It has been said, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. But fool me countlessly, then you're probably living with an older brother." Living with Adamai, Yugo thought the world of him. They've been at each other's backs since they met for the first time nearly eight years ago. They had both saved each other from certain death multiple times, and grew closer than any other siblings in Emelka; arguably, the whole World of Twelve. Nothing could possibly tear the loving bond between these two brothers apart… All except for one specific day in mid-Spring, that is.
March seemed to have come and gone in the blink of an eye. Even with the drastic changes from a snow storm one week, to near smoldering heat the next, March didn't hold much as far as celebratory events. There may have been an influx of customers every few days or so, and the two-day crowd that showed up for Saint Prodrick's day, but other than that the calendar laid barren. Overall, it was rather boring for the small-town inn. The Rusty Gobball wouldn't be seeing a large amount of customers until the inner-city universities all were given their Spring Sabbatical. There would be parties, drinking, and hullabaloo from a crowd of rowdy students; especially the huppermages.
Alas, all of that won't be for nearly a month's time. Prospects of a holiday rush are all that the innkeeper has to hold on to for now. Alibert sighs, holding his head in his hand as he taps a pencil on the booking schedule for April.
"Vacancy. The void. Oh how we both long to see you filled." Alibert stared at the large gap of available rooms. For a whole two and a half weeks, there wasn't a single guest written in to stay at the inn.
A shorter blue-hatted figure goes around the emptied dining room, straightening chairs and wiping down tables. "Don't mope dad. It's not all bad. Tomorrow is- "
"Don't remind me. You both know the rules, right?" Alibert cut him off, not wanting to hear any more than he already had to. He wasn't against the idea. In fact, it gave his kids something to do instead of laze around the inn. He just didn't feel comfortable testing people's trust.
"'If you're going to fool around all day, keep it out of the customer's way. Also keep it to ourselves.' Don't worry dad. I've been planning this all month long." Yugo had grown a mischievous smile across his face.
"Chaotic-evil is very unbecoming of you, Yugo. I'm glad it's only one day. I couldn't forgive myself if you had grown up to being a super villain. Now come here and give you dad a hug." Alibert swiveled in his chair, holding his arms open wide.
Yugo put down the rag and ran into his father's arms.
"OOFH. You're getting heavier. Maybe I need to stop feeding you so much." Alibert said, poking Yugo's belly. "I swear it must be my desserts. You eat like a gobball."
"Your food is just too good! I can't help if I'm growing; I am nineteen after all."
Alibert let out a deep sigh. "Nineteen already. I remember when I first found you in that basket. Gods, does time fly... By the way, thank you again for being such a great help with the Saint Potrick's rush. You boys did an amazing job cleaning up! It's because of that that I'm allowing you two to partake in your 'frivolities' tomorrow."
"No problem dad. I was all too happy to see that glitter gone. Chibi still finds small pockets of the stuff. It was all over his bed last week. He must have stashed it." Yugo giggled.
Alibert felt the same way. He tried as hard as he could to clean up every corner of the inn, but still found himself tracking bits of shiny green sparkles on his clothes. "Now you and Adamai get off to bed. Chibi and Grougal should be asleep by now." Alibert kissed his son's forehead, and patted his hat before letting him down.
"Sure thing. Goodnight dad! Love you!" Yugo ran off towards the stairs, excited about the following day's activities.
"I love you too!" Alibert called back as the kid rounded the corner. "Enutrof, deliver us. Give me patience for tomorrow." He mumbled under his breath before closing his directory, and blowing out his candle. Turning off the lights on his way through the dining room, he made his way up to bed. He'll need as much rest as he can get. At least the start of the month was clear of all guests staying the night.
A cool spring night had enveloped the town in a near-serene calm. Without a single cloud in the night sky, thousands of glistening stars shown above the countryside. Spring was in full effect, and the weather was to stay clear for at least a few days more. The crescent moon accompanied by the rustling of the trees gave Emelka a tranquil pause from life's worries. Sadly, this wouldn't last long.
As the morning sun crept over the hills, there were only two people who were up and about the inn. Alibert had always woken up early, making sure the kitchen was ready for the customers who showed up bright and early for the town's most famous eatery. The ground floor restaurant would bring in customers even when they were completely in a dry spell as far a booking.
Adamai had also grown to the life of inn work. Waking up alongside his adoptive father to help out was the perfect father/son bonding that he was never given while living on Oma Island. Living with Grougaloragran was closer to being watched over instead of living with. Alibert was cautious at first living with a dragon, but he came to love the white-scaled addition to the family as if he was his very own. Plus, giving Yugo a brother was more than he could have asked for.
