Omen: 9, 16

“Daddy,” Jirot said, trying to squirm away from his attention. Unfortunately for her, this was one day that Adam refused to stop showering her with affection. Adam held both of his twins together, and constantly peppered them with kisses. This was also the one day that the others decided against calling him cringe for how much he adored his children.

“You punks, how can you do this to me?” Adam whispered as he blew into Jirot’s stomach, causing her to squeal and laugh before doing the same to Jarot, who also squealed with glee. “You’re both so big now! How can you do this to me? It’s not right!”

“Adam, I must dress them,” Sonarot said, eventually, trying to take them away to clean up and dress in proper attire for the day.

“On this day, you would steal them from me?” Adam whispered.

“Yes,” Sonarot replied. “They are my grandchildren.”

“…” Adam let his twins go, who excitedly rushed up to their nana, before being taken away to bathe. Adam sighed, hearing them splash away in their tubs with glee, before they were changed into a set of grey and blue Iyrmen clothing. Sonarot dabbed their foreheads too, marking them with the crude symbols representing the Rot family tattoo.

The others began to give their gifts to Jirot and Jarot, strips of colourful cloth, which they excitedly grabbed and shook about in the air. Adam gave a thumbs up to the older children, who had gifted his children something so perfect.

“No!” Jirot said, pointing to Jurot. “No.”

“What’s wrong?” Adam asked, feeding Jarot, who sat on his lap.

“No seep!” Jirot stated, squatting with her hands out to stop Jurot from picking her up and doing that to her.

“No sleep,” Adam confirmed. “Uncle Jurot just wants to feed you yum yum.”

“Yum yum?” Jirot asked, retreating to her father as she eyed her uncle up suspiciously.

Jurot picked up a bowl of porridge and pat his lap. “Come, Jirot. I will feed you.”

“No seep?”

“No sleep.”

“Okay,” Jirot said, shuffling her way to her uncle. She did not allow him to pick her up, instead she climbed atop his lap, and allowed him to feed her.

‘My kid is so smart,’ Adam thought. ‘Is she…’ Adam didn’t continue the thought even as a joke. ‘It’s because she’s so cute.’

“Daddy?” Jarot asked, looking up at him with those large, expectant eyes.

“Sorry, sorry,” Adam said, feeding his youngest son more porridge, as well as some fruit which some of the older children had gifted to the twins.

Before the twins were taken away, Jaygak lifted each of them up. She kissed their cheeks and gently bounced them in her arms. She whispered quietly into their ears. “Today is the day you can bully your father most, so make sure you take full advantage of it.”

Jirot smiled, cackling quietly, while Jarot smiled shyly at her. He pointed up at her.

“What? You want to bully me?”

Jarot nodded his head, before hugging her tight. Jaygak wasn’t sure how she felt about this, but she supposed she could only relent since it was their first birthday.

Adam waited nearby, his arms crossed. He did his best not to let out huffs of frustration as Jaygak stole away his children.

“Kitool, I’m worried for Jirot and Jarot,” Jaygak said. “Maybe they should be my children?”

Kitool watched as Adam flashed a dangerous set of eyes towards the prankster. “I am less worried when they are with Adam.”

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“How can you say that?” Jaygak whispered back at her. “I was only joking.”

“Perhaps I was joking too?”

“You definitely weren’t.”

“Jirot, Jarot, come to daddy!” Adam said, holding out his arms for his twins.

“If you stay with aunt Jaygak, you can play with my horns,” Jaygak said, causing the twins to go from reaching out to their dad to looking at her horns instead.

“Do you think you’re the only ones with horns?” Adam asked. “Konarot, call for your sister.”

“Jiwoh,” Konarot called, holding up her arms.

“Kaka,” Jirot replied, reaching down, squirming against Jaygak’s hold, before the twins were finally set down. She rushed over to her sister and hugged her, with Jarot following right after.

“I wasn’t defeated by you, but by your daughter,” Jaygak stated, firmly.

“You lost against my kid?” Adam smirked.

“You lose to her daily.”

“…” Adam frowned, before smiling almost immediately after. “That’s true.”

The twins were then taken away through the Iyr were an old man was currently preparing some paper and blocks, glancing back towards the others. He had already sketched them earlier in the year, and was surprised they were back so soon, but said nothing.

