Sharpie

Attis didn't have all that much faith in his master's tastes - witness some of the truly peculiar things he had on display in his house - but it wasn't at all politic to admit it, so he said nothing further on that subject. "Metella? She's, what, twenty-three, twenty-four, something like that now. And perfectly civilised - she's got good taste, too." She must have, really, to keep turning Attis down, though she had enough poor taste to not mind sleeping with him when it suited them both, and when their master didn't want Attis in his bed. "A run? You'd be safer going for a run in the wilds of Britannia than the streets of Rome at this time of night, domine. Though as it's a trip of several weeks to get to the wilds of Britannia from here, the streets of Rome will have to do." Attis did not like physical exertion all that much, but his master seemed to crave it. "Wouldn't you rather I stayed home and had a nice clean tunic laid of out for you, and oil for a massage?" Well, it never hurt to try! @Sara

Teutus wasn't sure how he felt about the invitation (read: order) he'd received to a dinner at his father's. He had never really felt comfortable in his father's house, though as a slave he'd had to just get on with it, and as a son... Well, as a son, he'd moved out when he could, despite his father's apparent preference that he stay. He didn't get on with his father, no matter how much Tertius seemed to wish he did; Tertius always held things too close to his chest for Teutus' liking, never seeming to want to admit his thoughts or feelings on any subject whatsoever, and yet expecting Teutus to simply figure them out and be happy with whatever decision Tertius made about anything. Teutus had just had to accept all of that for most of his life - such was the lot of a slave, after all - but now he didn't have to and Tertius couldn't see that his lack of openness was causing issues. If anything, he seemed (at least to Teutus) to think that it was Teutus' fault that things weren't perfect and sunshine and roses. He wondered when he'd got so cynical about everything, and came to the conclusion that he'd always been that way. He was admitted to the house and noted the slave's somewhat guarded expression as he was shown to the triclinium. Of course he couldn't ask what was wrong, or what was going on, so it was with a great deal of caution that he entered the room, feeling as if he was entering the Minotaur's lair or about to face down the Hydra or something. His father was present, of course, and Charis (had Tertius freed Charis, then, if she was to join them for the meal?). And someone Teutus did not recognise but who seemed somehow familiar, although dressed in barbarian clothes. It was only looking between the stranger and his father that he realised why he seemed familiar; he had the same dark hair and blue eyes as Tertius, and his stomach clenched. His father really couldn't keep his prick to himself, ever, could he! He would rather face down the Minotaur or the Hydra than this - he would never accept another invitation to dinner again. At least the heroes in the stories had a warning of what they would face, and help (divine or otherwise) to do so. @Sara @Atrice

"The slaves have no need for you to help them," Gaius pointed out and sighed as he heard the ostiarius open the door to their visitors. "We'll talk about this later," he added. What perfect timing. As if Lucius had planned it. Gaius lifted his eyes beseechingly towards his family funeral masks - how any of his ancestors expected him to rein his brother in was beyond him. There was no time for anything else and he turned towards the new arrivals; Lucius would have to hurry up with getting changed. "Salvēte, Bantius Humilus, Ovinia Camilla. Welcome to my home - my brother will be with us shortly. Would you care for some wine?" @Chevi @Sara

"I don't know," Rufus said,and grasped Didia's hand. "Don't be angry. I was teasing, I'm sorry. And... I do want to, but whether or not anything does happen is your choice, yours and Theo's, and if either of you doesn't want it, that's fine too and we'll all still be friends tomorrow, because I don't want to spoil that." He swallowed. It would have to be put into plain Latin, obviously. "If anything does happen, it's all three of us, or just you two. I'm not doing anything with either of you that the other one wouldn't be happy about." @Sara @Chevi

