The Wind and the Flower

Dinner Party

Zephyrus lay reclining on a kline directly in front of her with Eros and Anteros flanking him on either side. A single empty kline was directly in front of her. She slowly made her way to it and gracefully sat down. It was disconcerting being the center of attention. It made her feel self-conscious when it was apparent that the men had been waiting for her arrival before starting the evening meal.

There was tension in the room, it was so thick she could cut it with a knife. The casual way the men were reclining was deceptive if one did not know to look closer, then the tension in their frames became apparent. The carefully guarded expression on their faces was another clue to the hostility in the room. Whatever the issue was, her instincts were screaming that it had something to do with her, though why that was, she could not say.

Turning her head to Eros she inquired, "My lord Eros, my apologies for taking so long. Had I known that this was to be a small dinner party instead of just the two of us I would have hastened with my bath."

"Do not trouble yourself my dear. It was time well spent, I assure you. Anteros arrived unexpectedly and invited Zephyrus to dine with us this evening. I hope you do not mind?" Eros said smoothly.

"Of course not," she replied before turning to address his allusive brother, who was the mirror image of Eros in every way save for their coloring, where Eros was fair of hair and eyes, his brother had black hair and brown eyes, "My lord Anteros, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope you will forgive me for keeping you waiting."

Anteros gave her a faintly mocking smile that failed to light his eyes, which seemed to pierce her with the intensity of his displeasure, though what had displeased him she could not fathom, "Do not fret my dear, it is of little consequence, women have been making men wait for them for eons. You are no different, or special."

"Anteros," growled both Eros and Zephyrus in warning, their displeasure at his disrespect of her evident. Zephyrus actually made to stand up, as if he would attack Anteros. Khloris held up her hand, forestalling any further aggression on his part. She was shocked that he would defend her when he himself had insulted her just a few hours ago.

Khloris felt her cheeks flush with anger and embarrassment. It was one thing to deal with Zephyrus' distain, it was quite another to allow another male to speak to her in such a manner. Why that was, she did not want to dwell on.

She turned to address Anteros, anger dripping from her voice. "Excuse me Anteros, but is it me personally that you have a problem with, or females in general?" she challenged. "Because if you have a problem with me, then I want to know what it is, or if it is women in general? Either way you can go become Cerberus' new pissing post for all I care."

She took some satisfaction in the look of shock that Anteros was unable to hide from her at her words, but it was the unexpected laughter that gripped Zephyrus that gave her the most pleasure. Turning to look at him, she could not hold back her smile as Zephyrus laughed uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face, unable to catch his breath. It softened his features and made him look so much more handsome and carefree.

"Cerberus' pissing post?!" Zephyrus gasped. He fell back against the kline, wings spread out like a cloud, clutching his belly as he continued to laugh, unable to catch his breath. Eros soon joined him, laughing uproariously at his brother's sour expression. Soon, she too could not hold back her laughter at his expense any longer and joined them.

A reluctant smile spread across Anteros face, and his rueful laughter joined in chorus with theirs. It was several minutes before they all settled down. The laughter dispelled much of the tension, bringing lightness to the room.

Wiping their eyes, both Eros and Zephyrus shot her a grin. "Well, that should teach you brother never to insult a sharp witted female. You are lucky she choose to fence with words instead of weapons, otherwise I would wager she would have drawn first blood. "

"I don't know about that, her insults are razor sharp, I fear she has already drawn blood," replied Anteros.

"Or that is piss you feel, not blood," snorted Zephyrus, sending them all into laughter again.

Once the second wave of laughter subsided Anteros stood up and walked over to Khloris, kneeling down, he took her hand into his and placed a kiss on it before pressing it to his heart. "Please forgive me my lady Khloris, I was an utter ass and I have no excuse for my boorish behavior towards you. I took my anger out on you and that is inexcusable. I give you my word that I will endeavor to always give you the proper respect and courtesy that you deserve."

Inclining her head, she sat like a regal queen giving her favor to a supplicant, she said, "See that you do, and I would suggest that you treat all women with courtesy and respect lest you find yourself on the receiving end of another tongue lashing."

"Or find myself bathing in Cerberus' urine, no doubt."

Smiling, "That too."

Giving her a small salute, Anteros made his way back to his seat. She could not help but admire the way he moved, both he and Eros seemed to glide with a predators grace. However, in her opinion they both failed to measure up to the way Zephyrus' moved with such fluid grace.

Within moments, a feast appeared in front of them, the center tables heavy with the various delicacies of food and drink. A goblet of wine appeared in her hand, as it did in the men's.

Eros raised his wine, "To strong, sharp witted women. May we all be courteous and respectful to them, or find ourselves on the receiving end of their ire," he toasted, nodding to Khloris.

"Or the business end of Cerberus," added Anteros.