Laria

As more women filed into the domus, Marcella took care to memorize every name she heard, Horatia Pulvilla, two Septimas, Pinaria, and of course their hostess, Horatia Justian. She still did not know the name of the mother and the woman whose presence delighted one of the Septima so greatly, but she was confident that she would learn of their identity's by the end of the meeting. In addition to that she hoped to learn the full names of ever woman present and the occupation of their husband, brother(s), father, and son(s); one could never have to much information in her opinion. 

"It's a pleasure Marcella," 

She smiled warmly in response before Horatia moved on to greet the next woman and her daughter. Marcella couldn't help but feel the corners of her mouth momentarily twitch downward as Horatia offered to lend the child her daughters dolls. In her opinion, children had no place at a book club unless they were prepared to participate, she had no qualms with children, just so long as they had some worth. She hoped that the girl would at least stay quite and make herself scarse if she was to be playing with toys during their discussion.

 "I have us set up in the triclinium for now, but we can always move to the garden if the weather holds."

She smiled in recognition of the statement and followed her into the triclinium, she was impressed by how utterly perfect everything looked. "This all looks beautiful" she commented, before sitting down. She waited for some of the other ladies to sit before she did, that way she could choose who she would be sitting next to. She chose to sit next to the woman she didn't know, not the mother, if her daughter was stay the whole meeting would be dreadful, instead she chose the one who the Septima girl was so happy to see. 

After sitting she unfurled the top if her scroll, it look as if it were brand new even though she had owned it since she was a child. This was both because she took exceptionally good care of her books and because in he life she had only read it twice. She read it as a girl and had decided that she didn't care for the story, it was very well written but the plot seemed to unrealistic to her, and Penelope annoyed her. Until reciving the invite to this very club, she hadn't bothered to reread it. Once she was situated she turned to face the woman whose name she didn't not know and introduced herself "I'm Marcella" she said with a smile, "I don't believe I caught your name?"

 @Anna @Lauren @Sara @Chevi @Atrice

 I figured we might as well use the order we already had going 

"Well, none of it was your fault either"

She smiled at him and said "thanks," she still felt as if whatever came next would be but it was still nice that he didn't seem to think so. 

"Seems unfair, doesn't it?... Feels like out of two wrong choices, each of us made one." 

"I don't think there ever was a right choice, no matter what either of us chose we risked hurting someone. It seems ironic how we both wanted to keep everyone safe, and yet we choose to do so in completley different ways."

They really were different kinds of people she was beginning to realize, while she acted on pure instinct and emotion he made the logical decision even under such pressure. She understood that she would never truly know what he had gone through in the Castra and vice versa, but if it was anything like her experience than she knew he was much more resilient than her. 

@Chevi

She felt like crying again, but she held back her tears, she knew that if she started she would never be able to stop. It scared her how quickly she had broken, for more than two decades she had been with this family but all it took was a a couple threats and she agreed to betray them. 

"You are not a horrible person" 

She smiled sadly at him, it was kind of him to say so but she sure did feel like one. 

"And I betrayed you too. That man told me he had you, and I... didn't tell him what he wanted to hear. He could have hurt you for that. If you didn't protect yourself, you would have been hurt, and it would have been my fault."

She looked shocked, she turned to face him and looked him straight in the eye. "The only person to blame is that praetorian, nothing that happened or could have happened was your fault.  You didn't betray me when you choose to withhold information, you protected everyone including me by doing so. Please don't blame yourself for any of this, none of it was your fault." 

@Chevi

"Any time" 

She smiled in a more content manner back at him, just having someone to talk to was brightening her mood considerably. After he moved the tray onto his knees she finished her slice of bread and took another. 

"You are very clever... I think that also makes you strong. I am glad you did what you did. It would have been a lot worse otherwise."

