Hidden Among the Trees

"Well, he was as tall as he is now, but he wasn't strong like he is now, so he weighed something like thirty pounds less than he does now, because back then he was bordering on underweight," she laughed, "he had the physical prowess of a skeleton. He was like a marshmallow stuck on the back of a pencil."

"Okay," Dark said, shaking his head and lifting up his newly diapered baby, "I think he gets the point."

"And none of his clothes fit him correctly, all of his sleeves were an inch or so too short. His pant legs, too."
 
The young half-elf listened attentively to Tarot's story about Dark. He heard stories about his mother being as thin as a stick, so he ended up relating the two stories together. "My dad's always worried about me eating enough because I'm thinner than my mom was. Luckily I have a good metabolism, or I'd look far more pregnant than you did, Tarot... Though I can't imagine your pregnancy easily. It varies for each mother, the way it affects her body I mean."

When Dark called for Tarot to finish her story-telling, Adatia expected that to be the end- but instead, Tarot told him about the issues Dark had with fitting clothes.

"That just means he has long limbs. Those can be great assets, you know." Adatia spread his arms outward to show off his slightly longer arms than were meant to fit him proportionately. He put his hands on his hips soon after, however, then moved one hand to rub his chin. "Say, you don't have anything for the baby... Does that include clothes? I'd be happy to make some for her."
 
Dark made a slight face at Adatia's comment about pregnancy and its effects on women's bodies, but Tarot brushed it off and said, "I looked rather like this, only a bit larger and a lot firmer. I wasn't always this round. And clothing would be wonderful, if you're willing. I don't want her to get cold."

"I swear we had everything prepared at our house." Dark added, extremely concerned about seeming like he and his wife didn't care enough to ready their lives for their new arrival. He was extremely meticulous, and true to form, had everything planned and in place. Ivy just had other plans.
 
Hortense made his way into the room, moving to pat the new father's back. "We believe you, you don't have to reiterate so much that you were prepared for her at home. The problem is just that life is unpredictable. Trust me, Ada came on time and still blew life out of proportions. It's just how life is sometimes- especially life with kids."

"I'd be happy to!" Adatia chimed meanwhile. The boy was focused on the kind woman rather than the man with the infant. "I love making clothes and things for people. I'll make sure she has plenty to wear for any weather conditions... though the village doesn't get too many changes in the climate, I hear it's constantly changing in the world of sciences."
 
"He doesn't like not being in control, so he'll be remarking either to himself or aloud about how he was supposed to be ready until we're home and everything is back to how it should be. And, Adatia, you don't have to go so extreme. She'll grow so quickly, you'll just waste time and fabric making clothes for every season now," Tarot said, taking control of the conversation. She was sympathetic to her husband, knowing he hated not being in control, but she knew how irritating it could be to outsiders, "but I appreciate how willing you are to help us."
 
Adatia let out a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. He really was going overboard, wasn't he? He supposed babies did that to people. He happened to love children, though he showed more of a maternal sense for them than a paternal. Smiling, his face slightly red, the boy bowed politely as he apologized.

"Sorry, I got too excited. But... Will you two be needing clothes as well? I promise I can make something that fits for both of you."
 
Here they both hesitated. Tarot was still wearing the dress that she had given birth in, which, as one could imagine, was not the cleanest garment, but having Adatia make her something new to wear would involve him taking her measurements, and it made her apprehensive.

Dark knew that his hesitation to agree to the offer was purely egotistic, but he was a man of specific tastes. Besides his exercise gear and his pajamas, all he wore was suits, to varying degrees of class (his casual look, which is what he wore now, or, rather, what he wore before their car broke down, was a simple dress shirt and suit jacket, going far enough to even skip the tie), and anytime he had to wear something else, he felt uncomfortable. His feelings came from an understandable place, at least that's what his therapist told him, citing his childhood, but all he could do was look at Adatia and think he had no idea what sorts of outfits elvenkind knew how to make. Or in what colours.

But on the other hand: he caught sight of himself in Adatia's vanity mirror, the first time he had seen his own reflection in... he could not remember how long, and saw how he was dirty, how his hair flopped lifeless onto his forehead, how his thick beard had already become scruffy, and at how the clothes he wore were soiled by dirt, rain, and afterbirth. The only thing that still kept him looking like himself were the tattoos covering his exposed arms and hands, so coming do a decision, said, "That would be a very kind thing for you to do. Maybe you can give my tailor a run for his money," because he would prefer to dress in atypical fashion, if it meant he would look clean and neat. He could not abide by looking messy, and seeing he looked worse than he imagined set him on edge.

Tarot, however, was still hesitant. She didn't have any specific problems about what would be made for her, because she liked loose fitting dresses, which seemed exactly like something a half-elf would make, and obviously she didn't care about colour. She was just slightly insecure, a feeling which surprised even her.
 
