Atrice

Lexus was trying hard and was grateful that he had a friend like Phaedo to show him the ropes… because while his father was an infamous womanizer – at least years ago - Lexus hadn’t even tried yet. But it would seem that Saturnalia was the perfect time to begin exploring what adulthood could offer him. He got a grin from Phaedo after his last comment, of approval, and the dark haired girl called him both clever, handsome and gallant. And then the girls decided to keep them company.

 Phaedo seemed to take the lead, deciding they should walk a bit and have a look around this area.  He went to talk to the more quiet girl and the dark-haired girl took Lexus’ hand. Her hand was warm… it felt nice, to hold it. Then Lexus’ companion wondered if they had switched roles.

 “I don’t really know… we’re just friends, not slave and master. Even though we are from different… social classes. But that doesn’t matter and especially not tonight.” Lexus said with a smile, not giving a way who was from which social class here. He looked at the girl, wondering if Prima was her mistress just tonight or if she was the actual mistress. It didn’t matter though, his companion was nice looking too. He sipped the wine he held and spoke up again, “So what’s your name? I’m Lexus.”

@Gil

If he’d known she waited on purpose, he might have found it very cute. She could just have joined him from the start, it made no difference to him really. But he was in the bath and together with the male slave attending the bathing room, they waited for Oriana to show up. Making a little bit of conversation about how late it was – it was practically in the middle of the night, but Alexius knew slaves had no say in when or where their owners desired them to be. He’d been there too once, after all, but not anymore.

 Finally she appeared and he gave her a smile, “I’m enjoying it well enough so far.” He said, although of course he knew that he’d enjoy it more soon. Alexius didn’t feel bad or guilt about this little plan at all. It was just pleasure and everyone needed it, even unmarried young noblewomen like Oriana. And he was just her employee and it’s not like they were a couple or this was official or anything. Just a little bit of fun. Anyone needed that… especially after a fight, at least according to Alexius.

 His mistress then informed the present slave to get her a cloth and to clean up Alexius. His eyes were on Oriana though, as she undressed and slipped into the water too. Oh she was even more beautiful underneath the robes, of course she was! He wasn’t discreet when he let his eyes wander over her body and her curves. Very pleasing to look at!

 The slave soon came back to Alexius, a cloth in his hand, to clean him properly. Really he could do it himself, but the order was given and he was not the Dominus of this household. The slave wasn’t too bad looking either, he thought to himself, but he’d save that thought for another day. It felt good to be cleaned like this though, and watching her clean herself just made it even better. Then Oriana broke the silence and informed Alexius she’d need help guarding her room.

 “If you need my protection, I’ll be right there, watching you as closely as you desire.” He promised her, although he could not suppress the smiling smoothly at her... then thinking that the bath wasn't all that large, but he still felt he ought to be watching her closer right now, "Do you need help scrubbing your back?" 

@Sydney

Cynane had not been with Claudia Caesaris long, when she was informed there was going to be a social event – a party of sorts – for the upper class and that many nobles were invited here. Some she'd seen before, some she'd known better than she'd like, but she said nothing. She was going to be present to watch over her mistress along with other guards and praetorians. It felt a bit strange to her, that she was assigned to a job like that, along with the praetorian guards! She knew what they were – they were the special unit of guard for the imperial family. And Cynane? She was almost fresh from the ludus and still hadn’t quite gotten used to this bodyguard business. Yet here she stood, clean and well-equipped and with orders to never take her eyes off her young mistress. 

It was hard to keep that promise though and at least she wasn’t constantly watched. Claudia mingled with the crowd and Cynane judged it would be best to stay in one place rather than follow the young lady around. That would just seem weird and she didn’t want to appear annoying. So instead she stayed put in a place where she felt she had a good view over the entire hall where the party was going on. She stood still and quiet and alert, ready to move if she needed to be.

 Her eyes scanned the crowd silently and landed on a man approaching her. Judging by his garb, he wasn’t one of the nobles, but rather one of the praetorians. And he appeared to have his eyes on her. What did he want? She hadn’t done anything wrong had she? She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, she could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t here to sweet-talk her (thank the gods for that, she thought). But then what did he want?

@Echo

He should have just run away, but it was impossible now. There was a crowd now and he realized why… this was not just any lectica he crashed, no, it was an imperial one! It belonged to someone of very high rank and he was the boy who did it all. There was no way he could run, people had seen him and he’d be brought before Caesar and punished – and it would just be worse if he ran, wouldn’t it? Because he would surely get caught in no time and it would look worse because he tried to escape.

 A young and beautiful woman came out of the lectica and only focused on her own servants though, wondering if they were alright. Her cheeks were wet – this whole accident caused her to cry! How could he be so stupid and not watch where he set his foot? Then another litter stopped close by and another just as fine-looking woman left that one to go to the first one and she comforted the first young woman. And all while he was staring at it all, unable to move and completely speechless, a group of men of the cohortes urbanae arrived at the scene.

