“Mummy, you must eat!” Jirot almost exclaimed, with a tone that a daughter shouldn’t speak with against their mother, full of such frustration. She held up her spoon of rice furiously towards the woman.
“I am eating,” Vonda replied, though as she clasped the girl’s forearm to stop her from drowning the woman in rice, she stared down at the girl. “What is wrong, Jirot?”
“Mummy, I cannot forgive you.”
“What did I do?”
The girl leaned in, glaring up towards her mother, holding the spoon tightly in hand. “I am waiting all this time, but there is no little papa or kaka?”
Adam choked on his tea, which was the greatest sin of all, and though it was due to his daughter’s words, it was his fault. “Dear! You can’t say something like that to mummy!”
“Daddy, you think I do not know it is your fault?” Jirot replied, her head slowly turning, and the girl held her father within her sights, and with her free hand, she clasped her hand in front of him, and within her mind, she locked him with her magic so he could not escape her wrath. “You think because you are so handsome I will forgive you?”
“Yes,” Adam replied, holding his daughter’s gaze, and though fury rose to the surface of her eyes, the girl let out a soft sigh, and she relaxed. “Dear, you must wait, for your little papa and little kaka need to rest well so they are born healthy.”
Jirot grumbled, showing mercy to her father, just this once. She turned towards her mother, holding the woman’s gaze, noting how her eyes were glistening as she did her best not to laugh, and the girl sighed, brushing her mother’s cheek.
“Will papa or kaka look like Jirot and me?” little Jarot asked.
“Jirot and I,” Jirot and Adam both replied at once, causing the girl to glance towards her father, who burst out into laughter, the half elf reaching out to pinch his twins’ cheeks, unable to contain himself any longer.
Omran stared at the half elf, then his eyes fell to his twins, eventually falling to his succulent meal, and as he stared at the rice, the goat, the various desserts settled all around him, he quickly realised he was not equipped to sit at this table, which was full of such monsters, the kind of figures who could defeat the Radiant Blade, one of whom, apparently, could do so twice.
“I have prepared the meal,” came the gentle whisper from the half dragon beside the one whose family owned a great many kafabayts within the capital. Tawid continued to sip his drink lightly, with the understanding that the half elf would require a connection to someone like Omran, or rather, his family, for they were not a greater power within the capital, but due to their position as a middle power, and their vast scope across the capital, they were often times more useful than a greater power, whose hands were often tied by other great powers.
“My stomach is suffering,” Omran joked, nibbling away at his meals. His eyes fell to the twins once more, their green skins, their amber eyes, and then their relation to several monsters, and the Ray. To think they possessed such connections, and though they were not related by blood, even he couldn’t deny just how much their family all spoiled them.
It was then, he realised.
“Sozashukhur, Ray Vonda, are you able to Fourth Gate spells?” Omran asked, clasping his palms together respectfully, hoping she would not take offence to his words.
“I am able to cast such spells,” Vonda confirmed, her smile radiating a wondrous warmth, and, she assumed, an ominous oppression upon the man’s shoulders.
It was said that Rays possessed at least Third Gate spells, however, for Vonda to reach the title of Ray so young, that wasn’t enough, she would have needed to gain Third Gate spells, from Omran’s estimations. He could scarcely believe it, however, for to wield such great magics at such a young age, and yet he hadn’t heard of her name, it meant that Life’s Rose had chosen her wi-,
Omran’s eyes fell down to his meal, for if he looked where he wished to, it would have given his thoughts.
‘If she knows Fourth Gate spells, she is more than capable, but…’ Omran sipped his tea lightly, trying to ease his heart, and then returned his attention back onto the Ray, preparing his heart. “I see that you have many children, and, from what I have heard, you have a few more children within the Iyr?”
“That is so.”
“I am glad to hear of your children’s good health,” Omran said, though the awkwardness from his words were rather evident, though he smiled an awkwardly warm smile, to show he understood what he had said. “The children, they are Iyrmen, that much is for certain, but do you also remain within the Iyr.”
“I do.”
Omran wasn’t sure where he wanted to go with this line of questioning, but he wanted to make sure he understood the situation. “I see that your daughter’s heart is full of fire, does she wish to join Life’s Rose?”
Vonda smiled wide. “It would be. A great glory. For my daughter. To join Life’s Rose.”
Jirot turned her head, looking up towards her mother, blinking towards the woman. Even she, the girl that she was, could hear the way in which her mother spoke the words. “Mummy, you cannot bu-,”
Vonda kissed the girl’s cheek, causing her to flush, and little Jirot forgave her mother within her heart for daring to speak such words.
‘The children are hers, for certain,’ Omran thought, his hair standing on end, and as he swallowed the thoughts, he made sure to engrave them deep within him. “Do any of your children wish to join Life’s Rose?”
“I hope at least one does, but if their hearts do not possess that resolve, I do not wish for them to feel burdened to do so,” Vonda replied, for Life’s Rose was guaranteed to last at least well beyond her lifespan for just a word from her, and unless the Iyr made moves, her husband would move to act.
Omran considered Vonda’s words, and then retreated away from the conversation, for any more than this was dangerous, too dangerous, and he did not wish to earn the wrath of either Life’s Rose, the Iyr, or the little girl who was currently bullying her father.
“It was a delicious meal, thank you, Kal Tawid, although I feel bad that you’re paying for everyone,” Adam said, glancing back towards the small army of Iyrmen who were glued to the children.
“You should not underestimate my wealth, Mo, for I am one of the owners of the Fountain of Fragrance, which possesses so many fragrances, one should call it the Fountains of Fragrance.”
Adam laughed, reaching out to clasp his forearm, winking at the man, and then his brows shot up. “Are you free for another hour or two, Kal?”
“If you require me to be free, I will clear my schedule,” Tawid assured, and with that, he had sealed his Fate. He knew the half elf was going to show off in front of his children, and as he followed the half elf, he remembered his children were Iyrmen.
He stood tall and proud, the middle aged man glaring at the few who entered. It was not as though he was upset at them, for even he did not possess such courage, however he always wore a face as though he was chewing on lemon peels. His greying hair was cut short, freshly that morning, and his dark eyes were glued to one figure in particular, a figure who he had met previously, but as his eyes fell down towards the twins, he considered just how much he enjoyed his life.
The heat of the forges within the area accompanied the melody of smiths striking steel, and coaxed out a gentleness from the half elf’s heart, who smiled with such a bright smile, Rabin almost closed his eyes.
“I’ve come to spoil a lot of people today, not just Kal Tawid, but my cousins, my grandmother, and many others, each who wield swords, and since you are Kal Rabin, one of the greatest swordsmiths of the land, I must request your assistance.”
“As you say, Mo,” Rabin replied.
“Daddy, I am going to spend all my gold on swords too,” Jirot said.
“You cannot deny that Jirot is my daughter, because she is as big of a fool as I, her father,” Adam said, holding Tawid’s gaze, the two of them remaining utterly silent at the sound of the girl’s gasp.
‘I seem to have forgotten how funny he was,’ Tawid thought, with the wisdom not to speak the words.
Jirot stared up towards her mother, shock upon her face, holding the woman’s shoulder tightly.
“Did he speak a lie?” Vonda asked.
“Mummy!”
‘Daddy is so funny,’ the rest of the children thought, and seeing their troublesome sister put in her place caused them to smile.