Sara

She merely shrugged at the suggestion it would scar. She was not precious about her appearance - although given the situation she probably should have been, and had a fine littering of small white scars on her hands and calves from childhood escapades, that most freeborn 'savages' had. Although none in any way comparable to the angry red line across her shoulders, of course. When he left, she merely sat still, back to the bars and the curious faces of other slaves upon her. Few spoke any Latin, and she was grateful for the small amount of lessons she'd been able to glean from Aius those years ago. It hadn't been a lot, but it had certainly helped. She winced and gasped in shock a little as he started to clean the wound, screwing up her face (which fortunately he could not see). It had been a dull ache for the past few days, but now it felt fresh all over again and the sting was excruciating. When she couldn't take it any longer, she shifted forward from the bars so he couldn't reach, and turned her head over her shoulder. "Few moment stop." She meant 'give me a few minutes' but her Latin wasn't that good. Trying to distract herself from the tingle of fire spreading across the welt, she considered him, trying to find the words. When she couldn't she just eyed him and stuttered; "Why you here? You be sold?" She had a million and one questions she wanted to ask him, but she'd start with that. TAG: @Sharpie

Charis' grin only grew at his flustering. She had meant it only in jest, but was surprised by how quickly he recoiled and returned to his squat, as if avoiding any proximity to her. She blinked, surprised and a bit embarrassed - as if she had caused a minor scene, although Antonia didn't seem to notice - instead she was fiddling with the small bouquet of flowers she had selected. Wincing, she lightly tapped his thigh with her foot, as if trying to get his attention. "I'm sorry...joke." She offered a smile as if trying to coax him back into the easy conversation they had been enjoying, "British humour different to Romans." Had she offended him? Was the Romans sense of propriety so different to her own (unlikely given the sights she'd seen in the baths, and what she'd heard about!), or was he just not the type to take a joke well, if it embarrassed him a little? Not everybody was as forthright as the young Briton, and her real nature; humorous and assertive was coming out more every day. As he suggested she get needed to get on with her work, she frowned. He was not her master and couldn't dictate that (although he was right, and she had been itching to do so moments ago!) but the affront irritated her and instead, she turned a wide smile to Antonia. "What would you like to talk of domina?" She asked to their young mistress before glancing down at Teutus, confused at his sudden change. TAG: @Sharpie

Erea blinked at him. Nobody had offered to help her with it since it happened, a week or so ago - just outside of Rome. She had been talking to the others (the woman in the newborn had been wailing) and the noise had infuriated those that were dragging the poor hapless slaves to the city. Erea had been in the wrong place and caught the full weight of the whip right across her shoulders. She had tried to feel just how big the mark was, but couldn't reach, and had been dismissively told to simply douse it in water and to be quiet. Easier said than done for a woman never struck by anything in her life! Tentatively, she nodded. "I do not know," she spoke hesitantly, sounding out the words; "How bad it is...man seemed angry at it." She was referring to one of the overseers, but had obviously not been told any names. With a reluctant smile she nodded, "Can help clean it?" At his introduction she wordlessly sounded out his name for a few moments, trying to get the pronunciation right; "Ru-fus. Rufus." Before shaking her head and raising her finger again to point at herself, "Erea." Slowly, she shifted from where she had been sitting. The tunica she was wearing, one given to her after the crossing (her own clothes soaked beyond salvaging with the freezing waters of the channel), was sleeveless and loose enough for the back to be pulled down low enough for Rufus to see the injury. Hesitantly, she shifted so her back was to him. It was easier to ask questions when she couldn't look in his eyes. "Bad?" TAG: @Sharpie

Charis watched the little interaction between brother and sister, slave and mistress with a little smile. They were really quite sweet together, what a shame their relationship had been so twisted by the will of their father - dividing siblings only due to the standing of their mothers. She shook her head, silently furious at Tertius, and pitying Teutus. As she stumbled, she blinked at Teutus' hands - steadying her. She hadn't really been this close to somebody since probably the journey over - if you discounted Tertius' wandering hands over her face, during their only extended interactions. With a smile, she didn't move his hands and only laughed, glancing at Antonia with a wry look and arched brow. "Teutus is trying to dance with me?" She didn't know what Roman dancing looked like, but suspected it was different from her own peoples. Nonetheless with a grin, she took his hand and squeezed it, and attempted to move his other hand to her thin waist as if about to lead him into a dance, teasing him. She finally broke away with a grin and a light laugh, moving one hand to her hip but placing the other gently on his shoulder - just until the feelings in her legs properly came back. TAG: @Sharpie