"Do you either have preferences on the sort of clothes you wear? What makes you most comfortable, colors, all that stuff. I may not look it, but I'm really good at domestic tasks. A lot of the others taunt me for it being 'too girly', but... I think a man that can handle a needle without squirming is pretty amazing, don't you?"

Adatia laughed, opening his closet door to show a wide variety of clothing- he had suits, he had dresses, and he had leisure clothes of every type. It was all well organized, and atop the shelf above the closet rack was a large sewing machine. "I made all these clothes for myself, after I learned how from one of the elderly. Granny April is way better than I am, but I've come a long way." He pulled out a pinstripe suit. "I'm particularly proud of this. I was really upset in school because I was being teased for wearing a dress, so I decided to make a suit. I got teased again, but I was just happy I was able to make something like this."
 
Relieved, Dark said, "I really only wear suits, and Tarot typically wears loose dresses--she finds pants constricting." He could tell that Tarot was apprehensive, and so he did his best to ease her by asking if he could take the measurements for her, so that she would be more comfortable.

This did relieve some of her anxiety, so she added, "I don't care about colour, but I'd like to feel the fabric, so I know that I like it's texture."
 
Adatia was more than happy to agree to Dark taking Tarot's measurements. Adatia tended to avoid doing the measurements if he didn't have to, because he didn't want to get irritated when people told him how his skin was like a girl's, or how it felt like another girl was touching them. He offered to let Tarot do Dark's measurements as well, mostly because of this same issue.

When Tarot asked to feel the texture of the fabric, Adatia nodded with an unseen smile. "I have a few different textiles I can use right now for it. Shall I go get it? Mr. Dark, you should take a feel as well."
 
"I can hold the measuring tape, but I can't read the numbers, or write them down." Tarot said.

Dark, as he passed his squirming, newly fussing daughter to Tarot, said, "I know my measurements, don't worry. At home I have a tailor, since I can't buy off the rack. I keep track."

Tarot started to nurse, and told Adatia it would be wonderful if he would bring the fabrics, or they could follow him, so he didn't need to cart them around.
 
"That's certainly convenient!" The boy chimed, giggling ever so slightly. "I memorized my measurements too. I've also got them written down for many of the village children. That's mostly done by one of the elders though. I just find it fun, so I started doing it too."

Adatia couldn't help but stare at the mother and child in awe. He wondered, deep down, if he'd had have moments like this with his own mother, had she survived childbirth. Imagining his father feeding him somehow was uncomfortable to him... But he shook his head rapidly to get those thoughts out of his head. Why did he always think about that around babies, anyway?

"The textiles are in the attic. We take care of it well, but the steps up there are kind of steep. You'll have to be extra careful, okay?"
 
"If it's up in the attic, I suppose I should wait until she's finished eating. It's probably not a good idea to climb up a ladder like this," She smiled, absentmindedly stroking Ivy's hair. Apparently hair genes in their family were fantastic, because she was born with a lot of it, "You and Dark should go now, though. You're doing so much for us, I'd hate for you to be overwhelmed, maybe it'd help if it's staggered."

Dark noticed Adatia's amazed look, and how he stared, but he couldn't fault him, because he also couldn't help but look on in amazement, although for different reasons. He wasn't the sort of man who liked to admit to having warm feelings, but he couldn't deny feeling them when he saw his wife and his child interact in any capacity.

He was also amazed by Adatia's mention of elders. Like his wife, he held a degree in anthropology, although he was a professor, he didn't work with museums like Tarot did, and he couldn't help but be academically curious, and so he asked, "How does your community function?" Out of habit he reached for his notebook, before remembering that he had lost it somewhere in the forest.
 
Tarot's response to the attic made Adatia feel a bit on the silly side. He should have known how hard it would be to carry a baby up there- it wasn't like this was his father he was talking about. His father used to carry him up into the attic all the time, but that was because his father was always bulky and had muscle memory to help him up the stairs. Without a word, he began to head towards where the attic stairs were, checking behind him to make sure Dark was closeby.

When Dark asked about their community, Adatia pondered over what to say. "My dad says mom considered it a bit like human civilization lived hundreds of years ago. Mom wasn't a study or anything, she just remembered things from school. We have a bartering system, as it's called by some. We all help each other out the best we can. The children of our village are raised by everyone to some extent, because we're always helping each other, you know? The elders are the ones who know the most about things, so they're highly respected... But even they don't have full power here. Everything relies on the community as a whole."
 
"Interesting," Dark said, "there are definitely civilizations similar to that in human history, and some enclaves that still consist like that today. It seems very natural to intelligent life to exist in a collectivist, barter-based, community with an emphasis on filial piety. Fascinating..." He trailed off, following Adatia and desperately wishing he had his notebook. His whole face altered in expression, and even his gait changed somewhat, because now he was, at least somewhat, back in his own element. Yes, for the most part, Tarot was the researcher, but it wasn't as if they hadn't collaborated on anthropological projects before.