She stopped eating and laughed a humour-less laugh. She shook her head and said "I'm not clever or strong, I'm incredibly selfish and weak. When I agreed to help him I wasn't thinking of anything but my own self preservation. I betrayed everyone, including you and somehow still had the audacity to expect immediate forgiveness." She shook her head again and said "I'm a horrible person Felix, I know that I wouldn't be talking to me, let alone comforting me if I were in your situation" 

@Chevi

She felt him move next to her and unconsciously stiffened, as much as she liked him she was feeling so many conflicting emotions that her natural reaction was to put her guard up. She finally relaxed when he started speaking,

"You didn't do anything wrong... And you are right, this should not be your fight. Or mine. But he made it ours when he threatened us."

She looked back at him and nodded slowly. She was feeling very conflicted by Felix's presence, the more emotional part of her was glad he was there and wanted him to hold her, while her more logical side was terrified about where this could lead.  Unsure of what to say she finally settled on, "thank you," She smiled at him, it was laced with sadness but it was a smile none the less, "it was nice to be able to talk about this."

@Chevi

Callista - 6 - Cyan - Laria

Marcella Laelia - 12 - Violet - Laria

Marcella had been practically glowing since her recent engagement, from the moment she meet Titus she had felt as if she had no reason to continue avoiding others. That was perhaps the reason why she had decided to go to this book club in the first place, as much as she enjoyed literature she was not a fan of the women typically found in book clubs. From her experience they tended to be pompous and cheeky little prudes who feigned virtuosity when she was sure that they all had more than a few skeletons in their closets. Of course, Marcella couldn't condemn them for that, she had her fair share of bones but the way they all gossiped about the others, she believed it to be pathetic. Of course, while she didn't participate, she did always listen and take note of anything that could be useful to her in the future. 

As the domus came into view she began questioning if going to this book club was such a good idea, she never would have RSVP'd yes if she hadn't been in such a good mood when the invite had arrived. It wouldn't be hard to get out of it, she could always explain that her father had taken a turn for the worst that morning or previous night. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind, this would be a good opportunity to make some valuable connections. She straightened her dove grey palla as she reached the entrance of the domus and adjusted her grip on her copy of The Odyssey. She was hoping to make a good impression, she had never meet this Horatia Justina but from what she knew her husband was a well respected senator, she would almost certainly be a fountain of valuable information. 

Upon entering the domus she removed her palla and handed it to a waiting slave, reveling a dark blue chiton. Her hair was twisted into a deceptively simple style that was securely pinned in a braid at the top of her head. She looked rather plain but compared to her usual attire she was dressed up. She matched Horatia's smile when she came to greet her, "hello, I'm Marcella Laelia" she said introducing herself "I would like to thank you so much for hosting this club, literature has always been a passion of mine." 

@Sara

"To us?... I don't think there is a reason... we were just the easiest path for him to get to the domina."

She looked back at him and held his case before looking down at her lap. She sighed, continuing to look down and said "not just that... it's just... not exactly the best lot in life to get, is it." She didn't specify what but it was clear that she meant their both being enslaved. "Live isn't fair, I know that" she continued, this time looking forward rather than down, "but this shouldn't be our fight, and yet it is. And the worst part is that whatever happens I will feel responsible, even though I never choose this and whatever reason that man is so furious never had anything to do with me." 

Her eyes had started watering as she spoke and she furiously started wiping at them, she had done enough crying for one day. 

@Chevi

"Well... that's quite the premise."

She laughed along with him, it was a rather strange plot, though most comedies were. 

"Am I going to have to read some plays from the others to get all the jokes?"

"Maybe a few, but I don't think that missing a few of the jokes would matter to much" she answered, "I'm sure it's written so that everyone can enjoy it, not just those who have studied the works of Euripides and Aeschylus." 

She was beginning to doubt her choice, maybe it would have been better to go with a more straightforward history, even if it would have been more dry. She began to try and think of other recommendations, ones that she had actually read before, in case he decided that it wasn't the best choice. 

@Chevi

Callista walked with Felix to the garden and sat down on the bench. They didn't bring a candle or lamp of any sort but the moon light made it bright enough for them to see. She took a piece if bread and looked up at the moon as he started talking.

