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Toby was so smart! He always knew how to fix the really hard problems. Waiting for him to come back, she sat on the kitchen floor on her knees. "You're so smarts." Taking a jar of bright purple finger paint, she took the other towel and started painting flower designs with her fingers. Very careful not to get anything on her clothes though. Two towels down it was all a matter of visiting each bathroom and doing the same. Soon they had two rows of towels sitting on the kitchen floor, drying or waiting to be put up. "They look pretty." Grabbing some paper towels she removed the mess on her hands and then handed her brother one to do the same. "Is there more to do?"

Caprice sniffed at the towels and gave another whine at the children. This wasn't going well.

She nodded and walked over to follow suit, taking the bowl that caprice used and followed her brother. Now daddy's study wasn't a palce they were really supposed to be, but at the same time it made sense to put the food there. Mama didn't want the food to be gotten to and the doggies weren't really allowed in there either. She giggled though as Mercury messed up her brother's plans as she decided to set the bowl on a low shelf that she only reached by getting up on a chair. "Hand me the other." Waiting as he came back in and handed his bowl up too. Both bowls up high above where the doggies could get, she put the chair away so that the doggies didn't get the same bright idea. "What about the bag?" Wandering back with her brother, both dragging the bag pack into the pantry and shutting the door. Doggies couldn't use doorknobs, otherwise they'd take themselves out. "One more left! What is it?"

Caprice gave a light bark and whine as she sat there, watching at the food was put up out of her reach and her companion's at that. Following the children back up she stopped at Mercury who was eating what the children left behind. She was too worried to eat.

Still too worried to eat she merely gave him another wine, ears falling back in further show of her unhappiness. She would of gotten her master sooner, but she just couldn't leave the children...it's what she did. She never left them alone when their parents weren't there to watch them. She'd done it since they were infants and laid in the middle of their floor at night. Licking her muzzle with her own worry she watched the other trot off and she turned her attention back to the children. That's not what you did with that!

She blinked at the doggies, maybe they needed to go out? That thought was thrown by the wayside though as she was pulled away and then they engaged in a game of catch with the green leafy ball. Felicity gave a giggle as he tossed it to her and she tossed it back. They were very good at this salad tossing business.

Xearus frowned in his sleep and raised a hand to pet/shoo at the dog that was licking at him. Though the licking only moved to his fave which caused him to swat even more as his peaceful slumber was being broken. Barking did the trick finally and he jolted away as if he realized that he had been sleeping and was trying not to get caught. A yawn and look to Mercury. "What's the matter with you? Have to go out?" Patting at the golden retreiver's fur before an odd sound. Giggling and...what was that noise? Getting up he made his way over to the area...only to see his children tossing lettuce back and forth...What? They never did things like this. Gray eyes went to Caprice as she barked in her joy of seeing him, making Lici miss the lettuce the next time it was throw at her and it lazily rolled over near Xearus. Picking it up he looked at them both. "What are you two doing with this? It's not a toy."

He paled slightly at the sight of towels that were laid out on the floor, each with some form of artwork in some childish medium upon them. Privately he loved it...hated those towels. However the responsible adult in him told him that his wife was going to kill him. Things on the counter has his eyes glance to the counter and then to the list on the fridge...oh God's Blood...he didn't even want to imagine what they took wash as...though as he heard the washer running, he had a good idea. Yes, she was really going to kill him. "And where did you put the doggie food?"

She took his other hand and pulled him into his study and pointed at the shelf. "Now the doggies can't reach it, just like mama wanted." Beaming the same as her brother, but daddy didn't seem so forthcoming with the praise she knew they should be getting, like when they cleaned their room and made their bed. Better urge him some, "We did a good job." And then she was being scooped up and still no fawning. Cue frown.

Scooping up one twin then picking up the other he sighed. Oh he was dead meat. Moving to the living room, he sat on the couch and set one twin on each knee...he honestly couldn't be mad at them really...they were trying to help and had just misunderstood. They hadn't been destroying things and running amok just because they could. "Were you two trying to help with the chores that mom left?"

She realized it too and reached across to her brother, seeking his hand in comfort and giving a pout, little fangs worrying her bottom lip for a moment. They were in trouble? But they were only helping. "We only dids what it saids..." How could they be in trouble for that.

He couldn't help but smile and he pat each on the back in reassuring manner. "No, you're not in trouble. You weren't trying to cause trouble...you were just trying to help. But you helped without making sure what to do first...and that's where there's a problem. Some words have two meanings and sometimes you can't tell what they mean when they're written down until you're older to understand all the meanings. Like the towels...when mom says change, she means to put those in the dirty clothes hamper and put new ones in place from under the sink." He was still scared to go open the washer. A look over at the clock, taking inventory of the time...maybe he could clean everything up before she got home and before he had to go to work. "Next time there's chores to do...you should ask how they need to be done. Alright?"

