Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG

“You are so close with your younger sister,” Afraz said, cutting and mashing the potato for the little girl, allowing her to sprinkle the salt and slather her butter. He glanced aside to see the boy drinking from his magical gourd.

“I am closest with Virot, because Virot, she is so wise, she always follows me, and I take good care of her, except when I am in tutoring, then she misses me so much, and I miss her so much.” Jirot wrapped her arms around her sister, who was about to take a bite of her potato, but she smiled, cackling within Jirot’s arms.

“Kaka! I hug you!” Virot half threatened, wrapping her arms around her elder sister, the two exchanging kisses.

“That’s right! I am your kaka!” Jirot declared, planting a firm kiss on the girl’s cheek, accepting a kiss from her sister. “Make sure you eat all your food, okay? You must eat to grow big and as strong as your kaka and papa.”

“Okay! I eating, kaka, I eating.”

“My kaka eats so well.” Jirot said, brushing the girl’s hair gently, and then a shadow loomed over her, reaching down to wipe the girl’s hand.

“Don’t touch other people’s hair when you’re eating! Either you’ll get you food in their hair, or their hair in your food.” Adam tutted, wiping the girl’s hand with a damp cloth.

“Daddy…” Jirot mumbled, and she reached over her free hand to squeeze her sister’s cheek, since she was about to pick a fight with their father, and then the damp cloth reached her hand. “I cannot even hold my sister’s hands?”

“What did I tell you about germs?”

“Why do germs exist? Do they exist only to annoy me? When I learn magic, I will deal with all the germs!”

“Technically, you could learn Tricks and deal with it that way, and Shape Water, I guess?” Adam leaned in to plant a kiss on his daughter’s cheek.

“Oh! So I cannot brush my sister’s face, but you can kiss me?”

“You eat with your hands, not you-,” Adam began, but he tilted his head as his daughter did so. “You know what I mean?”

“You have to wash your mouth now, daddy!” Jirot declared.

“What? I cannot kiss my daughter?” Adam leaned in to kiss his daughter’s cheeks, her ear, her neck. “You! If you continue this, I will tell mummy!”

“Tell mummy! I will tell her!”

“You!”

“You!”

“You should eat and not disturb others when you do,” Afraz finally said, having poured little Virot a cup of milk, the girl side eyeing him for a moment, but she picked up her cup and drank it.

“You see what you did, daddy?” Jirot narrowed her eyes.

“Jiddo’akbar was talking to you too…”

“Yo-,” Jirot began, only to find her greatmother tapping her nose.

“Eat.”

“Nano! Daddy is doing it!”

“I know, but if you fall for it, then you will be a fool like your father.”

“That’s right! Daddy is a fool!” Jirot declared, letting out a huff, and as her daddy kissed her cheek, the girl returned a kiss, and she furiously began eating her potato.

“I feel like Jirot is even more aggressive now…” Adam whispered, dropping beside Vonda, who held Xarot against her bosom, the boy snoozing away lightly, his mother’s fingers trailing all along his cheek and ear.

“She must remind you of your place in front of Virot,” Vonda teased, causing the half elf to smile slightly.

As the day continued, Adam was careful around Virot, until, finally, it was time to play Warriors and Wanderers, in which the girl would not fight with him, he was certain.

“Virot, you must roll the D20, for you bring such good luck,” Jirot said.

2

Jirot let out a soft sigh. She turned turned towards Virot, who beamed so happily towards her, and the two embraced one another.

“If that was for the enemy, that would have been a wonderful roll!” Jirot assured, all the while little Virot squealed with delight.

“Damrot, you can roll,” Jarot said, allowing the boy to roll.

16

“You roll so well!” Jarot hugged Damrot, the two embracing one another tenderly.

Once they had finally slain the little nightmare, which used the same statblock as a brown bear, though with some light modifications, they packed their game away, and as they did, Jirot turned towards her father, pausing a moment to check first.

“Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“Are you going to kill the Aldishmen too?” Jirot whispered.

Adam blinked, turning to look towards his daughter, who had asked such a question. “What…”

Jirot’s eyes remained glued to her father’s, noting the way they changed lightly.

“I think, this time, we should leave it to the Iyr,” Adam said, reaching out his hand, brushing his daughter’s cheek with his thumb, and he cupped her cheek within her hand. “I’ll stay here, I’ll do some work, and I’ll play with you, and the Iyr will deal with the situation.”

“Okay…”

“Do you want me to go, Jibaby?”

“Mm…” Jirot replied, uncertain.

“I’ll stay here and play with you, and then, next year, I’ll show off in front of all the Aldishmen, I’ll beat up all the Reavers, and then they’ll understand the mercy I showed them.”

“The Aldishmen, they cannot understand the mercy you show them, because they are evil.”

Adam swallowed, a chill suddenly taking him, and quickly he wrapped his arms around the girl. “Not all of them are evil, but the Aldishmen who attacked you, they certainly were. You don’t have to worry about them, though, because the Iyr will deal with them, okay?”

“Okay.”

Adam continued to hold the girl tight, his eyes slowly trailing to his son, and seeing his son pout, he reached over to bring him into a hug too. As the trio embraced one another, Virot complained, and so Adam brought her, and Damrot, into the hug too.

‘I’ll have to spend some time trying to ease their hearts too…’ Adam thought, his heart thundering in his chest.