Liv

Only Longinus and his hunt for a new wife were equal parts interesting and urgent enough to make Titus crawl out of his sickbed and venture outside. That and, in all honesty, the prospect of becoming acquainted with praetor Varus. Even without having met the man, he and his family seemed already quite intriguing, what with rumours of the eldest Varus brother, Secundus, not being all there and being paterfamilias in name only - which explained why Longinus had decided to consult with Tertius instead about his niece (although Titus had to wonder: was there a Primus?). 

So he dragged himself through the Viminal and to the Esquiline, shivering despite the thick woollen cloak wrapped about him and body aching as if he'd spent weeks on horseback. It took him longer than expected to reach his destination, but he couldn't help a wry smile as he saw a very familiar figure standing outside Varus' domus. At least Longinus had had the decency of waiting for him.

"My sincerest apologies. I was having so much fun coughing up a lung that I lost track of time," he croaked back  to his friend with a scowl, pronouncing each word with painstaking care so as not to provoke another fit. He could only hope that whatever was afflicting his father-in-law had not decided to make a new home inside his chest. Showing up all bleary-eyed from illness and lack of sleep would not help aforementioned first impression either, but at least he'd shaved, and fortunately it was Longinus who would be under the most scrutiny.

The pair entered the domus and before long the master of the house appeared to welcome them. Following his friend's lead, Titus greeted Tertius as energetically as he could. "Thank you for having me," he replied in a low, raspy voice, and followed the praetor into the triclinium where drink and grapes awaited. Eating would make his sore throat ache even more, but for the sake of good manners, he'd have to nibble on something when the food came.  Not wanting to seem too forward, Titus waited for the others to pick their seats.

@Atrice @Sara @Sharpie @Joaquin

When she realised that she too was being scrutinised, Clio's blush intensified. She hadn't had the chance to doll herself up too much for fear of arousing suspicion in her household, and so had simply donned a dark-red tunic and a beige palla - the sort of thing her domina would sometimes have her parade in for the contrasting colours. Hopefully Helenus wouldn't think it too shabby. 

"I'm glad you came," she admitted with a small smile, finally making steady eye contact. "What would you like to drink?" If he didn't order something, it wouldn't be long before the innkeeper would start to give them the stink eye. Serving slaves was all very well as long as you made the popina money, else you were just occupying valuable floor space.

As she listened to Helenus, Clio felt relieved to know he wouldn't get into trouble on her account. When they had first met, she might have even relished the thought, but she was not so mean anymore. His tale was an interesting one, but one thing stood out as quite odd. "Wait, you have worked there for ages and you managed to get into the wrong pool?" She couldn't help the disbelief in her voice or the way her eyes opened wide; the story sounded too improbable. He should know the thermae like the back of his hand... Could it be he had sneaked into the women's quarters to steal?!

Clio didn't know what to think. She wanted Helenus' story to be true, just a simple mistake caused by lack of sleep, but there was a chance that he was just testing her. To gain time, she took another sip of her drink and decided in that instant to give the capsarius the benefit of the doubt, but remain cautious. Or rather, more cautious than she had been since he had joined her.

"What happened afterwards? Did she order you whipped?" A patron of high enough rank would not find it impossible to have a public slave punished for some perceived slight. Clio twiddled her thumbs under the table, unable to keep still. Fortunately nobody could see them. "I do. But sometimes trouble finds you whether you want to or not."

@Atrice

Oh, this was going to be entertaining. The clueless look on Longinus' face at being asked what scent he preferred was just too funny, and Titus shrugged back in response as he bit the inside of his cheek to stifle a laugh. How was he supposed to know what smell his friend liked best? That was what a wife was for, and with any luck this grooming session was a step in the right direction towards finding one.

His first impulse at being compared to a woman was to give Longinus the finger, but that would have hardly been appropriate in the current setting and in Barbatius' presence. Instead he glared at the seated man with the  burning flames of looming vengeance in his gaze and brought up two extended fingers in a V shape, which he first pointed at his own eyes and then towards Longinus. 