"We don't have to talk if you don't want to... They probably asked you enough times for today, I guess?"

She looked over at him and said "they may have asked me but I haven't been able to talk about it, truthfully I'd like to talk, but if you don't want to..." she trailed off at the end, not exactly knowing what she wanted to say. She turned away from him, took a bite of her bread and looked up at the sky again. 

Her anger that she had carried with her all day was beginning to subside and she now felt nothing, while sitting here she was completely numb. "Why did this have to happen?" she asked but not to anyone in particular, Feix was the only on there but she didn't face him as she said it, instead she continued looking upward so it could have been a prayer. 

@Chevi 

 "It is not for you to think... you're unwell" 

After Callista heard this she felt a spike of anger rise in her, she understood that she was not supposed to think, or rather, she was supposed to hide her thoughts, but in this case she assumed that there would be an exception. "I'm sorry Domina" she said, eyes downcast, "I forgot my place." 

She barely heard all other words that were spoken, that is until Felix mentioned her specifically. She didn't like the idea of acting as a spy of sorts but she didn't have much of a choice, it was the only way she could help protect her familia. 

"The house will be watched... which is why I don't want any of you to leave, at least for the next few days."

She nodded, she was glad that she wouldn't have to leave the domus. She had been warned that she would have to meet with that praetorian again but she hoped that by staying home she could delay the meeting. 

@Sara @Chevi @Sharpie

"I will take the odds of one in four. That said - and I apologise if I offend - but it would not matter to me whether none did. Courting public opinion is not something I have shown much interest in before. They will like me or they will have to get used to it."

She smiled and said, "I admire that about you, but I'm sure they will like you." And like he said, even if they didn't they would just have to get used to it. She could hardly believe herself, after so many years she was finally discussing plans to get married. Part of her was thrilled at the idea, despite everything she still knew that a good marriage was all that was expected of her. Another part of her was terrified that she was making a mistake, after years of running her household and father's business exactly as she liked it she was now going to throw it all away in hope that she wouldn't loose her independence. She knew that it had to be done, her father wouldn't keep forever and if she didn't marry now than her brothers would give her to the first man who wanted her. This was her best option, Titus seemed to respect her and didn't care that she wouldn't be a proper Roman matron, it may not be love but that was never a requirement for her. Love was never a necessity, it was merely a troublesome emotion that caused more problems than it was worth. 

"It is a difficult burden that the gods have afflicted him with and I feel for you, truly. We must speak with him then when he has a good moment but, if not, there are ways around it, I would not be concerned."

She was jolted form her thoughts when he spoke of her father's condition, "thank you" she was touched by his statement. She looked up and saw that the sun was starting to dip further behind the horizon, she sighed and said, "I think I should get going now unless I want to be walking home in the dark." She stood up, brushed off her chiton, and grabbed her purse, she then opened it and took out her scroll of the play Medea. "Here" she said handing it to him, "you said you wanted to borrow it, you can return it to me next time we meet" she gave him a copy smile before sauntering out of the domus to walk home.

@Lauren

(OOG: sure) 

"Not in his right mind?" 

She saw the intrigue in his eyes when she mentioned her father's condition. She explained further saying, "he fought in the civil war and hasn't been the same since he returned. He is convinced that my mother is still alive and is constantly getting himself confused."

"He is ill? I am sorry to hear that but I can assure you that I would approach him with nothing but respect and honor. Besides, you have brothers, do you not? The entire menfolk of your family cannot be uniformly against me, can they? They don't even know me! If it is the uniform that they have a problem with I can also assure you that this is just a stepping stone on the way to bigger things. Do they think I'll be like one of Clemens' mad dogs and put all their names on a prescription list?"

She laughed at the prospect of all four of her brothers agreeing on something for once, how awful it would be if it were this. She answered saying, "no not all of them, but the oldest, Albus, might. He has always had a prejudice for preatorians, regardless if it is merely a stepping stone for you." She knew that even so, she had the ability to convince him so he would still agree to the marriage, even if he refused to trust Titus. She laughed again and said, "I have four brothers and they have never agreed on anything, I'm sure that at least one of them will like you."

