Carte Blanche: The Paradox of Hedonism

Carte Blanche: The Paradox of Hedonism Chapter 4

Caligula stumbled back down the hall towards the slave quarters. Night had long since fallen outside, blanketing the entire yard in darkness that left the orchards of fruit trees obscured to anypony who happened to look outside. All that remained visible was the patio that basked in flickering light from torches that ran around the outer boundaries. Several of Master Nyeusi’s guests sat out on the patio, sitting around several of the tables and talking amongst themselves in some sort of language that Caligula didn’t understand.

There came a low growling sound and a pain from Caligula’s stomach, and when she looked down she realized that it was her own stomach that was doing the growling. Not once had she eaten today, not ever since when she was unloaded off of the ship. From the auction all the way until she completed the last of the tasks that Mistress Sandra gave her, Caligula never managed to get a bite to eat. The trek down the hall and towards the slave quarters felt much longer now.

The filly groaned as she felt some of the achiness from her legs shift itself into her back. Never in her eight years had she been requested to work so vigorously and at such a speedy pace. What started as a simple order to clean tablecloths for Master Nyeusi’s party had turned into her running about the house to not only be given introductions by some of the head slave staff, but collecting various tools for other slaves to use for the party preparations. On top of that, the smells that were wafting from the kitchen several halls down from Caligula’s location didn’t help her current predicament.

Caligula pushed open the door to the slave quarters and stopped in her tracks. She stared around the room, finding that many of the beds were occupied by slaves who had already turned themselves in for the night. Whether or not their shifts for the day were over was unclear to her, as these slaves may be woken up to help with something or another that may need doing, but for now they rested peacefully.

The door swung shut with a click behind the filly and she spotted a bunk bed off in the corner of the room that held an empty lower bunk. Sighing to herself, she tread across the room, dragging her hooves all of the way to the edge of the bunk, to which she promptly climbed onto the stiff mattress and lay herself down. She shifted around so that she stared up at the bed above her.

It’s better than sleeping on the wooden boat, Caligula thought to herself. Her stomach growled. It’s probably too late to get anything to eat…

Even as hungry as she was, Caligula felt her eyes getting heavy. She rolled over onto her side so that she may shut her eyes and go to sleep, but she was met with the big, green eyes of a zebra filly. Caligula yelped and scooted backwards into the wall, her ears falling flat against her head.

The zebra’s eyes widened and she lifted her forehooves onto the mattress, waving them at Caligula.

“No no, don’t be frightened!” the zebra pleaded in a whisper. “I was just... um…”

Caligula rolled onto her stomach, although she still kept her distance with her flank pressed up against the wall.

“I-I’m not taking your bed, am I?” Caligula asked weakly.

“You, uh… well, you kind of are,” the zebra answered quietly. She noticed Caligula moving on the bed and quickly waved her hooves again. “No, no! You can take it. I’ll take the bunk above. Nopony sleeps up there.”

Caligula stopped and curled her tail around her hooves. “Are you sure? I don’t mean to be a bother… I can take the top bunk.”

The filly looked Caligula up and down and shook her head. “From the looks of it you wouldn’t be able to make it up there anyways.” She climbed onto the bed when she saw Caligula look down at her hooves. “I saw that you were working pretty hard today. It’s tough for anypony’s first day.”

Caligula rested her head on her hooves and turned away, staring off towards the doors to the slave quarters. Several ponies and zebras entered the slave quarters while several others left, apparently switching shifts. The ponies and zebras walking into the room looked as exhausted as Caligula felt.

“I’m Jade,” the zebra said, scooting closer to Caligula. “Um… what’s your name?”

Caligula looked up, her eyes meeting the green eyes of Jade once again. “C-caligula.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Caligula,” Jade said with a small smile.

“It’s, um, yeah…” Caligula squeaked, fumbling with her hooves. “You saw me working today?”

“Yeah huh,” Jade said with a nod. “Mistress Sandra was sending you every which way through the whole house. I don’t think I’ve seen somepony work that hard on their first day in a long while. Usually she at least gives the work to some other ponies, too. She seems pretty interested in you.”

“Her and everypony else in the city,” Caligula said.

Jade’s ears folded back against her head and it was hard for her eyes to not dart right to Caligula’s blank flank.

“Well, yeah,” she said. “I heard that blank flanks are pretty popular here…”

Caligula’s eyes left Jade’s and for the first time she looked over the rest of the zebra filly. Unlike many of the other zebras found all over Whoazambique, she had yet to receive any piercings to her body or wear any rings around her hooves. Instead her face was left untarnished to the metal, although it was unclear for how long that will remain. Jade’s stripes looked very similar to other zebras, and her mohawk of a mane made the rest of her head look comically small. On her flank was a picture of an odd triangular shape with circles placed on each of the sides.

Then Caligula’s stomach growled and she winced, watching as Jade’s eyes glanced down at her.

