“Do you see?” Jarot asked, sitting up taller as the twins charged towards him. “They will not forget their babo on this day!”

“Babo! Babo!” the twins called out, though they stopped their charge as Mulrot reached out her hands towards them. The children held up their hands so the old woman could take their hands within her own, gently feeling their soft hands, tenderly brushing her thumbs along the backs of their tiny hands. She released them, allowing them to charge their babo.

“Kekekek!” Jirot cackled towards her greatfather, who could see she was up to no good.

“It is your birthday, so I must give you a gift!” Jarot chuckled as the twins laughed.

Konarot, Kirot, and Karot all walked to their nano, who brushed their hair tenderly, allowing them to sit beside her as she knitted.

"Daddy give me silva,” the tiny Jirot said, her voice much louder than her size. “So pitty."

"A silver token?" Jarot asked, his lips twitching into a small smirk. ‘Do you need to give your children silver tokens?’

"Yes," the girl stated, her eyes beaming.

"Do you like it?"

"Yes."

"I can give you silver too."

"Yes?" the girl asked, her eyes sparkling with greed.

"How much silver would you like?"

"All the silva," the girl replied, smirking.

"How smart my greatdaughter is. If you want all the silver I have, I will give it to you." Jarot pulled her closer. "My silver is yours, my greatdaughter."

"All the silva?"

"Yes."

Jirot cackled with joy. "Is my silva, babo! My silva!" The girl's glee filled the air, lighting the grey day.

"Babo..." Little Jarot called, his amber eyes peeking up towards his greatfather.

"Yes, my Jarot?"

"I want too."

"What do you want? My silva?" Jarot had already promised all the silver to his greatdaughter. ‘They share well…’

"Mmm.” The boy thought deeply. “No."

"What do you want, my little Jarot?” Jarot pulled the boy closer to his chest, planting a kiss on the boy’s head, nuzzling into his hair, which tickled his jaw. “My gold?"

"No. I want babo." The boy pointed up to his greatfather and bowed his head shyly.

"You want me?"

"Yes…” The boy nodded his head, causing his curly hair to bounce lightly.

"You already have me, my Jarot!" Jarot pulled the boy closer to his chest, his body rapidly filling with the urge to kill, his lips forming the wildest grin as his heart pounded wildly.

"Okay." The boy climbed up and wrapped his arms around his greatfather's neck, hiding his face into his greatfather's neck, thick and wide, a neck made of pure muscle, a neck built as sturdy as the Iyr's walls. The walls of the Iyr, so tall and sturdy, but the boy always felt warmest within his greatfather's embrace. The smell of light sweat. The hard muscles, forged through blood. The warmth of his greatfather's love, who cherished every second with the boy and his sister. The boy’s tiny index and middle fingers clutched at his greatfather's collar, his fourth and pinky finger pressed against his greatfather's skin, the back of his neck, with freshly cut nails from his grandmother, who would always cut his nails weekly. She had cut his nails today since it was his birthday, and had painted them black, just like his sister.

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Though the boy may not remember this day, the warmth engraved itself deep into his heart.

Adam sat, frozen still. He fought off the tears in his eyes, and though he wanted to pretend to be mad, he couldn’t. Not when his son embraced his greatfather so tenderly, not when his daughter lay against her greatfather’s chest, her thumb within her mouth. Konarot stared at her greatmother’s hands as they worked the needles, slowly forming a long scarf she would gift to the tiny twins.

The other Iyrmen stayed back, for now, not wanting to interrupt their elder with his twins.

“They are growing so well,” Zirot said, speaking to her missing husband.

“They should since they’re here,” Lucy replied, her eyes glued to the children from the side. ‘How can they ignore me when I’m right here?’

‘How can they ignore my liege when she’s right here?’ Mara thought.

Their hearts forgave the children innocently, since they were both so adorable.

“Gurot, Murot, you cannot bully me the same way,” Adam said, pulling the boys closer to his chest.

“Cousin Adam, you cannot steal my brothers away from me,” Turot said, smirking towards the half elf.

“You have truly grown, Turot, if you can now bully me like this.”

Turot’s lips formed a wider smile, the boy standing taller. “I am of the Rot family!”

