Omen: 5, 7

“Cousin Adam,” Turot called in the morning after their breakfast. “Will you help me?”

“Of course,” Adam replied, leaning in. “How is it that I can help my Cousin Turot?”

“It is sister’s birthday the day after tomorrow,” Turot said. “I do not know what to gift her.”

“It’s Nirot’s birthday?” Adam asked. “I didn’t know.”

“It is,” Turot said. “The third.” He formed three fingers to punctuate the point. “I wish to find her something nice.”

“What should we gift her?” Adam asked.

Turot puckered his lips for a moment as he squinted at Adam, acting all bashful. “Will you make her an axe?”

“I could,” Adam said. “I’m not feeling very lucky though, so I’m not sure I should. It’ll be a poor axe, and she is a member of the Rot family.”

Turot sat down, letting out an exasperated sigh. “What can I do, Cousin Adam? She will be sixteen.”

“Sixteen?” Adam said. “Is that an important age for someone in the Iyr?”

“She can ask for the right to leave the Iyr to adventure,” Turot said. “She will leave soon to adventure and I will not see her for a long time.”

Adam stared down at Turot, wondering if he had seen them play before. Even so, it seemed to have bothered the young boy enough. ‘What an adorable little brother she has.’

Turot looked up at Adam expectantly, frowning. “What can I do?”

“What about making her something with your own hands?” Adam asked. “Something she can take on her journey.”

Turot closed his eyes to think about what he could make. “I do not make things. I am to learn soon.”

“What about a necklace?” Adam asked. “We could use something precious to show her how much she means to you.”

“What can I use?” Turot asked.

“Well, we could use Dragon scales?” Adam offered. “I should have some spare Dragon scales.”

“I will use my white scale for sister,” Turot said.

“You sure? I have a few more that you could use.”

“She is my sister,” Turot said. “She is more important than a scale.”

Adam rested his chin on his hands. He closed his eyes and took in the meal that Turot was delivering to him. “You’re absolutely right, of course. If only I was as wise as you.”

Turot patted the Half Elf’s knee. “One day, Cousin Adam.”

‘Do I noogie him?’ Adam wondered, but he let it go. He ruffled the boy’s hair. “Come, let us go and make it.”

Adam assisted Turot with the necklace, though they called for Jurot as he brought some wooden to form the clasps for the end of the necklace.

Turot spend a long while, using a magical dagger to form a hole, which which was lopsided, and he pulled the string through it, before forming the clasp.

As he was no longer holding a dagger, Adam went to check his stash of Dragon scales. He smiled, staring at how small it was. ‘Well, well, well.’

Adam returned back to see Turot wiping his brow. ‘Did he roll a six or something?’ Adam thought, staring at it.

“It looks good,” Turot said, nodding his head.

Jurot and Adam exchanged a look between one another. “Are you happy with it?” Adam asked.

“Yes,” the boy replied.

“Then that’s all that matters,” Adam said. “As long as you made it with love, she will like it.”

“I made it with my hands,” the boy stated.

Adam smiled. “Do you love your sister?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then make sure you pour your love into the necklace.”

Turot squinted at Adam. “You cannot pour love, Adam.”

“Of course you can,” Adam replied, simply.

‘You can?’ Jurot thought.

“Look.” Adam picked up a cube. “I will pour my love for Lanarot into this cube. Ready?” Adam held the cube in his hands and rested his forehead against it. He scrunched up his face as he channelled all his love into it, thinking about how much he wanted Lanarot to be happy with the cube.

Adam gasped, pulling back away from it, out of breath. “There. You just need to think really hard about how much you love your sister, just like that.”

Turot exchanged a look with Jurot. However, he wasn’t going to deny Adam outright, not when he was so strong, and nice. He brought up the necklace to his forehead and thought about how much he loved his sister.

“Relax,” Adam said, brushing the boy’s hair. “You don’t need to hold it so tightly.”

Turot relaxed his grip, but continued to concentrate on thinking about his sister. She would often times give him some cheese whenever he asked for it. He thought about those times, which had decreased due to her training recently, but he was happy to see that she was strong.

“Speaking of which, I should get her a gift too,” Adam said.

