Echo

Marcellus bit into the apple as she spoke about her injuries. "These are good, did you grow them yourself?" He was teasing. "You're doing an excellent job selecting apples." This was teasing also, but not in an unfriendly way. "You'll be back up and running around soon enough, I'm sure of it." Her comment about it not being the first time she'd almost died at home was concerning, but Marcellus didn't want to pry. 

Safinia examined her in her own turn and Marcellus chuckled when she said he was looking well. "I was asleep, actually - but I'm a light speaker and a fleet runner, so I managed to get out before much damage was done. Had to help get the horses too, though. That's when a piece of debris fell on my head."  He grinned, obviously thinking it was a laugh. "I wish it'd been a dashing scar somewhere else - don't women like scarred men?"

@Liv

Caecina had had similar meetings to this one, so Horatia's light teasing was nothing like the cruel and double-edged comments that older matrons often aimed at her. The young woman could certainly take more abuse than it seemed Horatia was willing to dish out. The older woman asked whether she lived with the sons of Decimus Silanus and she smiled, nodding. "Yes, that's correct. He was married to my stepmother. Lucius, the elder, is abroad though, serving Rome in the east, I believe. Marcus splits his time between staying with us and at the palace."

Horatia joked lightly about having had the choice to spend time with Caecina or scolding her slaves. "How many children do you have? I don't believe Juliana mentioned." Every time children came up as a topic, Caecina's mind eventually came around to her own fear of childbirth, and it inevitably increased her discomfort. But Horatia's words distracted her and she smiled lightly. "Well, if you must quiz me, I won't begrudge you," she said, letting a slightly playful note enter her voice. The older woman then said that she had had questions of her own and Caecina nodded. Of course, she had questions of her own, or something like vague confusion and nervousness when it came to marriage. But, like the younger Horatia, she didn't know where to start. 

@Sara

Names had lost much significance for Aglaea, since her original name had been replaced long ago by her first mistress. She still held onto her original name, Zivah, but only in memory; she didn't even dare to use it in the safety of her synagogue, as she felt it would have confused her to answering to Aglaea. So, Aglaea she would remain, and she didn't mind the name anyway. 

Manius said that it was nice to meet her as well and Aglaea smiled. He then explained that he served a young mistress as a bodyguard, asking her what she did for a living. "I am a body servant to a noble lady. I was also allowed some free time today - she is a good, kind mistress and I am blessed." She gazed at the crowd moving past the fountain. "But, as I said, I'm not originally from Rome. I am native to Judaea."

@Atrice

Aglaea smiled weakly at Livia's concern, allowing her to pat her to check for injuries. Her bodily autonomy had long since become obsolete as a slave, so this was of no concern. Really, there was nothing wrong with her, other than having had her master's money stolen. The only thing that could be considered wrong was her heart beating swiftly in fear at the thought of telling Secundus, which may or may not happen. Livia proceeded to ask if she had been accosted and Aglaea shook her head. "No. I cannot pinpoint when exactly I was stolen from... I just noticed that it was gone when I checked to see if it was there. And no, I noticed before I came home." Her voice shook slightly. 

Aglaea nearly jumped out of her skin at the appearance of her master, immediately bowing in respect to him with her eyes cast to the ground even more intently. As the first questions seemed to be directed to Livia, she remained silent. The second question, though, was to her. The slave was only grateful that it was not more, else she might have been on the chopping block. "It was three sestertii, dominus." She thought it would be pointless to beg for his forgiveness - he would give it or he wouldn't and it mattered little what she wanted. 

@Liv @Járnviðr

Aglaea hoped to get to the bottom of why Secundus's slaves were so skittish, and also hoped to help them. She had come from an extremely poor situation, her parents had sold her, and she'd been shunted around from master to master until she found Livia. She understood other slaves and wanted to help them. She would advocate for them, as she wished someone had advocated for her long ago. So what if they had not actually been accommodating to her? She would help them regardless, starting by complimenting them to their master. Their shared master, now. 

Secundus asked her if she would follow him, joking with her in an unpracticed sort of way. "Certainly, dominus. A wise decision." As they walked, he asked her whether she'd prefer the tablinum or culina. Pausing for a moment to think, she finally answered. "The tablinum, I belive. I'm sure you would be much more comfortable there than the culina."

@Járnviðr

Aglaea smiled at his apparent confusion at her good mood. Why shouldn't she be in a good mood? She was outside of the domus, out from under Secundus's shadow, and it was a beautiful day. And she might even have the chance to make a new friend with this man. She had admitted to him that she was not originally from Rome and he said that she was not alone there. "That is for certain. Rome has many different kinds of people under its protection." Even people who did not necessarily want her protection, it would seem. But Aglaea liked meeting new people, and it seemed Rome was the place to meet all sorts of people. 

