Chevi

They were slowly beginning to work out the details. That was good. Theo liked practical things. Having steps to go through to catch the killer, that was something he could work with. "Alexius, do you want to visit the brothel? Or Theo, perhaps you would like to?" Didia grinned at him and Theo blushed, despite his better judgment. "I can go too. I have worked there before." Every once in a while he would be summoned to help with an injury or an illness, and he did not mind helping out. Before they could plan more, Artemon marched into the room. Didia immediately tried to get rid of him. Theo wondered if it would work. Sure, Artemon was not the sharpest knife, but would he really believe...? @Sara@Sharpie@Liv@Atrice

There were colorful spots dancing before his eyes in the dark. Damn, he needed to find the medicine. Someone rustled in the darkness of the storage room. "I was trying to sleep." Ovinia Camilla. She had been sulking for the past few days, but at least she had not been underfoot much. Flint clinked, and a small flame illuminated the storage room, revealing a pile of bedding. Lucius slid down, collapsing on top of a crate. Sitting felt more stable than standing. Ovinia, on her part, looked like she had seen a ghost. "What's wrong? I'll go wake Marius." "Don't." he caught her on her way out with his free hand. "I don't need the fuss. I'll be fine." The fact that he was still grimacing with pain said the opposite, but he really did not want Marius fussing over him. Or the rest of the household. He knew they already worried, and he did not like to be treated like an invalid. "I just need to find the opium, it's in here somewhere." @Sara

Lucius woke up in a cold sweat to pain shooting up his arm. Pain had been constant since his injury, but he had made himself believe it was slowly getting better. He still drank opium before going to bed. But this time, in the middle of the night, his whole arm seized up in a way that almost made him bite his tongue. It took several minutes before he could will himself to sit up, panting and growling in pain. Dammit. Marius was not a slave, he did not sleep by his bed. Or anywhere near at all. He would have, if Lucius asked, but he hated the idea of being waited on like an invalid. And now, the wine was gone, and so was the opium. And goddamn his arm hurt. Fuck. Maybe it would have been better to lose it. He made his way down the hallway, leaning against the wall. There was no need to make a fuss and wake up the servants. He would manage just fine. The storage room was not that far away. He knew where the jugs were, and where the vials were with the opium. Still, he was breathing heavily by the time he made it to the door. Fuck. He had not lit a lantern, because he could not do it with one hand. He'd manage. He opened the door, walking in, and promptly stepped on something. "Ow! Watch it." Someone. Lucius lost his balance, stumbling back against the shelves. His shoulder collided with the hard wood, and this time he did cry out in pain. Why was someone even on the floor?... "What the fuck..." he groaned through gritted teeth.

Lucius watched all the thoughts play out in Ovinia's eyes. If she wanted to kill herself, he could not stop her, not really. He also could do precious little to convince her it was worth living on as a slave for the rest of her life. But he did not want her death, out of all of them, to be on his head. He waited to see how it would play out, once she had weighed her options realistically. "I want my own room. I can't sleep with the others in there. And I want to be able to sit in the gardens and read.You're not going to use me for the reason they intended. So it won't matter to you." Lucius smiled a small smile. Now she was making demands again. "You will have to learn to make yourself useful. But you can read in your free time." She could not just play at being a guest in the house. The servants would not let her do that. The room... that was a trickier request. "I'll see what I can do about the room. But you'll have to be nicer to the others if you want a chance at it." "What happened?" He followed her glance at his arm. The smile was gone as he pushed away from the desk, turning his back to her. "A civil war happened. You can go."

"Lucky for me?! I should be grateful to you that you're not going to rape me? Well thank you, domine, you are truly a blessed master." Lucius frowned at her. He did not expect a thank you for stating that fact, but she also did not realize that she was, indeed, lucky. He knew for a fact most men in his position would have taken the opportunity and never thought twice. He'd never liked that. Reality was sinking in now, but Ovinia's dignity was still fighting the inevitable. "Why would I regret running? You're not going to come after me." "Someone else would. And they would brand you." At the least. She had to know that. "You could speak to the Emperor for me." "Not until things calm down." The emperor needed to show strength, which meant he needed to show revenge. Visible, and merciless. He was not going to start granting pardons until the city was at least partially back on its feet. And definitely not for patrician girls. "I should have cut my wrists when my mother poisoned herself. Maybe I should now." The look in Lucius' eyes softened. "Please don't do that." he said quietly. He knew she was getting desperate. But her choices were limited, and so were his. "You are safe here. I am not going to hurt you. But you need to stop trying to get away."