“What will you gift?” Jurot asked.

“I don’t know. What’s a good girl to give her?”

“You do not need to gift her anything,” Jurot said. “The family will gift her many things for her sixteenth birthday.”

“Yeah, but that feels weird.”

Jurot raised his brow.

“Not giving my Cousin something for her sixteenth birthday?” Adam asked. “How about money? A gem or something? Even if it’s not specific, money is always great.”

Jurot nodded.

“How much should I give?” Adam asked.

“It is not how much to give, but what you give,” Jurot said. “Platinum coins are quite prized for they are rare and worth much.”

Adam nodded his head. “A grand, eh? That’s quite the gift. Sure, I’ll give her something worth a lot and which is rare.”

Jurot could sense something was off. He could sense that Adam was thinking of more. “A platinum coin is enough.”

Adam smiled innocently, having been caught red handed. “We’ll see. Now that I think about it, it’s the first, right? So Lanarot is what, ten months old now?”

“She is,” Jurot said, having only just thought of that now. “She is ten months old…”

They returned back to the house, where they found Lanarot laying down, staring up at the ceiling. Adam picked her up, resting her head against his shoulder. “Look at this big, chubby girl. You’re so big now, aren’t you?” Adam rubbed his cheek against hers. “You’re such an adorable little baby, my cute little Lana. You’ve grown up so much already…”

Jurot stared at her. He remembered when she was born, how small she had been. He remembered when he held her up when he went out to find the herb for his mother. When he left to Adventure with Harvey. Even recently, when he left and met Lord Stokmar.

Lanarot had grown lightning quick. Adam was almost identical to when he had met the Half Elf, save for his beard which was beginning to grow. Yet, Lanarot, she was so tall. She could crawl. She could grab things. Her smile was toothy instead of gummy.

Jurot’s heart pounded quickly, and he closed his eyes. He thought about his father, how he had looked almost the same from when he was a boy, and to the last time he had seen the Iyrman. He was a mountain, one that was unchanging, and yet he had gone from being as tall as the man’s knee from his memories, to the same height.

“She has,” Jurot said, agreeing with Adam. “Has it been so long already?”

Adam threw a look to Jurot, who seemed to have unlocked something.

The Iyrman stared at his baby sister, and Adam offered her to him. Jurot held her out, feeling how heavy she had become. “You were so small. When did you become so big?” He blinked rapidly, trying to remember when she had become so big. She had always been small, and yes she had grown bigger, but… wasn’t this too much?

He thought about Nirot, who had been so tiny only a handful of years ago, and now was so tall, so strong, and in two days, would be ready to adventure.

“I now understand what you meant at that times,” Jurot said. “She has grown up in a flash, and I regret not paying attention.”

Adam smiled. “I’m trying to poke fun at you, but I don’t remember what you said.”

“She crawls well,” Jurot said.

“That was it,” Adam said, smiling, nodding his head. “She crawls well. Soon, you’ll be saying that she walks well.”

“Lanarot? Walking?” Jurot asked.

Adam chuckled. “I know. Think about Katool. She’s what, four years old?”

“Almost five,” Jurot said.

“Yeah,” Adam said. “That’s only a few years away. Soon, Lanarot will be just like that. Walking, talking, eating, joking, laughing, playing, not just by herself, but with you and me. She’ll be telling us all about her favourite stories of the Iyr. Her favourite colours, clothes, hair style. Her favourite brother.” Adam smirked wide.

Jurot stared down at the girl, unable to imagine her talking. ‘She will be as big as me one day. She will go out and use the axe and shield of our family.’ Jurot recalled thinking of those thoughts not long ago, but now they felt so much more real.

“It’s up to her to make sure she’s raised well,” Adam said.

“Yes,” Jurot said, bringing her to his chest, having felt her squirm against being held out for so long.

“I will raise cousin Lanarot well too,” Turot said, having finished his thoughts about his sister, who sometimes took away the fruit he liked to eat, but it’s okay, because he got to take hers when she left.

“If she has a dependable cousin like you, I’m sure she’ll be raised well,” Adam said, ruffling the boy’s hair.

Turot smiled.