"Her," he pointed and Lucius followed his gaze. So Pompey had chosen the skittish kitten that had arrived so recently.
"She's frightfully new, Pompey. Would you not enjoy Cornelia or one of the more trained girls?" Lucius attempted to divert the man, old enough to be his father, from the pitiful creature in an odd gesture of compassion. Pompey would not be swayed however and with a nod Lucius assented that she be brought over. Caelia suddenly found herself thrust toward the table, where the massive Pompey himself was staring at her. Eyes widened in fright, she turned in her confusion to leave.
"Come here girl." His voice was brusque and rough, not at all as musical and pleasant as that of the man shrouded in darkness. She obeyed and found herself kneeling beside of the great Pompey. He tugged on one of her curls, watching it spring back into position, tweaked her cheek and brushed her thigh.
"Ah, yes. Lovely. Your duty, little slave, is to feed me. You will sample everything before giving me any. That way, if my dear brother here is trying to kill me, or better yet - that terrible Aemila, you will die first. Do you understand?" Pompey was more than a little amused, and chuckled aloud as horror flashed across the girls features. She nodded, however, and then he resumed his conversation with Lucius.
"I do not know what you do to entertain yourself. How do you keep that mind of yours busy in such a place? You should come to battle with me. We could conquer the world, if you like. And there are lots of lovely strumpets to find in each new place."
Lucius, who was observing the pitiful girl by Pomey's side, could see her tense at his words. If he was not mistaken ( and he was rarely mistaken ) he could see anger etched upon her features. Ah, yes.. Caelia had recently lost her father and mother to such expeditions and it was extremely likely that Pompey had led the invasion.
"Where was your last conquest?" He queried, noticing how the girl struggled not to look at him when she heard his voice. She lifted a roasted snail to her lips and bit off a piece. Her nose curled in distaste and Lucius nearly chuckled at the gesture. The girl was so raw, completely untrained and lacked the quiet grace that all of his servant girls possessed. Perhaps he would have to see to her formal training with the next day.
"Near Turkey," Pompey replied casually. "I don't know if the god-forsaken place even had a name. Heathens, I tell you, the lot of them."
Before the conversation could progress any further, a musical voice offered..
"Cardenia."
Both men turned to look at Caelia, who realized her mistake in speaking and appeared both embarrassed and horrified by her admission. She bowed her head, and murmured apologies.
"What?" Pompey asked, pushing her further. "What did you say?"
"Oh please Master, forgive me. I did not mean to speak.." The girl stuttered, and nearly dropped the snail she was prepared to offer to him.
"I am not your Master, you will address me as Magnus. Perhaps you did not intend to speak but you did, so tell me what it is that you said." He insisted, as he grasped her tiny wrist in his fingers and brought her hand to his lips. He captured the food in his mouth and released her hand, but not before his tongue flickered against the tip of her finger.
Caelia recoiled as though burned and buried her hands betwixt her thighs. Meekly she replied,
"The name of the place, Magnus, was Cardenia. One of them at least."
Lucius watched as Pompey shifted to face the girl a bit more fully, his head canted to the side in a gesture that reflected curiousity.
"How would you know this?"
Without warning anger flashed in the depths of the pretty brown eyes, and Caelia lifted her head to declare.
"I was there when your men butchered my parents and my older brother. Myself and my younger sister were all that survived of our family, and we were... well, I suppose you can imagine the rest for here I am."
The words were sharp and heated, reflecting all of the animosity Caelia must have felt for Pompey since the moment he had arrived. The other servants in the room sucked in their breath at her words. Surely her punishment would be death for speaking in such a manner to Master Lucius' guest!
Silence reigned at the table for a long moment and finally Pompey burst into laughter. Riotous laughter that caused him to lay back in the cushions and hold his hands to his stomach. Caelia glanced at him with uncertainty and then broke the second rule. She looked to her Master for guidance, unintentionally raising her gaze to his. His eyes were all that she could see within the hood of the cloak, but they glowed at her with an amber hue that seemed unearthly. Her breath caught in her throat and she could not force herself to look away. How long she stared at him she could not say, but Pompey had his fill of laughter at her audacity and sat up - staring between the two and their locked gazes. He had never seen Lucius as much as acknowledge a girl such as this, and he was amazed at the intent stare between the two.
"Is this a game? I am sure I can beat you both," he jested to break the moment and the tension in the air. The slave cleared her throat softly and lowered her voice, but Lucius simply continued to stare at her.
