How Green Becomes Wood

"I'm sure she'll understand," Daizi promised, wishing her twins goodnight. She and Dark spent a bit more time cuddling downstairs together to decompress before heading upstairs and going to bed themselves.
 
The next day, things went like usual, and it was a simple day. Becky was disappointed that the twins wouldn't do the play, but after much pleading and bargaining, she finally listened to Alec's full explanation. By the time he was done, her eyes were wide, and her cheeks pink. She promptly agreed that, no, perhaps it wasn't the best play for high schoolers and went to tell her friend. That was the biggest thing to happen that day.

Soon, school was over, and they were heading home again.
 
At home, the day was more or less how it always was. Daizi spent most of the day in her office, Dark spent the day chasing after his daughter. When the twins came home, Daizi was still in her office, and Dark was letting Ivy crawl around the house while he did some household administrative tasks, still making sure he kept an eye on her.
 
The twins arrived home in a normal manner, Alec bouncing in happily and calling out that they were home.

"Where's Ivy?" he called out, still pulling on his shoes.

"Probably farther in the house, you dork," Xander said, nudging him out of the way.
 
Alec finished properly taking off and putting away his shoes before scampering into the living room. "Ivy! Hi, Ivy! And Enkidu! Who's a good boy, Enkidu?"

Xander followed him much more quietly and waited his turn to pet the dog.
 
"He is a very understanding boy," Dark commented, watching how gentle Enkidu was with the Ivy, who really was doing her very best to be gentle. Once the twins were there too, he rolled happily onto his back. This change in position was enough to make Ivy toddle away and continue exploring.
 
Alec gave Enkidu a good scratching and then followed after Ivy. "Ivy? Where are you going? Don't I get a hello?"

Xander sat down next to Enkidu and ran his hands through his fur. "Hey, bud, how was your day?" he asked the dog quietly.
 
"I guess not," Dark said coolly, glancing towards his daughter, "but neither did I."

Ivy was too distracted and too mobile that day to stop to say hello to anyone. There was so much to see and so much trouble to make!
 
Alec laughed and veered his course toward Dark, whom he wrapped in a hug. "Hello, Ba! How are you today? Did you have a good day?"

Xander watched Ivy wander around, keeping an eye on her as he continued to pet the dog. It hadn't been a great day for him. Not a bad day, exactly, but stressful, and petting Enkidu was taking off the edge.
 
"Not bad," Alec said, letting go and leaning on a chair. "It got kind kf chaotic at a couple of times, but overall not awful. Oh, and Becky said she'd talk to her friend, the one who originally had the idea for the play." He paused, trying to decide if he should mention one thing that happened and decided against it. "One of the students had a fight with the science teacher. Not like a fight-fight, but a heated argument about one of the points of discussion."
 
"Whether or not one of the math formulas could be tweaked and still work. The student was wrong, of course, but he was dead set that he was right," Alec told him. "It was weird."

"Fine," Xander called back, shifting so he could still watch Ivy while petting Enkidu. "Science class was ridiculous."
 
"Some students love to argue, even after the point where everyone else knows they are wrong. I have known more than a few." Dark said, glancing at Xander for a moment more before looking over at Ivy, who was sitting in the corner of the front hall, "It looks as though she has put herself into time out."
 
Alec giggled and sighed. "Time out was horrendously effective for me. I hated it so much! Xander, on the other hand, it was like a reward."

"A time to sit and stew on all who wronged me, and a time when I was obligated to ignore everyone around me," Xander said dryly.

"Remember the time Mum forgot she put you in time out, and you were still sitting there staring a hole in the corner," Alec grinned.

"I think that was my last time out ever," Xander mused.
 
Recognizing he had no personal anecdotes he could add to this, because he had never been put in time-out, Dark ultimately ended up saying, "I wonder what will end up being effective for her as she grows. Right now all we can really do is reward her good behavior."
 
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