Omen: 7, 10
“Jurot, you cuddle her first,” Adam said. “I’ll be cuddling her the most.”
“Okay,” Jurot replied.
Lanarot was adorned in a light blue outfit, with the symbol of her family embroidered against her heart. Sonarot dabbed her forehead with blue, in the vague shapes of her family symbol. The tiny girl blinked at Jurot, who lifted her up, and hugged her. She melted against her brother, sucking on her thumb.
‘Oh, right…’
Adam’s five children were also dabbed with the paint, and wore matching clothing to their father, uncle, and tiny aunt. Adam stared down at them, with Jarot and Jirot sitting beside each other, cooing quietly as they held their blocks, sucking against them. Konarot, Kirot, and Karot all sat quietly, behaving well, as they usually did.
“Hmmm,” Adam said, narrowing his eyes. He glanced around, noting that only the Iyrmen were around. “We’re missing someone.”
Jurot remained silent, wondering what Adam was planning. The Half Elf disappeared, before dragging along a young man. He was adorned in the attire of the Iyrmen, a light grey, though at his waist was a cloth belt, fashioned out of something yellow with a repeating pattern of red swirls. He sleepy eyes were behind spectacles, which were near miniscule, only two round glasses with a tiny triangular bridge connecting them.
Filliam had long decided against resisting the storm known as Adam, rubbing his eyes, before looking down at the children. ‘…’ His eyes then fell to Lanarot, realising it must have been her birthday, since he was acting like this.
However, Lanarot was currently busy, a beautiful Devilkin currently checking her height, weight, reactions, and her teeth. An assistant beside her was writing down whatever the Shaman was saying.
“You are growing well,” Lokat said, brushing Lanarot’s hair.
The girl smiled up at Lokat shyly, before she returned back to her brother, who hugged her tight.
Lokat’s eyes met Adam’s. “I see you are doing well too, Adam.”
Adam narrowed his eyes, feeling as though this scene was familiar. “Who doesn’t do well in the Iyr?”
Lokat checked the other children too, first assisting Adam’s children. She praised them for growing well, with Jirot and Jarot staring up at her with large smiles as she checked them. She moved on to the young babies who were only a few months old. She spent most of her time with Inakan, the smallest of the babies.
“We will monitor her twice as much,” Lokat said to the baby girl’s parents, before excusing herself.
‘I suppose Konarot is fine then?’ Adam thought.
During breakfast, the older children came by to give Lanarot a piece of their bread, as well as their fruit.
“Did you get anything for my sister?” Adam asked, looking to Filliam.
Filliam wondered what he could give up to the young girl. “I have created a smaller watch.”
“What is a baby going to do with a watch?” Adam asked, before sighing. “Filliam, how can you stress me out like this? You’re always working so hard, and you hardly ever take a break.”
Filliam squinted towards the Half Elf, wondering why the Gnome was calling a Halfzer small. “I have been resting. I take the festival week off, and I take a day or two off every month.”
Adam could feel the gaze of the Iyrmen against him, understanding that he wasn’t one to talk. “Well, I suppose that’s good. You should take a few more days off. You know, they say that sleeping well increases your ability to think, and not just that, but it also helps with your creativity. Sleeping well, eating well, and some exercise, it’ll help you in tinkering.”
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“How does exercising help with tinkering?” Filliam asked.
“It boosts cognitive function,” Adam said.
Filliam wasn’t sure what that meant, but he was certain that exercise wasn’t for him. “I don’t want to exercise, especially not in the Iyr.”
“What’s wrong with exercising in the Iyr?”
“It’s embarrassing…”
“Oh, well, you don’t need to do anything difficult. Just take a walk around the estate, once every morning and evening. Watch the sunrise and sunset. Eat well, though I suppose you don’t have to worry about that in the Iyr, and sleep well. You’ve got a watch so make sure you sleep for at least eight hours a day.”
“Walking, eating, sleeping, it all takes away time from tinkering,” Filliam complained, frowning.