She frowned as he said he was Roman, but noticeably smiled at the mention of his mother. She nodded, understanding. "Atrebates tribe from south." She nodded, "I British...Parisii...north, by Brigantes." She gestured a finger to herself, but sighed that it was probably nonsense to him. When she was a little girl, her father had used to practice with her - listing off all the tribes he knew on their island. She had forgotten a lot now, but it was depressing to think none of those complex relationships between tribes and chiefs mattered here. It had once been her whole world. Frowning at his question, and following his eyes to her shoulder she shrugged, and curled her feet up under her. "Hurt little bit, better than was...happen on road, not here." She didn't know if he worked here, or was enslaved and didn't want to risk saying she had been mistreated. The lines seemed blurred here between slaves and there overseers, in a way she hadn't expected. She suspected it would be different when she was sold, if she was sold. Pushing messily braided hair from her face, she shifted so he couldn't see the extent of the mark. The slave dealer had tutted when he saw it, and the young Briton assumed it would drop her price - as revolting as such a thought was. "You slave?" She asked directly, and put the dipper back in the bucket as one of the younger slaves - a girl of probably no more than nine or ten - grumbled. Erea handed it to her, and then returned her gaze to the young Roman in front of her, studying intently. She offered a wry, if not tired smile. "You get out of cage...you should tell how." TAG: @Sharpie

Erea was exhausted. She had barely slept since she had arrived in this warehouse some two days ago. The journey to Rome had been what she imagined the journey to the afterlife would be like, for those not in the Gods graces. There had been the cage, wagon really, which had dragged her down to Lindon and regrouped with others destined for the markets of the Empire. They had slowly picked up more and more as the days and weeks rolled by, before by the time they reached the sea in an area of tribes she did not know (although now, ostensibly, was Roman), the cage was full of men and women - sniffing and crying, wailing or silently praying. Erea had been firmly in the latter camp, preferring to keep her feelings buried deep. No point upsetting others with her own pain. The boat had been another matter. The sea swells in winter and the waves, along with the progressing pregnancy, made her sick to her stomach and she couldn't help sobbing as she sat chained in the hull. By the time they reached dry land, her legs buckled and she swayed where she stood. It was no wonder the baby had been lost only a few days later, although fortunately the bleeding had not been overwhelming and the rest she was begrudgingly given, had stood her in good stead. That didn't, however, mean she was fine. Her fingers shook - whether through tiredness or illness, and she could barely stomach the offered food. Her back ached, and the whip mark had only recently scabbed into an angry, red line across her shoulder blades. So she sat, quiet and wan in the corner of the pen nearest the open space, trying to breathe in some of the (relatively) fresh air to settle her stomach. It was humiliation after humiliation here, she had come to learn; beatings (although never especially severe), stripping for inspection, being forced to mime her skills, being caged, and the indignity of the white powder that decorated the soles of her feet. She hadn't bothered to put up any resistance to any of it, what would it achieve? Lost in her thoughts, she blinked as somebody drew near with a bucket she recognised as containing water. Whilst she had taken little food, her mouth was parched and judging by the murmurs of excitement coming from behind her in the pen, so were others. Offering a dispirited smile in return, she tentatively reached her hand through the bars to take the small cup and took a full measure of water. Yet without hesitation, she passed it back to others behind her. There was a woman and a newborn with her. She no doubt needed it more. She repeated the action, silently, until she finally took a cup for herself. Glancing up to the water carrier, she narrowed her eyes. His hair was so familiar to her - she had seen in across the tribes, her own being no exception. She tried in her own language, "Are you Roman?" before she repeated it in stuttered, unsure Latin; "You Roman? Or Briton?"She tapped her hair, as if mimicking his own. TAG: @Sharpie

