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Sharpie

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  1. Sharpie
    "Uh-huh." Teutus said, and sighed. "I almost wish he didn't, you know." Not that he wasn't pleased about it when it came to being able to look after Antonia, of course; but Tertius had absolutely gone and played merry hell with him when it came to making him responsible for the baby who'd replaced him in pretty much every way imaginable as his father's heir. Tertius had never cared for him in anything like the same way he doted on Charis' baby, despite everything he'd said to the contrary. Tertius said a lot of things, in Teutus' experience, but he rarely matched the action to the word. How long had it been that he'd promised Teutus his freedom, after all? He'd only given it when it seemed he had no choice. "He probably only did it because he trusts everyone else even less," he added, knowing it made him sound bitter. Hades, he was bitter, and jaded, when it came to his father and anything to do with Tertius Quinctilius Varus. "Anyway," he said, striving to lighten the mood. "This is home - for now, anyway." He led the way up the stairs of the insula to his apartment - three rooms that had seemed too much for just him but now looked as if they'd be slightly cramped quarters for five. The door opened into one large room, and two smaller rooms led off it to one side, one with a window to the street, the other with a window overlooking the walkway around the insula's interior courtyard. Maybe he should be on the lookout for a domus somewhere - or a bigger apartment, at the very least. @Sarah
  2. Sharpie
    Saturnalia was... Well, it was a festival to a god that wasn't one of his, and it was also the one day in the whole year when slaves could do exactly as they liked - the whole festival was over several days but there was one day in particular when slaves legitimately weren't expected to do any work (the rest of the festival was light work not no work but you couldn't have everything, especially when you were property.) "I'm here. I thought you might like to meet my cousin - he's a charioteer with the Whites," Tiranês said. "I think he's got something special in mind, or something." The walk from the Palatine to the Circus Maximus wasn't far, just straight down a steep hill. Coming home would be worse - it always was; the price paid for living somewhere that overlooked so much of the city was the slog back up a steep hill when you were already tired out. @Chevi @Atrice (And @Sara!)
  3. Sharpie
    Jason and I both really need to see an open sky sometimes, with an actual horizon.
  4. Sharpie
    He'd drawn his master's attention. Well... oops? He wasn't interested in his master, or what else was going on in his immediate vicinity; he was interested in what was going on down on the track (though he was grateful his master's position meant that they were positioned close enough to the track to be able to see properly). Naturally, if his master wanted him, that was one thing, but he wasn't paying attention to Tiberius although he'd be quick enough to notice if he was signalled, or otherwise addressed. That charioteer did look very familiar... if it was Azarion... Jason had spent the last eight years thinking that his cousin was dead, although admittedly he hadn't seen him die. The treatment he'd received had left very little hope that he might have survived, yet for him to be here...! It wasn't riding, but it was working with horses - Jason knew horses, knew that anyone able to control them the way the charioteers were would have to be in contact with them, working with them... It wasn't like home but it was the nearest a Sarmatian could get while stuck in the closed-in city. It was something. If this was the only glimpse he could get of his cousin for another eight years, it was something, and he felt hope blossom in his chest where it hadn't for a very long time. Tabiti had been merciful in keeping his cousin alive and in showing him this much. He could only hope his cousin had had (or would have) a like glimpse of him, in turn. @Chevi @Sarah @Atrice @Járnviðr
  5. Sharpie
    He had said 'to the river' but the Romans were on the other side of that and probably wouldn't appreciate even two 'barbarians' bearing down on them at full speed - and they were out of sight of their own people by a long way. It probably wouldn't be the wisest idea in the world to go bearing down on anyone at full speed... yet he could imagine the comments Azarion would throw at him all the way back to camp if he slowed down now. Still, a bit of caution couldn't hurt - he really didn't want to do anything that might cause them to retaliate when he was merely curious about them. He shifted his weight, a very slight movement that brought Burdukhan back to a canter. "All right, you win," he told his cousin, laughing with the exhilaration of the ride. He didn't mind giving place to his younger cousin on occasion - it had only been a bit of fun and nothing serious, after all. @Chevi
  6. Sharpie