"And not a moment too soon. Somebody needs to look after you if you won't," Titus mumbled as he chewed on a fingernail.

@Atrice @Sara

Edited to add Safinia

Have to prepare a couple of important meetings for work during the week and then I'm travelling with friends on the weekend, so activity will be low to nil. Expect to be back on track by next tuesday or wednesday

It was a small consolation to hear that her intentions had not been misinterpreted. Heaving a tiny sigh of relief, Clio removed her hand from Nymphias' arm and let it droop by her side.  "Still, I'm sorry." Their meeting was but a series of ups and downs, it seemed: first the blonde's stalker, then the hair ornaments, now fights... It may yet be salvageable, unlike her conversation with the new gladiator weeks before.

Britannia. Yet another Briton. To Clio it was nothing but a far away, barbaric place. Nymphias' descriptions only cemented that impression, and even without ever setting foot on the island, Clio immediately filed it away as a substandard place. If those tribes hadn't been so busy fighting each other, maybe they'd have done a better job of defending their lands against the Romans, but if they were so belligerent that even their women fought then it was a good thing they were being civilised now. Sagely, she saw fit not to share her opinion with her new friend, who clearly disagreed.

"Oh, my country is far to the east. It's called Bithynia," Clio explained, enunciating the name of the province slowly so that Nymphias would catch it; it wouldn't be the first time a Briton would struggle to pronounce it. "Women don't fight there, they mostly stay at home and take care of their children." There hadn't been large-scale disputes within its borders for over a hundred years, not since the Romans had taken over, and even if there had been, the medium-sized farm where she had been born was hardly a threat to any army. "But the men don't fight either, they're too busy working," she laughed. Common folk were more focused on putting bread on the table every day, and even those of less limited means like her first master preferred supervising their businesses closely rather than entrust them to somebody and indulge in idleness; Greeks were suspicious by nature.

Unable to restrain her curiosity, Clio scooted closer to the blonde. "When did you arrive in Rome? I can tell by the way you speak it hasn't been long." Clio knew that her own Latin accent bore signs of her native tongue, but anyone who grew up speaking Greek would be far from being considered a 'barbarinian', even if they were a slave. 

@Beauty

The gods fuck him if he was going to let Longinus ruin his good relationship with Marcus Barbatius. Good barbers didn't grow on trees, and to have a skilled tonsor at a domus required money, time and a lot of trust that wasn't gained overnight. Better to have a fellow Roman citizen of good repute brandishing his blades by one's throat than a treacherous slave thinking that slicing it was the opportunity of a lifetime to get away. Besides, cultivating pleasant business relations with the plebs had never hurt anyone.

He cleared his throat after his friend finished his little introduction and decided to get straight to business. As much as he wanted to tease Longinus, it wouldn't exactly depict him as the mature well-grounded man he hoped to present himself as. "It's just as Longinus says, your expertise is much appreciated in making him look like a proper citizen again after his bereavement."

He eyed the other patrician with amusement and just a hint of mockery before taking a step back. "So please, do show him your skills, Barbatius, and pay no heed to his reluctance." With these words, he retreated towards the entrance door and casually leant against it with his arms folded over his chest.  "I can go after him." If Longinus thought he could take advantage of Titus being quietly sat with a sharp blade only a finger's width away from his face and make a run for it whilst still in possession of his facial hair, he was sorely mistaken.

@Atrice @Sara

The cup in her hand had more uses than just holding drink: namely, Clio could partially hide her flaming cheeks behind it as she raised it to take a sip of posca. Even if her dark skin kept her face from looking too brightly red, the heat almost had her feeling like she was at a caldarium. "Hello," she greeted back after swallowing, noticing the liquid had done nothing to relieve the dryness in her throat.

"Of course, it's for you," she gestured at the empty chair with her free hand, hoping the other slave would not see how her fingers trembled. She took in his appearance with furtive glances, looking at him for a split second and then at the table or at the other patrons behind him. Helenus looked eve more handsome all prim and proper like that, with his hair pulled back and clean clothes, and seemed to be as slightly uncomfortable as Clio herself. He had said he had never been asked out during their previous meeting, and going by his nervousness, it had been true.

