Sharpie

"The secret is, domine, not to let people think that your master's too rich," Attis replied, tearing off another chunk of bread. "I mean, you want to be rich enough that we don't end up in a hovel, but you're definitely not a senator or anything like one, at least not to the landlord." He wasn't sure where they'd meet back up but figured that once he'd got the place (wherever it was) the forum - agora - would be a good place to hang around, at least to start with. "Or you could come with me," he added thoughtfully, speaking around the mouthful before swallowing. It'd keep his master out of trouble and they'd both be able to keep track of one another, though Attis found that he was looking forward to having an hour or two to himself during their stay here. He mentally ran down the list of requirements - somewhere with its own equipped kitchen, room for two or three other slaves, that wasn't so huge they'd rattle around like a pair of dice in a gambler's dice-cup... Having Longinus come along might cramp his style but it'd be better than letting his master find another popina and crawl into an amphora or two of wine. Not that he seemed particularly apt to do that right now - he seemed to be in a better mood than he had for at least the last few weeks. @Sara

Aulus nodded. He noted that Quintus' smile was narrower, more constrained, than usual, but supposed that was understandable. Quite what had been set into motion by his words remained to be seen, but Aulus knew enough of the corridors of power, and of Quintus' character, to know that something had been begun simply by virtue of Aulus' visit. "Thank you for your confidence and your support, Augustus. I will endeavour, as always, to remain worthy of them." To have the Emperor's support in his quest to become consul meant that he as good as had it - but he would not boast of that, nor would he completely count on attaining it until he reached it. That was as high as he had ever hoped to rise in power - he was a supporter of Quintus Augustus and would not dream of ever trying to take his place. He had seen far too much blood shed by people seeking the purple, and it had taken someone with the strength of character of Quintus Flavius Alexander, who had himself not sought the purple until there was nobody else worthy of it. @Chris

DAVUS 24 | July 51 | Slave | House slave | Straight | Original | Max Minghella Personality. Davus is generally a quiet, reserved type of person. This is partly due to his upbringing and station in life and partly from natural reserve. He is thoughtful, intelligent and observant, traits that might otherwise get him in trouble - and did so on more than one occasion in his younger days, until he learned to rein himself in and just be what the Romans wanted him to be, a useful tool and of no more intelligence than that. He is very aware of the insecurity that comes with being a slave, having changed owners several times since he was ten, and while he has served in the household of Titus Sulpicius Rufus for six years (the longest he has spent in any one place since his birth), he knows that it would take one word from his master to see him at the slave market again, and he would do almost anything to avoid that. Appearance Of average height, Davus is clearly one of the many foreign-born slaves in Rome, although this is given away more by his features than the colour of his skin. He has the dark eyes and dark curly hair that denote his Egyptian background, although the paleness of his skin owes far more to his Roman father than his Egyptian mother. He looks more exotic the more time he spends out of doors in the sun as he naturally tans. He wears the clothing provided by his master - simple tunics in undyed linen with a plain leather belt, although he may be given smarter clothing if he is to serve guests at a party or other event. If he leaves the house, he will have simple leather sandals. Family Father: unknown (in reality Gaius Clovius Frontinus, a legionary stationed in Alexandria) Mother: Tabia (slave) Siblings: None known Spouse: None Children: None Extended family: None Other: History The web of the Roman slave trade was a wide net, cast right across the Mare Nostrum from Aegyptus to the Pillars of Hercules. Davus was born a slave, the son of a slave, in an Egyptian brothel in Alexandria, but was fortunate enough not to be exposed to die as many prostitutes' babies were. He grew up in the shadow of the Museion and the great Library of Alexandria, although he never had the fortune of entering the place. When he was ten, he and his mother were shipped across the wide blue Mare Nostrum to the biggest slave market in the world at Delos, where he saw even more people than he'd seen in Alexandria, and with other colours of hair like red and gold and very pale skin, which he couldn't recall ever seeing before. It was at Delos that he was separated from his mother; her buyer didn't want to spend even the few sesterces a ten-year-old would cost, and so Davus endured the first and greatest heartbreak of his life. He was eventually bought by a trader from Corinthos. He served in his house for a few years, before eventually being sold again when his master's fortunes took a turn for the worse. Now aged fifteen, he was sent west across the sea to Ostia and thence to Rome (along with sundry other slaves and various goods from all over the Empire and beyond). Unable to speak anything other than Greek and a smattering of Egyptian, he was sold again to a senator in whose house he learned Latin (which he still speaks with an Egyptian Greek accent). Eventually, aged eighteen, he exchanged households yet again, finding himself being given as a welcome home gift to one Titus Sulpicius Rufus and his wife, and he has been in their household for the last six years. He has heard stories of the Christian God all his life, but has not yet decided whether this path is one he is willing to embark on, despite being told of the love and comfort that believers have found in Him. Sharpie | GMT | Discord (#4424) or PM @Gothic

