“Now,” Adam said. “I have my own gifts for you too, but they might take a little while to come.”

The children looked up at Adam, in various states of eating.

“More?” Katool asked, staring up at the Half Elf.

“Of course I have more for my adorable little Cousins,” Adam said. “We still have half a box, right?”

The children looked down at the box, which was still half covered. They nodded, agreeing with Adam’s assertions of the current situation.

Adam pulled the cover aside, revealing all manner of bars made of wood and metal. “Turot, come here.” He reached down and grabbed the stylus and paper which had come with the box.

The boy walked over, looking down at the box, seeing all the different woods and metals. Jurot’s shadow covered the boy and the box, as he stared down at the wood.

“Jurot, let him see properly,” Adam said. ‘I should have known he’d be interested.’

Lanarot reached down towards the shiny metals and the wood, but Adam reached out to tickle her hands. “You already have your own, don’t be so greedy,” Adam cooed at her, causing her to pull her hands back and giggle at him.

Turot looked up at Adam expectantly.

“Oh, right.” Adam realised how the boy would have been stuck without any direction from him. “I want you to pick a wood and a metal, your favourite two.”

“My favourite?” Turot asked, squatting down in front of the box, placing his chin on his hands. “I like this wood and this metal.”

“Iyr oak is a good choice,” Jurot said, nodding his head. “You did not want Iyr sapple?”

Turot looked up at his cousin, narrowing his eyes. “I want Iyr sapple.”

“Jurot, do you want me to beat you up?” Adam asked, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t listen to him Turot. Tell me, what does your heart tell you?”

Turot looked up at Adam, unsure.

“Let’s do Iyr oak, okay? This metal too.” Adam wrote down something on the slip of paper.

“Okay, I want Katool to choose next, youngest to oldest.”

“I am older than Katool,” Turot said.

“Yes, but you’re also a Rot, so I have to make sure you go first,” Adam replied, ruffling his hair.

Katool spent a long moment thinking before pointing to Turot. “I want same.”

“I want you to pick your own,” Adam said. “How about we let everyone else pick first and you can speak with your sister?”

“Okay!”

The others began to pick their own materials, with Kitool eventually picking the materials she had discussed with her sister.

“Wonderful,” Adam said, before glancing to the others. “You four, you should come pick some materials yourself.”

“You’re going to gift give to us?” Nirot asked.

“Of course, you’re my Cousins too, aren’t you?” Adam asked.

“We are not children.”

Adam’s lips twitched, smirking at the group. “You are, aren’t you?”

Nirot narrowed her eyes. “I cannot believe you would use magic to beat children.”

Adam frowned. “Just get over here so I can figure out what to make for you too!”

The three behind Nirot looked at her.

“You do not need to make us anything,” Naqokan said. “We have only met.”

“So?” Adam said. “I want to make you things because I want to make you things.”

“We cannot accept so easily.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Adam said. “I’m just figuring out what materials to use. I probably won’t make them in a while.”

The trio looked apprehensive, looking to Nirot for support. She was a Rot, meaning she had some relations with the Half Elf.

“You guys are such sore losers,” Adam accused. “Just because I beat you, you don’t want to get along with me.”

“It is not that,” Naqokan assured. “These materials do not come cheap in the Iyr, and we have weapons already.”

“There is no need for another weapon when our families possess so many,” Faool added.

“I would not mind,” Laygak admitted. “However, my Cousins are right.”

“Yeah, but are they magical?” Adam asked.

“No?” Naqokan replied, staring at the Half Elf.

“Are you going to enchant them?” Nirot asked, glaring at the Half Elf. “Adam, there is only so much you can get away with.”

“If I want to enchant weapons for my Cousins, whose going to stop me?” Adam asked. “You? Naqokan?”

“Our families have enchanted weapons already,” Nirot replied.

“Sure, but they’re for the family. I’m making magical weapons for you all to own personally, until you find something better, in which case you can hand them over to your family, or to your kids.”

