This might seem like it ends in an odd place but what happens next is rather long so this would have been eight pages or so if I hadn't clipped it. I'll update the rest of the dinner later!
-M
"Who is that there?" He demanded, sitting upright. The laughter around him died away as all eyes turned to the pillar. Hesitantly a head of dark curls peaked about the width of the massive column and Caelia muttered so quietly that even the closest man could not hear her.
"Aemila requests that..."
"Well, speak up then!" She was interrupted as the man who had initially addressed her stood and walked a bit closer. Caelia could not help but stare at the outline of his torso and the way the muscles in his thighs flexed with each step. Realizing her mistake she flushed deeply and dropped her gaze to the grass betwixt her toes.
"Aemila requests the aide of two men in the kitchens," she finally managed, just loud enough to be understood. By now the handsome man was standing before her, and he tapped her chin lightly to force her face more upwards. A stolen glance revealed a smug expression on his face, as though he had understood her abhorrent fascination with his body.
"You're new, aren't you?" He queried, lifting his fingers to brush along the curve of her shoulder lightly. Caelia trembled noticeably, which earned a roar of laughter and jeering from the other men. This was all quite confusing to Caelia as she really did not see the joke, but she simply nodded in response to the man before her.
"Do not mind them. Tell me your name." He insisted, repeating the path he was tracing from the curve of her shoulder to her elbow with his fingertips. Fear coiled within Caelia so tightly that she could scarcely breathe.
"C-caelia" she stuttered, looking up into the impossibly blue eyes before her.
"I am Marcus," he replied and Caelia attempted to smile in response. "Aemila sent for two of us, did she?"
A nod was the only affirmation he received. He laughed aloud at her skittishness. It had been quite some time since a girl so wary had arrived, and a little fun at her expense could not hurt anyone.
"Then you must choose, my lady.." he replied, mocking her station with her words. Her eyes widened as she glanced over at the huddle of men, obviously amused by this as well.
"I.. really, Marucs.. " she breathed, catching him off-guard. Her voice was so sweet and melodious that he was instantly enthralled with the way his name sounded upon her lips.
"Line up," he ordered those behind him casually and they snickered as they did so. Marcus stepped back to join in the ranks and swept a hand toward has if bidding her to make her selections.
Caelia felt humiliated and as though this was certainly a trap that she was stepping blindly into. The tip of her tongue traced her lips in a nervous gesture, before pearly white teeth captured the bottom and nibbled on it. Her brows furrowed in concentration, and several of the men groaned aloud - though Caelia was not sure why. Her eyes skimmed each face, she forced herself to avoid the scantily clad bodies before her and instead focused on their eyes. The men varied in age from what seemed to be older teens to nearly thirty. Some seemed hard and cruel, while others seemed full of mirth.
To end her own misery, Caelia quickly selected two. The first was Marcus, and the second was a younger man with kind eyes and a nice smile. He introduced himself as Junius, and Caelia quickly darted off in the direction of the kitchens with the two behind her. She could hear the men hooting and laughing behind her, as though some important competition had been lost or won in that moment. Before she realized it the two men she had selected were flanking her sides and strode in silence toward the welcome company of another woman, Aemila. Just as they entered the massive kitchens, however, Marcus turned to wink at her and Caelia again flushed. The entire household seemed taut with sexual tension and in her naivety it frightened Caelia tremendously. She had always heard that the Romans were lewd and decadent, thinking only of physical pleasure at all hours - but she had never expected to have to deal with it in such a personal manner. With a slight inclination of her head, she did not after all wish to anger anyone, she demurely exited the room - leaving the two helpless men with the flustered Aemila. As she trotted away Caelia could already hear the old woman giving the two a tongue lashing for having taken so long to arrive. Caelia heaved a sigh. It would be a long day, indeed.
Gnaeus Pomeius Magnus arrived in all of the splendor such a decorated soldier deserved. Slaves trembled and quaked in his presence, and as soon as he crossed the threshold of the porticullis the entire household was set to bend to his whim. He allowed his sandals to be taken near the door and his feet washed, even as another lovely woman offered a basin of cool water which he splashed upon his face and washed his hands within. A soft towel was provided by yet another beauty, with which he wiped his face.
