How Green Becomes Wood

Dark inhaled, drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel, "That is a difficult question. You cannot know at first, not when you first meet someone. But I think, over time, you begin to notice how they respond if you are in disagreements, how willing they are to compromise, and how much they care about your point of view. Someone who is willing to make it work long term will be respectful even when you disagree, compromise, and really listen. And of course there are times when compromise is not necessary, because sometimes a person really does just need to give in, depending on the situation. If Daizi really wants to get ice cream but I want to go home, often I will just go and get ice cream with her. A compromise could be we go home and find a dessert there, but it is not worth planning that out when I can make her happy, but someone willing to put in the work is also willing to make sacrifices, so long as those sacrifices are equitable and it is not one person making all of them."
 
Alec didn't say anything. He felt everything Dark said made sense, but he was so busy thinking about it and committing it to memory that he forgot to respond. It all made a lot of sense. It was so clear... so easy... and yet, not easy at all. Life really was all about interwoven emotions and truths like a really big tapestry. The problem with building a tapestry, you couldn't see what it was while you were weaving it. You had to step back once in a while to get a good look.

When they arrived home, Alec hopped out of the car and went inside, touching the salt and taking off his shoes before going further inside.
 
Dark followed Alec in, quietly thinking about their conversation, but with Ivy there was no such thing as a quiet entrance. She quickly hurried to them while Daizi called a hello, following after her daughter. The scent of dinner cooking in the oven was heavy on the air.
 
Alec smiled and bent down to say hello to Ivy and Enkidu and hugged Daizi hello. He sniffed the air appreciatively and glanced around the Necropolyse. It was a good day, a good home, and a good life. Maybe this was what it meant to say you felt blessed. It was a good feeling. He couldn't think how it could feel much better.

~~

Lex drove along the snowy lane with one window down, singing along to a song by the band Dorothy. Her tires crunched as she turned into the driveway. The car stayed running until the last few bars of the song. Then she turned off the stereo, rolled up the window and got out, looking around for Hank, Millie, and the usual assortment of cats, not to mention the human generally considered to be their caretaker.
 
Since there was heavy snowfall, Millie and the chickens were all hunkered down inside of their warm hutch and even Hank had decided he was better off inside. Cooger, though, was outside working on some chores, but when he saw Lex's car pull up, he went over, confused but delighted, "Hey babe, what's up?"
 
"Do I need a reason to come see the handsomest hunk this side of the Mississippi?" Lex asked, grinning as she sauntered over to him. She caught his beard and gently pulled him in for a quick kiss. "I hope not." She let him go and pushed her hands in her pockets. "But, seriously, I'm actually here on an important errand."
 
"Well, I haven't checked out the guys on the other side, so I can't be confident there," she told him with a wink. Then she sobered. "Yes, you should be very concerned because it deals with you and your cats."
 
"A coffee would be fantastic!" she assured him, hurrying into the cabin. She shook herself off and rubbed her face. "I think my nose is going to fall off if I have to stand out there any longer."

She waited until Cooger had the coffee ready and handed to her. She held it close, savoring the warmth for a bit. After a couple of sips, she said, "Right. I am here... to pick up a cat."
 
Cooger was glad to go inside since he had been working outside since before she arrived. After stripping off his outerwear, he pet the nearest cats and then brewed some coffee.

After he handed it to her, he arranged some logs in his fireplace before starting it up for her, "You came all this way for that? Not all of 'em liked to be picked up."
 
Lex snorted in laughter, nearly spitting a bit of coffee as she did so. She got herself under control and took another sip before saying, "No, babe, not like that. I mean I want to adopt one of the kittens. I want to adopt a cat, pick it up, and take it home."
 
Cooger looked at her for a few moments, sitting beside her on the couch. After only minutes, the little tuxedo cat hopped up and settled herself on his shoulders, "You're kidding? Please tell me this ain't a spur of the moment decision."
 
"Hell, no," Lex said stoutly. "I don't make spur-of-the-moment decisions when it comes to other little lives." She took a moment to take out her phone and flip through some pictures. She then handed the phone to Cooger. "Here you go. Picture proof! Flip through those. I've got a food dish, a water dish, a water fountain, three scratching posts spread throughout the house, a litter box, cat bed, toys, tunnel thing..."
 
Cooger took her phone and did begin scrolling through, "Yeah, this all looks great... It might be good to think about getting a food bowl with lower sides, at least for now... but---" he stopped and his eyes went wide for a moment and he glanced at her, "Lex, I'm not sure I was meant to see this one."
 
Lex snagged the phone from him and glanced at it. "S**t. No, you weren't," she said, her face going pink. "I thought I remembered to delete that one." The offending picture was of her in the mirror trying out a new makeup look. The makeup job was wonky and slightly smeared on one side, her hair a complete mess, and she wasn't wearing anything but a bra on top. She was making a funny face and laughing at herself in the picture, but it wasn't something she'd meant other people to see.

She cleared her throat. "So. Kitten. Lower food bowl. Can do. What else?"
 
Cooger couldn't help but laugh, "I think you're gorgeous, but I don't know if that's the right look for you. Maybe next Halloween." He nudged her teasingly, then said, "I guess I should ask you what kind of cat you're looking for. You said kitten, so I'd guess you're after one of the ones you brought to me."
 
Lex made a face at him for the Halloween joke and then nodded. "Yep. The yellow-eyed one with three colors. Mostly black face, cute white bib, that one? I want him. Or her. I'm not actually sure which it is, I just really like its attitude whenever I'm here."
 
"Oh wow, you've already got one picked out," Cooger said, surprised and impressed, "That does away with some of the questions I normally ask. They're all girls, that whole litter. Statistically improbable." He got up, leaving the tuxedo, still the smallest of all of the litter, on his shoulder and scooped up the cat Lex came for, "I've been calling her Soup, short for Soupmantha, but you can rename her to anything, she's young enough it won't really confuse her much. She was spayed two weeks ago and she's fully vaxed, so if you have a carrier you can bring her home today even."
 
Lex held out her hands eagerly for the cat. "Soupmantha? Why Soupmantha? Come here, sweet girl! Aw, she's so precious! I have a carrier in the car, ready to go. When you told me about them getting spayed, I put it on my calendar and made a promise that if I was still wanting her when it was time she could be adopted, I'd come get her. And here I am!"
 
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