“Kavgak,” the boy called, causing his younger sister to glance up towards him, the boy wiping her face. “You can eat the porridge, but you should not wear it.”

The girl blinked at her older brother, before she smiled, reaching up to grab his collar. “Pawidge?”

“You wish to eat more?” Raygak asked, the young Iyrman, red of skin and horned, stared down into his younger sister’s eyes, which were dark, tinted red. Her cheeks were chubby, chubbier than most children her age, but she was also so much taller than them too. Her hair, black and curly, was cut short into a bob. ‘She has already eaten the snack, but…’ The boy glanced around, noting how the adults were busy in the early evening. “Wait here.”

Jogak’s eyes trailed after his son, who disappeared into their home, and after creeping up to the window, he glanced inside to see his son within the cupboard, grabbing the green pouch. ‘…’

Raygak stepped out, almost walking into the wall that was his father. “Sorry, father.”

Jogak smiled innocently. “It is okay.” Jogak casually passed his son into their home, noting his son’s sleeves were wet.

Raygak glanced back to check if he had shut the cupboard, and upon confirming he had, he quickly rushed to his sister, dropping down beside her. He reached into tunic and slowly pulled it out.

The girl almost jolted with delight. “Peppa!”

“Ssh!” Raygak brought the pepper to her lips to quieten her down, the girl biting into the pepper with a crunch, slowly chewing the pepper. Some of the seeds fell down her lips, but her brother picked them up, ignoring the saliva, and fed the small seeds to her.

Kavgak’s lips tingled slightly as the spice danced within her mouth. She allowed her brother to feed her, and once the girl was done, she sighed and panted.

“I will bring you some water,” Raygak said, getting up, while noting his father sighing as he stepped out of the home. “Father?”

“Raygak.” Jogak placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “What am I to do?”

“…” Raygak blinked.

“Someone has taken my favourite pepper.”

Raygak slowly bowed his head, his brows raising in alarm. “Your favourite pepper?”

“I was looking forward to eating it,” Jogak said, doing his best not to smile. “Have you seen it?”

“…” Raygak noted his father’s closed eyes, and his slumped shoulder. What he didn’t notice was the smallest gap between his father’s eyelids. “Sorry. I took it.”

“You took it?”

“I took it.”

“Did you eat it?”

“… I took it.”

“My favourite pepper?”

“Sorry, father.”

Jogak continued to stare down at his son for a long moment, the boy pouting meekly. “If you have taken it, then you have taken it. You must be thirsty, so I will bring you a drink.”

“Yes, father…” Raygak watched his father step back into the home, and return with a pair of glasses. He accepted a glass, while his father made his way to Kavgak.

“Kavgak, are you thirsty?”

“Thustee, daddy,” the girl confirmed, while her father dropped to a knee to feed her the water.

Raygak sipped his water guiltily, understanding his father had caught him out. He remained silent, glancing away to the side.

“Are you still thirsty?” Jogak asked.

“More?” Kavgak asked.

“Raygak, fill the cup,” Jogak said, offering his son the cup, the boy quickly snatching it and retreating away.

Raygak returned, feeding his sister some more water, the girl holding onto his wrist with her small hands, her grip like a vice, gulping down the water before letting out a satisfied sigh.

“What do you say to your brother?” Jogak asked.

“Thet you,” the girl said, tapping her wet chin before holding her hand out to her brother.

“It is okay,” Raygak replied, smiling slightly, even though his guilty eyes fell to his father.

Jogak reached over to brush Kavgak’s hair, ruffling it tenderly. “Do you see how much your brother takes care of you?”

“Papa…”

“Do you want to hug him?”

“Papa!” The girl held up her arms, before she was completely swallowed by her brother’s form, the young Iyrman hugging her tight.

“Do you see how much she loves you?” Jogak asked.

“I see,” the boy confirmed, holding the girl close to his chest, embracing him tight.