Charis smiled, "No...not big as Rome, Rome is too big...scary." She had said as much to Tertius at their first meeting and whilst she'd been allowed out a handful of times since then, the daunting size of the city was no less frightening for her. She had grown up in the country, their small hamlet having only five families. Now she was in a city that felt like it would swallow her whole. No wonder she found it intimidating. As she listened to Antonia, she demurely folded her hands in front of her to stop them itching to get on with her work. As she mentioned the temple, Charis smiled. "I heard you went there...I met man with golden hair, who said he saw you both." She cast a glance at Teutus knowingly. She had started to learn their Gods but their purpose still evaded her for the most part. What was Apollo God of, again? "I hope he listened to your prayer, domina." She said noncommittally. At her injection about her lessons though, she laughed. "Tetus right...I never learn to read or write, even in my language let alone Latin." She could barely speak the latter, the thought of being fluent enough to read the squiggles other people told her were letters, was laughable. She knew some numbers - enough to do some basic addition to help their families finances, but that was different and a lot less complex. Glancing back across to the abacus, abandoned on the other bench where they had been sat, she arched a brow at the little girl. "Would you like to have arithmetic lesson now? I sure you very good...and you want to be good because then that mean you are clever, and clever women are fierce." she said resolutely, and Antonia nodded sagely. The young Briton was firmly of the opinion that knowledge was power. Any fool could hold a sword, few knew how to strategise about a war effectively though. Not that she could, obviously, but it was different with her. Quickly standing and stumbling at the aches in her legs and back having been knelt down all morning, she moved a hand to work at the click in her shoulder blade. The work was more enjoyable for her out here, but probably more strenuous on her body - one which was still recovering from the journey and miscarriage. "I don't want Teutus or me to get in trouble with your Tata because we distracting you from your lessons." She glanced across to Teutus. TAG: @Sharpie

Charis snapped her slightly fuzzy gaze to Cynane as she spoke to her in their own language. Eyeing her with concern, she glanced fleetingly back to Helios. "Him?" She dragged her attention to the young British woman, quizzically. "What's he going to do? He's never met my master and he's not likely to...unless he decides he wants a different man for the evening..." But with Hector firmly in his masters bed, that seemed unlikely. She laughed good naturedly though, not perceiving Cynane's words as chastisement, instead she saw them as unnecessary worrying. But it felt nice that somebody cared about her enough to worry. She already treasured the young Briton's friendship and didn't want to offend her so smiled kindly and squeezed her friends hand. "I'll be careful." Turning her attention back to Helios, and baring in mind Cynane's warning she only lightly shrugged. "No...no idea. But...I have what I want so won't push it." That's not necessarily true. She now had her preferred work, but there were of course other things she wanted; more freedom to go out, more peculium, maybe to spend time with Antonia. Still, heeding Cynane's words she realised she had probably said enough. At his flattery, she glanced back to Cynane, speaking in their language with a little grin - as if depriving Helios from the conversation, shutting him out; "He likes a compliment, this one...do you think it works on his clients?" TAG: @Atrice

Charis smiled, wistfully, as if remembering a dream. “Rich had gardens, we - my family, we were not very rich.” but they were certainly not poor. They weathered the winters well and generally had a steady stream of income, even after the occupation. “But my mama planted the herbs and food, and some flowers from woods that she find...” She lent back on her heels directing all of her attention on Antonia - as she had learnt to do in the presence of her owners. Smiling, because she assumed children liked stories, she continued; “There big city near my home - Petuar - there were big garden where tribe leaders lived. It was beautiful,” She remembered holding her father’s hand as he led her round them, after a business deal in the city, the year before the Romans came. If she closed her eyes she could still feel the warmth of his hand enveloping hers. But she didn’t dare linger on the memory now, not here. “Even Roman soldiers like it, when I went back I found them sitting in it...we not complete savages...” Brushing stray strands of hair from her face, and pulling the rest of it over her shoulder again to get some air to her neck, she sighed. She had much to do - she needed to prune the roses, and tend to the herbs that were withering as the weather grew warmer, and now she had to collect some displays for Antonia, Tertius and the atrium...but she was enjoying the company from the others. “What do you like to do, domina? Beside lesson with Teutus?” She grinned and lightly slapped Teutus’ thigh in jest, “You must have many friends?” She smiled to Teutus, hoping he wasn’t finding the conversation dull. TAG: @Sharpie

