Curse of the Jackalmen

irritation

Servile behavior suites me ill. After receiving lectures on appropriate behavior from Kyripatri, Syn, and the Old Hag herself, I was not looking forward to seeing Ptolis at all. If Syn was going to go on about my behavior I could only imagine his reaction. Instead, he surprised me.

I was sitting with my hair done up in my nicer tunic leaning against Syn's bed and glaring at the floor when Ptolis walked in to his side of the room. I did nothing to acknowledge him, and to my surprise he seemed to ignore me as well.

"You still ticked at Syn?" Ptolis asked casually, catching me completely off guard with the lack of hostility in his tone.

"What do you think?" I grunted tersely, then remembered those stupid rules and added hastily, "sir."

"That annoyed, huh? I have to say I see your point of view. I imagine going back to Egypt under this kind of circumstance and seeing everything you left normal but things have changed for you would be frustrating and trying. You resent his authority and he resents your familiarity with Rome." He monologues calmly and sits directly across form me leaning on his own bed.

"You're right. But his expectations have changed! He never seemed to care that I was less than subservient in attitude in Egypt, but now he has an image or something and an obstinate slave just doesn't fit. He knows that's not going to happen from me and yet he still is annoyed and expecting it." I rant, mostly to myself.

I never thought I'd see the day that I vent about Syn to Ptolis. Then again, Ptolis has changed. His appearance is different: his shaved head and single braid long replaced by a black mop, eyes less prominent and lacking the kohl lining that was once ever-present, he looked normal to my Greek-roman standards. His body was not as toned as Lukios's or Syn's but the sea voyage had rid it of the flaccid feebleness it had once had. And he acts differently. Taken out of his element, he has lost that annoying-in-your-face-confidence.

"I'm sure he'll come around eventually. Probably next time you save his life." He stated and rose to leave. Those words had an oddly prophetic feeling that chilled me. "By the way. Thanks for not..well.. succumbing to the temptation of letting me drown back on the ship."

And he left, leaving me less annoyed and more thoughtful.

*******

"Damn it Syn! Why the hell did you sign me up for this damned job! They're foul, gluttonous pigs and I hate them! Gods I hate them!" Hemite whined in a furious whisper to me while I helped her fetch more wine.

"Because You need to learn some respect and humility. You're too proud. And, mind your language." I tersely replied. I really did not wish to hear her go on about how horrible things were.

"I'll say what I have a damn mind to!" She snapped. "To Hell with you. And to Hell with all of them."

That stopped me.  I knew we hadn't been seeing eye to eye lately, but she was escalating it.  I wondered what poison had been poured into her ears to destroy our friendship so easily.  I grabbed her arm to convey the seriousness of what I wished to say. 

"Silence yourself! Just because you are not satisfied with your station in life is not cause to suffer our ears with your incessant jabber! And if I order you to mind your tongue, than I expect you to do so!" Instead of the patient conversations I had planned in my head, I snapped and this came out.  I immediately regretted my words. 

"Yes. sir." She said in a voice laced with malice. She yanked a jug from my hands and stormed back to the dining room. I glared after her feeling exasperated. It did not revel in cruelty and meanness, but she was so flippant it was impossible to take a soft-handed approach with her if I wanted any form of obedience.