"You asked for suggestions, domine, I offered some. You never said they had to be good suggestions." Attis shrugged, and shifted his position a little. "To be honest, I don't know what ladies like - you'd get a much better idea if you ask Metella. She's been in Rome for long enough that she can't be called a barbarian any more - her Latin's better than mine." Even if she still had an accent, that was just another one of those things about her that Attis found adorable. "You've probably got better ideas than I do, anyway." Though, perhaps not, considering that Longinus felt that a British shield, spears and sword were suitable decoration for the atrium. Perhaps they might be, on their own - but they weren't on their own; there was a collection of all sorts of things and the over-sized theatrical mask from Greece was just the latest in a random and eclectic collection. Longinus' slaves probably didn't help, what with Metella (a barbarian), Attis (with his scar) and various other Dacian and British slaves. Vitus was about the least eclectic, being a secretary and from Greece (at least, Attis thought he was, he'd never actually outright said where he was from originally). @Sara

Why Gaius had to stand right outside the door that led to the kitchen and the rest of the slaves' rooms was a question for the ages. Why his younger brother felt he needed to hang around and get in the way of slaves going about their daily chores was a question that could only be answered by Lucius, who finally appeared in the doorway, apparently trying to sneak back to his room without being spotted by Gaius. "You have flour on your cheek," Gaius pointed out, wishing he did not have to so often take the role of the villain in Lucius' life. If only Lucius had a bit more decorum and a sense of what what right, they could be on the same side. @Chevi

Teutus was wearing his best tunic in honour of the occasion; despite how he felt about things, there really was no need to show his father up. In actual fact, he wasn't quite sure how he did feel about things, never mind how he was supposed to feel at meeting someone who might potentially be his wife if everything went the way it was supposed to. It would be nice if Tertius could leave him alone for five minutes to run his own life, but why change the habit of a lifetime? And of course Tertius still had the power of a paterfamilias over him (not that Uncle Secundus agreed about that, but Teutus was staying as far out of that quarrel as he possibly could!) And now he was left looking like a stranded fish as his host made one of the briefest introductions Teutus had ever been the subject of and disappeared into the house with a less-than-welcoming "Enjoy your conversation." "Salve," Teutus managed eventually, not knowing quite how to start this conversation, but feeling that if anyone was going to start talking, it might as well be him. @Sara @Atrice

"We will be having guests, yes," Gaius replied evenly. He didn't understand his brother, and felt acutely that he should have been at home rather than abroad for all those years - Lucius had needed someone to steer him right and obvious slaves and freedmen just weren't the right sort of influence. If only Gaius had been here when everything had happened! He took the jar and set it down on the table beside him. "You're not going to get around me that way, you know," he said. "I don't understand why you would want to play at being a tradesman rather than putting effort into the career you are suited for by birth. It's high time you started taking things seriously, Lucius - you're a patrician by birth, you surely have ambition to be greater than a stallholder down in the Forum?" @Chevi

A room in an insula was at least going to be private, unlike the slave quarters in the biggest of Senatorial domi, which Tertius' house wasn't, though it was plenty big enough for one man and his daughter. The stairs were another thing, even for a fit young man like Teutus, and he felt a little out of breath when he reached the floor where Alexius lived. The feeling soon passed, though. "At least you have your own home," he said, waiting for the other to open the door. He'd never brought anyone back to his father's house, for many many reasons, but this was different and he was looking forward to it. (And just because he hadn't brought anyone home didn't mean at all that he had never done it. He knew perfectly well how to insert Tab A into Slot B, thank you very much, whether the Slot B was that of a woman or a man - but he was not ever going to tell his father that! @Atrice

Rome in summer was like living in an oven, in Gaius' opinion. He had been home from Britannia for several years by now but still felt as if he was a loaf of bread being baked, in summer. He didn't think he would ever get used to the heat. And to top it all off, his brother - his one and only brother! - had been seen playing at stallholder. His patrician brother, who ought to be making a name for himself in the Senate or with the Legions. Gaius dealt with the affairs needing his attention but stayed in the tablinum, waiting for his brother's return home. He didn't think that Lucius would try to sneak back in through the slaves' entrance, but had ordered the slaves to tell him to come to the tablinum if his *did*. Except his brother had at least enough sense to come in through the main door, in full view of Gaius, who was standing in front of the stone table, leaning back on it somewhat. "Lucius! Do be so good as to tell me the price olives fetch these days, won't you?" @Chevi

