Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Part 87, Chapter 1340
Chapter One Thousand Three Hundred Forty
22nd August 1959
Potsdam
Nella didn’t understand the heatwave other than she clearly didn’t like it and was fussy as a result, but then Charlotte understood that small children and babies seldom liked changes to their environment. “Excuse me” Charlotte said as she put down her glass of iced tea and went to see to Nella. She could have had a team of nurses to mind Nella at all times, but Charlotte didn’t like the thought of her daughter being raised that way. She had seen the result of that within her own family and didn’t want to repeat the mistake.
After traveling extensively to the Pacific and South East Asia the year before, Charlotte had decided that staying in Berlin was the better option, the park-like grounds that surrounded the Summer Residence were perfect until the hot, humid days had arrived this week. Even here in Potsdam, Charlotte had noticed that Louis spent his days working. The Chancellor might have been the Head of Government with Louis filling a largely ceremonial role, still he felt that he had an important part to play in world affairs. That was why most days, Louis was in his office on the phone or typing one of the columns that appeared in newspapers around the world under various pseudonyms. When Charlotte had told him that he should be enjoying a Summer Holiday he had just smiled and said that he would do consider doing that next week.
Charlotte’s step-children were a different story, they were all enjoying their Holiday, though enjoy wasn’t exactly the right word to use. Louis had seen to it that they all got something that they needed out of it.
Friedrich had been photographed on a beach in Vietnam where he had been learning to surf. His time with the Pioneer Corps was coming to an end and he was going to be going to University in the Fall, his intention was to study Law. Charlotte wondered what the Empire would make of having a Lawyer on the throne if Louis followed through with his intention of retiring when he turned sixty-four. They had eleven years to find out.
Michael was in Bohemia, where he was going to take the throne as King there when he turned twenty-one. The Bohemians saw it as a step further in their bid for greater autonomy within the Empire, so Michael was being well received. Louis Junior was on a school ship in the Baltic, considering that he was trying to get into the Naval Academy it was perfect for him. Kristina was in the South of France. The latest tabloids had run with her wearing a brightly colored sundress and shopping with her friends in Cannes. It was completely unlike her. The normally introverted Kristina wore drab clothes and was seldom seen in public. Gräfin Katherine was also in the pictures, which explained why the photographers were keeping their distance. Everyone was surprised that Kristina was actually quite pretty when she put in the slightest effort. It just went to show that people were not very observant, and one never knew what they might choose to talk about.
It was the photographs of Kristina that had prompted an outraged phone call from the twins to their father. Louis had wondered how they seen the photographs and had gotten to a phone considering where he had sent them. Before he had hung up, he had told Marie that their sister had been sent to the South of France as a reward for all the hard work she had put in over the last couple years. Both Marie and Victoria would be smart to follow their older sister’s example. If Charlotte had to guess, being sent to the Sisters of St. Joseph at Saint Trudpert’s Abby as novices was not how the twins had been expecting to spend the summer. However, considering how they had spent the rest of the year it was exactly the sort of Holiday they deserved. The sort of marks that they had been getting in school mixed with their abysmal behavior had resulted in them coming dangerously close to getting thrown out of the gymnasia that they attended. Corrective measures were needed, and Louis had resorted to a rather novel approach in showing them the sort of life they could expect if he grew tired of paying for their upkeep. The convent in an isolated corner of Baden was someplace that they couldn’t beg or bribe their way out of easily. It was an action that Charlotte felt was long overdue. She had suggested to Louis that perhaps they could have learned the same lessons waiting tables or working on a farm somewhere. He just shrugged and said that he would keep that in mind for next time.
Making her way back to the table carrying Nella, Charlotte stuck a napkin in her neglected glass and used it in an effort to try to cool Nella down.
“That’s a use for tea I’ve never seen before” Suga observed as she saw what Charlotte was doing.
“It’s mostly water by this point” Charlotte replied, “I’m not going to drink it, if it helps Nella so much the better.”
In recent days, Charlotte had found the Japanese Princess to be a good companion. Aside from Kristina, she was probably one of the few people who understood where Charlotte was coming from. That was when Suga wasn’t talking about how the weather in Germany was much milder than Japan this time of year.
“We were talking about your plans” Suga said, resuming the conversation that Charlotte had abandoned. “Are you really going to go back to work?”
“When I can” Charlotte answered, “There is such a need for the sort of work I did.”
“Even as Empress?” Suga asked.
“Especially as Empress” Charlotte replied, as she watched Suga take a sip of her tea. She had asked for it hot, how she did that on a day like today was beyond Charlotte’s comprehension.
