How Green Becomes Wood

"Writing essays is one thing, grading them is another altogether. And I blame the English department for that." Dark answered, while Daizi folded up her cane and took his arm instead, "Are we waiting out here for Sally and Jack, or is it better to wait in the auditorium also?"

"I thought out here was better, less to wake her," Daizi said, "and it would help them find where we're sitting, but we can go in if you'd prefer. Would you rather go in, Ciara?"

Dark knew perfectly well that waiting out in the lobby would inevitably lead to his coworkers and students swarming him over the fact he had actually brought his daughter, especially because he hadn't shared pictures of her with his students... But there was some part of him that was almost looking forward to that attention, because she was a very pretty baby. But a very tired one.

~~

"Hey guys," Sloan said, walking up to them, "Are you all ready? How does it feel compared to last year?"
 
"Whatever would work best for you," Ciara replied. "I suppose it would be best to sit together, and that might be more easily achieved if we all go in together."

Just then, Sally and Jack entered, Sally in a light blue and white semi-formal dress and Jack in black pants and a brightly colored Hawiian shirt left open with a white shirt underneath. They looked as though they were coming from two very different places. Sally raised her hand. "Daizi, darling! Dark, dear! Oh, and Ciara, lovely to see you again!"

~~

"Less terrifying," Alec admitted turning to talk to her. "How is your end of things?"

Xander fiddled with his hair and Peter held the mirror for him. He was trying to get it to spike randomly, but the spikes looked a little weird. Peter wouldn't stop grinning at him and making faces.
 
"Hi, Sally," Daizi said, turning and giving Sally a quick hug, "Look at me, out of the house for once. We were just waiting on you both. Hi, Jack! Ivy's here, but she's sleeping, I forced her to stay awake until we arrived here, so she would, hopefully, sleep through the talent show."

Dark nodded hello to them, and then opened the door to the auditorium to let everyone inside. "It is good to see you. We can sit in the staff section."

"Dark has to sit at the aisle," Daizi explained, taking Dark's arm again once they were all through the door, "he needs the space for his legs." When they all sat, soon Dark and Daizi realized it was a bit awkward to fit the baby carrier and diaper bag within their two seats, especially with how tall they were, and since Dark didn't want Ivy to get kicked, and because he missed her, he carefully unbuckled her and brought her to his chest, being as careful as possible not to wake her, and he relaxed immensely.

It was only then, holding his sleeping baby, that he realized how stupid he was, "I have a classroom," he murmured, "we should have just put her carrier in there."

~~

"Oh, I'm alright. Nothing's too hectic for me, I just have to say some names into a microphone. Nothing I've not done before." She watched Xander's struggle, "Do you need hairspray, dude?"
 
"Then you'd have to go all the way to your classroom to get it back," Jack pointed out with a grin. "Or you can pass it down and I'll put it down here on an empty seat. How you been? Haven't seen you in a while."

Ciara sat awkwardly at the far end of the row, her purse neatly perched on her lap and her feet tucked in. Sally between Jack and Daizi, meaning Jack was leaning forward and talking past Daizi and Sally. Sally leaned father back, seeming more amused by the situation than anything else.

~~

Xander scowled at his image in the mirror. "I don't know what the hell I need." He turned to Sloan and nearly pleaded, "Slo, get me outta this hair mess."
 
Daizi didn't see how Jack was leaning, so she didn't try at all to make their conversation any easier, and Dark shifted slightly, but he was more or less held in place by the fifteen-pound soft little weight he was supporting, "That is true, but I would only put the carrier there. We would keep the diaper bag where it is."

"You can take the carrier, Jack, thank you," Daizi answered, bending to pass it over, "but if somebody needs the seat, just put it here, I'm sure we'll find a way to manage." The real problem was that they were both so tall. The auditorium was built expecting students, so it had a decent amount of space between the seats for bags, but that space was filled with the leg room they both needed.

"I have been as I ever am, Jack," Dark answered him, "I hope you have been well, also."

~~

"Sure," Sloan said, and took a step closer. Then she paused, looking at Xander warily, "I'd have to touch you to fix your hair, you're cool with that?"
 
