Echo

Aglaea laughed lightly as he guessed correctly the origin of her name. She had learned a lot of Greek mythology while in the employ of her first mistress, and it was interesting that she had been given that name; she had never been a particularly vain person - who had the time to, taking care of another woman all day? - but when she caught her own reflection in the mirror, she was never displeased with what she saw. "Yes," she answered, blushing a little. "One of the Three Graces." Even though he was a celebrity, it seemed he was giving her all his attention, which was pleasant. A body slave was meant to be quiet and almost unseen, unless she was needed, but as a person, it was nice to be seen sometimes. Bassus then explained that he raced for the Whites, a note of pride in his voice. He also invited her and her mistress to come and see the races. "I've been a few times before... I find them much more entertaining than the arena." She paused. "I'm sure my mistress and I would be able to attend! It takes a lot of skill, does it not?" Aglaea had not had much reason to interact with horses, but she understood them to be restless, finicky creatures, and sensitive. Bassus then asked whether she was in the market for work or her own pleasure. "I was thinking of getting something to eat - I have the rest of the morning off. Would you like to join me?" @Beauty

Annis had moved before thinking, only pausing to pull her tunic over her bare body. In a blur, struggling to remain standing amid the rumbling, she had run straight through the quarters, not considering the locked doors that were keeping some inside. But once out into the cool night air, she was more awake and heard the familiar voice of Alexius, enraged, calling for a key. She was immediately ashamed, and in a second was running back into the quarters, ignoring Theo as he yelled to stay in the open. What kind of person would she be to leave all those people without even trying to help? The movement of the building was making dust flutter down from the ceiling, making the whole inside of the building hazy. As she made her way inside, a guard bolted past, a key ring jingling on his belt. Annis grabbed his arm with the strength of anger at his cowardice, ripping the ring from him. As soon as she let him go, he continued outside. "Alexius! Where are you?" @Atrice @Chevi

Alrighty -rubs hands together- For Charis I can offer some fun young men (serious or otherwise, either is fine!) Gaius Licinius Habitus is a praetorian and he's pretty bad about talking to women, but I definitely need plots with him otherwise he's going in the bin xD If he's not your style, once my freedman (Marcellus) is up, I can offer him as well! He's going to be a little more showboaty and casual but I'm open to anything with him. For Longinus, he might know Gaius, who spent all his time in the military in Britannia. Gaius is more at ease with men and drinking buddies are always fun! I think Gaius is also a little younger than Longinus, so if they knew each other from the military, Gaius might have looked up to him, but they're not far off in age. Oh, and on the subject of Britannia, if Longinus is interested in sponsoring Annis through the ludus, I'd be open to that! But only if you think that's something he'd be interested in. Lmk @Sara

