Jarot and Gangak remai the shared estate for a few more days, uanding it would be the best time for them to spoil the children without Adam, since, as they had predicted, he would be right back to work.

  ‘Now that I’m almost done, I probably should send word to everyone about finishing their payments,’ Adam thought, making his way to ent. He stopped on the way to the shrine. ‘Right, I also o do that, don’t I?’

  Adam pleted all but one of the entments he o plete for the business for that year. However, the st entments he o plete, for the business and for his personal tasks, were the most important of all.

  He held his you son within his arms, while the light rain fell across the Iyr. The geter patter of the water rhythmically falling. Konarot sipped along her warm milk, before some to her father, her siblings already finishing their own sips.

  “It’s okay, you should drink it all up,” Adam said, reag over a hand to brush her hair. ‘I should probably finish the on I owe to the fort, and then I’ll work on theirs? No, I should work on hers first.’

  Adam tio ent until the st week of duskval, with one more day of enti. However, in fear of Jirot’s wrath, Adam refused to ent, for it was that time of year.

  “Stht there,” Adam said, holding out his hand towards his children. “Don’t you know it’s illegal to be this cute? You’re ing with me!”

  Adam’s six children all wore the attire of the Iyr, with all those withi family wearing identical outfits. They wrey clothing, the Rot family symbol of a blue circle and diamonds embroidered along the shoulders where the outer shirt cut off at an ahey also wore a deep blue sash around their waists, which kept their outer shirt taiogether, rather than with buttons.

  “Silly daddy,” Jirot replied, while her father reached over to pull her in close for a tight embrace. Eventually she sat down, ready for her father to brush her hair, the half elf smiling with such joy.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Adam asked, smiling towards Lucy, who had readied herself to brush Jarot’s hair.

  “Adam…”

  “Lucy….”

  “This entire year I’ve behaved so well,” Lucy stated.

  Adam inhaled deeply, before bowing his head gently. Lucy sat and brushed Jarot’s hair beside his father. Vonda watched them from the side, watg them silently. Konarot and the others waited for their father to be done, and even Jarot, who allowed Lub through his hair, allowed his father to brush his hair too.

  “Ray Vonda,” Lanarot called, holding up a brush towards her, her tiny expet eyes beaming with delight. Vonda smiled and brushed the girl’s hair, the girl’s heart beating quickly, uanding Vonda was someone of signifibsp;

  “Mama, look,” Lanarot said, bowing her head so her mother could see the top of her head. “Ray Vonda buhrushed my hair!”

  “How wonderful,” Sonarot said, brushing the girl’s cheek, the girl's smile shining shtly in the duskval air.

  "It is Ray Vonda," Lanarot said, still shining brightly.

  "Yes."

  "I am Lanawoh, not Ray."

  "Yes. You are Lanarot, daughter of Sonarot."

  "I am your dohta, mama." Lanarot leaned in to kiss her cheek before she hugged her mother, her head led within her mother's neck, her breath tig her mother's skin.

  "Yes." Sonarot pulled her daughter up into a tighter hug, their cheeks rubbing together. She could smell her daughter, the oils of the Iyr, as well as the smell of dough. Her daughter's warmth bounced against her skin, and the pair tio embrace each other tenderly.

  The gentle rain fell across the air, the air chillier thahe previous months. Adam held Jirot within his arms, knowing how much trouble she would be if he let her walk, while little Jarot cuddled up against his shoulder. Jurot held Larot, while the triplets followed their aunt, who remained near her brother.

  “Hello, stranger,” Adam called, fshing a smile towards Vonda, who had all but disappeared in the past month. “How are you?”

  “I am well, Adam,” Vonda firmed. “How are you?”

  “I’m fioo.” Adam felt Jirot reach out her arms for Vonda, causing him to frown. “I’m less fine now.” Adam relented, allowing Jirot and Jarot to embrace Vonda, while Adam gowards his triplets, who waited expetly. ‘I’m not that strong…’

  “I do not mean to steal your children,” Vonda said, holding the pair close while Adam wore his triplets.

  “Well, I ’t bme you, since my childrehe best.”