"I can read," Rufus said, a little surprised that Didia couldn't - surely the grammaticus was cheap enough even for a plebeian? Although fewer girls went to school than boys, and maybe Didia's father hadn't wanted his daughter to go, or hadn't had enough money for her as well as her brothers to be educated? "To Gaius Rufidius Crispus, from his good friend Julius Junius Marcellus, greetings," he read, tilting the scroll towards the light to see better. "It's a letter," he added unnecessarily, looking up, feeling a little creeped out at reading the personal correspondence of a presumably long-dead man. "Surely you can read?" he asked, giving voice to his thought of a moment before. @Sara (sorry for the delay!)

He felt his throat close up at her question, and lowered the goblet he was holding, resting it on the edge of the couch. "No - that is the one thing I can't do," he said. "A freedman can't have a political career, after all." He swallowed and tried to sound a bit more upbeat, though it rang hollow in his ears. "I was thinking about possibly going into trade - there's always a place for good wine, and good olive oil, after all, and some of the best of each is to be found outside Italia." Trade was something that his father couldn't take part in himself, but his freedman son could - and if he could add to the family fortunes, his own son might have even more glittering a political career than Tertius had. Though Teutus very much doubted that any girl from Caecina's background would be happy to marry a freedman, so his father would have to curb his ambition and settle for someone from a lower class than himself. Probably. He managed a sip from his wine without feeling as if he would choke on it. @Echo @Atrice

"Sir, I'm sorry." Rufus very nearly shrugged, and caught himself; a man like this would not appreciate such a gesture. "The Forum's always busy, sir, and I didn't see her until after it had happened." Pickpockets were skilled; it would have been a very small motion indeed, and nobody was going to draw attention to what they'd just done by running away from the scene of the crime. They would walk, exactly as everybody else was - the Forum was always bustling and full of people. Pickpockets tended not to loiter anywhere, either. They walked around, looking just like any innocent shopper, until they found a target. Anyway, it could only have been a few sesterces tat had been lifted - Aglaea had said as much at the time, in fact. If a Senator was worried about the loss of a few sesterces... He didn't look hard up enough to worry about a paltry sum like that, although it would have meant far more to Rufus and presumably to Aglaea. @Járnviðr

"Pardon me for saying so, but that's not saying very much," Attis said, wincing at the memory of that Saturnalia. A couple of decent middle-of-the-road slaves, then. It would be nice to have some time to enjoy himself while they were here; he hadn't expected that he'd be allowed much time to himself, though he'd hoped he might have an afternoon or two. "I'll see what I can get," he said, ignoring the wagging finger in favour of tearing off another piece of bread. He pushed the rest of the loaf across to his master. "I don't know how you're not hungry after the ride up from Piraeus, domine," he said neutrally. He'd suspect that the heat was getting to him except Longinus had gone round the twist years ago. Not that he was ever going to say that; even Longinus wouldn't stand for it and would probably whip the flesh from Attis' back personally. "Do you want me to start looking for somewhere to stay this afternoon?" Or would they find a room somewhere and set up lodgings tomorrow? @Sara

