Chương 1142: [1070] - Y05.070 - Birthdays III

"Gosh, mummy, how can I be so beautiful?" Jirot asked, as though plagued by a curse. She stared at the mirror, silver polished finely, definitely by the hands of an Iyrman.

"Would you like me to braid a strand on your hair?" Vonda asked, already parting a small section of the girl's hair with her finger and thumb.

"I can part it at the side, like your kako Jaygak likes to sometimes, or I ca-""I want it like kako," Jirot said, her head darting up to her mother, who brushed her cheek, and began to brush her hair, back and to the left. She pulled the girl's hair back, sliding a hair band to keep her hair in place, before slipping a pin within the girl's hair.

"Mummy…" Little Jarot stared up at his mother expectantly, before he wore a similar band and pin, though mirrored his sister with its placement.

"You are so handsome," Jirot said, hugging her brother, kissing his cheek.

"Kaka, you are so beautiful," Jarot replied, hugging her sister back.

"Of cuhs." Jirot nuzzled her brother's nose.

"Come. We must bully daddy."

"Just a little bit," little Jarot confirmed.

"Just a little bit," Jirot agreed, grabbing her brother's hand to lead him outside with eager steps. The eagerness in her steps began to fade as she approached her father, finding him within his chair, the half elf slumped within, his chest breathing heavily, his skin pale, around the day when he was done with teaching. In this moment her father looked so…

'Small,' Konarot thought, staring at her father from the side, her tail slumped behind her. Though they had played with their father over the last few months, he had mostly been too tired, save for a few days each month. Virot did not seem to mind, spending most of her time with her mother, whereas Xarot was still too young to truly understand. He had yet to even begin smiling, though his eyes could meet his eldest sister's gaze, though he still found it hard to track her silver tail.

"Boo!" Virot barrelled her way towards her mother, who lifted her up, the girl cackling delightfully.

"Ohbogoboo?"

"We will eat soon."

"Oo!" The girl let out a satisfied sigh, nodding her head, clapping her hands with satisfaction, before throwing them up into the air, screeching lightly. Damrot glanced over towards her, before he was swiftly distracted by his mother, who picked him up, and placed a thumb across his cheek, rubbing it gently. She had forgotten if she had applied his lotion, but she felt the light layer of softness which remained from the lotion.

"Papo, daddy is sleeping?" Jirot whispered.

"He is resting his eyes," Jurot replied.

"Is not time for resting, is time for joking."

"Shall I wake him?" The girl looked to her father, as pale as he was, and how sharp his features looked compared to usual.

"I forgive daddy, just this once, okay?"

"Okay," Jurot replied, reaching out to pinch her cheek gently, causing the girl to squeal and dart away to her nano. Adam shuddered awake, feeling the chill in the air, before the smell of breakfast awoke him. The half elf's eyes fluttered slightly, fighting away the sharpness which struck his eyes, rubbing around them, letting out a pained yawn.

"Hoi hoi hoi. Seems I'm still tired from all my work. I might just take the day off today, for no reason in particular." Jirot raised her brows towards her father, who mimicked her. The girl's eyes darted to her mother, before she returned back to her meal, offering the potato to her brother, and upon his refusal, she bit into it. She knew it was best to ignore her father at this time. Adam stared at the pair for a long moment. He hadn't joked about not knowing the children for most of the year.

He glanced down at his lap for a moment, before fighting away the exhaustion.

"Jirot. Jarot. Come." Jirot glanced over to her father once more, noting how tired he looked.

"You come here, daddy!"

"Fine," Adam said, hoisting himself up, the half elf almost limping towards his children, before dropping down beside them.

"Daddy's going to give you both a great gift. One of them, I'm already giving you, Jirot. The other, will come soon."

"Is my gift?" Jirot asked.

"Today is the last day daddy needs to teach you. We'll play all day, and then I'll finish the teaching with you later tonight. Jarot…" Adam stared at his boy, feeling the gazes of the other people around.

"I'm going to give you both the best gift ever, but you just need to wait, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Until then, you're going to have to make do with some ambers. I saved the shiny ones for you." Adam planted kisses across their foreheads, and refused to let them go. Little Jarot turned his head upon his father offering him jam from the jam doughnut Bam had worked so hard to bake.