    "You're not worried? Not much, you aren't," Tiranes said. "And you just - never mind." Either he could swim (and would) or couldn't (and wouldn't) - though most of that depended on whether this thermae had a proper sized pool or not. If they wanted a proper swim, there was always the Tiber, of course - very firmly upstream from the Cloaca Maxima, naturally. "Nobody's going to drown here," he said firmly, moving out of the newcomer's way. The Latin was as accented as his own, though in a different way, and the man who'd spoken looked... Well, he didn't look Roman. "We're going in," he added, though he half expected his cousin to bolt, as though he'd never seen water before. Well. He'd probably never seen a proper Roman bath before. Jason had, of course, accompanying his master, although the thermae his master regularly used was a much grander affair than this - not that Jason got to partake of the full experience when his master went, of course, but at least he had some idea what to expect. Azarion looked almost as if he half-expected to be eaten, or something. @Atrice @Chevi
  7. Sharpie
    "No," Attis replied soberly. "No, he isn't. I suppose that would alter anyone's perception - and your master isn't as bad as some of them. A lot of them, even. We just... don't suit each other, him and me. It's a personality thing, more than anything." And of course Attis would come off worst in any sort of personality clash with someone of Sulpicius Rufus' status, considering he was a free man and a senator and Attis was a slave. "I'm sure he will - put the effort in, I mean. I can't say whether or not he can keep his mind on what he's supposed to be doing rather than... anything else." He guessed, from Tranquillus' earlier slip and the fact that the older man was teaching Florus to read and write, that they had managed to figure things out between them to some degree. Quite whether they had worked out the mechanics of Tab A and Slot B was anyone's guess and Attis was not going to ask about that. If they hadn't, they were grown men and could work it out for themselves, he'd poked his nose into that mess quite more than enough for anyone! @Chevi
  8. Sharpie
    Tiranes was halfway into his own saddle as he issued the challenge, though Azarion's turn of speed was rather surprising. He had known his cousin for years, though, and was already kicking Burdukhan into a gallop before he was fully seated. Sarmatians could ride almost as soon as they could walk, after all, and it showed in the feats of horsemanship they demonstrated. "I'll have your lunch half cooked when you get there," he flung back at his cousin as his sturdy mare galloped across the plain beside Azarion's, the two Sarmatians happy and carefree and laughing as they rode, the wind whipping their hair around. @Chevi
  9. Sharpie
    Tiranês caught the bread roll easily. "You mean, you don't want to miss out on an adventure," he said. "I can understand that." He just wanted to see what was so special about the Romans, and then maybe go hunting and possibly even find a river for a swim later on. Life on the steppe was so free and easy, a decision like that so natural - he wondered how on earth the Romans managed to function shut up in towns and behind stone walls. "Race you to the river?" he said, stowing the bread roll for later. @Chevi
  10. Sharpie
    Sarmatia, 76AD, near the border of the Roman province of Pannonia Tiranês' clan and his cousin's tribe had come together, as they did occasionally, to trade and meet with friends and relatives. It meant that Tiranês and Azarion could spend some time together, go riding and hunting together. Today was going to be different from usual, though - they were close to the Romans and Tiranês wanted to see them, to try to understand what all the fuss was about them, and he had persuaded Azarion to join him. Not that it took all that much persuading, Azarion being who he was. Tiranês swept his hair out of his eyes and tended to his horse, Burdukhan, as he waited for Azarion to join him over the brow of the hill from the encampment. "There you are! I thought you weren't coming," he said as his younger cousin drew up to him. @Chevi
  11. Sharpie
    "Anyone would think it's a prelude to drowning you or something," Jason commented, elbowing his cousin in the side. He managed to come to see his cousin on a relatively regular basis, although not quite as frequently as he would like, and on being informed that Azarion hadn't ever sampled the wonders of a Roman bath, had determined to take him when he could manage to visit next. "There are some benefits to living in a city. Maybe not many, but some, and baths are one of them," he added. "I won't let them drown you, if that's what you're worried about." @Chevi
  12. Sharpie
    "I don't see any way of reaching the roof," Teutus said, trying to figure out where he'd start looking for access there if he wanted to get in that way. "It's not like a domus or insula, with an atrium or courtyard inside, either." He scratched his cheek as he thought. "I guess good guards would put people off trying that sort of attempt if there were some sort of regular patrols around the building?" Of course the vigiles wouldn't do anything of that sort, hence the need for private guards like Alexius. "Does it look like the sort of place you could guard easily? Even if you needed one or two others." A team of guards with regular shifts or something - he wouldn't leave the entire security of the place to one man on his own, that would be asking for trouble, but if Alexius was up for it and knew where to look for others like himself, Teutus was willing to pay for the security and the peace of mind. @Atrice
  13. Sharpie
    And we're here, as Liv said we would be!