Gaius Vipsanius Roscius 35 | 22 February 41 | Senatore | Senator | Bi | Original | Tristan Gemmill Personality. Gaius started out in life in the usual way the son of a patrician begins life. He had everything he could wish for, all the prospects of a young man of his rank in Rome could aspire to, loving parents and a home staffed with slaves who were there to attend to every whim. He was a pleasant, fun-loving boy, and would have become a pleasant fun-loving young man were it not for the civil war and the struggle for power which saw his father killed during the purges of the Senate when Gaius was just twenty-one years old, leaving Gaius as the young paterfamilias responsible for a 15-year-old sister and nine-year-old brother. The unexpected responsibility, coupled with the death of a father he looked up to and admired, has made Gaius a serious young man who weighs things carefully before committing to a course of action that may be irreversible and could affect those around him in a negative way. He is serious but not stern, fair but not judgemental, wanting the best for his little family without spending a fortune to get it. He is very protective of his younger brother, although he does want Lucius to show a bit of ambition and make a name for himself. He was close to his siblings, especially to his younger brother, and still likes them both very much, but that closeness is now tinged with a feeling that Lucius is somewhat of stranger to him thanks to Gaius' years away during his military service and Lucius has done a lot of growing up in the intervening years; Gaius has missed out on the majority of his brother's teenage years. Their closeness as brothers is also tinged by the feeling that Gaius has to be a father-figure to his brother who otherwise would only have had the example of their slaves and his tutor to follow. His sister is even more of an enigma to Gaius as he has had very little contact with women of his own class during his time with the Legions. Appearance Of average height, Gaius has the olive skin and dark hair and eyes that are so common to the native Italians. He prefers to blend in with the crowd rather than to stand out from it and wears clothing that is hard-wearing and well-made, although of finer quality than the clothing of the working classes or the slaves. He does not dress to excess and the only piece of jewellery he wears is his father's signet ring, now his by right as the paterfamilias of his family. He is fairly muscled from his time with the Legions and the training that he has been through, which has also made him fit enough to be able to march twenty-five miles a day. His time in the Legions also means that his skin is naturally sun-darkened (even Britannia gets some sun in the summer months, after all), and he keeps his curly hair short enough that it does not get into his eyes. He prefers to dress neatly rather than showily, which extends to wearing his toga only when he cannot get out of doing so - i.e. on formal occasions and for meetings of the Senate. Otherwise, he will wear a knee-length tunic, belt and pallium, with suitable footwear. Family Father: Marcus Vipsanius Roscius Mother: Claudia Lemonia Siblings: Vipsania Roscia (b. 46); Lucius Vipsanius Roscius (b. 53) Spouse: Not married Children: None Extended family: Other: History (41AD) Gaius Vipsanius Roscius was born into an old patrician family on a chilly day in the late winter of 41, during the reign of a new emperor, Drusus Claudius Sabucius Caesar Augustus. His father was a senator and the young Gaius spent his early years as the beloved son of a loving family, wanting for nothing. He was five years old when his younger sister was born, though his parents and the slaves reassured him that it did not change his position, that it just made him more important because now he had a sister to look after. (53AD) Sisters were all very well, but he finally gained a playmate when his brother was born in 53AD, when Gaius was twelve years old. Gaius was a schoolboy now, his care having passed from his mother and the female slaves to a pedagogus and the school-masters and tutors, and he now had much more contact with his father than he had previously had – a formidable figure in his senatorial toga and wielding more power as a magistrate than the young Gaius could dream of, especially when his father took the time to talk over cases, simplifying them for his son's understanding, and encouraging Gaius in his games of senators. There was nothing Gaius wanted more than to grow up to be like his father, and earn that look of pride on his father's face. (54-56AD) He is blissfully unaware of any tensions in the Senate or among his father's friends, or the political struggles that are ongoing, though there are hushed conversations between his father and his friends when they don't know Gaius is nearby. Things continued in much the same vein into Gaius' teenaged years. His education was now under a rhetorician, where he learned the skills that would be necessary to making a successful career as a soldier, lawyer or politician. He enjoyed all the outdoor pursuits open to him, learning to ride and swim when in the country at the family's villa near Naples. He is vaguely aware that there is a new Emperor, Darius, but the knowledge has no bearing on him nor does it really mean very much, though there are some quiet murmurs that the previous emperor, Drusus Claudius, may have been poisoned, although he was allowed to accompany his father to Rome to witness the funeral procession now that he was formally an adult, having taken the toga virilis a bare few months before, soon after his fifteenth birthday in 56AD. (60-61AD) Gaius was nineteen when the first real stirrings of what was to come began with the proscriptions of Manius Rutillius Cyprianus, who had been made dictator mere days before. He had taken more and more interest in politics in consideration of the fact that he was soon to begin his own political career, so it was with a great deal of caution that he requested the position of tribune with Decimus Junius Silanus in the wilds of Britannia. He had not been there more than a few months when Junius Silanus was killed and Gaius’ fellow tribune, Lucius Cassius Longinus, became de facto commander in the province, at only two years older than Gaius himself. (62-64AD) Gaius was barely twenty-one years old when he received news that his father had been killed alongside other senators by the Praetorian Prefect, Clemens. The news rocks his world as he loses his father and becomes paterfamilias and guardian of his brother and sister in a single stroke, while he is on the far side of the Empire and can do nothing. He became more serious, in contrast to his commander, and threw himself into his work in an effort to distract himself, but could not truly rest until Longinus returned to Rome in 64, accompanied by Gaius, who returned home to find that his brother was on the verge of taking his toga virilis, and his sister married - a marriage arranged by their mother, to which Gaius had given his blessing without ever being able to meet the man concerned, and having to nominate one of his father’s freedmen to stand in his place. Gaius is torn between his duty to his family and finishing his term as Tribune, and ends up taking the long view - he should finish his term in order to have the best possible chance in his political career later on, and returns to Britannia with Longinus in 66, where he stays for a further two years, returning to Rome in 68. His military duty discharged, Gaius returns to the family estate to try to salvage what he can of his relationship with his siblings and work out what to do next. He runs for Quaestor in 69, the youngest he is able to do so as a patrician. Gaius is content to remain in Italy, climbing the political ladder as far as possible. He has little taste for military glory, but will take what military posts he needs in order to further his political career, while also encouraging his brother in his own aspirations, and trying to find a wife for himself. Sharpie | GMT | Discord or PM

