Laria

This was bad, he had not taken her request well and now his anger had exploded out of him. She started to quiver as he began to rant.

"I am sure that your domina and her family have a whole closet full of skeletons to the extent that all I have to do is open a door and I will be fucking drowned in bones. I am sure that her fucking family are traitors, whose treason is not just historic but continues to this day. I am sure that I will find the fucking truth of it."

She jumped as he slammed the nail down into his desk so that it stood there, a constant reminder of what would happen if she angered him further. He was insane, her domina family had never done anything to betray Rome and yet he was completely obsessed with the idea that they had. 

"You, Callista, are going to help me. You are going to help me because otherwise the next time you see a nail like this it will be being smashed, with a mallet, through your arm. Once you have done what I want you will be left alone. It will be as though none of this ever happened and no one - no one, Callista - will ever need to know...Have I now cleared that up for you?"

She nodded frantically again and managed to say "yes dominus" hoping that he would finally let her go. She didn't know what she could do, there was nothing she could give him that he would want. She would have to fabricate evidence that made the family look like traitors if she wanted to live but it meant that she would be betraying her familia and putting them in danger. It was a choice between her or the family, she knew if she refused and died that he would just find another slave to use to frame the family. She decide that when she could she would talk to Felix about this, after all, if what he was saying was true, he was part of this now too.

@Lauren

She sat watching him as he appeared to be thinking. Had she let something slip? She thought that she had only told a useless story, not given away any useful information. She broke into a nervous sweat as his fingers drummed on the dest. She watched them intently, the sound of them falling in rhythm being the only sound in the room. She gulped and waited for him to continue talking. 

"I'm sorry, Callista, I really am." 

Her heat soared, he was apologizing! He had bought her story and was apologising for arresting her, she was free to go!

"I don't think you're telling the truth"

She fell from hard and fast form the cloud she was riding on, he wasn't apologizing for what he had done, it was for what he would do. "Wait" she pleaded as she was pulled from her chair which toppled over in her absence. Her cup slipped from her hands and shattered on the floor sending pieces of clay skidding across the office and water spraying their ankles. She opened her mouth to continue begging for him to let her go but immediately shut it when he reached for a long crusifiction nail.

"Do you know what this is, Callista?" 

She nodded frantically, every slave knew what that was and never wanted to see it in person.

"It is the sort of nail they use to hammer through your wrists if you are being crucified. That is the fate which awaits slaves who lie, do you understand?"

She nodded again, even more vigorously than before. She wanted to speak but her mouth had gone dry and she didn't even know what she could say in this situation. She took a risk, it was not the time to do so but it was the only thing she thought could help her. Despite her fear she spoke in a slow measured voice and said "it would be easier for me to know what information you want if I know your end goal." Now was not the time for her to be making requests, unless they were "please don't kill or torture me," but hopefully he would see with this request that she was eager to help him now that he had threatened her life.

@Lauren

Callista beamed back at him, glad that he laughed rather than hushing her for saying such a thing. She had been worried that he might have been offended at her joke, but he laughed. He certainly looked surprised but he laughed. 

"Good question... maybe I'd convince dominus to build a library instead of a bath? ...One that is open to slaves as well?" 

"That sounds wonderful" she answered, already she was getting missy eyed thinking of such a place. "But why a library?" she asked after coming back to reality, "thought you said that you don't usually read" 

@Chevi

Perfect Callista thought, she knew exactly what he wanted and how to not give it to him. All of his questions she could answer without telling him anything he wanted to know. 

"Her brothers and her father, she sees them often? Writes to them? What do you know of their background? They have travelled widely, I am sure, I wonder whether you are able to shed any light of where any of them may have been over the past ten years or so?"