  14. Sharpie
    "I know - I know you probably can't get a message to me easily," Jason said, mostly thinking out loud. "But if you can, if you need me, just... send me a tamga or something and I'll try to come. I'll try to come anyway, now I know you're here. We'll find this bastard somehow and watch the Romans impale him." He meant 'crucify' but Sarmatian didn't have a word for that. "And maybe your friend will rest peacefully with Api then." He had to go, he really couldn't loiter now he wasn't needed, but it was hard to leave his cousin alone in so much emotional turmoil. He was shown out of what was obviously the slaves' entrance, into an alley, and given rough directions back to the Palatine. Though before he left, his eye fell on a nail left abandoned, kicked to one side, and he bent to pick it up, scratching a rough sign on the wall opposite the door, trying to make it stand out in the chipped plaster. It wouldn't mean anything to anyone except Azarion, who would know it as a tamga, the sign for Jason's clan - a curved line, upright, with a horizontal line through it, being a very stylised bow. Azarion would see, and understand. @Chevi - thank you!!
  15. Sharpie
    "Even so, you've probably got more idea than I do about thinking defensively about things," Teutus pointed out. "I suppose I should be trying to think about how to break in, if I wanted to?" It looked pretty solid and even from the river side there wasn't much that he could see where someone could break in and get things away without needing time. Cheaper and bulkier goods wouldn't need the sort of protection that lighter more readily transportable goods would, and high-value goods were sure to come under scrutiny from some of the less-desirable parties in Rome. Teutus wasn't about to risk things if he didn't need to. It did seem a solid enough building, though. "You've got experience of protecting people, at least. People move, and the sort of thing I'm building my business on are relatively movable goods, so your expertise will help with protecting them. And anyway, you've got the looks of someone in training, who knows how to use his fists or a sword. It'll be a steady job with a good rate of pay, if you want it." Everyone needed a chance, and it couldn't have been at all easy for Alexius to scrape by on the ebb and flow of casual work offered to him. A steady job with a steady income would mean that he could maybe move into a bigger apartment in the future, for instance. @Atrice
  16. Sharpie
    "You know you're as entitled as anyone to introduce a new topic of debate," Gaius informed him. "What would you like the old codgers to get heated about in the next session? Um." He tried to come up with something humorous and failed; he was not exactly known for being the jovial humorous type, after all. "And I'd rather bet on my brother than against him - he's damned persevering when he sets his mind on something, you know. I swear he's given me more grey hairs than any barbarian managed to do." @Sara
  17. Sharpie
    "A disappointment?!" He turned to look at her, trying not to gape. "mecastor, no, don't think that." He managed a smile despite the bitter wind. "Probably any other girl would have done the same when she heard about Lucius. We'll just have to see how all that turns out - and it isn't as though the position of an equite isn't honourable." There was a pecuniary requirement for that position as much as for the rank of senator, it was just less. A lot less. He stopped when she did, still a few yards away from their slaves. "I don't understand why he wants to, either, but it's his mistake to make, really - he won't ever be happy otherwise." He met her eyes. "I hope that whatever you decide, whenever you make that decision, that you will be happy, Ovinia Camilla." He wondered, briefly, if he should try to find a wife from within his own household - freeing a slave to marry her could hardly cause a bigger furore than his brother had managed to stir up. On the other hand, that really would see the rumours begin to fly about the Roscius brothers! @Sara
  18. Sharpie
    Jason noticed that smile and that it was wobbly round the edges. He didn't think about it before putting his arms around his cousin in a hug, trying to impart a bit of comfort where he could. "I'm sorry about your friend," he said. "I know you want this man found for her sake. I don't know how much use I can be, but I can try." His master was one of the most powerful people in Rome but Jason wasn't at all sure whether he could be of any help at all - or even whether he would want to. He could try to speak with him about it, if he picked his moment carefully. He wasn't going to say anything to Azarion, though, because he didn't want to get his cousin's hopes up needlessly. @Chevi
  19. Sharpie
    "You know, the more people who know about this, the better," Jason said, ignoring the way Azarion rolled his eyes at him. "And now I know about it, too." Even if he didn't know all that much, not really. "Tell me about your friend," he said instead. Azarion was a prickly sort of person, it would have been hard for anyone to get to know him, properly, especially as he'd been rendered mute. For him to call anyone a friend was a big deal - and Jason knew that fact alone made this truly personal for his cousin. @Chevi