She hid her hands under the table and gave him a tentative smile. "It was nice of you to come. I was starting to feel like I'd made a fool of myself." She probably was, but only time would tell. Another stubborn lock of hair came out from behind her other ear and she quickly put it back in place, not considering it could have been useful to hide her face is she felt particularly flustered.

"Was it difficult to come here? I mean... Will you get in trouble?" Since Helenus had shown up after all, Clio reckoned he had worked something out, but when you had been a slave your whole life, fear of punishment was like a second skin.

@Atrice

Perfect, she could make clothes from scratch. The women of the house would definitely give Nymphias a field day or ten with requests for alterations or entirely new creations, and Titus would gladly leave them all to it; playing dress-up did not feature in his list of interests. 

He gave her a dismissive shrug before answering her question . "You can try, but I doubt they'll listen," he smirked, amused at how oblivious the girl seemed to be about her own position in the pecking order of the household. That was one way of making enemies amongst her fellow slaves, though Titus was happy to let them sort out conflicts themselves; if things escalated to the point where they had to involve him, it had better be important.

"Anything else you'd like to ask about?" There was probably a lot, but there would eventually be something that Nymphias would only learn by doing, not just being told.

@Beauty

Titus had not foreseen his little trick going down so well with their mistress, but he would ride that wave for all it was worth. It started off well: she was laughing and clapping... and then smiling a little too widely. Titus sucked in a shaky breath, trying not to show how uneasy he'd grown all of a sudden: things were about to get dark, he just knew it. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach. 

Knives?! His focus disappeared practically instantly, and he almost let two of the apples drop to the floor before managing to grab them at the last second with some dexterity and a farce of an elaborate catch. Fortunately Valeria was quick on the uptake and bolted as soon as Nymphias presented them with an option, no doubt to fetch some unsuspecting sacrifice. Hopefully she wouldn't be too long...

... Because it was quite nerve-wracking to be alone with their crazy domina. Here he was, a grown man, juggler/gardener extraordinaire, afraid of a young woman. Said young woman held power of life and death over him, but when she was in one of her moods the scales shifted dangerously towards death. Not wanting to give her any reason to change her mind while it was just the two of them, Titus carefully put the apples back where he had taken them from, avoiding eye contact with Nymphias. He then poured himself just a little wine, hand gripping the cup a little too tightly as he brought it to his mouth and drank up.

He was saved from further efforts by Valeria's return, and subtly shuffled in place so he could see what she had brought along. The good news was that there was going to be a slaughtered pig today, after all; better Porcus than him or Valeria, it was not like anyone would miss that poor excuse for a slave. The bad news was that they had brought knives, as ordered, and Titus had zero confidence in his knife-throwing skills because he had none.

The animated lilt in Valeria's voice didn't exactly calm him down, either. A contest could be horribly misinterpreted. He shot the female slave a wary look. Please, don't make it worse!  

@Beauty @Joaquin

Clio curled her lips in an almost predatory grin. Now was her time to shine! "A nymph is a young woman, or a bride if you will, who is also a nature spirit. I think it suits you well!" she affirmed, for a second so overcome with excitement at getting to teach someone something that she put a hand on Nymphias' arm. 

Her previous enthusiasm cooled down considerably at hearing how the other slave found fights disturbing. She had not meant to unsettle Nymphias so, and remorse made her give a light squeeze to the girl's arm to comfort her before murmuring an apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I had no idea..." Nymphias' description had sounded like a snippet of first-hand experience with just how deadly some fights could be. Was the younger woman reliving the events that had lead to her capture in her head? 

In light of this, how was Clio supposed to answer the girl's question? Truthfully, she liked to watch gladiators fighting; it was one of the few entertainment forms afforded to her, and a good match brought prestige and coin to her owners and the ludus. But if she were to say that, it would come across as disrespectful, and she didn't want Nymphias to think she was indifferent to what the blonde had shared. In the end, she saw no other option but a clement fib.