She smiled sweetly and began talking, "oh yes, she often writes to them, especially her brother Publius. I know he has a military background but I'm not sure of any specifics. He is very well traveled, my Domina was visiting him in Greece as a seventeen year old when he introduced her to a college of his, Aulus Calpurnius Preatextatus, her future husband." This was good, a she had to do was prattle on about the story of how they meet and she would appear to just be a silly girl with no real information he could use. "She was reading in the garden" she continued, it occured the her that it might have actually been a courtyard but it didn't matter, what mattered was that she keeped talking, "she wasn't prepared for visitors at all, but he didn't seem to mind. Soon they were quite smitten with one another and had written to her father asking for permission to marry." She decided that ittwas time to wrap the story up so she finished by saying "she still credits her marriage to her brother, anytime they visit he always reminds her of it." She laughed at the end, as if to share the joke with him, but it came out sounding nervous. Damn it she hoped he wouldn't notice how nervous she truly was, she wanted to sound like that was the information she would give to anyone if they asked her those question, she needed to be seen a girly more than ever right now.  

@Lauren

How long would he keep her here? Surely he wouldn't keep her for longer than a couple of hours. She shifted in her seat and tried to think of anything she could say that would persuade him to let her go, unsurprisingly nothing came to mind. She took a sip of her water and tried to subtly take a peak a the man called Valens, his presence simultaneously made her feel more at ease and more wary. She then realized that she still didn't know who she was talking to, he had never actually introduced himself. She could infer that he was part of the praetorian guard, that much was obvious, but she knew from the way that the other soldiers saluted him and didn't question it when he ordered them to release her into his custody that he had to be higher in rank than a typical praetorian guard. The praetorian prefect would make sense, but why would he be so interested in her? Or more likely her familia, had something happened that warranted questioning? 

"And she is a good domina? She does not hit you? She has had no cause to chastise you, beat you or the like?"

What an odd question, not many men cared about the treatment of slaves, with every word that left his mouth her suspicion grew. "No, I've never given her a reason to" she answered, and even if I did she wouldn't be the one doing the beating. 

By now her cautiousness was starting to morph into irritation, she had stopped referring to him as Domimus because what was the point? He had sealed her fate, either she would say to little and be torture here or she would say to much and be punished back home. It was as if she were walking on a narrow bridge across a chasm, if she leaned to far to one side she would topple of and that would be the end. She has to somehow try and give him information that he thought was useful but was actually not, this would be a challenge. 

"That is a long time to be part of a familia. Tell me, Callista, what do you know of your domina's family? Her father? Her brother? You must have come across them plenty in your time with her."

"They're a good family" maybe she could try offering him some common knowledge and he would let he leave, "She had two brothers, Publius and Lucius, I don't know much about them. Her father is a very sweet man, he dotes on his grandchildren." She carefully crafted her response to make her sound as womanly as possible. She didn't mention anything military or politics related and she was sure to bring up children. Maybe he would give up on trying to get anything useful out of her if she made it seem as if she truly didn't know anything of importance.

@Lauren

Callista still didn't speak as she was lead to his office, she saw no reason to as he never asked her any direct questions. Her eyes darted as they walked, she was trying to remember the exact route to (and from) his office. When they finally reached the office she was partially relived that another person would be with them but she was also aware that if it came down to it it would not be her who this Valens would be protecting. She accepted the water that was offered to her and sat down, perched on the edge of her seat. She saw him smile at her and her anxiety level soared, it looked as if he didn't know how to smile. Something was definitely not right here. She shifted in her seat as he informed her that he had just finished interviewing Felix. 

"We have just spoken with Felix who I believe is a colleague of yours in the domus of Aulus Calpurnius Praetextatus? He is a fine man, isn't he? He was very helpful. Spoke very highly of you. Of your honesty and your loyalty to Rome and to your familia. He said you would be able to help us with some questions. He helped us very much with them but it is good to get confirmation."

She nodded thoughtfully as he said all this, the gears in her brain were turning. She was convinced that either he had never spoken to Felix or that his talk had not gone as planned. Felix, much like her, was the quiet type, she knew he wouldn't  offer up such useless information unless specifically prompted to, and she doubted that he was asked about her loyalties when if there were to anyone but Rome she would already be dead. He paused and she took the time to think. There would be no reason for him to lie about talking to Felix, he didn't have to mention him at all, unless it was a ploy to win her trust. If he had meet with Felix than his lie about Felix saying her loyalties lied with Rome and her familia proved that Felix hadn't said much to him. She trusted Felix's judgement, and decided to give up as little information as possible while still getting out of here. She took a sip of her water just as he started talking again, this time asking questions. And so the interrogation begins she thought to herself. 

