189. The Festival Together

189. The Festival Together

Omen: 1, 11

Adam held out his fingers, which Lanarot gripped tightly in her tiny hands. She stood on shaky legs, staring up at him, cooing and giggling. Her short hair, which was cut into a bob, bounced as she did.

Adam was recharging by playing with the little girl, who would be changing soon to explore more of the festival. Lanarot squat down to sit, but Adam held her up so she couldn’t sit, and she bounced back up to stand, clapping her hand excitedly, before sucking on her hand.

“Do you miss your sister?” Lucy asked, sitting from nearby. She had been exploring the festival by herself the first two days, watching Adam’s fights from afar, before exploring more.

“I always miss my sister, even when she’s here,” Adam said, nuzzling her nose, which caused her to smile and reach up for his head so they could remain glued, forehead to forehead.

“Not her. Your sister from your first life.”

“Which one?” Adam asked. “The sister who used to annoy me, or the sister I never met?”

Lucy shrugged. “Both.”

“I miss all my family. I try not to think about it, though sometimes I can’t really help it. I’m more depressed by the fact I’ll never meet my baby sister.” Adam lifted Lanarot up against his chest, letting her sit on his forearm. Lanarot rested her head against his shoulder and began sucking on her thumb.

“There must be a way to go back,” Lucy said.

Adam’s lips twitched into a smile, but he shook his head. “Maybe there is. Maybe there isn’t. If I can go back, that means others might be able to. I’d rather leave them in peace, they’ve already mourned for me, and there’s no reason to distress them. He promised they should be fine.”

“That God of Chaos?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah,” Adam said. “He promised that they’d be fine, that she’d be fine.”

Lucy nodded her head slowly.

“Besides, I don’t want to think about it. The choice of returning back to my world, and the choice of staying here.” Adam brushed Lanarot’s hair. “No matter what choice I make...”

Lucy stared at Lanarot, who was sucking on her thumb, half hugging, half laying on her older brother. “I heard I had an older sibling, an older sister. She died around the time I was born.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Adam said.

“The Humans killed her during the war,” Lucy said, still looking at Lanarot. “They say she fought hard, to her last breath. I sometimes think of her, but she’s someone I had never met. We weren’t even in the same room together at any point in our lives.”

Lucy reached over and brushed Lanarot’s hair with a finger, causing the girl to turn to look at her, and then shift herself to hide in Adam’s other shoulder. “I heard that Mara and she were close.”

Adam placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll definitely save her.”

Sonarot came to take away her daughter, changing her into her festival outfit, this time with a patterned sash, which was white, blue, pink, and yellow, waves of colours splashing against each other.

Adam, too, was wearing a new outfit, with the same sash which Lanarot wore, the pattern identical. “We match,” Adam said, lifting her up and kissing her cheek. “Aren’t you so cute though? You pull it off much better than me.”

“You aren’t fighting today?” Jaygak asked, wearing her own attire, her own sash the same as Raygak’s and Taygak’s.

“No, not today.”

“Then let’s explore the festival together today,” Jaygak asked, innocently.

Adam narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“I thought we were friends?”

Adam narrowed his eyes further. “Are we?”

“I thought you weren’t going to joke as much?” Jaygak asked, her own eyes narrowing.

“Yeah, but you’re different.”

“Hm.” Jaygak nodded her head. “I felt as though you’ll get into trouble, and I want to be there when it happens.”

Adam threw a look to Lucy and sighed. “Right.”

“Let us explore the festival together,” Kitool said. “You have fought the first two days and were unable to enjoy yourself to the full extent.”

“Since you’re coming along to babysit Jaygak, then I guess it should be okay,” Adam said.

“Hey!” Jaygak grumbled.

Kitool nodded her head.

“Don’t encourage him,” Jaygak said, elbowing Kitool gently.Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

“I want to go with Adam too,” Raygak said.

“We’ll be doing big Iyrmen things,” Jaygak said.

“No, no, since you can’t do it,” Jaygak said, reaching out for Lanarot.

“Do you wanna fight?” Adam asked.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to fight?” Jaygak asked.

“Yeah, but you’re different.”

Jaygak laughed.

‘Are there two Raygak’s?’ Kitool wondered.

Adam kept Lanarot pulled to his chest, embracing her tight. “I won’t let Jaygak steal you away from me like how I’ve stolen her baby from her.” Adam kissed the girl’s cheek repeatedly, causing her to squirm and clap her hands as she giggled.

The group left to have fun at the festival, finding all manner of fruits and pastries. Adam handed Lanarot small pieces for her to nibble as they explored the festival, watching as Iyrmen performed all manner of feats, and others came together to drink and talk, while others roamed to eat all the fruit and pastries the Iyr had on offer.

Adam sniffed the air, before veering off to follow the smell. There was an entire section of the Iyr which had been sectioned off for pizza, and Adam saw all the different takes on the food he had brought to the Iyr.

“Pizza?” Adam said. “Why did no one invite me?”

“Which is the spiciest?” Jaygak asked a Devilkin, who motioned her head towards an Orcish Iyrman in the corner.

He was an older man, tall and lean, with a long wispy moustache which was braided together to form a goatee.

“They say you’re the spiciest around,” Adam said, looking down at the Orcish Iyrman.

“I am,” he replied. “Who are you, boy?”

“Adam, Son of Fate,” Adam said. “May we partake?”

“Are you worthy enough to partake?”

“Considering you wouldn’t be making pizza without me, sure,” Adam said.

“How is that?”

“I’m the one that brought pizza to the Iyr,” Adam said.

“So you’re the enchanter,” the Orcish Iyrman said. “Tomaezi,” the Iyrman said, before motioning to the pizza.

Adam picked up a slice, though Jaygak had already snatched one and had bitten it. Adam waited to see what would happen to her.

Jaygak grit her teeth and gasped for air, trying to cool her lips. “Finally!”

Adam took a bite of the pizza.

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Adam felt the crunch of the pepper, before the sweetness kicked it. It was only for an instant, before the sweetness washed away to the fire of the spice. Adam’s eyes teared up, his nostrils filled with runny mucus, and he gasped.

“That’s some good shit,” Adam coughed.

The Iyrman narrowed his eyes. “Shit?”

“No, I mean,” Adam coughed between words, “it’s really good. It’s very good.” Adam took another bite, and then another. Lanarot reached for it, before Adam pulled it away. “Lanarot, just for today, don’t try to kill yourself.”

Kitool brought up a slice for the girl from someone else, something which wouldn’t be so spicy, and Lanarot accepted the small, fingernail sized, piece of pizza, chewing on it slowly, before spitting it out, making a face.

“What are you doing?” Adam asked, bringing up some of the safe pizza to her lips. “No sister of mine spits out pizza.”

Lanarot pulled her head back, before Adam slipped a piece of bread with only some of the sauce, which she nibbled for a second, before eating.

“I thought we, oh Baktu, were going to have a problem,” Adam said, his mouth still on fire, before Jurot brought him a bowl of water, which he quickly drank up. “Fucking hell. What the fuck kinda spices do you have in the Iyr?” Adam asked, feeling how numb his tongue and mouth had become.

“Yeah,” Raygak said, having nibbled a slightly spicy pizza. “Fucking hell.”

“No, Raygak, don’t say that,” Adam said, having forgotten that the boy was here. “Jesus Christ, that burns like a mother-“ Adam cut himself off.

Raygak ate more of the pizza, before gasping to cool the slight tingle on his lips. “Jesus Christ, that burns like a mother.”

“Raygak, no!”

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Adam bringing good and bad to the culture of the Iyr. Pizza and teaching children curses.

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