Livia Justina

Senatore

Content Count
98
Last visited
March 28
Player
Liv

About Livia Justina

Matron

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Noémie Schmidt
Location
Tibur/Roma

Face Claim

Noémie Schmidt
Location

Tibur/Roma

Topics I Participated In

Join the masquerade

Started by Livia Justina · January 31

Early January, 76 AD - at the villa in Tibur

Livia read the missive once more, although by now she knew the words in it by heart. She should have been happy for her brother-in-law for attaining such a prestigious position, but all she saw at the moment was the sanctimonious Horatia gloating yet again at how perfect her life was. Wife to a consul! That was something Livia would never be; Gnaeus' flame had been snuffed out far too early, and the thought of Secundus even dreaming of it sent her into a fit of disdainful giggles.
As much as she wanted to refuse the invitation, she knew it was an impossibility. To be absent would be not only insulting but proof of bitterness and envy, and whilst she did feel that way, Livia had to keep up appearances. She put down the letter with a grunt of annoyance and went to her room, mentally going over the clothes she possessed that could fit such an occasion. It would have to be appropriate in all respects... and in order to be as accurate as possible, she would need a model.
"Aglaea!" she called out, already rifling through a few stolas. The dark green one always complimented her eyes nicely, but Livia wasn't sure there was enough fabric to make the folds have the desired appearance. At the sound of her body slave's steps, she turned round with the green stola in hand and held it out at Aglaea, pointedly averting her gaze from the slave's waist; just because she had mostly come to terms with things, it didn't make them a less touchy topic. "You must try this on. My sister has invited us to dinner later this month."
@Echo
Celebrations, Confidences, and Confessions

Started by Secundus Quinctilius Varus · October 8, 2020

In honor of the Volturnalia, Secundus had joined in the day’s public festivities. Senators were expected to make appearances at these things; they represented most of a man’s religious life, so he performed the necessary civic duties. However, this year, he most looked forward to the night’s festivities. Secundus had been planning this party for many days now. Several of the men of the senate had been invited to join in. It would be a night of feasting, drinking, games, and music.

Livia, as usual, had taken no interest in helping him plan the occasion. She considered any time spent with him wasted time. Secundus did not mind that. It made his plan easier. He could arrange for Vibia to perform as the night’s entertainment without it rising to his wife’s notice any sooner than the party itself. Although he only planned her to use her skills with the cithara, if any of the other guests took her up on another offer, he had not intention to stop them.

Secundus hoped that Livia would guess what Vibia was. He imagined her affronted expression vividly as he supervised his slaves’ preparations. He wanted to provoke a reaction from her- something other than the meek, mouselike behavior of recent months. For someone so bitter and angry, she insisted on remaining dormant. Perhaps she was waiting for him to show weakness. He would force her to play her hand first.

As the day’s festivities began to come to close, Secundus watched as the household finished its preparations. The party would begin soon; if everything went as planned, Vibia would be the first to arrive, with senators filing in very shortly after. Livia, who had been in her room all day, would likely want to be ready to greet their guests. He told one of the slaves to go fetch her- no need to disturb her mood before she’d had a chance to meet their guest of honor
@Liv

@Sara
Sibling Solitude

Started by Horatia Justina · October 6, 2020

April, 74AD
Horatia ducked out of the litter and couldn't quite wipe the smile from her lips. Four years! Time had passed slowly in Rome, it seemed. Nothing much had changed during her time in Raetia, the streets were the same cluttered mass of plebs, the smells and sounds just as claustrophobic and even the people! Her in-laws had barely aged, it seemed and nor had her father - from whom she'd just departed. Besides some redness across his cheeks - a tell tale flush of too much wine, he had been as alert and astute as always; prying into her life as a father always did. Or at least, as her father always did.
But now it was time for an altogether less formal reunion (she hoped). She'd written to Livia to ask her to meet her at their brother Publius' domus. Their letters had become more infrequent to one another during the years, especially since the news of Gnaeus' passing and her remarriage and Horatia - ever practically minded - thought she'd assuage some of the awkwardness by having Publius there. Besides, she had missed her brother dearly and her nieces and nephews.
She was admitted almost immediately and blinked into the darkness of the atrium, smoothing out her stola and dropping the palla from her hair. She heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see her brother. Formality (usually the backbone of her life!) be damned, and she grinned, stepping forward to embrace him in a sisterly hug. "Publius!"