Spurius Domitius S.L. Marcellus 32 | 20 December 43 | Freedman | Charioteer | Heterosexual | Wanted | William Moseley Personality. Marcellus is a playboy, through and through. People who know him would often describe him as a boy in man's clothing, having failed to really mature past silly pranks and immature jokes. He is also a proud, boastful kind of man, prone to bragging about his accomplishments, especially with his fans (of which he has quite a few) but despite his overinflated pride, his ego is not easily bruised, because he takes almost nothing seriously. Because of his popularity with his fans, he finds it easy to find sexual partners, and it doesn't hurt that he is good-looking (and knows it.) His vices include sex, drinking, and getting into brawls due to his easily inflamed temper, which is usually flared because of perceived slights on his skills (though he very rarely actually means to hurt someone and his fights are usually in good fun). One of the only things he takes seriously is his career as a charioteer. He is an up-and-coming racer in the Whites and he knows it - he never misses training if he can help it because it is what gives him his purpose and his drive (as well as his popularity and pride). And despite his blustering and loud personality with people, he has a surprisingly quiet way with horses. He started out as a stablehand in his former master's stables, where he was discovered to be good with horses. He is very serious about his racing and about the care of the animals he races with, and if one of his horses gets injured or killed, he mourns it like a person. Marcellus is not hard to get to know or to get along with, and is pretty much an open book. He likes having lots of friends and drinking buddies. He's a simple man, but lots of fun because of his lack of outward complexity. Appearance Marcellus is very handsome, and he knows it. His dark blue eyes are usually crinkled in a flirtatious smile, his mouth pulled into a smirk complemented by white teeth and a square jaw. His hair is a dirty blonde, more similar to his former master's than his mother's, which, coupled with the hue of his eyes, is what leads people to believe that the freedman was fathered by his master. He keeps it cropped short, preferring it that way to keep it out of his face while operating his chariot. Being out in the sun regularly for training means his skin is well-tanned, despite his mother's Germanic heritage. Marcellus is an athlete as well, constantly concerned with preening and training his body to be the best it can be (not only does it help him be a better charioteer, it doesn't hurt with the ladies!) His fashion of dress is what you would expect from a freedman; when in a race, he simply wears a white tunic, and otherwise, the most comfortable clothes he can. Family Father: Unknown (suspected to be Spurius Domitius Novellus) Mother: Novella (slave) Siblings: N/A Spouse: N/A Children: N/A Other: Spurius Domitius Novellus (Former owner) History Marcellus was born a particularly cold day in December. His mother a slave, his father not known, the boy was not expected to amount to much more than a stableboy. Novella, a lovely young woman, was originally from Germania, her coloration consisting of dark hair and nearly black eyes. Though she never confirmed or denied it, Marcellus suspects that his true father was Spurius, since the man had dirty blonde hair and dark blue eyes, just like Marcellus turned out. Marcellus started out his work in the domus by following his mother around, helping her to clean. As he grew older, he was sent to work in the stables of the villa, which also operated as a horse farm, first fetching food and water for the enormous beasts, then responsible for grooming them, then for exercising them. Marcellus was popular among the young slaves his age, a sort of ringleader for mischief, particularly playing practical jokes on the kitchen staff and maids. His popularity prevented him from maturing much since he got a lot of encouragement from his playmates to keep playing his pranks. But under the tutelage of the stable staff, Marcellus managed to keep a level head around the horses and learned never to play tricks around them. He grew to have a lot of respect for the animals, who were simple and didn't require much from him, and who made for good companions on difficult days. As he became older, the stable staff noted that the boy had a natural talent with horses, a quiet spirit reserved for the stalls of his horsey companions. When responsible for exercising the horses on horseback or the slackline, Marcellus had a way of talking to them that made them want to obey him without question. This was what caught his master's eye. When the boy was fourteen years old, Spurius lent him to the White racing faction, with whom he had done business before as his horse farm often supplied the horses used in their races. Spurius hoped that his talent would be noticed and that Marcellus would gain his master notoriety as well. Marcellus started out training the horses, but like the stables at his master's horse farm, he distinguished himself for having a way with the creatures and was soon invited to race chariots. At this point, Spurius granted Marcellus his freedom, and the young man chose to stay with the whites. He began his racing career at the age of 22 in the junior league, so to speak, only racing two horses at a time. But even this came easy to him, so as he turned 28, he graduated to the four-horse league. As he gained position, he gained popularity, encouraging his immature pranks and boyish pride. He is quickly becoming one of the more famous racers in the whites and is growing in popularity. Who knows what the future will bring? Echo | EST | Discord or PM

Of course Britannia was special to him, because he had been born there, but Caecina knew that Rome was the place that held real charm for her companion, just like it did for her. Everything always changing, the excitement of interesting people going by, various smells wafting from food stands and bakeries, things to look at and buy in the marketplace... yes, Rome was the place for both Marcus and Caecina. But the game continued. Marcus had taken a bite of his cake before kissing her again, leaning oh-so-temptingly in before their lips met. His lips tasted like honey, warm and inviting. But the kiss was over quickly and Caecina pushed out her bottom lip in a pout. "If you insist," she said in a mock-disappointed voice; she was actually enjoying the day quite a lot. "Alright. Both my horses and my cat were given to me by my father." @Atrice

Caecina was not a fan of book learning. She never willingly opened a book unless Aia forced her to, and she rarely enjoyed it very much. But Juliana had decided that the young Roman lady would be attending Horatia's book club, if not for the enjoyment of literature, then for the necessity of making contacts with other ladies of Rome. Caecina expected Juliana also wanted her to make some female friends, since Caecina's track record with female friends was not the best. So, the evening of the book club, the young woman dressed in some of her finer clothes, picked up her copy of the book of choice, and traveled to the domus of Horatia Justina and her husband. She was definitely out of her element. Parties with drinking and socializing, she could do... but a room full of women who evidently enjoyed reading, and not a male in sight to engage in witty banter and flirtation? She definitely didn't know what to do with herself. But she could always rely on the social niceties that had been drilled into her head since birth, so she immediately found the hostess and approached her, giving a friendly smile. "Good evening, Horatia. Thank you for the invitation! I look forward to our discussions." Afterward, she looked around, trying to find anyone she might know. There! Septima Major! Thank the gods, a familiar face. Caecina made her way over to the familiar girl, greeting her with a friendly hug and a kiss on either cheek. "Septima! How lovely to see you!"