Adamai would often be downstairs before Alibert, already brewing his father's morning coffee. Alibert never let any of his kids try it for fear that they would never settle down. They were hyper enough being young and wily.
When Alibert reached the bottom of the stairs, he could smell the pot of coffee brewing, but didn't see Adamai anywhere in the kitchen. He had his suspicions that Adamai had intended of starting the day's festivities early. Shrugging it off Alibert grabbed a pastry, poured his coffee, and sat down at the table.
Upstairs the light creaking of claws on wood could be heard sneaking about. Adamai tiptoed across the floor as he prepared for his long-awaited plans. Quietly maneuvering over to the large shared bed which held two small figures, Adamai grabbed two pairs of earmuffs, and gently placed them over Grougal's and Chibi's head. He froze as soon as Chibi rustled, relaxing only when he lay still once more. The child shifted in his bed before sticking a thumb in his mouth, and curling up towards his brother. This was a habit Chibi hadn't grown out of, being only seven years old. Adamai smiled at his younger sibling before moving to the foot of Yugo's bed.
Yugo was snoring loud enough to cover the sounds of the young dragon's footsteps as well as the slight laughter he failed to contain. Oh how long he had waited for this. Making sure everything was in place, Adamai breathed a tiny fire at the string cupped in his hand. Once this was done, he bolted for the doorway; a safe out-of-fist range from the sleeping eliatrope.
Adamai put a finger in both of his ears, waiting for the reaction of a lifetime. A few seconds of fizzing, and the string burned down into the cylindrical basin at its opposite end set up at the foot of Yugo's bed. A loud crackling spewed forth from the firecracker, jolting the sleeping child awake.
Yugo floundered for a brief moment before he clutched his feet, pulled them up to his chest, and screamed a shrill cry. After a short few seconds, the firecracker died down, and Yugo noticed the laughing dragon halfway across the room pointing at him.
Downstairs, Alibert could hear the loud noises followed by laughter coming from upstairs. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed. "Curse the first of Aperirel." He mumbled into his coffee.
"Aperirel Fools! You screamed like a girl!" Adamai yelled, doubling over in laughter. The noise was loud enough to gently wake up the two smaller children from their sleep through the ear muffs. They groggily made sense of the scene in front of them, seeing Adamai laughing as Yugo turned red. They noticed the headgear, and took it off looking confused.
"Sorry for the ear muffs guys. I didn't want to wake you. But boy do I wish you could have heard that!"
Yugo sat back, grabbing his shirt and hyperventilating. "WHAT WAS THAT?!" he barked at Adamai, trying to say it in as deep of a voice as possible. His face had turned a complete shade of red from his high-pitched outburst.
Adamai wiped a tear from his eye and settled his laughter before responding "Thought I could start this day off right. It was just a tiny firecracker bro. No need to wet yourself over it." Adamai walked over to Yugo's bedside, and patted him on the head. "You pulled off the greatest part so perfectly."
Yugo punched his brother in the arm. "That wasn't a prank. That was you being a complete dumba- idiot…." Yugo corrected himself. His eyes shot over to his two smaller brothers crawling out of bed and getting dressed. Alibert made it perfectly clear that Chibi and Grougal were not to be exposed to curse words.
"Whatever slowpoke. You're just mad because you didn't think of it yourself." Adamai said shrugging.
Yugo made a face of disgust, and plugged his nose. "Apparently your 'prank' was more important than your hygiene. You forgot to brush today? Your breath smells!"
"Yes mom. I would have gotten around to it." Adamai rolled his eyes, walking towards the bathroom. "You wouldn't believe how long I had been waiting to try out that firework. It was killing me inside not being able to test it. But then that would have given away the surprise."
Adamai grabbed his toothbrush and turned on the faucet. As soon as he did, water spewed from the base of the faucet instead out the end. The rushing water splashed everywhere over the unsuspecting dragon before he quickly turned the water off. His face and upper torso dripping with water, he turned to face his brother who was standing in the hallway, grinning and holding a wrench.
"That's how you do a prank. It's just a little water. 'No need to wet yourself over it.' Or I guess that too late." Chibi and Grougal had made their way to the bathroom to see their older brother covered in water, and they both started laughing.
"Think that's funny you two? Try it for yourself." Adamai shook water off into their direction, covering all three of them in droplets. All three of them were laughing, trying to cover their faces.