  20. Sharpie
    "Well, if you think attempting to demolish a building with your bare hands is going to help, I won't stop you. But I don't think it will, and acting like a complete idiot isn't going to help anyone. There isn't much anyone can do, is there?" Jason sighed. "Is there anyone else who knows about this man?" He'd tell Cynane - not that Palace slaves had much opportunity for any sort of detective work or anything, but she might have some ideas, or even already know something about it that might help. @Chevi
  21. Sharpie
    "Hey - hey! Don't do that. Idiot." Jason had followed his younger cousin out of the office and down to the stables and wasn't in time to grab him before he punched the wall, and had automatically spoken in Sarmatian. He couldn't see anyone about to interrupt them and continued in the same language. "You'll hurt yourself. Worse than he hurt you." @Chevi
  22. Sharpie
    "A short beard, Domine. And..." The signs were supplemented by a mime here; people living in yurts didn't have doors that locked, and therefore very little use for keys and locks. "A key?" The action was repeated, firmly. "A key, around his neck. And, he came back - he killed here before. He hurt other people too, and might go back there as well." He signed an apology back to his cousin as he spoke - he didn't know Eppius Parthenicus, Azarion did. Jason wouldn't interject a theory but he was here to translate for his cousin, not to speak on his own behalf and if his cousin wanted to suggest something, it really wouldn't be fair of Jason not to translate it. Eppius Parthenicus clasped his hands on the desk. "I'm guessing that he just looks pretty ordinary, then, and there's nothing to distinguish him from any of a hundred other men in Rome." Even if Azarion could speak, the description would cover most quite ordinary harmless people. "If there's nothing else, you can both go. I am grateful to your master for letting me borrow you, Jason." Oh, of course he was grateful to Tiberius for the loan of his slave, and not at all grateful to the slave for taking the time to tramp across Rome! Jason carefully kept his face blank. "Yes, Domine." @Chevi
  23. Sharpie
    "Maybe he will," Davus said, in reply to Sosia's thought that his master might free him one day. "I might be able to buy it, if he doesn't. He's... not bad." There were far worse masters than Titus Sulpicius Rufus, after all. "I hope you get a nice husband, someone who'll be good to you." He wondered what sort of person Horatia Sosia would consider to be 'nice' - hopefully someone who was a bit more practical than she was, but who wouldn't completely squash her thoughtfulness and caring nature. She seemed a very caring sort of girl, especially for someone of her class. He turned to look over his should as she sighed. Her slavegirl was approaching. "You should probably think about going home, Domina," he said quietly. "It's been very nice to meet you - I hope you get the chance to explore this place properly, maybe with some of your - other friends?" He very nearly hadn't said 'other' but she had said she thought they were friends, and somehow didn't want to spoil that for her, even if patrician girls and slaves couldn't really be friends. @Atrice
  24. Sharpie
    "History is made up of stories," Teutus pointed out, deferentially. "Although admittedly, it's made up of stories of great heroes and wars and battles and things which probably are boring to girls like Antonia." Sergia's smile was infectious and made him smile in return. He wondered if he could find a good Latin translation of the Odyssey; although he was fluent enough in Greek to be good at his job as his father's (master's!) secretary, he didn't think he could reproduce the poetry and drama of the original; he was not any sort of poet, in any language. It was rather a shame that the other stories he could think of that mentioned girls or women - Dido, Lavinia and Tarpeia came to mind - were all rather tragic for the women involved. Not at all the sort of thing that he could imagine appealing to Antonia. "What sort of stories and poetry do you like?" he asked, curious about Sergia herself now. He really didn't know very much about his cousin; they lived very different lives. @locutus-sum
  25. Sharpie
    "There is no harm in studying philosophy, or training with the sword - I would recommend doing both, though, rather than either or none. Though you seem to have already engaged with the idea of thinking a problem through and trying to find a solution to it." Although their discussion had been merely one in theory for the young man, Aulus had not at all formed the impression that he would charge recklessly ahead with an idea if it had been a practical problem he could see and tackle directly. He would make a very good officer - and an excellent councillor for Titus Augustus. Quintus' decision to retire must have been made far easier knowing that his son would have such an astute and perceptive advisor among his contemporaries. "I shall not delay you any longer - your time is valuable, after all. And I will send you that invitation as soon as I have consulted Horatia as to a suitable day." @Sarah
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