"If you would like, you can put the diaper bag at my feet where you can still reach it," Sally offered as she passed the carrier to Jack, who passed it to Ciara, who awkwardly maneuvered it onto the seat next to her. "That way, you will have more room for your feet."

Jack chuckled. "An enigma as always, then, eh? I've been good. Our family will be going down to Oz for Spring break for a... family matter, but I should be able to take some time to get some pictures."

~~

"Just the hair and that part, right?" Xander checked. He trusted Sloan, and he'd had to learn how to deal with haircuts over the years, but it was still awkward.
 
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"It's not too bad now, but thank you," Daizi said, trying to figure out how close to Dark she could lean without making him uncomfortable. If they were anywhere else, it'd be no problem at all, but this was his job, and the fact he hadn't kissed her hello said much.

"I hope everything is alright," Dark said mildly, "I have not been to Australia, but I hear it is a beautiful country."

As they spoke, a couple teachers walked past the row, spotted Dark, and did a double take before stopping to ask him about Ivy, and he politely answered their questions before they went along their way. He took a breath, torn between how much he loved to show her off and his hatred of talking about his life. Then he looked at Jack once more, "I do not suppose you fly economy, which makes the long trip easier."

~~

"I just wanted to make sure," Sloan replied casually, "Let me just run and get stuff." She hurried off but soon returned with a variety of combs, gels, and sprays, and after confirming with Xander what he wanted, set about styling his hair to the best of her ability. She was gentle on his scalp but a bit heavy handed with the hair spray---she was a gymnast, after all, and soon enough it looked pretty good. Imperfect, but nice enough, "You're going to want to use a clarifying shampoo when you're done with this."
 
Jack didn't want to go into details and ruin the mood, so he downplayed the importance of their visit and was quickly "saved" by the teachers wanting to see Ivy. "This time we'll likely go first class because, yes, it does make things a lot easier to deal with. If you ever want to go, I can tell you all the good places to go! And skip the marmite. If you don't grow up eating it, you won't like it. Even an Australian will tell you that. If we go together, I can show you the good hikes."

~~

Xander tensed at the touch, then tensed more as he felt like his hair was turning into some kind of helmet encased with toxic fumes. When she finished, he coughed and waved his hand in front of his face before taking a look. "Not bad."

"I think he could stand in a wind tunnel and it wouldn't move. Nice job," Peter praised Sloan, grinning. His hair was perfectly normal.
 
"It is a day long flight," Dark pointed out mildly, "I am six feet, eight inches tall and I have broad shoulders. I am not sure I am ever see Australia for that reason alone."

"We just need to get you some high strength sleeping pills, a first-class ticket, and a full bottle of pain medication, you may be able to sleep an hour each way," Daizi comforted, briefly holding his hand. "Have you visited anywhere interesting, Ciara?"

~~

"When you step off stage sweaty you'll thank me," Sloan grinned, "and it's not all bad, you don't have to wear your clothes glued to you like I do. Are you keeping your hair as it is, Peter?"
 
"Get a spot at the emergency exit. There's enough leg room even for you," Jack told him cheerfully.

Ciara glanced over, looking a little blank at first in her surprise at being addressed. "Oh. I have been to Ireland and many places here in the USA that feel like an entirely different country."

~~

"Thank you," Xander told her.

Peter held up a black beanie cap. "Yep. I'm putting this on just before we start, and, besides, I'm the drummer. If you don't have long hair as a drummer or a mohock, no one really cares."
 
"Have you measured?" Dark asked wryly, looking just beyond his wife and over Sally to see Jack.

"How is Ireland?" Daizi asked, "I've never been. I hear it's beautiful, but wet. Dark and I went to England, once, and we've visited France, and the Netherlands... and a number of places in the US..." She trailed off, taking a few moments to reminisce, "We were supposed to visit Canada in October, but that didn't happen. One day we'll have to go to Ireland with the boys, Ciara, and you'll have to give me your recommendations."

"Once day I will return to Iraq," Dark murmured, directing his gaze down at his sleeping daughter.

~~

"A beanie is easier to manage," Sloan replied brightly, although she did wonder how "real" rockers would feel about what appeared to be more or less dress up. Well, for some of them. It made sense for Xander, less so for the other two.
 
