Domus call

[Sydney]

Justinia stood up and walked to her room, Theo following behind her. It was almost a rush of excitement, getting to take a break with the medicus everybody was talking about. The quiet Justinia might be talked about, even if that wasn't what she wanted. On their way, he stopped a slave boy to ask for some olives and cheese. She was hungry, despite not wanting to admit it. She didn't eat very much to keep her figure, the one thing she needed as a prostitute. She usually ate just enough to keep her stamina up, which is what most of the girls did. The men, on the other hand, needed to eat a lot to keep their muscle tone. Tonight, though, she wanted to eat a meal's worth, which was rare for her. She smiled and nodded at the slave boy. Justinia rarely smiled as much as she was.

She walked into her room, opening the curtain and letting Theo in. She closed it and walked over to the pitcher of wine. It was half-empty from the rest of the night, but it was still fresh. "That's more than enough time. I cannot thank you enough, Dominus." She responded. "You can have a seat on my bed. I apologize for not having the biggest room, I haven't been here very long." Justinia got out two cups, pouring the pitcher of wine into the cups. The slave boy walked back in with a plate of cheese and olives. "Thank you Nonus," she said. She moved an end table to the side of her bed, and Nonus placed the plate on the end table. He nodded and left without a word. She went back to the cups, now filled with wine. She grabbed them, walking over to Theo. 

"I hope this is enough, I can always get more if needed," she said with a smile. "Cheers, to you saving a life." She raised her cup and drank from it. 

@Chevi

Edited July 8, 2019 by Sydney

[Chevi]

"That's more than enough time. I cannot thank you enough, Dominus."

"No need. We are even now." Theo chuckled as they walked into the small room. It felt almost like an intrusion, walking into a young woman's room... except, Theo reminded himself, this was not where she lived, it was where she worked, and her work involved inviting strange men in all the time. It was probably more awkward for him than it was for her.

"You can have a seat on my bed. I apologize for not having the biggest room, I haven't been here very long."

She was new here, then? It had to be hard, being in a place like this, freshly arrived. Theo took a seat on the bed, and the slave boy brought some food. The sight of the plate reminded Theo how hungry he actually was. He accepted the cup of wine from Justinia with a smile.

"I hope this is enough, I can always get more if needed. Cheers, to you saving a life." 

"To us helping where we can" Theo responded, raising his cup before he drank. The wine was a welcome relief from the stress of the past hours, and Theo let out a contented sigh when he set it down, reaching for some food "So, you are new here, then? New in Rome, as well?"

@Sydney

[Sydney]

This was a welcome change from Justinia's normal routine. It was usually her always going, always taking the next customer, always making money for her Domina. She only had a break to sleep and a couple minutes to herself before she seduced the next customer. She would savor this two hour break she had with the medicus as much as she could. Justinia felt like the one being treated rather than the opposite, and she honestly couldn't be more thankful. 

She smiled at his toast. Justinia waited until he reached for food. She followed, grabbing a couple olives. He asked if she was new here, and then asked if she was new to Rome. "New here? Yes. New to Rome? No. I've been here since I was five, though I was born into slavery." She said it so matter-of-fact. It never really bothered her, as she never knew any other life. It was also strange to talk about herself. Very rarely did Justinia get asked questions that weren't about her job and what she did. 

@Chevi

[Chevi]

 "New here? Yes. New to Rome? No. I've been here since I was five, though I was born into slavery."

She had always been a slave, but not always in Rome - most of her life, though. Theo wondered how old she was, and how long she had been a prostitute - but it felt insensitive to ask, even from a slave. Especially from a slave? Theo got some plate, olives, and cheese from the plate, and enjoyed the simple meal, sitting back on the bed.

"You have been here longer than I, then" he noted, grasping the less awkward part of her statement "I arrived less than a year ago. Still getting used to... the whole of Rome, really. Very different from where I grew up."

@Sydney

[Sydney]

She was shocked that he had only arrived a year ago. He had said earlier that he came from Greece, but she didn't realize that he only traveled to the capital city recently. Justinia found it interesting when foreigners came in, though it was sometimes hard to tell them apart from the rest of the Romans. She wondered if he was a medicus before he came to Rome, though she always felt that she was intruding on other people's business by asking those questions. With the knowledge that he had, Justinia assumed he was. 