Had she been reading his mind? Maybe; who knew what the British were capable of! "I don't know," he said slowly. The whole household was such an utter disaster, really. The only reason he had to stay was Antonia, and she would get used to his absence soon enough. "I don't know quite what I'm going to do, though I think Father will be disappointed that I can't follow him into the Senate - but he knew that already, of course." @Sara

The other man fixed Rufus with the sort of glare that communicated Rufus was worth less than nothing and was being spoken to just because there was no other choice. How in the world was Rufus supposed to be able to answer the man's questions without getting Aglaea in trouble? "She'd sat down for a moment, sir, and we had a chat. Then she went to get the purse out to check the change, and it wasn't there. That's all I know, sir." Hopefully that would be the end of it, but Rufus had a sinking feeling that it wouldn't be. @Járnviðr

"I don't know, domine, I'm just trying to help," Attis said, and couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Being a slave isn't exactly a bundle of laughs, you know." He shrugged; Longinus was a good master, on the whole. He'd never punished Attis just because he wanted to and the one time he had punished him, he'd just sent his slave to his friend's house. Even Sulpicius Rufus wasn't bad, although he and Attis would never be exactly friends. "I'd suggest inviting them for dinner, but I can't cook. Do you want me to see about hiring a couple of slaves for the time we're here, domine?" @Sara

"How many of your friends out here even know you were supposed to be getting married again, domine?" Attis enquired, speaking more gently than he was accustomed to, but seeing the warning signs of the return of his master's recent bitterness and anger. "You probably don't even need an excuse at all." He'd run interference for his master if he needed to, of course - though that would be a sight easier to do if he had Felix and Tranquillus to help out, but of course they were back in Rome with their own masters. He couldn't help wondering if Tranquillus had managed to lose his virginity to Florus yet, or if that particular activity was going to see them both combust from sheer embarrassment. He helped himself to some bread and olives once given permission, although it didn't look as if Longinus was going to do much more than nibble at anything. "If the women get too nosy, you're still in mourning for my mistress," he suggested. Calling her by her name when Longinus was in this mood would be to skirt indiscretion too closely, even for Attis. Even if the people around them couldn't speak Latin - and there was no guarantee of that in this city, not when Latin was the language of business anywhere west of here. "You don't have to have any sort of party at all," he added, dipping a piece of bread into the olive oil thoughtfully provided along with everything else on the table. @Sara

"I could see about finding somewhere that's nice and cosy and too small for anything bigger than oh, about four people to get drunk in, domine," Attis offered, privately wondering whether Longinus even knew that many people out here to invite to anything. Anyway, who said anything about 'we'? Hosting a party was left to the free people, which Attis wasn't, and Longinus knew enough about social gatherings to be aware of that. It was flattering, though, in its own way, that his master didn't always equate him with the furniture. "You haven't come out with a retinue, they're hardly likely to be impressed with just me," he added. He could see about hiring slaves, too - they'd need at least a cook, unless his master planned on eating out every single day. It'd give him someone to boss around, too, and he was somewhat cheered by the prospect. Though, knowing his master, they would eat out every day and Attis was all the household Longinus wanted to have around him. "Some sort of unmarried men's get-together, perhaps, domine?" he said in reply to his master's question. There had to be some half-decent wine to be found around here, anyway. @Sara