"Yes, Horatia Justina is my domina. I do the duties of any typical body slave, running errands, dressing her, simply being there in case she needs something." She answered, "I first became her body slave twelve years ago" she decided that these questions were safe to answer, she figured that he must be waiting to ask her the harder ones.

@Lauren

Callista was panicked, she had been running errands just moments and now here she was, arrested and in the Castra Praetoria, flanked by two guards. She had picked up on the guards following her early on when she was still in the market, she convinced herself the she was just being paranoid and continued on her way, but when she tried to head back home she was taken by the arms and lead here. She hadn't said a word since her arrest, even as the soldiers on either side of her told her of what was to come, even as they laughed at her expense, even as they looked her over as if she were some whore. She racked her brain trying to think what had brought her here, she had made that joke about politicians to Felix but she was sure that only he had heard her and even if that wasn't the case she had expected a slap, not an arrest. 

She sat on her stool, wringing her hands and trying to tune out the voices of the soldiers next to her when a man entered the corridor. He was decked out in plumed helmet and an extravagant gladius at his side. He seemed to pause and stare at her for a moment before barking orders at the guards to release her into his custody. A wave of relief washed over her, until she remembered that she was not out of the woods yet, she was still in custody, she still had no rights, and she still didn't know why she was here.

Her fear returned but now it was no longer petrifying her, instead she became more aware of her surroundings because of it. She now began to question his choice to wear a helmet indoors, non of the other soilders she had seen did and it must have been very hot and heavy. The only reason she could think for him to be wearing it would be to show off his position, but every soilder would surely already know that, she was the only prisoner in sight, meaning that the helmet was just for her. She wasn't sure if it was supposted to make her feel more at ease or if it was a scare tactic, she hoped for the former. He stopped down to her level to meet her eyes  and apologised for their brutish behavior to which she only nodded in response. She couldn't help but feel that he was the same way, she had seen the way he had barked at those soilders. Those were men he worked with, she knew if she upset him it would be much worse for her. He offered her a hand up that she took, knowing it would be rude not to. When he asked her name she answered, "Callista, Dominus" though she was sure he already knew that, there had to be some reason that she was arrested and that he was taking a special intrest in her. She just hoped that he would release her soon, but she had a sinking feeling that that was not the case. 

@Lauren

Hello! 

Welcome to the site, I'm Laria. It's so great that you have joined, I'm sure you're going to love it here. 

"Oh, yes. Though I suppose it is hard not to be when you've spent half you life with someone." 

Callista nodded at this, she felt the same way. "I suppose so" she answered. 

"What about you and your domina?" 

She composed the question for a moment, it was true that they were indeed close, but not in the way that it appeared Aglaea and Livia were. They seemed to have something of a kinship while Callista and Horatia had a more professional relationship. "We're close as well" she finaly answered, once upon a time they could have been good friends, but social norms keeped them on different levels and Horatia was nothing if not traditional.

@Echo

"I don't think so. It seems like an awful hard thing to do. And exhausting... Unless it was small things."

Callista laughed at this, it would indeed be exhausting to leave behind such a legacy that it would alter the course of history. She lowered her voice so that only Felix could hear and said "so that's how some politicians manage to sleep at night, it's the exhaustion." She knew that such a joke, no matter how clever, could easily get her into trouble. It was astounding some of the scandals that were leaked to the public. "What small things would you change?" She inquired, intrested in what things Felix would do to influence history if he had the chance. 

@Chevi

"I don't think it's silly... it's just not a common interest"

Callista smiled at this before answering "no, it really isn't" she was well aware that a slave woman who felt the need to study history was unheard of. She still thought that it was sweet of him to say that he didn't find it silly. 

"Would you do it? Influence history? If you could?" 

