Sara

Longinus gave his slaves a puzzled expression. He was picturing shock, and outright delight...not...the utter confusion on both of their faces. He grimaced, giving them a sheepish look each, trying to find the words. He was never much good with words...actions, decisive, brilliant actions were his forte. As was evident with this. "She's still your daughter." He offered, "Nothing will change in that regard, obviously." He heaved a sigh and glanced between the pair of them again and little Beata in Metella's arms. "...if you want to call me a bastard, you can and I won't send you off to Titus in the East...but at least explain to me why you both look like you want to punch me in the face and call me said bastard?" TAG: @Chevi @Sharpie

He snapped at her. He snapped at her. She ground her teeth hard enough that she thought they might splinter and crack and the glare she shot at him was utterly withering. Red mist descended in her gaze and she fought as bravely as any soldier on the battlefield to keep it in check. She tolerated being disrespected by her father and her brothers but that was it. Nobody else, particularly not a jumped up little shit like Marcus Junius Silanus. She pushed herself to stand and glanced down at him. "And you should not speak to me like that, Marcus." She placed her hands on her hips and quirked a brow. "I have offered you friendship, and kindness and Gods even wine for you to offer to heal your injuries." She scoffed, "I won't pry, but I will not be spoken down to." With a shake of her head she glanced towards the exit. She really shouldn't have been in here alone with him. "Let's hope you don't forget to think before you speak to the next man with fists that can do that to a face, hm?" She shook her head and made to leave. TAG: @Atrice

Charis' lips parted at his question, her smaller hand enveloped in his. Peregrinus had been an accident - an unhappy one at that. Her first child, the one she had lost on the roads from Britannia had been as well. She had never planned her family, she had just dealt with what the Gods had given her to cope with. Was he asking? She swallowed and nodded. She could only answer genuinely, she was certain Tertius could sniff out a lie at a hundred paces. "Yes. I miss it." Her smile softened and she gestured her head back at the blanket as she retook her seat, eyes moving back up to stare at the clouds in the sky as she sighed. "I do not miss pregnancy," She admitted with a little chuckle, "Or the pains at the end of it. But I miss holding my baby in my arms, their first smile, their first laugh." She sighed and glanced across at him. She would never claim to want another child with the man she now had to call her husband, but she did wish for another child. It was a painful reality for her. Studying him, she realised that whilst she had decades left to have more, he likely didn't. She rarely felt the age difference between them but it must have been close to twenty years or more. "Do you? Miss it?" TAG: @Atrice

He waved and she grinned. Not the predatory, sometimes false smile she wore, but a genuine grin of amusement. The little shit...wasn't so little anymore, but he was still just as amusing. She didn't forget that he'd helped her snare the man whose domus they were now standing in, at the orgy all those months ago. Granted, Lentulus had gone on to sponsor the Whites as well. Fortuna had smiled on them both that night. She pushed herself off the couch with lazy grace, her hips swaying in the low cut, artfully folded dress she wore as she padded over to him. "Ah, isn't it the famous charioteer and champion grape tosser." She leant to kiss his cheek softly, "I'm glad you came. I wondered if..." Her eyes flicked to the man Lentulus had pointed out as the owner of the faction - a good lay but she was after bigger fish tonight - "Your dominus would bring you. Nice braids." She gestured at his hair and then grinned back at Marcus, throwing a wave at him of her own. TAG: @Chevi @Sharpie