"I'm not coming back!" Well, that was going to be a problem. "So what? I spend my life with your freedmen and plebs, sewing the holes in your tuincs, domine?" Right now, that sounded like a bad time for the both of them. Ovinia was riling herself up now. "What? Are you going to change my name too, huh? Whip me? Sell me?" She could probably be heard across the house at this point. Lucius watched her, wondering if she was going to tire herself out. "You're pathetic. Keeping somebody who has done nothing wrong in the gutter just to make yourself feel better about all the awful things you did to keep your Emperor in his seat." He winced at that last one. A civil war was never neat and tidy. Sure, the rebels were mostly in the wrong, but they did drag a whole lot of people along who deserved better. The people of Rome. People Lucius had sworn to protect, not hunt and kill. "Alright, let's get a few things straight." he said, pushing himself up to walk around his desk. He leaned back against it, keeping his eyes on Ovinia. "Your family instigated a civil war. People died. You are being punished, because your relatives, or maybe you too, I don't care, have made bad choices. I did not ask to be a part of that punishment." He kept his eyes on her, wondering if she was going to go off again. "I can't set you free. I can sell you or gift you to someone else. But you need to hear this." He took a deep breath. "You have not been gifted to me for your skills. You have been gifted to be so I would bed you. Lucky for you, I don't bed people who don't want it. But not many think like me in this city, so if I sell you, you might regret that choice. And if you run away, you might regret that choice even more."

Well, Ovinia Camilla was not smirking anymore. Lucius almost felt bad for her, watching reality sink in. What her faction did, the whole civil war... it had been awful, and cost a lot of people their lives and homes. But that did not make this feel any better. "For a walk. Or home. I can't stay here. They said I have to call you domine. I'm...not a slave, not like that. We have so many at home, I'm not one of them." Lucius glanced up, noting that Marius was hovering by the door. He had probably been fretting about Ovinia marching in here. He waved a hand, sending him away. "You don't even want me here. So give the little goaty man your permission and I'll be on my way." Lucius sighed, his free hand pinching the bridge of his nose. He either had to handle this, or Marius would, and Marius was... not known for being tactful. Then again, neither was Lucius. "Well, Ovinia Camilla, you are a slave. That means you can't go home." Never. Even if her home had not yet been razed to the ground. "And you are right, you are not like the others. They are all free. I don't like to keep slaves. But I am informed I can't free you even if I wanted to, because... well, this is punishment for what your family has done." Why they were also punishing him, though, he was not sure. "You can go on a walk, if you promise to come back. But I would need to know you'd keep that promise. You do not want to be a runaway slave."

To be honest, Lucius would have half forgotten now by the strange gift, had Marius not complained about her abundantly in the morning while he was helping Lucius get dressed. It already put him in a foul mood, because he liked to dress himself... except now, he couldn't. And on top of that, apparently Ovinia Camilla was the talk of the household. Laugh, rather. She marched right into his office half an hour later. "I can't do this. And the stupid ugly little man at the door won't let me out. He said I need your permission." That's because you are a slave. She was either in denial, or... she didn't really know what being a slave meant. Which was ironic, her family probably owned a whole bunch of them. Lucius sat back, looking her over with some amusement. "And... where would you be going, exactly?" @Sara

"Money? How much would I be worth then? Comparatively?" "I have no clue." Lucius deadpanned. Probably a lot, if they had sold her to a high end brothel. Girls like her were expensive, even he knew that, although he had never purchased a slave this quality. She also did not seem to realize yet how lucky she was. Marius looked like he was about to give her a piece of his mind, but Lucius preferred that she figure it out on her own. "Just sewing? Fine." "Until you learn something better to do." "And I need to use the baths. The cage...thing where they held me was disgusting." "She needs to..." Marius looked ready to faint with indignation. Lucius waved at him, stepping closer and wrinkling his nose. "You do need to wash." he agreed. "Marius here will show you where you can draw water, and he will show you where you sleep. There should be a clean tunic too somewhere." @Sara