"Just a lick," Adam said, his tired smile radiating downwards over his son. Persuasion Check (Advantage) D20 + 6 = 19 (13) D20 = 6 = 23 (17) 23! Jarot leaned in to lick the spoon, tasting the sweetness. He winced slightly, but Adam quickly distracted him by hugging the boy tight and kissing his face all over.

"Wow! My son, you eat jam so well!" Adam planted noisy kisses all over his son's cheek.

"Even though it's your birthday, you're giving me such a good gift? I'm the luckiest father alive!" Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Daddy…" Jarot flushed, hiding his head against his father's chest. Adam refused to give up his children. He waited for the others to give their gifts, from their aunts and uncles, to their siblings. Konarot, Kirot, and Karot had each painted a pair of stones, and handed them to the twins. Even Adam's ambers, as shiny as they were, were worth less than such amazing treasures.

It was only until the old Mad Dog complained at the extended family estate did the half elf eventually give them up, napping in the corner as the children played with their uncles and aunts. When he awoke, Adam noted all the other Iyrmen who were making their way through the Rot family estate, each from different families. Most of them were the Family Elders he had seen before, but some were older Iyrmen who were not Family Elders, but legends who had lain dormant in the Iyr since their retirement.

"Look! My papo give me dice!" Jirot said, revealing the two large six sided dice, each roughly the size of her fists. Except they were not truly dice, as she pushed against the middle of the five dotted side, and the adjacent, single dotted face, opening up the die to reveal the amber gem.

"Is my daddy's gift." Little Jarot also revealed his own die, but his opened when he pushed open the three sided face, even if the six sided face still opened up.

'Man, Filliam sure knows how to make gifts,' Adam thought, smiling to himself. Lucy and Mara watched from the side as the children played, each having already given their gifts, a pair of patterned scarves for the children, which they currently wore more like sashes around their waists. Each were double sided, two different blues which the children wore the same way. Except for the two symbols near the corners, which denoted the first syllables of their names, they were identical.

"Hoi!" Malfev groaned, dropping down beside Adam, leaning back within the chair.

"My greatniece and greatnephew play so well!"

"Of course they do, since they're my children."

"My greatchildren also play well, but you did not see, since you did not come to spoil them." Adam flushed slightly.

"Ah, right. My bad. I forgot."

'It must be bad if he has forgotten such,' Malfev thought.

"I will forgive you, since I will run up the walls soon, and you must defend me."

"I'm afraid that I won't be able to defend you, because not even I can defeat my daughter's wicked tongue."

"You only need to defend me."

"You can just run away."

"If I run, I will not be able to hear her."

"Ah, of course."

"Babo!" Jirot gasped, seeing the balded fellow with the neatly trimmed beard, cut to just above his collar, his moustache thick and curly. The girl stormed her way to her babo, her twin brother following after her. The old man chuckled, before reaching into his tunic.

"I was informed it was your birthday today?"

"Yes! I am four years old!" Jirot declared.

"Four years old?" Malfev gasped.

"You are so big now?"

"So big," the girl confirmed, widening her stance. The stance reminded Adam of Taygak, who would stand so confidently when he had first met her.

"I have brought a gift. Can you guess?"

"It is…" Jirot thought deeply.

"Bracelet?" Little Jarot guessed.

"Hmm? How did you know?" Malfev asked, pulling out a pair of bracelets. The boy blinked, turning his head to his sister for support, wondering if she knew how he knew.

"Jarot know because Jarot is so smart," Jirot said, hugging her brother close.

"Who is smart as my papa?"

"Daddy is a little smart," Adam said, causing Jirot to burst into laughter, followed quickly by Jarot and Malfev.

"Oh my gosh, daddy! You are so funny!" Adam slunk back in his chair, feeling the wicked tongue lash against his heart. He peeked open an eye towards Malfev, who continued to chuckle, only to stop upon the half elf's smirk.

'My daughter only bullies me like this.'

'…' Malfev tied the bracelets around the children's wrists.

"I bought these bracelets when I was still travelling the land, many decades ago. They say the bracelets come from far to the east, from even beyond the Confederacy."

