nodded. “That’s right,
kyrie
. There was a grape fight between Secundus and Isarion. I think Secundus started it by throwing his garland across the table at us. Isarion then picked the grapes from a cluster and threw a whole handful at once at Secundus. He was shouting and laughing. That is, until Secundus hit him in the face with a whole cluster of grapes. Do you remember that, Eudoxia?”
The young girl on Secundus’ couch recalled the incident. “Of course. I was the one who was hit by Isarion’s barrage of grapes.”
“Then,” continued Demetria from Isarion’s couch, “Isarion tried to shove a bunch of grapes in my face. I backed away and then he chased me around the couches.
“But he didn’t catch me. When he circled behind the Prefect’s couch, the Prefect tripped him. Isarion fell flat on his face and everyone burst out laughing.”
“What were the other guests doing during the grape fight?” asked Severus. He looked at the girl on Philogenes’ couch. “How did the Homeric scholar react to all this?”
The girl next to the slave placarded ‘Philogenes’ shrugged her shoulders. “I’m Andromache. He didn’tparticipate in it. He seemed taken aback, actually. He was a very small man, but he tried to curl himself up and make himself smaller. Almost like he was trying to hide. He began to make some comment to me to show his distaste when a tunic came flying in our direction and knocked the wine cup out of my hand, spilling wine all over Philogenes.”
“Who threw the tunic?” asked Severus.
“Secundus did,” said Eudoxia. “He was standing on our couch, jumping up and own, and taking off his clothes and yelling drunkenly. He threw one garment in one direction and one in another. His tunic landed on Andromache’s wine cup and his silk
synthesis
floated down in front of Pudens. Then he began to do an obscene dance, yelling for the musicians to play louder. He danced on the couch, on the table and on the floor.”
“How did Pudens react?” Severus asked the blonde girl on the victim’s couch.
“If Philogenes showed distaste,” replied Zoe wryly, “then Pudens was almost in a state of shock. It was as if he couldn’t believe his eyes at the goings-on. I don’t think he was the sort that cared for a wild orgy. I took pity on him and began to caress him to calm him down. Then, I remember, I caught the Prefect’s glance and he smiled and nodded as if to say I should continue what I was doing. I smiled back and did and Pudens submitted. I remember he kept his eyes shut during the whole thing.”
“Aurora,” asked the judge. “What did the Prefect do during all this, besides trip Isarion?”
“Well, he wasn’t throwing things, but he was having a good time. He was laughing and making encouraging comments and generally participating. For instance,when Secundus was doing that dance on the table the Prefect was clapping time. He was also leaning back and forth, shouting comments to Pudens on his right and to the Isis priest on his left, encouraging them to join in the fun. I’m sure he was totally drunk. But then I didn’t see everything. The Prefect pushed my head down to service him and I couldn’t see what was happening.”
“Did the Isis priest Petamon join in?” asked the judge of a beautiful, light-haired, dark-eyed girl on the couch to the left of the Prefect.
“My name is Pulcheria. No. The Isis priest just watched.” She thought for a moment. “It wasn’t that he was shocked or anything like that. He was just calmly reclining, watching everything with an amused smile. Then he excused himself to me and said it was necessary for him to leave the room. He had to make a ritual ablution before engaging in sex.”
“And he walked out the door?” asked Severus, tracing the route with his eyes. It led from Petamon’s couch behind the Prefect’s, Pudens’ and Secundus’ couches.
“Yes, although he stopped briefly to whisper something into the Prefect’s
kyrie
. There was a grape fight between Secundus and Isarion. I think Secundus started it by throwing his garland across the table at us. Isarion then picked the grapes from a cluster and threw a whole handful at once at Secundus. He was shouting and laughing. That is, until Secundus hit him in the face with a whole cluster of grapes. Do you remember that, Eudoxia?”
The young girl on Secundus’ couch recalled the incident. “Of course. I was the one who was hit by Isarion’s barrage of grapes.”
“Then,” continued Demetria from Isarion’s couch, “Isarion tried to shove a bunch of grapes in my face. I backed away and then he chased me around the couches.
“But he didn’t catch me. When he circled behind the Prefect’s couch, the Prefect tripped him. Isarion fell flat on his face and everyone burst out laughing.”
“What were the other guests doing during the grape fight?” asked Severus. He looked at the girl on Philogenes’ couch. “How did the Homeric scholar react to all this?”
The girl next to the slave placarded ‘Philogenes’ shrugged her shoulders. “I’m Andromache. He didn’tparticipate in it. He seemed taken aback, actually. He was a very small man, but he tried to curl himself up and make himself smaller. Almost like he was trying to hide. He began to make some comment to me to show his distaste when a tunic came flying in our direction and knocked the wine cup out of my hand, spilling wine all over Philogenes.”
“Who threw the tunic?” asked Severus.
“Secundus did,” said Eudoxia. “He was standing on our couch, jumping up and own, and taking off his clothes and yelling drunkenly. He threw one garment in one direction and one in another. His tunic landed on Andromache’s wine cup and his silk
synthesis
floated down in front of Pudens. Then he began to do an obscene dance, yelling for the musicians to play louder. He danced on the couch, on the table and on the floor.”
“How did Pudens react?” Severus asked the blonde girl on the victim’s couch.
“If Philogenes showed distaste,” replied Zoe wryly, “then Pudens was almost in a state of shock. It was as if he couldn’t believe his eyes at the goings-on. I don’t think he was the sort that cared for a wild orgy. I took pity on him and began to caress him to calm him down. Then, I remember, I caught the Prefect’s glance and he smiled and nodded as if to say I should continue what I was doing. I smiled back and did and Pudens submitted. I remember he kept his eyes shut during the whole thing.”
“Aurora,” asked the judge. “What did the Prefect do during all this, besides trip Isarion?”
“Well, he wasn’t throwing things, but he was having a good time. He was laughing and making encouraging comments and generally participating. For instance,when Secundus was doing that dance on the table the Prefect was clapping time. He was also leaning back and forth, shouting comments to Pudens on his right and to the Isis priest on his left, encouraging them to join in the fun. I’m sure he was totally drunk. But then I didn’t see everything. The Prefect pushed my head down to service him and I couldn’t see what was happening.”
“Did the Isis priest Petamon join in?” asked the judge of a beautiful, light-haired, dark-eyed girl on the couch to the left of the Prefect.
“My name is Pulcheria. No. The Isis priest just watched.” She thought for a moment. “It wasn’t that he was shocked or anything like that. He was just calmly reclining, watching everything with an amused smile. Then he excused himself to me and said it was necessary for him to leave the room. He had to make a ritual ablution before engaging in sex.”
“And he walked out the door?” asked Severus, tracing the route with his eyes. It led from Petamon’s couch behind the Prefect’s, Pudens’ and Secundus’ couches.
“Yes, although he stopped briefly to whisper something into the Prefect’s
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