How Green Becomes Wood

"They're both delicious," Daizi said, leaning over to get a toddler-approved snack from the diaper bag while Dark delicately lifted a napkin to take the mushed sandwich from her.

"I hope you do not take it personally," Dark told Ciara, using a second napkin to wipe Ivy's face, "She is like this with most new foods."

"Or textures," Daizi added.
 
"I appreciate the clarification. I am unfamiliar with children and their preferred eating habits," Ciara said.

"Cucumbers are delicious, but they do have a strange texture," Alec mused.

"They are essentially jello water," Ciara agreed, surprising both twins.
 
"I don't think they're like jello water," Daizi mused, "They're too crunchy for that, aren't they?"

"I think it is just the flavour or the condiments which is surprising her," Dark said, standing to politely dispose of the absolutely mashed bit of sandwich.
 
"The edges are crunchy, but the middle is super squishy and liquidy," Alec said.

"The trash can is under the sink," Ciara said, starting to rise to show him. "I will make a note to make something milder next time."

Alec smiled, pleased that Ciara was already assuming there would be a next time.
 
"I guess that's true," Daizi agreed slowly, considering it and expertly hiding her smile about Ciara imagining them coming to visit again, "And that is kind of you, Ciara, but honestly with how her moods shift, next time she'll probably cry if she doesn't get the cucumber sandwich."

"A week ago she cried for an hour because she saw us eating eggs, she asked for eggs, and we gave her eggs. She did not even take a bite of them, we set down the plate of eggs, exactly like what we were eating, and she began to sob." Dark told Ciara, going to the trash can as directed.
 
"I am afraid I do not understand," Ciara said slowly, completely at a loss.

"That's okay. I'm not sure she understands, either, and she can't explain herself, which just makes it that much worse," Alec told her sympathetically.

"I see," Ciara said, even though she didn't. What else could she say?
 
"What we think happened is since she was hungry, having to wait for her own eggs was stressful, so by the time we set them down, her emotions were so big all she could do was cry," Daizi explained, listening to the bells Ivy wore jingle as she toddled after her father to see what he was up to, "Or she was upset because she wanted to share the eggs we were eating, not have her own plate."
 
"I will say I do not believe there is anything quite like it," Daizi said, "but she sleeps through the night and almost always takes her nap, so it's overall preferable to a year ago."

Now Ivy came hurrying back into the room, ahead of her father, and came to a stop directly in front of Ciara, looking up curiously at her.
 
Ciara looked down at Ivy. "I hear you are sleeping well. That is very good," she told Ivy. "You are growing quite well."

"We think so," Alec agreed.

Xander kept his smirk to himself, suddenly envisioning Ivy to be making an official report to Ciara, her commander or something.
 
"Sometimes she gets overtired, and then we all struggle," Dark mentioned, wondering how much of his talking points were now just about what his toddler was doing.

"I always forget she's tall until we're at playgroup and one of the other babies comes up to me and I have to reach so much further down to them," Daizi chuckled.

Ivy, though, babbled something up at Ciara and then, scrunching her face up into a big grin, hugged her legs tightly.
 
"I see," Ciara said gravely down at Ivy. She was not certain about the leg-hugging thing, but she allowed it to continue as it was not too uncomfortable. "I had not realized you were tall for your age. That will come with great responsibilities, both fun and tedious. Not that you have anything you can do about it. Is playing with other children something you enjoy?"
 
"Ivy, remember, we ask before we hug others," Dark said, half getting up in case he needed to intervene.

Ivy turned her face up towards Ciara, her cheek pressed against her knee, and babbled back at her like she was answering her question. It was unclear if she actually understood what she had been asked.
 
"Indeed. Permission is preferred, but I suppose it is something that must be learned in time. However, now that we are speaking of other children, do you have friends you like to play with in these groups? Or have you made enemies yet?" Ciara asked seriously, allowing the hug to continue without protest.

Alec and Xander exchanged amused glances. Ciara never did anything by half, did she?
 
"You have some friends, don't you, Ivy?" Daizi asked, amazed at how well Ciara was doing, "Who are Ivy's friends?"

Ivy swiveled to look at her mother, a familiar mischievous look on her face and released Ciara's legs, but she didn't say anything just then.

"She has no enemies yet, but we are working on it," Dark told Ciara.
 
Ciara waited until she was certain Ivy was not going to turn back to her and discreetly brushed her slacks back into shape, banishing the wrinkles with a firm flick of her wrist. "Ah. I am sure that will come in time. One must not waste energy on unworthy enemies, after all."

"Do you have any enemies, Aunt Ciara?" Alec asked, biting his lip to keep from smiling.

"Greg from IT," Ciara replied instantly.
 
"He believes that a woman cannot possibly understand how a computer works," she said dryly. "While I may not be able to take one apart and rebuild it, I am aware that there is such a thing as saving something to a cloud is different from an internal server, and that firewalls and updates are very important things."
 
Daizi groaned, "I cannot stand people like that. You would not believe the things I have had interns say to me, as if I'm not fairly well respected in my field and they're new to it all."
 
"Indeed. It is aggravating, to say the least," Ciara said with a slight sniff of annoyance. "It has gotten to the point where most females in the department will wait until the problem is truly egregious before contacting IT in case he is the one to accept the repair slip. Men, on the other hand, are treated as though they should automatically understand all things computer."
 
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