@Lauren  

"It's been a long day"

She nodded in understanding, she knew exactly what he meant. 

"I wanted to come and see if you are feeling better. I brought some food if you feel like eating... maybe we can sit in the garden, if you'd like fresh air?"

"Thank you, that sounds wonderful" she said, she looked over her shoulder to see that they were still being watched. She quickly started walking to the garden with him, eager to get away from all those prying eyes. As they walked she said "thank you" again. While she didn't specifically for what, she meant for the food, company, and excuse to leave her room. She didn't say anything more after that, what could she say? Even now she was still seeing red, and she didn't want to chase away Felix, not after everything they had gone through. 

@Chevi

After the whole ordeal Callista had spent the remainder of her day busying herself with work to keep herself from dwelling on all the events that had happened that day. Even after being dismissed for the day she had gone to the kitchen to help wash dishes. She needed the distractions, because while everything was happening she had felt an overwhelming amount of fear, but now that she had time to process everything, all she could feel was white hot anger. 

As she tried to fall asleep she wished for just a bit of privacy, some of the braver girls in her room had tried to ask what had happened, she brushed them off and when they realized that she was not in the mood to talk they left her alone, but Callista could still feel their eyes on her making it nearly impossible for her to sleep. 

"Callista? Are you awake?" 

She sat up and her head turned towards the doorway while every other pair of eyes in the room turned towards her, earning those in her immediate line of vision a rather uncharacteristic glare. She recognized the voice as Felix and stood up without saying a word to meet him. If it had been anyone else she would have pretended to be sleeping, but Felix was perhaps the only other person who could possibly understand what she was going through. "Hi" she said greeting him. She she the tray of food in his hands and as if on cue her stomach rumbled and she realized that she had completely forgotten to eat. Ignoring her stomach's grumbling, she asked "how have you been?" knowing perfectly well that it couldn't have be any better than she was.

@Chevi  

She practically breathed a sigh of relief when he accepted her kiss, she had been a bit worried that he wouldn't. She noticed that his kiss, while gentle, was not shy at all. 

When she finally pulled away her thoughts wandered to wedding preparations, it wouldn't be to difficult to procure the proper legal documents, and they could always figure out their living arrangement later. The real issue would be getting her father to agree to it, latley he had been losing his grip on reality. She honestly didn't know what he would say, it all depended on who he though she was; sometime he thought that she was still a little girl, at other times a household slave, most recently he would think that she was the ghost of her long dead mother, come back to haunt him. "I should warn you about my father" she said, "He hasn't been in his right mind for a while now, I honestly haven't the slightest idea how he's going to react." If he said no for whatever reason, she could always attempt to have Albus step in as the Paterfamilias so he could approve their marriage. Of course, she didn't know if he would approve, as much as he wanted her to marry he was never a fan of praetorian's, and might deny them because of that. She decided that while he was going loony, it would be their best chance asking her father. 

@Lauren

Callista considered her options while browsing the shelves, she immediately thought of poetry but she wasn't sure how Felix would feel about that. Satire would be a good choice, except it might be to risky. That left history, philosophy, and plays; history and philosophy, while very informative, could sometimes be considered dry. That left plays, she decided that they were the best choice, they were entertaining and unusually fairly easy to read. She scoured the shelves, occasionally picking something up only to set it back down. She eventually picked up a scroll and studied it carefully before asking "have you ever heard of 'The Frogs'?" she opened the scroll to study the writing before continuing, "I myself have yet to read it, it's a play by Aristophanes, a lesser known Greek playwrite. I believe that it tells the story of Dionysus venturing into the underworld to judge who is the best writer, Euripides or Aeschylus. I thought that it would be a good choice because plays are easy to read and this one is suppose to be a light hearted comedy." She hoped her reasoning was sound enough, she didn't mind looking for something else but it would still be nice to have selected something good on her first try. 