Attis' stuttering and Metella's face sprung a leak of guilt in his chest. Maybe he should have warned them, but he hadn't exactly settled on the idea before doing it - only considered it. It would have been cruel to suggest he might free their child and then not follow through, but the sight of the little bundle at his feet had cleaved his heart in two and he could do nothing put pick her up, and welcome her into his family. He chose to answer Metella's questions first. "Your daughter is a free girl, I've got her lunula in my tablinum...somewhere." He wrinkled his nose, it was probably buried under papers. "And when she gets older, she has my patronage, she'll be my client for whatever ventures she wants to take on. But for now, she'll have an allowance for whatever she needs." he shrugged, eyes moving from Metella to the little bundle in Attis' arms, smiling fondly at the sight that greeted him. He sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "And why?" He asked Attis and then shrugged, "You two have been instrumental in this household, in my life. Attis is aware that he is manumitted in my will, you will be as well Metella." As would Vitus and a couple of the others. "I...will free you both before then, but I...cannot free you now, I need you both in the roles you are in," He sighed, "But I can free your daughter and give her the benefits of my station." He gave them both a lopsided smile, "What's the point of being rich as Crassus if I can't spend it?" He arched a brow. It wasn't as if he had a large family of his own to dish out his wealth on. TAG: @Sharpie @Chevi

Tradition and family and duty are everything. Yes, Ovinia thought, they were. They were all she'd spent her twenty years devoted to until...well...somebody had come along to disrupt her world and opened her eyes to the cloistered existence she had been living in. She had always wanted a nice, important husband whose influence she could wield as her own for charitable work or with other Patricians. She wanted a nice, spacious domus where she could host her friends to weave and gossip. She wanted children - not the one or two that were fashionable amongst her peers but a big brood, so many it was difficult to embrace them all in a hug. She wanted to be beautiful and spend time focusing on her appearance and her health. Those were her dreams, that was it. Until it all changed. She hoped she wasn't flushing at the thought and sipped her wine contemplatively instead, offering Teutus a kind smile as she swallowed down a mouthful. "I'm sorry you're not. You'll make an excellent husband, Teutus, probably to somebody a little less...high maintenance than me?" She soothed with a little chuckle. In truth, she didn't know him well enough to know if that was entirely true but she had faith he would be. "And of course," her smile widened as she delved into the fantasy lands they were spinning, "Rich enough for a villa on every coast of Italia. And one in Greece." Chuckling she tucked her hair behind her ear. "And you never answered my question, if there was somebody you have in mind for yourself?" TAG: @Sharpie

Narrowing her dark eyes on Marcus' face she considered his words. Truthfully, Marcus wasn't all that different from many of his peers to her - flirtatious, confident, handsome and with bright, dazzling futures ahead of them in the Senate or in the legions. She knew men like him got away with murder (metaphorically speaking of course), but she also knew that men like her father often didn't take kindly to the idle words of young men who had more money (or connections in Marcus' case) than sense. She thought him offending somebody senior to him a more likely cause of his injuries than a random attack like hers had been. Her face hardened slightly at the thought, her sympathy flickering out like a lit lamp. "I am sorry." She said evenly, eyes still on his bruised face. "I'm to assume then that this wasn't some random attack in an alley in the Subura?" She arched a well shaped brow. "People forget to think before they talk all the time," She shrugged - although she couldn't sympathise, mostly every word from her lips was crafted with care and precision, "But few end up with a face like yours." She gestured to his injuries. "It must have been a serious slight to warrant that. Or a very angry man." TAG: @Atrice

November, 77AD Vibia draped herself on one of the couches in the garden. The winter cold wasn't oppressive ye and the light breeze that skittered across the fountains and fragrant plants was pleasant, even as the sun finally set. There were a host of people here tonight - some seeking to meet the famed Whites, others only hear for the near nude women and men that paraded around the domus. Vibia had been instrumental in their procurement and she was pleased with the majority of them. The Senator hosting this evening - one Marcus Licinius Lentulus was - as fortune would have it - both a patron of hers and a sponsor of the Whites. He was also a deeply stupid man who liked sex more than sense. She'd draped herself on his arm as they'd wandered the slave markets last week, picking and choosing girls and boys for this evening - renting them rather than purchasing them of course. If Vibia was determined to get enough funding together to start her own pleasure house, she needed to show she had a good eye for its workers. Lentulus was more than happy to stump up the funds and his home for this soiree, even if his harpy of a wife was unwilling to allow him to fund her entire endeavour. No matter. There were plenty rich enough to fund the enterprise twenty times over, in this house. But of course, she was not going to go begging. The Syndicate and The Servian Collegium didn't need to know she was desperate. She'd only mentioned briefly to her handlers that she was sure her own venture would be more profitable both in gold and information than her continued work at the Venus. She was, after all, recently twenty-seven and whilst her looks hadn't faded she knew she only had limited time left. She needed to forge a new path...albeit, one she knew well. So here she was - with the sheen of respectability on the evening. It was - to those fortunate to be invited - a party to celebrate the White's good fortunes and continued success. Her handlers in the gangs would think her attendance merely a facet of her work. How could one have a celebration party for a faction without prostitutes, after all? But in reality she was going to play the field, find investors and them make her plan a reality. She smiled to herself at the thought, tossing her glossy blonde hair over her shoulder as she surveyed the crowd, looking for a catch. It was going to be a fun evening. TAG: Open!

