“Babo? Nano?” Jirot asked, her eyes glistening towards her nana, her lips f a slight pout.

  Sonarot brushed the girl’s hair gently with a hand, fixing the hair pin. “They will return soon, my Jirot.”

  “Okay…” The girl’s lips puckered slightly, trembling, before her face torted as she made to cry.

  Sonarot held the twins until they stopped g, wiping their faces . Jirot sucked ohumb as she cuddled up trandmother, her sleepy eyes slowly closing. Jarot also sucked on his thumb, gng up to his grandmother, who smiled so tenderly, causing the boy to flush red, before he led his head against her bosom.

  Lanarot led the triplets around the festival, escorted by Nirot. Karot stood in the tre, holding his sister’s hands oher side of him, the boy’s eyes blinking as he spotted all the stalls which offered them so much food.

  “Lanarot, e,” Nirot called, the girl gng up towards her elder cousin, who pointed out towards a particur stall.

  “Hello, uncle!” Lanarot called out, almost drooling as she stared up excitedly at him.

  “…” Even this little girl terrified the man, who began to sweat from the pressure of her eyes, and not the heat of the oven beside him. “Hello, Lanarot. Are you enjoying the festival?”

  “I love it!” Lanarot smiled even wider, her toothy grin almost wicked. “Bread?”

  “I have some,” Bam assured, piling up the bread within the basket. “I have some food for your nephew as well.”

  “Karot, e!”

  “Not Karot. Your younger nephew, Jarot. I made him some pizza, and some jam doughnuts too.”

  “Jarot does not like eating,” Lanarot informed him, smiling ily, and slightly fused.

  “I know, but y him the food, please?”

  Lanarot furrowed her brows towards Nirot, whose eyes returned an expet look, and the girl nodded. “I do it.”

  “Thank you,” Bam said, breaking apart a bread bun, before buttering it, handing it to the girl. “This is for you.”

  “This is why you are my favourite,” Lanarot whispered loudly, biting into the bread, while Nirot held the basket in her hand.

  “What of my father?” Nirot asked.

  Lanarot bliowards her cousin. “It is time to feed Jarot, cousin Nirot. e.”

  Unfortunately, even with Jir to feed Jarot, the boy did even a sie of the food. The girl ehe pizza, the boy a bite of the crust, but he shook his head. He sipped the milk from his gourd, which had been painted with the Rot family symbol, his ched along the rim. Ohe boy finished his milk, it grew heavier after a short while.

  Zirot poked little Jarot’s he older woman rubbing her hand along his cheek. The boy smiled shyly, narrowing his eyes slightly, before hiding within her bosom.

  “Nano…”

  “My little Jarot.” Zirot smiled, nuzzling against the boy’s forehead, where he would one day take otoo, the blue circle, and the blue diamonds. For a moment, the woman’s throat shuddered, her eyes glistening, but she leaned down to pnt a firm kiss against his neck. “You are named after brother, but you are sweeter than even my husband.”

  “Babo?”

  “Babo Tarot,” Zirot said. “Do you remember him?”

  “Babo always smiling?” Jarot asked.

  “Yes. He loves to smile, and when he sees you, he smiles so much.”

  “I like smiling too,” the boy said, revealing his doubled es, his smile sht, even now.

  Zirot leaned in to nuzzle his nose. “You smile so well, my Jarot. Your smile is the most beautiful of all.”

  “Nano!” Jirot huffed.

  “Of course, your smile is so beautiful too,” Zirot assured, before the girl returned back to her younger sister and her cousin, who cpped so eagerly as Jirot’s dramatic retelling of the story. The girl had noted how excited the children became when she gasped and dramatised whehe monsters appeared, or wheed out the se for them lightly.

  “Wha? A dragon!” Jirot gasped, her lips f a small circle. “Dragon!”

  “Bababababababa!” Virot decred, cag with delight.

  “Obobo!” Damrot giggled, g his haedly.

  Xarot smiled so excitedly up towards his miggling up towards her, while she leaned down to nuzzle his nose repeatedly, causing the boy to ugh harder. His hands remained ched together beside him, though his body shook each time he ughed.

  “Why are you so quiet today, Monarot?” Pam asked. “Are you still angry I gave the jam bun away?”

  The girl smiled for a moment, before she stared at her mother once more. The silence broke away thter as her mother smiled at her, and the girl’s eyes beamed up towards the woman.

  “The apple fell down, the apple fell down,” Pam began to sing lightly, snapping her finger. “Pick it up. Pick it up.”

  The girl cried aloud and giggled with joy as her mother sang for her, her pink toothless smile bare to the world.

  Karot jolted awake, his eyes growing wide. He hoisted himself up onto his feet, waiting for his sisters to awaken, before the trio quickly charged the archway to the estate, stopping for the group.

  “Did you miss your babo this much?” came the voice, his tone light and pyful, before his ughter echoed through the extended family estate.

  Jirot’s lips formed a circle in surprise, and the girl jumped onto her feet, following by her younger sister and cousin. “Babo!”

  “Babo!” Little Jarot called out, as the group stepped into the estate, the children charging them.

  “Daddy!” Gurot charged his father, while Murot paused, staring at his father from the side, before he smiled and rushed over too.

  Jarot dropped to a knee, reag out a hand to ruffle the children’s hair, ruining the hard work of their elders. He allowed the triplets to abandon him swiftly, the three making their way to the half elf.

  “Babo! Nano!” Jirot called out st her way towards the group with her brother in tow. Then their eyes darted to the side. “Kako!”