Yugo tightened the faucet back while the others were drying off. Shortly, they made their way downstairs for breakfast, seeing their dad run about the kitchen prepping for the morning customers.
"G'mornin papa!" the two younger kids said smiling. Alibert shot them a brief smile before returning to his work. Adamai had a towel draped around his neck as he moved to help get breakfast ready for his brothers.
Alibert noticed all four kids' damp heads, as well as Yugo putting away his wrench. "I heard the commotion from down here. You kids better not be planning anything dangerous. Yugo, please ask me next time if you're going to sabotage the plumbing."
Yugo poured four glasses of milk, and grabbed a few apples pre-sliced for them. "Sorry dad. If I did, the whole thing would have sounded sketchy. I made sure to be careful and put it back the way it was."
Alibert nodded. "And Adamai, I don't want any more fireworks inside the house. That could have been horribly!"
Adamai placed a berry pastry on each of the four plates set up, as well as a butter caddy and knife. "I'm sorry too, dad. I made sure that it was a no-spark one. I just wanted to scare Yugo, not flambé him."
As soon as the table was set, the four kids started to dig into their morning meal. The younger ones had already gone through half of their pastry when Yugo took his first bite. His face contorted, unable to swallow the horrid, overly salty taste. He spat the food into his napkin, before drowning the bad flavor in milk. He tried scrubbing the remainder of the saltiness with another napkin. "Oh goddess!"
"What's the matter Yugo, too much salt?" Adamai chortled "Got you again."
Alibert frowned. "Adamai, it's not okay to waste food. That was a perfectly good pastry."
"Gah! I can still taste it." Yugo ran over to the sink and washed his tongue under the running water.
Alibert interjected "Boys, I'm putting a pause on your pranking. I don't want to see another one until after the lunch rush. I'm nearly done here for breakfast, but I'll need help getting the roast and veggies ready for later. So no more until after that's over. Is that clear?" Alibert stated, crossing his arms.
"Yes dad." The two older boys said in unison. Yugo was wiped his face off with a dish rag and grabbed an unspoiled pastry from the counter. The younger boys sat up saying "What about us papa? We wanna help!"
Alibert shook his head responding "You two still have a chapter of study to do. I don't want you to get behind." Both Grougal and Chibi stared at their father with saddened looks. Alibert saw their large eyes staring back at him, and sighed. "I can't say no to that face. I guess you can help too. Only for lunch though. Afterwards, you need to study."
Chibi and Grougal both cheered, and rushed to finished their food.
Despite the lack of booked guests, the dining room was mostly full by the time high-noon rolled around. Alibert had managed the bar, as well as coordinated the food, while the two older boys cooked and served. The two younger ones helped deliver food to tables, but due to their size, were limited to one or two plates. The customers didn't mind in the least. They loved seeing the whole family help out with the business. Many of the frequenters would even often comment how much they all have grown up.
The rush had come to an end as the last few tables were finishing up. Yugo had grabbed a cloth rag and opened a portal to the dirty tables, immediately jumping through to the other side. Some of the guests were amazed at Alibert's son for being able to master his magic enough to be comfortable using it daily. Most of them however were used to seeing the blue spirals appear out of thin air. But a few of the newcomers would stare in awe of magic they've never seen.
Adamai was clearing off the counters from leftover ingredients when an evil grin appeared across his face. While Yugo was in the dining room, Adamai decided to take this opportunity to get the jump on his brother. He picked up an extra rag, soaked it in water, and placed it at the foot of the portal. Returning to his work, he would play innocent as his plan unfolded.
As soon as Yugo returned through the portal, his foot landed on top of the rag. Laying his whole weight on his foot, the rag slide from underneath him, causing him to gain a moment of air time before hitting the ground. Right before impact however, Adamai caught his brother inches away from the floor.
"Woah. That would have been a bad hit. You should be more careful next time." Adamai struggled to hold back a laugh, failing miserably. The snickering gave his intentions up.
Yugo instantly knew it was Adamai who set up the trap; It felt like something he'd do. With the Lunch crowd thinning, he kind of half expected it, too; but he would never concede a victory to his brother that easily. "Yeah, funny how that wasn't there a minute ago. I didn't know it was rag-migrating season…" he said in a faking-angry monotone voice.
"Huh, must be. I'm glad I caught you. We brothers have to look out for each other; especially today." Adamai returned to his cleaning, grinning widely to himself.
