Chapter: 11 Dinner Party

First Course

Noin was noticeably absent. She tended to avoid contact with nobles wherever possible and honestly, Treize couldn't say he blamed her. There were six of them who had come under the guise of escorting Lady Catalonia: Gwinter Septiem, Nichol Bundt, Leonis Muller, Victor Gaintz,Nicol Mieser, and Lon Sernan. Meiser and Surnan weren't so bad, but the others were younger sons of the most predatory families in the senate. With suitors such as these, he could almost forgive his cousin for her diversions among the arena bound…so long as she kept her claws off Heero, Trowa and Zechs of course. Treize hadn't been kidding when he warned her of his…protective nature.

The shadow of the sundial had barely crept to the next mark and already it was clear these so called 'suitors' saw Dorothy, not as the intelligent, vivacious, forthright, …and admittedly annoying individual she was, but as a trophy; a means by which they could obtain the power and prestige that went along with the Catalonia name. Not to mention the fortune Dorothy inherited upon her father's death. They saw her as the means by which they could gain notice of the Fellows of Rome…possibly acquiring senate seats for themselves and their friends.

Treize could already see why his cousin had been willing to do just about anything for a few hours of peace from the nattering crowd. Even so, He would not soon forgive his cousin for subjecting them on him and his household. She was well aware how he cherished his solitude; else he would not have taunted him with it. There was no denying she knew exactly what she was doing leading these curs to his threshold. Now he was honor bound to show them hospitality. The mere thought set his teeth on edge. But he would not, could not, let her win.

The ginger haired man massaged the bridge of his nose, collecting his thoughts and reasserted his hold on his already frayed temper, before bracing himself to return to the fray.

"Gentlemen…Lady, if you will follow me to the exedra (formal dining room) I have been informed Cena will be served shortly. Please excuse my meager offerings as we have had little time to prepare. Still my slaves have informed me there will be entertainment with the meal. I must admit I am eager to see what they have come up with on such short notice; if you will find your places, please." He motioned to the low tables.

As much as he hated guests Mariemaia was practically shining with the prospect of playing hostess. Treize could see it in her clear blue eyes. As lady of the house it was her place by right, though she didn't mind sharing the duty with Dorothy on this occasion. Despite Dorothy's many irritating habits, she was closest thing Marie had to a doting aunt. In view of the festivities she had taken Mariemaia in hand, coaxing her short hair into curls with the help of a hot iron.

Many women in court had to resort to using expensive dyes to achieve the red-gold color that came naturally to the Kushrenada line and there had been no need to dust the girl's already porcelain features with chalk powder either. But Dorothy had shown her how to accent her eyelids with saffron and outlined them with charcoal giving her a more sophisticated look; though he suspected it had not been Dorothy's influence that had led his daughter to choose the subtle fragrance of roses with which to accent her formal attire.

Treize well aware Marie was far more mature than one would expect of someone her age. Her grandfather Dekim had been meticulous about having her schooled in what was considered the 'womanly virtues'. Still seeing her decked out in the full compliment of female finery caused a crease to form between Treize's forked brows. His little girl was growing up. He could not hold back the tired sigh as he contemplated the fact that--in less time than he anticipated--hordes of equally uncouth suitors would be descending on the manor in increasing frequency seeking his daughter's favor as they did Dorothy's. He stifled a mild groan at the thought.

Mariemaia moved with poise and grace her steps still lacked some small measure of confidence. She was distracted taking care not to tread on the purple hem of her toga praetexta. Dorothy in contrast wore her own formal wrap like a second skin and practically danced as she moved. The plethora of bracelets jangled at her wrists as she held the heavy clay washbasin for each of the guests. Marie moved with her bringing the lighter pitcher and pouring water over the men's hands in preparation for the meal.

By tradition the couch to the farthest left was always reserved for the master of the house and, as he had no wife, Mariemaia usually sat on the cushion by his side. But when the ablutions were finished and the bowl returned to its stand Marie guided her aunt, as an honored female guest, to sit in her place. Treize knew this was what the Barton's has taught was expected of a dutiful daughter. But he still regretted the fact.

His daughter smiled sweetly and bowed to host assembled. "To start the gustatio (appetizer course) we have honey-wine with a salad of cabbage, kale, Egyptian lentils and peas. Also we have pickled artichokes, cucumbers, mushrooms and leeks." She announced before moving one place to the right to sit on the floor beside Zechs' couch.

Following this announcement, Duo and Quatre entered both dressed Parthian style in willowy blue and violet silks. Their movements were slow, exaggerated, accompanied by the tiny tinkling bells on Quatre's anklet. Duo brought the trays to the table while the Quatre skillfully mixed wine, water, honey and spices in the amphora before tasting it and filling the goblets.