  “Jirot! Jarot!” Jaygak called, and though she had pnned a terrible joke, her voice cracked, and she dropped down to scoop the pair into her arms. She pulled them close to her, her arms pletely enveloping them even from their father’s gaze, as their cheeks rubbed together. “I have returned!”

  “Kako! I miss you so much!” Jirot ed her arms around the woman’s head, rubbing her cheek against her aunt’s, feeling the wetness of the woman’s cheek, the girl’s own eyes almost glistening.

  Jarot ed his arms around her neck, before he sucked his thumb, ling himself against her neck as the boy melted against the woman. ‘Kako!’

  “I missed you both so much too,” Jaygak whispered. “Did you cause trouble while I was away?”

  “No,” Jirot whispered shyly.

  “Why not? You should have caused trouble since I wasn’t here!” She pnted firm kisses against their cheeks, their foreheads, and their necks. “Since I’m back, you cause so much trouble! Okay?”

  “Okay!” Jirot giggled with delight.

  The old Jarot grit his teeth slightly, keeping his to bay, allowing his grao hold the children.

  Kitool approached Larot, the young woman’s eyes no longer darkened by exhaustion. She reached down to rub the top of his head, barely disrupting the boy’s hair. Larot remained silent, still sitting to one side. He opened ao aowledge the woman, before closing it again.

  ‘Small,’ Konarot thought as her father hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek. The girl also kissed his cheek iurn, before her sister was given the same affe, and finally her younger brother.

  The warmth swirled deep within the half elf, who held his children so close, so tenderly. He was gd he had left his armour behind that day, feeling the children’s skin against his own, their warmth, and their horns. He pulled back, smiling down at his children, trying to hide the guilt on his face. He threw a look to his twins, who so excitedly greeted their aunts and their elders. His eyes the Vonda’s.

  Vonda held Xarot within her arms, the boy’s head against her neck, her haly brushing the back of his head. She stared at Adam, as though he were a ghost, before her face torted between a mixture of wanting to cry, and wanting to smile. The relief rushed through her as she hid her face against her son’s head, the boy giggling with delight.

  Adam sat down beside her, the half elf’s heart beating quickly. He swallowed, and dared to reach out to his wife’s hand, brushing it gently. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know,” Vonda maears p down her cheeks, before she rested her head against her husband’s shoulder, feeling his lips against her forehead.

  “Eeeeyuh!” Virot pined, gring at her father, before climbing up beside her mother, reag out for her shoulder. “Mama! Mama!”

  “Virot,” Vonda called, sniffling slightly, before ing an arm around her daughter, pulling her close.

  “Obobobosh!” Virot warned her father, holding up a fiowards him. “Ababa!”

  “I know, I know. I’m sorry, my Virot.”

  “Bab,” Virot replied, before reag out to her father’s face, grabbing at his and his nose, before letting him go. ‘Oboboo.’

  “Is that the first time she called you mama?” Adam asked.

  “No,” Vonda admitted. “She called me mama upon the first day of the festival, in the m.”

  “I guess I deserve that,” Adam joked, smiling wide. “She really is her sister’s sister.”

  Vonda let out a sigh, leaning back, holding her you children within her arms. Her heart tio beat wildly, still unsure if the Adam before her was real, or if she was dreaming. He had left for such a short time. This Adam was so Adam, so it was easy to dream him up, but also, it was so Adam, it could have very well been her Adam.

  Jurot had waited outside the estate for a short moment, unsure of what to say or do. However, he realised the awkwardhat came with his absence, and stepped forward. He allowed Jirot and Jarot to greet their elders, and once Adam was doh his triplets, the Iyrman reached down to ruffle their hair.

  “Papo…” Konarot hugged his leg tight, refusing to let him go, while Kirot did the same for the other, and Karot pouted up towards him.

  Jurot sat beside Pam, wearing Karot around his front, with his nieces holding onto each arm. “I have returned.”

  “It’s fortunate you have,” Pam replied. “Monarot has left you a gift.”

  Jurot remained silent for a long moment, before the ers of his lips twitched upwards. “Okay.”

  Adam sat to one side, watg the se before him, with his family greeting one another upon their return. He soaked in the sight, engraving it deep in his heart, before he looked aside, noting Vonda peeking at him, their eyes meeting once more.

  “You may take the gold back, darling.”

  “Gold?” Adam asked, raising his brows.

  “The ten thousand gold.”

  “Ten thousand gold?” Adam asked, inhaling deeply, furrowing his brows deeply. “Ten thousand gold. Ten thousand gold. I doly recall what ten thousand gold you mean.”

  Vonda sighed, befently pressing her elbow against his arm, then leaning against her husband. Virot shifted slightly, cheg whether her father was trying to steal her mother from her, before she returned back to sug her thumb peacefully.

  “Yoing to least that much to spoil our children,” Adam joked, leaning in to nuzzle her cheek, before he held out his hand for Xarot.

  “Ha!” Virot began, ready to pin, before her mother held her up, causing the girl to blink at her, until Vonda brought the girl to her chest, brushing her cheek, gently hushing the girl to soothe her.

  Xarot squinted up at his father, taking in his sight, before the boy smiled, sug against his hand shyly.

  “I haven’t really pyed with you much, have I?” Adam whispered, before resting the boy’s head against his chest. “Well, now I’ve got all the time in the world to spoil you.”

  Adam almost believed his words.

  I fot how funny Pam was.