Teutus had spent the night awake like the rest of the household, and comforting Antonia, who was scared by all the sudden hustle and bustle, though he did not think that she fully understood what was going on and the potential danger to Charis. He had spent the morning trying to concentrate on his reading, except that his mind kept turning to the precariousness of his own position here. Especially as he had been informed that the baby was a healthy boy. Born to a slave mother, the child might be, but Teutus could not imagine that Tertius would not acknowledge it and raise it as free - he had wanted an heir for so long and Teutus could not be that heir, not really. And now he'd be supplanted and relegated permanently to the position of a freedman. He really ought to set up some sort of business, there was nothing else that he could possibly do with his life. He was not altogether surprised to receive a summons from Tertius and presented himself in the tablinum, where his father was leaning against the table, trying to project an air of casualness. "You sent for me," he said, striving to keep his voice neutral. @Atrice

Trust Longinus to drag out a joke until it had long ceased to be funny, especially to anyone else involved. "I thought this was to be a holiday from all that, domine?" he said - he'd understood most of the Greek, enough to know that Longinus was making a joke at his expense, and from hearing the word hippos, he presumed said joke was to do with his involuntary acrobatics of earlier - even Attis recognised the word for 'horse'. "I bet I can do better than Vitus, there's bound to be some overly ostentatious villa in the surrounding countryside whose owner will be overjoyed to rent to an esteemed Senator and the Legate of Nona Hispania," he added. He would like to see Longinus' face if he could manage to rent the equivalent of the Domus Augustorum. @Sara

Rufus was getting used to being left to kick his heels while waiting for his master to finish whatever business he was conducting. He was not used to being accosted by large irate-looking men who seemed to be of a similar social status to his master, and who addressed him by name. Well, that was marginally worse than the 'Hey, you!' that he would generally expect from people who weren't his master. "Sir?" he said, trying to think whether this man had ever called at his master's house, and what he might want. He had not expected the name 'Aglaea' to enter the conversation. Nor could he begin to imagine what sort of business the other might need him for. "What sort of business, sir?" He hoped that whatever it was, he was not going to be in trouble for talking to the man @Járnviðr

"I'd faint like a man, domine," Attis replied, hitching his bag up a bit to settle it more comfortably on his shoulder. That was the second time that Longinus had quipped about Attis doing something like a woman and he couldn't help hoping that Longinus didn't get it into his head to make Attis dress in a woman's tunica before fucking him the next time. He followed his master down the side-street, Longinus practically oozing confidence even if he didn't feel it - something patrician men did all the damn time, in Attis' experience. There was indeed a popina down here, if the sign was anything to go by. Dionysus'... Something. Grapes or krater or something, judging by the poorly drawn sign. There were seats available inside out of the sun, and a stone bench against the wall outside - Attis could guess where slave were supposed to sit. @Sara

Rufus wasn't entirely sure where he'd hide his valuables - in a space understood to be his, probably. So for a family, that meant probably "The lararium? Only, I'd rather not disturb the household Lares. The master would take his genius with him, of course. Where would you hide your most precious things, though?" It was very dusty and had obviously sat undisturbed by any human for a very long time. If there was some sort of right of claim or something, he would like Didia to have a shot at it - though of course she'd have to have someone represent her in the courts to make her case. He knew that much, at least. "He might have buried something in the garden, I suppose." @Sara

"I'm not entirely sure I can manage that, domine," Attis answered, pausing fractionally before adding with a straight face, "After all, I don't think the Greeks have palaces to hire out for perfect strangers to spend their holidays in." He wasn't sure his Greek would be up to the task either but he'd make do, of course - he'd have to. "Could we find a popina first, though?" He was feeling parched from the road, and a little stiff, and didn't feel like hiking the length and breadth of Athens without a drink (though if Longinus said no, he'd just find one anyway while on his errand, as he had originally planned to in Piraeus). @Sara

"I don't know. It would be nice if there were, though, I think it would suit you to be the materfamilias in a posh house like this," Rufus said. He could imagine it - and Didia Nonia would be a far more benevolent mistress than a great many patrician ladies. He could not imagine himself in the equivalent role, though. Perhaps a freedman living in a room in some run-down insula somewhere in the Subura, toiling away at... something or other during the day. And the dream of freedom was not as farfetched as it might once have been; he knew that Octavius Flavius Alexander was known to free slaves. He could not imagine that Didia Nonia would still be unmarried when he was freed, though, and dismissed that five-minute fantasy with a grin. "I don't suppose that there are many treasures left, after so long," he said. Surely the family whose house it was would have taken their portable valuables with them? @Sara