As she made her way to the fountain and sat, she was pleased to see that he had followed. Taking out a cake for both of them, she handed him one first and then settled in to eat hers. "I always appreciate a break. It's nice to meet you, Manius. I am Aglaea." She took a bite from the cake and glanced at him. "So, what do you do for a living, Manius?"

@Atrice

Caecina smiled as Horatia accepted gift, glad that Juliana had thought to remind her to bring it. It certainly wouldn't have been her first thought, being a naturally self-centered person. But if it scored points in her favor, she was glad for all the help she could get. She'd met with meaner old cats than this particular lady, but she was still on high alert in case her words turned venomous. 

As they settled in the garden, Horatia did seem to take her words as something other than what they were, but then appeared to be teasing. Caecina laughed hesitantly in response. "I only meant that I enjoy exploring the markets and visiting the temples and my friends. One cannot enjoy such activities while buried in a villa in the countryside - the culture here in the city is invigorating." She accepted a cup of wine graciously. "Not to say that I am not grateful for the villa, though - it is certainly pleasant to spend time there, particularly with my family."

Horatia continued by saying that she was sorry if Caecina felt she was being forced, noting that she'd also visited matrons in her girlhood. Caecina was still suspicious, and unsure of whether to be honest or flippant, though she gave a wry smile. "It seems, then, that we've entered a time-honored tradition. I do appreciate you agreeing to meet with me, though. You must be a busy woman, to have such a lovely home."

@Sara

Caecina stored away that bit of information for later - that Teutus was not much of a traveler. Of course, not all Romans were, though many did travel with their wealth or in order to visit friends or family. It was often a point of pride with Romans, to say all the places they'd been, though Caecina had never felt quite the same. She felt there was nowhere better to be than Rome, even if traveling held a sort of glamour for the first few days, at least. 

Teutus continued speaking, saying that he would like to travel to Greece or Hispania. "Oh, you should. I've been to Greece a few times, and I'm sure I must have been to Hispania as well but I can't remember." She chuckled. "But Greece is wonderful. There was so much history and art." Not that she'd ever cared for those things, she was mostly having a look at the Greek boys and flirting with them than looking at boring art or architecture. 

Caecina gave a slightly tight smile as Teutus inquired after her mother and siblings in their travels to the East. He couldn't know about her family, so she wouldn't be harsh - in fact, there was no reason for him to know about her mother anyway, so she would just brush over it slightly. "Yes, it was my mother and I and a few members of our household. I was an only child at the time." She took a sip of wine to quell her sudden nervousness - the subject of her mother always made her heart race faster, no matter the context. 

@Atrice @Sharpie

How had one kiss led to all of this? Caecina had never had such feelings before, but she was glad that they had kissed on another by that stream. It had given way to so many more interesting things, more temptation to get into mischief, so much fun. She wished they had realized their feelings sooner, so they could have had more fun together. But she lived in the present, and for right now, Marcus was sitting on the bed next to her and looking at her with those sparkling blue eyes that Caecina had grown to adore. Marcus said she could have him anytime and she blushed and laughed at the innuendo, whether he meant it or not. "Idiot," she murmured affectionately.

Marcus then challenged her earlier statement about being an innocent girl and she grinned, wanting to keep up the play-acting. "I am innocent, Marcus, and you're going to take advantage of me," she teased. "I'm so innocent that if you should kiss me, why - I think I'd faint!" He had leaned closer and she stole a glance at his lips, hoping he would kiss her soon but not wanting to make the first move. 

@Atrice

Marcellus had just sat down when he heard the voice of Safinia, one of the support workers for the Whites. Marcellus didn't know her too well, but she had always been a friendly face. He gave her a friendly smile, which, unlike most of his smiles, was not tinged with flirtatious intent. She looked like she could use a friend and nothing more at the moment. "Sure, thanks," he said, accepting the apple and taking a bite out of it. For whatever reason, the apple was like mana - had he been spending too much time around horses and picked up their eating habits? A question to ponder another time. 

He gazed at her as he swallowed the apple. "You look pretty banged up - you doing alright?" Marcellus had been lucky to escape the dangers of the earthquake with little damage to his person - only a few scrapes and a bruise on his head from when a tile had fallen on it. Many others in the city had not been so lucky, including Safinia here. It looked like she had a broken leg - Marcellus was thankful he hadn't been damaged thus, as it would've ended his career, more than likely. 

