“Vonda!” Jirot decred, pointing towards the woman adorned in her full garb, c her almost head to toe, save for her face.

  “Yes?” the young woman replied, leaning back within her seat while Dunes shifted awkwardly opposite her.

  “You ah fightin’ me?”

  “No.”

  Jirot jerked away from the response, blinking as her mind processed the denial. “Good. I am stwong.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  Jirot snorted, standing up taller. “I am daddy’s dohta.”

  “That is right.”

  “I am not nana’s dohta. I am nano’s ganandohta.” The girl smirked, raising her smugly towards the Ray.

  “You are so smart, Jirot.”

  “Jirot,” the older Jarot called, carrying his greatson within his arm. “You must call her Ray Vonda.”

  “Way Vonda?”

  “She is a Ray now,” Jarot said, taking a seat between Vonda and Dunes. “You must show your respect.”

  Jirot narrowed her eyes towards the woman, her lips f a wider smirk.

  “Jirot,” her greatfather called, his voice l slightly.

  Jirot pouted. “Okay, babo. I am good girl.”

  “That is right.” Jarot reached out with his arm to ruffle his greatdaughter’s hair. “Even if you are to be wild, you must be appropriately wild.”

  Little Jarot held onto his greatfather’s neck, sug his thumb. He gnced over towards Dunes, noting the Aswadian’s gaze fell elsewhere. Jarot’s eyes remained firmly focused on Dunes’ face, and though the Aswadian could feel the burning gaze of the goblin, he remained intensely focused on the ilk before him.

  “You are Way Vonda?”

  “That is right.”

  “I am Way?”

  “No, you are Jirot, daughter of Adam.”

  Jirot snorted once more. “No… I am babo’s daughter.” The girl cackled, gng back towards her greatfather.

  Jarot wao tell her off, but how could he do so when she was so cute? ‘Just this once, because you are so cute.’

  “Way Vonda!” Jirot accused, pointing at the woman. “Why?”

  “I became a Ray because I grew closer to Mother Soza.”

  “Mutha Soza?”

  “She’s the Goddess of Life.”

  “Mahtu?”

  “Yes, that is what the Iyrmen call her.”

  “I know Mahtu! Is Baktu’s mama.”

  Vonda smiled. “That is right. Mother Soza is the mother of many of the Divine.”

  “Mahtu is your mama?”

  “No, she is a Divine.”

  “You are mama?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “Is okay,” Jirot said, walking over to to the Ray, patting her haly. “Is okay, you be mama. I am mama.”

  “You’re a mother?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who are you mother of?”

  “I pay with Jawoh and I am mama and he is, mmm, Jawoh is my papa.”

  “You are Jarot’s mama?”

  “No. I am mama and Jawoh is papa.”

  “You py as the mother and he pys as your brother?”

  “Jawoh is my papa,” the girl firmed.

  “So who are you the mother of?” Vonda asked, curious to the girl’s ihoughts.

  “Me!”

  “You are your own mother?”

  “I am Jiwoh!” The girl stood taller.

  “Jirot, are you bullying Ray Vonda?” Adam called, carrying the tired form of her you brother.

  “No! I good girl, you smelly daddy!” Jirot poi her father, before quickly retreating towards her greatfather, climbing up his p.

  “Do you see how she bullies me?” Adam asked, dropping down opposite the older Jarot, who rubbed his cheek against his greatdaughter, while the tiny Jarot gowards his father, fshing a small smile. Adam held Larot up to his chest, allowing the boy to rex within his arms.

  “Your daughter was just telling me how proud she was to be your daughter,” Vonda said.

  “Really?” Adam asked, his eyes snapping to his daughter.

  “No!” Jirot cackled once more.

  “Did she say she roud?” Adam asked, his eyes falling to the Iyrman.

  “She did not say she roud,” Jarot stated.

  “She said she was your daughter so fidently and eagerly,” Vonda assured.

  “Is that what she did?” Adam asked, narrowing his eyes towards the older Iyrman.

  “She was so proud when she said she was my daughter,” Jarot replied, smirking towards the half elf trying to cause trouble.

  “Jirot, who is your father, babo or daddy?” Adam asked.

  Jirot’s lips formed a wicked smirk as she stared at her father, but little Jarot poiowards their father and called out to him.