  They explored the festival together, eating the foods the Iyrmen had made, while the childrehe various games. Konarot mao nd the beanbag within a rge basket. She smiled towards her father. Kirot prepared herself, tossing the little beanbag with all her might, which struck the ti basket in the tre, the hardest of all to nd. Her lips formed a circle. A moment ter, another beanbag struck the tral tiny basket, and Karot gowards his father in shobsp;

  “Whoa…” Adam gnced across the beanbags and the baskets. There were several baskets, each growing smaller towards the tre, the bullseye, while the rger baskets spread out from the tre. “Whoa, good job, good job!”

  Jirot snorted before she grabbed her own beanbag, holding it out in front of her. “I am Demon Load.” She inhaled deeply before tossing her beanbag into the air, the beanbag rising up high, arg down slightly before it fell within a straight li struck the side of the tral basket before it slipped within it. Jirot turo face her father and the others watg, her own lips f a tiny circle, surprising herself.

  “My kids are so amazing!” Adam called, reag out to take them all into his arms. “Wow, you’re all so amazing!”

  “My turn!” Jarot said, befrabbing a beanbag. “I am Jarot!” He tossed the beanbag high, whided upon an outer basket.

  “Wow! Amazing!” Adam said, grabbing his son and pulling him close, distrag the boy’s failure with his affe. “Of course my children are so good at throwing things, they’re always running about and causing trouble!”

  “Not trouble, daddy,” Konarot said, pouting.

  “When you’re this cute you’re always trouble,” Adam said, ping her cheek, before blowing a raspberry into her nebsp;

  Lanarot tossed her beanbag, which fell against the side of an outer basket. She furrowed her brows before looking to her brother. “It is buhroken?”

  “It may be so,” Jurot said, uo tell her that she missed. ‘My sister throws well.’

  Adam made sure to feed his children every few bites, sharing his own food with them, while ing up their faces with a handkerchief. Vonda also fed his children, them the various desserts she had gathered for them, while sneaking some bread into Lanarot’s mouth, the girl smiling as though she was doing something naughty.

  “Fighting, papa, fighting!” Lanarot called excitedly, hearing the distant sounds of metal strikial.

  “Jurot, do you want to take her to watch the fights?” Adam asked.

  “I will do it,” Jurot said, pg Larot down, befuiding Lanarot away. She reached for his hand and held it as they made their way out.

  ‘My brother and sister are the cutest,’ Adam thought, leaning back as he held Larot against his chest. “Oh? Are you sleepy?”

  Larot replied with a yawn, while the other children also began to quieten. Vonda and Adam took them to ae, with the Iyrmen paying close attention to the pair. There were already several other children preparing to sleep within the courtyard. Adam pced Larot down in the er, while an Iyrman approached.

  “Are you Adam?” the Iyrman asked, one who was slightly grey of skin, with tusks at at the ers of her mouth. Her tattoo was that of a tral red tilted cross with yellow hollow ovals emanating out from it. She wore a broag.

  “That’s right.”

  “Okay,” the Iyrman replied, before stepping away.

  “Are you a member of the Var family?” Adam asked.

  “I am,” the Iyrman replied, bowing her head knowingly.

  Adam bowed his head iurn. ‘I should really speak with Okvar more.’

  “I am not Vah, I am Roh,” the tiny Jirot said, yawning, before she rested her head against the pillow.

  Adam ushered his children to sleep, before quietly slipping away as other Iyrmen watched the sleeping childre against the side of the estate, sitting at a free table, while Vonda sat opposite him.

  “The Iyr’s festivals are always so lively.” She gnced across towards the tre of the district, where most Iyrmen were enjoying their time.

  “I’m gd they made the outskirts quieter,” Adam admitted.

  “Adam?”

  “Yes?”

  Vonda felt her heart beat swiftly. She had tried to push through the words before her throat stopped her, but it seemed her body was too keen oraying her. “I am gd we are friends.”

  “Me too…” Adam smiled. “Who else is going to keep me from being such a chaotic moron.”

  Vonda smiled. “Konarot will stop you, since she is so wise.”

  “Jirot will enable me.”

  Vonda smiled wider. “She will.”

  While they ehe peace, a little girl screamed for blood, while her elder brother held her upon his shoulders.

  ‘Your lungs are s,’ Jurot thought, the shadow of a smile upon his lips.

  Just a wholesome chapter and nothing crazy happe chapter...