The man didn't seem the least bit embarrassed about his place of employment, which was an anathema to her. To be shamed like that, especially as a man...she couldn't imagine it. Then again, values were different here she had learnt, far different to Britannia. As Helios said he had met Teutus, Charis' eyebrows rose in surprise. "You met Teutus?" She smiled a little. She liked the young man, he was kind to her and had been since her arrival. Although where he had met this man intrigued her, and not knowing the Venus was a place for the upper echelons of society, assumed he must have visited. Charis blushed a little more. "I don't know..." She said, shaking her head, "But no...not related. I think he like to think he in control." She smirked and broke off a small piece of her honey cake, still just picking at it rather than eating it in one go. She laughed at the compliment, shaking her head. She had told Cynane about the night in the garden but even that...didn't seem sexual. It just seemed like he enjoyed the power, not the thought of her on her knees. "No, he no like me like that." Her Latin got poorer, the more wine she drank and her head had that pleasant fuzziness that it used to when she stole sips of her parents mead back at home. This wine was stronger than the cheap lora Tertius allowed his slaves, and she was feeling its effects now. Unfortunately for Charis, it loosened her lips. "But I have him here." She held up her little finger and lightly poked Helios with it, with a good natured grin. She was being too forthright, but the relaxation and wine prevented her from realising it. "Wrap around my little finger...I convince him to let me work where I want to work...I go out without his say so," She grinned to Cynane, "And drink with friends." She took another sip. "He has no idea, he a fool. But he think he clever...but I tell him he can look at me if he let me work out of kitchen and he fool so..." She shrugged, "He buy it." She felt pleased with herself, regaling them with how quickly she had accustomed herself to her new role, manipulated it to her will. Charis was as resourceful as ever. She had no idea she was the fool. TAG: @Atrice

Vibia grinned, pleased her words had found their mark as his body stiffened and he took a sip of wine. Men it seemed, in her experience, often enjoyed being baited. Most would assume those that came into the Venus were looking for a quick fuck or a docile young lover, but in her experience many came in expecting witty or cruel conversations. Then again, maybe it was just the men she attracted. After all, she was no retiring wallflower. As he deflected again, she only rolled her eyes. "So secretive." She demurred with a little grin. "What are you doing? Pushing men into the Tiber? Robbing rich Senators?" She rolled her eyes again with a little laugh, but was genuinely intrigued. Decisively, she pushed herself up from the table. "My, my...they have trained you well...keeping that lovely mouth shut...even just to a silly young whore who wants to hear all about your glory." She eyed him. It was a dangerous game, and she wasn't about to push her luck. Better to make a joke out of it, try and make it seem like she was just bored - just in need of a good tale, rather than anything more sinister or devious. Yet she was acutely aware that her value to the Consortium was diminishing - she'd provided them almost no useful information. Gently, she padded round to the other side of the small table and took a seat next to him. Without missing a beat, she moved to place an arm round his shoulders but given their difference in size, her hand rested on the nape of his neck. "Tense?" She asked, although it was bollocks as she wasn't one of those women skilled in massage to really know. She lent in a bit as she moved to take her cup of wine from the other side of the table, "I hope I don't make you tense...do I?" TAG: @Gothic