June 30th - The Earthquake! It started early in the morning, when the sun had just started to peek over the horizon. Curled around her injured arm, Annis slept fitfully, her dreams filled with murky images of Britannia. The island in her dream began to tremor, shaking with great magnitude. Suddenly, she awoke to the sound of someone screaming, “Earthquake!” They had all felt the tremors the past few weeks, but Annis hadn’t been too concerned about it. Until today, that was. Alexius was here; after another enjoyable night, the pair had fallen asleep. Annis clumsily got out of the bed and shook him awake. “Get up, Alexius, earthquake! We need to get out!” The young woman then rushed outside, knocking on doors as she went to warn others of the danger. The gods were angry today. Tag: anyone at the Ludus Magnus! @Chevi @Atrice

Caecina laughed as he apologized, enjoying their short kiss as well as her power over the situation - her power to leave him wanting more. She had always enjoyed teasing him, like when she had teased him the morning after that party they had attended together, which had left him with a bad hangover. This was like a whole new kind of teasing and she was thoroughly enjoying it. The game continued, Marcus thoughtfully tapping his chin as he considered what to say for the game. He liked Rome and Britannia. Well, it was clear that he liked Rome - they both did. And how could he remember Britannia? He was only a small child when they left it. "It's clear - Britannia holds a special place in your heart," she said. Like him, she had chosen the wrong answer on purpose in order to get him to kiss her again. This was a truly entertaining game! @Atrice

Caecina nodded as he explained that he would be headed to Britannia for at least another six months. She couldn't imagine living in such a place, so she was impressed by his selfless service there. "I'll be sure that the family and I send you letters to keep you abreast of everything happening here - I imagine Britannia feels very far from everything." Lucius stretched as he continued to speak, complimenting her choice of a haven from her tutor. "Well, I am known for my tactical genius," she joked lightly. She really had no head for military matters or tactical moves - but the garden was conveniently hidden from Aia as well as pleasant during this weather, so it was the perfect spot to hide. Then, the conversation turned to his surprise that she was not in the city but rather in the villa. "One can get tired of the choking dust and noises, but I do love the city. So much happening!" She paused for a moment. "I come to the villa every few months to visit Juliana and see the children." Caecina had a soft spot for her younger siblings, who inevitably looked up to her whenever she came. "What about yourself? Is it the charm of the countryside that brings you here, rather than the city?" She knew a small amount about his legal troubles from what Juliana had mentioned, so she didn't want to be tactless. @Chris

Annis stared back at him, still unsettled but determined not to show it. Her strong spirit wanted her to protect herself from this man, and her challenging stare was how it made its first move. Still, the way he looked at her was concerning. He introduced himself, using the same name that the other man had given her before. "Nice to meet you." Titus then went on to explain himself as a powerful business man with powerful connections. He also said something that piqued her interest: freedom? That was a word that would inevitably keep her interested, even if her instincts were telling her not to trust him for a second. Titus asked whether they could speak somewhere more private, offering a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Annis swallowed and nodded. "Yes, we can use my quarters." By 'quarters,' she really meant her one room bedroom that she crashed in every night. But she led the way inside anyway, finally reaching her room where she gestured at the simple chair for him to sit in. "Would you like some wine?" Wine and business always went together. @Beauty

"Oh, Marcus! I'm disappointed in you," she said in mock sadness. "I hate poetry! I thought you knew me better!" Clearly, though, he would know that as they had most of their lessons together, so he was just trying to get a kiss. Well, she was just fine with that! The young woman leaned in with a teasing grin, and kissed him. It was just a quick kiss not drawn out, but she enjoyed it all the same. After she pulled away, she smiled at him and took another bite of honey cake. "Alright, it's your turn again." @Atrice