Treize thought the blonde boy's cheeks looked a bit more flushed than usual and hoped it was not due to the presence of his former mistress. Granted He was fully aware his cousin was enough to unnerve anyone and Quatre in particular had reason to be sensitive. But in closer investigation that didn't seem to be the case since the boy's forearms and neck showed the same rosy tint--As if someone had mistaken him for a golden lamp and attempted to burnish him till he shown. An amusing image, still it begged the question-- "What have they been up to?" he leaned over and asked Zechs that very thing.

"Oh you'll have to wait and see," the blonde smiled, "but these two won't be dancing." His aide whispered conspiratorially. Sure enough the two slaves withdrew to a nest of pillows in an out of the way corner. Quatre brought out his lyre and the Duo accompanied him with a drum.

"They don't know how?" Treize surmised quietly.

Zechs thin lips turned up in amusement. "On the country, I expect your cousin would not have been so enamored of our Quatre were his skills not in top form and after watching our ball of energy prancing about the garden I'd say Duo is easily in a class of his own. Haven't you noticed there is something hypnotic about that braid? The way he moves only brings attention to it." Zechs shook his head subtly as if to banish the vision from his ice-blue eyes before continuing.

"From what I chanced to overhear, they were both quite eager to show us what they can do. Heero objected though, rather forcefully I might add. Our taciturn warrior doesn't think much of our 'guests' restraint and the other two backed him up. I feared there would be friction between the slaves and at first Quatre and Duo were hurt at being consigned to an unobtrusive corner for much of the evening, but then they seemed to realize their fellows were genuinely worried about them and just trying to keep them safe the best way they knew how."

Treize refrained from ribbing his friend about his penchant for listening at doors by virtue of the information he had garnered. And, of course, Treize knew that if he hadn't been a prisoner to the dictates of hospitality he would have been trying to catch a glimpse of the preparations himself. Treize hadn't thought much of his guests before and Now that Zechs had brought up the topic, it was easy to note the wickedly possessive gleam in Bundt's dark eyes as Duo arranged himself on the pillows. And the smile Muller sent toward Quatre could only be described as oily. "It was a wise precaution." Treize admitted, "I don't trust these fools either. I was wrong to even suggest the boys put themselves on display. Perhaps I should just cancel the night's entertainment now."

Zechs smiled as he nibbled at his salad, "A noble sentiment my lord, but they have been preparing these past several hours. It is enough to know our boys are well aware of the situation. I suspect what they have planned will entertain even while it showcases their ability to fend off unwanted advances. But you can judge that for yourself, I believe WuFei is up next."

"How intriguing." Treize noted quietly taking a swallow of wine. There was no denying WuFei was an exotic--though his actual origin had been something of a mystery 'till the boy had seen fit to enlighten them. Treize was positive the masters of Romefell had known an emissary from the silk lands had been sent to Rome. WuFei's lord had likely not been the first but there were those in the senate who would never permit such an alliance to occur.

The Cesar was growing old and the succession was still in doubt. No new players would be permitted to enter the field this late in the game. The emissary had been murdered and WuFei enslaved by virtue of the knowledge he possessed. It was not something Treize particularly wanted these power hungry whelps to know. The music was a slow start to the evening setting the mood as it were. But as best he could tell, the guests thought the first course was a stunning success. He only hoped the rest of the evening would go as smoothly.

Section 11 notes:

Up to this point Treize and the boys have been taking their meals in the 'triclinio' (dining room) or in the back gardens. The exedra was a large, elegant room usually located off the peristyle inner garden. It was used for formal entertainments and lavish dinner parties. The wall paintings in this type of room often continue the garden theme. Sometimes having elaborate mosaic floors. After seeing a general layout of a roman house I suspect this is the same room mentioned in 'All roads' as 'the music room' which had been shut up after the death of Treize's mother and only just reopened and made proper for use again.

The main meal of the day, the cena, would begin around 3 o'clock and could last until late in the night, during a dinner musicians, acrobats, poets or dancers would perform especially if guests were invited. By the end of the Republic, it was usual for the meal to be served in three parts: first course (gustatio), main course (primae mensae), and dessert (secundae mensae) these would often be followed by a comissatio or round of drinks. The menu is accurate as is the sausage stuffed pig found in the next chapter.

Yes Roman's did use curling irons though they were heated in the fire and far more complicated to use than the modern variety, Such fashion usually required the services of an expert female hairdresser called an ornatrix, who also doubled as make up artist. While men frequented the tonsor (barber) Hair pieces, weaves, wigs, hair lotions, holding solutions and dyes were well known to both men and women of Rome especially in the upper classes.

As early as the second century BC, caustic soap made of tallow and ashes was imported from Gaul (France) to make reddish-yellow hair dye. In some households Slaves hair was shaved to make wigs for their masters. Luckily that is not something our boys have to worry about though Quatre's may have been short as a result of such a shearing in the past. Blonde hair was such a sought after commodity, it was an object of trade from the Germanic tribes beyond the Rhine and Danube. I expect there were few Romans who saw Zechs…or Dorothy with out envy in their eyes; though Treize and Marie would have been seen as equally well endowed. Duo likely would have had to fight hard not to have been relived of his braid by money hungry wigmakers.

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