This question slightly caught her off guard, it was unusual for slaves fo speak of hypotheticals un case it could be interpreted as rebellion. "No, I don't think I would" she finaly answered, most women that had been recorded in history books were written as treacherous girls who were remembered for their unsavory deeds. Even if this wasn't the case, Callista decided that if her life could be exactly as she wanted it, she would lead a quite life and raise a family, nothing grand enough to even slightly leave her mark on the world. "Would you?" she asked in return.

@Chevi ((Eep! Sorry about that, I should have checked to make sure the tag worked. Don't worry about the late reply, it was my fault))

Marcella Laelia.

30 | 20 August 45CE  | Equities | Matron | Heterosexual | Wanted | Michelle Ryan |

Personality.

People often notice something off about Marcella, she is charming and quiet like any matron should be but there's something off putting that people notice when encountering her. She never truly accepted her place as a woman, she plays the game and never appears to overstep her bounds but underneath she is full of ambition. From a young age she had been taught that men and women had different roles to play and that she as a woman would get married and become a mother. Marcella couldn't accept this, it wasn't the marriage that bothered her, she had no problem marrying but it was the children part that irked her. She wanted to do more with her life than just make babies. She keeped these thoughts to herself though, if society would only see her as a baby maker she would let them, being underestimated is sometimes useful. It is her life's ambition to become the most powerful woman she can, because if she will always be in the shadow of men she might as well try and influence the ones in power. She doesn't care about societal pressures about her, when going out she wears her hair in extravagant updos,  will apply natural makeup,  and will wear whatever is most appropriate for the event; but when in her own house she has her face bare and her hair down in loose locks or tied back in a braid. She tries to appear to be the perfect wife, she always does what is expected of her when in public and never rocks the boat. This can make her seem stuck up to other women while also making them envy her apparent perfection. Her personality changes depending on who she is speaking to, she is two faced but only for her own personal gain. Her alliance lies only with herself, at parties she listens to gossip and learns secrets but never shares them. This makes her seem like a trust worthy friend, but in reality she merely learns all that she can incase she needs to use it to her advantage later.

Appearance

Marcella is fairly average looking, she is beautiful but there is nothing very striking about her. She is of average height and has long straight brown hair that she styles extravagantly even going out but when she's alone just keeps tied in a braid or hanging loose. She has ivory skin that is free of any blemishes or freckles, but she does have a dimple on her left cheek. Her eyes are a greenish blue and she has slightly short but curly eyelashes that frame them. She has an hourglass figure and slightly full lips. 

Family

Father: Vitus Marcellus Laelius

Mother: Julia Axia (24CE-47CE)

Siblings:  

Albus Marcellus Laelius (40 CE, brother)

Sabinus Marcellus Laelius (42 CE, brother)

Vitus Marcellus Laelius (46 CE, brother)

Junius Marcellus Laelius (47 CE, brother) 

Spouse: Titus Cornasidius Sabinus (eventualy, technically they haven't meet yet)

Children: none

Extended family: none

Other:

History

Childhood:

Marcella lost her mother when she was very young, she had died giving birth to her son Junius. Marcella grew up without a feminine influence, her father and a handful of slaves helped to raise her into a lady but she was always most happy when playing with her brothers. She fight care for playing with dolls or pick wild flowers like other girls her age, she much preferred to play a game of war with her brothers. She would always be on the side of her older brothers, Albus and Vitus, and they would fight to protect their stick from the younger two, Festus and Junius. They would run around with wooden sticks they pretended were swords and battled to protect their territory and obtain the others territory, it was much like capture the flag. When Marcella was seven her brother Albus, now 12, began schooling. It was at this point that everything changed for Marcella, Albus came home from school saying that Marcella was not allowed to play with them because she was just a girl. Not understanding why, she join her younger brother's, Vitus and Junius, team. From that point on it was clear that she had a strategic mind, she lead her younger brothers to victory despite them being up against older children. It continued on like this for a couple years, Marcella eventually joing her older brothers in school and everything was fine, until Festus went to school and was mocked when his class mates learned that he still allowed her sister to play with them. From then on Marcella was written off as a different species, she would still have a good relationship with her brothers but they didn't see her as their equal anymore. 

