How Green Becomes Wood

Xander glanced at Ivy. "I think we have a pretty interesting house already. Mini's going to have a hard time going to friends' houses because they'll look boring to her."

"Well, then they can come here and be inspired!" Alec grinned.
 
"Or she'll find the other homes fascinating because it's different for her," Daizi pointed out.

Dark lifted Ivy above his head and said, "I still wonder what your aunt's house is like. That would be a shock for her, I am certain."
 
"It'd be nice if she would, but she's got her whole life set up over there," Daizi said thoughtfully, "I'd guess she doesn't want to upend everything. But I know I would make the drive her way, so she's not always being forced to be the one to do it."

"Knowing her, it is a very logical calculation of 'I am a single person, it is easier to coordinate my travel than it is to get five people, including a baby, to travel.'" Dark added.
 
"Undoubtedly, yes," Alec giggled. "She is very thoughtful that way. Extreme logic thoughtfulness."

"I doubt she'll ever move, especially not just to get closer to us," Xander said. "We're just nephews, after all, and still pretty strange nephews."
 
"I like that she's trying," Daizi said, "She hasn't missed a single event we've invited her to. Not one."

Dark thought about the conversation they had Christmas night but said nothing.
 
"She's a dedicated Amty," Alec smiled. He looked at Ivy. "What is she to Ivy? Like, is Ivy really going to view her as an aunt growing up?"

"Unless our 'Amty' says no, I don't see why the mini wouldn't see her that way," Xander said.
 
Daizi held up one finger, "Khalaty, not Amty. She's mother's side."

"She read Ivy a story during our Christmas party and let Ivy snuggle up to her, so I suspect she'll be an Aunt to her," Dark said, smoothing Ivy's hair.
 
"She will be undefeatable on the playground," Dark said, beginning to walk to the living room but then intentionally stopped and set Ivy down, and before heading to the living room again told her, "My darling daughter, you have to practice walking."
 
"Ah, Ba! You're so mean sometimes," Alec teased, carefully stepping around Ivy. "Come on, Ivy! You can do it!"

"She's gotta practice sometime, doesn't she?" Xander pointed out.
 
"I am cruel only to be kind," Dark said simply, stopping again to set Ivy on her feet once more to prevent her from immediately beginning to crawl.

"We can't carry her all the time," Daizi grinned, gently nudging Ivy forward with her hand, encouraging her to start walking along with them.
 
"Oh, I know that!" Alec assured them. "She just loves it so much."

"She'll love it even more when she gets to walk alongside us," Xander pointed out. "Nobody's backs are going to like it, but she will."
 
"We should get a hula hoop or something we can hold down so she can hold onto it," Daizi suggested, praising Ivy as she heard her soft little foot steps.

"At least I have already learned to walk slowly so the two of you can keep up," Dark teased.
 
"Oh, ha-ha, that's funny," Xander said sarcastically.

Alec found the cards and dealt them, being careful to keep them out of Ivy's reach. Xander offered Ivy one of her new toys to keep her distracted, he hoped. It was that annoying dog thing Ciara had gotten. It did its job, at least, in that it usually caught Ivy's attention.
 
That awfully annoying dog did keep Ivy very distracted while her parents and brothers played a few rounds of Uno with their normal competitive flair. Since they had already eaten dinner, all that was left to do before midnight, really, was kill time. Ivy, unfortunately or fortunately depending on perspectives, would not be allowed to stay awake until midnight with the rest of them. Her sleep schedule was vastly more important than celebrating the start of a brand new decade. They did let her play just a little bit longer than normal, though, and she greatly enjoyed following Enkidu around the house in that time.
 
"You ever think about hiding that thing sometimes?" Alec asked after Ivy had gone to bed.

Xander sat curiously poking buttons and trying to see if there was any way to turn down the volume. So far, he hadn't found it. All he'd found was that the dog refused to be interrupted in mid-sentence except if you pushed one exact sequence of buttons. If it didn't have such a ridiculous voice, he'd have been more curious about that.
 
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