"Oh, only sometimes. It depends on who's fighting. I like to see the gladiators from our ludus." The last part was true; she was naturally more interested and invested in the outcome of their matches than those of other gladiators. Seeing an opportunity to change the topic ever so slightly to a hopefully less grim subject, Clio took it like a fish would swallow a hook.

"Women fight in your country? Where is that?" Gladiatrices were one thing, as they fought to entertain, but women attacking the enemy alongside men? Clio had only heard of such ferocious creatures in passing, and almost always connected with the outer provinces like Germania. Was Nymphias from there, perhaps?

@Beauty

October, 74 AD.

Clio fidgeted in her seat, casting nervous looks about her surroundings. In the early afternoon, the popina was far from at its busiest, but even from the relative safety of her corner table and stool, she didn't feel very comfortable being at this place alone. In front of her was a crude ceramic cup half-full with posca; at least while unaccompanied, she preferred to stay as sober as possible.

Had the other slave received and understood her message? What if he could not - or did not want to - come, and Clio sat there all by herself for hours like a fool? It had been hard enough to negotiate these few hours of relative freedom, and it had involved lying to her domina - something the black-haired slave usually tried to avoid and for good reason. She had risked a lot to be here, and even now, alone with only her thoughts for company, Clio still wasn't quite sure why she had done it. It would have been so easy to cast everything aside as a fortuitous meeting and small talk, but no, she had to go and follow up on her parting words.

Inhaling sharply through her nose, Clio tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and grabbed her cup to take another sip. Just as her glace swept through the entrance door, a familiar figure came through it, and she very nearly spilled her drink on the table. Why was her heart beating so fast all of a sudden?!

@Atrice

The bigger problem, Titus considered from behind his cup, was Longinus' future new wife eventually feeling like she was married to a child, one whose head was almost entirely occupied by battles and fighting and military pursuits. But that would be for Longinus to navigate, not him; the only feminine quirks he was interested in were Valeria's, and he knew them inside out.

"Why, at least you know you're getting top Dacian stock. Your poor mother, divested of spending quality time shopping with her only son..." He hung his head and shook it in a pretense of sadness. From what he had heard about the woman in question over the years, such an outing would have been anything but a good time. Titus took a swig of his wine and eyed his friend with some good-natured suspicion. "So you admit you're sending me a spy to poison me. How lovely." Titus had been so generous too, bartering away good cooks. He brought his free hand up to his chest and placed it over his heart, pretending to be mortally wounded. "And to add insult to injury, you even mock me for liking honey. What a heathen knave you've become, Longinus!" Valeria's theatrics were definitely rubbing off on him. "Are you completely immune to honeycakes? Or globuli?" He stared at his friend in disbelief.

Longinus posed a very good question. "I go for a swim with Publius everyday," he replied, cocking his head to the side as he tried to make a mental list of his physical activities. "You should join us sometime, he'd love to hear of your adventures." Titus' own stories were no longer as entertaining to the boy as they'd once been, but if he pawned his son off to his friend for a few hours, he could concentrate on his own training better. "Other than that, it's the usual fare. Running, stabbing or punching or spearing the stake, calisthenics." The exercises had been sufficient so far, but there were a few spots with a little flab threatening to stay for a prolonged visit if he didn't chase them out soon. 

It might actually be a good idea to take his own advice and get a burly but docile slave to spar with... Or he could just invite himself to Longinus' work-out sessions with his new Dacian. "I don't loathe civilian life," Titus made a point to clarify in a slightly sulky tone. "I just find it immensely boring. But these games you speak of... What would be the grand prize? Having the honour of giving you a new haircut with my gladius? Keeping all your spoils and loot for myself?" It was just an entertaining train of thought; nobody in a position similar to theirs would want to risk their reputation on that sort of challenge. 

