Her words...like heated knives drove into Eirene's heart who looked at her pupil with yet another unreadable gaze. If only she asked "Mistress, what do you think of him?" or "Mistress, was he not bold and suprising?" or any other reasonable, frivolous little thing. Yet Daphne, true to her heart and honest as she had always been, pure in her trail of thought, made a confession.<em> Daphne, how you hurt me with your candor.</em>The woman closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, opening her eyes to scrutinize her lover's delicate features, searching for a hint that she had not yet fallen for the young man.<br/><br/>"But I had thought him like the others, I had believed him to be single-layered up until now."<br/><br/>Yes, Daphne was hopelessly fascinated as she confessed and how that realization pained Eirene, scorching her very being like the flames of Olympus. However, the woman did not want to show her true emotions.<br/>"You haven't gotten yourself into anything." she spoke and took Daphne's hands into hers as if she wanted to reaffirm her hold on the young nymph. She was still hers, until proven otherwise. And her possible marriage wasn't going to happen soon as it was with any other young woman's fate, to wait until their parents settled the matter. "He's as dashing as any young man can be in the eyes of an innocent maiden. You haven't met many my dear and you have little to compare him with. All men seem fascinating at one point or another, each in their own way, but they are wolves under sheep's clothing. I will tell you this, however...he does seem rather intelligent and despite his fooling around, I doubt he's as simple minded as he wants the others to believe. His poetical skills lack, though."<br/><br/>It wasn't Eirene's direct intention to criticize Orion before her lover, but she could not refrain from it.<br/><br/>"But don't take my word for it, Daphne. I believe the banquet will be an excellent opportunity for you to judge him properly. Remember that there is no greater asset for a woman than her beauty, but the ability to think independently is a gift from Artemis. Always use it."<br/><br/>She pulled her gently at the same time she stood herself and the two women resumed their business in the market. None spoke about Orion anymore, Eirene believing she said everything there was to be said on the subject. Once they got back home and lunch was over, Eirene called upon Daphne in their beloved bedroom. On the bed, the beautiful blonde could see an expensive chiton and a golden brooch, both having the same pattern at the edges.<br/><br/>"Your gift, my love." Eirene approached and stood behind her, gently pushing her forth, guiding her to the bed while her hands remained on her shoulders. "I want you to wear it for tonight, you will be the most beautiful flower and the brightest flame from all the banquet. I want everyone to see what you have become, how you blossomed.<br/><br/><div align="center"> ~*~ </div><br/>Before the invited guests came for the celebration, Eirene made her toilette: that is, she bathed, perfumed herself, and donned her best clothes.<br/><br/>The table was spread in the andronitis, or reception room for men, which every Greek house contained within its walls. The guests, after exchanging salutations with their host, entered the house. Servants removed the shoes of the guests and purified the feet from the dust of the streets. Then they reclined upon couches with bright coverings and hangings, resting the left arm upon a cushion, so as to leave the right hand free. As a rule, there were two guests to each couch. Before each of them, the slaves placed a table spread with viands, and brought meat, fish, and sauces in dishes, and bread, cakes, and fruit in baskets. The guests had no plate nor knife for themselves, and as for forks, they were unknown, but a spoon was placed at their disposal. The meat was served cut into small pieces, which they ate with their hands and dipped into the sauces. After the meal, as before it, the servants carried around water to wash the hands, and during the meal the fingers were wiped, if necessary, on bread or a piece of dough placed for the purpose.<br/><br/>The repast usually consisted of two courses, of which the first was fish and meat, with the vegetables and other hors-d'aeuvres, and the second the dessert of pastry, cakes, and fruit.<br/><br/>While the meal properly continued, there was no drinking, nor was it the custom to converse while eating. Conversation began with the second part of the entertainment, the symposion or carousal, for which the tables were removed, and the floor cleansed of all fragments. Other tables were then brought in by the servants, covered with salted cakes, cheese and other viands provocative of thirst.<br/><br/>The great mixing bowls were brought in, also pitchers of water and jugs of unmixed wines, ladle-shaped dippers, beakers, and cups deep and shallow, of graceful forms, and the queer horn-shaped vessels, called rhyta. The youngest and handsomest slaves were chosen to wait on the guests, who crowned their heads and garlanded their breasts with myrtle and violets, ivy and roses, not merely as a sign of festivity, but to cool their glowing temples, and, as they thought, to counteract the heady qualities of the wine. Music was then brought in, song and dance delighted ear and eye, and Bacchos, attended by the Muses and the Graces, ruled the hour, often until all were sunk in intoxication.<br/><br/>The Greek loved wine, and honored it in art and song. They loved it not merely as a means of sensual enjoyment:they used it as the care-dispeller, the bringer of joy and mirth. Wine raised the spirits of the youth, and taught age to forget its gray hairs and disregard its infirmities.<br/>(source: CLICK ME (http://chestofbooks.com/food/beverages/When-What-To-Drink/Description-Of-A-Greek-Banquet.html#.UpOnqyeDGUk))<br/><br/>Eirene stood before all like a queen of her own castle...long before that was a term or castles came into existence. She was the matron of her house, owner of her servants and keep of her own wealth...that in itself was an eccentric luxury and not all of her guests viewed it with a benevolent eye. Soon the sun was about to set and that is when the real entertainment would begin, into the garden. Poetry and music were central to the pleasures of the banquet. Despite the host being a woman, Eirene also sought to keep the 'tradition' and so high-class female prostitutes (hetairai) and entertainers were hired to perform, consort, and converse with the unwed male guests. She had one such a lady especially picked for Orion. Slaves and boys also provided service and entertainment. Her guests also participated actively in competitive entertainments each time they came for a visit. A game sometimes played was kottabos, in which players swirled the dregs of their wine in a kylix, a platter-like stemmed drinking vessel, and flung them at a target. Another feature of the celebration were skolia, drinking songs of a patriotic or bawdy nature, performed competitively with one symposiast reciting the first part of a song and another expected to improvise the end of it.<br/><br/>"Welcome one and all to my humble celebration!" she said raising her wine glass and smiled.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>