"You're from Greece, right?" She said, calling back to earlier. "I've heard that Greece is a beautiful place. A lot cleaner and less...violent than Rome." From what she knew, which wasn't much, was that Rome liked to conquer and rule with Greece more into the arts. Justinia wasn't very exposed to the arts, but she did love the statues that were often around the city. The way she pictured Greece was full of statues and beautiful colors. 

She took a sip of her wine, finally relaxing after the incident. 

@Chevi

[Chevi]

"You're from Greece, right? I've heard that Greece is a beautiful place. A lot cleaner and less...violent than Rome."

"Corinth." Theo nodded, enjoying bites of food and sips of wine "It has been a while since I left, though. But yes... although it belongs to the empire, it feels like a different world. Or maybe I just feel different." he shrugged. He was Greek at heart, raised by his parents in Greek traditions despite the fact that their home had been a Roman province for a century and a half. Rome, the heart of the empire, was a whole other thing entirely. Not necessarily less violent, but... at least violence was not entertainment? Unless it was pankration.

"Where were you born?... If you don't mind me asking."

@Sydney

[Sydney]

Justinia wasn't very geologically knowledgable. She knew Italia, Greece, Germania, Britannia, and Aegyptus, but that was about all of the lands she knew of. She didn't know cities either, so when he mentioned Corinth, she wasn't sure where that was in terms of location. The woman wondered if it was cooler there, as she wasn't very eager about the hot summer Rome offered. She couldn't imagine how got it could be in Aegyptus though; she was too young to remember the summers there. 

"Maybe it's a little bit of both," she said to him about the place being different and himself being different. "Sometimes you have to adapt when you come to a new place.  But you also seem like the type of person to not forget your roots, Dominus." With him speaking Greek earlier, she figured it was still a big part of him. She wished she remember Aegyptus; she'd heard a lot of facinating things about it, though she'd probably never be able to visit it one day. The earliest memory she had was being thrown on a boat to be sold in Rome.

"I don't mind at all. I'm from Aegyptus, though I don't remember any of it. I've heard facinating things about the province, though it'd be pretty hard to ever go back." She chuckled at her last statement and the irony of it. 

@Chevi

[Chevi]

"Maybe it's a little bit of both. Sometimes you have to adapt when you come to a new place.  But you also seem like the type of person to not forget your roots, Dominus."

"And you seem like the type of person who reads people well" Theo noted with a smirk. Justinia was clever, he already knew that much. Being able to read strangers, and tell the ones than were dangerous from the ones that were... just people, that had to be a vital skill in her line of work. Not that she had much choice in terms of her patrons, but at least she could look out for herself.

"I don't mind at all. I'm from Aegyptus, though I don't remember any of it. I've heard facinating things about the province, though it'd be pretty hard to ever go back."

He had been right about the exotic origin, then. Aegyptus had been a province for about a century now, inhabited by a colorful mix of people from what Theo knew, but in the minds of Romans, it was still a place full of magic and mystery. "I heard fascinating things too, but I've never been there. Romans like to travel there, from what I hear." he raised his glass with a smirk and sipped some wine "I bet you have a better Queen Cleopatra routine by now than any of the theater actors..."

@Sydney

[Sydney]

Justinia smiled when he said that she read people well. She needed to for her job to see what kind of customer she had. Theo seemed a lot smarter than a lot of men she had; he had to be to be a medicus, she figured. Very rarely did men in the brothel want something other than pleasure. Theo appeared to only want a break. She wondered if she would be yelled at later. It was very possible, but for now, she was having a great time chatting. 

Theo then spoke about Romans traveling to Aegyptus. Justinia wondered how they would travel there or why they would. She figured they'd travel by boat, but she souldn't imagine so many people wanting to be crammed on one like she was. When they got there, where would they stay? How would they find different places? She could only think of how lost she would be; wouldn't others feel the same way? Still, it seemed like a dream to go there, even if she hadn't the faintest idea how to get there. 

"I wouldn't say that." She said with a laugh, responding to Theo's comment about a Queen Cleopatra routine. Her mind then wondered. "Why did you leave Greece? Rome certainly can't be better, can it?" She was full of curiousity, and she hoped that he wouldn't get mad at her for asking the question.