 Before they could get to Lexus though, the second appearing woman approached Lexus with a kind smile and wondered if he saw what happened. Alright, so if he was just honest, perhaps he would not be thrown into the arena before the lions or something like it… right? Maybe? 

 “I…” He trailed off, insanely nervous, “It was me, Domina. It’s my fault. I saw what happened because I did it. I’m very sorry. Really. Very very sorry, I didn’t mean to do anything. Is she hurt?” Oh he hoped she wasn’t, that would just make it worse. How stupid could he be?

@Gothic @Eris

He wanted her to know that despite what might happen when she joined his bath, she was still his mistress and he was aware of that. She was in charge and he was nothing but an employee – willing to give them both another benefit of working together. She didn’t want him to think she did this because she was his boss though and he nodded, “Of course it is.” Some said you shouldn’t mix business with pleasure, although it was hard in this case. He was her guard at all hours, right? She could think what she wanted though, Alexius was just pleased she actually agreed. From the moment he saw her he’d wanted her – pleasure was as much a part of his life as sleeping and eating. And everyone needed it, or so he told himself.

 Once they reached the villa, she instructed a few slaves on what to do. Alexius followed the slave going to the bath and the other would know to send the medic there. Once he got that far, he watched the pretty slave begin making the bath ready and sat down on a marble bench to get mostly undressed. It didn’t take that long for the medic to get there – and he got busy cleaning wounds and checking if Alexius needed stitches. It wasn’t that bad though. There were mostly bruises and they’d fade soon enough.

 “It’s ready…” The slave preparing the bath finally said, seeming unsure of what to say to Alexius. He was not the mistress and not the Dominus of this house either. He was just another person who worked here, who just happened to not be a slave. Alexius gave the slave a smile, “Thanks. You don’t have to help undressing me. I don’t know if your Domina wants you to stay or go, I guess we’ll find out once she gets here.” Alexius said and stood to remove the last bit of his clothes to get into the bath. The slave stayed put, kept looking at him as he lowered himself into the warm water, "Is it true you were a gladiator?" The slave then asked Alexius nodded with a small sigh, "It's very true. But it's a long time ago now." He glanced over his shoulder, wondering when Oriana would be here. Not that he minded talking about his past, but that's not what was most on his mind right now. 

@Sydney

Helios smiled at Calvunus sweet attempt to sound rough – well he knew he could be, but he wasn’t always and he was more often fun and playful to be around, at least for Helios, “Oh I know you do.” He simply replied, when the other claimed he knew how to get what he wanted. That’s probably why he and Falco remained close, because Falco was the grump who wasn’t so easy to get to. Calvunus was more down to earth.

 Helios continued to tease Calvunus though, apparently he’d decided that he would make an actual attempt to get some sex for fun tonight, instead of just for coin. He dared to push it, wondering if there was any action in the guard and bouncer at all… and that’s when Calvunus forced him up against a wall and his handsome lips found Helios’, who happily returned the heated kiss. Fuck, this was already so much better than what he just came from!

 Calvunus’ hands explored Helios’ body, until they moved his own hand to the other man’s crotch again, “Good.” Helios replied against Calvunus’ lips, his hand fondling Calvunus’ crotch, “Maybe it’s me you’ll worship soon.” He added, “Only one question remains… will you have me or will I have you?” He smiled, leaving it up to the free Roman to decide. Helios was still just a slave, and he wouldn’t mind either way. He just wanted a proper and good lay.

@Gil

Well at least it was nice, that she was no longer a gladiatrix and no longer meant to kill people, just so that the Romans could enjoy themselves. At least she was no longer killing people for sport. She had been a gladiator almost 9 years now and while at first she resisted, she learned to accept her lot in life and decided she’d rather live than die. It was either that or being sent to work in the mines or something like it. And apparently living paid off, because some nobleman, related to Caesar she heard, had noticed her and had her removed from the ludus.

 Cynane had been instructed to bathe and clean properly and she had made her hair in the preferred style she always had; braids and twists to pull her hair away from the face and to the back and top of her head instead – possibly making her appear taller and more fierce than she already was. She was given new clothes – brown breeches and a light blue tunica and on top of that, Cynane wore her old and used leather vest and belt. The lanista wanted her to appear at least a little as the warrior she was. She was told she was going to be a bodyguard to a princess, so she would also be given the proper equipment for that, but not right now. Cynane was of course told to stay quiet until spoken to, which was nothing out of the ordinary… she was a slave, after all. 

Then she was brought to the imperial palace and while she’d visited noblemen’s houses before, they were nothing compared to this place. All that space! And decorations! It was beautiful, but she also deemed that it was slightly useless. It was just pretty look at, but that’s all. Well the Romans did like their pretty things.  Quietly she was brought in where a fine-looking man stood and a young woman in a white gown was sitting. She bet the girl never lifted a finger to do anything; when Cynane was her age, she already knew how to use a weapon.

 Cynane was introduced as if she was nothing but a thing, a present, something you could unwrap and play with. Gods, these Romans sometimes! They really knew how to make a slave feel inferior. She clasped her hands on her back, standing tall and silent as instructed, not meeting their eyes. Waiting patiently for anyone to take interest in her as a person.