Her brows rose in surprise at his admission and she studied him intently. She managed a small joke though, trying to lift his spirits. "I knew the villa was large...I hadn't appreciated it was so large that one could lose an Imperial in it." Shaking her head she adjusted the palla over her silken dark hair and dropped her eyes. She heard the anxiety in his voice as he reminded her of his promise. She loosed a breath and nodded, contemplating how best to phrase it. "You needn't worry, Tiberius and I aren't close enough for me to dish out your secrets to him." Not any more, not after the humiliation of what she'd had to admit to him. The vulnerability of her testimony still made her ashamed, even if he'd given her no cause to be ashamed. But along with that, there was a feeling of fury - at his tone, at his questions. She tried to shake it off. Flicking her dark eyes back to Marcus, she let out a sigh and moved to grip his forearm in a gesture of comfort. Whatever Marcus was going through he felt enough shame about it to lie, to hide himself away. She knew exactly what that felt like. Granted, had she known he'd been beaten for insulting a Praetor's wife she might be rather less sympathetic and stop herself comparing his feelings to her own, after her assault. But she didn't know and the last few months had been excellent at teaching her compassion, if nothing else. "I'm sorry this happened to you Marcus. Whatever it was, I'm sure you did not deserve it." TAG: @Atrice

Tertius apologised. Tertius apologised. She was momentarily stunned, fingers resting in his palm as she blinked at him and then rapidly gathered her senses to nod slowly. "Thank you." She said, a softer smile flitting onto her lips. "For the apology. And the consideration." He wouldn't learn if she didn't reinforce his good behaviours with praise. Much like the cat she'd had as a girl. She opted not to tell him that, obviously. Silanus stayed at the periphery of her thoughts though, as Peregrinus cried. But he noted her sigh and she gave her husband a slightly more subdued look, shifting from foot to foot as if fighting the temptation. "He will be alright with the slaves," She murmured as her eyes drifted in the direction of his room and the sound of hurrying footsteps. "But it still feels like an ache in my chest, every time I hear him cry. I...still can't believe he'll be two in just a few months." Her voice was soft, contemplative. "Where has the time gone?" She chuckled and shook her head, "Where has my little baby gone? He's so big now I..." she sighed and shook her head, dragging her gaze back to his. "I'm rambling, ignore me." TAG: @Atrice