“Was that your stomach?” Jade asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Caligula said, curling up. “I’m not that hungry.”

“I’m guessing that you weren’t even fed before or after the auction today,” Jade said, and her face softened when she saw Caligula look away. “And Mistress Sandra had you running around so much today that I know that you couldn’t have slipped in a bite to eat.”

“Would we even be able to get some food at this time?”

Jade waved her hoof and smiled. “Of course we can. Although slaves are not allowed to eat certain foods, it’s not like we can only eat when we’re told.” She hopped off of the bed. “Come on, I’m sure that Chef Lovelock will have something for you.”

Hesitating for only a moment, Caligula rose to her hooves and followed Jade off of the bed. The  zebra smiled at her when she saw that Caligula was following, then turned and made a beeline right for the doors out of the slave quarters. Caligula followed in tow, her hooves weak under her weight even if she looked as skinny as a rail.

“So, how do you like Master Nyeusi’s house so far?” Jade asked without looking behind her.

The two fillies pushed their way through the slave quarter doors and back out into the hall. They turned down the corridor leading towards Mistress Sandra’s office and the patio.

“Well, it’s… it’s big,” Caligula answered quietly. “It’s bigger than any other place I’ve seen or been to, I think.”

“You’ve never been to Canterlot?” Jade added, glancing behind her. She saw Caligula’s face droop and she cringed. “Sorry, I… I just thought that since you’re a pony that you were maybe from…”

“No, it’s okay,” Caligula said with a sigh. “My mom and dad never took me far from our home town. Our largest building was the town center and it was maybe half of the size of this entire house.”

“Oh.” Jade fell silent for a moment, staring down at the floor as they walked down the hall together. “Where are your parents now?”

Caligula didn’t answer, instead pointedly looking away from Jade while she felt her parent’s note burn against her fur under the manacle. The thought of her parents at a time like this didn’t bring the smallest inkling of vivacity. She didn’t want to imagine what might be running through their heads right now or if she will even have the chance to see them again. Instead her eyes drifted onto the zebras who were speaking amongst each other outside, their strange language still perplexing Caligula.

“What are they saying?” Caligula asked.

“Oh, Master Nyeusi’s guests?” Jade said as she picked up their pace. “There are two types of languages spoken here in Zebrica, and the most common one used is the one that you’re familiar with: Equestrian. However, Equestrian is not Zebrica’s official language, that instead going to the zebra’s native language Zebrish.”

“Zebrish? If that’s Zebrica’s official language, why haven’t I heard the language at all until tonight?”

“The language is sacred to zebras,” Jade replied solemnly. “Zebrish will only be spoken with zebras who are deemed trustworthy, and only under the roofs of trustworthy houses. It’s never spoken out in the streets, to tourists, or to slaves out of respect. It’s not a law, really, but if you were to talk in Zebrish to anypony who isn’t worthy to hear the language you will have shamed yourself.” Jade looked back out onto the patio one last time before she and Caligula cleared the corridor. “Or if you fail to speak the language to somepony who is worthy you will have shamed them.”

Caligula took her eyes away from the party guests and looked down at her hooves. “Do you know how to speak any Zebrish?”

“I’m fluent,” Jade replied. “My mother taught me ever since I was able to speak, although my lessons couldn’t continue.”

“If you’re able to speak Zebrish,” Caligula said slowly, “does that make guests and Master Nyeusi more uncomfortable that you know a language that slaves are not supposed to be able to speak?”

“No, not really. Master Nyeusi knows that zebra slaves will probably know how to speak Zebrish since even our… homeless are taught, but he expects us not to speak it to him or each other.” She lead Caligula around a corner and the fresh smells from the kitchen hit Caligula’s nostrils like a hurricane. “Maybe he’s hoping that some of his slaves will forget it if they don’t speak it for long enough.”

“Oh.” Caligula opened her mouth again, but the smells from the kitchen were so strong that it clamped shut again when her stomach let out another growl. She saw Jade smirk next to her and her cheeks turned beet red.

“I won’t forget it, though,” Jade continued, staring off down the hall. “Zebrish is something that us zebras hold close to our hearts, and forgetting something like that would be like forgetting who we are. My mother once told me that zebras have spoken the language for thousands of years, never once changing or morphing to accommodate new languages that appear from new nations.” They stopped in front of a pair of heavy set wooden doors. “I practice everyday, even if it’s with myself, so that maybe I’ll be able to speak Zebrish against one day.”

Caligula searched Jade’s face as the filly continued to stare at the doors. “Nopony’s worried that you might get caught?”

Jade shook her head. “Nope. Most of them ignore me or give me funny looks.” She pushed open the door and stepped through, motioning for Caligula to follow her. “Come on, let’s get you some food before all of the good stuff is gone.”