"The Domus Venus?" Charis repeated with a frown. It was not somewhere she had heard of before, and glanced quickly to Cynane as if she was missing out on some critical information. Noting her arched brow, she returned her gaze to Helios with a sly grin. "Do I ask what it is? Or I do not want to know...?" She suspected - given the evident good looks of this man and his natural predisposition to being undressed that it was a brothel, and colour filled her cheeks again. For a woman that had been married for years, and even fallen with child, she was remarkably...unlearned about pleasures of the flesh. At least for Romans. Their wants and desires, from what she'd been able to glean so far, were far out of the realms of what she'd been brought up with. If it was a brothel, then the idea that her domine should visit Helios there, made her laugh loudly. She couldn't imagine the stony faced, impossible man she had come to vaguely know, anywhere near a house of pleasure. Then again, maybe it shouldn't be out of the realms of possibility given what she heard when she silently swept past his room late at night, on her way to secretly pray in the garden (something she was not going to stop!) Not skipping a beat, she grinned - "T...Tertius Qui..." She frowned, trying to pronounce his name - the wine and her lack of Latin not helping matters, "Tertius Quinc...Quinctilius Varus." She grinned, satisfied that she'd managed to spit it out finally. She felt more relaxed than she had done in weeks, months perhaps. Wine and good company, plenty of laughs and the prospect of learning something about her impossible Dominus had cheered her up immeasurably. "I don't think he would visit...I don't think he like pleasure like that...with women at least." She laughed, "But you heard about him?" She took another sip of wine, feeling it flush her cheeks and warm her throat. She wasn't feeling light headed, but was well on her way. A gentle smile lit up her face. "He is tricky one...tell me his secrets." TAG: @Atrice

Charis smiled to herself at their little exchange as she worked soil to cover the roots of the re-planted rose bush. It was almost sweet to hear, and she didn't fail to notice Teutus' referring to their little mistress by her name. Not that Charis was bold enough to try similar. She'd only met the little girl twice, and was well enough a stranger to her. "I will help you make display for your Tata and atrium once I have replanted this, if okay, domina?" She asked, not willing to presume that she would be free to continue her work. Antonia nodded, swinging her legs from the bench, and relieved, Charis continued her task. At Teutus' question she smiled and shook her head, speaking to both of them. "No...I work on trade, not gardens at home." She corrected herself with a little wince, "Old home. We did not have garden like this in Britannia. We grew herbs and food but no flowers, not really." Her mother had planted some wildflowers around their small home, but it wasn't really the same. It did, however, teach her the skills she had now. "But I like nature and flowers, and learnt how to grow thing, so domine kind to let me work out here." She didn't need to tell either what she had lost in this arrangement. Although it didn't feel like a great hardship, at least not yet. After some moments of quiet she sat back on her heels, satisfied. "Done!" She turned to both of them with a grin. It was satisfying work, much more so than burning bread or cutting fruit. Moving to rinse the dirt from her fingers in the little basin, she eyed the small bunch of flowers that Antonia still had. "When I was girl, my mama used to make me little..." She tried to find the Latin word and gestured about her head, mimicking a crown or coronet, "Flower band for my hair. You would look pretty with one, I sure." And resolved, even if Antonia wasn't keen on it today - to leave her a little gift for the morning. TAG: @Sharpie

“Then I sad I never meet her mother.” She said but then it dawned on her that perhaps a female mistress could be worse than a man. Men, at least, had simple pleasures and ways to torment, women were so much more vicious. She had no sense of whether her dominus was looking for a new wife, but hoped not. She could handle his lingering eyes by herself, she didn’t want want another person complicating a situation she felt she could control. Grinning, she offered the small basin and jug of water to Teutus so he could wash his hands. “Rhoda used to tell that I worst cook she ever had to teach.” She laughed a little and moved her hair over one shoulder to get some air to her neck on the heat. She was about to engage Teutus further when little Antonia reappeared with a small posy. Holding them aloft to Charis she said imperiously; “These ones. I like these ones.” Charis took them from her with her spare hand, evaluating the colours and flowers. She had good taste. “Very pretty Domina. I make you bigger display for your room?” Antonia nodded, but looked slightly apathetic. At her age, Charis would have been delighted with a beautiful bunch of flowers. Then again, Antonia had anything and everything she wanted - no wonder she wasn’t impressed by mere flowers. After a beat, she looked between Charis - kneeling, and Teutus; “Will you make one for Tata? And Teutus?” TAG: @Sharpie