"In my defence, neither did I. I just happened to be somebody's daughter." She was one of those, then. Patrician girl, taken into slavery as revenge on the men of her family. Who were probably not alive anymore. Lucius came closer, and he could tell she was putting on a brave face. Good for her. "I can look after children. And...weave. And sew. And host parties and plan them." "I don't have children and I don't do parties." And he was not about to start either anytime soon, that much was clear. He sighed, looking her over. "You didn't know you were getting me?" "I didn't know I was getting anyone at all. Honestly, money would have been better." At least he could have spent that on useful things. "But here we are. I'll get Sabina to find you some sewing work, and you can make yourself useful." @Sara

"Congratulations." Oh, she was definitely not used to her new status yet. It was interesting; Lucius would have assumed they would have broken her before giving her away. Apparently not. Maybe some patrician privilege did go a long way. There was a glint of recognition in her eyes as she sized him up. And a smug grin. Gods, this girl. "You were a patrician. You were the man adopted down!" "Glad the scandal is alive and well." Lucius groaned, rolling his eyes. Even a civil war could not wash that story away. People needed to get over it. "You understand. My situation." "Well... not completely." Lucius noted, standing up from the desk and emptying his cup of wine. "I did not participate in a rebellion against the emperor. And I still have no idea what the fuck to do with you. Do you have any useful skills at all?" @Sara

Didia did not seem as convinced as Lucius was. She had a lot of apprehension about the vigiles, and probably this gathering in general, which was understandable. She had been attacked before and nothing happened to find the culprit. The vigiles had a long way to go to make up for that. "But how do you even find the right barber? You can't go knocking on every barber's door in Rome. Unless your vigiles colleagues suddenly find some enthusiasm and work ethic." "We can and we will if we have to. Some of us do have the enthusiasm." he noted, knowing he sounded a little defensive. But she was right, the vigiles knocking on doors was not the best way of going about this, unless they wanted the man tipped off. "Sometimes it's the simplest answer that's the right one. Maybe Jason is right. It's worth finding out. And if we're wrong... we'll keep looking. We can't go knocking on every barber's door, but we can take a look at them. Ask around. See if anyone stands out. This one has to stand out, somehow." "We know what he looks like" Lucius nodded. "That narrows it down a little. And we could start in the area around the Via Lata, on the off chance he did not lie. But you're right, it can't be an official investigation. We need to be smart about this." "As I understand, he has seen some of you. And I think the vigiles asking after him could be too obvious..." "If none of us knew anything about anyone else - except perhaps you, Alexius - then perhaps there are others looking, too," "I can go look at the records of the vigiles. See if anyone has reported similar attacks that went... ignored." Lucius nodded. "Someone should go to the brothel and see if he has been there lately. Maybe find a clue of who he is, or make sure we know when he shows up next time..." He tapped the stylus on the table again. "Maybe some..." It was that moment when the door burst open. Lucius jumped, looking at the young man who sauntered in. "You didn't tell me you were throwing a party! Who or what are we celebrating?" Lucius turned to look at Alexius, with an unspoken question in his eyes. Oh, bother. @Sharpie @Sara @Atrice @Liv

"You've lived among Romans for eight years... a barber is what they call the man who comes to shave them," Oh. Those people. Azarion blinked. Yes, that made sense. The others seemed to mostly agree, although Didia was not very enthusiastic about it. Was this it, then? Did they just figure out who... or at least what... the killer was? "If none of us knew anything about anyone else - except perhaps you, Alexius - then perhaps there are others looking, too," Azarion huffed. Of course. Probably a whole lot of someones, all thinking they, or their loved ones had been the victim of a random incident. He remembered the long months he had been trying to find something, anything, to lead him to his man. He signed to Jason, more for his own peace of mind than anything. I was looking for a year. But I can't ask questions. @Sharpie @Sara @Atrice