“Make sure you treat Maygak this way too.”

“I do!”

“Good,” Jogak said, patting his son’s shoulder gently, before leaving the pair alone. He stepped to Mirot, who was currently in the process of cutting the vegetables for the meal.

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“Are you enjoying the time without Jaygak?” Mirot teased, the woman built thickly, having kept the weight from her pregnancies, though having forged it to allow her to wrestle bears. Her dark hair had been cut to shoulder length, and her dark eyes held a mischief that was more like her grandniece.

Jogak smiled, though nervousness wrinkled his face. He wanted to reply, but could not think of the words.

“You are still worried?”

“I can only pray to Baktu she has placed,” Jogak admitted.

“You worry more than her.”

“I… I know she wishes to retire soon. I hope she will not. If she places well, she may wish to adventure and make a name for herself. Master is not out of her reach, and if she works hard, she could claim Grandmaster.”

“Grandmaster?” Mirot almost let slip a joke, but managed to catch herself. “With my nephews, she could reach Paragon.”

Jogak let out a snort. “Paragon? What need of my daughter for such a title?”

Mirot could hear the heaviness within his voice. He hadn’t been this nervous since the first time Jaygak had left with Adam. “Jaygak will have placed.”

“Yes,” Jogak said, with the belief of a father, but the realism of an Iyrman marred his words.

While the father worried of his eldest daughter, another father doted upon his youngest daughter.

“You see these walls?” Adam asked, holding the basket, while his daughter clutched at his finger. “Easily six times as tall as daddy, and you see those six statues? I don’t know much about them, but I know they’re important. See that box above the doors? That’s where the Iyrmen sit and wait for us. They’re waiting for you right now because you’re so special. Do you know why you’re so special?”

The girl tried to pull her father’s finger to her mouth, but Adam kept his finger at bay.

“That’s right!” Adam chuckled, causing the girl’s eyes to dart towards him, before she smiled too, revealing why she was so special in his heart.

The wooden gates shook open with the mighty of several Iyrmen, those who were nearby to hear the call to open the gates.

“Even though they can use the mechanism on the other side, the Iyrmen like to show off,” Adam explained to his daughter, who had no idea what he was saying. “Don’t worry, I won’t let them corrupt you.”

The Main Iyr, or the Big Iyr as it was sometimes called, was built partly into the side of the mountain, with tunnels to the side leading elsewhere. There were a great many large square blocks built ahead of him, the walls blocking off the next layer of the Iyr.

Hundreds of figures moves through the Iyr, though nearby, dozens of children all began to swarm the returning group. They charged towards the carriage, but as they saw the fellow step out the carriage, they stopped. He was tall, carried an axe at his side, and his leaf shaped ears revealed his identity to all the children. Swiftly, the children formed three queues.

Jaygak wore the bag between Adam and Jurot, undoing the various belts which kept the trinkets hidden away.

“I’m so proud of you all for behaving so well,” Adam said, noting the small stragglers who joined the ends of the queue. He spotted several Iyrmen nearby, nodding his head towards them, and they returned nods, watching as the trio of Iyrmen gave out small gifts to the children, mostly bits of cloth they tied to the children’s wrists.

“Daddy is giving away so much?” Jirot asked, pouting at all the colourful strips of cloth which could be tied to her arm instead.

“It is the Iyr’s way,” Vonda replied.

“Okay…” Jirot pouted, wanting all the cloths.

“Don’t worry, your father must have brought you something special too, since you are his daughter.”

“Yes. I am daddy’s dohta, not them, they are not.”

Pam watched as the children queued up for the trio, accepting the gifts from her husband’s hands. “Damrot, look.” The boy stared out to the world as his mother held him, still supporting the back of his head. He blinked, noting all the colours and shapes in front of him, which he would not remember moments from now. There was one which seemed vaguely familiar, however, the form of his father’s large back.

“Go ahead,” Adam said, retreating from his spot, allowing Kitool to take his place.