Teenage years:

When Marcella was pushed away by her brothers she learned to do "womanly" things to pass the time, she learned to spin, weave, and sew, but the task weren't complex enough to occupy her mind. She read often, mostly history and studied arithmetic. If got to the point where she was so good that she would help tutor her older brothers. When she was 15 her father revealed that he had found a husband for her, she was not happy with this news but didn't see what choice she had. That night her bethroded came to dinner to meet his new bride. Marcella was horrified, her father had promised her to a 50 year old man who was halfway drunk upon arrival. She had given her father the benefit of the doubt but this proved that if she were to be forced go marry she could only trust herself to pick her husband. That night the man spent most of the even speaking to her father and brothers, apparently not interested in anything she had to say, but she often caught him staring at her lustfully. She couldn't marry him, not if she ever wanted to move up in life. On the day of her wedding she inacted her plan, ground up shards or glass and sprinkled them in his food and wine when no one was looking. He was dead before the ceremony even took place, everyone assumed it was alcohol poisoning that killed him. She later learned that he had had three previous wifes, all of which he had divorces when their looks faded; her father had only promised her to him as a thank you after he had stopped him from falling off a bridge. Marcella never regretted killing him, but she feels guilty every day for not feeling guilty for killing him. From that point on she went to every party she had once found dull. She made friends with the right people and set her eyes on climbing the social latter. She has her heart set on marring a senator even though it is a long shot.

Adult years:

Marcella's adult years mirror her teenage years, she goes to partys and looks out for anyone she deems worthy of her hand. As she is still living at home she cares for aging father and ignores the pressure for marriage by him and her four brothers. It is the perfect situation for her, her father is the head of the house but as his health begins to fade she gains more and more control over her own life. Just so long as she can keep him alive but ill she can run the household as she pleases, she know that this will not last and that one day her father will pass and one of her brothers will have authority over her, bit for now she is exactly where she wants to be. She is content to hold out on marriage for as long as she possibly can because she is convinced that she will find a man that will see her as more than some silly girl who will spend her days spinning and constantly be giving him child after child. She wants a man who will respect her and will she her ambition.

Laria | Central Time | PM

"It certainly is" she agreed. She smiled some, the humor from her laugh still in her eyes. 

"I was thirteen or fourteen, and so was Livia. I've been with her for half of my life." 

She nodded while listening to Aglaea's story, she took not that she referred to her domina as 'Livia', an odd thing for a slave to do. She knew that as a body slave she would be afforded more freedoms than most but their relationship must have been something of a friendship if she was allowed to address her by her name. "You two must be close" she noted, still nodding thoughtfully. 

@Echo

"I don't know how we haven't met before, then! My mistress is Livia Justina, Horatia's sister."

Callista laughed out loud at the absurdity of this situation, she was meeting her domina's sister's body slave by complete accident. 

"When did you join her house hold?" 

She answered saying "I only joined her household a couple years back, I was originally owned by her father in law. We meet when she was living with them while her husband was away. I was given to her as a parting gift, what about you? When did you join your household?" 

Callista wasn't suprized that they haven't meet yet, she knew that Horatia and Livia hadn't seen each other in a while and that she was a rather recent addition to her household.

@Echo

Callista smiled back, she was enjoying Aglaea's company. 

Do you mind if I ask - who is your mistress? Perhaps my mistress knows yours."

She paused unsure of whether she should answer this question, surely there was no harm in revealing who owned her. "Horatia Justina" she finally  answered, she wasn't sure if she would know who she was. Her husband was a notable senator but she didn't believe that many memorized wifes names. "And you?" She asked, she didn't want to pry but she was now genuinely curious. 

@Echo

"I am here accompanying my mistress, but she gave me some free time... and what about you?" 

Callista laughed at this and answered "the very same." she reached behind her head and moved her braid over her shoulder so that it was no longer sticking to the back of her neck. She continued fanning herself and wiped some sweat from her brow. "Thank you again for this parchment" she added, it was really helping to cool her down.