"No trouble no, not at all. At least, not yet." Theo noted the jug of wine Spurius was carrying, and chuckled. Io Saturnalia, indeed. Well, maybe it was time to pack it up for the evening anyway. He had no idea what a drunk Spurius would be like, but if he was going to spend the evening with a friend, the fellow veteran was not a bad option. "Are you still working? I just felt like some excellent company and thought you might like to wander with me and see what men and Gods are up to this evening." "I am done for the night" Theo answered, ducking back into the room to grab his cloak and bag. Excellent company. It made him smile cheerfully. "But if we are going to drink, I am going to need to eat something too. Let's go." He locked up the room before they turned to head out. "Where do you usually celebrate?" @Sarah

They all filed into the tent. Jason seemed to like it; he had done this before, so it would be familiar to him. They all reclined on the pillows, finding comfortable positions in the small space; even the chief did not complain. He just looked curious. Well, Azarion was curious too. He opened the small box he had stashed away in the tent. Back home, the hemp was often a part of rituals; since it was a festival now, in a way, in honor of the gods - even if they were Roman gods - Azarion's lips moved as he silently sent a prayer to their own gods far away. Then he took some of the dried plants, and placed them on the embers. Smoke began to curl up as the hemp caught fire. The unmistakable scent filled the air inside the tent. Azarion inhaled, rolling his shoulders. He glanced over the brazier at his cousin, nodding towards their royal guest. How much does he know about where we are from? @Atrice @Sarah @Sharpie

Theo blinked at Jason's words. A barber. It... made a lot of sense. Glancing over at Didia, however, he could tell that she was not as impressed as some of the others. "They seem very convinced." "Well, it's not a bad..." "He could be anything else, as well. No offence of course. Good idea but...seems too easy." "Sometimes it's the simplest answer that's the right one. Maybe Jason is right. It's worth finding out. And if we're wrong... we'll keep looking." It did seem like an almost perfect fit. The knives, the scent, the access... maybe even the blood. Gods knew most men had been nicked by a barber before. Theo frowned. He could just grow a beard from now on, he was Greek anyway... "But how do you even find the right barber? You can't go knocking on every barber's door in Rome. Unless your vigiles colleagues suddenly find some enthusiasm and work ethic." "We can't go knocking on every barber's door, but we can take a look at them. Ask around. See if anyone stands out. This one has to stand out, somehow." "As I understand, he has seen some of you." Theo noted, glancing at Didia. She could not be a part of this. She shouldn't, anyway. "And I think the vigiles asking after him could be too obvious..." @Sharpie@Atrice@Sara

Septima caught her breath as Lexus leaned in to kiss her. She did not know what to expect. He pressed his lips to hers; they were soft and warm. The kiss was brief; almost as soon as she felt the touch, it was over. Opening her eyes (she did not realize she had closed them), Septima saw Lexus blushing as he looked back at her. Wait, that was it...? He brow furrowed. That was not in line with what her sister had told her about kissing. In theory. "Did I... do something wrong?" @Atrice

"My thoughts exactly." Well, that was snappy for a slave. Lucius pushed his chair back, looking at the young woman, paying more attention this time. His right arm was in a sling, bandaged and covered from wrist to shoulder. The medicus had done what he could, but still hurt a lot, so he drank more thick wine from his cup. Damn. Marius leaned down to talk to him. He was a freedman, and he took his job very seriously. "I was told she came from an important family. She can read and write, speaks Greek..." "Can she." Lucius winced. Read and write. Well, at least he could still do one of those things now. Greek was useless, though. He spoke some too. "I am Ovinia Camilla. And may I ask who you are?" It was almost amusing, how differently she behaved than other slaves. Lucius figured other people around the city, the "lucky" ones, were having the exact same problem with their patrician gifts right now. And probably dealing with it in different ways. This girl did not know how lucky she was. "Lucius Manius Victorius Roscianus. Tribunus viligum." In case she needed to know. "Ovinia Camilla, it seems like you have been gifted to me." @Sara