Caligula followed behind Jade as they both walked into the kitchen. Ponies and zebras ran to and fro carrying pots, pans, and plates of all sizes and colors, either placing the dishes on stoves for cooking or in sinks for washing, or they were placed onto trolleys if they had food on them so that they may be rolled out and eaten by Master Nyeusi’s guests.

She eyed one particular plate that was piled high with all sorts of delectable fruit. Oranges, melons, strawberries, and mangoes piled on top of each other and freshly cut, their meat still moist and dripping with sweet juices. Caligula’s mouth watered over the fruit, and her stomach growled loudly as if it, too, knew what the filly was staring at. Thankfully, nopony in the room heard her as all of the clanging from the dishes and talking from the cooks drowned her out.

Jade ripped Caligula from eyeing the plate of fruit and made her way deeper into the kitchen, weaving in and out around ponies going about their jobs. Steam rose from some frying vegetables off to Caligula’s right, and somepony lifted the cover off of a massive pot to her left, allowing for the smell of some fresh mushroom and basil soup to seep into her nostrils. She felt as if she was on the verge of entering heaven with all of the delicious food that she would ever want within a hoof’s grasp.

Finally Jade stopped at the hooves of a hefty-looking zebra. He was rippling with muscle with a good layer of fat to hide his veins from bulging out of his skin, and his face was covered in gold and silver piercings. A scar covered his right eye, and his tail looked as if it had been cut off at one point or another.

The zebra chef stared down at Jade with an intimidating stare that sent Caligula into a fetal position, but Jade held her ground. She stared back up at the zebra with what looked like an attempt to mimic that stare, but all that she managed to do was curl her lower lip into a pout and puff her cheeks out a bit.

After a moment, the zebra burst out laughing, rearing onto his hind legs and kicking the air. When he landed back onto all four hooves, Jade giggled.

“Good to see that you still have cute face, little Jade,” the zebra said in a very heavy Zebrican accent. “Should you not be in bed? The moon nearly at top of sky and you still awake.”

“Oh, I’m here because my friend hasn’t had anything to eat here, Lovelock” Jade said simply with a smile.

Caligula threw a side glance at Jade while she was still cowering on the floor.

Friend? she thought to herself. She thinks I’m a friend? But we just met…

“She just came here today,” Jade added, “so you probably know that she hasn’t had anything to eat since she talked with Mistress Sandra.”

“You’re friend?” Lovelock repeated, lowering his head to get a closer look at Caligula. The filly squeaked and curled up even tighter, but he didn’t seem to care. “What’s your name, young one?”

“Caligula,” Caligula said quietly.

“Well, now you little Caligula,” Lovelock said with a smile, then lifted himself back up to his full height. “So you the little blank flank that the master picked up today?” Caligula winced, but Lovelock was already turned around and putting something into a frying pan. “The first one that Master Nyeusi ever gotten! Not for ten years have been blank flank filly walking halls of Red Sun house, but now here you are.”

“Th-thanks?” Caligula squeaked as she rose back onto her hooves.

“No compliment,” Lovelock said with a shake of his head. “Merely a statement. Blank flank dangerous for filly, but you no worry, though. Lovelock here to take care of little Caligula and little Jade.”

“Take care of me?” Caligula asked, cocking her head.

“Be like father,” Lovelock replied. “I cook, I clean, and I fix you up if you get hurt.”

“Like a father,” Caligula repeated, watching Lovelock as he slid a bunch of cooked lettuce and carrots out of the frying pan and onto a plate. He then placed the plate in a corner and nodded his head towards it, inviting Caligula to eat. One look at the plate, with its vegetables still steaming and mixed beautifully well even with its simplicity, was all that convinced her. She hopped over to the plate and dug in. The carrots tasted like the sweetest carrot cake, and the lettuce was crisp even if it had been cooked.

Jade sat down next to Caligula and tapped her hooves together happily. “How does it taste.” Caligula’s silence was more than enough of an answer for her, and she nodded over in Lovelock’s direction. “Good! You already looked really skinny, and I guess Lovelock noticed, too. He gave you a pretty large plate.”

Before Caligula knew it, most of the salad was gone. She looked up from her plate and smiled sheepishly, her gaze shifting around the room.

“Did you really mean what you said?” Caligula asked.

“Said about what?” Jade said with a cock of her head.

“About… about me being your friend.”

Jade smiled and scooted closer to Caligula, bumping hooves with her. “Of course I did, silly. Everypony needs a friend, and when I saw you on my bed something in me just clicked.” She made a clicking sound and Caligula smiled. “So… yes, I think you’re my friend.”

Caligula smiled and took Jade’s hoof in hers. “You’re my friend, too.”

For a moment it looked as if the two fillies would only stare at each other, but they finally burst into a fit of giggles and gave each other a hug. Jade’s body felt soft and warm, cozy and sweet for a hug that Caligula—admittingly—desperately needed.

“Thank you, Jade,” Caligula said with a smile.