Caecina grinned as she got the question right. She knew he had set it up to be easy for her to answer, but also sensed that the questions would become harder, thereby allowing him a chance to kiss her again. "How could I not?" She asked with a teasing grin. She understood Marcus pretty well, both because they had grown up together and because their personalities were quite similar. "Alright, my turn. Hmmm.." Caecina was much better at talking about other people than herself, but she supposed she would be able to come up with a couple of things to say. "Okay. I like riding horses and reading poetry." She hoped he would get it wrong; she hoped he would assume that, like a lot of girls, poetry caught her attention and tugged on a romantic part of her heart, even though she really found it silly and unnecessary (unless a man was quoting poetry to compliment her, of course!) @Atrice

Aglaea had a different way of thinking of things. Cultivating a garden with controlled growth, perfect lines of flowers, showed that people had mastered the earth, as God intended. Cultivating crops and keeping animals made her think of the same concept. But a gardener would naturally have a different perspective, and that was fine. Florus spoke again and agreed that he should be going, too. Aglaea smiled at him once more. He was a curious young man. "I hope you are successful in your search, Florus. Good day." And with nothing further to say, the young woman took her leave. @Ejder

Aglaea dipped her head as he said not to apologize. The slave was aware of her own luck in having had the ability to travel a little in her lifetime; she had been to Antioch, which was where she was bought by Livia's father, and then she traveled to Rome. She had also spent some time in Secundus's villa in the countryside, which she always found pleasant. She hoped that Florus would get the opportunity to travel if he wanted to. "If you spend so much time in your gardens, they must be immaculate." Florus then continued, saying that Britannia was a fine place, saying that it was green and very wet, and not as hot as Rome. Aglaea wasn't sure she would want to be in the rain constantly; it always made her hair frizzy. But she doubted she would ever get to go there. "Well, that does sound pleasant." The vendor took the meat off of the grill and handed a skewer to each of the customers that had already paid. Aglaea accepted it thankfully and turned to Florus. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Florus. I should be going now." @Ejder

It had been in the back of her mind that Marcus might not always be satisfied with just kissing her. She knew that men often thought much further along and were not always concerned with propriety. Caecina wasn't the most innocent and she certainly wasn't concerned with always following the rules, but she knew that things couldn't go very far with Marcus, even if she wanted them to. She had her reputation to consider, and if she was going to be married, her husband would expect her to come into the marriage as a virgin. She hoped she and Marcus wouldn't reach the point where they were in an awkward position like that. Marcus suggested that he was good at coming up with games when he had a good partner and she grinned. "You flatter me." The game began, with Marcus saying he didn't like sleeping in and he didn't like wine. "Well, we both know that you enjoy wine," she joked, remembering his bad hangover that led to their first kiss. "So the truth is you like sleeping in." @Atrice

Aglaea realized that he might not know where Judaea was - his Latin was good, but he was from Britannia, so he might be new in Rome and not be familiar with all its corners. "Sorry - I should have said," she chuckled. "Judaea is to the east of Rome. It's a desert, very hot and arid." She shaded her eyes as she looked into the sky. "Not unlike Rome today," she joked. Florus asked whether it was nice in Judaea and she shrugged. "If you like sand." Personally, Aglaea didn't have the fondest memories of Judaea - mostly poverty, scrounging for food scraps, hot days in the sun, and then being told that she would be leaving her family to be a slave because they could no longer take care of her. And the sand got everywhere. "What about you? What is Britannia like? I've never been." @Ejder Did Aglaea just become Anakin?? >>

Aglaea never assumed where people were from; people were often protective of their motherlands and sensitive about being mistaken for something they weren't, which was why she had phrased it as a question. Though, to her eye, his coloration wasn't unlike a Roman. And, after all, they were all technically Romans, even if they weren't citizens. Florus explained that he had been given the name because he was a gardener. "Ah, I see. I'll confess, I'm not much of a gardener myself." She had humor in her eyes; it wasn't like she'd ever had a good reason to own a plant. Florus then asked where she was from. Her darker skin always indicated to people that she met that she wasn't from Rome, but it wasn't an unreasonable question. "I am from Judaea." @Ejder

Aglaea nodded in understanding. She was always happy to have a day off from serving Livia, no matter how close the two were. It gave her a chance to be herself for a change, and put herself first, at least for a few hours. "I've never been here before, actually. But, as you said, the smell was irresistible." She looked over him shortly, concluding that he must be a slave as well. He was young, too, or at least, younger than she was. And she was getting older - she was becoming more acutely aware of that recently. He introduced himself as Florus and she dipped her head, smiling. "That's a nice name." She was quiet for a little while, standing with her hands folded behind her. "So, are you from Rome, Florus?" @Ejder