@Sara

"Oh yes, and that should make things easier, but..." Titus sighed hopelessly. It seemed like his life decisions had become an endless cycle of 'but's lately, alternatively presenting pros and cons but without ever coming to true resolution. "It's like... I'm aware of how idiotic it sounds, but it's like I've got this fear of missing out on something. Something big. What if the perfect opportunity comes along precisely when I'm already otherwise engaged?" While it was true that there would always be peoples and lands to conquer, not all of them were equally challenging or exciting; quelling disturbances in Judea wasn't quite the same as chasing pirates off the coast of Mauretania.

He let out a low groan and pressed his fingertips into his temples, the very picture of frustration. Aulus' words were wise and sensible, and quite possibly the best advice he was going to get on the subject. Letting his hands fall on his lap, Titus returned the other man's glance with one of his own, equal parts embarrassed and thankful. 

"Thank you," he said in a heartfelt tone. "That you should say that means a lot to me." If success were to take human form, Aulus would be the one of his peers to embody it most closely. And Titus had to give it to him, he had a point when it came to the effects of a bolstered magisterial position.

"Many of those skills need polishing," he agreed with a grimace. "My former tutor would break a few canes on my arse even now if he heard the sorry state of my oratory." He hadn't had much need to practise it in the last few years, except the occasional speech to raise troop morale. It would behoove him to do some studying before engaging in public discussions.

"Have you always been sure of the path you wanted to take?" Aulus seemed so determined; had he ever wavered?

@Sharpie

Titus rolled his eyes right back at Longinus for good measure. "Yes, really. For the love of Juno, stop complaining! Is this how you're going to attract a new wife? She'll be wanting a divorce in no time if you're like this all the time." When had his friend become so whingy? It was known that people grew more set in their ways as they got older, but he wasn't expecting it to happen to Longinus this soon. The quicker he got himself a new companion, the better; the slaves couldn't have been happy about their peevish master either.

He gave the other patrician a rough shove between the shoulder blades, indicating that he should keep moving further into the shop. Titus followed right behind so as to block the path to door, making sure Longinus couldn't have a sudden change of heart and attempt to escape.

"He's good all right. He won't cut your throat open, though I may if you don't stop bitching. I can't have survived the battlefields of Britannia to die here listening to your gripes," he chided in a hushed tone. "Seriously though, look at me. See any new cuts or scars on my face?" Titus put on an artificial grin and turned his face left and right for Longinus to examine. "I said new. Nope, don't think so." 

Half-dragging his friend by the arm, Titus approached the barber with a slightly apologetic smile. "Good Barbatius, here's your new customer. Pardon his scepticism, you'll see it's justified given his current look."

@Atrice @Sara

Sewing tools were in order, then. Mending and altering was already very good, and even if the midwife skills had been a fluke, he might have got more than he'd paid for with the Briton slave. He'd leave it up to Valeria and the more senior slaves to evaluate if Nymphias was as good as she claimed, as his knowledge of the craft was limited to knowing it required needles and thread. But 'mending and making' was still ambiguous; she most likely did not know the expression he had used. "Can you make and fit clothes if you have fabric? Or do you just fix clothes that already exist?" If she was a capable seamstress and fulfilled all her duties to satisfaction and got along with everybody, she could eventually assume a comfortable position in the household.

Titus wanted to take her at her word, but somehow, Nymphias just didn't look that well-equipped to know what was true and what was not - and proof was in her comment about gossiping and lying being the same. As long as she did not go babbling to strangers or mindlessly repeating what was said to her, it should be sufficient... but he wasn't entirely convinced. He rubbed his chin in slight annoyance and attempted to explain the difference.

"Gossiping is telling things that may or may not be true. about somebody else. Lying is when you say things that you know not to be true. And if you see someone - anyone -doing something bad, you tell me or your domina at once. That is not gossiping," he explained, shaking his head in the last part for emphasis.

The more they spoke, the more Titus got the impression Nymphias meant well and was eager to please, but lacked a surprising deal of common sense. Her life in Britannia had probably been rather sheltered, which made sense since she was the youngest and a girl. However, it would be up to her to work things out on her own and learn to use her own judgment: he was not going to become a father figure to a slave, of all things. 