“Passing our weapons to our younger siblings is a good way of passing on the weapons, but we have no need for them,” Naqokan said. “If you wish to make magical weapons, then do so for the children.”

“I was already going to do that,” Adam said. “I wanted to know what materials they wanted their weapons to be made from.”

“What?” Naqokan replied.

Jurot and the others exchanged looks between one another, before returning their gazes to their Cousins. Finally, they would also suffer the ridiculousness of Adam. However, it wasn’t just Jurot and the others around, but also the adults, who had heard Adam’s statement.

“You are going to enchant weapons for the children?” Sonarot asked, asking on behalf of all the children.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“You should not enchant weapons for children,” Sonarot replied, simply.

“Why not?”

“They are children,” she said, staring into Adam’s eyes, trying to see what he was up to. She had thought she had him all figured out, but there were times even he surprised her. “What need of they for magical weapons?”

“I made Lanarot one, so why shouldn’t I make them one?” Adam replied.

Sonarot remained silent. It was very true Adam had made his sister a magical weapon, but she was also his sister. However, the others were also his Cousins, so if he made his sister a magical weapon, could he not also make his Cousins magical weapons?

The other adults quickly realised that Sonarot had been stumped, so they glanced between one another.

“That is ridiculous,” Kaygak said. “I will not accept it.”

“What’s wrong with me giving gifts to my adorable Cousins?” Adam asked.

“It is not wrong, it is just not done.”

“So? I gave them all food and no one complained. It’s my money, so I should be able to spend it as I please.”

“There is a difference between food and magical weapons.”

“The Iyr is quite snowy,” Adam replied.

“Yes?”

“I thought we were stating obvious things to one another.”

Kaygak narrowed her eyes, which twitched at the strange Half Elf. Adam was an unknown, something the Iyrmen couldn’t comprehend. “You should treat others with respect.”

“You first,” Adam replied, almost childishly. “You’ve had a problem with me since the start. You, as well as my Aunt’s brother and sister, I know that you don’t like me. I know that you don’t actually have a problem with me handing out magical weapons, it’s just that it’s me handing them out.”

“We may not like you, but that has nothing to do with refusing the magical weapons.”

“Really?” Adam replied.

“Yes.”

“I doubt it.”

“Do you believe I’m lying?”

“Yes,” Adam replied, simply.

“How can you say that?” Mirot snapped at him.

“I don’t want to hear it from you,” Adam said. “You’ve even doubted my relationship with my precious sister, and you threatened my Aunt too.”

“Our family matters are none of your concern,” Mirot replied.

“Of course they are,” Adam said. “I don’t really know how being a Nephew works, but if you become the Family Head, things might become difficult for me.”

“Is that what you are worried about? The difficult you will have leeching onto our family?” Mirot replied.

“I don’t really care about the benefits being in the Iyr provides,” Adam said. “Lanarot is my priority. Whether or not the Iyr accepts me is irrelevant. Whether or not you accept me is irrelevant. However, I know how this works. I leave the matter alone, and it’ll come to bite me in the ass later.”

“I do not like you,” Mirot stated. “However, I respect my sister’s wishes.”

“I don’t care about that,” Adam said. “Whether or not you respect her wishes today or tomorrow is not what I’m concerned about.” His eyes fell to Gorot too, and he sighed. “I understand why, as a parent, you feel concerned about me. I’m a strange young man, and I say a lot of things. I do a lot of things too, and so far I don’t think I’ve done anything which causes alarm to the Iyr.”

Adam wasn’t sure what his real point was. He wasn’t certain what he should do, either, as the Iyr was a place of action.

“Isn’t it simple?” called a familiar voice nearby. Appearing from the way was Strom, who had been listening to Adam from afar the entire time. “They obviously don’t respect you.”

“Hey, Strom,” Adam said. “Did you come here to tell me that there’s snow in the Iyr too?”

“No,” he replied. “If they don’t respect you, you just have to beat them up.”