Yugo wanted to wait until a bit later in the day to use up the next piece of his arsenal. But, due to his fall, felt how revenge was needed more than tact. "I'll be back in a minute to help you clean up. I think I tore something in my leg." Faking injury to excuse himself to their bedroom. Once upstairs, Yugo rustled through his drawers to find a small vial filled with a clear liquid. He gave the liquid a good shake before pocketing it and making his way back downstairs.
Chibi and Grougal were helping bring the dishes back into the kitchen to where Adamai had set up a stack next to the sink. Yugo helped rinse and dry the dishes as Adamai scrubbed.
Seeing Yugo smile at him gave the dragon an uneasy feeling. 'What are you planning next? It's obvious you're up to something, but what?' he thought to himself.
Adamai had moved to putting away the dishes after he finished scrubbing the last few, giving Yugo the perfect window of opportunity to enact revenge. While his dragon-brother's back was turned, he spilled the vial's contents into Adamai's drink that had been sitting on the counter. Quickly re-pocketing the vial, he returned to drying the remaining dishes.
Shortly after the last few customers left, Alibert walked into the kitchen and smiled. "That went well. Thanks for the help you guys. All of you did a great job. Even you two!" he said rubbing the tops of his littlest helpers. "Now I know how much today means to you…" he said talking to the older two. "So I'll let you continue with your pranks. Just remember the rules."
Adamai wiped his hands on a nearby towel and grabbed his drink from the counter. "Shouldn't be a problem. I doubt Yugo has anything else planned. Can't really top that firecracker wake-up." He chuckled, taking a large swig from his cup. Before he could put it down, Adamai fizzled out the room with a POP sound. Yugo dove to grab the falling drink, and placed it on the table. Alibert stared at the cup, then up at Yugo.
"Okay... What did you do to him?" Alibert said completely baffled. Yugo smiled, holding up a single finger, listening to the back yard through the open window.
A moment later, a loud "YUGO!" roared from near the barn. Yugo tried to keep himself from cracking up, but also failed miserably. "It was a Blink potion. Otomai told me how to set one up. If it turned out as right as it should have, then he would have landed right into…"
The back door swung open revealing a mud-covered dragon staring down his younger brother from across the room. The other three kids started laughing at the scene before them, while Alibert remained shocked.
"You think that's funny? Try some mud for yourself!" Adamai spoke angrily before throwing a mud ball at the blue-hatted prankster. Mud trickled across the floor as the fist-sized projectile beamed through the kitchen. Yugo ducked just in time, making the mud splat against the wall behind him.
"ENOUGH!" yelled Alibert. "I've been as patient as I could with you guys and your pranks, but I think reverting to potions is taking it too far. I thought you two could keep it civil, but this has escalated out of my comfort zone. I think that you've had enough fun; now I don't want to see another prank for the rest of today. Adamai, go wash yourself outside before you track in any more filth. Yugo, clean up the mess on the wall. Chibi, Grougal, if you two could please help clean the floor before you go study I'm sure your brothers will be appreciative of the help."
Adamai opened his mouth the speak, but nothing came out. He didn't intend on making their father mad, but having his drink drugged by his brother made him angry. The dirty dragon turned around, and closed the door before turning on the hose attached to the spigot out back.
A small "Sorry dad" came from Yugo's direction as he got a bucket and filled it with soapy water. He grabbed a mop from the closet, and gave it to Grougal while he got a scrub brush for himself.
Hosing himself off in the yard made the dragon feel like an animal. Adamai glanced over to a bucket sitting idly by the spigot, and hatched a plan. He lost track of who was even with whom, but he was going to make sure to get Yugo back one last time. After filling the bucket with water, he flapped his wings, and flew into their bedroom through the open window.
After the kitchen was cleaned once again, Alibert told Yugo to go apologize to Adamai. Yugo opened the back door and looked around, but couldn't see his brother anywhere. Shrugging it off thinking he must have gone for a walk, Yugo came back inside and put the dirty mop and brush away. He felt bad for causing a commotion, but thought that the blame laid entirely on Adamai. He couldn't let him get away with mud flinging, and wanted revenge for having to clean up his mess. 'Just one more prank; then I'll call it quits' he thought to himself eyeing down their father's toolbox sitting on a shelf.
Alibert thanked the two youngest before telling them the chapter that they could go study. Grougal nodded grabbing the book while Chibi excused himself to the restroom. Grougal jogged excitedly down the hall before getting to his room. He always got excited about learning different "grownup things". It made him feel older. He hadn't given much thought to the bedroom door being ajar, and pushed inwards. Before he could react, an ice-cold downpour cascaded over the child, soaking all of his clothes down to his socks. He looked up to see Adamai wearing a worried look with his arms outstretched in an attempt to save the bystander. Grougal dropped his book to the floor, and started crying.