@Liv

Aglaea winced slightly at her mistress's words. It wasn't like her to be so careless and she was ashamed of herself. Livia was right to chide her like this - she deserved it. "I know. I - I don't know what's wrong with me. But I was careless." She had barely realized how informal she'd been when she'd first entered the room, but upon hearing footsteps nearby, she tensed slightly and looked to the Roman woman for guidance. As she had expected, Livia assumed a new posture and formality, and Aglaea knew she should follow along, just by her expression. 

"No, domina," she said more formally. "I was not harmed. But I think I must have been pickpocketed - I wouldn't have lost it otherwise." She hoped whoever had walked by a moment ago had walked on. This was not really a conversation she wanted to have in front of others. 

@Liv @Járnviðr

Annis couldn't imagine the pain Alexius had gone through. He didn't show it much, but he had been through a lot. Annis actually felt honored that he had chosen to share this part of himself with her, though she wished he hadn't gone through something like it in the first place. She felt it was up to her to help him feel better. And what luck he happened to land on the same thought - distraction. As he spoke and then kissed her hand, she chuckled. "You licentious fool," she quipped affectionately. 

She glanced around. The Dancing Boar did have a few rooms upstairs, and Annis was always able to get one when she plied the innkeeper with a little extra money. "Do you want to get a room, then?"

@Atrice

Aglaea brightened slightly in response to Secundus's smile. She believed it was the only time she'd ever seen him smile - he seemed so dour and distant, though she could understand. Not everyone was the same. The man asked if she had been shown the household and she nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, dominus. Your servants have been very accommodating to me." And it was true, though she had noticed their attitudes had been more frightened than those of any slaves she'd met recently. And the only explanation she could think of for that...

"I'll be back in a moment, dominus." With quick feet, she hurried to the kitchen through the shadowy domus, feeling a chill as though the house was watching her. Upon returning, she poured him a cup from the pitcher she had brought, wondering if she should suggest they move somewhere he could sit and relax. He spoke again, saying that his sleep had been more troubled than ever, saying that Livia vexed him. Aglaea kept her face neutral, but her mind was whirring with activity. Of course, she was upset - she'd only just lost her husband and child and was now being expected to marry some stranger she'd never met before. And what a man Secundus was! 

"Domina is... touchy, dominus. But you shouldn't take it personally." Her voice was filled with compassion and surprised herself, feeling tears prick in her eyes. She felt terribly for her mistress, who was like a sister to her! "I am sure that she will come around and be an excellent wife to you. She just needs... time."

@Járnviðr

"Of course, dominus, please forgive my error," she said quickly, hoping to smooth his apparently quick temper. She had found she had a way of doing that well for her masters. Of course, her previous master had been more smooth-tempered, and Livia was mercurial but predictable, for Aglaea, at least. Secundus spoke again after his outburst and complimented her, and she allowed a small smile. "Thank you, dominus. I hope that I will be a credit to you as well as the rest of your household." And she did, truly - but she would never feel as though she belonged to Secundus, not entirely. She was Livia's and had been since they were young teenagers. 

Secundus then thanked her for taking care of Livia until their marriage, and hoped that he could rely on her in the future. Livia was grieving deeply, and Aglaea was frightened quite terribly for her health. She was actually nearly at her wit's end about how to help her, other than to get her through one day at a time. "Of course, dominus. You can rely on me." To an extent. 

The Judaean felt the silence stretching on and stole another glance at him. "Dominus, can I get you some wine? Perhaps... it will help you sleep." She knew being presumptuous might be dangerous but it also might pay off and get her points in her favor. 

@Járnviðr

What had she said wrong? If Secundus was disappointed, Aglaea was equally confused and scrambling to understand her mistake, but instead of making another mistake, she simply remained quiet, her eyes trained on the ground. Her last master had been kind, understanding, almost like a brother to her. But she could tell her relationship with this man was not going to be that way. He was everything she'd learned to fear a master could be. Now, she could only rely on her loyalties to Livia - and if he thought that her loyalties would shift to him so easily, he was mistaken. She was Livia's ally through and through and would protect her from everything she could. 

His next statement was not disappointed, though. It was venomous and there was no mistaking it. She swallowed and gazed at him to answer. "Well, I didn't exactly keep house, dominus... I take care of Livia personally. Running errands for her, making sure her needs are met..." She blushed and realized she hadn't really answered the question. "But I enjoy my work, dominus. I am but a humble servant and I am here to serve." With a light chill down her back, she felt his eyes raking her as she lowered her gaze once more. 

