Section Ten: A Matter of Taste

The triclinia was the formal dining room. The walls were decorated with grand frescoes depicting serene scenes of the countryside one wall had a realistic image of Diana goddess of the hunt chasing a stag through the woods. There were several low tables surrounded on three sides by couches, known as klinai, where diners could recline on pillows as they ate. The fourth side was open allowing the servers easy access to serve each course of the meal. There were accommodations for nine to twenty guests.

None of the slaves expected to be served. As a rule they ate standing or crouched in some out of the way corner. Treize didn't mind if they reclined in the normal fashion and said as much, but he didn't want them to feel uncomfortable either. To accommodate them he had two high tables set up by the window that opened into the back garden and both were practically full to bursting with a wide assortment of food. Zechs handed each of the boys a wooden plate and told them to help themselves while He filled one plate for himself and one for Treize who was already reclining in the place of honor at the head table sipping a glass of wine and watching to see what his servants would do.

Zechs had told him that Heero and Trowa would be wearing transport chains clipped to their collars for the trip to the villa. Treize didn't like the thought of keeping the boys leashed like beasts but he had agreed that seeing to the needs of the gladiators was Zechs responsibility. Now he was surprised that they were not only still chained but that WuFei and Quatre respectively retained possession of the loose ends of the leash just as they had, at Zechs command, before the fight.

Neither boy was being overbearing about it. In fact, it looked as if WuFei had forgotten all together that, the loop of Heero's lead was still tucked beneath his belt. Quatre was a bit more contentious about his charge, touching Trowa's arm to guide him more often than not. When confronted with the tables of food the two house slaves went to take their share first before their charges moved to do so.

Treize had asked cook to set out an assortment of gustatios (appetizers) and as usual the woman had outdone herself. Quatre was drawn immediately to the fruit taking a generous portion of grapes, figs, apples and apricots though he avoided the pomegranates. WuFei chose brown bread spread with hummus made from lentils and chick peas. Next he chose a selection of fruits and nuts along with several thick slices of pork. Both boys ladled themselves a cup of the hearty stewed vegetables in goose broth.

The two house slaves ate slowly, meticulously, carefully consuming as much as they could without making themselves sick. This calculation told Treize that both boys had, at some point in their experience, met with owners that were hap-hazard about feeding their slaves. Treize had been appalled by the practice.

The young noble had never been so ashamed as the time he been when been guest at an associate's wedding feast. He had been halfway through the third course and called for more wine only to realize the slave serving table was practically faint from hunger. The boy's stomach nearly clung to his backbone because of the deprivation. Upon further inspection he found all the man's slaves were in similar condition, so terrified of punishment they did not even dare to steal scraps from the master's table with which to break their fast.

Bridegroom or no, Treize had flown at the man in blind fury at the injustice of the situation…and earned himself yet another enemy among the senatorial ranks. Treize was determined that none of HIS people would ever suffer such want.

Duo, for one, was clearly impressed by the spread cook had provided, "Are you sure this is ALL for us?" he asked for the fourth time.

"I promised I'd feed you didn't I?" Treize smiled at the braided boy.

"Yeah, but I didn't expect ya to cook up the entire contents of a stall in the marketplace…or two!" Violet eyes sparkled as he sampled a little of each delicacy. Many of the things he'd never even seen before. Those he nibbled almost mouse like, till he decided whether he liked it or not. The face he made after eating pickled olives then trying the pomegranate was comical in the extreme. Treize tried hard not to laugh. He was glad to see many of the delicacies appealed to the street boy and, unlike WuFei and Quatre, Duo was not reluctant to take a heartier scoop of those that appealed to him.

"You boys are all too thin. You'll need energy if you are to work for me. And eating gives you that. I won't skimp when it come to feeding my team." The noble reassured them.

WuFei raised an eyebrow at the braided boy's overstuffed plate. "Eat too much and you'll be sick," He cautioned quietly.

"Oh Wuffers, I've eaten myself sick before. Solo used to say I put the gorge in gorgeous." Duo flipped his long chestnut tail over his shoulder and fluttered his long eyelashes coquettishly. "It'll take more than a tummy ache to kill me." The boy joked easily.

WuFei showed his dislike of the nickname, and the youth that dared attach it to him, by turning his back on the braided baka. He had only been trying to be helpful after all. There was no reason for the boy to insult him, or to act like an insufferable onna about it. He sniffed disdainfully.