22nd August 1959
Potsdam
Nella didn’t understand the heatwave other than she clearly didn’t like it and was fussy as a result, but then Charlotte understood that small children and babies seldom liked changes to their environment. “Excuse me” Charlotte said as she put down her glass of iced tea and went to see to Nella. She could have had a team of nurses to mind Nella at all times, but Charlotte didn’t like the thought of her daughter being raised that way. She had seen the result of that within her own family and didn’t want to repeat the mistake.
After traveling extensively to the Pacific and South East Asia the year before, Charlotte had decided that staying in Berlin was the better option, the park-like grounds that surrounded the Summer Residence were perfect until the hot, humid days had arrived this week. Even here in Potsdam, Charlotte had noticed that Louis spent his days working. The Chancellor might have been the Head of Government with Louis filling a largely ceremonial role, still he felt that he had an important part to play in world affairs. That was why most days, Louis was in his office on the phone or typing one of the columns that appeared in newspapers around the world under various pseudonyms. When Charlotte had told him that he should be enjoying a Summer Holiday he had just smiled and said that he would do consider doing that next week.
Charlotte’s step-children were a different story, they were all enjoying their Holiday, though enjoy wasn’t exactly the right word to use. Louis had seen to it that they all got something that they needed out of it.
Friedrich had been photographed on a beach in Vietnam where he had been learning to surf. His time with the Pioneer Corps was coming to an end and he was going to be going to University in the Fall, his intention was to study Law. Charlotte wondered what the Empire would make of having a Lawyer on the throne if Louis followed through with his intention of retiring when he turned sixty-four. They had eleven years to find out.
Michael was in Bohemia, where he was going to take the throne as King there when he turned twenty-one. The Bohemians saw it as a step further in their bid for greater autonomy within the Empire, so Michael was being well received. Louis Junior was on a school ship in the Baltic, considering that he was trying to get into the Naval Academy it was perfect for him. Kristina was in the South of France. The latest tabloids had run with her wearing a brightly colored sundress and shopping with her friends in Cannes. It was completely unlike her. The normally introverted Kristina wore drab clothes and was seldom seen in public. Gräfin Katherine was also in the pictures, which explained why the photographers were keeping their distance. Everyone was surprised that Kristina was actually quite pretty when she put in the slightest effort. It just went to show that people were not very observant, and one never knew what they might choose to talk about.
It was the photographs of Kristina that had prompted an outraged phone call from the twins to their father. Louis had wondered how they seen the photographs and had gotten to a phone considering where he had sent them. Before he had hung up, he had told Marie that their sister had been sent to the South of France as a reward for all the hard work she had put in over the last couple years. Both Marie and Victoria would be smart to follow their older sister’s example. If Charlotte had to guess, being sent to the Sisters of St. Joseph at Saint Trudpert’s Abby as novices was not how the twins had been expecting to spend the summer. However, considering how they had spent the rest of the year it was exactly the sort of Holiday they deserved. The sort of marks that they had been getting in school mixed with their abysmal behavior had resulted in them coming dangerously close to getting thrown out of the gymnasia that they attended. Corrective measures were needed, and Louis had resorted to a rather novel approach in showing them the sort of life they could expect if he grew tired of paying for their upkeep. The convent in an isolated corner of Baden was someplace that they couldn’t beg or bribe their way out of easily. It was an action that Charlotte felt was long overdue. She had suggested to Louis that perhaps they could have learned the same lessons waiting tables or working on a farm somewhere. He just shrugged and said that he would keep that in mind for next time.
Making her way back to the table carrying Nella, Charlotte stuck a napkin in her neglected glass and used it in an effort to try to cool Nella down.
“That’s a use for tea I’ve never seen before” Suga observed as she saw what Charlotte was doing.
“It’s mostly water by this point” Charlotte replied, “I’m not going to drink it, if it helps Nella so much the better.”
In recent days, Charlotte had found the Japanese Princess to be a good companion. Aside from Kristina, she was probably one of the few people who understood where Charlotte was coming from. That was when Suga wasn’t talking about how the weather in Germany was much milder than Japan this time of year.
“We were talking about your plans” Suga said, resuming the conversation that Charlotte had abandoned. “Are you really going to go back to work?”
“When I can” Charlotte answered, “There is such a need for the sort of work I did.”
“Even as Empress?” Suga asked.
“Especially as Empress” Charlotte replied, as she watched Suga take a sip of her tea. She had asked for it hot, how she did that on a day like today was beyond Charlotte’s comprehension.
Md139115
Banned
God’s wayward children all deserve love. It is their sacred duty to provide said love. A meter stick is a perfect instrument for demonstrating that love.