She quirked a brow, her face a picture of perfect dispassion as he told her he wasn't going to tell. Fine. Ovinia didn't believe him, but fine. A lifetime of being the only daughter of a house like her fathers had given her skills in getting what she wanted. Most of those skills relied on her feminine charms, but not all of them. Plenty of people saw her face and assumed there was nothing beneath the pretty surface, not realising that her mind was as sharp and keen and...strategic as her brothers. So she just gave Marcus a tight smile and gestured for him to do his offering as she moved to take a seat on one of the worn wooden benches at the side. She watched the scene curiously as he made his prayers at the altar, her mouth gaping a little as he dropped his hood and even in the gloom she got a better view of his injuries. Whomever had done this to him had clearly had a score to settle. Her mind immediately jumped to some scorned husband or father if Marcus had got a little too handsy with somebody he shouldn't of, but that didn't explain why he was so utterly reticent to talk about it. Surely a strapping young man like Marcus would love to boast of his...accomplisments with women, even if they'd ended in disaster. She frowned, trying to piece it together in her head as he drew back towards her. Shaking her head, she indicated at the bench next to her. It occurred, very briefly, that they were alone together in a way she probably shouldn't have been with a man whilst unmarried. her fingers came to her lunula, stroking the pendant softly. "I need nothing from Vejovis." She said with a small shrug and a softer smile. "I've already visited Pietas and Juno today." Glancing sideways at him, her voice dropped to a softer whisper; "What does Tiberius make of what's happened to you?" She hadn't thought about, or seen the man since Cerealia and even then she'd largely avoided him. After the revelations of her testimony, even the mention of him made a shudder work down her spine. TAG: @Atrice

In a strange sort of way, Charis understood his rationale. He hadn't wanted this on her shoulders, hadn't wanted her to be blamed if there was any fallout. He had, in his own, odd, twisted way tried to protect her. She should have been grateful for that, but the dread still pooled and heavy in her stomach forbid her from being anything but furious. She loosed a breath, tilting her head to the side to study the fountain rather than look at him. She couldn't snap at him, she'd already gone probably far too far today and whilst she was a freedwoman, whilst she was his wife, the list of conditions that hung like a slave collar around her neck still shone bright in her mind. Too many missteps and she was sure the freedom he gave her would be swiftly curtailed. She shuddered out another breath, trying to calm herself, before turning her face to his. She pushed herself up in a fluid motion although her diminutive stature meant she came up only to his chest. She angled her face back and slowly moved her hand to cup his cheek, urging him to look at her. "I just wish you would trust me enough to let me know what you're thinking." She murmured. "Husbands and wives share things. Their plans, particularly when it concerns the other. There is no way he won't think I had a part in this, Tertius. Do you understand at all, where I am coming from?" Faintly, from a distance, she heard their son start to cry and she sighed. There were plenty of slaves around to deal with Peregrinus when she was absent but the sound always cleaved her heart. TAG: @Atrice

She quirked a brow at him as they drew close to the temple and paused outside. "Saturnalia? And here I thought you'd be out enjoying the revelries." Inhibitions were...lower at Saturnalia. Her kiss in an alley was proof of that, she suspected it was even more enjoyable for a man like Marcus though who seemed to be permanently sizing up the women in his life for how they'd fit in his bed. The thought made her smirk. Nodding at his question she gestured for him to follow her up the steps. "Most days. It brings me comfort." Particularly recently, with her thoughts as addled as they were after everything with the barber. She brought her palla back over her hair in respect as Lucia lingered outside and gestured for Silvanus to do the same, giving Marcus and Ovinia privacy. An old priest was taking a rest on a small wooden stool outside but besides him, the place was deserted. A musty, dank smell permeated through the gloom of the small lamps lighting an altar where a few scant offerings had been left. She held the small flash of wine out for Marcus. "Make your offering and then are you going to tell me what happened?" TAG: @Atrice

She blinked at his snapped words and the rustle of material as he stood. Funny way of showing you cared about me, she snapped in her head but had the good sense to keep the words from tumbling out of her mouth. She wondered, occasionally, if he ever felt bad about what he'd done. The words he'd said, that first time occasionally still rattled around in her head; if you submit… it will not be so bad. He'd seen her crying, after he'd spent himself. And yet still he brought her into his bed again and again, still he'd locked her away in that little room after she'd taken that poison. She felt anger, humiliation, ripple through her and she exhaled sharply to try and rid herself of it. Maybe Cynane's anger, confusion over Charis submitting now was warranted. Tertius had hurt her and yet here she was, playing happy wife. Granted, she wasn't a particularly happy wife right now. She let out a shaky breath, smoothing her hands over her dress. She didn't look up at him - she could feel him trying, feel it in the newfound softness in his words. He thought he'd done something good for her. She knew one could never reason with Tertius' view of the world, but Silanus for all that he was a prick and arrogant and insufferable, didn't deserve to be beaten for it. "I..." She huffed. "I wish you trusted me enough to speak to me about it before you did it." She said, honestly. Shrugging thin shoulders, she wrapped an arm around her knees. "I wanted him punished," She admitted. That was true at least. "But just...ostracised, denied promotion. I've...seen enough bloodshed in my life, Tertius. I don't want to be responsible for more." TAG: @Atrice