"I will," Aulus said, and gave her a soft, fond smile, the one that he only ever gave his wife, as she smiled at him. "And I will," he said again, quieter. "You don't need a nursemaid, though - I'm sure I would be perfectly vile in that role." She would return from her bath as perfect and elegantly coiffed as ever, of course, but Aulus treasured the moments between the two of them when she was not that distant elegant creature that everyone envied him for marrying. Oh, he was proud to have her on his arm when she was, but he knew a side of her that nobody else did, as she knew a side of him that he never showed anyone else. "I will probably be in the garden or the atrium reading once I've had a talk with Calpurnia," he added, if his wife wanted to seek him out again. @Sara

ignore -double posted @Sara

Aulus didn't need to say anything, being able to be silent and simply enjoy someone else's company was something he had missed for many years, and he very much liked being with his wife, sharing space with her. He felt her shiver and tightened his arm around her a little, though not so much he would impede her ability to walk, and tempered his stride to match hers - something that always made him feel a little ridiculous, taking shorter paces than he was used to. It wasn't all that long before they reached the villa again, and he had to let her go. "If you're still chilly when you're in dry clothing, have a brazier lit - I would be surprised if there isn't one anyway, at this time of year," he said, and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. @Sara

It was quite a small couch and they were slightly squashed, with Rufus' arm trapped between himself and Theo. He shifted so that he could free his arm, finding that he had nowhere else to put it except around the other man's shoulders, the couch not having much of a back to it. "Io Saturnalia," he said, echoing his friend. "I believe we are yours to command, oh fair Didia Nonia. What is your command - I don't think either of us will object to whatever you desire." @Sara @Chevi