@Echo

"... my name is Aglaea"

Callista nodded in agnolagment and said, "it's nice to meet you too Aglaea." She continued fanning herself with the parchment, she was already feeling much cooler thanks to it. 

"I don't care how long I stay in Rome, I'll never get used to the weather here"

She chuckled at the joke and replied saying "I know what you mean, sometimes I don't even recognize my own skin, it's tanned so much since coming here." She paused for a moment before asking, "so what brings you to the games today Aglaea?" Callista had never been one who felt the need to fill the air with conversation, since she was a child she had had no trouble keeping her own company. But she understood that most people were not as comforable with silence as she was and didn't want to seem rude. 

@Echo

"I'll see you tommorow- make sure things are packed tommorow for my visit to my father."

Callista smiled back and nodded in acnologment before saying "yes Domina." She moved off of the box she was sitting on and collectected the pile of clothes to be washed before walking over to the door. Just before she was about to open it  she heard 

"Good night Callista."

She paused, hand on the door, and replied "good night Domina" before leaving the room. She made sure to shut the door as quietly as possible so not to disturbed her. Once outside the bedroom, she quietly yawned, it was time for her to get some sleep as well.

@Sara

I think so, yeah 

Callista noticed the other woman shift to make room for her in the shade, "thank you" she said, slightly distracted but with a grateful smile. 

"It's very hot today, isn't it? Here, you can use this, if you want."

Callista accepted the piece of parchment and said "thank you, I'm Callista." Giving up on proper etiquette she slid down the column and sat next to the woman. She looked over and smiled at her and began to fan herself with the piece of parchment. Even after all these years she was still not used to Rome's heat, she closed her eyes and focused on the cool air she was fanning into her face, the parchment she had been gifted was doing a much better job than her hand.

@Echo

Callista pushed her way through the crowd, looking for any place where there weren't quite so many people. She had been left to her own devices for about an hour or so and she intended to use this time to get away from the sight of the games. She has never cared for the games, the sight of blood had always made her squeezy and the heat of today was not making her feel any better. She found her way to a small alcove, practically abandoned except for another woman sitting against one of the columns. She appeared to be a body slave like her as she was dressed in finer clothing than a plebeian but no matron would be sitting against a column like that.

"Mind of I join you?" 

Callista asked, as she walked closer. She leaned against the column and started to use her hand to fan herself. She closed her eyes and began to feel her nausea subside now that she was shaded and the games were out of view. She could still hear the clashing of weapons and the cheers of the crowd, but the lack of sight was doing her a world of good. 

@Echo

It was true that she, ironically, had more choices when it came to relationships. She sometimes felt guilty for squandering this small bit of freedom she possessed, but choosing not to build a family for herself was also a choice she had. 

"No sane man would look past you Callista, and being inexperienced is a mark of virtue, for which you should be proud."

Callista smiled gratefully at her, she had been raised to believe that but not many slaves seemed to care about waiting until marriage. "Thank you Domina" she answered, it was nice to not be praised rather than called a prude when she revealed her status as a virgin. Most girls like her were cautious, and tried to avoid pregnancy, but few keeped their virginity. 

"Well - I'll not meddle in Aulus' affairs, he is well within his rights to instruct Felix to look your way if he so chose, but I doubt he will." 

Callista didn't say anything to this, she knew that this was a possibility, but a rare one. Most slaves only ever married for love, they would have to get their masters approval first but slave marriages were hardly ever arranged. The only real benefit of marring two slaves was children, it was far to much like breeding to Callista. It wasn't her place to think such things but she couldn't seem to help herself. 

She smiled back at her domina as she placed her hand on her shoulder. 

"He would be a fool to ignore you, but if he does, there will be others. You're still young." 

"Thank you" she repeated, it was nice of her to say such a thing, but she was nearly thirty. Most women married before they turned twenty, she doubted anyone would be looking for a wife of her age. She looked up at her and said "thank you for being so kind to me Domina" she smiled up at her, truly grateful for her kind words.

