How Green Becomes Wood

"If they sell incense, I'd love to smell them," Daizi said, releasing her husband's elbow for the moment, "It is one thing you can never have too much of."

"There is a lot you can do..." Dark agreed, turning his head slightly.
 
Xander eyed the stall. "They have an entire rack of it. I'm amazed you aren't nose-blind with it all. Want me to show you where it is?"

"I'd want to build a kind of diorama and make it spooky themed. Like a swamp or something," Alec grinned. "Wouldn't that be cool? Maybe add a mausoleum to the swamp."
 
"I could smell it," Daizi answered, "But I didn't know if they were selling it or if they just had a lot lit. Please, if you could help guide me?" She asked, holding out her arm.

"That would be very interesting," Dark agreed. After a moment he said, "Mother's Day is soon."
 
"Sorry," Xander said to his misunderstanding. He took her sleeve and guided her around to where the rack of stick incense stood. "These are all sticks," he told her. "There's some other types, too. Like little pyramid things. Those are right next to the sticks and down on the table."

"Do you see any incense holder that would work for the foundation of a spooky diorama?" Alec asked, looking over them. "There are so many!"
 
Daizi felt around the various sticks and pyramids, taking the time to really think about the different scents. When she wasn't sure what she was smelling, she would ask Xander to read the label for her, impressed by their variety.

"That depends on what else you would do with it," Dark replied, a bit distantly, patting his pockets with his free hand before asking, "Do you have paper?"
 
Xander went slowly through the different choices with Daizi, patiently reading anything she needed him to, and occasionally giving a little sniff. Incense wasn't really his thing, but he could still appreciate it.

Alec made paper and a pencil appear as if by magic. The paper was a little crumpled, but could be smoothed out well enough. "How's this?"
 
Daizi held up two incense sticks to Xander, one called Nocturne's Harvest and the other Blood of Amphitrite and asked, "Which of these smells better?" Needless to say, they were incredibly similar, and nowhere did the signs explain what they were actually meant to smell like.

"Yes, perfect," Dark replied, setting Ivy down before taking the paper, "bend over, I need a surface to write on, if that is okay."
 
Xander stared at them for a minute. Then he adjusted his crutches so he could take them. He sniffed on and violently rubbed his nose on his sleeve before trying to smell the other. "This one," he said, putting Nocturne's Harvest in her hand. It was hard to smell the difference between them, but he thought that maybe he might be able to catch just a hint more in the Harvest one. That, or his nose was burned out from all the other smells. He couldn't fell for certain.

"Table mode, activated!" Alec said cheerfully and bent over for Dark. "How's this?"
 
After the sticks were handed back to her, Daizi smelled it again and said, "I think that's what I was thinking about it. It has a slightly more complex sent. Could you put the other one where it goes? I can't quite find it's slot."

Dark had to crouch a bit awkwardly, but it was worth the sacrifice. He quickly wrote a note with a flourish, and from the feel of it did a quick sketch, before lifting the paper, folding it, and tucking it away in his shirt pocket. As he did wrote on Alec's back, Ivy attempted to make a break for it, but her leash stopped her.
 
Xander carefully put the stick back, and then he picked up another one. "This one smells nice. Kind of like Aunt C," he said with a careful sniff. He handed it to Daizi to smell. It was a very mild, clean scent but with just a hint of a bite in the undertone. He couldn't name what it was he was smelling, but it definitely smelled like her.

Alec checked that Dark was done before straightening. "What did you need to write?"
 
"I understand what you mean," Daizi replied, taking special care with it, "It makes me wonder what perfume she wears."

"An idea, before I forgot it," Dark answered, picking Ivy back up to her annoyance, "I have work to do at home."
 
"I guess you could ask," Xander suggested. "I bet it's like a tiny dab of something really fancy."

"So secretive," Alec teased. He looked around until he finally found an incense stand for one of the "heavy" incense types that was pretty low and a simple little ball. "Here we go! I think I can work this into a boggy-style scene."
 
"Or the same Bath and Body Works body spray she has been using since she was twelve," Daizi chuckled, daring to dream. "I would ask, but I was only curious to see if this stick has some of the same notes as her perfume."

"I am the man I am," Dark replied, his eyes gleaming in the way they did when he was feeling particularly pleased with himself, "It is a very interesting piece. Are you wanting to buy it now?"
 
Xander considered this and nodded. "Or it could be that. It would be interesting to know." He clicked his tongue. "Probably shouldn't get her this, though. I bet that white box of an apartment doesn't allow stuff like incense or strong candles."

Alec snorted and eyed the incense thing again. "Yes." He finally decided. "I want to get this and build something around it for Mama. Or should I wait to see if there's anything else cooler? But then I might not remember where I found this."
 
"Are you thinking of buying her a gift?" Daizi asked, tipping her head as she heard Ivy's bells jingle. The poor toddler was growing fairly tired of waiting around in this boring store where she couldn't even touch anything.

"Albuma, this is the very first stall we have stepped inside, there is plenty more to see," Dark reminded his son in his quietly amused, fatherly way, "but you do not need to worry, I will remember it, and that is not the only holder of that style they have, so if nothing else catches your attention, I can find our way back here."
 
"Not particularly, but if something jumped out at me, why not?" Xander said with a shrug. "I might have gotten this, but I don't want to get her something she can't use."

Alec nodded. "Good point, and good plan! I will keep this in mind as we go forward. I think Ivy wants to go forward."
 
"That is very thoughtful of you," Daizi said, "I think I'm going to buy just a few incense sticks. My collection is getting a little bit low anyway, and it'd be nice to support a more local business."

"I think so too," Dark replied, taking a business card and slipping it into his wallet while Daizi found her way to the the cashier to check out with only about five incense sticks.
 
Xander helped her pick them out and put them in their little bags so the smell wouldn't get on everything they touched.

"Let's go look at that stall next!" Alec said, pointing out the next shop. "It has sparkly things!"
 
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