@Gothic

This was far from the worst he’d ever been beaten. He had a slightly cracked lip after the thug punched his face and he probably had some bruises on his body, but this was nothing compared to what he’d been through in the arena sometimes. Still though, getting cleaned up and looked at by a medic sounded good. A bath sounded good. A bath together with his lovely mistress sounded even better. Oh he knew it was probably too much to ask for, but if he was going to work for her for a good long while, she might as well get to know him sooner rather than later. She had to know that Alexius liked a good fight and a good fuck afterwards. If not with her, then with someone else. Alexius wasn't entirely picky; that’s just how it was. He might have grown older since his gladiator days, but that didn’t mean his desire for pleasure had gone. 

At first she said nothing when he wondered if she’d join the bath. He’d said it almost casually, but there was a spark in his eye and he kept walking, as if it was no big deal. At least she didn’t blurt out a ‘no way’ right away, but thinking about it wasn’t always a good sign either. Then she finally opened her mouth and agreed to it. He assumed she knew exactly what he meant, when he wanted her to joint he bath. Just this once. Right. It didn’t matter. Sometimes once was all it took.

 He couldn’t help but smile now, “Of course, Oriana. You are my mistress, after all.” Alexius added – she was definitely the kind of woman, who was used to being in charge and she probably liked hearing that too. He was just her employee and she was the one who made all the decisions. Now was probably not a bad time to let her know, that despite his question, she was still his superior and she was the one who was generous by accepting his offer that she could join the bath. Suddenly this night was not bad at all.

@Sydney

Things had calmed down, but Alexius was not going to forget this incident. He didn’t know if he’d forgive it either, but he had to tolerate it, because she was his superior and he was at least getting paid to do it – he already had the bag of money in his hands. And at least he did enjoy a good fight and especially of course when he came out on the winning side of things… which he often did, but still… alright, so maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

 Oriana promised him there would be no more false operations and agreed they should go back to the villa now. She also promised she’d have someone look at his cuts. He gave a nod that they should get going, because it was about time.

 “That all sounds good. I'm sure I'll be fine tomorrow.” Alexius said to her and fell silent for a little while. Within, he was still a little bit worked up over it all – the adrenaline of the fight and then the discussion with Oriana afterwards. Honestly now all he needed was a good fuck, but he doubted Oriana would provide him with that. She was no Gaia or any of the other countless lovers he had in the past.

 On the other hand, if you didn’t ask questions, you’d never get any answers… and did she even know he was interested? She had to, didn't she? With her good looks, she had to know men were easily swayed by her... “I don’t suppose you’d like to join the bath with me?”

@Sydney

4 hours ago, Gothic said:

 

We have quite a few going already although I would love something between Claudia and Cynene! We could have one where she was given to Claudia or one in the current day.  

A thread with where Cynane was given to Claudia would be great - see how they meet and interact with each other. Octavius would have to present too, at least to begin with, if he was the one who picked Cynane up

Alexius was no con man and he doubted he’d get very far with lying. His emotions hid right under his skin and he’d never been good at hiding what he really felt. And he wasn’t going to try and start now. He would not lie to his mistress, they made a deal and he was her guard and he would protect her, just like he promised. Unless of course she gave him reason not to trust her, which she kind of just did, but he was willing to give her another chance… because he needed this job and if this happened more often than not, she needed him too. Hopefully now she understood this!

 When she claimed they would not have killed him, he wondered why she would set them up then, knowing he might kill them. And at least one was dead, he didn’t know about the other and they were hopefully soon leaving the scene. She just shrugged it off, saying they knew what they got themselves into. And now she’d paid him and given him a piece of cloth. Really? He’d much rather have a bath, and she agreed to that at least. Now the only thing that would really improve it was if she would bathe him – but he didn’t dare to wish it. She was far too strict, even with herself.

 “Thanks.” Alexius said and wiped some of the blood off his face, although it would probably just smear more than actually come off, “I’d appreciate it if there are no more of these… false operations. Are we going back to the villa now?” He asked and looked to find his blade from earlier. Just in case, he also picked up those the attackers had.

@Sydney

He couldn’t know how it had been with former guards and he didn’t care. He was her guard now, he’d sworn to be loyal and to protect her and since that’s what he was paid to do and his life had no other purpose at the moment… why should he want to mess up? Not to mention that he enjoyed a good fight, so of course he’d go all in and end up covered with blood, if that’s what it took. At least she said she was impressed, but she set him up! Was this all a joke to her? Did it amuse her to have ordinary folk risk their lives for her?

 Alexius watched how she crossed her arms, as if she had a say… well, maybe she did, he was just a pair of hired hands, but still… then she said her last guard didn’t do anything and she could have been killed, so she had to know if Alexius would act the same way. A con artist? No skills?

 “Well I hope now you know that I do not lie. I have no reason to. I’d not take this job if I couldn’t carry it out.” He snapped back at her, before she said he could leave if he wanted to. Then said these would not have killed him and she gave him a piece of her cloak to clean himself with.