Chibi ran towards the bedroom to investigate the commotion. He saw his brother completely drenched, and picked the book up from the small forming puddle before it got wet too. Yugo spun around the corner holding a saw, looking worried. He set the tool down leaning against the wall. Seeing Adamai holding an empty bucket next to a sopping wet Grougal, he figured that that was meant for him.
"I-I… It was an accident. That wasn't supposed to happen. I'm really sorry Grougal; please don't cry." Adamai tried wiping the water from the child's face, only to have the tanned human pull back from his older brother. Grougal ran down the hall towards the kitchen crying "Papa!", leaving wet footprints where he trotted. Yugo looked at Adamai in surprise, then down to Chibi who was trying to wrap his book up in his quilt to dry. "I thought Dad said no more pranks…" Yugo said plainly towards his older brother.
"It was just one last- "
"ADAMAI! YUGO!" a yell could be heard from downstairs.
The sun had begun to set over the grassy hills, painting the evening sky in bright hues of orange and purple. The sunset could be seen perfectly through the boy's bedroom window. Adamai was leaning on his palm as his elbow rested on the window sill. He stared at the birds that flew by, wishing he could join them before the outside got too dark. Adamai enjoyed flying through the evening sky more than any other time of the day. It gave him a sense of freedom and bliss that couldn't be replicated in the mid-day blistering sunlight. Adamai sighed being confined to his bedroom instead.
"I think that potion was too much…" Adamai huffed.
Yugo was reclined on his bed holding up a book that he had read through multiple times before. He lowered the book and stared at his brother for a moment before muttering "And a firework isn't?"
"You know that was funny. It didn't have a chance to harm someone. What if I had Blinked somewhere else? Like off the roof, or something?"
Yugo closed the book and turned onto his side, facing the dragon; who was still staring out the window. "I triple checked to make sure it was fine. It was your mud fight that tipped dad over the edge. Then dousing Grougal didn't help. You could have stopped when dad said to."
"Oh, like you- "Adamai turned to face his brother, but got interrupted by the door opening. Alibert ushered in a towel-wrapped Grougal. Once he grabbed a set of dry clothes, Grougal walked back out of the room, averting his gaze away from the older boys. When he was out of earshot, Alibert spoke firmly. "You two are grounded. No going outside, no sweets, and double chores for two whole days. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes dad. We're sorry." Both boys spoke in unison.
Alibert nodded before closing the door, and walking back downstairs. After a few moments of silence, Adamai spoke up again, making sure not to be too loud. "As if you didn't stop… You would have gotten us in trouble as well. You're just as bad as I am about stopping." He folded his arms and turned back towards the window.
Yugo looked confused, trying to understand what his brother had meant. "What do you mean? I hadn't pulled anything."
Adamai scoffed. "Don't play dumb."
"No, Ad. I really don't know what you mean." Yugo started sounding worried.
"I saw what you were planning… dad's saw you were holding; the one right there by the door? What was it going to be? Off-balance my bedpost?" he said pointing at the wall nearest the door.
Yugo followed his brother's finger and stared at the tool for a moment before his eyes widened "Uh oh. This might be bad…"
Adamai turned to see his brother's expression before raising an eyebrow. Downstairs, the sound of a chair cracking echoed through the hallway, followed by a loud thud.
Alibert took a moment to register what had happened, seeing the pieces of chair next to him on the floor. After he realized the cause, his voice bellowed from downstairs "Make it four days!"
Author's Note:
I loved writing this story! It's been hectic with my life lately; from family problems, or holiday rushes at work, I've barely found time for myself. It felt so good to get back to writing adorable things about these four kids. I do have ideas written down for stories that I'd like to get to before Wakfu season 3 comes out. Here's to hoping that I will be able to make the time! If you enjoyed this, then please leave a comment, or send me a message. I want to know what my followers would like to see in upcoming stories.
Shout-outs to a few people:
I want to thank my dear friend Sam for helping me verbalize my way through writing this story. If it weren't for our chats and brainstorming session, then I probably would have scrapped the project. Thank you for being exactly enough for me to do this.
A major thanks to my close friend for inspiration and editorial assistance, Steven Miles. Thanks to you, I was able to get through a rough patch of writer's block. It is always a thorough pleasure to work with you.
Always, thanks to my followers AND their comments for keeping me inspired enough to continue my writing. You all are a bigger part of my work than you could possibly know.
Characters and setting belong to Ankama, story belongs to me.