  “Jarot, you’re such a good boy, aren’t you?” Adam called out, reag out with a finger, while little Jarot reached out to hold it, smiling shyly.

  “Daddy! Is Way Vonda!” Jirot said, pointing to the Priest.

  “That’s right, Vonda is a Ray now, so you o show proper respect, okay? You aren’t allowed to bully her, you only bully me, since I’m your father.”

  “I not bully, I am good girl,” Jirot replied, hiding her fato her babo’s neck, giggling into it. She lost herself tgling and cag.

  Adam let out a long sigh, before leaning bato his chair, gng between both Vonda and Dunes. He wondered if he should tease Dunes, but it felt awkward mentioning it in front of the children. Adam reached up to brush through his son’s hair gently, feeling the boy snoozing against his chest.

  ‘What am I going to to do with you?’ Adam thought, before closing his eyes. He had spent the m going about cheg on the children, but other thoughts filled his mind.

  ‘We spent so much mohis year… I o secure more money so the business doesn’t fall over in a year…’

  Adam hadn’t yet realised how much mohe business still had, havioo busy doting on his children.

  ‘It’s probably not too important to sell off anything too crazy right now, I just o do the least amount of work for the most amount of money…’ Adam inhaled deeply. ‘Of course it’s the nobles, it’s always the nobles. I should milk them dry for as much as I . I o finish off the curre of ons and shields, and that should tide us over for now, but I should try and figure out a way to take more money from the Aldish. Might be a good way to get closer to the noble families. Overcharge them and have them thank me for it?’

  ‘What kind of wicked thoughts do you have?’ Duhought, eyeing up the half elf and the smirk on his face.

  ‘There’s no real reason to leave for the rest of the year so I just stay here and spoil my kids while w on the enting…’

  ‘So he’s thinking about his children now…’

  ‘I should plete all the items I owe, then I should ent a few more, just in case. I also o ent some ons as gifts too…’ Adam leaned ba his chair further.

  ‘Has he resigned himself to all the work he o plete?’

  ‘If only I could…’ Adam furrowed his brows together. ‘Hold on…’

  Passive Enting

  Multi Enting

  ‘He has realised he is stupid,’ Duhought, fairly certain he was corre his assessment of Adam’s facial expressions.

  ‘Holy, that’s so broken.’

  ‘He has definitely recalled how ridiculous he is.’

  “Jirot, your father is s,” Adam called.

  “No! I am stwong!”

  “Of course you are.”

  “Yes.”

  Gilbert g the group from afar. He could feel Cobra’s gaze against him, urging him to step forward, but it was awkward to walk over to Adam when he was holding the sleeping demon baby so tenderly against his chest.

  ‘How am I meant to speak to him like that?’

  While Gilbert was deep in thought about how to speak with Adam, Konarot was deep in thought about which move to make . Her finger curled around her face, her eyes glued to the board in front of her.

  Tonagek remained silent as he watched the girl’s mind race, her eyes flickeriween all the point on the board. Beside him, the awakened wolf gently snoozed away, with Lanarot ying against his side, the tiny girl swaying lightly with the wolf’s breathing. Danagek y in the shade nearby, the boy beside his cousin, Gurot, who squirmed within his sleep for a moment, before falling still once more.

  ‘How peaceful…’ Tohought.

  Kirot and Karot both zed within the shade to one side, her sleeping without their elder sister, who did not want to sleep before the game ehe pair twitched slightly, and their elder sister go the side, noting the appearance of their grandmother, who ruffled the eldest’s hair, before settling herself with the twins, allowing them to climb atop her, embrag them tight.

  It was only when the cry of the tiny troublemaker struck through the air that the peaceful air dissipated.

  Jirot tio scream and cry, even as her greatfather tried to soothe her, before her father lifted her up quickly, the girl gasping for air as she stared down at her father.

  “What’s wrong, Jibaby?”

  Jirot sniffled, pointing at her father once more. “Smelly daddy!” Her face torted once more before she made to cry once more.

  Adam stared at her, bewildered by what he had doo cause her to cry randomly. ‘Even if you’re cute when you cry, how am I meant to know why you’re g?’

  “Nano!” the girl screeched, still g within her father’s arms.

  Larot squiowards Vonda, his sleepy eyes then slowly gng to the side to see his elder sister g. ‘Of course it’s her…’

  Of course it's her.