TAG: @Echo @Liv
Any Four Walls Are a Prison [M - V]

Started by Aglaea · September 21, 2020

Late September, 75CE
Aglaea groaned softly as she leaned over the bucket, seated on the floor of her room adjacent to Livia's bedroom. Ever an early riser, for a few days now, the woman had been woken up in the mornings with horrible nausea, yet unable to get anything up. It was a most perplexing ailment, as it seemed to disappear after a while of its own volition. Surely, the cook was doing something wrong, and Aglaea resolved to go and give her a piece of her mind. Just as soon as she was able to rise from the floor.
Life recently had been nothing but chaotic - actually, it had been chaotic ever since Secundus had come into their lives. The man sowed chaos wherever he went, frightening Livia and bullying the house staff, mumbling to himself and forcing Aglaea into the position of protecting her mistress from laying with him. Aglaea had soon decided that she would lay with Secundus and yet protect herself at the same time. Like many Roman women, Livia took silphium in order to prevent pregnancy, and like any good body slave, Aglaea was responsible for retrieving the tincture from the apothecary whenever they ran out. But unlike a good body slave, Aglaea took a small amount every time she saw Secundus, hoping with her limited knowledge of the substance that it would be enough to stop pregnancy and all the symptoms that came with it.
Her head shot up from the bucket with wide eyes. It couldn't be... but what else? No sickness from food showed itself with nausea without vomiting. And now that she thought of it, she was a few days late for her monthly cycle. Oh, God. With the sudden realization hitting her like an enormous weight, she stayed stock still for several seconds, before burying her head in her hands, weeping quietly in despair and misery. How could she ever explain this to her mistress? And what would happen to the child once it was born? How would Secundus react? Would Livia send her away and refuse to ever see her again? And how could Aglaea blame her for that if she did? It seemed a horrible betrayal without context.
She had done everything she knew to do to prevent herself from bearing Secundus's child. She couldn't bring a child into this household with a clear conscience, knowing what sort of father he or she would have. And the consequences this would have for her relationship with Livia, her nearest and dearest friend... her heart broke.
In time, the tears subsided and she began to think logically. She just wouldn't tell Livia. She could wear a tunic that flowed more to hide her bump, maybe bind the bump with cloth to limit the appearance. And then, when her time came, she could slip out of the house, have her baby somewhere safe, and then return to act like nothing would happen. Perhaps she could even leave the child on the doorstep and pretend as though it was a foundling - those were common enough in Rome. Wiping her eyes clear, and feeling the despair and nausea subside, she dressed for the day. She could act as though nothing had happened. She had lied before.
Once dressed, she slipped into Livia's room to help her dress. The day had to go on.
Title inspiration
@Liv @Járnviðr
Confession Time

Started by Echo · August 15, 2020

May, 75CE - After The Crush of the Crowd
Even after Aglaea's enjoyable conversation with Rufus, it was time to return home and tell Livia what had happened. The slave wasn't really afraid that Livia would be angry, and she was sure that between the two of them, they could smooth it over with Secundus, if he even found out. But Aglaea was still kicking herself. How could she have been so stupid? She'd been in Rome for fourteen years and never been pickpocketed - and now, the one day she doesn't tie her coin purse on tightly enough, someone in the crowd took advantage of her oversight. And now she had to confess.
Aglaea took the back entrance into the domus, greeting a few friends in the kitchen before seeking out her mistress and finding her in the master bedroom. "Livia - could I speak with you for a moment?" She seemed alone, so she figured it was safe. "You sent me shopping this morning... I got what you asked for but I... I lost the rest of the coin." She bit her lip, trying to judge the woman's reaction. "It wasn't a lot of money, but... I figured you should know."
@Liv @Járnviðr
Family Values