She nodded, glad they weren't in trouble and thus an arm out for the hug gesture. "We only wanted to help." Apparently there was this whole word difference thing that they were too little to understand. She couldn't wait till she was older.

"Well, I very much appreciate how you wanted to help. But yes Toby, when people say something has been read, it doesn't mean it's been colored red." Giving them both hugs he sighed and gave a nod to them. "Yes you can help now." Setting them to the floor, he motioned for them to follow first to his study and handed down each a bowl. "First, put these back. Mom meant for me to bring in the new bag of food from the garage and put it up. Up as in the place it belongs, not up as in a high place." He figured he'd better explain it as he went, ushering children along back to the kitchen and picking up the head of lettuce on the way, taking it to the sink. "When she says wash the vegetables on the counter. She means this." Washing said lettuce seeing as it had been tossed around and on the floor and the like, putting it on the counter to dry on a paper towel. "Tossing salad means that you make a salad from the vegetables." Pointing to the art project of sorts on the floor. "Now why don't you pick up those towels and we'll change them the right way?" And wash those....if the washer was still viable.

She listened intently, learning this lesson that daddy was teaching and getting what he was saying. Apparently there were two things to do everything and you had to make sure that you did the right one. She had seen mama do all those things that daddy was doing, but she had thought the other ways. At least they weren't in trouble. Crouching down, she gathered up half of the chalky and paint dried towels, letting her brother grab the other half and daddy was once again ushering them to the wash room. He stopped hte washer and took a look inside...and duly ushered them out. "But they gotta be clean!"

"We're going to let them soak in the tub while we change the towels okay?" Duly filling the tub with water and letting the twins dump them in before pulling out two stacks of fresh meaningless guest towels, handing some to each. "Here, go put these in place where you got those on the towel racks okay?"

She helped her brother put new towels away before it was back to their father and she took hold of her brother's hand in old mannerisms, just holding it as they stood there and watched daddy.

"She should be home...soon." Sam may have shift changes, but she was always home for dinner...frankly she had to be otherwise he would be carting to fussy children to the university with him and that wouldn't blow over well with his wife or the administration. Not to mention the distractions his students would probably suffer. "Why don't you two go set the table and then play till she gets home?" Thusly sending them off and he was off to....do something or other about getting the more or less pulpy gunky mess of soap and what used to be vegetables out of the washer.

And that was that...they were left to theirselves. But on to table setting and then she pulled him into the living room, plopping to sit with the doggies who seemed happy once more as they laid curled up togther. "I think we did a good job. And I liked the rocketships better too."

"Mama!" They were always excited when she came home and thus whatever they were doing before was forgotten as they got up and ran to the door, waiting anything but patient like for their mother to come in where she was attacked with babble then. "They had doggies too but they were spotty and get to eat at the dinner table! And Toby was the leader!" Following her like a puppy as she shook them off lightly and took to putting food on the table. A sniff at the table and she grinned. "You brought home daddy's noodles!" The concept of takeout was something she still wasn't keen on. Daddy mostly made food that smelled like that anyway.

More important things were to be had though as Sam came down to child level and she flounced over to be caught in her mother's arm and have a kiss pressed to her cheek. Oh it was take turn times now. "We learned that words mean two things! You gotta know which one to do though. But we still helped!" A point then to down the hall where the dogs were sitting and watching the going ons in the washroom. "Cleanin' the wash'cine. Did you know you can't wash some stuffs in it? It needs a new name." Or so in her opinion it did.

He was still scraping out soapy vegetable junk from a washer that was a quarter filled with warm water as he was trying to help lift the stuff with said water. Meanwhile he was more or less head first inside the thing to scoop such things out....just remember you love your kids and they were trying to help you. Your fault for falling asleep anyway, you know better. Xearus hadn't even. Long ago he had abandoned his shirt and his jeans were half wet as well by now. Straightening for a moment to stretch his back some he peered into the cloudy water, trying to see more. "This thing better be okay...I do not want to go washer shopping." Frowning then as water trailed down his face and then neck....oh great, his hair had gotten wet with that nasty water...forgot to pull it back. "I appreciate my kids trying to help...just keep remembering that." A look to the dogs. "Would you stop staring? Go."

Which sent them off and they seemed to notice Sam for the first time, greeting with wagging tails and licks and nuzzles...before the table became more interesting because the smell of food waffed around but they knew better than to try and steal any.