How Green Becomes Wood

"That's true," Daizi agreed with a small laugh, "They used to do it yearly. I was sad they didn't the past couple."

Dark chose to sit for a few moments, watching the performers. It was a festival he really enjoyed, but especially after Monday, and the things that had been screamed at him, he couldn't help but feel a strange mix of pride and apprehension. He didn't really expect anything to happen but it was odd to go from hearing slurs to hearing music in his language less than seven days apart.

Of course, there were the professional dancers on the stage, but in front of it, guests to the festival were also dancing, and Dark looked over at Alec and said, "How about you go first?"
 
"Really?" Alec looked out at the dancers. "I don't really know how."

"When has that ever stopped you before?" Xander challenged. He waved a hand. "Shoo!"

Alec turned to Daizi and lightly took her hand. "Mama, may I have this dance?"
 
"Habibi, have I taught you nothing?" Daizi asked, setting down her cane and letting Alec lead her to the dance area, "It doesn't need to be perfect, you just have to try."

"I feel as though I recall I once offered to teach you to dance and you said you already knew how," Dark commented.
 
Alec didn't catch everything Dark said, distracted and delighted. He led his mother out into the dance area. "I can't guarantee no one will run into us, but this is a pretty open space!" he told her and stepped right into dancing.

"I think he meant dancing like our style back then, and this time, he meant dancing like," Xander gestured to the dancers around them.
 
Daizi gladly went out to dance with him, doing her best to talk him through some small things, but she didn't know how other the other dancers were moving, only how the music made her want to move. To her, it all amounted to the same.

Dark looked at the other dancers but then turned to watch the sway of his wife's hips before looking away to try and not make it obvious, "Maybe, but I do not recall specifying what kind of dance."
 
Alec followed Daizi delightedly, letting her lead the dance and loving every passionate step and swing. He laughed with joy when he got to swing her around or she swung him around, keeping up extraordinarily well. He wasn't perfect, not by a long shot, but he was passionate and managing not to run into anyone.

Xander glanced at Dark. "You might as well stare. I doubt anyone's going to notice," he remarked.
 
Daizi tipped her head back and laughed, loving every moment of it. It always made her feel so free to dance like this, especially now, at this kind of festival.

Meanwhile, Dark turned his head rapidly around to stare at his son, hiding his embarrassment with practiced skill, "I have no idea what you are talking about."
 
"Right," Xander drawled. "I hate to break it to you, Ba, but while you might be mysterious, you're not that mysterious." He watched them for a moment. "They look like they are having fun."
 
"What are you implying?" Dark asked dryly, putting on his sunglasses before looking back at his wife and son. After a few moments, something else caught his attention, and he gently nudged Xander, "So is she, look." Nodding his head downwards, he indicated to Ivy, who had begun to happily wiggle and clap her hands, vaguely in time to the music.
 
Ivy grinned at them and continued to wiggle, occasionally bending her knees and straightening up onto her toes.

"You are natural, Tifla!" Dark praised, slipping out his phone to take a video of her, "Are you trying to jump too?"
 
After taking his video, Dark set his phone down knelt down on the ground, taking Ivy's hands in his, "Since your Mama is dancing with your brother, let me dance with my baby." Normally when he danced with her, he picked her up off the ground to do so. This time, though, he stayed kneeling down, so she could keep dancing on her feet. The result was he looked hunched and a little physically awkward, but he did not mind, because he was able to see the joy in his child's face when she saw him on her level dancing with her.
 
After a moment, Xander took out his phone and took a couple of pictures and a video of Dark and Ivy dancing together. He noticed a few other people watching, all of them going, "Aw!" and "How cute!" It was, indeed, repulsively adorable.

Alec noticed first that Dark had disappeared. Then he spotted him kneeling down with Ivy through the other dancers. "Mama, Ivy is trying to dance! And poor Ba is scrunched like an accordion trying to dance with her! It's so cute."
 
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