@Beauty

"I'm not fair? You set yourself up for it, Valeria." Maybe that was what was wrong with old Publius, he'd never had anyone to tickle his feet. How such a man could have had such a daughter would never cease to astonish Titus. With Valeria, life was never boring, but colourful amidst word play, theatrical antics, experimental hair styling and her rich, contagious laughter. Even when she had her worries, like now, her smiles were still easy. Of course Titus would do what he could to help; anything to return her to the highest of spirits he was so fond of. He reached out over her legs with his free hand to find one of hers and lace their fingers together. "Of course I would. And if I put out word that whoever returns your father to good health will receive an autographed Landicus scroll, I bet they'll be queuing outside our door."

Titus listened with rapt attention as Valeria told the tale of Tullus, but his expression grew more sceptical by the second. It was a bit too descriptive for his tastes and all the fluffing up detracted from the action, but when said action occurred, it was just too absurd. A middle-aged man armed with only a pot shard defeating a dozen burly guards? There was suspension of disbelief and then there was plain fantasy, and this story could only belong in the latter category. He answered Valeria's last question with one of his own and a bashful smile to match. "Should it sound familiar?" 

To the first question, though, he could provide a straightforward answer. "It's crap. The only way something like that could be remotely close to happening is if he's Heracles in disguise." He shook his head and made a face, scowling like a child disappointed in their birthday gift. "But do go on, how much worse can it get?" Maybe Tullus' steed for the horse chase would be a centaur in heat. "My favourite part was your impression of his shout."

Thinking her sufficiently distracted, he tightened his grip on her ankle and broke off their handholding to resume his tickle attack, intent on making her pepper the reading with gasps of laughter.

@Joaquin

At hearing Helenus' answer, Clio beamed despite herself.  It was always exciting to have company when out and about, and maybe interacting with Helenus outside his home turf would let her get a better idea of his true motives, and at no risk of letting her domina's valuables get stolen. She now realised how erratic she had been acting, but pride would not let her acknowledge it out loud, let alone apologise for it. But entering the baths expecting to face off a thief and leaving with something like the promise of a date wasn't an everyday occurrence for the body slave, so she could be forgiven for having her emotions all over the place.

"There's a first time for everything, even for a slave," she joked, giggling like a little girl with a secret. Following Helenus' example, Clio took a step back as well, putting a more definitive distance between them. She was not free to visit the baths at her own leisure, so failing that, she could try to send a message... perhaps a drawing of their future meeting place, as she had no clue whether Helenus was literate.

"Yeah, me too... See you around." She waved him goodbye with a smile, turned around and returned to the apodyterium, relieved to see her mistress's belongings did not appear to have been touched. It wasn't long before Annia Comna appeared, energised from the bathing, and the pair left the thermae, Clio sometimes biting the inside of her lip to keep herself from grinning unintentionally.

@Atrice

___________

I think we can wrap it up like this! It'd be nice to continue by having them meet somewhere else : )

Titus Sulpicius Rufus to his dear friend Longinus,
greetings.

It makes me happy to know you found the list useful.
Why not make a new list with only the rejects and leave that for your mother to find? If she expects the worst, she'll have no choice but to be quiet when you introduce her to your new matron.

 Are you seriously asking a man who was away from Rome for four years to help you with introductions? When was the last time you saw a medicus?

For Calpurnia, you're better off asking Aulus - but I will gladly join you for reconnaissance purposes when you first meet her.

I'm not sure how old Claudia is. 16? 18? However, should you really be considering wooing her when you're apparently already frolicking about with her slave (and how did you even manage to meet the slave but not the mistress?)...? I look forward to that story of yours.

Caecina is, I believe, younger than Claudia, just so you know. Do  suck up to proconsul Tuscus, I'm certain he'll be baffled by your Briton tongue skills.

Isn't Sergia related to praetor Varus? That might be a relationship worth cultivating for more than one reason.

Whichever you go for, the first thing on your list should be employing the services of a barber, permanently. A GOOD one who will not fall for your bullshit excuses, and who will give you a proper haircut and shave.

