He looked like he meant to pass them by, then paused, allowing his sister to continue on ahead of him. “Demitri, find out about transport. You might need a ship…” Lady Nagi stopped and cast her own glare back toward her brother, “if,” he continued, emphasizing the if and dimming the lady’s ire somewhat, “we need it. Which we may, and on short notice. See what you can do.”
Demitri nodded soberly and rose. She caught his eye briefly and noted the told-you-so expression lingering there. She tilted her head in concession. She was hardly surprised.
Her eyes flitted back to Thelios a half-second later and found his expression significantly less legible. She stood as well, positioning herself on the edges of his personal space. He no longer seemed immediately upset with her after the dancing incident, but his temper had been short in the days that followed, and she had been careful to step lightly around him.
There was also the matter of his not having, well, touched her since that night as well. She had attributed it to his lingering disappointment with her, and hoped that it too would eventually pass. He still expected her to share his bed as they slept, so she had decided that it couldn’t be as bad as all that.
“Is there anything I might do to be of assistance?” She offered, already knowing he wouldn’t say yes.
“Not as of yet.” His words were clipped and his glare unabated… and still, despite this, she felt an inexplicable desire to shift closer to him. She resisted the impulse, not forgetting they were in company, but she couldn’t push it completely from her mind.
It was distracting enough that it took her a few moments to realize they were simply standing there watching each other in silence.
Demitri coughed and excused himself, and she blinked, wondering how long she’d been staring. She cleared her own throat and stepped back with a curt bow of her head.
When she caught Thelios’s eye again she could see his gazed had gentled significantly. She might even admit that it seemed almost… warm. Her cheeks heated and she turned away, hoping she was giving the impression of hastening off to important business. Of course by the time she’d reached the haven of the bedroom she realized she had no reason to be there and, after a minute or two of puttering and consideration, returned to the main entrance hall of the suites.
Luckily Thelios and Lady Nagi had moved on, though they were replaced by another, stranger figure.
It was a woman. A woman wearing a concealing white veil similar to what she had worn when she played for Penelope. The figure seemed to look around then paused when she saw Calliope and approached her.
Calliope grinned when the woman lifted the corner of her veil and revealed it was Penelope herself hiding under the disguise. “What’s all this for?” Calliope asked with a laugh, gesturing to the covering.
Penelope shrugged. “I didn’t know who knew about the dance, so I thought it best not to give too much away by advertising our association. Didn’t want to get you in too much trouble.
Calliope looked down, recalling that she hadn’t spoken much to Penelope since that night, and hadn’t brought up the argument with Thelios. It didn’t seem like appropriate information to be sharing with others.
“I suppose it was a wise precaution then.” She offered, “Though my master knows now, so I don’t suppose the veil is necessary.”
Penelope pushed it back so that it fell down the back of her hair instead.
“You look like a priestess like that.”
She laughed. “Well if I can’t make my way here, perhaps I’ll be sold as a temple whore. I’ll have the clothes at least. But to the point. I came to talk to you.”
“About?”
“You asked me to keep an ear out, yes?”
She nodded.
“Well, I don’t know if it’s helpful, but I heard that some of the others are rather cross with your master. I overheard one of the slaves complaining to one of the girls in my… cohort, that his master was about ready to do something himself to spare the rest of them.”
Calliope frowned. “Do something?”
“Well he was talking in generalities, but the gist seemed to have been that they’re worried that if your master leaves he’ll cause problems for the others. Who knows how. The going opinion is that he’ll put himself in danger,” Penelope gave her a serious look, “and you for that matter. Which is something to consider.”
“I see.” This wasn’t really news. “Anything else?”
She shrugged. “Not really. If you like you should come spend some time with me in our quarters, you might hear something else that’s pertinent. After all you know your master’s business better than I.”
If only that were true, she thought sardonically. She nodded.
“Come, why don’t we take a walk at least, you can tell me what your master thought of your dancing. I bet I was right, yes? He loved it?” She led her out into the hallway and they worked their way back to her rooms, with Penelope chattering away and Calliope giving ambiguous answers. After all, he had never given an opinion on her dancing other than to express his anger and disappointment that she hadn’t been honest with him about it. She was loathe to bring it up again by asking if he liked it. Her curiosity couldn’t quite overcome her shame or her desire not to irritate her master any more than she already had.
As they made their way through the maze of corridors Calliope looked around them thoughtfully, realizing once more that the palace no longer overwhelmed her. She passed by its wonders almost blind to them… though two women she recognized as nymphs of a sort still made her breath catch in her throat when she sighted them. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to them and their ethereal perfection.