@Járnviðr

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

There was that feeling again - like Secundus was a tiger, caged, pacing, powerful and dangerous. In the gloom, she thought he had nearly taken her head off with barely-concealed temper, but then again, perhaps she was being unfair. She hadn't really seen anything specific. He spoke clearly and shortly. No mincing words with this one, then - she'd noticed that at the wedding, too. Realizing she was taking a long while to respond, and to recover from her initial fright, she cleared her throat, clasped her hands in front of her, and lowered her gaze. "Not at all, dominus. You didn't disturb me." 

She bit her lip and stole a glance at him again. "I don't believe we've spoken before. I am Livia's body slave. I am pleased to join your household, dominus." Really, she didn't know what to think, but it was never a bad idea to stroke the egos of one's master. And he was her master now, she realized, as Livia's father had been before. It was a curious thought. "You have a lovely house," she said to fill the silence. 

@Járnviðr

73CE, After the wedding of Secundus Quinctilius Varus and Livia Justina

Aglaea was up earlier than usual, which was saying something. The Judaean was naturally an early-riser, liking to feel productive in the cool early morning hours before the Roman sun beat down upon her dark head like a drum. But her reasons for being up early were more abstract today. Her mistress had just married Secundus Quinctilius Varus, a man neither of them had met meaningfully before, and, despite her wanting to trust the man, there was something about him that she couldn't place, something that prevented that trust from forming. In addition to that, Livia was depressed. It didn't take someone close to her to tell that. After the loss of the woman's husband, she had not been quite the same, and Aglaea wasn't convinced that being married again was going to help much. So, her anxieties had awoken her before the rest of the household and prevented her from going back to sleep. 

In the cool darkness of her bedroom adjacent to the master bedroom, Aglaea dressed in a sensible but nice-looking tunica, slipping out of the room once she was done. She made her way through the sleeping domus to the kitchen, eating a crust of bread and an apple, before moving out of the kitchen to explore the house. It was a nice house, but that same nagging feeling that Aglaea got around her mistress's new husband lingered in the very walls of it. Perhaps it was something she'd noticed with the servants of the house, how they moved quickly and quietly as though afraid to wake a sleeping person. Perhaps it was just intuition. 

As she moved to the atrium to examine some of the art there, she heard a noise behind her and nearly jumped out of her skin, whirling around with her hand placed on her heart. 

@Járnviðr

Before the mistress of the domus arrived, Caecina took a chance to look around the atrium, noticing its tasteful and bright decorations. She wondered if the flowers were from the domus's own gardens, or if they'd been brought in from elsewhere, though the effect was the same either way. Caecina wondered how she would decorate her own house someday, assuming, of course, her husband allowed her to decorate how she liked. 

She was tugged out of her thoughts by Horatia arriving, greeting her by clasping her hands and kissing her on each cheek. Caecina returned the gesture with a bright smile, instantly turning on the charm just as she had intended to. "Horatia, it is so wonderful to see you again. Thank you for inviting me to your home - it is a beautiful domus." Astraea cleared her throat and Caecina took the hint. "Oh, goodness, I almost forgot. I brought you this wine from our cellars - a gift for your kindness in inviting me."

Horatia suggested they retreat to the gardens and Caecina dipped her head, smiling. "That is a wonderful idea." With greetings out of the way, Caecina drew a breath of relief. There had been no barbed statements with underlying meanings, no chastisement. She was thankful for that. Horatia was asking her a question as they walked toward the gardens. "I usually stay in the city, actually. I am ever so fond of all the activity here - the villa can get awfully quiet. My stepmother, Juliana, stays at the villa most of the time, though." She gazed at her companion. "Do you get to the countryside very often?"

@Sara

Alexius's story touched Annis and she gazed sadly at him. Her free hand reached for his and gave it a squeeze, hopefully a comforting touch. What he had said was exactly what Annis feared she would find. Even though he had said northern Britannia was still holding out, what if her tribe had been killed? It wasn't impossible, and that's what scared her. What if she found a burned village, overtaken by weeds and grass and seedling trees? What if no one had survived to remember her? Then it was like her life before Rome had never happened. Was that how Alexius felt? 

He went on to say that his sister had been taken too, and he hadn't seen her since. Though he thought the conversation wasn't helping her, in a way, it was. It was showing her that she had been selfish, and she wasn't the only one who had suffered throughout her life. Alexius had had terrible times too and it was selfish of her to only think of herself. "I'm sorry, Alexius. That must have been devastating."

@Atrice

Caecina was confident that no one had seen her or Marcus that day, so she wasn't particularly concerned with her reputation. If her guards had let it leak that she had done such a thing and ruined her reputation, she would have asked her father to fire them and replace them. She didn't understand Manius at all - all she saw was a man trying to stop her from living her life the way she wanted to, a symbol of her status as a child and a weakling. She hated that feeling. She felt a little bad for taking out her frustration on him, but then her anger flared again and she sighed heavily. 