Lucius Manius Victorius Roscianus was not having a good day. Then again, no one in the entire goddamn city of Rome had had a good day since before the latest civil war started. At least they had won. Lucius and the other tribunes rallied around the praefect, who gave his support to the imperial family. The city burned and people died, but in the end, the families trying to take over were subdued. And punished. And now it was time to pick up the pieces. He had gotten injured in the last days of the fight. A battle wound, they called it. He didn't like it, but he let them. He would be rewarded for his service to the empire, they had assured him, but Lucius was not a fool. His arm would never be the same again. That reward, whatever it was, came with a desk, and paperwork. Which, ironically, he could not even goddamn do himself. He had been trying to use his left hand all morning to write, and it was not happening. Lucius was in a foul mood. Then, to top it off, his servant came in to report his... reward had arrived. And it was a person. He'd been gifted an enslaved patrician. They were an as a dozen these days. Lucius was swearing under his breath as she walked in. He looked at her, surprised. She was... young. Pretty. And visibly annoyed. "Well?" She was not a trained body slave. Or a slave of any kind. Lucius shook his head. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with you?" @Sara

Metella led Sergia to the atrium, where it was nice and comfortable. There were benches set up for guests, a couch to lounge on, and a small table in the shade of some citrus trees that was there for serving drinks and food. She sent one of the house slaves to bring those fresh from the kitchen, and offered Sergia a seat, fluffing up the pillows for the couch. As she did everything in an easy manner, she kept smiling, and kept her eyes on the young woman. The famous Sergia. She looked a bit younger than Metella, and a whole lot more naive. Which was not necessarily a problem. After bad luck in love, and an atrocious first choice of a wife, the dominus deserved someone who was good to him, even if in a simple way. Simple dominas were less complicated. And even Longinus could handle one. The slaves returned with plates of olives, grapes, and cheese, and a jug of light wine with a cup. Metella stepped back. It might have been the beginning Saturnalia, but she still knew how she was expected to treat a guest like Sergia. "Please let me know if you wish for anything else, domina." @locutus-sum

"I pulled a knife on his balls... You didn't hear that." "Oh I most definitely did" Lucius smirked at Didia, surprised "I applaud you for it." He was not about to arrest a woman for defending herself. He just wished she had cut said balls clear off. Didia insisted on asking her question again. Luckily, Alexius stepped in to answer. “Because, stupid as it is, someone of a higher rank has been attacked. Apparently, that gets the attention of the vigiles better than anything else.” Lucius sighed. He was not wrong, but he hated it. “No offense Lucius, but this can’t be the only time the vigiles have been alerted of such attacks or murders. They just don’t respond, or maybe they gave up too soon? But now a young lady that both I and Lucius know personally was attacked just days ago, and Lucius clearly has the wits to actually do something about it.” He didn't really have the wits. He just had the sheer thirst for revenge. But he was not about to point that out. “Maybe you should look into notes… what are they called? Records? That the vigiles have. See if anyone else tried to get their attention, but failed.” "I can do that" Lucius nodded. "I am the first one to admit the vigiles have a whole lot to improve on. But I'm not here in an official capacity. Let's just deal with this one monster for now." “And then we need to see if we can find someone, who has a shop near the Via Lata, who has expensive lemon scented oil and also access to sharp knives.” "Lemons... he is either rich, or he deals with wealthy people." In the end, it was Jason who put the pieces together. Lucius already knew the young body slave was intelligent, probably beyond what he was given credit for. But his conclusion, after lining up the details, still hit Lucius like a lightning bolt. "He's a hairdresser or barber or something like it," "By the gods... fuck, you are right." he stared at Jason with wide eyes. How did they not see it before? "He's a barber. He has to be." And if he was, the search had just gotten a lot less impossible. "Jason, you're a genius. We can find him." @Sharpie @Atrice @Sara