Started by Guest · May 7, 2020

June 75CE
Near to the Domus Calpurnius Praetextatus
Titus sat on an uncomfortable stool under a tattered canvas awning strung up from poles outside a grubby popina. The long Gallic cloak he was wearing to cover his dress uniform itched and was uncomfortably hot in the heat. A chipped wooden bowl of rancid stew sat untouched in front of him. A few measly bits of grizzle floated in a slick mass of fat and rough-cut vegetables. The popina stood on a crowded road which ran along one of the sides of the house of Aulus Calpurnius Praetextatus and family. A tall insula stood before him. The shops at the lowest level hummed with activity.
A basket maker sung in a foreign language as he worked, oblivious to the world around him. Several doors down a jet black Nubian hammered with a tink, tink, tink on an array of tiny metal bowls with a small hammer. His wife lounged idly at the counter, day-dreaming as pedestrians rushed by, none giving their shop a second glance. A gaggle of children ran whooping down the street, lacing in and out of the crowd, chasing two yapping dogs and being sworn at it the process by people forced out of the way. A gang of porters hulked along, pushing the throng aside as they lugged great amphorae which looked big enough to crush a man. Several stories up a woman was watering flower boxes sat precariously on a cracking wooden window-sill. Two stories higher still there poked out the head of an old man, simply watching the world pass by. The aroma of baked bread drifted out of a bakery close by. The repetitive sound of a lathe scraping against wood came from a coffin-makers. His wears were stacked up, gaping invitingly. "Fastidius Dexter, finest oils! Fastidius Dexter, lowest prices!" cried a balding, heavily sweating man, his thumbs hooked into a belt that looked about to burst on a distended stomach. Somewhere overhead a baby wailed and he heard the voices of a man and a woman arguing in thick, guttural Germanic tongues. Two cork-screw curled Hebrews browsed the wares of a leatherworker who eyed them with distrust.
He was growing tired of waiting now. He had come out this morning on the intelligence of a man he had sent to Tibur to keep an eye on persons of interest there. The day before a short note had arrived stating that the woman he sought was travelling to Rome to visit her family. It was not yet clear whether she would stay in her marital home or with her sister. Appreciating that a chance such as this might not appear again, he had set in motion plans to make her acquaintance.
He looked up, peering through the seething mass of pedestrians in the street. Stood in the doorway of the communal entrance of the insula opposite was Valens, disguised as a vagrant and keeping a careful watch on the entrance of the Praetextatus house. Titus was - when he thought about it - oddly nervous. Once he had found out that she had a sister, he had been dying to see her. Did she look like her? A younger version? Could there be two of her? The thoughts had swirled in his mind, lighting up like flashes in the darkness of the night. What was this one like? The vision of her when she was younger pleased him. Immensely.
The question arose as to how to deal with her. She could not be grabbed and taken aside like he had with Felix or Callista. If his information was correct, then this woman was the wife of a senator and, of course, being of that rank herself was inviolate without proper cause. He had concocted a more convoluted plan instead.
Oh, what time he was investing in this! It was fortunate that Alexander Augustus ran a quiet ship which gave his Guards plenty of time to indulge in frolics of their own. He could not imagine the Praetorians in the days of Claudius or Tiberius had been twiddling their thumbs to such an extent. Peace was great for the Empire but stability and calm did not work so well for the Guard who thrived - no, needed - a bit of turmoil in order to function. So, in many ways, he could pass off his current activities as merely being a symptom of a wider ill.
A little further away, where the street was wider and the traffic allowed for easier access, were stationed several layabouts that Valens had rounded up in the docks. They had willingly taken coin to perform a simple job. When the woman emerged, presumably on her way home or elsewhere, he and Valens would shadow her. When she reached the appropriate place, and on a pre-arranged signal, the men were to pretend to accost her, or her litter, depending on how she was travelling, in the manner of brazen smash and grab muggers - a sadly all too current occurrence even in these peaceful days. Thankfully for the young woman he and Valens would be on hand to come to the rescue.
He wondered how she might look when she was scared.
Even with the noise of the street he still heard Valen's whistle cut through clearly. He snapped out of his reverie and looked across at him. The centurion flicked his head, indicating that there was movement. It was time to find out.
@Liv
An awkward call

Started by Liv · April 26, 2020

April, 75 AD - same day as 'First introductions'

Livia had begged and pleaded for days and finally her efforts had borne fruit. To think she would have had to grovel in order to be granted permission to visit her only sister, whom she had not seen in months. Yet here she was, blessedly free of Secundus thanks to his asocial ways ('I can't possibly go with you to see your sister, I know she and her husband laugh at me behind my back!'), if only for a few hours.
With Aglaea dismissed on charitable grounds of 'go and enjoy yourself', Livia felt oddly uncomfortable, almost as if she were naked. Even in an environment that was anything but hostile, her unease only showed how dependent on her body slave she had grown, in spite of the fact that her older sister was sitting just a few feet away.
Now that small gifts and platitudes had been exchanged, Livia was at a loss for words. Had she really wanted to see Horatia after long weeks of nary a word, or had it all just been a convenient excuse to get away after all? She stared at Horatia with a meek yet somewhat fearful expression, hands folded in her lap. What should they talk about?
"So... how was your winter?"
@Sara
Drowning sorrows