She huffed a small laugh as they set off. "There's nothing wrong with how you look, you can just claim some heroics and say you rescued some sweet pleb children from a fire or something and that's how you ended up with the injuries, but the cloak only makes you more obvious. It's hot, no sane person would wear that today." She rolled her eyes. Clearly he hadn't got his injuries from some heroics because knowing Marcus - even as she did - she would bet good money that if that were the case he'd be shouting to the rooftops about it and loudly proclaiming it to the world. She glanced over her shoulder as Lucia and Silvanus, their respective body slaves, trailed behind. "I have wine you can offer him. Or you could buy some incense in the temple." She shrugged and determined to divert the conversation she arched a brow. "You don't visit the temples much?" It was a daily habit for her, not only as something to get her out of the house but it brought her comfort to believe there was something bigger than herself guiding her life. TAG: @Atrice

Charis loosed a breath, relieved, when he said the boy hadn't been killed. She shouldn't have considered it a possibility but she knew how far things could go out of hand, particularly when Tertius was provoked. She sat back on her heels, turning her face away from him to study the fountain as he spoke. She could feel his eyes boring into her cheek. He had the gall to mention how things were done in Britannia, as if Rome was any less savage. Case in point with this fuck-up of a situation. "I didn't ask you do to this!" She snapped and turned her face to glare at him, her blood heating. She knew she should be careful but... "And there are many ways to get a man like that to apologise, to make him regret what he said besides a beating," She explained, "You are a clever man, could you not have used your words? I-It upsets me," She said with thinly veiled upset and fury, "Because yes he offended me but I didn't want him hurt. Not like that. And you didn't even talk to me of it, Tertius!" She ground down on her teeth, tempted to push herself up to leave but she choked out instead, "You never hit me, when I misbehaved." Her eyes flicked to him, watching him with cold distance, "You threatened me and and punished me in other ways. Why could you not do that, for this boy?" TAG: @Atrice

Ovinia eyed him, concern flaring in her eyes. Whatever had happened he was adamant nobody could know, and that he could deal with it himself. Judging by what little she could see under the cloak, he'd been patched up well enough but even the smallest cuts could go inflamed. She cast a warning glance over his shoulder to Silvanus. "Well see to it that Silvanus keeps up his work, it would be a shame for you to be scarred or worse." Marcus was a handsome man, even if she was currently starry-eyed over Lucius, she wasn't blind. Then again, she supposed some women liked scars. Shaking her head to clear her mind of random thoughts she glanced over her shoulder at the temple she'd just exited. "It's crowded in there." Everybody clearly wanted to demonstrate their devotion to...devotion. But with a sigh and tossing her long dark hair over her shoulder, long enough now that it curled at her waist, she quirked a brow and gestured with a hand up the street. "But there's a small temple to Vejovis, not far. You might want to offer him something to aid your healing, and it's a good place to talk." She studied him for a moment, worry and interest lighting her dark eyes. "Or I suppose you can go back to your shadows, Marcus." TAG: @Atrice