 “They weren’t going to kill me, but you let me kill them?” What a waste… he took the piece of cloth she handed to him. So a bag of money and cloth to clean himself with, that’s what he got… he inhaled a breath, “A day off for me wouldn’t be very useful to any of us.” Alexius then said, seeming to calm down a little. He needed the job and the coin… he was not leaving, he was just angry. Nothing he’d not tried before… “… and I’d rather have a bath than this. If it’s not too much to ask.” He didn’t think it was, after what she just did and if she wanted him to remain loyal. This was Rome, anyone could be bought. Not that Alexius made a habit of that, but who would want to remain loyal to someone who set you up like this? No, she could do better so that he’d do better for her.

@Sydney

He was not really angry, just suddenly extremely curious about what the fuck his new mistress did for a living! He had worked as an escort and guard for a good many years now, but usually it was pretty calm and the few times he got to fight, it was because a band of roadside robbers attacked the caravan or something like it. This was something else. It was an actual fight and his mistress had just stood back and let him do his job. Well it would be bad if he didn’t, but… what the actual fuck?

 Alexius still wasn’t on his feet, when Oriana approached him and said she was impressed. She spoke of collecting secrets and that’s why people wanted to kill her. And then she said she hired the thugs he just killed. What? She hired them! And they fought and now they were dead and she fucking hired them? She tossed him a bag of money while apologizing for keeping secrets from him. He was still speechless about how she hired them and let him kill them… there was no way he’d remain speechless for long though… he wasn't angry before, but now?

“You think I need to be broken in?!” He asked, getting on his feet, his temper getting the best of him, “You didn’t think I could protect you? You hired me, but you didn’t trust I could do my job?!” He inhaled a breath and instead of hitting her, his fist hit a wall. He was bleeding already, so what did it matter anyway? He didn’t even blink. 

Then he turned to look at her again… no, he was far from done with this rant, “Why would I lie to you about my skills? I have nothing to lose and yet you doubted me… and you choose to tell me after you set me up? I’m no slave yet I would have died for you. If you want a loyal guard, Domina, you better learn to trust me.”

@Sydney

While fighting, he had brief moments to wonder exactly what his mistress dealt with, that meant she’d be attacked like this in the middle of the night. And why here, in the poorest district of Rome… when she was a wealthy noblewoman? It was all very shady, but he was paid for doing what he did right now, which was protect her with his life if he had to. With his current outlook on life, he would be prepared to die for her, if that’s the way it went. But Alexius was used to surviving and he was just not bad enough at fighting to lose. No, he knew what he was doing.

 Meanwhile his mistress stood somewhere by the house, watching the fight, but he didn’t see the smile on her face and he didn’t know her true intentions with this fight. But it might just be very close to his gladiator days – he was fighting for coin, he just didn’t know it this time. Alexius thought this was the real deal.

 When he told her to not run, she yelled she’d stay put, while Alexius wrestled with the other man. He’d managed to knock the man’s blade out of the hand and now Alexius was trying to get the man on the ground. He landed behind the thug and finally had an arm around the man’s throat. He pulled at the man’s neck and shoulder with one arm, while pushing with his lower body and eventually, they fell… Alexius landed on his back with the other man on top of him. Quickly they rolled around though. Oh this one was a skilled fighter too! It felt good to fight, the adrenaline had long since kicked in and Alexius was simply doing what he’d been trained to do for most of his life.

 He barely heard it when Oriana said he was doing great, for suddenly places switched again and Alexius was on his back with the other man straddling him. He evaded the first punch at his face, but the second hit got him and he could taste blood. Yet while the thug was busy beating him up, Alexius reached for a blade he’d spotted on the ground. It happened fast after that. One moment the guy prepared to punch him again, the next the other had a knife stuck through his throat from the front. Alexius got a bloodbath before he managed to push the other off and slide away. He sat there, knees bent in front of him, inhaled a deep breath and then he looked up at his mistress. His face and upper chest was covered in the blood of his opponent and there was a rare fire burning in his eyes. He wasn't really angry - he'd enjoyed this fight - but he was almost feeling high.

 “What the fuck is it you do for a living?!” He asked before he could stop himself, that came out wrong, didn't it? He inhaled another breath, attempting to cool down and behave, which wasn’t all that easy right now, with the adrenaline still rushing through his body… “… Oriana?”

@Sydney

CYNANE

31 | November 44 AD | Slave | Imperial Bodyguard | Bicurious | Wanted | Katheryn Winnick

Personality.

Cynane protects her young mistress, with her life if she has to... in the beginning, this was of course because she'd been ordered to do so. Cynane does not want to return to the arena as a gladiator though, she enjoys life in the imperial palace and does her best to do her job well. She does not want to kill for sport and become a whore again - so she has her reasons for doing her job well. She does not always talk much, because when she talks, she has a tendency to speak her mind and she is not good at being submissive and inferior... she was never raised to be such a person, after all. She does however appear very formal and strict and she knows a thing or two about discipline - however if you push her far enough, she isn't always able to control her temper. She may be a slave, but she is still also a proud warrior and a proud woman in general. 