Don't really know how I'd go about introducing you to these lovely ladies, particularly when you crossed out the one I had the best chance with (you have no clue what our familial gatherings are like and even less clue on what you're missing out on. One word: orgies). Parties might work. Maybe Valeria has some ideas, I shall consult with her.

If Bluey ale is what you serve to your friends, I shudder to imagine how you treat your enemies. You're a crueler man than I thought.
How's the next ides sound?

Farewell, my dearest friend and brother.

Titus

______

The letter was delivered to Longinus' domus some five days after their last correspondence.

@Sara

It took a lot of self-restraint not to twitch, ball up his fists, roll his eyes or groan at Nymphia's statement. Of course she was bored. Anyone would be bored being a trophy wife and even more so when they were too lazy, or stupid, to occupy their time with worthwhile pursuits like praying or reading. And of course her idea of entertainment meant nobody else could be enjoying themselves, even if all said enjoyment consisted of was standing next to a loved one. Bitch.

Titus returned Valeria's look with one of his own and a small shrug and followed their mistress as commanded. She led them into a leisure room and treated them to yet another of her trademark rants. 

The comment about his sorry state of clealiness stung a bit. ´No shit, Gordiana¹. Whose fault do you think that is?' Instead of voicing his thoughts though, which would have been a very ill-advised idea, he merely nodded and agreed with her. "Indeed I do, Domina." Was she even in a good mood? It was so hard to tell, Nymphias was more mercurial than a chariot race. If she was letting them have fruit and wine, it could only be one of three options:

1. She was drunk;
2. She was feeling guilty or charitable for some reason;
3. She was fattening them up like pigs to be slaughtered.

Whatever the reason, for once Titus looked forward to doing as commanded - breakfast had been a long, long time ago; last night, to be precise, when it had also been called supper. He didn't dare reach for the wine straight away and instead gingerly picked up the smallest of a bunch of apples. "Never, Domina," he corroborated between bites, shooting Valeria an empathetic look as the other slave massaged Nymphias' feet. Even if they weren't hairy and gross, feet were feet and so tended to stink. "Sometimes there are processions or some lictors push us aside. But you treat us so well, we would never run away. I pity the slaves at the Elysium." That last part was true.

His apple was now gone, core and all.  He wished he could give Valeria some fruit, but something told him that a slave feeding another was not the kind of entertainment their domina was expecting. His creativity was sadly rather limited, too. For lack of a better idea, Titus picked up three more apples and started juggling them, occasionally tossing one higher up in the air or crossing his hands to catch and release them. Maybe Valeria would come up with smarter entertainment if he kept Nymphias distracted just long enough...

@Beauty @Joaquin

____________________

¹ - Gordianus is a detective and main character in Steve Saylor's Roma sub-Rosa book series

The revelation did not surprise him. It was the logical next step in Aulus' path up the ladder, and Titus supported him fully. Aulus would make an honourable and just consul. "I hope you're elected," he said sincerely, wondering who the other candidates would be.

"I wouldn't say hordes, it's more like small raiding parties and ambushes and they're at it all. the. bloody. time!" He couldn't help but sound exasperated at the end; the memories were still too fresh and some of them too humiliating to ever be shared. "Some of the tribes are very set in their ways and very attached to what used to be their lands." A war of attrition was still a war, as Fabius Cunctator had demonstrated against Hannibal centuries before. But the posting had been immensely fulfilling and even fun at times, and a big contributor to his dithering.

Only Romans would categorise lack of conflict as 'dull'. "Don't think I'm missing Britannia quite yet," Titus chuckled mirthlessly. He certainly did not miss the sudden showers or the cold that seemed to seep into one's bones because it was just so damned wet all the time. Judea, on the other hand, was hot like Italia, and trouble brewed constantly. Could be an interesting place for someone wanting to make a name for themselves - only Titus wasn't sure he was that someone at this point in time. 

"Judea, on the other hand, sounds a bit more exciting... But so does a praetorship. And this, you see, is my current predicament," he exhaled heavily, running a hand though his close-cropped hair.

@Sharpie

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Sorry for taking an obscene amount of time to reply!