The dread in her body turned to a leaden weight that made her nauseous. I did. This wasn't like Immin brawling with some drunken idiot who had deigned to grab her ass back in the village, this was Tertius being calculated enough to wait until she wasn't present. Teaching a noble young man a lesson. She sucked in a breath and moved out of the hand on her cheek. She felt sick. "I didn't ask you to do that!" She choked, pain in her eyes. "How badly is he hurt, Tertius? What if...what if you killed him?" Her mind swam with possibilities. "I do not need you to defend my honour, I can do it myself, I can..." She sucked in another breath and turned her face away, biting down on her lip. She had been furious at Marcus, embarrassed even about what he'd drawn out but she hadn't wanted him hurt for it. Not like that...embarrassed maybe, his pride wounded but...she flicked her eyes back to his. "Why did you not talk to me about this?" TAG: @Atrice

She didn't move as he stayed stock still himself, and instead she sighed, looking him over. She wished he'd take down the damn cloak so she could see him better, see the injuries better. From the corner of her eye Silvanus glanced at her, evidently in warning, before dropping his gaze again. "He might have salves to take down the bruising?" She countered but saw it was likely a losing battle. If he had been mortally injured surely he would have dropped dead by now? It didn't make the uncomfortable feeling in her chest dissipate, nor did his next words. She blinked at him. "I won't." She affirmed quickly. "I don't gossip." Well, that wasn't true, but she didn't gossip about things that mattered. She had her own secrets she needed to stay long buried after all - one of which was likely waiting for her at an abandoned domus, and another scared her hip and her scapula. She tightened the palla around herself. "What happened, Marcus?" Her voice was soft but insistent. TAG: @Atrice

Ovinia grimaced as he snapped and she looked at the wounds across his face. It looked more than sore. Her eyes flicked behind Silanus to his slave, who had his eyes respectfully dropped but she gauged from the slump of his shoulders that caring for Marcus in such a state was...probably tiring to say the least. She was pulled back to the conversation by his words and a frown fell on her face, creasing her brow. "I've always been pleasant to you." She retorted, party when he'd invited a prostitute, aside. She rolled her eyes and drummed her fingers against her hip, studying him intently. "You are my friend." She said firmly. A sort of...arms-length friend, but one all the same. They moved in the same circles and likely would continue to as they aged and Marcus raced up the cursus and she...started having babies. She watched him closely and sighed again, shaking her head. "And I would rather speak to the Silanus who flirts unashamedly with me, than the one who is rude. So, I'll take you to a medicus I know. Come." she jerked her head before explaining, figuring he'd need a reason to trust her. "My brothers were...boisterous when they were younger. On several occasions they were supposed to be taking care of me and ended up in all sorts of brawls and scapes." Even strict, rigid Gaius Minor. "They had a medicus they used to visit who was very discrete. I think I remember the way." TAG: @Atrice

Dread burst from her stomach, lapping at her throat, drying out her mouth. She didn't flinch from the soft, gentle stroke across her cheek but she didn't lean into it either. Instead, she watched him, considering her words carefully before she said them. She settled on: "What did you do, Tertius?" She rarely used his name - it had been domine for years, and now it was husband. The name sounded odd on her lips. She had never considered Tertius dangerous which had been her undoing at first. But even then, when he'd taken her to his bed against her will, when he'd locked her in her room after her failed attempt to rid herself of their son, he had never been violent. Cruel, and cold and he'd drawn out her punishment, but he'd never hit her. Never whipped her. Half of her wondered if that was because he didn't want to ruin her looks, but she'd equally never seen him lash out at the others either. The thought that he could be violent cooled her skin and she searched his face. "Did you hurt him? I am your wife, I deserve to be told." TAG: @Atrice

He snapped at her and she blinked. Nobody snapped at her, besides her father and her brothers. Nobody would dare. She was the daughter of a Praetor and more besides that, she could hold her own. She quirked a brow and planted a hand at her waist, cinched in from the ornate gold belt she wore. Oh no, he was not doing this. She hadn't seen him properly since Cerealia but even that had been a passing conversation. She narrowed her dark eyes, scanning his face under the hood. It was still wreathed in shadows. "The hood looks ridiculous." She commented with a small shrug. But he did look in pain, and much like herself, maybe he was one of those men that projected their hurt and wounded pride onto others. Ovinia could be lethal when she was upset or embarrassed, lashing out and being cruel for no good reason rather than to try and get rid of the emotions she felt. At least she had the sense to do it to family and slaves though, very rarely did she let it show in public. Then again, she'd never been beaten. Not like this. With a sigh and a dramatic roll of her eyes she took a half step closer to him, her voice calmer and more gentle. "It looks sore. Have you seen a medicus?" Better to start again, softly. TAG: @Atrice