Started by Liv · April 24, 2020

April, 75 AD

Over the last two years Livia had become remarkably good at finding opportunities for slipping away and savouring the short moments of freedom she could find. That morning, one such opportunity presented itself, when Secundus had finally gone to bed in the wee hours of the morning after spending most of the night going on drunken tirades. If previous times were anything to go by, he wouldn't rise before noon, which gave Livia a few hours of blessedly alone free time.
She sneaked out of her room and almost immediately came across Aglaea, as she expected to be the case. "There you are!" Livia exclaimed with unusual yet somewhat contained excitement. "Have the kitchen slaves prepare us a hamper, we're eating outside today. I want to go for a swim."
Her swimming spot was nothing more than a stream that ran through the property and had the unfortunate tendency of drying in particularly hot summer weeks, but it almost felt like a world away. Secundus didn't approve of her doing so: the slaves or a traveller passing by could get an eyeful, and decent Roman matrons didn't do such things. But she wasn't a decent Roman matron any more than he was a decent Roman man, so that made them even in her mind.
"Oh, and bring a change of clothes for us both." Even if Aglaea ended up not joining her in the water, Livia could use them to dry off.

@Echo
An impromptu visit

Started by Liv · April 19, 2020

Early February, 75 AD
It had her taken several weeks to form the idea and find the courage to present it to her husband, who was invariably and very demosntratively displeased that Livia would entertain such thoughts. It had taken a few more weeks to warm him up to the perceived benefits of a social visit: did Secundus not want to know what his brother was up to, if only to protect his own interests? Did he not want to know what that slave son was like, again for his own sake? At last he relented, but made Livia swear she would be back before nightfall, and sent her with one of his trusted slaves as a not-at-all-undercover spy; although Aglaea would be going too, Secundus knew the body slave was far too loyal to Livia to be persuaded into reporting to him.
She knew it had been in poor form, but Livia had not dared to send a message beforehand to let Tertius know she would be dropping by - he could have refused by claiming to be too busy, and she did not want her little outing - one of increasingly fewer - to be compromised by a polite denial. So it was that they reached the Esquiline unheralded. A slave rushed off to announce their arrival and as the party of three waited for her brother-in-law to come and greet them, Livia took in her surroundings. The domus was big and airy, and gave off an impression of lively bustle even though everything was impeccably maintained. It felt like the opposite of her own house, which she found gloomy and austere despite being just as pristine in furnishings - any ruined or destroyed objects were quickly replaced with new, whole ones.
Livia looked to her body slave for encouragement, who provided it with a small nod. This was out of line and she knew it, but she hoped Tertius would forgive her and let her into his house. Her desire to meet with him and his new heir - Teutus, she recalled - was genuine, and she wanted to be optimistic that they would see it.
@Atrice @Sharpie @Echo
Happier times

Started by Liv · April 12, 2020

May, 67 AD
It was unusual that a visit to one of Juno's many temples would elicit such enthusiasm within a not-particularly-devoted Livia, but to her it was one of many steps in preparing for the grand event next month. When June rolled to an end and was replaced by stifling July, she would be a married woman. To the man of her dreams, and not some bald, gouty old fart older than pater. Unable to keep the excitement to herself, Livia giggled out loud and only just barely managed to keep herself from clapping in delight.
As she walked alongside Horatia in direction of the temple, their body slaves following respectfully behind, Livia could feel her sister's eyes on her. It was always so hard to tell with Horatia, but she hoped her sister was less disapproving of her choice of husband than their father - ideally, she wouldn't disapprove at all. But why should they? Gnaeus was so dashing and handsome and strong and brave, and his family was old as bones, and to think he wanted to take her as his wife! After all that had transpired in the last few years, at last the gods smiled upon her.
Stopping impulsively in her tracks, Livia turned to Horatia and took her sister's hands in hers with a grin. "You will dress me, won't you, Horatia? In mother's stead?" Never mind that one of the slaves would probably do a better job of it; she wanted to share that moment with her sister.
@Sara