"I pulled a knife on his balls..." "I like her," I do too. Azarion smiled a little. The woman seemed the most competent of the whole bunch. Except maybe Alexius. But it was easier to be a warrior when you were built like one. "He said if I screamed he'd cut out my tongue... Sorry..." Azarion's look darkened. What was it with Romans and cutting out tongues? Fucker. If the gods favored Azarion, he would get to do just that to the man. The question remained: why didn't anyone care until now? Azarion hated that, because it was the right thing to ask. No one had given a shit about Safinia's death. Not the vigiles, not anyone. And now that some other rich woman was attacked, suddenly they were up in arms. Safinia had deserved better. He just hoped he could take it all out on the murderer, because if he couldn't, he sure as hell was going to take it out on the vigiles. Jason's mind seemed to be occupied with more practical matters. "He has a shop, he has knives, he has scented oil... He deals with wealthy people - the areas he goes to to hurt people are places he'd stand out if he was rich... He's a hairdresser or barber or something like it," Azarion tilted his head. Judging by the stunned looks around, he was probably on to something. But he'd lost Azarion in the process. What's that?... @Sharpie @Sara @Atrice

Theo could tell Didia was on edge. She had to remember things she probably wanted to forget, which was bad enough - but she was not happy about Lucius and the vigiles either. She did not trust them, and why should she? They did not help her before. And there it was, the big question. Why didn't they? Did someone rich really need to get injured before anyone paid attention to the monster prowling the streets? Theo reached out and touched Didia's hand, as a gesture of support. "Lemons... he is either rich, or he deals with wealthy people." he noted. Lemon oil was not a thing for the plebes, usually. But then what? There had to be something there, a clue, but he could not quite put his finger on it. @Sharpie @Sara @Atrice

"It's not so bad, not anymore. I think your yarrow helped." Septima looked down at the hand she was still holding, and examined it a little. The bleeding had stopped, and the injury did not look too bad now. That was good. She knew that they both had other things on their mind now, but she still worried for Lexus being alright. All the worry, however, disappeared in an instant when he spoke again. "Septima I... I like you. I really want to try and... and... kiss you." Septima's heart jumped like it was trying to break out of her chest. She had never felt anything like that before. She looked up at Lexus again, wide-eyed. She knew she was supposed to say no. Any girl in her right mind was supposed to say no to something like that, because there was no way he could court her, and Grandfather would be furious. Even Thalia would have said it was a bad idea. She wasn't even supposed to be out alone in the garden like this. With him. But at the same time, the thought of him kissing her made her heart race. She had never been kissed before. Let alone by anyone she liked. She felt torn, watching him, he was clearly waiting for an answer, just as nervously as she was. "I've... never kissed anyone before" she admitted quietly. Was that bad? Someone was supposed to know what they were doing, and it clearly wasn't her. Did Lexus? She realized her words were not really an answer. She swallowed, blushing. Maybe, for once, she could break a rule. "You can kiss me. If you want." @Atrice

This was good. This was working. Things were connecting to each other now, and they had more knowledge than before. And more people. Sure, not all of them were equally enthusiastic. "You don't get any apples. He's a vigile whether he's here as one or not." Ovinia would like her. "Fair. I hope I'll have a chance to convince you otherwise." For now, he would just have to do all he could to keep all of this together. He could worry about the reputation of the vigiles later. Lucius unrolled the map on Alexius' table, and weighed it down with some of the utensils. "Jason is right. No one had figured that it was the same person, before. The gods know, this city has enough crime to go around." It was his entire job to know that, after all. "I marked the map where the attacks happened... But I can't see a pattern, other than places away from the main streets. You are welcome to take a look. But yes, I think we need to pool all we know about him. Maybe try to figure out who... or what he is." Lucius stood back, drinking some wine, and opening up the writing tablet to make a new list. "We now he is a man. My height, dark hair, light eyes. Carries a knife, or knives, that are sharp and kept take care of. He doesn't seek out fights" he glanced at Azarion. "And likes to make people bleed, more than killing them. Mostly women, as far as we know. Goes hunting in various parts of the city, for people he doesn't know. The only place we know he'd visited more than once was the brothel. He hunts like a predator, for the blood." He frowned deeply, tapping the stylus against his lips. "There was something else. The lemon scented oil, the broken vial. Who was that?" @Sharpie @Atrice @Sara