's really sweet. But if course, for a first birthday, it's more for the parents." She looked at Dark and Daizi, "A lot of people say that negatively, but I just love how exciting it is for them."

~~

"Well I'm glad you were able to come, I know it means a lot to them. I'm doing just fine, and I'm looking forward to that cake like you wouldn't believe," He said jovially.
 
"It is a day long coming that they deserve to enjoy to it's fullest," Ciara agreed.

~~

Tristan chuckled. "I can not wait to try the fish! It looks and smells delicious! The cake has a lot to live up to."
 
Mittz nodded with a warm smile, "I'll cheers to that, Ms. Cunningham! Now, I must ask: are you as musically inclined as your nephews? Spencer probably already told you, but we've been to see their band a few times, I always enjoy their work."

~~

"The fish takes four hours, but it's nice to know if the world ended, Dark would be able to cook us dinner." Cooger replied, "Between my homestead and his ability to cook on open fire, we'd be like kings."
 
"I am afraid I have never been able to attend one of their... gigs," Ciara admitted, "but I have heard them play. They are quite good. It would be remarkable to see how far they could go in a concert setting. For myself, I played the violin for a time when I was young and in school, but I was never particularly fond of it."

~~

Tristan laughed. "I have a little bit of tailoring and gardening skills. Perhaps I could translate that into making clothing and a little bit of gardening in exchange for food and protection."
 
"I wanted to play an instrument as a kid," Mittz said, "but we couldn't afford one. Violins are lovely instruments."

"Have you ever heard Daizi play?" Spencer asked politely.

~~

"A little bit of gardening?" Cooger asked, unable to not look around at the flowering, meticulous eden they were surrounded by, "You cain't ever have too much. Here we've got apples, blackberries, raspberries... really just about every type of berry you can dream up. I grow potatoes and other easy vegetables, and I keep chickens."
 
"No, I have not. I was not even fully aware that she did play an instrument," Ciara replied.

~~

"Oh dear. Then I am afraid I do not have much to offer this group of survivalists," Tristan sighed, pretending to take it more seriously than he was.
 
"She plays harp and piano, I'm sure she'd perform for you if you asked," Mittz said cheerfully. As Mittz suggested this, Dark tipped the fish into the ashes of the fire, skin-side down. Once it was ready, he brought it inside to begin to serve just in time for Daizi to bring Ivy up, who seemed refreshed from her nap, but still very clingy with so many people around. When people tried to take her away from Daizi, she clung tighter and would murmur Mama, so for the time being, Daizi kept her close.

As Dark finished up inside, Cooger recruited the teenagers to help set up the folding tables and chairs or bring the side dishes specifically chosen for the meal, including flatbread, hummus, Tabouleh, and jajeek, but also rice, uncooked tomatoes, and lemon. The fish itself was scooped out of the skin and put on a plate, not eaten with a fork and a knife. Forks were provided, but knives were not, because the fish itself was so tender and carefully cooked, there was no need for them.

The tables were all round and covered in table clothes matching the decor, Dark had specifically chosen ones which wouldn't be too tall for Tristan in his wheel chair, and, true to his word, after the food was all set up in a way where each individual table would be able to serve themselves family-style, he went to the teenagers to suggest they congregate together, unless they would prefer to eat with the adults.
 
Peter, Alec, and Xander happily helped out and got the tables set up following Cooger's directions. Xander was almost visibly drooling at the spread of food, but he managed to contain himself more or less. Manners. He needed to remember his manners.

As they gathered around the table, Alec managed to steer Milo into sitting next to Xander and suggested Peter leave a space between himself and Milo so they could mingle more easily with their visiting guests. Alec left a space between himself and Xander, too, to make it appear fair and hoped.
 
Sloan also willingly helped, feeling almost pleased to have been recruited. When it came to gathering at the table, after the foods were all set, Sloan poured herself a glass of lemonade and came to the table, "It's weird to see the two of you not sitting next to each other. It feels wrong to separate you."

Originally, Noor had planned to just awkwardly sit by her parents but Marwan told her she should sit with people her own age and enjoy herself. It didn't seem like much fun to her, but she'd do as she was told. By the time she made it there, everyone else already had a seat so, she found herself right between Milo and Peter, while Hassan sat on the other side of Peter.

Elsewhere, Dark and Daizi sat with Ivy between them in her high chair. Amty Zeinab and Saladin, of course, were at their table, as well as Cooger, Marwan, and Amty Neha. As everyone took their seats, Daizi leaned over to Dark to ask if they should invite Ciara to sit with them. After all, if this was a table made up of their core family, and the twins were eating with all of the other teenagers, someone from their side of the family should join them, right?
 
"It feels weird and wrong, but I guess we can't always be together with everything forever," Alec admitted to Sloan. "Thanks for coming! It's been fun hanging out. We should do this outside of school more often before you leave for college."

Peter smiled at Noor and made brief small talk, genuinely wanting to welcome her, and then turned to chat with Hassan.

Tristan found the spot most comfortable with his chair and settled in, pleased and grateful that Dark and Daizi had made so many accommodations for him. It was sadly uncommon.

Ciara eventually made her way to Dark and Daizi's table and took the first available chair that did not seem taken or in the way.
 
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