[1719] – Y07.219 – The Lightness In Their Hearts IV

“Daddy, my tummy hurts,” Jirot said, grumbling lightly.

“Did you eat something wro-,” Adam began, only to see the way his daughter was side eyeing him. “It’s because you haven’t been able to bully daddy that much today.”

Jirot held her father’s gaze.

Adam held his daughter’s gaze.

The girl smirked.

“Daddy, kaka is so funny,” little Jarot said.

“She is.”

“Kekekeke!” the twins cackled.

As the evening drew close for the first day of the festival, full of good food, good music, and even better company, Adam held his daughter. The girl sucked her thumb, face buried against his chest, while little Jarot was within Vonda’s arms, also sucking his thumb.

The girl’s fingers reached up to her father’s collar, still sucking her thumb lightly, but as she fought off her sleepiness, she climbed on top of his lap, and as she stood onto his lap, she grabbed her daddy by her collar.

“You thin-,”

Adam kissed the girl’s forehead, long and slow, causing her to rest her head on his shoulder, and as her father wrapped an arm around her waist, and she melted against him.

‘You little punk, did you think I wouldn’t know how to defeat you, just because you’re so cute?’ Adam thought, leaning in to rub along her cheek gently, and as she reached up with her free hand to rub his cheek, the two shared one another’s gentle warmth.

“Did you enjoy the festival today?”

“Mm!”

“Good, good...” Adam swayed gently with the girl within his arms, but she pulled back, and without her being able to complain, he handed her over to her mother, and accepted Jarot in return, who lay his tired head upon his arm.

“How does he know, mummy?” Jirot whispered.

“Of course,” Vonda began.

“Of coas,” the twins echoed, stirring awake.

“He is your father, after all.”

Jirot turned, for if her mother was bullying her too, she couldn’t have it. Unfortunately, she turned back as she heard the noisy kisses from her father to her brother, and she looked up to her mother once more.

“Now you know how it feels,” Vonda teased, but kissed her daughter’s nose, causing the girl to grab at her head, and the two embraced one another tightly.

It was upon this evening when she finally returned. She was a young woman, with dark skin, though it was not like the darkness of the people of Aswadasad or Hakor, but it held a touch of gold. She wore long, thick robes, dark green and brown, and within her hand, a long staff, made of dark wood which curled around a gem at the top.

Her ears were leaf shaped.

“Tiara?”

The woman made to speak, but tilted her head.

“Oh no,” Jirot whispered. “Daddy’s so funny!”

“Tariel!” Adam exclaimed, having remembered. “Sorry, sorry, I’m really tired today. It’s been a while, huh? A few years, I think. What have you been up to?”

Tariel began to write within her little notepad, and as Adam spied it, he realised it was very different, instead, seemingly, formed of various silks, roughly a dozen or so sheets, and as she wrote upon the second sheet, she held it out to Adam.

“Oh? You were busy at home? Oh, cool, cool, that’s nice, unless it’s not, in which case, do you need any help?”

Tariel wrote something in response.

“Well, I mean, actually… I am quite strong.”

Tariel wrote within her pad.

“Really? How strong?”

Tariel wrote within her pad, covering part of her answer.

“Of course I know Radiant Blade.”

Tariel revealed the rest of the answer.

“As strong as the Radiant Blade?” Adam peeked towards his daughter, who was suddenly awake, and the two exchanged a look between one another.

Tariel blinked.

“I will speak the tale!” Jirot declared, and as she did so, another stepped into the shared estate.

He wore rather thin clothing, though then again, it had been noonval, adorned in the browns and tans that provided him comfort. His cloth belt was fashioned out of something yellow, with a repeating pattern of red swirls, wrapped around his waist. Upon his face he wore a pair of spectacles, small and round glasses, with a small triangular bridge connecting them.

‘How many people have I forgotten?’ Adam wondered as Filliam appeared, smiling awkwardly, who settled himself beside the figures before him, wishing to hear the tale, and since it hadn’t been long, Jirot spoke the tale once more. She paused a short while later, for the young woman, whose hair and eyes were silver, appeared, and as she held Jirot’s gaze, she understood she was upon thin ice.

“How are you doing, Kiara?” Adam called, pouring her a cup of sour milk.

“Fine…”

As the trio had returned, Adam’s eyes fell upon Jaygak, who smiled as she approached, settling herself behind the triplets, who rolled over to cuddle up to her legs, and as the first day of the evening accompanied them, Adam wondered if, perhaps, this was all on purpose.

‘I wonder how much she’s enchanted,’ Adam thought, but then the guilt settled within him, and he hoped she had been settling in well within the Iyr, along with the Rot family. He was certain they were kind to her, and if they weren’t, he would need to speak to his grandfather.

“My daddy… he is a little bit strong,” Jirot finally said once she had spoken the tale.

“Just a little bit?” Adam replied.

Jirot held her finger and thumb, almost touching them, but left the tiniest of gaps. “Just a little bit.”

Adam smiled, turning to Tariel, who stared up at the stars, considering when the half elf had suddenly reached such a height, for certainly, when they had met, he wasn’t that much stronger than herself.

As the children prepared themselves to sleep, the triplets swarmed their father, for their sister and brother had claimed him all day. Jirot and Jarot turned to face their mother, who closed her eyes, accepting the consequences.

PATREON FOR 30+ CHAPTERS!

Adam is kind of funny too.