Cynane does of course hope she may one day be freed, but also knows this is not something to strive for. She is a war-captive and she's very much aware of this. She has come to care a little for her orphaned mistress, but this is not something she talks about either. She is, after all, supposed to act like a slave and not like a friend. Cynane does not trust people easily though - it went well before she became a slave, but after that, many events has made her harder than she was before. Rough experiences with men after she became a slave has also made her dislike or mistrust most men and she still dislikes most other Romans except for Claudia. She has never had a steady lover for the same reason - she has a hard shell by now and it's hard to break through it.

Appearance

Cynane is tall compared to most Roman women, standing almost 170 cm tall. She has long, blonde hair, which is often braided and kept in a hairstyle on top of her head - so that it is not in the way of her work. Her eyes are blue and she has full, light red lips and a slender and trained body, ready to fight whenever possible. Cynane often spends her free time training, so that she is always ready for battle - this is how she was brought up, after all. She dislikes wearing dresses, but prefers breeches, a long tunica and a leather vest to protect her body with. She will also wear armor if she is escorting her mistress away from the imperial home. She likes the color blue and wears it when able - where she comes from, blue is a rare color and it holds a lot of meaning to her.

Family

Father: Owen (deceased)

Mother: Briannah (deceased)

Siblings: Meredith (sister, 27), Briannon (sister, 29), Herne (brother, 35) - all unknown whereabouts  

Spouse: N/A

Children: N/A

Extended family: Ysulda of the Brigantes/Flavia Isolda (cousin, not played)

Other:

-- Owner: Claudia Caesaris

History

Born and raised in Britannia, Cynane – back then known as Cinnia - lived a free life from childhood and until she was 18 years old. During most of her life, she knew there had been war between the British tribes and Rome, which was trying to invade and would eventually succeed. Cinnia’s family was related to the king of her tribe, the Brigantes, and the king made sure his entire family were constantly ready for the Romans. This meant that every child who reached puberty was given training as a warrior – this included the young women and thus also Cinnia. She knew this all her life, of course, and she was more than ready to fight when finally given the chance. Her cousin was Ysulda, who'd eventually attempt becoming queen of their tribe and would also eventually end up in Rome, like Cinnia. None of them knew this when they were young though. Cinnia met Eppitacos when Ysulda and he became betrothed and they got along well. But sadly, Ysulda was set up to become his wife already, so Cinnia forgot about the crush again.

 Cinnia proved to be a strong and skilled warrior and when her tribe joined battles against the Romans in 62 AD, Cinnia was in the British army. She was optimistic, believing in the strong blood of Britannia to come out on the winning side – but her party was defeated by the Romans and Cinnia was among those taken captive. Her father died in the battle and she does not know whether any of her siblings survived. She later heard that her party was the only losing party in that particular battle and still today holds a grudge towards Eppitacos, since none of the others came to their aid. If they had done so, she might not have become a slave. Since Cinnia was a female and skilled warrior, it was quickly decided she would become a gladiatrix in Rome. She hated being in chains and under Roman rule – she had grown up free and was used to making her own decisions.

 None of that mattered though. In 63 AD, she was finally brought to a ludus in Rome, renamed Cynane and deemed breakable. Breakable?! Cynane would prove them wrong, she had been raised to be a strong woman and she still was, despite her current state of life. Her lanista and doctore tried hard to break her though, but eventually it was a matter of either killing her by breaking her or sending her into the arena, hoping she'd die there. And at least in the arena, they got something out of her death, so she was sent to the sands – they expected her to die.

 Of course she didn’t. She fought and she lived and received great glory in the arena. The crowd loved her and her skills and Cynane began to understand she could live this life. At least it was more than being chained constantly. There was one downside to it though – after the fighting, wealthy Romans would want to bed her, and while she was strong in the arena, she was expected to submit to their pleasures. This was how she lost her virginity – and her first time wasn’t all that pleasant. Yet Cynane was not ready to die. And apparently it would work out in the long run, to stay alive.

 Her life changed again in 72 AD, when a male member of the imperial family noticed her skills - and she was deemed useful for more than the arena and pleasure for coin. Cynane was removed from the ludus by Octavius Flavius Alexander and soon after gifted to his niece, the young imperial lady Claudia Caesaris, to become her personal bodyguard. She has been with Claudia over three years now and has so far proven to be loyal. She is pleased to no longer be a gladiator and enjoys the life of a guard and slave at the court - which she considers more luxurious than when she lived at the ludus with the gladiators. She has even developed protective feelings for the orphaned princess, maybe even other feelings too. There's a good chance, that Claudia is still the only Roman she cares about. She has not forgotten she’s a slave and has not stopped yearning for freedom – she never will – but life could be worse.