“No. They are an extension of you tinkering. How can you tinker when your body is weak? How can you tinker when you don’t have the strength from food? How can you tinker if you fall asleep midway through tinkering? If nothing else, why don’t you eat with the Iyrmen in the morning? Take a walk to see the sunrise, eat some food with a different family estate, and sleep when it’s dark. I guarantee it, Filliam, that you’ll work better than ever before.”
“You don’t know tinkering,” Filliam said. “All that takes away from my work.”
“The average Iyrman is stronger than the Aldish, right?”
“Of course.” Filliam adjusted his glasses, wondering why Adam was being so annoying.
“Then how do you explain the fact that Jurot, Jaygak, and Kitool are all so monstrously strong in comparison to the other Iyrmen?”
“They…” Filliam glanced between the trio. Then he looked at Adam, who was the strongest of the lot, from what he had heard. “Alright, fine…”
Adam smiled. “Don’t forget, Filliam, you’re someone the Iyr and I are investing in. You should work at full strength.”
‘How did we even get onto this topic?’ Filliam thought.
Once breakfast was done, Adam lifted Lanarot up, nuzzling her nose. “Smelly girl, how can you grow up like this? I told you to stay small and cute forever.”
“No!” Lanarot replied, before snickering at him. “No!”
“How… how can you all grow up? I refuse! I won’t allow it!” Adam hugged Lanarot, before his triplets also swarmed him. “Jurot, how can they do this to me?”
“You are growing well, sister,” Jurot affirmed, crossing his arms. “You will become the…” Jurot paused. Making such statements was not Iyrmanlike, and his eyes fell to Adam, who was currently pampering their younger sister with all manner of kisses. Though he had spent a year away from Adam, his brother had engrained his stupidity deeply within him.
“Adam?” Jurot called, almost cautiously.
“Yes?”
“Cutest In The Whole World.”
Adam kissed his sister. “That’s right.” Adam held her close, with Lanarot smiling up at him, enjoying all the attention he was giving her. There was no doubt in Adam’s mind she wouldn’t remember this, but that was okay. He would give her as much affection as he could, and hoped it would carry with her forever.
Sonarot led her son and his brother, as well as their children, through the Iyr. They left the estates to an area full of one and two stories buildings, with plenty of Iyrmen moving through the area. They arrived at a small, open area, where an older Iyrman was setting up a desk. He had all manner of small objects to one side, each which looked like a dark gem. He spread a large sheet of paper over the desk, keeping the sides pinned under thick blocks of wood.
Jurot brought a chair over. It was made of wood, the back of which was made of strips of wood, wrapped around a thick, wooden border. He brought two more chairs, since it was not just Lanarot here this time, but also five other children. Jurot sat down beside his mother, and Adam sat down on the opposite side.
“I will hold Jarot,” Sonarot said, taking the boy from Adam’s arms.
Adam continued to hold Jirot, but Jurot reached for the girl, only to see how his mother was holding Jarot. The baby Goblin sat on his nana’s thigh, on the same side as his father. Sonarot smiled at Jurot, who looked down at the triplets. “I will hold Kirot and Karot.”
Adam glanced between the pair, wondering what they were doing, but he decided against asking. The Iyrmen were Iyrmen. He sat, sitting Jirot to one side, the same side as her twin brother, and sat Konarot his other leg. The girl looked past the other children to see her younger brother and sister, before looking up at her father with a frown.
“You silly girl, they’re on their uncle’s lap,” Adam said, rubbing her hair. “Don’t bully your papo like this.”
The older Iyrman, who had drawn them the year before, glancing between them all. He hadn’t been informed there were going to be so many, but he started sketching regardless. Even if he wasn’t meant to sketch so many, he wouldn’t get into any trouble, it would be Sonarot who would be questioned. He glanced up at them and back down at the sketch over the course of fifteen minutes or so, before pulling the sheet away.
Sonarot stood, with Jurot following after her. Adam pulled Jirot and Konarot closer, shutting his eyes tight as he took a moment to realise what had happened. His children had been refused by the Rot family originally, though not by his aunt and his brother, nor the old man who had beaten Adam. Yet, they were now immortalised within the portrait of the main Rot family.
“This is definitely the happiest day of my life,” Adam said.