How Green Becomes Wood

"If she continues to wear bells, anyway," Daizi replied cheerfully while Dark fell quiet for a few moments before picking up the ball and rolling it back to Ivy.

"Enjoy your work," He said eventually, looking up at Xander, "We will be here. At least until naptime."
 
"Okay. Oh, almost forgot, when it's naptime and you aren't busy, think you aren't busy, think you could give me a hand with something? No rush, you can hang with the mini, I've got some other stuff to do," Xander said casually, pretending like he hadn't had the thought in that exact moment and that it was a preexisting need.
 
"Sure, that is no problem." Dark replied, "I can meet you at your shed once she has fallen asleep. It is coming up on that time anyway."

"Let's hope she doesn't fight us, when she's having too much fun she refuses to go take her nap," Daizi sighed, scooting over to Ivy and helping her to stand up so they could practice walking.
 
"Cooger texted earlier to ask if he can come join us for dinner," Daizi told her husband after Xander went back to the shed, "He wanted to know if that's something you'd be up to today."

"If I would be up to it?" Dark asked, confused, "Yes, that is fine."

"Okay, I'll let him know," Daizi smiled, shuffling on her knees to help Ivy walk to her Baba.
 
In his shed, Xander was busily putting together a new project, trying to make it look like it was something he was in the middle of rather than creating from scratch. He knew Daizi would look after Dark, that Dark would ultimately be alright, but Daizi also had Ivy to look after, and she wasn't fantastic at looking after herself. She seemed to be getting better, but he wanted to help out. If he could give her some time alone while Ivy napped, that would be better than nothing. Which meant he had to concoct a legitimate excuse for Dark to come help him with his stuff to give him something to do.
 
In the lead up to naptime, Dark and Daizi worked to wind Ivy down so she wouldn't fight it too badly and then Daizi took her upstairs to sleep. Standing, Dark stretched deeply, rubbed his face, and got something to drink before he went out to Xander's shed and knocked lightly on the door. He knew he was invited but still wanted to announce his presence before just walking in.
 
"Yeah." Xander pointed at the thick piece of leather, a slightly larger piece than he normally worked with. "I need at least one more hand to hold it while riveting it in place. I thought about sewing it, but rivets will look cooler, I think." He explained what he needed to Dark, explaining what he was working on and what he'd need.
 
"This is way easier," Xander stated, making sure the precut holes were lined up properly before grabbing his riveting tools. "Hang on tight." Riveting was not a quick process, and it required a fair amount of banging to get the rivets in properly. Sometimes, he could get one in one blow. Other times, it took two or three. He moved down the line patiently. "I bet you're happy I'm not doing it in my room anymore."
 
"What about you with your sawdust? I guess you aren't using the type of machines that cause the super fine dust and all that, but isn't it still pretty dusty in there?" Xander asked, more to have something to talk about than out of any actual concern for Dark's lungs.
 
"I wear a dust mask when I am doing any grinding or sanding." Dark replied, "I also had tuberculosis as a child so I am sure I already have damage. It is funny how romanticized the disease was. And I suppose still is. I am fortunate, I could have had serious scaring in my lungs, or elsewhere." The same disease was the cause of most of Daizi's fertility problems, but that wasn't something he'd mention to Xander of all people. "Inshallah, you will never know what it is like to be that sick."
 
"I definitely hope not, that's for sure, and I guess when everyone's dying a bunch, you gotta romanticize something. It's what humans do, I guess," Xander shrugged. "By the way, my Judo teacher told me there's going to be another competition."
 
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