“I give too?” Lanarot asked.

“If you want to, sure,” Adam said.

“Me too!” Jirot said, climbing down the carriage, only to be hoisted up by her father, who tossed her in the air lightly, before placing her down on the floor. Jarot, who had followed his sister, paused, staring up at his father with a pout. His heart beat quickly as his father picked him up, but it slowed when his father gently placed him on the floor.

“Daddy?” Konarot asked.

Adam smirked towards Vonda, the kind of smirk Adam gave, the one which said he wasn’t going to show off to the world about his children, but the smirk itself was showing off to the world about his children.

‘My kids… are so cute!’

The shared estate held the four families, that of the Ool, Kan, Gak, and Rot families. Like every other shared estate, it was three stories tall, with four pathways in the centre of each wall, the inner courtyard large enough for all the children to play within. All the main members of the families, from the Family Heads and their siblings, and their children, all spent their days here.

Kavgak held the sliced vegetable within her hand, the centre cream in colour, the rind purple. The flavour of the vegetable was plain, but the light spices on the vegetable danced along the girl's tongue. "Water."

Raygak held the cup up to her lips, feeding her water, before Maygak reached out to grab her brother's sleeve, panting for water. Raygak fed her water too. "Slowly, Maygak. You must eat slowly."

The girl blinked, before smiling shyly, sticking another piece of vegetable into her mouth, returning her attention back to her food.

Raygak let out a small sigh. 'What a silly girl.' He kept an eye on his sister for a moment, before he gave up thinking about telling her off. 'Since you are so cute.' The boy, several years older than both girls, almost in his teens, glanced all across the area. His eyes fell to his aunt, who continued to cook, even though everyone was eating their share of food, and there was already enough food for extra meals should they want to eat more.

It was only upon the squealing did Raygak understand why his aunt continued to cook, though she had to stop for a moment, since they had come to attack her. The tiny forms of green charged towards Mirot.

"Nana! Nana!" the twins called out, each grabbing a leg of hers, hugging her so tight.

However, Raygak remained focused on one figure, standing tall and proud within the armour, and his eyes fell down to her side to her blade, the great magical blade known as...

"We have returned," Jurot said, while the children all shouted with delight, getting up from their seats to charge their siblings and cousins.

Jurot embraced the children of the Rot family, his cousins who he hadn't seen in so long, the four brothers smiling so brightly towards him. Their eyes, full of joy and expectation caused the Iyrman's heart to stir, the addiction of wanting to please his family engraving itself within his bones.

Jaygak brushed her brother's hair gently, before embracing him close. Her sisters and cousins each stared up at her expectantly as she greeted them, one by one.

Her father's eyes fell to her side, where the magical blade should have been, but she wore a different blade at her side. He glanced at the other weapons, each of which were the same. '...' He refrained from frowning at the thought.

Kitool also embraced the eldest of her siblings, a little girl whose hair was cut into a bob, as always, and no doubt influenced the rest of the children. She also embraced her younger siblings and her cousins softly.

The children of the Rot family were greeted by Jurot. Those of the Gak family were greeted by Jaygak. Those of the Ool, by Kitool.

Then there were the children of the Kan family.

'It's fine, right?' he thought to himself, though by the time the thought had finished, he had already picked her up.

"Kaza!" Inakan cried out with delight, the girl so much smaller than even the younger children. Her eyes beamed through the magical glasses, allowing her to see the half elf in clear detail. Her skin was bronze, like that of her family, and her short hair was dark, with small clips keeping her hair out of her eyes.

"Inakan!" Adam peppered her forehead with kisses, the half elf brushing her hair behind her ear tenderly. "Who gave you permission to grow up this much?"

Mirot brought the stool for the twins to allow them to wash their hands, while her eyes fell to Sonarot. "Father left to the extended estate?"

"He is at the business," Sonarot replied, holding Mirot's gaze.

'What?'