How Green Becomes Wood

After thanking the twins, Daizi went upstairs to change into something a little bit nicer and do something with her hair to disguise it was probably about ready to be washed. Not long after, they both came downstairs, said their goodbyes, and hurried away so the twins didn't have the time to change their mind and, hopefully, Ivy wouldn't be too concerned that they left. Unfortunately, as soon as that door shut, Ivy threw herself onto the floor in distress.
 
The twins watched Ivy for a minute and then looked at each other.

"Now what?" Xander asked.

Alec shrugged. "I have no idea. This was your idea."

"Well, she's not hurt, just frustrated, so... let her vent for a while?" Xander suggested.

"Sounds reasonable," Alec agreed.

The pair put themselves on opposite sides of Ivy, giving her plenty of space, and ignored her tantruming. Alec held a stack of Ivy's books and began flipping through them slowly. Now and then, he read a portion of the book just loud enough that Ivy could hear when she wasn't screaming. Xander sat next to the tube and idly stacked blocks and put random objects down the tube.
 
Ivy lay flat out on the floor, flailing her limbs, and continued to cry. When neither brother did anything, she sat up, sniffling, and gave them the dirtiest look a toddler could manage.
 
"That's alright," Alec said. "You can do that, if you want, but it's not going to bring Mama and Baba back faster. Would you rather cry, or would you rather come have fun with us? You can stay there if you want, that's okay."

Xander dropped a little ball down the tube and watched it roll away. "This is annoyingly fun to do."
 
Since Ivy was only angry and not hurt or scared or anything else worrying, the twins let her do as she wanted. They stayed within eyesight so she knew she wasn't alone, but they didn't try to distract her or coo over her. She could sort herself out, and if she wanted hugs, Alec was there.
 
Being offered no comfort she was able to detect in that state, Ivy cried until she couldn't anymore, which was an impressive amount of time for someone so little. Then, when she was finally all cried out, she pitifully crawled into Alec's lap.
 
Alec scooped Ivy up and cuddled her to him, humming to her gently. He sang her a little song, and then picked up her favorite book. He cuddled her close as he read the book softly and gently.
 
"Babies are exhausting," Xander stated. "Why does Milo want one of these?"

Alec laughed and indicated Ivy being cute. "Because it's worth it to see this, I guess? And, besides, would you really want to be without Ivy?"

"If I'd never met her, yes, but since I've met her... Yeah, I suppose she's keepable," Xander sighed.
 
"Excellent choice," Xander told her, taking her seriously. "Okay, but if that one goes there, then this one has to go here, right?" He placed his block on top of hers. "There. Stacked blocks."
 
Ivy looked around for a moment before finding another block and adding it to the tower. This, though, was one too many, and the tower toppled over. Looking very seriously at the mess, she picked up a block and began stacking it again.
 
"Nicely done, Mini," Xander told her with a serious nod. "How about this one goes here. Which block is next?"

Alec sat on the couch and started reading the books to himself.
 
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