Atrice | GMT+1 | PM or Discord

Amalia

35 | born June 40 AD | Bisexual | Alexius’ sister / fugitivus

Background:

Amalia (which is most likely not the name she goes under now) is Lucius Antonius Alexius’ younger sister. They were both born in Germania to the Chatti tribe, but when she was 4 and her brother 7 years old, a raiding band of barbarians attacked their village, killed their parents and the children were captured and sold to Rome. Her brother tried to keep her safe and they were sold to the same household and given the names Lexus and Amalia – none of them recall the names their parents gave them. Amalia worked in the kitchens and Lexus with the horses. In 51 AD, when Amalia was 11 and Lexus 14, their owner lost his fortune and Amalia and Lexus were not sold together - but separated from each other. Amalia ended up in a villa far from Rome.

She was made a bed slave to her master when she was in her teens, because of her good looks, but her master was very demanding and horrible towards her. She ran away/escaped (she was not freed) her owners when she was in her early 20's. What happened to her after this is up to you – maybe she took a criminal path of life somehow?

Alexius has looked for her ever since they were parted and I imagine she has been wanting to find him too. She knows him only by the name Lexus and not his freedman name - and she has probably also taken another name by now, since she is an escaped slave. Now it is more than 20 years since they saw each other and it’s up to you whether she gave up looking for her brother, or not. I do want them to find each other of course, even if they will both find each other changed a lot since last time. It could be an amusing and fun twist if they flirt (maybe even more, but nothing is set in stone) when they first meet again, before they realize they are siblings.

Personality: Disliked the Romans at first, just like her older brother. But since she was younger when they were captured, she probably adapted to Rome and slavery faster than Alexius. Besides this, she has a few traits in common with her brother: she is openminded, friendly, enjoys pleasure and will flirt with both genders and at certain times has a bit of a temper. Besides this, her personality is up to you.

Appearance: Amalia will have a scar somewhere on her body, from where she was branded as a slave once and she removed the slave brand on her own, after she escaped. Either she cut or burnt it away. My face-claim suggestion is Astrid Berges-Frisbey – but feel free to find another playby, someone Caucasian with brown hair. 

Lucius Antonius Alexius' application

Alexius had no idea what she was dealing with. He was not much of a business man – he learned that during his time working as a lanista, overseeing the ludus. At least he learned how to read and write, but paperwork and strange dealings were not his things. He was a man of action, he didn’t want to just talk, he wanted things to happen. Not that it meant he wanted his mistress here to be attacked, just so he could get his action, but doing nothing was not good for him either. Having something to do and someone to protect worked for him – no matter why she needed the protection.

 He definitely didn’t trust this situation or the place they were at. She knocked at the door again, but nothing seemed to happen. When she looked over her shoulder at Alexius, he nodded at her words, “We need to leave.” Alexius only just managed to say, before two darkly dressed men came out of the shadows. What the fuck did this lady do?

 She tried to sound witty, but didn’t seemed afraid at all. No, Oriana just crossed her arms and expected Alexius to do his job.

 “You think so?” Alexius said and a small smile crossed his lips, “As you wish…” This was not the arena, but he’d worked as a bodyguard and guard for many years now and he knew what it was about. They seemed to want to kill her, “Lean against the wall of the house.” Alexius then told her, that way they couldn’t attack her from the back. He pushed back his cloak and fetched his own blade, knowing he might only get to use it once, but then he had to make it count. The two attackers gave each other a look and then both went for Alexius at the same time. He ducked under the arm of one, coming up on his backside and managed to stab him in the side. The man let out a wail, but Alexius didn’t pause. The other man was at him too and Alexius shot a quick glance at Oriana, luckily she was still unharmed, and then he tried to kick at the other attacker’s legs to tackle him and get him on the ground. The first, the one he stabbed, was still on his feet though and when Alexius was able to, he punched the guy right in the wound.  

That got him down. Right, one down, one to go. The question was whether he should kill the man now or grab Oriana and run… they were already at each other again though and Alexius punched his face, although he got one punch right back at his shoulder and noticed a raised blade. He wished he knew what Oriana wanted to do, but he could not read her mind… he had to make sure she stayed put so she’d not get in trouble if she left, “Don’t run without me, Oriana!”  

@Sydney

It was nice to have a good and proper bed to sleep in and good food every day. The slaves of the household were obedient, but also nice and hadn’t been so bad towards Alexius either. It was over ten years since he was freed now, so he didn’t care to tell about his past as a slave and it didn’t matter so much anyway… at least not to anyone but Alexius himself. Oriana didn’t seem to worry about his past story either, so he just did his job. Remained close to her when ordered to do so. He would stay near her office when she worked, when she had visitors and so on. And when she went to sleep, he made sure to check her room first and he slept in the room just next to hers, so it was easy to stay alert. His past had made him an easy sleeper, so he woke fast, if he had to.

 Tonight though, she was not going to bed early. No, she had a meeting, at midnight, in the poorer area of Rome. Alexius had been here many times before and he also once had friends in this area of Rome. That was a long time ago though. The place he mostly visited in this part of Rome now, as Bellona’s tavern, where he still felt at home. Right now though, his focus was Oriana and her wellbeing. Honestly he thought she worked herself a little too hard, especially for a woman, but who was he to tell her what to do? He was just her guard, enjoying the sight as he always followed two paces behind her while walking in Rome.