"You're missing one full row in front of you, so there'd better be enough space even for your long legs," Jack chuckled.

"Very green, very cool weather, comparatively, and quite humid from salt water," Ciara said. "Lovely people. You will likely either get the terse, quiet type who glare at you, or those with the immeasurable gift of gab. There is not much in between. They also take their music very seriously, the weather, and hospitality. It also smells... different there. I do not know how to describe it properly."

~~

Alec clapped his hands lightly in excitement. "We all look fantastic! Fantastic, and ready to go. This is going to be amazing! I wonder if Aunt Ciara showed up."

"Deep breaths," Xander told Alec mildly. He glanced at Sloan. "I don't know if he'd survive being a performer. I think one day he might actually explode."
 
"The two types of people are terse, quiet, with unfriendly expressions or outgoing, talkative, and friendly?" Daizi asked, absolutely grinning, "I have absolutely no familiarity with that. Do you think we'd manage it?"

~~

"You perform every Saturday," Sloan said, squeezing Alec's shoulder, "Surely you have some rituals to calm yourself. But why don't you just text your aunt if you want to know if she's here?" Then she checked the time, "But make it quick, we're getting started soon."
 
Ciara gave a slight smile. "You have had a bit of practice, so I imagine you will muddle along."

~~

"Yeah, but it's different. And the excitement makes my blood fizzle," Alec explained with a grin. "It hurts so good! You go do your thing. We'll wait to see her when we see her."

Xander sighed. "Why do we have to be near the end of the rotation?" he mourned.
 
Daizi laughed, but when the lights began to dim, Dark gently tapped her arm so she knew it was time to be quiet and listen. The curtains came up, and it began with the President and Vice President of the Student council welcoming everybody and promising a great show, along with some scripted, and very awkward banter.

The first few performances were simple, regular, singing acts, ranging from impressive to average to slightly embarrassing, but the audience supported them all the same. Then, the stand-up comedian put on his act, and although his jokes were mostly solid, his delivery was a little awkward, and he looked very, very nervous. He came off stage sweating heavily, and crumpled in the corner for a few moments to recover.

The Irish dancer was phenomenal, and it seemed to give the music teacher, Rose McGann, no small amount of satisfaction to play the fiddle for her.

The trio of impersonators had clearly put a great amount of effort into scripting and rehearsing their act. They didn't simply walk up to the mic and speak like a teacher, they utilized costumes, a sound board, and props. It even had a plot! And all of their jokes seemed to be from a place of endearment, rather than cruelty.

Throughout the act, Dark occasionally exhaled sharply, knowing his coworker well, and Daizi chuckled, hearing his stories, but although the students and faculty found it quite amusing, it was obvious who in the audience had no familiarity with the subject matter.

Near the end of the act, the student pushed a chair to the center of the stage, climbed up onto it, and with great caution, and the assistance of the third student, helped one of the rest onto his shoulders. It was precarious, and the staff wasn't thrilled about it, but they draped a black, party-store cloak around them, and on the sound board played the sting from The Phantom of the Opera. In a voice that sounded more like Count von Count than anything else, the student on top said, "Good afternoon." and the third student in the group dropped to the ground with a 'frightened' yelp.

"Do not be afraid," The student on top of the shoulders said, fighting hard not to break character and laugh.

As mildly shocked Dark was to see his own caricature, he was more than pleased to see they didn't make a single joke about his heritage, and instead teased him for the mystique he kept around him, and even though Daizi couldn't see the joke they made with the height and the cloak, she could not breathe, even though the best joke in Dark's section was the opening to it.

Following that act were the cheerleaders, who did a few neat and impressive flips, and then, finally, Sloan went on to introduce Xander, Alec, and Peter's band.
 