Now all Dark could think were more questions. Did elven society have cities, the way humans did? If they do, do the cities follow the same collectivist, barter-based format, or did elven central nodes stray from that core, the same way human society had? Somewhere in his mind he was forming a hypothesis, and then, a final question: what could he and his wife do with the information here? If they could write about it, with proof that it is real, it could cement them in their fields.

He followed Adatia up into the attic, where he could not even come close to standing up straight, considering he was uncommonly tall, and said, almost as an accident, "I would love to see the community itself. Stand witness to it."
 
Adatia laughed nervously when he realized Dark couldn't really stand up in the attic as easily as he could. "I forgot you're tall like my dad. Usually I'm the only one that comes in here. My mom is the one who worked on building the attic- she wasn't the strongest person you could ever meet, but she was persistent. Dad says that was one of the things he loved about her." His nervous laugh turned into a bright smile- even if he never met his mother, there was so much of her essence around that he couldn't help feeling her love for him despite him being her cause of death. Shaking off any concerns leading to that end, he went towards an old chest and opened it.

Inside the chest were dozens of rolls of different types and patterns of cloth. There was also a lot of yarn and a homemade sewing kit towards the bottom, sitting atop the knitting needles. Since Dark couldn't quite stand in from under the roof, the young boy decided to pull the chest towards him. "Like this you can avoid hitting your head but still feel the fabrics, right?" His toothy grin stayed planted on his face. He felt like he'd done a good thing, and it showed on his face so easily.

"I'm sure the villagers won't mind. We're both the entrance and exit to the village. It's some kind of magic I can't even begin to understand. All I know is, at least in our village, the elves love meeting travellers and the like. I can take you after we have you at least a change of clothes, in case the kids try to get you to play with them."
 
"Tarot will not be able to stand up straight in here, either, I will have to warn her to duck." He said, crouching down by the chest, carefully going through the fabrics to see not just how they felt, but their colours and patterns. Since he could see, it mattered to him. He also looked for what would look nice on Tarot, and what would look nice on Ivy. The latter gave him some pause. He had been guessing what her colouring would be, and now he finally knew. Or, he could make an educated assumption of what it would be once she adjusted to sunlight.

He was nothing if not a perfectionist. Especially since whatever Adatia made would be the first thing she ever wore, unless his suit jacket counted. He eventually discovered fabrics he liked for himself, and a violet fabric that gave him pause. He held it for a few minutes, feeling it in his large, tattooed hands, and said, "Show this to Tarot. Ask her what she thinks about it for Ivy. And this emerald fabric," He held up a different one, "She will not be able to see it, and I doubt she'd care, but she looks beautiful in shades of green. Something to keep in mind."
 
Adatia found it fun to watch Dark so carefully choosing the fabrics. His need to explain that Tarot looked particularly good in green made the boy chuckle, but he said not a word to go with it. Taking the fabric carefully in his arms, he hopped down the ladder and back to the room where Tarot had been nursing the little one. "We've got some fabric we want you to feel, Tarot."

Carefully, he held out the two fabrics, one in each hand. He made a point of not letting either of them touch the ground, even as they tried to drag behind him like a cape. "This one in my right hand is for your daughter, and the one in my right is for you. How do the textures feel for the two of you? I trust Mister Dark's judgement."
 
Tarot was sitting on Adatia's bed, with her back up against the headboard. Ivy had finished nursing, but Tarot hadn't noticed, and so her breast remained exposed. When Adatia spoke, her sightless eyes fluttered open, "Hm? What? Oh, right," she murmured, leaning forwards and feeling first the violet fabric, then the green, "Oh, they're lovely."

Dark came over and tucked her back into her clothes, and kissed the top of her head. It was only then that she realized that Ivy had finished, and so she sat up a little straighter, and murmured, "I must have fallen asleep."
 
"It's only natural you're tired," Adatia mused, still being close enough to hear Tarot thanks to the fabrics. He took the fabrics in his arms and smiled brightly. "You all should get some rest. It's been a pretty hectic day for you, has it not?"

Skipping towards the door, he turned towards the couple and their child yet again. "I'm going to work on these down in the shop. I have a seat there to sew and knit sometimes while things aren't too busy. It'll take some time, but I'll get these clothes made as best and as quickly as possible. Look forward to them, okay? I'll make them extra cute for the cute little girl."

His voice was practically singing as he praised baby Ivy. He returned downstairs, thinking the couple could use some time to rest, and thinking that it'd be easier to make the clothes if he was where he usually made them. Once in the shop with his father, he smiled cheerfully and took his seat behind the counter, grasping his sewing kit and beginning to put the fabric together, starting with the baby's clothes. His father watched with a satisfied grin.

"It's always good seeing you working on clothes. You make it look so fun."
 
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