Tony, as it turned out, was a giant of a man, working in one of the beet fields. Though he was bent over to weed the ground, he was nearly as tall as Takuya standing. Takuya could tell that this was an old farm hand from the way he moved. He seemed to move very little, as if to conserve energy for the rest of the day, and worked at a steady pace, not too quickly so that he would tire, or so slow that the master of the farm would accuse him of not pulling his weight.
Takuya thanked the worker for pointing out Tony, then approached slowly, and stood in his line of sight.
"Um, sir?"
Tony finished his section, before looking up. "Aye lad?"
Takuya shuffled nervously, thinking of the tales his grandfather had told him of giants from the mountains that ate single travellers. "Mister Farrow sent me. Said my job was to watch over the other boys, and that I should report to you for orders." He shivered visibly as Tony stood, and seemed to loom over him.
Tony folded his arms. "Now, lad, I'm not as bad as all that. The Goddess made me tall, but made me kind and fair, just as she made you small and wiry. That's why I got this job. I may look fierce, but I'm nice enough."
Takuya nodded nervously.
"So," Tony continued, "If you're to work with those boys, I guess you better know that they don't speak, or at least, no so as we can hear them." He shrugged. "We call them 'The Twins'. Goddess knows if they're related or not, but they look similar enough. That's about the only word they seem to understand. They're quick enough to pick up something if you show them, but you can't tell them anything, they just don't understand."
Takuya nodded thoughtfully. "So I have to keep an eye out in case they start to do things wrong?"
"Yup. And just keep an eye on them out of work too. They seem to forget how the week goes, but they understand where their bunk is, and what to do at meals. You'll be looking after them then too." He turned Takuya back towards the farm. "They're up in the trees picking apples today. Only ripe ones, mind. Last time they was checked, they were just picking up all the apples they could find. At midday, go into the yard, and there'll be a table set up with some food for the workers at the farm, rest o'us all took our midday with us. I'll come get you at the end of the work day, and find you a place to sleep, and explain the rest."
Takuya smiled. "Okay, sir. I think I understand."
Tony smiled back. "And don't let those boys start to confuse you… um… What's your name, lad?"
"Takuya."
"Takuya, right. So go be busy, else old man Farrow won't feed you tonight." He winked at Takuya.
Takuya grinned at him. "Yes sir!" He started back to the farm.
Tony watched him go for a while, then shook his head and bent back to his weeding. "That boy will soon learn that those twins are nothing to be happy about. Trouble the both of them"
**************
The apple orchard was still when Takuya drew close. Leaves swayed gently in the breeze, but no sound other than that of nature could be heard, and no boys could be seen.
"Uh, hello?" called Takuya. Do they even know 'hello'? he wondered. "Twins?"
Distantly he heard a giggle.
"I heard that!" he called back, moving towards the sound. "You should be working, not playing hide-and-go-seek."
Another giggle sounded, this time from behind.
Takuya advanced on the tree, then darted round it quickly to catch them. "Ah…. Ha?" No one. He sighed and leant against the tree. I see now what they meant by 'complicated'.
Suddenly the ground disappeared from under his feet as two strong arms grabbed him and lifted him up into the branches of the tree. Takuya found himself resting on a branch with his arms held by the strangest of people.
As he looked left and then right, two near-identical faces greeted him, both with piercing blue eyes, one smiling, the clear source of the giggles, the other looking serious, and slightly blank. The twins were identically clad in green tunics, with earth-coloured britches, and simple scarves tied round their heads, covering their ears, to secure their hair.
Takuya looked down at the ground nervously, then back at them. "Twins?"
The smiling one nodded, and pointed at one of the apples, then at the basket at the foot of the tree.
So they remember what they're supposed to be doing after all, they just wanted to play a game. Takuya shuffled more securely onto the branch. "That's right," he said encouragingly, smiling in an exaggerated fashion.
The other one scowled more deeply, and as he tilted his head, Takuya saw a black ponytail hanging down his back, where as his twin had much shorter hair, though still the same pitch black colour. Takuya pointed at himself. "Takuya."