Alec's keyboard moved to the front center of the stage with a microphone so he could sing while playing. He would have loved to have danced and performed, but the keyboard was essential to this song. Peter, as always, sat in the back with his drumset. They'd affixed angel wings to the back of his dum throne as a tribute to the music video, and they sparkled white in the dim lighting. Xander stood off to one side with his electric guitar, and the keyboard had the bass lines recorded. It would have been better if they'd had a real bassist, but they didn't, so they'd have to do their best. Alec spotted their parents, Ciara, and Peter's parents sitting together and gave them a little happy wave before focusing. He took a deep breath and started playing the deceptively light and gentle chords. Then Xander came in with the harsh metal chords, and Peter backed them up with a perfect beat. Alec leaned forward and leant his voice to the operatic lyrics of the song about delving into the depths of the human experience. Of self-doubt, longing, finding solace in the midst of sorrow, hope in a dark world, and seeking hidden beauty. It was a highly metaphorical song, but beautiful in its desperate longing and tender moments amid the harder metal chords.

Baptized with a perfect name
The doubting one by heart
Alone without himself

War between him and the day
Need someone to blame
In the end, little he can do alone

You believe but what you see?
You receive but what you give?

Caress the one, the never-fading
Rain in your heart, the tears of snow-white sorrow
Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
In a land of the daybreak

Apart from the wandering pack
In this brief flight of time
We reach for the ones, whoever dare

You believe but what you see?
You receive but what you give?

Caress the one, the never-fading
Rain in your heart, the tears of snow-white sorrow
Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
In a land of the daybreak

Caress the one, the never-fading
Rain in your heart, the tears of snow-white sorrow
Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
In a land of the daybreak

Reaching, searching for something untouched
Hearing voices of the never-fading calling
Calling
Calling

Caress the one, the never-fading
Rain in your heart, the tears of snow-white sorrow
Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
In a land of the daybreak

Caress the one, (caress the one) the never-fading
Rain in your heart, the tears of snow-white sorrow (sorrow)
Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
In a land of the daybreak (daybreak)
 
When they were listening to their boys perform, Daizi leaned over and gripped Dark's arm, and in the dim light of the auditorium he didn't mind putting his arm around her. This was why she didn't mind hearing the song over, and over, and over again. They had put so much work into it, so much time, and now they were performing it perfectly, with all the passion they had. Ivy stirred, slightly, maybe at the recognition of her brother's voice, maybe as a result of the change in music, but her little eyes fluttered open briefly, although the safety and warmth of her father kept her from crying. Dark watched with pride in his eyes, and a small, satisfied smile. They were great.

At the end of the song, Daizi applauded, and Dark did his best to around holding Ivy, although neither of them stood unless the vast majority of their section did. They didn't want to do anything to take away from it, and 'Mr. Dark and his wife stood up only for that performance' would certainly do exactly that.
 
Pet'er parents, of course applauded enthusiastically, Jack letting out an excited whistle. Ciara winced slightly during the performance, not a fan of the music style, but at least the words were clear, as was the earnest passion in Alec's voice as Xander added in back up. She did not stand or whistle, but she did clap, genuinely impressed at their skill. She hadn't expected them to be as good as they were, though she wouldn't admit that.

Alec, Xander, and Peter bowed and enjoyed the applause for a moment before shuffling their instruments off the stage and out of the way. They did it! They succeeded! The biggest project of their year and they hadn't messed up!
 
The whistle was enough to startle Ivy and upset her, because it was a sound she was so unfamiliar with, and everyone was suddenly being very loud, but her mild distress, too, was quickly soothed and (Dark hoped) not particularly noticeable. When everything calmed down and the next act was announced, Daizi hurried into the diaper bag to get the little baby hearing protectors, just to make sure there were no more bothers. Being the couple with the crying baby was absolutely not the plan.

There were only a few acts left, though, and soon the talent show was over, and Dark stood so they could go out to the lobby and meet Alec, Xander, and Peter to congratulate them and give them the abundance of praise they deserved.
 
Xander and Peter had washed off their make up, but Alec still wore his, though he'd added an open button-up shirt overtop of his sleeveless one because the paleness of his arms was bothering him. Xander's hair still stood in straight, tall spikes that defied gravity thanks to Sloan's work. Peter had taken off his beanie, meaning his hair now stood up in perfect hat-hair mode.

"Peter, you were so perfect!" Sally called, hurrying over to him. "Your drumming is getting better every time I hear it."

"Well done," Jack praised him, grinning.

"Well done you two for being on time this time," Peter teased.

While Sally and Jack pretended to be mortally wounded by his words, Alec hurried over to Daizi. "What did you think? Was Ivy okay with it?" he asked anxiously.
 
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