Heero did understand what Duo was trying to do either. He frowned in confusion and gave the boy an "I can kill you," glare.

But the urchin shrugged it off with a crooked smile. "Hay, there are plenty of worse ways to go then death by overindulgence in…what is this sticky stuff?"

"Quince Marmalade." Quatre volunteered, taking another slice of bread slathered with the sweet preserve for himself. As he regarded the laughing boy he caught a cold gleam in Duo's violet eyes that sent a shiver down his spine. Beneath that clownish mask was a deep sadness and unspeakable pain. The young blond recalled how, in the cell, the braided boy had called himself 'the god of death.' Now, seeing 'that look' in those eyes, Quatre reflected how very little he actually knew about his four companions.

"Nummy." Duo said licking the sweet nectar off his fingers. He had been touched by the foreign boy's concern but it frightened him to. His thoughts slipped too easily into the past. 'Don't care about me!' his mind shrieked, 'don't make me care about you.' And then he was lost, cradling Solo's emaciated body in his lap trying get the elder boy sip some rainwater from a cracked cup. He had to keep—these people—at arms length. He HAD to! He couldn't let himself care for them. He couldn't risk it. Not even Shinigami was strong enough to survive that kind of pain again. 'Yes' Duo thought darkly 'there are plenty of things worse than overeating.'

Heero and Trowa were the last to fill their plates. Each took a piece of fruit and a cup of broth. Then their attention was drawn immediately round flat slices of something dark and vaguely bread-like sitting at the far end of the last table. They each appropriated a thick slice and promptly devoured it.

"Told you so." Zechs smirked as he handed a heavily laded plate to his ginger-haired lord before taking a place on the couch with his own plate, a plate which, Treize noted, also contained one of the dark rounds of Botulus.

Treize sighed. As far as he was concerned Botulus was one of the most disgusting culinary experiments ever conceived. It was blood-sausage and represented one of the staples of every gladiator's diet. Treize had wanted to treat the boys to something special, offer them the best their new situation had to offer. But, his warrior companion insisted he include the savory patties for 'his' gladiators.

Zech's knew from experience that given a choice of surprising verity, gladiators would invariably go with what they know. Many Lanista's made a great show of wining and dining their victorious fighters especially before a major fight. It was called Coena Libera or "the last meal." Warriors stuffed themselves so much that dinner could last for hours. Moreover, they were always advised to chew their food well in order to extract the maximum energy from it...but, more often than not, Gladiators unaccustomed to such largess were violently ill the next day—If they lived that long.

Botalis was a rich and hearty meal. It helped build muscle and keep them strong. Blood was thought to make them ferocious fighters, milk was to ensure obedience to their keepers, Barley was for strength and stamina. Mix it with some stale bread and a bit of mint for flavor then fry it in oil. What more did one require? Zech's smiled and cut himself another slice.

Section Ten Notes:

Food Glorious Food:

What is on the menu? The variety of food stuffs available in Rome is truly extraordinary. Much of it the result of long distance trade throughout the the vast empire. There was pepper, almonds, hazelnuts, stone pine cones, walnuts, coconuts, apricots and peaches besides the more expected figs, raisins and dates. The wine, olive oil and garum (fermented fish sauce) trades were exceptional in leaving stone and pottery amphorae scattered throughout the realm. There is even a mention of trade of quince jam or marmalade from Syria to Rome.

Botulus and Coena Libera Seneca writes: "The gladiators eat and drink what they will give back with their blood" Gladiators were sometimes nicknamed hordearii, which means 'barley eaters." They did eat Botalis but that wasn't the extent of their diet. They were actually treated pretty well and fed a high protein meals at least 3 meals a day. My take is mostly homage to certain pilots' penchant for protein-shakes as I've seen documented in so many fan-fics. It is a well known fact that anyone with a limited diet is likely to get a stomach cramps if they binge. Also like any athlete, Gladiators did not drink wine while training or before a match, only water. They did however snack on goat's milk with honey and walnuts, yum.

Lean your elbow on the couch when you eat. Yes, as described in roman times they ate sitting or leaning on pillows or couches, before low tables not using traditional tables and chairs as we think of them.

Quick Author note: due to some last minute shuffling and rewrite some things I mentioned in responses to reviewers as being in this chapter are actually in the next one, I had to split them so I could work out a hitch in the plot. Fan-fic is fluid after all, Sorry this one is a bit short don't worry though, the next section is well under way and will be up, posthaste.