Omen: 6, 8

Adam stared down at the two girls, narrowing his eyes towards them. Katool was already giggling, covering her mouth with her hands. “Hmmm…” Adam narrowed his eyes further. “These kids. They look… familiar.”

The other children snickered at Adam’s joke, all the while the Half Elf rubbed his chin. “Aha! This must be Maool and Minakan!”

Katool cackled, slapping her knee as she began to laugh. “No, cousin Adam, it is…” She stopped laughing and furrowed her brows.

This time, he was right?

“Of course it is Maool and Minakan,” Adam said, nodding his head. “It all makes sense.”

“Yes,” Taygak replied, nodding her head. She reached up to pat Adam’s back for doing such a good job in remembering who they were.

The tiny girls were dressed up in the Iyrman attire, and their foreheads were painted with marks, each the colours of their respective families. The attention the pair received caused Maool to smile, while Minakan ignored it as best as she could, her face transfixed into a sour pout.

“Alright,” Adam said, reaching into his shirt, pulling out two small pieces of paper which had been rolled up into small scrolls, with tiny ribbons of black tying them together. “This is my gift for the two of you.”

“What is it?” Shikan asked, surprised it wasn’t a set of weapons as he had originally expected. ‘No. Even Adam is not that foolish.’

Adam held the paper out to Halikan and Raool, since it was their daughters’ birthdays. “It’s a promise.”

“A… promise?” Shikan asked, before feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His eyes met Sonarot’s for a moment.

“Don’t be like that!” Adam frowned. “It’s not like it’s anything crazy.”

“What is the promise?”

“Oh, you know, this and that…” Adam reached up to hide his guilty smirk with a fist, clearing his throat.

“Adam…” Sonarot called.

“It’s just, you know… they can bring the paper and the Enchanter will promise to make them a magical item with their elder sibling’s guidance.”

“The gifts are magical items?” Shikan asked, covering his face.

“No,” Adam replied. “It’s the promise of a magical item. The promise is only to them, and not to their family.”

“…”

Faool and Naqokan glanced between one another, wondering if their gifts could match that. Though, Adam had also included them with the gifts.

Amira looked to Dunes, her eyes asking whether Adam could do such a thing. Dunes replied with only a soft smile, before sipping his milk.

Adam was Adam.

“You can’t gift babies magical weapons,” Jaygak said.

“It’s not a magical weapon,” Adam replied, firmly. “It’s a promise to create a magical item. Item! It doesn’t have to be a magical weapon!”

“They’re Iyrmen!” Jaygak exclaimed. “What else do you think they’ll ask for?”

“You’re right…” Adam frowned. “No. I’ll be the bulwark against the horrible influence the Iyr will have. I’ll make sure they aren’t corrupted to ask for only weapons!”

“Magical weapons are a fine request,” Shikan said, before shutting his mouth tight. He couldn’t believe that he had fallen into the pace Adam had set. “They will be raised well in the Iyr.”

“Shikan, have yo-,”

“Uncle Shikan,” Sonarot stated.

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Adam cleared his throat, flushing slightly from his embarrassment at being called out. “Uncle Shikan, have you forgotten how Lanarot reacts to fights?”

“She reacts well,” Shikan confirmed.

Adam inhaled deeply. “That’s what I mean. If… if Inakan acts that way, then I’ll have failed as her Cousin! I won’t allow it!”

“Inakan is a Kan,” Shikan replied, simply. “She will be raised well in the Iyr.”

“I won’t allow anyone to corrupt my adorable Cousins,” Adam whispered.

“They are our children.”

Adam inhaled deeply once more, turning his head. “Just you wait until their baba returns.”

“Their…” Shikan paused, realising who Adam meant. ‘That will be difficult to deal with.’

“Adam, you must allow them to grow up well,” Jurot said.

“I refuse.” Adam’s lips quivered. “They’ll stay small and cute forever.”

“If Gurot grows bigger, won’t he be chonkier?” Jaygak asked.

Adam caught Jaygak’s eyes, his eyes growing wider. ‘Wait. She’s on to something. If Gurot grows up bigger, maybe he’ll be even chonkier? Then I can pretend to struggle to lift him even more.’ “This is why you’re my favourite, Jaygak.”

“Who wants to be your favourite?” Jaygak replied, raising a fist into the air towards him. ‘I should beat him.’

“Taygak, Jaygak is bullying me,” Adam grumbled.