Adam held Jirot and Jarot in his lap, smiling stupidly during the sketch. Lanarot and Konarot remained with Sonarot, while Kirot and Karot sat on Jurot’s lap. Once the sketch was done, Adam embraced his twins tightly. ‘You two! How can you do this to your father?’ He kissed their stomachs and held them against his chest, carrying them to the extended family estate.

“…” He wanted to ask if they should be going there, but Sonarot was the one leading them. ‘I guess it’s fine then?’

Adam watched as Sonarot was swarmed by the various youth in the extended family estate, before they then swarmed Jurot and Adam. Jirot and Jarot squirmed shyly, but upon seeing their nano, they called out to her, holding out their arms.

Mulrot, the Family Elder of the Rot family, picked up the twins, who excitedly babbled towards her and embraced her tight.

‘When did they get so close?’ Adam thought, watching as the other children held out strips of different coloured cloth for the children, some of them also offering longer fabric to Sonarot for them.

“So they are here?” came a joyful voice, before Tarot began to laugh. The older Iyrman reached out to grab Jarot, picking him up from Mulrot, and holding him close. “Jarot, you are finally back from the war?” He continued to laugh at his joke.

Jarot pulled his hands up to his chest and squirmed, trying to get away from the loud Iyrman, but Tarot continued to embrace him tight, swaying him within his arms.

“Are you trying to escape from me?” Tarot lifted him up into the air, causing Jarot to squirm again, before he blew into the boy’s stomach, causing him to squeal.

“No!” Jirot pointed up at Tarot.

“No?” Tarot brushed Jarot’s hair and held the boy against his chest. “That defiance. Can it be Konarot?”

“No!”

“Then it must be Jirot?”

“No!”

“You are not Jirot?”

Jirot blinked. “Yes.”

“So you are not Jirot or you are Jirot?” Tarot asked.

“Wait,” Adam said, narrowing his eyes at the older man. “Today, only I’m allowed to bully my children.”

“You would refuse me my rights?” Tarot asked, grinning wide towards the Half Elf. “You, who have finally come to see us after so long? I have heard that you have a story to tell us! You have been back for so long and have not come to speak with us?”

Adam blinked. ‘Oh, yeah. Oops.’ “Why should I come here when I can’t even bully the old man?”

“Brother will return soon, but you should bring your children to us often,” Tarot said.

“Oh yeah?” Adam replied, before pulling his lips taut. He glanced around towards the others awkwardly. He decided against mentioning anything since it was their birthday, and he had already said that he had forgiven them. “Right.”

Tarot placed a hand on his shoulder. “Come. Sit and tell the tale.”

“Jurot will tell it.”

“Okay,” Tarot said, taking the baby Jarot with him, reaching up to tickle the boy’s nose. Jirot huffed out after him, before being picked up by Zirot, Tarot’s wife.

“Jirot, how big have you become?” Zirot held Jirot close to her chest.

“No.”

“Yes.”

Jirot twitched, having not been refused like this before. She sucked on her thumb and held onto Zirot’s shoulder, before cuddling up to her.

They all began to eat together, with Jirot and Jarot being handed vegetables that were quite tough to eat, which they excitedly bit into and chewed. Adam could hear every little crunch as they bit into the food.

Once Jurot finished the tale, the children excitedly clapping, causing Jirot and Jarot to clap too, and Tarot laughed.

“News should have travelled to brother already,” Tarot said. “What a shame he is not here to see them.” Tarot brushed the little baby Jarot’s hair, allowing him to rest against his chest.

“Yeah…” Adam paused. “Oh, right, I should probably bully him.”

“Hmm?” Tarot stared at Adam as he held onto his symbol and began to speak into the air.

“Old man, how can you do this? First to the triplets, and now to the twins? Shameless! Shameful! You can’t bully my kids like this!”

Adam heard laughter enter his mind before it shifted. ‘Tell them not to grow up too quickly, and that I will return soon!’

The Iyrmen blinked, staring at Adam. Did he really just cast a spell to send a message to outside the Iyr’s walls? He wasn’t allowed to do that… was he?

“You two!” Adam said, looking to Jirot and Jarot. “Your babo said not to grow up too quick and that he’ll return soon!”

Jirot and Jarot blinked at their father, but returned back to cuddling with their other babo and nano.

“Adam, you-,” Mulrot began, before Sonarot held up a cup of water for the Family Elder. Sonarot shook her head, stopping Mulrot from saying any more. Mulrot’s eyes said there were rules to follow, and Sonarot raised her brows. Mulrot decided to relent, especially considering what they had done.