Epander 2.VI

So, I moved into my new home last Sunday. I live in a house now. I must say that after not having my own place for a number of months, it is incredibly liberating to live on my own again. With any luck, this means that I'll be able to be more in the swing of getting some writing done. I would have posted sooner, but there was some trouble with getting the power/water/internet/etc all to work, so I've only been here since Wednesday. Unrelated to this, I've decided that I'm going to double the amount of posts that I do a week, but only on Sundays and Wednesdays will I put up fiction. Mondays I'll write about history and Fridays I'll write about writing. Hopefully you all will enjoy it.  Oh, and I had searched for "Persian and Greek" in Google image search, and this was one of the options. I couldn't not use it.

Epander was completely unaware of how he appeared to be, for Miltiades chortled and gave him a light smack in the chest, consoling him, “Don’t look so grim, mate.” But upon just a moment of a quizzical expression, he continued, “Though I do suppose it’s better that than glib, as Kaveh Kshaeta cannot help but to be. Come, allow me your introduction.” Having been unaware of his expression, he managed a slight blush on his olived skin, hoping that his opposite would take no notice.

As they began to walk back towards the others, Kaveh interjected, “I must insist that such jests, such jibes, are inexcusable to my person. You cannot continue down this path.”

Miltiades did not break his stride or his purpose as he retorted, “As I see is as I say, and I can do nothing but. I may speak only truths.”

“As I, from the age of six it was one of three things which I was taught that I must know to do. You speak only slander, trying for naught at truth.” He continued his gesticulation, but it almost seemed as though he was concurrently speaking a second language, invoking emotions with hands as well as words.

At this point, Miltiades did stop. He turned to the native man and musingly replied, “Well then, take your complaints up with the Basileus if you feel so strongly in this way.” A smug grin broke across his face as he said, the inference that he should derive from this Epander was not able to derive. Kaveh threw his head up and marched himself out of the room.

Once Kaveh had left the room, he continued, “His heart is in the right place, but his attitudes, platitudes, and pretensions are not. We may tire of one another, but we are both glad for one another. At any rate, I should introduce you to some of the other courtiers, those with whom I work most intimately.”

“I am, as Kaveh Kshaeta failed to indicate, I have no doubt, the Polemarch, and thus the foremost military figure in Arche Aigaios. Two of the Strategoi which whom I work most here are Androskles Hypatos and Typhon Pankratios. Typhon’s father, Kleitos Pankratios, is the administrator of the Satrapy in which we currently reside, so there is little doubt that you shall additionally treat with him soon enough .”