Chevi

"He took the life of somebody you love? I am so sorry..." Love. The word stung. Azaion didn't now if he'd loved Safinia. He never had the time to find out. But he had cared for her, and she did not deserve the way she died. "I...I... You want to hurt him more? He's dead...he's gone... Do you...want some wine?" She offered some wine; his gestures must have scared her. Azarion sighed, trying to give her a kinder look, and nodded. Taking the skin, he drank some of the wine, wrinkling his nose. It was bad, but whatever. He put a hand on his chest. Thank you. @Sara

"What?" Calpurnia stared at him. It wasn't the drunk part that bothered her... it was him, on the doorsteps of Vesta. "Alexius you need to be more careful than that. You could have gotten into trouble..." She gave him a serious look, but she trailed off, and kissed him back. If he was going to get into trouble for anything, it was not going to be sleeping on some stairs. Once she pulled back, she reached up to stroke his face. "I am sorry we haven't found a better way to meet yet." @Atrice

Ovinia looked up at him, flushed and dark-eyed, and the world seemed to fall away from the two of them. He'd waited for this for so long. He wanted her so much. She asked, looking hesitant. Lucius watched her, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles. "I would like to take you to bed" he whispered. "And I would like to touch you. And hold you." Way, way beyond the bounds of propriety. "I promise we won't go too far." He added. There were lines they could not cross. "And if you say no, to anything... we'll stop. That's the only way this works." @Sara

He could feel her. He could feel her breath hitch, and her heart hammering, and he felt her fingers curl into his hair. It was maddening. Lucius kissed his way down Ovinia's neck to her collarbone, and one of his hands slid along her body, caressing her breast. The sensation made him moan too, her words ringing in his ear. She'd been dreaming about him. "Me too" he breathed, lifting his head to look at her again. @Sara

Ovinia's hair came tumbling down, and Lucius ran his hand through it. It was like silk. Something about her, with her hair down like that, was even more attractive. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that only her husband was supposed to see her like this. He didn't care. He kissed her with passion and longing, until she leaned back against the wall by the window. He looked down at her, well kissed and framed by the sunshine and the flowers outside. "You're so beautiful" he breathed, leaning in to kiss his way along her jaw, below her ear and down her neck. @Sara

Lucius grinned at her admission. For a Roman maiden, she was surprisingly straightforward with those lately. The idea that she'd wanted him... that she'd thought of him that way, made him feel a new wave of want for her. He kissed her back, matching the sense of building passion, one hand running into her hair, tilting her head gently to deepen the kiss. @Sara

"Since Neptunalia" he breathed, smiling, and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Her hands traveled over his body and the sensation made him shiver. It really had been that long. He had wanted her even before he realized it. "You?" @Sara

The kiss was soft and loving, but it did not remain chaste for long. Ovinia pulled him closer, and Lucius felt his own heartbeat jump, like it always did when they kissed. His hands traveled to her hips and he deepened the kiss, running his tongue over her lips, and moaning softly. She tasted like ambrosia. He drew her closer, flush against him, his palms traveling the curve of her back. @Sara

Ovinia drew closer to him, and he wrapped his around around her. It was different, softer than their moment in the gardens, but Lucius reveled in it, reveled in not being rushed or being on alert, and being allowed to hold her and take his time. She tilted her chin up and he smiled, leaning down to kiss her. @Sara

"Quaint. Why did they think yellow was a good colour for an atrium?" Lucius chuckled, shaking his head and following her up the stairs. "Next time, let me know ahead of time what color unoccupied domus I should find for our lunch together" he grinned, watching her push a door open and find a spacious room. It really was a nice room, painted in softer colors, and a window opening to the inside garden in full bloom. Not even the noise of Rome's streets could reach it. "It's beautiful." "It is, isn't" he smiled, joining her at the window. He was only half looking at the view. @Sara

He could see that she'd made up her mind. Her lips curled into a smile, and Lucius smiled too, accepting her hand and standing up from the couch, wine forgotten. She was beautiful in that moment. And precious. She wanted to give her everything that would make her happy. "Of course." he led her by the hand back out into the small peristyle garden. "From what I can tell, that's the tablinum... this way." He led her though the hallways to the atrium, decorated with a small pond in the middle. "They have some rooms this way, and on the other side... Stairs that way. They have more rooms upstairs... they have windows to the garden. They are nice." Lucius did not want to make the same mistake as last time, taking Ovinia into some dark room with a locked door. @Sara

Lucius blinked as she stood, wondering what she'd decided. Whatever it was, it had to be her decision; but he really hoped she was not leaving yet. "Do all the rooms have furniture?" Lucius swallowed, nodding. "Yes. Pretty much." It had been kept in good condition, covered against dust - likely in hopes of someone buying it soon. @Sara

Lucius could tell she was hesitating. She had every reason to. Last time, they had been caught up in the moment. This time was different. He smiled, pulling back to look at her. He loved her. These questions were easy to answer. "Yes, and yes." he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, that's that. And of course I want to spend time with you. Would you like to tell me about your day?" @Sara