Actually Vicky and Rea duties would have included serving the Sisters at mealtimes, cleaning pots and pans, getting on their knees and scrubbing the stone floor by hand, and many convents has extensive gardens to grow their own food, also they may have some animals and the barns don't muck themselves out.
Very likely this. And the nuns tend to be far more corrective than most farmers. Wielding their metersticks, they'll make sure that the Twins do everything. Besides that, with all the work that will be found for them, they'll be too tired to cause trouble
Part 87, Chapter 1341
Chapter One Thousand Three Hundred Forty-One
24th August 1959
Münstertal, Baden
The buildings of Abbey had built over centuries, that meant that there were a lot of surfaces that needed cleaning and upkeep. While the most modern methods of cleaning them were not available, the Sisters of Saint Joseph were more than happy to do the labor needed. Or if as Rea thought, they had more than enough penitents on hand to do the work if they came right out and said it. Unfortunately, that included Vicky and Rea. The Sisters didn’t care about the minor details, like them not even being Catholic. Rea was nominally Lutheran but only to the extent that she didn’t really believe in anything at all. Vicky had dabbled in a number of religions including their mother’s Russian Orthodox beliefs, Buddhism, even going so far as looking into Occultism. If Vicky didn't have Rea as a reality check, she would be particularly vulnerable to the things that the Sisters were telling them. Especially if it got her out of doing the especially backbreaking work that they had been doing over the last few days since Ria had gotten them in trouble again.
“I told you that calling Poppa was a mistake” Vicky said to Rea as they were on their hands and knees scrubbing the stone floor of kitchens. As soon as they were done here, there was a large number of dishes that needed cleaning. “We would not have been sent here without his say so.”
Now she said that, when they were planning the phone call, Vicky had lots of suggestions of how to get into the office of the Abbess. Then she had played lookout while Rea had made the call. One thing that had not been a part of their plans however had been that their father had called back and told the Abbess that Rea had made the call. That was after he had hung up on Rea after telling her that she needed to be more like Kiki.
“Who were we supposed to call then?” Rea asked, “It’s not fair that Kiki got to sit on a beach while we get to be unpaid labor.”
“Fair?” Vicky asked, “Poppa said that Kiki has been working hard for the last two years, what have we done?”
That wasn’t something that Rea wanted to think about. Kiki had worked hard to join the Medical Service and get into University early. For the twins, the only time they had really put in any kind of work, it had been to further a prank or some other mischief. The two of them had been told by the Headmistress at the end of the last term that unless they started to apply themselves it was doubtful that they would even be accepted into University. Then she had told them that there were several vocational programs that might be better suited for their temperament if they weren’t prepared to do that. It had gotten them scolded by their father, something that they were unaccustomed to. Rea had thought the matter had blown over when the term ended, but clearly it hadn’t.
It galled Rea how easily they had been duped into coming willingly to this place. They had been told that they were going to the Black Forest in Baden, Rea had assumed that meant the resort towns with the spas that they had heard so much about. It had turned out that they had not been given complete information. The first clue should have been when they hadn’t seen their luggage being unloaded from the train. Later Rea had a great deal of time to think about it and she had concluded that it had never been on the train in the first place. Once here, they had ended up wearing the clothes they were given within a day. After a few days of being given the silent treatment, they had been told by the Abbess that the sin of pride was what she considered it her duty to save them from. However long it took. What followed was them working from well before sun up until late in the night when they fell asleep their bodies aching too much to move every single day except Sundays.
Vicky turned away from Rea, she was angry and didn’t want to talk. For years they had been a great team, Rea providing the ideas and Vicky coming up with ways to make them reality. It had always been that way with Rea leading since she was the older of the two by about fifteen minutes. Since they had figured out too late the nature of their holiday, Vicky had blamed her. Only seeing the photographs in the gossip magazine of Kiki having a great time in France had caused her to come around briefly. Then they were in trouble again. There was nothing left to take away from them, so their workload had increased. Rea was left wondering how that was even possible.
“I’m sorry” Rea said, “This wasn’t what…”
Vicky turned and gave her a withering look. “You’re never sorry” She snapped, “Every time you get us in hot water you expect me to back your next play. I’m through with your games.”
With that Vicky went back to scrubbing the floor.
“Vicky, I…” Rea started to say only to have one of the Sisters enter and give her a dirty look.
“No talking” The Sister said curtly, “Now, back to work.”
“Yes, ma’am” Rea said as she put the brush into the bucket of soapy water that they were using to clean the floor, only to spill it.
As she felt the water soaking through her dress around her knees Rea just felt like crying. This was the worst holiday imaginable.