“I suppose you’re right…” Adam glanced towards Asorot. “Are you going to bully me too?”

The boy smiled shyly and slowly nodded.

“Thank you for treating my children so well.”

“They are my kakis and papis,” Turot said. “I will treat them well!”

“Yes!” Asorot said, a hint of confidence within his voice.

Adam eyed the pair up, a small smile on his face. ‘Don’t worry, you adorable little cousins, I’ll definitely help you as much as you need too.’ Adam pulled Gurot and Murot up, rubbing his cheeks against theirs.

“I want to hold Gurot,” Turot said, holding out his arms.

“How can you do this to me?” Adam asked. “Gurot, how can you do this to me too?”

Gurot, seeing his brother’s arms, reached out towards him with a large smile on his face. He squirmed against Adam, before he was finally let free to stomp towards his brother, who embraced him tight.

“I want to hold Murot,” Asorot said, holding out his arms.

Murot smiled, his thumb within his mouth as he dropped down and he stomped towards his brother, who embraced him so tenderly.

‘Just this once!’ Adam thought.

Eventually the rest of the children of the Rot family swarmed their elder and the twins, revealing their gifts, tiny trinkets and strips of cloth, each colourful in their own right.

‘I want to play with them too!’ Lucy thought, sniffling lightly as she stared out towards the children, forlorn.

“Papa,” Lanarot called, sitting up beside Adam, holding his hand. “Kaki and papi are two?”

“That’s right.”

“I am two!” She raised three fingers.

“You’re two, but you’re almost three, my dear…” Adam paused. “No, wait. Aren’t you three?”

“Yes.”

“Then… you’re three years old, you are older.”

“Yes. I am their kako.”

“What is papa Jurot?”

“Papa Jurot is my papa but he is not papa, he is papo.”

“That’s right.” Adam brushed the girl’s hair. “You must look after them well.”

“Yes! I always give my bread.”

“That’s because you’re such a good girl.” Adam pulled the girl in for a deep hug. “I can sleep well because you are such a good kako.”

“Yes.” The girl wrapped her arms around her brother. “I am so well beehayved!”

“Yes. You are…” Adam brushed the girl’s hair. In the same way he owed almost all of his joy to Sonarot, he owed an equal amount to Lanarot. He fought off the tears within his eyes, recalling the Lanarot of his previous life, who he had only known for a year. “If you want anything, you can come to me, and papa Adam will get you it.”

“I want… bread.”

“Okay.” Adam wiped the tears with his wrists and smiled warmly towards the girl who blinked up at him expectantly. “I’ll go get it for you now, smelly girl.”

Lanarot cackled, but she stopped and climbed down, chasing after her brother who left to bring her bread.

“Were you lonely?” Adam joked.

“Yes.”

“Who gave you permission to be so cute?”

Lanarot smirked in response before Adam lifted the girl up, and took her to her grandmother to ask for bread. Upon his return, with crumbs across his shoulder and his chest, carrying the hungry girl back, he spotted familiar faces.

“Hello, strangers,” Adam joked.

“Hello, Adam,” Vonda called, wearing her Ray attire, with a backpack at her side, while the twins sat within her lap.

“You look well,” Morkarai said, flashing a wide grin towards the half elf, sitting opposite the Ray.

“I didn’t expect you two to be here, but I suppose it makes sense, since my children are so cute you can’t help but be charmed by them.”

Vonda flashed a warm smile. “I have brought gifts from the business.”

“The business?”

“Many wished to send their wishes towards your children,” Vonda said, revealing the mass of tiny bits of creatures within the backpack, most of them hydra parts.

“Did the kids fill up the sack with their things?”

“They each wanted to give a gift to Jirot and Jarot.”

“What adorable kids…” Adam smiled.

“They like my gifts most,” Lucy said, smirking slightly.

The pair of twins wore a handkerchief like a bib, each handkerchief made up of a hundred different colours swirling together, as though each switch had been formed from a different threat.

“What about you, Lord Morkarai? Surely you brought my kids something nice?”

“I forged a pair of chains,” Morkarai said.

“Fancy!” Adam smiled, all the while Filliam sat off to one side, unsurprised he was being ignored when there was a Ray and Prince around.