Was Helenus really that clueless? No, he couldn't be. He must be playing the fool just in case someone was listening in. That had to be it, Clio told herself, because the alternative was realising that maybe the other slave wasn't the sharpest tool in the box (it did not occur to her that it could be a ruse). As a rule of thumb, she saw no merit in associating with people dumber than her when she had a choice.

"Well..." She twirled a foot and stared at the floor, feeling extremely self-conscious all of a sudden. "We could meet outside some day," she mumbled. Clio could feel her cheeks getting hot as she spoke and could only imagine the reddish hue they'd turned. "Maybe grab a glass or a bite at a caupona...?"

If this went on any longer, she'd burn a hole into the floor with her eyes. It had been a stupid idea anyway, a very foolish thing to do. What was she thinking?! If her domina found out about this and decided to punish her, for once Clio would agree with her.

@Atrice

Titus watched, mildly intrigued, as his fellow citizen checked with Felix that he was ready for the final stage of the day's journey. How interesting that Aulus should be so mindful of his slave's physical condition, who by all appearances was not in poor health. Aulus was a kinder master than Titus would have been in the same situation: he'd just have urged the slave onward with offers of reward or punishment, whichever yielded better results.

Erasing the map was a clever idea. No need to tip anyone off as to their destination... Not all travellers had good intentions.

He started to walk back to the main road and motioned with his head for the other two to follow him. "All right, let's get going. Nice day for a walk, as you said."

@Chevi @Sharpie

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Done on my end, thanks for a great thread!

The sun's punishing rays made sweat drops bloom on Titus' forehead like so many miniature flowers for the third time in just as many minutes, and he wiped them off with the back of a calloused hand. Was it really absolutely necessary to replace the oleanders and croci with new bulbs on one of the hottest days of the season? It wasn't domina doing the (literal) dirty work, so expecting her to take the weather into consideration was too much to ask. And he wasn't even a gardener, by Jupiter! He hoped, however, that he didn't do such a poor job that it would elicit punishment. 

As if on cue, the mistress's voice sounded from inside the house, calling his name. Titus set the spade aside against one of the columns and wiped his hands on his tunic; when he'd put it on that morning it had been a clean if nondescript grey, but all the digging and pottering about had stained it black and brown and several places and his hands were faring no better. If only there were a basin with water nearby...

It would not be wise to keep domina waiting. Resigned that this was as clean as he was going to be for the time being, Titus quickly made his way in to the atrium, trying his best not to track dirty footprints inside. As expected, domina stood tall and proud in the atrium, but she was not alone: another, very familiar slave stood as well, appearing to await orders. Why would she have summoned Valeria too?

Titus could not afford to waste time thinking about it. Taking his place next to Valeria, he bowed his head and lowered his gaze to the floor. "You called, Domina?"

@Beauty @Joaquin

Titus took the cup the dark-haired slave offered him and thanked the man with a nod. "Oh, fuck off, Longinus. It's Londinium and you know it, don't act like you've never been." His irritation was not assuaged by the sip of wine he took. Riding a horse for nearly four days in a row and the resulting soreness in his buttocks and thighs contributed heavily to it, too.

The seed of doubt had been planted, and might even have germinated if not for one thing: as the youngest of three siblings, Titus had been witness to and/or on the receiving end of countless practical jokes and knew therefore almost all tricks in the book. His gut told him the men's claim was false, and there were signs to prove it: the unrolled scrolls, the soldiers' lack of agitation - which would be present if such epic manoeuvres were to take place so soon -, no buzz of anticipation in the air, no campaign maps or rooks covering the tables... And, maybe most important of all, he was no stranger to Longinus' sense of humour. The biggest surprise was Aulus seemingly going along with it, Titus had not expected that. But very well, three could play that game.

"Huh. It seems like you haven't heard after all. One of the reasons the proconsul sent me here today was to tell you to halt preparations for tomorrow and await further instructions. He was right to fear the courier could get sidetracked..." he smirked at the two citizens, taking another sip from his cup. 

@Chevi @Sara @Sharpie