Lingering at the door

[Chevi]

"Ah, good. A little civilizing influence then - bet your comrades taught you how to fuck properly!"

Theo was not going to argue with that statement. True, he had not been celibate for the entire time of his service, and some of his lovers had been men. But as far as the claim of teaching him the proper way of fucking went... well. Things like that, at least when done well, in Theo's mind went both ways. And Romans, however proud Calvunus was of his people's masculinity, were in no way significantly better or worse than the rest of them. Not that Theo was going to point that out.

The medicus thanked the woman for the food, and shot her an apologetic look on Calvunus' behalf. Some women liked men like that, but others decidedly didn't. Calvunus seemed to be oblivious to both, gods bless him.

 "What parts of the Empire did you see, domine? Were you able to do anything besides march and camp and care for the others?"

"I was stationed in Cappadocia first, after I left Achaea" Thea answered, digging into his meal "And then we were moved to the Rhine, to Germania." After the revolts, but that was a longer story for another time "Did not get much time to see the sights... Although we did cross some cities on the way that were worth seeing. Ephesus, for example... also, we once moved all the way down to Hierapolis."

@Gil

[Gil]

Phaedo listened with rapt attention, as Calvunus began attacking his food with gusto, and a good amount of lip smacking, chewing and slurping at the wine that had been delivered to them. Against this backdrop of noise, the slave murmured appreciatively, "...But when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand'."* He smiled, bemused, at Theodorus. "You are fortunate. I was close to Ephesus, once. When I was brought from the northern shores of the Euxeinos Pontus, and then by ship to Delos, where my first master bought me. But, I was only a small child. Even if I had the good fortune to see the temple, I would not have known it for what it was. My master had seen it though. He told me of its wonder and taught me those words."

*from Antipater of Sidon, a Greek poet of the second century BC, found in the Greek Anthology IX.58

@Chevi

Edited July 27, 2019 by Gil

[Gil]

Calvunus shot the other two a look and asked with a grin, "Delos? Isn't that where they have all those statues of gigantic pricks?"

He snorted in amusement as he stuffed some bread in his gob.

@Chevi

Edited July 27, 2019 by Gil

[Chevi]

Theo didn't quite catch the words Phaedo was murmuring at first, but his ears picked up on the familiar phrases anyway.

 "...But when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand'."

Theo gave the young man an appreciative nod and a smile. "Antipater of Sidon. He was right, too." Allegedly, the Temple of Artemis had been ever more grand before the famous fire that destroyed it, but even now, it was quite the incredible sight to behold.

"You are fortunate. I was close to Ephesus, once. When I was brought from the northern shores of the Euxeinos Pontus, and then by ship to Delos, where my first master bought me. But, I was only a small child. Even if I had the good fortune to see the temple, I would not have known it for what it was. My master had seen it though. He told me of its wonder and taught me those words."

The boy had a good master, once upon a time. Someone who took the time to teach him, and showed an interest in what he wanted to know. Theo could appreciate Greek education, and he could see that Phaedo would have enjoyed a different kind of life, one that allowed him to travel and learn. He smiled as he reminisced about having traveled past Ephesus on his way to Delos.

 "Delos? Isn't that where they have all those statues of gigantic pricks?"

Theo snorted with laughter, and could not resist shooting a glance at Phaedo, as the boy emerged as the more educated of the two companions. 

"At the temple of Dionysus, yes" he nodded "In honor of the God, although the Delians like to boast that they are to scale. You have been to Delos, then?"

@Gil