@Sara

Callista moved to leave when she saw the arched brow and nod, signaling that she wasn't getting out of this conversation that easily. Unsure of if she was meant to join her on the bed, she comprised and sat perched on the same box at the end of the bed when she had retrieved the night tunica Monica moments ago. She should have known that she couldn't hide her feelings from her domina, she was the most perceptive woman she knew. 

"it is if you look for it" 

Callista puzzled over this, so she had been looking then, in all her years of knowing her domina she had never thought of her as a match maker. But here she was, admitting to have been watching to see is Callista was showing signs of liking Felix. Callista wasn't sure how to feel about this, she was flattered that her domina was taking such an intrest in her but didn't like the idea of someone else knowing about her crush. She trusted her domina, she doubted that she would tell him but still, it was odd having someone else knowing. 

"And my husband has generously given Felix leave to find a companion, should her wish for one, so..."

It was generous of him, most masters wouldn't take such an intrest in their slaves romantic endeavors. She knew Felix was a favorite of his, but even then such consideration was rare. She smiled, content to not say a word unless asked, unfortunately for her, she was.

"Does he like you, do you suspect?" 

She thought for a moment before answering, "I don't... know" it was unclear, even to her, if she had said know or no. Truth be told she had been trying to avoid asking herself that very question, she continued saying, "I haven't been looking, besides, I'm sure he would prefer someone younger or... more experienced than me." She had been using these excuses for not acting on her feelings ever since she had first started to realize that she liked him as more than a friend. But those were only to help strengthen her main excuse, she couldn't be with him because she was determined to not have her future children grow up slaves. She look down at her hands, folded in her lap and said, "I don't think anything will come of it Domina." 

@Sara

"Do you remember the sunsets in Raetia? They were so vivid it was like looking into a dream"

"Yes, I do, they were beautiful there" Raetia was beautiful, it was away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. Callista had enjoyed life there, and it was there that she had noticed how happy Horatia could really be. She had only meet her after Aulus had left, she understood that she was hurting but it wasn't until his return that Callista saw just how happy she could really be. "Sorry for being so sentimental tonight Domina" she added, it wasn't like her to be so nostalgic. 

"And here I was thinking you were blushing over Felix" 

Callista froze, she managed to say "uh," and her blush returned so that her face was beet red. She opened her mouth to say something else but nothing came out, she closed her mouth only to open it again and ask "is it... is it that obvious?" She had long been infatuated with Felix, but had hoped that she had done a good job of hiding it, that apparently was not the case. 

@Sara

Callista stayed quiet while Horatia rubbed a lotion into her arms. When she had finished, Callista moved to unpin her stola, while doing this she answered saying "I don't fear you Domina, it's just the prospect of speaking about the past, you're right when you say that it's no good dwelling on it." Callista certainly knew this, she had seen and heard what happend to other slaves who couldn't accept their position and move on. Once finished with removing her stole and tunica,  she quickly floded them and left them on the floor, she would take them to be washed later. She walked over to the box and pulled out her sleeping garments and began to dress her. 

"What made you think of them?"

"It was the sky" she answered "my mother used to tell me storys about skys that were as beautiful as this" she smiled fondly after saying this and finished dressing her domina.

@Sara

"Your parents?"

"yes Domina" Callista answered and swallowed, it felt as if a lump had formed in the back of her throat. It had been around fifteen years since she had last seen her family or her old home, she hardly ever thought about them now. She moved to remove her domina last necklace, but it appeared that she wanted to do it herself tonight. Callista watched her eyes narrow, apparently she wasn't completely buying her story.

"Do you always blush when you think of you parents Callista?" 

So that was why she wasn't completely believing her, Callista couldn't really blame her, it was an odd reaction to have. She answered saying "I don't think of them often, you caught me off guard and I got embarrassed for thinking about my past and also nervous because I don't like talking about it much and I was afraid you would ask me questions". She looked down apologetically, she knew that her domina might see it as selfish of her to try to keep that information to herself. 

@Sara