"Well, you know I could never refuse you anything, books and cosmetics and fashion and anything else that takes your fancy. You have only to ask for something - and plenty of women would have far less restraint than you do, my sweet." She seemed somewhat reluctant to return to the house, and his pallium was a thicker garment than her now soaking palla and stola were (she presumably had a thicker under-tunic on beneath the stola, but he was getting nowhere with his efforts to discover that). "You don't need a wig to enhance your beauty, you know. I don't think a wig, or cosmetics, could make you look any more beautiful than you are already." He understood why she arrayed herself in her finest for occasions - he did, too, of course, although he thought that in her case it was more like a soldier putting on his armour before battle. Nothing would ever make her more beautiful in his eyes than she had been in that simple tunica in the garden of that house in Athens, though. @Sara

"I don't know what would impress a patrician lady, domine." Seeing as he was in every respect the exact opposite, Attis could maybe make a guess, but that was all it would be. "Maybe put some of your more outrageous collection of objects into storage?" He shrugged; the eclectic nature of his master's collection was what it was; he did not think that the terms 'elegant and refined' could be attached to his master with any truth, but it made the house individual and unique, and perhaps better that the lady knew about the random weirdness from the beginning than if she found out later. "The best wine and the best food will go a long way towards making them appreciate your wealth, of course. Surely the lady would like to learn that you can keep her in style?" And of course the nature of Longinus' collection of things from everywhere would also serve to show his military background - to have things from as far away as Britannia was not something that everyone could boast of, after all. @Sara

"Serious? I think that is my natural state of being, my dove," Aulus said. "Anyway, I would think you would prefer to be indoors warming up than continuing our planned walk when soaking wet. Especially with the breeze - you probably didn't even notice it a moment ago." He balled her palla up, glancing back over his shoulder in a silent 'attend us!' gesture to the slave, and exchanged the soaking piece of cloth for their sandals. "I would rather not have to play nurse - I was hoping to have many walks with you while we're here. And other things, very few of which are suitable activities for a sickroom or an invalid recovering from a chill." He wrapped his free arm around her, their sandals hanging by their straps from his other hand. "And you may use my money to buy what you wish - there are few women so restrained in their spending habits as you, I really don't think you will be in any danger of spending everything down to the very last as before the month is out." @Sara

"'Four of us', domine? Sergia and Secundus - I don't think I know their other names, domine, don't scold me! - and you... that's just three. Four if you're counting Secundus' wife, five with the Praetor." He scratched the back of his neck. "Doesn't the Praetor have a son? Unless I'm thinking of the wrong Praetor, which would be just like me." It sounded like it would be a jolly time. Jolly miserable, probably, but Attis was not about to say that. At least Longinus had laughed at his joke, bad though it was. It was hard to tell, sometimes, what would make Longinus laugh and what would earn Attis a sharp scolding. He guessed right more often than not, but there were times when he misjudged his master's mood. "How fancy are you thinking this should be? I mean, do I need to look at hiring a foreign cook for this?" @Sara

"It is cold, isn't it?" Aulus said, grasping his wife's hand firmly - not hard enough to hurt her, hopefully, but strongly enough to pull her back in. "You are very wet, I think we ought to cut our walk short and get you into some dry clothes. And that can get rinsed out and put to dry somewhere." Horatia's under-tunica was clinging to her, showing her curves in ways that Aulus rather appreciated but suspected that she would not, especially if there was anyone else around who might see - Hades, Aulus would rather nobody else saw her in this state. He made sure they were on firmer footing above where the waves lapped at the sand before he pulled his pallium off - it was wet at the edges but rather less wet than Horatia's clothing - and offered it to his wife. "Let's head back before you catch a chill," he said, all levity swept aside. If it were summer, it wouldn't be a problem, but it was not. "I'll get the slaves to light a brazier in your room, you'll soon warm up." @Sara