"Wow! So far away!" Jirot gasped.

"The Confederacy is pass Aswadasad!"

"That is right." Malfev rubbed the girl's cheek gently.

"It is so far away, but Miss Jasmine is from Confederacy, and Siten, and Bilal is from Aswadasad, and so is Manager Dunes!" Malfev lifted the children up into his arms, holding them close to his chest, taken aback by how adorable they were. He noted his sister's look, and he placed them down.

"Your greatuncle has become so old. He must go sit down."

"Babo, you are okay?" Jirot asked, reaching up for his hand. Malfev's jaw clenched slightly, allowing the girl to lead him to the side.

"I am okay, I just need to sit."

"You must be comfortable, babo." Jirot brushed the back of his hand gently. Malfev smiled wider, reaching down to brush her cheek, before doing the same for Jarot, who brought him a small blanket.

"Thank you both so much."

"Babo, you are comfortable?"

"I am." Jirot pat his knee gently.

"You call me if you are not, okay?"

"Okay."

"Nano you are comfortable too?" Jirot asked.

"I am," Mulrot confirmed.

"You must call me, okay?"

"I will." Jirot pat her knee gently too, before the girl waddled away with her brother in tow, the girl clasping her hands behind her back like she was an old man.

"Should I give up my position too?" Malfev joked.

"That is not your role," Mulrot replied simply. Malfev smiled sadly.

"What sweet children your greatchildren are."

"They have learned well," Mulrot said, watching over the twins as they continued to play with their relatives.

"Larot is still quiet?"

"He is still quiet."

"Virot walks so well," Malfev said, pointing out the girl, who waddled over to her mother, with a cup within her hand. She held it up for her mother, complaining for a drink.

"Sonarot says she walks too much and tires herself."

"She must sleep well." Mulrot smiled.

"She does." A silence fell between the pair for a moment. Malfev reached up to his beard, rubbing it gently.

"I am ready."

"Okay." It was later in the evening when Adam began the first of the two sittings with his daughter, filling with a deep exhaustion, and yet he still had another sitting to go.

"What's all this?" Adam asked, coughing gently, before furrowing his brows at the large pouch.

"Gifts for the twins," Vonda explained, feeding Xarot to one side.

"The business sent them over." Adam peeked within, noting all the handmade bracelets, the scales, and all the little notes of the children's drawings. The half elf's lips trembled into a smile.

"What adorable kids we picked up, huh?"

"They are very cute," Vonda agreed, the young woman brushing along her son's forehead gently. Adam stared down at the gifts for a long while, before Jurot sat beside him, carrying a tired Lanarot, who climbed onto Adam to hug him. Adam held the girl within his arms, the pair rubbing their cheeks together, before Vonda finally stepped away, taking the girl with her, who awoke upon hearing the mention of jam doughnuts.

"Are they asleep?" Adam asked.

"Yes," Jurot confirmed, having used his abilities on Damrot and Virot.

"One month," Adam whispered.

"Just one more month."

"If we leave soon, we can return before their birthdays," Jurot offered. Adam smiled, before catching Jurot's steely gaze, the half elf's smile dropping. He swallowed, glancing to the side. His heart beat quicker, his body flashing cold, then hot, then cold.

"Yeah."

"I will bring Jirot and Jarot."

"Okay." That evening, Adam held his twins close to him. Gangak waited with the half elf, while Jarot and Otkan remained just outside their cabin.

"Did you have fun today?"

"So much fun," Jirot replied, rubbing her eyes.

"I play with Jitool," Jarot said, smiling tiredly.

"Today is the last day of this teaching, and then, daddy will need to rest." Adam kissed their cheeks.

"So you cannot bully daddy for a few days while he rests, okay?"

"Just a little bit?" Jirot asked.

"Just a little bit," Adam surrendered, beginning to take off her top. Again, he looked away from her torso, holding her to his bare chest, and finished his last sitting with her, Awakening the magical and enchanting abilities within her. As the children were whisked away, and before Adam felt the darkness around his eyes swarm his vision, the half elf saw the scar on the girl's back, small and round, where the crossbow bolt had struck against her gut.

The sight of the scar killed the hesitation within the half elf, who faded into the void of slumber.