It was so very easy to fall back into the old pattern of banter with his master now that the dam had broken. It felt familiar and comfortable, in a way that conversation between the two of them (their respective stations in life notwithstanding) had not been for the past few months. "Have you been here before, domine?" he enquired, the question quickly followed by, "Ah, where are we going to stay while we're here?" @Sara

"Come on, then - you don't need to hide behind me, that'll just look more obvious than if you didn't." The fountain wasn't too far away, thankfully, though it was in full view of the master's study. "You just need to splash your face a bit, it'll come off easily," Attis said, and splashed his own face - it was too hot in the kitchen. Vulcan knew how Betua could stand it! @Beauty (when you're back!)

"I hope that you will never find the need to consider me a target, Augustus," Aulus replied. He debated for a moment - having Caesar deal with the matter would be final, of course but... "You are a very busy man, I should not like to burden you with this." He did not need Augustus to do him the favour - Quintus Augustus knew he could call on Aulus at any time even without being able to call in a favour. Though the Emperor, being the Emperor, would hardly be likely to get his own hands dirty when he could call on the services of all sorts of people to do his dirty work for him - and in a way that would be completely untraceable back to the Palatine, should the necessity arise. "I would not like to put you to any trouble, Augustus - I merely wanted to reassure you, again, of my loyalty if you had heard anything to cast it into question." It was a weight off Aulus' mind to know that Augustus knew that Aulus was loyal, that he was certain of the Senator's fidelity. Horatia would be relieved to hear it, too, though he thought that she was more worried about the Praetorian's direct threats than any indirect threats he could make, persuading others of some perceived disloyalty or slight and using them against Aulus. But to know that Augustus was as certain of Aulus' loyalty as ever - that he had little love for the Praetorians instead, in fact... That was an immense relief. "Your reassurance and trust is all the favour I could ask for," he said quietly and fervently. @Chris

Despite the pain in his rear end, Attis couldn't help grinning a goofy grin back at his master. He could kiss the man, really he could! "I can ride - you wouldn't want to carry this bag too, I don't suppose, domine?" he said. He also didn't suppose that Longinus would want to swap horses and gamely caught the reins of his own, which had wandered to the side of the road to start cropping the grass there. "Two apples," he said to it in an undertone. "Only, don't do it again, hear me?" He scrambled back into the saddle, and glanced at the sky, whispering a prayer of gratitude that his master had at least managed a proper laugh - even if it had been at Attis' expense. @Sara

Attis was left in the dust, literally, trying to salvage the shreds of his dignity (not that slaves had any dignity, of course, being slaves, but all the same it was a humiliating tumble). And meanwhile, somewhere above him, Longinus began laughing. Proper laughter, too - the sort that he hadn't heard from his master since before the whole mess with his absconded fiancee. That was worth any amount of undignified falling from a horse. He accepted his master's help up, unable to keep from laughing himself, despite the pain - he was certain to be black and blue when he woke up in the morning, but that was neither here nor there for a slave. "You startled the damn horse, domine," he managed, grateful beyond words for the familiar look of amusement that he could see on his master's face. "I charge a sesterce a show, but this one was free gratis, just for you." @Sara

Attis' face grew dark and he muttered something uncomplimentary about Sulpicius Rufus as his master mentioned the other man. Almost immediately afterwards, he clapped his hands to his ears and swore as the horse skittered under him at the unexpected bellow. He had to grip the horse's neck as he slid round, eventually sliding right round and onto the gravel of the road on his arse (no nice paved stone roads out here, apparently!) "Bloody Minerva!" @Sara