Charis stroked her fingers across Tertius' shoulder, worry in her eyes as he spoke. His tone was firm, she'd heard it before, but not for a long while. Things had softened between them and the blurring of the lines had been confusing for her, almost painful as she struggled to adjust, be grateful for her freedom. But that tone snapped her right back to being under his thumb and she pushed herself up so she was sitting, withdrawing her hand from his shoulder. She was not his slave. She could question him, talk to him unprompted. Her big blue eyes narrowed as dread pooled in her stomach. "I thought I might hear from him to apologise." She explained, her voice level, neutral. "And why, husband, will he not bother us again?" She studied his face with ferocious intensity. "What did you do?" TAG: @Atrice

Ovinia exited the small, slightly run-down temple to Pietas into the warm sun of June in the Eternal City. Dropping her palla from her hair she blinked into the brightness, taking a moment for her eyes to adjust. She never liked visiting Pietas' temple, but it was on her monthly rotation. Her friends had always been deeply amused about her orderly list of and appointments at various temples throughout the city; Juno's weekly, Venus' fortnightly and then Bona Dea, Fortuna and others' once every three weeks. Pietas, the goddess of duty, filial piety, devotion and so on and so forth, wasn't high up on her list previously because she felt that she already exemplified those virtues. Up until a few months ago she had only ever been a good daughter, doing exactly as instructed, so she never liked to visit because it felt...well...counter-intuitive. Now, however, she loathed to visit and pay her respects and say her prayers for an altogether different reason. Letting Lucius Manius Victorius Roscianus into her bed, even if they hadn't gone all the way, wasn't particularly pious of her. She bit her lip at the thought but...smiled. She didn't regret it, even if she should and the fact that she was due to meet him that afternoon sent a frisson of something down her spine as she took a breath on the steps. Stop it, you idiot, you're probably blushing. And then the perfect distraction filtered into view and she frowned. Even with the cloak casting a shadow across his face, she recognised Marcus Junius Silanus and...her heart stilled. The bruises were ugly to say the least. As was the cut casting a deep red line across his brow. She strode down the steps, hitching her chiton up to her ankles so she didn't trip. Dressed finely as usual in a a deep emerald green with a lighter gauzy palla, she tilted her head as she came to a stop in front of him. Her lunula glinted in the sunlight, matching the gold of her earrings that drifted in the breeze. "Are you trying a new profession as an actor, Marcus Junius?" She arched a brow in amusement, "Trying to camouflage yourself in plain sight? I'm sorry to say it's not working." TAG: @Atrice

"Cassia Beata..." Longinus nodded with a grin down at the little girl fussing against his chest. He felt something tug deep within himself, some sort of yearning for one of his own. He pushed it down. Things had stalled with Sergia, but it wasn't to think about now. Not with the rest of the gasping, whispering slaves in his house looking on and Metella and Attis' own stupefied expressions. The latter seemed able to verbalise her confusion though and he nodded, his grin softening to a more gentle smile. "Cassia Beata is a full citizen of Rome, and has my patronage should she wish it, when she's older." He glanced at Metella and Attis in turn. He didn't know if that was usual, but somewhere in the back of his mind he thought it was right. Nothing about this was usual, after all. He jerked his head at the rest of the household, "The rest of you back to work...or whatever you do in my house that you think counts as work." He chuckled and then strode forward to meet Metella, "I suspect you want her back, loathed as I am to give her away." He smiled and gently rocked the fussing newborn before holding her out for one of his parents to take. "I couldn't resist." He gave them both a sheepish look. TAG: @Sharpie @Chevi