Taking Demeter and Carlotta to Gotland

[ostro_goth]

Teja is sitting by the door, turning the snake bracelet in his hands.

He is waiting for his friends to to turn up, so they may go visit his people together.

Comments

[fiery_ring]

Carlotta greets all the children, asking them their names in turn and generally allowing herself to be used as a climbing frame.

[wheatencrown]

While Carlotta is introduced Demeter hugs everyone else,

"What can I do to help?"

[ostro_goth]

"Would you go help Adalgoth with those babies?" Gotho asks, after hugging her back and stowing away her spindle. "Rauthgundis and Alaric -- go fetch eggs!"

The two oldest children grumble, but go outside to do as they're told. Liuta starts grinding flour for the pancakes, and Gotho fetches milk. She looks much better, again, than she did the last time. Spring helps her to finally recover her strength.

Teja, his arms full of kittens, goes to talk to Wachis.

[fiery_ring]

Carlotta picks up a baby and bounces her gently.

"Which twin is this?"

[wheatencrown]

Demeter picks up the other twin and laughs at poor Adalgoth,

"There now you won't have to be a rug."

[ostro_goth]

Adalgoth grins, and stretches. "You have Myrtia," he tells Carlotta, "and you, Lady Demeter, have picked up Valeria. Isn't it wonderful how they look at you now and laugh at you and know you?"

[fiery_ring]

"Myrtia, that's a pretty name." Carlotta tickles the baby. "How do you tell them apart? We used to have twins at my school who were awfully similar."

[wheatencrown]

"It is, they're growing so quickly."

[ostro_goth]

"They are totally different!" Adalgoth says, laughing with indignant amusement. "Valeria is quieter and has slightly darker hair, Myrtia is golden and laughing and quite a bit bigger."

'Quite a bit' is a few ounces, but Adalgoth is an enthusiastic father (never mind whether men of his people are supposed to or not), and to him, the differences are as clear as those between cats and dogs.

[fiery_ring]

"Sorry." Carlotta says, looking from one to the other to remember the differences. "So you two won't be playing tricks on your Mama and Papa when you're a little older?" she says to Myrtia.

[wheatencrown]

"I'm sure they will and probably getting Hilde to help them,"

It seems something that twins do even Apollo and Artemis found their ways to.

[ostro_goth]

"All these children play tricks," Adalgoth grins. "Singly, in groups, or in one big conspiracy when the eaves are suddenly awash in giggles while they wait for us to fall for their ruse. These two won't be an exception; especially if not everybody can tell them apart that easily for some reason."

[fiery_ring]

"One of the sets of twins in my school went a whole week pretending they were only one girl when they arrived." Carlotta muses. "Doing half their lessons, taking it in turns to sleep in their bed..."

[wheatencrown]

"What happened?"

[ostro_goth]

"But where did the other one hide?" Adalgoth asks, amazed and fascinated.

[fiery_ring]

"In the box rooms upstairs." Carlotta says. "Of course, eventually they were both caught in the same place at the same time, and got into terrible trouble with the head."

[wheatencrown]

"I hope they found other uses to put that cleverness to."

[ostro_goth]

"Were they trying to get by paying for only one girl?" Adalgoth asks.

Such schools are probably expensive.

Little Myrtia is bouncing, and grabbing for Carlotta's hair. Valeria quietly snuggles against Demeter.

[fiery_ring]

"No, when questioned they said they thought it just seemed like a good idea at the time. The school knew they were twins but they forged a note from their mother that one of them was arriving late.

I think Miss Roberts gave them all double prep for the next week because they'd only been taking half their lessons."

[wheatencrown]

Demeter kisses the top of Valeria's head,

"It sounds like something Apollo or Artemis would have done just to see if they could."

[ostro_goth]

"The gods?" Adalgoth asks, finding it odd to have them talked about so casually.

[fiery_ring]

"I think after that everyone was so suspicious of them that they took measures to work out who was who." Carlotta says.

[wheatencrown]

"Yes, they were always up to something and still are. That was smart of your school and I'm sure they were much more careful if they did other things."

[ostro_goth]

"How did you tell them apart?" Adalgoth asks.

[fiery_ring]

"Daphne used to be a little taller than Dora." Carlotta says. "Which only worked if they were next to each other. But after a while you could just tell."