Taygak looked up to Jaygak and then back to Adam. She stood up and pat Jaygak’s arm gently. She gave Jaygak a knowing look, slowly nodding her head in understanding. Jaygak reached out to hold the girl’s hand, thanking her for her understanding.

“Et tu, Taygak?”

Halikan exchanged a look with her brother. She was quite glad Adam hadn’t done something ridiculous for their first birthday. Considering it was Adam, a promise for a future magical item was actually quite tame.

Adam watched as the children passed gifts to the little girls, and he looked at his own children expectantly. However, they had nothing to gift, other than light hugs.

“Hey, now, you need to give gifts properly,” Adam said, wagging his finger at his children.

“They do not,” Sonarot stated. “They are the nieces and nephews.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Adam replied. “It’s not for them, but for me.”

“For you?”

“I want to see them being all cute giving away gifts, then I can show off to the other parents about how good my children are,” Adam stated. “Just like how you all show off to other parents about your own children.”

Sonarot raised her brow towards the Half Elf.

“Don’t give me that look,” Adam grumbled quietly. “Aunt, your son came first place. I know you’re giving the other adults side eyes and smirks about how your son is so amazing. Aunt Citool, you think I don’t know how much you’ve been showing off your daughter? Uncle Jogak, you think I don’t notice how you… okay, maybe Jaygak doesn’t have any-,”

Adam slapped his leg, realising he was about to say something bad about Jaygak. ‘No, I need to be nice since she saved my life.’ “Don’t think I don’t know how you show off how…” Adam began to shake lightly, and coughed, as though he was taking internal damage. “Smart. Jaygak. Is.” Adam covered his face, stopping himself from shaking too much.

Jaygak exchanged a look to her father, her brow pulsing slightly. ‘Don’t you stop me from beating him.’

‘Beating him?’ Jogak replied, raising his brow towards his daughter. ‘Do you wish for Raygak to see you get beaten up again?’

Jaygak frowned, crossing her arms, letting the matter go. She thought about going to the Elder to get her revenge.

“They do not need to give gifts,” Halikan confirmed. “They are the nieces and nephews.”

“Aunt Halikan, do you think I’ll forgive you just because Minakan is so cute?” Adam asked. “Konarot, do you have something you want to give your…” Adam paused. He looked to his triplets, realising they were older, but they were of a younger generation. ‘…’ He glanced between his aunts and uncles. ‘They do have a point…’

Konarot hopped off the stool and rushed away to the house, with Kirot and Karot chasing after her. The triplets finally returned with little cups in hand, as well as ribbons. Konarot had brought four of each, Kirot too, while Karot had brought two of each. They tied up the ribbons around the cups, and handed the one year olds the cups.

“Jiwoh,” Konarot called, before handing the girl a cup and ribbon, with Kirot doing the same to Jarot.

Jirot took the cup and tried to drink from it, before realising it was empty. She raised it up to her grandmother. “Nana.”

“You are to gift it, Jirot,” Sonarot said.

“No,” Jirot replied, shaking her head. “No.”

“Yes,” Konarot said.

Jirot looked to Konarot, confused for a moment. Konarot pointed to the ribbon and helped the girl with putting the ribbon around the cup and within it, before guiding her to hand it to Minakan, doing the same for Maool for the last cup and ribbon. Kirot guided Jarot, who did not resist, instead following the motions which had been shown to him.

Jirot stared at the cups she had given away, before looking up to her nana. “Mik.”

“Okay,” Sonarot said, picking her up to breastfeed the greedy girl.

“My kids are so cute and so smart,” Adam said, nodding his head, ignoring the fact that they hadn’t brought enough. “You see that? She even brought her sister gifts to give. My Konarot, and my Kirot and Karot, are so sweet and smart.” Adam’s lips formed a wide smirk.

The others stared at Adam, seeing how he was restraining himself from hugging and kissing his children. Jurot stared down at Adam’s children, crossing his arms. They were truly good children, and were growing up well. Adam remained sitting down, frozen with his arms crossed, eating the dessert that was his children’s adorableness.

However, Jurot could see something glisten at the back of the Half Elf’s neck.

“Your children are truly adorable,” Jurot said, patting his brother’s back, casually. However, he felt something against Adam’s back that he hadn’t expected. It was wet, and cold.

“Yeah,” Adam whispered in response, clearing his throat, realising that Jurot had felt how cold he had become.

‘…’