The shorthaired, smiling one pointed at him too. "Takuya." He then pointed at himself. "Kouichi," then at his 'brother' "Kouji."
The other just kept scowling, and folded his arms, seemingly unworried about the drop beneath him.
Kouichi shrugged at this, then went back to apple picking. "Apple." He dropped it into the basket. "Basket. More." He turned to Takuya for vindication.
Takuya nodded. "Right. Apples in the basket." He looked down again. "Uh, I'll work on the lower branches." He lowered himself carefully off the branch, and started plucking apples.
Kouji turned to his brother, and spoke softly, so softly that Takuya wouldn't have heard, even if he'd been next to them. "Do you want him to realise that our idiocy is an act?"
Kouichi shrugged, and started to climb the tree soundlessly. "We need to learn their speech somehow," he replied, just as quietly.
//Idiot,// sent Kouji after him.
//No fun,// Kouichi sent back.
*****************
There's something strange about those two, thought Takuya an hour or so, and several trees later. I know they're up there, but I never hear them move. A thud signalled another apple joining the rapidly filling basket. They must be foreigners, they don't understand Common, that's all. They certainly aren't stupid.
Kouji swung out of the tree to land silently besides him, and tossed a few apples into the basket, then glared at Takuya. Kouichi, who looked at Takuya as though expecting something, quickly joined him.
"What?" Takuya pulled a few more apples off the branches and threw them in the basket.
Kouichi pointed at the sky.
What can he mean, wondered Takuya, looking up. Does he mean rain is coming? No, the sky is clear. Did he see a bird?
Kouji rolled his eyes.
"Midday." Kouichi avoided Kouji's gaze.
Takuya slapped his forehead. "Right. Food. I forgot." He took Kouichi's hand, and reached out for Kouji's, but the boy jerked his back, glaring.
"Okay, okay, just follow, okay?" sighed Takuya, leading them back to the farmhouse. "It's not that bad, Kouji, honest… I hope. I haven't eaten properly in a while, and certainly never here."
Kouichi looked at him concernedly.
Takuya heard a whispering sound behind him, and turned to look behind, only to be glared at again by Kouji.
"Sorry, thought I'd heard something," said Takuya turning back.
Turning into the yard, he saw a long trestle table set up with bread and fruit, with jugs of ale set out. Several people were milling around, but every head turned to the newcomers.
Takuya laughed nervously and waved. "Hi. Uh, I'm here to help you with the harvest."
Kouji and Kouichi moved forwards to the food, keeping their heads down.
"Aww look," crowed one of the workers, "He's got to take care of the little darlings."
Kouichi blushed wildly, and Kouji moved to brush his arm lightly.
Takuya watched them. "They're not that bad."
That comment seemed to amuse all the men greatly.
The twins moved away, clutching some food like they were afraid someone would take it from them. Takuya watched them go to sit under the shade of the barn, where they tried to not to draw attention.
Wonder if all the friendliness they gave me back home was because I was the farmer's son? Takuya wondered, gathering his own share, and picking up a pitcher of ale. But I think I prefer the twins company, even though they don't talk. He walked over to them and sat down.
They both looked shocked, and Takuya felt he was intruding into something. He decided to bluff it out.
"Hey, you forgot this." He held up the pitcher, then put it between them. They kept looking at him.
"You know, you guys are pretty quiet when you want to be. Don't speak, or laugh, or make noises when you're in the trees… how do you do that?"
Kouichi looked down and started tearing pieces off his lump of bread.
Takuya sighed, and started to eat, enjoying the fact that he was able to eat a full meal for once. Guess they're just quiet people. But not simple. Wonder why Kouji glares at me so? He looked up, to find Kouji staring at the sky, eating an apple. Maybe he doesn't like how everyone treats him, but that would mean he understands more than he's revealing. I've never even heard his voice, though I guess it must be similar to Kouichi's…He looked over at Kouichi. They must be twins, they just look so similar. If it wasn't for the hair and the fact Kouji never smiles, there'd be no difference. He took his share of the ale, then laid back and looked at the sky himself, again hearing the whisper of air.