How Green Becomes Wood

"I'm always down to hang out more," Sloan told them, choosing to sit between the twins even though it felt criminal to do so, "It's a pretty good party as far as a baby's party goes, by the way."

Noor and Milo took a brief look at each other and then Noor looked away while she blushed and Milo, eternally embarrassed anytime he dared make eye contact with another person, stared down at his plate while he pretended he hadn't done something so atrocious.

Dark, Daizi, and all of Daizi's relatives ate the masgouf just with their hands because this was in the truest sense of the term, a traditional Arab meal, and so they ate it in line with that custom and did so only with their right hands. The only exception to this was the tabouleh, since it was a salad. Of course, the food was all put on the individual plates using serving utensils, so nobody was touching someone else's food, and it wasn't a messy in elegant affair. Cooger was going to just eat with his hands, but since Ciara was sitting with them, he decided to go ahead and use the provided forks because he guessed two things: if everyone else at the table was eating with their hands, Ciara would probably feel pressured to do the same, and Ciara would probably expire if she had to eat with her hands. If he also used the fork, it made it a simple cultural difference without pressure to adhere to it.
 
"Yeah, it's been pretty good. Talking to lots of people I don't really know and a few that I do," Alec said cheerfully. "And Cooger brought a wagon! I hope we get to see Ivy try it out."

As Cooger expected, Ciara most certainly did not desire to touch her food with her bare hands. She saw Cooger using his utensils and hid her relief as she used hers. At least hands were not expected.

Tristan used a fork. He saw the others using their hands, but he wasn't confident enough to try to follow suit, so he stuck with what he knew for a larger gathering. If it was a smaller one, he'd have been tempted to try using his hands only.

The twins alternated between forks and fingers, going with whatever felt best in the moment. They had not been fully weened away from their American fork-using ways.

Sally ate with her hands confidently. She was a little rusty in her knowledge and practice of the culture, but she was happy to return to it. Jack and Peter awkwardly but gamely tried their hands, as well, and they found it surprisingly freeing.
 
"You can just ask, can't you?" Sloan asked, eating with the fork because it didn't even occur to her to eat it otherwise, "This is delicious, by the way. But can't you just say you'd like to give her a wagon ride? It's here for a reason, right?"

Milo leaned back in his chair, looking around at everyone at the tables enjoying the meal. After a few moments, he precariously tipped his chair back for a better angle and took a few pictures of everybody eating. Really, he wanted to see if he could get a few pictures of Ivy enjoying her birthday dinner because he found it amusing to see so many people eating exactly like she was.

While he watched and photographed, Noor watched him, eventually working up the courage to ask, "Why do you do that?"
 
"Sure, but I don't want to get in the way of everyone else. Some of these people might not get to see her for at least another year, maybe loner until she can fly. I don't want to take time away from them," Alec explained.

Xander glanced at Noor briefly before turning his attention back to his plate. He kept one ear on the conversation in case Milo needed him, but he guessed Milo could handle himself. Still, nothing wrong with a little back up.
 
"Don't you think they'd want to see her having fun in the wagon too?" Sloan asked, dipping some of the flat bread into the hummus.

Milo looked awkwardly back, not brave enough to look at her, "I, um, I like candid pictures of people."

"Why?"

"It um." He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck, "I just. I like capturing things as they happened."

Noor looked at him for a little bit and then looked down at her plate, quickly eating some of the fish before saying, "Cool."
 
"True," Alec agreed, drawing out the word. "I guess I could ask. Xander would enjoy it, I think, too."

Xander heard his name, and since Noor and Milo seemed to not be combusting, he turned his attention to Sloan and his brother. "What am I enjoying?"
 
"Alec wants to pull your baby sister around in the wagon that's here, and he was like, 'oh but I don't want to inconvenience anyone, they came from so far,' but I said, dingus, everyone wants to see a baby laughing in a wagon. It wouldn't be here all decorated in streamers otherwise, right?" She waved her fork, "And he thinks you'd enjoy her being in the wagon."
 
"It's a wagon and a baby. They do seem like things that should go together," Xander agreed. "We could do that. Dunno what's happening after this, but maybe once everyone's settled after eating."

"Sounds like fun!" Alec agreed happily.
 
Xander considered this as he plucked a bit of fish off the tiny bone. "A wagon ride," he concluded. "To give one and to take one. You up for going for a ride, Slo? You and Alec can take turns sitting with the baby or helping to pull."

Alec couldn't help but laugh at that.
 
"To take one? It's not your birthday, why do you think you get to be pulled along in the wagon?" Sloan grinned and then leaned over to nudge Alec, "Do you hear him? What makes you think we'd want to lug you around?"
 
"Because you asked," Xander replied glibly. "That's why."

"He did ask, but it isn't his birthday, so I don't know," Alec giggled. "Now, one of us, we can help Ivy hold steady in the wagon, so it's different if we ride with her."
 
"As fun as forcing Xander to pull me around in a wagon would be, I think it makes more sense if you ride with her, since she's your sister after all." Sloan chuckled, glancing over her shoulder at Dark, Ivy, and Daizi, "Unless you can force your dad into the wagon." She wasn't even certain if he'd fit, or if it could support his weight, but she couldn't not laugh at the thought of that giant gothic man crammed into a tiny red wagon.
 
"Hell will have frozen over and melted and frozen over a few times before he'd even consider sitting in that thing, and I'm not talking about the city in Michigan," Xander said blandly while Alec laughed hard.

"That would be amazing if he would!" Alec giggled.
 
"You're probably right," Sloan laughed right along with Alec, "I don't even know if he could manage to fit inside of it. But maybe if you say Ivy would be so much more comfortable with her Daddy sitting with her, it might have some sway over him. Although, then you'd have to pull him, and I don't know if you could manage that." Her eyes sparkled as she teased her friends.
 
Sloan snorted, "That'd certainly be less fun for everyone. Next year you just have to get a bigger, stronger wagon, I guess. For now, it'll have to be her brother in the wagon with her... You should tie balloons to it."
 
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