Charis rolled her eyes at Cynane's chiding. She had always had a very distinct style of self-deprecating humour, but it often didn't translate well. Besides, it was no hardship to admit that Cynane - with her imperial mistress and defined position, was more important than a brand new house slave in the domus of a miscellaneous senator. She laughed at Helios' compliment as well. Impressive was not a word she'd ever use to describe herself. "Just house slave." She shrugged her shoulders and took another deep sip of the wine before handing it back to Cynane with the mischievous glint in her eye of somebody that's tipsy. Her frame and the months without any real alcohol had made her an easier target for drunkeness. "I do work in gardens now, they sold me to work in kitchens but I'm no good and Dominus didn't want me there." She laughed, well that wasn't entirely true. "Or I didn't want to be there." She grinned at Helios and Cynane and broke off another corner of cake. Perhaps this interruption wasn't so bad? She'd met very few slaves since she'd been in Rome; Cynane and her own household, obviously, and a couple from the domus next door but she had no sense of the scale or diversity of the jobs the slaves in Rome did. Glancing at the golden-haired man she smiled warmly, "What you do? Cynane important bodyguard, I house slave to Senator," The senator bit was another, inadvertent revelation, "What you do, Helios?" TAG: @Atrice

Charis swatted at him, but with a laugh as she set down her half of the bush. "I would managed, thank you." In truth, she probably would have spent some time figuring out how to drag it across the floor, and would likely have ended up with thorns stuck here, there and everywhere. "Here." Charis moved to pick up the small bowl of water, so Teutus could rinse his hands, and the other items she had gathered for its removal and strode to the little spot she had cleared for it. Antonia set about moving through through the garden, grinning and plucking individual flowers. Charis winced. She hadn't meant for the girl to do it herself and those poor plants...still, she glanced back at Teutus as the bush was set down in its new home, and moved to kneel again to work it into its new soil. "Thank you." "Mhmm, she is not like her father," She offered a little grin to Teutus. Charis couldn't imagine the generally stone-cold Tertius ever being as irreverent as his daughter, "She like her mother?" Gingerly, she set to work scooping little handfuls of soil back over the roots - careful not to disturb them anymore than she already had. Glancing up, Antonia was on her way back with a little posy that Charis would undoubtedly have to make into a fuller bunch before it was acceptable. Quickly, before her return, she spoke to Teutus; "Now I here not kitchens you can come and see me more. It's...lonely out here and other slaves angry I get choice." Not that she'd explained the particulars of why Tertius had allowed her to be out here rather than sweltering in the kitchens, but she understood they had their suspicions. TAG: @Sharpie

Charis grinned at Teutus, grateful. She had a million and one things she needed to do before the sun went down, and talking to Antonia - no matter how delightful - was delaying her. Glancing to Teutus, she inclined her head. "Could help me Teutus? Its heavy..." And Charis whilst strong for a woman of her stature, was slight. Moving to stand, she bent down to pick up one half of the small bush, laughing; "Be careful of thorns." Was that an analogy for her as well? She whispered low as Antonia moved to the bench the other side of the garden, grateful for a few moments of peace from her questions, to be able to speak to Teutus alone. "She sweet girl...likes to asks questions." She moved the rosebush up, hoping he'd help, still speaking low so Antonia wouldn't hear as she sat, minding her own business on the marble bench where Charis tried to forget, she had been with the girls father a few weeks previous. "How have you been? I so busy here now in garden, I don't get to ask." When she had been brand new in the domus, she felt as if she saw him every day but now she had grown accustomed to life here, their meetings had been less frequent. "Domina..." She called over Teutus to Antonia, who looked at her warily, "While I put this in new place, you could pick out favourite flowers you like...I could put a bunch in your room, if you like?" That should keep her distracted. TAG: @Sharpie

"Wine and money. You can't go wrong with wine and money." Have you ever visited the Venus?

