How Green Becomes Wood

"Emptying it outside is probably safer," Dark said cautiously, doubting all of the pipes in this unit. "It would be a bit of a hassle but better than essentially spilling the water a second time. We can also use mixing bowls, if the bucket fills too quickly," He advised, hanging up the housecoat to be completely certain it wouldn't get wet before they got to work.
 
Ciara allowed herself one moment to eye Dark dubiously. "Please do not think ill of me, but I would much prefer if you were to remain inside the house. I can do my best to get the water outside."
 
"You are not the first to prefer I go unseen, I understand," Dark told her, kneeling down beside the bucket and taking the nicer blankets first to ring out. If nothing else, he had strong hands and was able to wring out a good bit of water with a lot less effort. But, as he worked, he stopped when the bucket was only half-full. It may have been a bit inefficient, but he didn't want her to spill on herself. She'd already been through enough.
 
Ciara paused to think about that perhaps a little too long. Not the first to prefer he go unseen... In what context, exactly? The two she could think of, one was highly embarrassing, and the other was depressing. She chose to stop thinking about either and started carrying the bucket out and dumping it. Thanks to the setup of the outside stairs, she did not have to go all the way down, but rather most of the way and then pitch the water over the railing onto the small patch of grass off to the side. Well, grass under the snow. She just hoped this didn't drown all the plants. As she opened the door a third time, she realized she should turn down the thermometer so that it was not attempting to heat the entire outdoors.
 
Once the bucket was back, Dark continued to wring out the towels and other linens, including his shirt and undershirt. In the meanwhile, he had taken the liberty of collecting them all into a damp pile for ease.

The next time Ciara was on the steps emptying the bucket, Cooger came whistling up the stairs, tool box and wet/dry vacuum in either hand. He paused at the sight of Ciara and said, "Well howdy. Didn't expect to be running into you."
 
Ciara shook out the last of the water and straightened. "Mr. Cooger. I take it you are the handiman who is coming to help me out with my water problem?" She started up the stairs, steeling herself for what was to come. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."
 
"Well I'm going to an apartment, I ain't sure I'm headed towards yours, but I'll guess so," He replied brightly, "And it's no trouble, it's quite literally my job. Care to show me the problem?"
 
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"It appears to be a broken pipe. Or two," Ciara sighed. "I think that perhaps I did not leave the temperature up high enough when I was gone, and something froze. Or it could be something else entirely. I do not deal with plumbing." She opened the door and stepped inside, holding it open for him to enter.
 
"Well, I'll take a look. See what I can do." Cooger assured her, stepping inside after him and setting down the vacuum. The first thing he saw was the giant puddle, and he was about to make a comment about how it sure looked like a pipe had burst when he saw Dark, crouching shirtless on the ground.

When the door opened, Dark looked up and saw Cooger. The two men could only stare at each other, one ready to curse the cosmos and the other thanking the heavens. Ultimately, Dark swore under his breath at the same time Cooger burst out laughing, only managing to say, "What on earth is going on?" in between wheezing. "Aw hell, the man's like Cinderella!"
 
Ciara had no idea what that comment meant, and she primly stepped around Cooger to shut the door behind him. "Mr. Dark has been kindly assisting me in this mess, and in the commotion, his clothing became a part of the means to stop the water. It has been most unfortunate for him."
 
"Man I bet," Cooger chuckled while Dark resisted the urge to throw a wet towel at him. Cooger, meanwhile, resisted making a joke about how it looked like Ciara ordered a certain kind of man to help her with the cleaning. They both knew this was not the person to do such things around, "He's very helpful, ain't ya Dark?"

Dark rose to his feet, "Do you not have a job to do?"

"I always tell ya to keep a change of clothes in your trunk," Cooger chided.
 
"Indeed." Ciara walked toward her office. "There are some things I need to check briefly. They should have been attended to hours ago. I will return momentarily. Help yourself to whatever you need." She paused in the doorway and looked over her shoulder, her expression absolutely serious. "I trust you shall keep this torrid affair silent from Mr. Dark's wife. We have been quite happy the last few months, and I have no desire to disrupt his image as the perfect family man." She closed the door quickly, her face bright red. Ha! They weren't the only ones who could make a joke about the situation and what it obviously looked like. She just hoped this remark would not bite her too badly.
 
Dark stood and looked at Ciara in surprise while Cooger doubled over laughing. That was a good one! And from Ciara it was even better, oh god he couldn't breathe! "Dark, you whore," He wheezed, "I'm calling Tarot!"
 
Ciara gave herself a moment to settle down from her self-inflicted embarrassment. Then she attended a couple of work emails she really did need to take care of. That done, she called Daizi.
 
"Yes and no. I have had a domestic issue happen, and your husband is here helping me," Ciara explained. "I did not want you to worry about him if he is late to something or coming home. He has been quite a gentleman."
 
"Oh no," Daizi replied, the tone of her voice changing, "Thank you for telling me, he must have been kept busy if he hasn't yet. What happened? I hope neither of you are or were in danger."
 
"No, no, no danger," Ciara hastily assured her. "A pipe burst in my place, and he has been helping me to mitigate the damage. The handyman is now here, so hopefully it will all be sorted soon."
 
"Oh no, I'm sorry, that's so stressful," Daizi said empathetically, "Let me know if you need a place to stay before it's all fixed, okay?" There was some rustling and Daizi said something unintelligible. Then, over the phone came only the sounds of a baby babbling.
 
"I will let you know..." Ciara allowed her sentence to trail off as she realized she was talking to a baby. "Hello, Ivy. How are you? Have you seen any flowers lately?" she asked politely.
 
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