@Chevi

She was positively elated, she wasn't sure what sort of reply she had been expecting but the conformation that he still wanted to persue her despite what most would consider to be her flaws. This man was unlike any she had ever meet, in a good way of course. "I don't think I need to write them into a marriage contract, your willingness to do so is all the confirmation I need. I too think that we would make excellent partners and I cannot deny that you intrigued me also." 

While her tone was formal she wanted nothing more than to jump up in down in celebration, a thing she hadn't done since she was a girl. Finally, after years of her brothers nagging and worrying she had found someone. 

An idea entered her mind and she took a moment to consider it. Sje then looked up at Titus and tiled her head to one side, she blinked up at him as if daring him to guess at what was going to happen next. Finally, she extended her neck to kiss him. It was very forward for their first time meet but what with all that had been said, she didn't think subtlest was exactly expected anymore. 

@Lauren

"Very well. Neither of you are to step foot outside this house without a direct order or permission from me, do you understand?"

She nodded and said "yes Dominus," very relived that they wouldn't have to leave the house. Usually she liked going out, but now she would have rather spend a week in the mines than leave the property. 

She felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders now that she and Felix had told them what had happened. But even as her guilt lessened her anxiety level soared, somehow she knew that that man, Titus Cornasidus Sabinus, would find out they had told. "I think we should consider coming up with a story" she ventured "one to explain why Felix and I were so late, in case any of us are questioned about it." She hoped her idea wasn't meet with much opposition, it made sense to her to have a unified explanation as to why they were so late.

@Sharpie @Sara @Chevi

"It is a big commitment and should be approached properly."

She was glad that he agreed, it showed that unlike so many others, he was the type of person to take marriage seriously. She wasn't the type of girl to hold out for love, she knew that it often caused more trouble than it was worth. She was much more practical than that, all she needed for a happy marriage was a friend. 

"Well, I can safely say that you, Marcella Laelia, are not at all what I expected. And I mean that in a good way, just for the record. So perhaps I can be more forward? I do not like little games. I do not have time for that. I want to know whether you would be amenable to me getting to know you better? To me pressing my suit for you? If that is something you would not like then let me know. I would not force my presence on you. I do not think you are the sort of woman who rejoices in playing suitors off against one another so you presumably would not want to waste your own time. I am sorry if that sounds blunt but I thought you would appreciate honesty."

So they were finaly going to talk about why they were both here. She appreciated his forwardness, even if it wasn't what she was expecting. She turned to face him and said, "I do appreciate your honesty, and would not protest to any attempts you make to learn more about me." She paused, considering her next words before saying, "but before you decide you if you should want to, there are some things you should know about me. I don't get all dressed up unless I have company coming over or if I'm going out, often in my home I'll be wearing a simple tunica and have my hair hanging loose, I do not intend to change this once married. I expect my marriage to last until death, I do not mind casual sex but I will not be divorced for another woman. And I don't want children, I do not mind having some but being a mother is not a necessity for me." She could hardly believe she had done this, everything was out in the open now. She waiting for his response, hoping that she wasn't to forward by revealing these things. If he still choose to persue her then she would know for a fact that he was the one she was meant to be with. 

@Lauren

"Callista, I want you to think calmly, if you can, and tell me what, exactly, you told him. You will not be in trouble, but I need to know what happened and what was said." 

She thought for a moment, going over every detail of the meeting in her mind. When she finally did speak she said, "he asked about what my duties were and if I had ever been punished before, I think he was trying to see where my loyalties were. After that he asked about Domina's father and brothers, he didn't ask it outright but he seemed to want to know if any of them had a military background. I tried to play dumb and instead told him the story of how you two meet because it involved her brother. That only upset him further and he had two men grab me and he had a crucifixion nail..." without even realizing it she had started rubbing her arms where she had been grabbed, they weren't visible now but she was certain that she would have bruises by morning. "The only other thing of substance that he said was that I should be prepaid for next time he wants to meet with me" she continued "and that was it, he didn't give me any more information."