Her guilt took over again, though as he said he wanted them to get along and that he wanted her to trust him. She gazed at him for a long moment, trying to determine any truth to his statements through his eyes. But she wasn't a good judge of character and she wasn't sure she could trust him - not yet. Finally, she sighed again and uncrossed her arms, taking her weight off of the wall that she had been leaning on. "Alright, Manius. I want to get along with you too. And I'm... sorry."

@Atrice

Caecina grinned as Marcus entered, as suave and handsome as he always was. He had that way of pushing his hair back that just let it fall right back into place, and she thought he must have done that recently with how his hair was looking now. He spoke then, saying that he hoped he hadn't disturbed her and she shook her head. "Of course not. I'm always happy to have you, you know that." Even if she had been about to take a nap, spending time with him was much more preferable. 

The young man sat on the bed next to her and she gazed into his light blue eyes as he asked whether there were slaves nearby. "Not one." She wasn't sure where Astraea had gone off to, but Caecina had said she didn't need her for a few hours. That only left Manius as a variable, but she hadn't indicated she was going anywhere today, so there was no reason for him to come by. "Did you come here, just hoping to catch a poor, innocent girl by herself?" Her voice was teasing. 

@Atrice

Early August, 75CE

Why was Caecina plagued with forced visits with people she didn't care to know? It was nothing personal against those she had to meet - she just had a million other things she'd rather be doing! And Juliana had an amazing ability to make connections for Caecina while being miles away at the villa. Today's visit was no different. She had been introduced to Horatia Justina before, and had attended a social gathering, a book club, at her home as well (also spurred on by her stepmother) but had never had a visit with the woman one on one. At the book club meeting, Caecina had made the appropriate niceties and then retreated to spend the rest of the evening with the one young woman she'd known there. 

Because she'd never interacted one on one with the older woman, Caecina was going into the meeting today with little to no context or knowledge about her personality, and that intimidated her. The young senatore lady was of the notion that all older women were simply out to get their younger counterparts, to judge their new fashions and hair styles, to judge their adherence to the proprieties. Caecina was absolutely better at interacting with women her age than older women. But at least she had some knowledge about how to appease the old cats, so she was at least prepared on that front. 

Caecina dressed especially carefully, choosing a more modest chiton than she usually wore. The fabric was a light blue, Caecina's favorite, and embroidered along the edge's by the girl's own hands, something she could brag about if she needed to defend herself. Her palla was also blue, though darker, and sparingly decorated. Her jewelry was tasteful and not too garish, and she brought along a bottle of fine wine from her father's cellars as a hostess gift. Upon arrival, Caecina was shown into the entryway to wait for her hostess. 

@Sara

Early July, 75CE

Marcellus took a step back and sighed. The sun was beating overhead and making him drip with sweat. The whole team and their accompanying servants had turned out to help assess and fix the damage to the stables, and of course Marcellus was helping out. What else did he have to do, anyway? He could be out drinking, of course, but what was the point in that if he had to come back to the stables to sleep in an uncomfortable pallet on the ground? It wasn't worth it, though, for the hundredth time, he reminded himself to pool his money together and live in the insulae nearby. It wouldn't be a headache to commute to training, and he was a free man, free to live where he liked. 

But for now, he was taking a break from moving stones into the rubbish pile to have an apple and a sit-down. He couldn't work for hours on end without stopping - no human could. He made his way into an undamaged covered area and sat, sighing again. What a boring and difficult day. 

@Liv

Aglaea nodded as he thanked her for reminding him to tie his coin purse on a little tighter. She just didn't want him to go through the anxiety of losing money on the streets of Rome - for people like them, money was hard-won and precious, and losing even one coin purse could be devastating. Of course, she didn't know his monetary situation. Manius said that there weren't a lot of decent people in Rome and she shrugged. "Well, someone has to be a leader," she replied, grinning a little. She, of course, would never even think of taking someone else's money, both because of a personal moral code, and because of the tenets of her religion. 

Manius then explained that he grew up in Rome and she flushed a little, embarrassed at her own silliness in assuming he was new. Anyone could get flustered at the markets - she certainly did from time to time. "Ah, I see. As you can tell, I am not from Rome." She gestured at her darker skin tone. Then she offered to share a cake with him and he asked if she was sure. "Of course. I bought too many and I certainly don't need to eat them all myself," she said with a laugh. "Come on. Take a break from the crowds for a moment." Without waiting to see whether he was following, she led the way to the fountain she had noticed a moment before, sitting on the marble edge.

@Atrice