Considering who was sponsoring this particular show, Aulus had been in two minds whether to attend or not. He was a Consul, with a position to uphold (and all that that entailed) after all. He had made very sure that the Venus was fully paid up and all its licenses were up-to-date before accepting the invitation. Just in case. Anyway, the Venus was a very up-market kind of brothel - not that Aulus had ever darkened the doors on personal business; he had a wife whom he loved, and a good-looking body-slave for when he wanted something male, and if he wanted anything else, he had plenty of other slaves, too; he had no need to pay for sex, ever. But this was going to be an interesting show - a gladiator against a female fighter, something that rarely happened, if ever, in the big new Flavian Amphitheatre - and he was accompanied by his son, his own friend Longinus, and Longinus' nephew, seated in the seats of honour closest to the sands of the arena. It would be for Aulus to declare the winner of the bout, if it were not obvious, although today's fight was not to the death - that was reserved for the most special of occasions, and it would be Caesar himself who dictated who lived and who died. "So, who's going to bet on the girl?" he asked his companions, looking around. @Sara @Atrice @Liv @Chevi

"Hence why it would be pretty funny to imagine them in their underwear... or nude." He glanced up at his master, judging the man's mood, and gave a suggestive wriggle of his little finger, hinting that some of Longinus' fellow Senators might be hung like mice. Probably Titus Sulpicius Rufus was - it would explain why the man was so uptight and all, never summoning any of his slaves to his room, barely sleeping with his wife... "Vitus has good ideas and suggestions - he's got one of those nice neat organised minds, likes everything to be just so. He's there to make your life easier. You could do a lot worse than listen to him, you know." He shrugged. He didn't particularly understand the way Vitus thought, either, if the truth were known - but Attis and Longinus probably gave Vitus conniptions on a daily basis. It couldn't be easy to be secretary to a man like Longinus, after all. "How many people are coming to this party, domine?" @Sara

"That wine must have been stronger than you thought," Rufus said, though quite which of them he meant was anyone's guess. He still couldn't help feeling like an interloper as he sat down next to Theo on the couch. "You are drunk, Didia - shall I get you some water or something?" He had dealt with enough drunk and hungover free people (his masters included) during his time as a slave that he knew how to alleviate it - not that many of those drunk people had complied with his suggestions. Not that he'd ever really felt comfortable making suggestions, although his last position, as his master's body slave, had allowed more freedom to suggest things than most slaves ever had. "Why would you be sad?" he asked, genuinely curious. Didia was not a sad sort of person, and Saturnalia was supposed to be a happy time for everyone. "I'm not sad and Theo isn't either - you're not, are you? - so why should you be?" @Sara @Chevi

Teutus had arrived just after his father, on foot as the cheapest and most convenient method of transport (and the one he could almost guarantee would be the best way to annoy his father - everything had its benefits!) Besides, he was more than used to walking everywhere, and Senator Lucius Cassius Longinus' house was nowhere near Tertius', thank all the gods for small mercies. Although that meant that it was likewise nowhere near where Teutus had found rooms, but that was a small price to pay. The Senator didn't have a daughter of marriageable age (he did have a daughter, though, to the best of Teutus' recollection, though she was somewhere closer in age to Antonia Varia - maybe they could be friends, if everything went as planned today?) His aunt and cousin were the only women in attendance - his cousin for the obvious reason, and his aunt presumably in the role of chaperone - Jupiter knew that neither Tertius nor Secundus would be much good at that job, and Teutus was less than suitable all round, really. There was a point he almost turned around and decided to go almost anywhere else, but curiosity about Longinus and what shitshow the evening might turn into at his father's and uncle's hands kept him on course. And when had he become such a damn pessimist? The evening might even be enjoyable and fun and all the good things... Unlikely, but possible. So, he had arrived just after his father and been admitted, and was now looking for his seat in the triclinium with the others, inwardly sighing at being consigned to the lowest place, but it was a private convivium with just six people, so it wasn't really as low as all that. @Járnviðr @Atrice @Liv @Sara

Aulus was better dressed for the sudden wave than his wife; men's tunics were generally not so long and the garment he was currently wearing reached below his knees. He was also taller than Horatia, so a wave that reached her knees did not have the same effect on his tunic that his had on her stola. "Perhaps we should retreat in the face of an overwhelming enemy," he suggested, indicating the drier sand further back up the beach. He was unaware that his wife knew such barrack-room language, but wouldn't call her out on it - it would only embarrass her when she realised what she had let slip. "Are you all right - you're not hurt or anything?" @Sara