How Green Becomes Wood

Dark chuckled watching them and then followed them to the touch tank. Or, touch tanks rather, as there was one large one with stingrays, nurse sharks, and bamboo sharks and a second with sea urchins, corals, crabs, and mollusks. "Which one do you want to start with?"
 
Alec's eyes went wide with wonder. "Wow! There are so many creatures! And the tanks are so big! How do you choose?"

"That one," Xander said, pointing to the small one. "So Ivy can give it a try."
 
"Some of the stingrays swim near the top in their tank, but it is better to start on the shallower one." Dark agreed, lining up with them along the side of the tank, "Your mother has such conflicting feelings about these. She loves getting to actually experience fish but she always gets nervous." He glanced at Xander, "You and her explored tide pools together last summer, right?"
 
"Yep," Xander said, eying the tank of water skeptically. "Then I didn't think there would be anything in it. Now I know there will be things in it. I don't know how I feel about that."

"You feel by sticking your hand in," Alec said cheerfully. He reached out and did just that, letting his hand slowly glide through the water. "I don't know what half of these things are, but they are so pretty!"
 
"You can be like Daizi and just close your eyes and hope," Dark replied, stopping to use the provided handwash for himself and Ivy. Then he briefly set Ivy down in her stroller so he could roll up his sleeves before reaching down into the tank and touching a mullosk before helping Ivy to do the same.
 
Xander used the hand wash and did as Dark suggested. He closed his eyes and reached in, but he didn't really feel around. He kept his hand still. Then, tiny little pin pricks traveled into his palm. "What's that?" he asked nervously, keeping his eyes closed.

Alec grinned as he paused from touching a sea urchin. "A little crab! It's made its way into your hand!"

"It's pinching me really lightly," Xander reported, sounding baffled. "Mostly around my fingers."

"It looks like its cleaning you and enjoying a snack," Alec observed.
 
Ivy kept trying to take her hands away from her father's so she could splash or touch things a bit too intensely, so Dark was battling trying to keep her calm while also helping her to explore the tank, "The crab must either like you or think you are absolutely filthy, Xander. "Just do not be injured by the crab, I would not be able to allow you to live that down."
 
"Thank you, Ba, your concern is really touching," Xander said dryly. "I appreciate it." He gently started trying to dislodge the crab by moving his hand under the water, but the crab would not be swayed. He gave up and held still, hoping the crab would climb off on its own.

"None of the animals want to be my friend, apparently," Alec said a little sadly as yet another creature scurried away from his hand, no matter how slowly he tried to approach it. He did end up petting a mollusk, but he had the suspicion it allowed him only because it couldn't crawl away fast enough.
 
"Xander, if the crab loves you, it loves you, I do not know what to tell you." Dark teased him and then gently nudged Alec with his shoulder, "Try just holding your hand still and letting them come to you instead of chasing them down."
 
Xander opened his eyes when he felt a second set of pointed feet climb up onto his hand. "Ba! It's turning me into a-a-a restaurant or something!" he sputtered.

Alec tried to hold still, he really did, but everything was so far away! He tried inching closer and then holding still. The creatures stopped running away, but they didn't come to him, either.
 
"This is like a bad movie where one of you have ocean powers." Dark said in dry amusement, "Are you sure one of you had not been born with a mystical amulet? Or perhaps another animal will be especially drawn to you, Alec."
 
"Hardy-har-har," Xander grumbled, watching a sea urchin suspiciously as it made its sloooow way toward him. "Why me? Go to him! He wants you."

Alec heaved a sad sigh. "I guess Xander was born under the sign of Posidon or something with horses and water, but if I'm not also Posideon chosen, what am I? Or maybe I just want it too much."
 
"I am not certain what your creatures is, you will have to experiment at various petting zoos." Dark replied, narrowly preventing Ivy from slaming her full hand down onto the spikes of an urchin, "My darling daughter, if you do that again your time in the touch tank will be over."
 
"I guess I'll have to! I hope I get something simple but cool. Like... a yak," Alec said.

Xander glared down at the pool and then slowly and gently started pulling his hand out. "Okay, you lot. Party is over!" The crabs held on until his hand was out of the water, and then they reluctantly crawled off and into the water as he held his hand just above the surface. "Nice to meet you, too."
 
"I could ask Uncle Cooger to keep him at his place," Alec said cheerfully as he followed Dark. "I bet he'd agree and have fun with a yak!"

Xander slowed, eying the small mantas as they circled slowly. There were multiple types with small variations in body size and shape, but they were all very similar. Their grey color and slow movements were strangely soothing. He stood by the side and watched, feeling strangely peaceful.
 
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