 She told him her client was close by, now and seemed slow down. It wasn’t the warmest spring night ever, but it was fine, Alexius thought. His woolen cloak kept him warm and underneath it, he was properly clad in clothes that would protect his vital parts in a fight. And he had his blade, of course, should it be needed, but his fists worked fine too. Oriana now stopped in front of a door to a small shack-like flat.

 “I won’t leave your side unless it comes from you, Oriana.” He was slowly getting used to calling her by her first name, as she wanted him to, “Lead the way. I’m alert, as always.” He added, staying right behind her while they waited for the door to open. He didn’t trust the place either – the place wasn’t clean and the shack was hidden from the moonlight by other and taller buildings around it. Dark corners were useful to people with ill intentions. He’d most definitely stay alert here.

@Sydney

Lexus had gone to the bathhouse, as instructed by his mother. He knew he ought to be a proper Roman citizen and go more often, but sometimes it bored him and looking at older, naked and not always trimmed men did not really spark his fancy. More the opposite. But he’d gone and now he was clean and smelled nice. His brown hair was still slightly tousled, although he did comb it with his fingers, but he felt he was almost shining… although he probably wasn’t.

 Now he had the rest of the day to just… do something. Maybe he should visit one of the temples that Phaedo showed him? No, it would be weird going alone. Lexus was not a very religious young man – it was interesting and all that, but he didn’t buy all of it. Some of the stories and some of the things you did for the gods seemed weird and so far-fetched, that he’d think… why should it matter to them, if they control our lives anyway? Will they even care? So no, maybe he should not go to a temple today. But then what?

 Somehow he’d found himself wandering into the vast area of the Forum Romanum. There were several fora here, built by different emperors who wanted to leave something to be remembered by. It was very shining and clean here, a beautiful area of Rome.

 There was the Basilica Julia, where the praetors sat and where tons of other things were decided and judged and handled. And over there was the Curia Julia, where the senate would sit and discuss important business of Rome. Lexus took a few moments to just look at all the famous buildings and all the people here; the men in the white togas, their slaves, other people coming here to admire the sights. He tilted his head, trying to get a proper view at a certain temple here and took a few steps backwards to see it properly. What he didn’t notice was the lectica carried by four slaves behind him.

 By accident, he tripped one of them as he walked backwards, not looking where he was going. The slave fell over and the whole party fell down… including the lectica, which probably carried some wealthy noble. Fuck! Lexus felt almost paralyzed, watching the scene and knowing he caused it and he did not dare to run away. What did you say when such a thing happened?

Her laugh was sweet, he thought, when he by mistake almost called her Domina after she told him to address her as Oriana. She needed to laugh more, he thought. Smiling and laughing made any woman look even more attractive than before. Not that he was picky, when it came to women, but of course he liked them good and happy looking. She then said she believed he’d do his work well and she would appreciate that. Then speaking his name in the same fashion he spoke hers. As if tasting it on her delicate tongue.

 Oriana then said he’d have the day off and he could go and buy something for himself or get his stuff. Then informed him how she’d be in her office for the entire day and he could come and speak to her if he needed to.

 “I think I will go and get my things, this place is far better than my latest lodging.” Alexius told her and then gave her another smile, “I’ll look forwards to working for you, Oriana. I hope we’ll get along well. Shall I escort you back to the office?” He then wondered, he was going that way anyway if he was going to leave the house. And when he came back again, he’d explore the villa on his own, get to know the place and the people who lived and worked here. It would be good, with a proper place to stay and a proper job again, he thought.

@Sydney

Just as he turned around to look for the trader, the man stood by his side and it almost – but only almost – startled Tertius. He quickly regained his wits though, while the trader told him about the young woman Tertius had been looking at. Quiet was good and he didn’t want a troublemaker. Tertius had long since learned to not buy slaves with red hair, as he seemed to often have problems with those. Instead he just wanted a simple slave who’d work hard.

 That she lost her child was a good thing for Tertius, but a bad thing for her. Indeed she might just benefit from having some work to do, to not think about the child she lost. And he made a habit out of not bedding his female slaves – one slave son was more than enough. The trader brought him back to the present, as he looked up at Tertius and presented himself.

 He returned the friendly and formal smile with one of his own, “Indeed you are, you are most certainly speaking well for your lot here.” Tertius replied to the man, thinking he might look familiar, but he wasn’t sure… “I’m Tertius Quinctilius Varus. I need a female slave for my kitchen and that one does sound like she might be good for it.” He said, Spurius had spoken very well for her. On the other hand, almost too well… “And you are certain there’s nothing wrong with her, if you are so eager to get rid of her?” One could never be too sure, right?  

@Sarah

His sleeping quarters did not really matter so much. As long as it was nice and there was a bed, he’d be fine. Alexius had slept much worse places since he left Rome after he was freed. During the long travel to Germania and back, he and his former wife had slept on the side of the road, near  under the stars and in random villages they came by. And there had often been trouble. And after they divorced, he’d travelled with whoever would pay for his services and his protection of them. So a proper bed looked good to him.