24th August 1959
Münstertal, Baden
The buildings of Abbey had built over centuries, that meant that there were a lot of surfaces that needed cleaning and upkeep. While the most modern methods of cleaning them were not available, the Sisters of Saint Joseph were more than happy to do the labor needed. Or if as Rea thought, they had more than enough penitents on hand to do the work if they came right out and said it. Unfortunately, that included Vicky and Rea. The Sisters didn’t care about the minor details, like them not even being Catholic. Rea was nominally Lutheran but only to the extent that she didn’t really believe in anything at all. Vicky had dabbled in a number of religions including their mother’s Russian Orthodox beliefs, Buddhism, even going so far as looking into Occultism. If Vicky didn't have Rea as a reality check, she would be particularly vulnerable to the things that the Sisters were telling them. Especially if it got her out of doing the especially backbreaking work that they had been doing over the last few days since Ria had gotten them in trouble again.
“I told you that calling Poppa was a mistake” Vicky said to Rea as they were on their hands and knees scrubbing the stone floor of kitchens. As soon as they were done here, there was a large number of dishes that needed cleaning. “We would not have been sent here without his say so.”
Now she said that, when they were planning the phone call, Vicky had lots of suggestions of how to get into the office of the Abbess. Then she had played lookout while Rea had made the call. One thing that had not been a part of their plans however had been that their father had called back and told the Abbess that Rea had made the call. That was after he had hung up on Rea after telling her that she needed to be more like Kiki.
“Who were we supposed to call then?” Rea asked, “It’s not fair that Kiki got to sit on a beach while we get to be unpaid labor.”
“Fair?” Vicky asked, “Poppa said that Kiki has been working hard for the last two years, what have we done?”
That wasn’t something that Rea wanted to think about. Kiki had worked hard to join the Medical Service and get into University early. For the twins, the only time they had really put in any kind of work, it had been to further a prank or some other mischief. The two of them had been told by the Headmistress at the end of the last term that unless they started to apply themselves it was doubtful that they would even be accepted into University. Then she had told them that there were several vocational programs that might be better suited for their temperament if they weren’t prepared to do that. It had gotten them scolded by their father, something that they were unaccustomed to. Rea had thought the matter had blown over when the term ended, but clearly it hadn’t.
It galled Rea how easily they had been duped into coming willingly to this place. They had been told that they were going to the Black Forest in Baden, Rea had assumed that meant the resort towns with the spas that they had heard so much about. It had turned out that they had not been given complete information. The first clue should have been when they hadn’t seen their luggage being unloaded from the train. Later Rea had a great deal of time to think about it and she had concluded that it had never been on the train in the first place. Once here, they had ended up wearing the clothes they were given within a day. After a few days of being given the silent treatment, they had been told by the Abbess that the sin of pride was what she considered it her duty to save them from. However long it took. What followed was them working from well before sun up until late in the night when they fell asleep their bodies aching too much to move every single day except Sundays.
Vicky turned away from Rea, she was angry and didn’t want to talk. For years they had been a great team, Rea providing the ideas and Vicky coming up with ways to make them reality. It had always been that way with Rea leading since she was the older of the two by about fifteen minutes. Since they had figured out too late the nature of their holiday, Vicky had blamed her. Only seeing the photographs in the gossip magazine of Kiki having a great time in France had caused her to come around briefly. Then they were in trouble again. There was nothing left to take away from them, so their workload had increased. Rea was left wondering how that was even possible.
“I’m sorry” Rea said, “This wasn’t what…”
Vicky turned and gave her a withering look. “You’re never sorry” She snapped, “Every time you get us in hot water you expect me to back your next play. I’m through with your games.”
With that Vicky went back to scrubbing the floor.
“Vicky, I…” Rea started to say only to have one of the Sisters enter and give her a dirty look.
“No talking” The Sister said curtly, “Now, back to work.”
“Yes, ma’am” Rea said as she put the brush into the bucket of soapy water that they were using to clean the floor, only to spill it.
As she felt the water soaking through her dress around her knees Rea just felt like crying. This was the worst holiday imaginable.
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Ha, love it. But will it stick? My experience with teenagers says "no". How old are the twins now? The threat of future summers like this might well be enough to keep them behaving sometimes.
I'd say it depends a bit on how they are and how they acted. If it was mainly just goofing off and harmless pranks, and they saw it as just some fun, not as rebellion, it might stick better. If it was all pure rebellion it will likely only harden them though.
At least as I read it, it was a large amount of goofing off at the expense of schoolwork. That and pranks that though, not serious, were close enough that they were flirting with expulsion.
They need to be taught about actions and consequences, and how theirs affect others, not partizan training.
They're 14. Compared to their siblings, they are the normal ones (for a certain value of normal).