Charis followed Cynane's lead and inclined her head that he could join them. She was still not used to the visible nudity the Romans seemed to revel in. Back at home a man would think hard before stripping off like this one did! Then again, Britannia was cold and drizzly almost all of the time...and few men she knew had physiques to compare even slightly to Helios. She cursed herself for her blush. Glancing down to the little package between them, she grinned slyly. "No...I had to barter for these and Dominus so cheap with giving us peculium...sorry Helios...you should bring own next time." She laughed and broke a quarter off of one for herself. She'd never had a big appetite and it showed in her delicate frame, but the wine was making her peckish. Glancing between Cynane and Helios, she felt...bad. They had intended for this to be a relaxing afternoon, and a man had now encroached. But Cynane didn't seem to mind, so she tried to shake off the feeling that she should drive him away. "You slave then Helios?" She asked the man, eyeing him and relieved to feel the warmth from her cheek dissipate. She was feeling more forward, more confident having had a few mouthfuls of wine. "Cynane is bodyguard..." She gestured her head as if in warning to the man not to overstep any boundaries, "I not that impressive." She laughed. TAG: @Atrice

"I work a lot, not much time for others things." She laughed gently. How different it must be for Antonia - never having to work a day in her life. Even in Britannia, Charis' family were nowhere near wealthy enough to countenance a slave. She did a majority of the housework, and supporting the business with her limited Latin and numerical abilities. Still, Antonia had asked and so she shrugged. "I like...walking and gardens, so I like my work." She grinned, "And seeing friends, when I can." Not that it was often. She'd only been able to see Cynane twice in the months she'd been here. She considered for a moment that Teutus hadn't heard of her newfound friendship, and so elaborated for his benefit; "I met another Briton at market and she is nice, so if she at market sometimes I'll speak to her." She did, however, offer a sly laugh at her comment. "A lot of men...do not know how important girls are." She was about to suggest that Teutus would learn that one day, when he had a daughter of his own...but then bit her tongue. He likely never would, if he stayed a slave. "We do a lots of things they cannot do, have babies, wear pretty clothes, and be just as important...in different ways, domina." Charis had run her family thanks to the weak wills of her male relatives and husband. She hoped Antonia wouldn't lose the fiery temperament, and inquisitive nature she had. When she was older, the men wouldn't know what hit them. "What is favourite thing, that Teutus teach you?" She asked. TAG: @Sharpie

Charis, grateful for Teutus' words, blushed a little. Her Latin had improved - but she wasn't a complete novice. She'd had those few lessons with Aius in Britannia, years ago, and had picked up some from the traders that flocked to Petuar in the intervening years. "Latin is difficult," She laughed, "I hope you understand me?" Antonia nodded slowly, but still looked doubtful at her heavy accent. Gods they don't know how hard it is! Lets see them try and speak my language! A little surprised by her suggestion of the baths she glanced to Teutus, speaking to him; "I...I'm not sure I be allowed?" As if asking Teutus' opinion. It was Tertius' decision of course, and nobody could read his mind. Smiling a little at Antonia, "But you can ask him, domina, if you like. I would like that, to spend time with you, properly." Charis herself knew what it was to lose a mother. Poor little Antonia had almost no women in her life, how difficult it must be for her! She offered a grin, "And you always find me if you need to talk girl...things, domina." She added with a sly grin. "Your father has said I work in gardens all the time now so you can always find me here." She didn't know if she was overstepping her place, but she felt for the little girl. TAG: @Sharpie

Charis nodded, understanding they had no choice about a break to the villa without Tertius' say so and...who knew what Tertius wanted. Charis, in her two months here, hadn't really been able to discern any of her domine's feelings on much of anything. Arching a brow, she smiled. "I don't mind...it is nice for company. Gardens are pretty but quiet." And Antonia - despite her station and status - was engaging company. She reminded Charis a lot of her younger sister at that age before she blinked such memories away, for another day. At Antonia's question, Charis narrowed her eyes thinking. "I seen markets," Where she was sold, and now where she went to buy goods when instructed, "And baths, and some of the gardens. They very beautiful." They didn't need to know that it had been very recently, and for all Antonia and Teutus knew she had only passed through...not sat in the sun drinking and eating with friends. She smiled to herself at the memory, however, nonetheless. "Is Teutus good teacher, domina?" She grinned, arching a brow and trying to change the subject. "He has been teaching me Latin, I think he's very good." She flashed her company a smile. it must be hard; to care for and love a girl that could have been his equal, but was now his mistress. TAG: @Sharpie