 But he wondered why exactly he’d been placed so close to his new mistress and if it was because she had a lot of trouble. He made sure to tell her he’d always escort her if she needed it. In her own words, she told him he had to be alert to go with her at a moment’s notice, and that there might be violence and it was an unpredictable job. She also said it was more than just simple guard work, which was fine. And then she wanted him to call her Oriana.

 “If that is your wish… Oriana.” He almost called her Domina again and gave her joyful smile for that, but she seemed so serious. What had she been through in her life, he wondered? Probably nothing compared to his life, but that didn’t meant it couldn’t be hard being a noble.

 “You may of course also called me Alexius, if you wish. Or even Lexus… that’s the name most people in Rome know and remember.” He added, unable to entirely forget his past and how he’d once been famous in this city, “You do not need to worry about your safety, as long as I am by your side. I have fought for most of my life and I know how to stay alive, Do… Oriana.” He’d have to get used to that, but he just wasn’t. Most nobles preferred to be addressed formally by their servants and slaves and that’s how he had always addressed them in the past. Apparently, now that would have to change.

@Sydney

Alexius definitely had his ow personality and he was not going to be a silent and glum guard for his mistress. He talked and he knew what he liked and what he did not like. And right now, he liked the idea of having some sort of purpose with his life again – protecting this beautiful young lady right here. She said she appreciated that he’d take good care of her, an then he followed her around the large villa she lived in. She showed him around, pointing out the different rooms and which way the slaves’ quarters were. Did she know he was a freedman? That once, he would have slept in such quarters… but it didn’t matter. It was a thing of the past, right?

 They turned a corner and she pointed down to where her own bedroom was. And where his would be. He followed her, finding it interesting he would be placed so close to her – right next to hers. And object to having one of the nicest rooms? He’d not do that, definitely! They looked inside and it was simple, but clean and nice. It had everything he’d need.

 “It looks very nice indeed, Domina.” Alexius said and glanced at the distance to her door – which was not very far away. It did make him wonder…

 “Do you have many problems with people harassing or following you, Domina? I will of course also escort you around town, whenever you need it… but it would be nice to know what to expect, so I know how to best protect you.” Being placed in a room so close to hers might mean she had a lot of troubles and was in grave need of a good guard. And he would be that good guard… for his pay and for the nice view it would give him.

@Sydney

One of the female house slaves had become pregnant – and if that wasn’t bad enough, she lost the child and then she got sick. And then she died. Tertius was now one slave short in the household. Not that he needed much. He had his own body slave, Hector, the finest sort bred in Greece, and his daughter had her own personal slave who also worked as a chaperone for the young lady, when she wanted to go out. There were a few slaves for cleaning and tending the gardens and another few in the kitchens. Actually there was just one in the kitchen now, because the other one was the one who died.

 He would just have to replace her. And he had coin, but didn’t plan on buying the most expensive slave. Someone from Germania or Brittania would be fine. And he knew just where to go – the good old slave market, so there he went, to take a look at the gods. Tertius was well dressed as always, but not too well dressed, he didn’t want the traders to rob him of all his coin.

 Once he came so far, he stopped by a cage with what sounded like slaves from Britannia. He’d had a few of those before and they weren’t too bad at cooking. There were some good looking women there and he was sure he could break them, if they needed to be broken. He eyed a young woman with brown hair, who seemed to stand by herself in the back, and thought that might be a good sign. Tertius glanced around to see if their owner and trader was near.

Who would have thought this would happen – that he’d sit here and Gaia would show up and suddenly wrap her arms around him? Seeing a familiar face made him happy and seeing that it was Gaia made him even happier. It was easy with her, she did not demand things of him, nor did he demand anything of her, ever, but they just got along so easily and more easily than a noblewoman should have gotten along with him when he was a gladiator. And she was right here, still stunning looking and who knew what else was still the same about her…

 She allowed him to pull her delicate figure into his lap and she blushed so sweetly when he complimented her and she giggled at his words. Then she said it was good to see him too, teasing him and he couldn’t help but smile.

 “If my charms ever fail, that’ll be the day I ought to stop surviving.” Lexus replied to her, but the tone was joyful, what else could it be, with her right here? And oh it would be so easy to just pick up where they left off, literally… picking her up, taking her to some private corner and enjoy her stunning body the way the gods meant for it to be enjoyed. But she hugged him and asked how he had been, stating that she had missed him.

 “It seems I’ve missed you too, more than I knew.” He replied, “I’ve been alright. I’m alive and I’m here, right? That’s better than the opposite.” Not that he was entirely happy with his life, but he did the best he could with what the gods had given him for now. Briefly he looked at the gladiators, noticing that one of them seemed to lose focus suddenly, he must have been distracted… just like Gaia distracted him right now; “What about you? Have you been well?” He asked, imagining she’d found a new husband, for how could such a woman go unmarried?

@Gothic @Sarah