Two rules in his household, only two, and yet the creature before him could not seem to adhere to the second. Her cheek was still lightly bruised from his blow to her upon her first night, and he wondered what it would take to force submission to this from her. More than that, however, he wondered if it was a trait he really wanted her to lose. None of his servants ever made eye contact with him. It was true that he scarcely came in contact with any of them, but when he did the strictly enforced rules ensured that they did not see his face. Only with Pompey, Julia, and a few others was he comfortable without his hood. Her curious stare had awakened in him the need to feel normal. The desire to be, just as every other man, simply human.
Lucius was drawn from his reverie by Pompey's voice. He had, apparently, missed some measure of conversation between the girl and his brother-in-law.
"Do you hear that, brother? She sings! Let us hear a song then. Go on now, don't be frightened."
Caelia hesitated at first but a slight nod from the figure beneath the hood coaxed her to obey, and she repeated the simply melody she had sang upon the auction block. Pompey seemed pleased enough with it, and Caelia found it impossible to read the response of her Master. He simply sat, completely unmoving, until she was finished.
"Wonderful. Pretty voice you have," Pompey complimented her freely, the wine in his hand and belly loosening his tongue. Caelia smiled demurely and lowered her gaze. Lucius' sharp voice quickly intoned, though.
"A rough voice. Untrained, raw. Too high in most places and entirely off-key."
Caelia was shocked by his assessment of her. Within a matter of months she had gone from a free woman to a slave, and while fear generally ruled her life now it was difficult to control the anger and frustration she felt at her situation and this man. How dare he say such things about her? Father had taught her to sing when she was but a babe and she had done so faithfully by his side ever since. No one had ever been so critical or condescending to her. She lifted her chin a bit in defiance and pursed her lips, but did not reply.
Again he could sense the anger bubbling beneath the surface, and he longed to provoke it. Lucius continued.
"A rather dull selection, too..."
Pompey shifted a bit upon the cushions. "Oh come, Lucius. Give the girl a break. She's shaking like a leaf and I think she sounded rather pretty. What has you up-in-arms tonight?"
Lucius didn't seem to hear him, and the girl seemed to pay him no heed as she again lifted her gaze to stare into the hood.
"Your voice is dull as well, I should say.." In reality, Lucius had thought her voice marvelous and beautiful. It had a crystal clear quality that appealed to him and he knew that with proper training she could sing like an angel. For now, however, he longed to see her anger manifest.
Pompey could not understand what had gotten into Lucius. He was usually so even-tempered and said little to anyone, even him. He had never seen him bait a person such as this, but it was his servant and his home and he decided to focus more upon the morsels of food the girl was reluctantly tasting and offering, than the tension building between Master and slave.
When she had finally had enough of his harsh words, Caelia retaliated.
"And what would a recluse who never comes out of his bedchambers know about music, Master?"
Before Pompey could say a word, Lucius retorted.
"Much more than the daughter of a pitiful bard who could scarcely make enough money to feed his family, I dare say."
"How dare you speak of my father, you beast! You did not know him. You do not know anything. All you know is opulence and peace. You've no idea what it's like to live as a real person in the real world. Look at this place," she cried, exasperated. Her hands lifted to gesture about them.
"A haven of silk and mosaics and everything beautiful, but you lock yourself away and do not even enjoy it. What can you know of life, Master, besides..." looking about her quickly for an example, she picked up one of the cooked snails and waved it about for emphasis.
"Slimy creatures for a feast!"
Pompey did not know whether to laugh in the face of her accusations, or worry for her fate. No one had ever, in his presence, spoken to Lucius so.
Tense silence reigned for a full moment, and then Lucius responded with a gesture that shocked Pompey. He leaned forward against the table and lifted his hands to brush the hood from his face. Surprise registered upon Caelias own as she stared openly at him, taking in both his handsome features and the odd mask that covered him.
She felt deflated, her anger spent, and she had no witty words with which to reply.
"I suggest, slave, you think upon your words before you speak. You have no idea what you are saying, implying, or daring. I think my guest is finished with your services. If you value your life, you will take that slimy creature and be out of that door within a breath." Lucius sounded calm, belying the fact that he had in fact been in control the entire time. He had longed to see her spirit rise to the surface, replacing some of the trembling and fear that she exuded. He had succeeded, but not before she pierced him with her words. He had never revealed himself like that to a servant, but he wanted her to read his expression as he rejected her presence. He wanted to frighten her. Lucius Julius was not quite sure what he wanted.
Caelia only stared for a moment, unable to tear her eyes away. He was so...handsome. And yet devilish and terrifying. Finally she stood and ran from the room, disappearing into the hall.
Pompey coughed.
"Well, brother.. Was that the entertainment you had promised?"