The best part of visiting Lucius Julius Caesar was undoubtedly the scenery.
"Thank you, girls.." the older man grinned, to which they all demurely giggled and flashed him brilliant smiles. He dismissed them with a flick of his hand and lifted his gaze toward the man approaching him.
"Ah, Aelus. You look well, as ever. Where is our hidden dragon at tonight, mm?" Pompey called in jest, clapping the servant on the shoulders. Aelus laughed, though it was not entirely at ease, and led the war giant into their home.
"The dining hall is prepared, and Master Julius says he will join you very shortly. Until then he has provided some entertainment." Pompey only grinned in response and followed the servant into the decadent room.
An enormous table was set with lavish foodstuffs, and copious amounts of wine. The lighting was terribly low, but he had come to expect such from his reclusive kin. He settled upon the comfortable cushions and reclined back upon his left elbow. A bubbly girl with blonde hair and an ample bosom knelt to offer him a platter filled with cheese, dates, figs, small pieces of breads and chopped vegetables. Instead of taking what he would like he allowed her to linger there holding the platter as he picked individual pieces from it.
"Cornelia," he murmured pleasantly. "You look well."
The slave blushed and did not respond. Instead their attention was diverted to the end of the hall where several girls arrayed in every color of silk shuffled in. Behind them a few of the male servants began to rap upon drums or pluck at the lyre to create a heady beat. The girls began to dance, and Pompey was so enthralled with their sensuous movements that he did not notice the rustle beside of him as another joined him at the table.
"What would my dear sister think if she could only see your mouth hanging open so. Why, the great Pompey is reduced to drooling!" Lucius teased, even as he reached for his own goblet of wine.
"Must you insist on sneaking up on an old man, brother? Really, you will cause my heart to fail and then where would Julia be?"
The two men laughed, instantly put at ease in the other's presence.
"And besides.. You cannot provide the temptation and then ask a man not to stare. For the sake of the gods, Lucius, I am still a red-blooded man.." Pompey finally motioned for the young girl at his side to leave him, much to the relief of Lucius who did not like to have others so close.
"Ah, but that is not what the public would have one believe. You are apparently a hen-pecked, if not effeminate man who cannot control his emotions over a simple girl." Lucius countered, mirth in his gaze as he sparred verbally with his closest friend.
"Oh, that is where you are wrong, my friend. Julia is not a simple girl. She is the goddess made flesh, I maintain! And the masses can stuff it. I am fascinated by a woman and I am not ashamed to admit it," Pompey replied a bit defensively.
"At any rate, when will you give in and marry you prude? You've had more than one offer, and really this place needs a womans' touch." Effortlessly changing the subject, Pompey again turned to gaze at the dancing girls.
"Never, brother. I would never marry for less than what you have obtained with my precious sister, and we both know that will never be." At that Lucius finally brushed the hood away so that his face could be seen. Pompey was struck again with the great tragedy of it. Gaius Julius Caesar had been a charming and handsome man, able to draw any lady into his bed easily. Through his affair with Servilius he had inadvertently sired what would have been an exact copy of his physical stature. It was not until after Caesar had learned of his Mistress's failed attempt at an abortion and the boys ominous birth that any could realize the damage done. Half of his face was beautiful, with sharp angular features that were so similar to those of his father. The other half was hideously scarred and continually kept hidden beneath a mask. Tonight that mask was white and matched the draping clothing he wore. Pompey sighed.
"Stop pitying yourself and find the one who would," he replied. He did not have to finish the sentence, the two had argued too many times over whether there was a single woman alive who could love him despite his deformities. They had reached an impasse, neither prepared to relent to the other.
"Surely you came for some other reason than to chide my bachelorhood, Pompey. What brings you all the way to my humble villa?"
"Let us put off talk of business until after we've enjoyed this fine meal, shall we?" Pompey deflected the question with ease, and Lucius relented. With his hood replaced, Lucius permitted a swarm of servants to enter - bringing enough food for twenty men. Their plates were heavy with the best delicacies Rome could offer, and Lucius waited for the inevitable. A character quirk that the two had laughed about more than once would certainly follow. Pompey lifted his gaze through the scurrying servants in attempt to choose one. There, nervously helping the dancing women and musicians remove their wares from the room, was a brunette girl with long curls.