The kiss he gave her was soft; he was holding back. It made her smile. She knew how much he wanted to be with her; that had been clear every time they met. She stayed in his arms as he pulled back. "Anywhere's nice with you though. How have you been?" "I have been keeping busy" she answered. Calpurnia did not like to sit around idle. "My sister-in-law and I are working on something new... a home for women in need. It takes a lot of work, but it will be worth it..." She smiled, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "How have you been? When not catching criminals?" @Atrice

Lucius sighed, smiling a little against her lips. This woman. Ovinia had indeed told him what she wanted... what she thought about. And now she was asking him the same question. It was only fair that she did... but in this game, she had a whole lot more to lose than him. And he did not want to ask for things she might not want to give. Or do something that scares her, like he had last time. He rested his forehead against her. "I think you know" he murmured "I want to kiss you, and I want to touch you... I want to give you pleasure." He felt almost a little shy about it, as if she would pull away any moment. "More importantly... I want you to feel safe. With me." It was too rare a moment to ruin. @Sara

Lucius' brow furrowed as he looked at her, confused. "Reciprocated what?" He remembered a whole lot about their last encounter, at Floralia in the gardens. He also remembered, very clearly, what she had told him... he doubted he would ever forget. The soft kiss was playful, but he was not sure where he had been unfair in this game. @Sara

"It will all be worth it when you have your baby in your arms," Metella sure hoped so, but she was smarter than to say that. She was happy as Attis' wife, and looking forward to being mother to their child. She was fond of the little one, but as the pregnancy progressed, it became harder and harder to ignore all the discomfort it came with. Metella was not particularly sensitive; she'd get the job done. She just hoped she'd actually make a good mother in the end. "No two births are alike. This is different for every woman and every child. So it's important for me that you are comfortable, so the child will also feel comfortable enough to come out. If you prefer to lie down in bed, that's fine. If you prefer to get down on your hands and knees, that is also fine. If you would rather squat and hold onto something, I will help you through that." Metella nodded, feeling a little awkward about Melia holding her hand, but a small part of her was grateful for it. Her other hand was stroking her belly; she knew the next pain would come soon enough. "Thank you... Can you... tell if she's alright?" she ventured. "Can you tell how long it will be?" She knew that experienced midwives knew quite a lot; but she was not experienced herself, having only ever just assisted. @Liv

He felt her shudder and his heart skipped, like it did every time she gave a sign of what effect he had on her. He smiled softly, watching her. So beautiful. "You're teasing me." "Maybe." he whispered. She teased him for a lot of things, so it was only fair if he did too. Playfully. "Would you believe me if I said those reasons were the excellent lunch you put on, and nothing else?" "I'd take it." he smiled, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, thumb caressing her cheek. "As long as we're alone together. I told you. Whatever you want." @Sara

Lucius felt content, sitting next to her and holding her close. For once, he did not have to keep looking over his shoulder. She seemed to feel the same, because she leaned in for a soft kiss. "I'm sure I could think of a reason or two to meet you again." He smiled against her lips, kissing her softly. "Oh?... And what would those reasons be?" he murmured, running his tongue over her bottom lip. @Sara

Lucius sighed; he knew he was not going to win this conversation. Strangely, he didn't mind. "I'm not going to answer that" he shook his head, amused. "But a man needs to be able to plan, no? A bunny one day, a domus another... if I piled all the gifts on you at once, you'd call me a tryhard, and you would have no reason to meet me again." He smirked. He leaned over to kiss her cheek. @Sara

"Ew." He shook his head at the idea. Sure, he found Ovinia both frustrating and alluring when she was angry at him, but he did not feel anything similar for Mania. She was firmly in the annoying little sister category. "But answer me this, my sweet Lucius... If your family own a jewellery business...why have I not received any of their wares as a gift?" "You know, sometimes I feel like you are just keeping me around for the riches" he smirked at her, shaking his head. "A house, a cithara, now jewelry... Who am I to dare to guess what you'd like to wear?" @Sara

"Ovinia" he gave her a mock-serious look. "She's my sister." She seemed a bit too curious about Mania. "She's about your age. And honestly, she has a very similar temperament. I can't tell if you two would be best friends, or mortal enemies" he grinned. He was clearly fond of his newfound sister, even if the feeling was not quite mutual. @Sara

"I'm not squirreled. It's called working." he quirked an eyebrow at her, wrapping an around around her shoulder as she leaned against him. "But no, I don't think you have met them. They have a jewelry business, among other things... they mostly accepted me as a business arrangement. Except for Mania. It took some time to make her.... not hate me. But I think I'm making progress."

"We can" he nodded. He was content, being in her presence, sharing a moment that did not need to be hurried. And he was happy she trusted him with that. He sat down, making space for her on the couch. He refilled their cups too; the wine was well watered and tasted like honey. "This is already a better lunch than any I have attended at home." he added with a grin. @Sara

"I was told I should compliment you more" he reminded her, tilting his cheek up as she touched it. He looked up at her. It felt different... to be alone with her like this. Not a stolen moment, or a portico, or a garden. Properly alone. He stood up, hands brushing along her sides. "I am glad you are not running away." He smiled softly, kissing her forehead before he looked down at her. "But you need to know... I want you to feel safe. Whatever you want, or don't want... tell me. It's up to you." @Sara