Charis grinned, "I would like to go to theatre." Not that she'd understand much, she suspected. And the villa in Campania sounded interesting. She hadn't heard of it before and cast Teutus a curious glance, asking him; "Villa?" She thought it was a bigger house, and the prospect of escaping this city and its infernal heat excited her. "I..." She hesitated at the little girl's question, appreciating Teutus' apologetic glance. She didn't know how much the young girl understood about slavery, nor its realities. She didn't particularly wish to relive the journey in her mind, nor the endless days on the road and boats, shackled and in pain after the loss of her child. "Almost two months, domina." She offered a weak smile. It had taken longer for her than others, having to recover when they made landfall from the miscarriage. She rinsed her hands again to distance herself, and Antonia, fastidiously picking the dirt from her fingers. "But I try not remember Britannia, I live in Rome now...and need ideas of where to visit to see city." TAG: @Sharpie Apparently this would have been Charis' journey, but I imagine she stopped for 5-10 days after she lost the child.

Charis shook her head. "If we leave it, it will be kill." She said, unsure of her Latin and speaking slow enough for the young girl to understand. She pointed to the sky, "Needs more sun." And rain. Not that it ever seemed to rain in this inhospitable place. "So I move it over there." She pointed to the space she had cleared, although tactfully didn't stand to try and replant it now. She had at least learned then when being spoken to, you shouldn't just walk off... She grinned broadly, however, as Antonia reeled off all of the plants she knew. It was impressive - but made Charis said. When she grew and found a man and ran her own house, she would never need to know the healing properties, or nutritional value of her plants that were cultivated. She'd have a new generation of Charis' and Teutus' for that. For Antonia and her ilk, the gardens were just nice to look at not a product of labour and love. It saddened her a little. Still, she said encouragingly; "Very good!", not wanting to dishearten the little girl. "But my favourite this one." She pointed to a flowering oleander plant, "It is a nerium but you must not touch...it can make you sick." They had it in Britannia as well, and they had lost horses to the beautiful flowers. She find it ironic that the Romans were inadvertently growing poison in their gardens. Glancing to Teutus for a sort of confirmation that she was free to talk about Britannia, she nodded. "It is...very different to here. It cold, yes," She laughed, "But very pretty...lots of green and hills and lakes, beautiful." She said the latter with a hint of sadness in her voice. She had felt, since she arrived, deeply claustrophobic in her new city. As if it was smothering her, compared to the rolling wilderness of her homeland. She added, with a gentle smile, "Food better here, domina." That part, at least, was true. Rolling back to sit on her feet so she was kneeling upright she asked Antonia, but glanced at Teutus; "It is long way from Rome too, Britannia. Very long way...Where is best place you have been, besides domus? Does Teutus take you to nice places in Rome?" TAG: @Sharpie

She smiled genuinely and warmly at Teutus. She had grown fond of him - he was one of the few fellow slaves here who gave her the time of day, especially since she had been given seemingly preferential treatment and allowed to choose her own work. "Salve, Teutus." "We have, domina interested in garden." She didn't look at Antonia but continued to work, finally releasing the trapped young rosebush from its position. She had made a separate spot on the other side of the garden ready for it to be replanted, where it would get the hottest sun in the morning, rather than the dregs of warmth in the evening. Arching a brow at the young woman's question she smiled. "These ones dead." She brushed the shrivelled petals. "If don't take them off, then no more flowers." It wasn't just true of roses, of course, but they were particularly susceptible to it. Glancing at the tablet and abacus that Teutus had set down, she looked between the unlikely siblings. "But I do not want disturb lesson." She herself had always been better at numbers than anything else, it had helped their family with their trade. Then again, she enjoyed company. The one downside of her new work was that she rarely had the opportunity to converse with others and it got a little lonely. "It is very pretty here though. Do you know what plants are here, domina...or Teutus? I could teach." She grinned and gestured around the garden. She knew some of the Latin names for them, but not all, and it seemed she discovered something new everyday. It was nice to feel, however, that she was being useful and that others actually appreciated her work. TAG: @Sharpie