"That's why I would like to visit Greece. Their architecture is so similar to the Roman style, and yet different. I would love the chance to see it in person." She smoothed out her skirt. She did enjoy seeing the things that men were able to do with stone and time. They built such beautiful buildings, and a well-built, stylish building pleased her eye almost as much as the natural beauty God created. Rufus mused about the Pharos, towers of light to help guide ships to their docks. "Oh, that sounds amazing. Though to fully appreciate it, I imagine one would have to climb aboard a ship again." She laughed. She thought quietly for a moment. "There are benefits to being on a ship, though. The ship itself can be crowded, but at least there's plenty of empty space to examine. I remember seeing some huge fish while I was coming to Rome. It was a wonder to see." @Sharpie

Aglaea smiled as he answered "The one and only." She had never spoken to him before, so she didn't know much about him, but he seemed to have a bit of an ego. She didn't mind though; it was slightly charming. And the way that he asked for her name was charming as well; he seemed to be quite the charmer. "Well, it is certainly a pleasure to meet you, Bassus. My name is Aglaea," she replied. Sometimes, when she visited the synagogue, she thought of herself with her original name, that her parents had given her: Zivah. But it had been so long since she had gone by Zivah that she would have bet that it would sound foreign to her ears. "You are a charioteer aren't you?" @Beauty

Caecina watched as he ate a bite of the cake, then grinned as he explained his idea for a game. It was transparent that he just wanted to kiss her again, but Caecina didn't care since that was what she wanted, too. Perhaps she should stroke his ego a little bit; she had found that men liked that a lot, and Marcus was probably no different. "You're much better at coming up games than I am," she said with a bright smile. "That sounds like a good idea. Let's do it!" @Atrice Sorry it's short!

Aglaea noticed the boy's reserved attitude, though she didn't take it personally; people in Rome generally weren't particularly outgoing with strangers. But if Aglaea could make someone feel better with a smile or a kind gesture, she would try to do so, even if it was awkward for her. The young man commented that the skewers were hard to resist and she chuckled. "They certainly are. Do you come to this stand very often?" She shifted her weight to be more comfortable. "I didn't introduce myself, my name is Aglaea." @Ejder

Aglaea wasn't really a fan of the gladiatorial games, either. She occasionally accompanied Livia there, but would often slip away the moment she wasn't needed so she didn't have to see the blood and gore that the Romans seemed so fond of. It also made her imagine herself in the arena, facing some wild animal for the crime of breaking away from the religious canon in Rome. The races were far more exciting. Rufus remarked that he had not been to Greece, speaking about the wonders of the world. "I would certainly like to see those things. I think Aegyptus would be beautiful as well, with their pyramids and tombs and things." She laughed. "Do you like architecture?" Rufus asked whether she had been to the games or the races and she nodded. "Yes, occasionally. I understand what you mean about the arena. It's a bit much for me; my stomach turns, thinking about all that violence for entertainment. But the races can be enjoyable." @Sharpie

Annis chuckled at her comment. "Good to know." This woman had an interesting air about her, and Annis looked forward to seeing how her career would unfold. She had also given the Briton some things to consider about her own fighting style. Having friends and allies here could become useful in her survival, so she decided to keep a friendly relationship with the other woman. Annis looked up as she was called by the lanista. "I am called. Nice to meet you, Saba." @Chevi That can be a wrap Thanks for the thread!

Aglaea considered his question. It was surprising, that he would wonder such a thing. Aglaea tried not to think of what she wanted so much; it just made serving her mistress's needs first that much more difficult. But when she had a moment to daydream, she would often think about traveling around the empire. "Hm. I think I would like to see Greece. It sounds beautiful." She smiled. "Britannia doesn't hold much appeal for me, if I'm honest. I've heard it's quite cold and rainy all the time!" She glanced at him, wondering if he had some Briton heritage. His coloring suggested it. Then Rufus spoke about all there was to see in Rome and she grinned. "That is one good thing about the city. There's always something new being built, something new to see. Have you ever gone to see the gladiatorial games or the races?" @Sharpie