@Sharpie @Sara @Chevi

Titus Cornasidius Sabinus, so that was the name of the man who had already caused so much misery. At least she now knew his name, somehow it made him feel less menacing. 

She didn't have much left to say, her meeting consisted mostly of her being yelled at and threatened by a delusional man in power. She watched her domina glance between Felix and her, she looked guilty, as if her happenstance meeting with him was the reason why all of this was happening now. She wanted to reassure her but now was not the time.

"What else did he say about the treason?" 

Callista waited until Felix gave his answer and then said, "he didn't give any reason at all for suspecting you Domina, he just kept insisting that you and your family were traitors. He seemed... unstable." 

Color had finally started to return to her face and she was feeling much less disoriented from when she had just regained conciousness. She however, still felt drained from all that had happened. 

@Sara @Chevi @Sharpie

Callista walked with Felix to the tablinum where she sat on a bench and he stood next to her. His presence comforted her even as he explain what had happened to them. When it was her turn, she took a deep breath and started to share her story after Felix finished his part. "I was taken by two guards to the Castra where they were threatening to torture me, and then he showed up. He ordered them to leave and then he led me to his office. He questioned me and I tried to be as vague with my answers as possible but I angered him and he threatened me, and Felix, and the children." She shifted on her bench, feeling uncomfortable from having to relive this experience. She continued saying, "He seemed particularly focused on you Domina, I asked him what he was trying to accomplish by questioning me and he started yelling about how he suspected that every member of your family was somehow a traitor." She closed her eyes and took in a long breath, this was going to be the hard part. "I agreed to help him. I am so sorry, I didn't mean it but I didn't see any other way of getting out of there. He was livid and armed and he said that if I didn't he would kill Felix, Titus, and Calpurnia in addition to you two. I couldn't even try to run, there were three other guards in the room, two were holding me and the other was just observing what was going on. Wait" realization hit her and exclaimed, "Valens! He said his name was Valens, not the one who was questioning us but the one who was just observing, he called him Valens." So they did have a clue as to who he was after all, he was working with a man named Valens. 

@Sharpie @Chevi @Sara

"The men of Rome are bigger fools than I have given them credit for... Cowards too if they run from battle. I would find it an honor to spar against a worthy opponent such as yourself."

She laughed and replied saying, "thank you, most see me as a nuisance rather than an opponent." She was honestly suprized that he was any different, pleasantly surprised but suprized none the less. She had dreamed that someone like him would exist, but now that she had actually meet him she was having trouble wrapping her head around the fact that he did exist, and he did want to hear what she had to say. It was exhilarating, for once she didn't have to watch her tounge for fear of offending whomever she was with for having the audacity to disagree with them. 

"As for me, well, what can I say? I doubt I scare anyone. I suppose my fault is that I have been too picky."

She thought for a moment before saying "I don't think you can be to picky, after all, it's the person that you are committing to spend the rest of your life with." She whole heartedly belived this, she often thought that her friends who had married so young would have been happier if they had waited until they found someone that they could have a companionship with. She couldn't understand the girls who knew that their fate was to be hidden away and to have their husbands children, and didn't care. Marcella was determined to not let that happen to her, she at least needed some who respected her, and she couldn't help thinking that she had meet that someone today. 

@Lauren

Still unsure of what had happend to bring her to a bench in the atrium. She hoped that she had fallen asleep there and that everything that had happened that afternoon had just been a bad dream, but she knew otherwise, the thing she remembered most other than her terrior was how real it felt.

"You fainted outside."

She responded by saying "oh" that explained why she couldn't remember how she got to the atrium and how she got layed out on this bench. She saw Felix move to sit next to her and for the first time that afternoon, she smiled. 

She saw that her dominus also joined them, and asked what had happened and then her domina ask is she was hurt. Before she could answer Fepix did, he told that that she wasn't hurt and asked if they could talk in private. Callista looked around and noticed all the other slave that were looking curiosity onward, no doubt hoping to eavesdrop on their conversation. She nodded in agreement, this was not something that could be discussed out in the open. 

@Sara @Chevi @Sharpie