@Chevi

[Chevi]

"I wouldn't say that."

Theo chuckled, and let the question go. Roman men, just like men everywhere, had all kinds of fantasies, especially when it came to women from faraway lands. But Justinia was on a break now, and he did not want to prod her about the work she had to do in the rest of her hours. Besides, the food was too good.

"Why did you leave Greece? Rome certainly can't be better, can it?"

Theo chuckled again.

"Hard to compare" he admitted "I joined the legions because I wanted... I always wanted to be a medicus, but there are things one can only learn by travel, and experience. And healers are always needed on the frontier." he shrugged, sipping wine "After I got my diploma, I... I was supposed to go to Pannonia, actually. But I decided that was too far away to learn more. If one wants to educate himself, like it or not, it's Rome... maybe Alexandria. I ended up here."

@Sydney

[Sydney]

Justinia really enjoyed talking to Theo. She never really spoke to anyone in the brothel except her customers and her Domina. She was a quiet girl when she wasn't working. It wasn't rare for Justinia to go unnoticed most of the time. She was always taught to be respectful, only speak unless spoken to, and listen. Justinia had to change her ways when she came to the Brothel to appear more approachable to the clients. Even then, her act was was more of the unblooming flower. A lot of men choose her because of her seemingly innocence. She knew she was naive, so she used it to her advantage in her work. 

She took another couple of olives, listening to Theo's story. It was inspiring. He seemed to really want to be a medicus, which was such an honorable profession in her eyes. He got his diploma too! He must've been so smart; she rarely came across someone who had that. His story was one that seemed adventurous and ambitious-driven. 

"That's very admirable," she complimented him. "You're probably one of the smartest and most accomplished people I've ever met. And I've met Senators. I don't get easily impressed Dominus, but you've impressed me." Justinia smiled. She never thought of accomplished as something of a title, but rather what someone has fulfilled. Senators want more power, Royals want more gold, but there were people like Theo who seemed to just be passionate in their job. Maybe it wasn't like that, but it came off her to her as such. 

@Chevi

[Chevi]

"That's very admirable. You're probably one of the smartest and most accomplished people I've ever met. And I've met Senators. I don't get easily impressed Dominus, but you've impressed me."

Theo chuckled at the compliment, and raised his cup of wine to her. She seemed innocent and quiet, more so than many of the other girls at the brothel, but he was beginning to see that she was far from naive. And honestly, if he had to do her job, he doubted he could be impressed by anything after a while. 

"More men of wealth are thoroughly unimpressive." he noted with a smirk "I should know, I was one of them for a few weeks. None of them I've met so far had your wits. The Fates are unfair like that sometimes."

If the Fates had been fair, he would still be a nobleman, with nice land somewhere in the warmer provinces, Achaea would not be a province at all, and this girl would have her own business somewhere in Alexandria. That was about the truth of it.

@Sydney

[Sydney]

Through most of her life, Justinia thought wealth and power meant impressiveness. Slaves were the lowest class for a reason; they were the most unimpressive because of their lack of wealth and power. Justinia had learned, since she had been at Domus Venus, that wealth and impressiveness did not equal each other. There were boring and corrupt Senatores, and there were very smart and cultured medicuses. The proof was right in front of her, after all. 

She took another drink of her wine, laughing at how he said more men of wealth were unimpressive. She smiled at the compliment of her wits as well. She never thought of herself as being smart. Her last Dominus made sure that she never thought that. But one thing stook out in his words: he was a noble? She was shocked! He cared about people and seemed honorable. Most noblemen weren't like that. 

"You were a noble?" She said, shocked. "You don't strike me as a nobleman. They are usually cocky and throw their power around." She said with a smirk. It wasn't wrong. "What was it like?" Justinia's tone was excited. She was living vicariously through Theo. If she couldn't leave the brothel, she'd just have to live through other people's stories. 

@Chevi

[Chevi]

"You were a noble?"

"Yup," Theo nodded with a cheerful smirk. The surprise was evident in Justinia's tone. Theo knew that he did not exactly strike the image of a Roman nobleman, which was fitting, to say the least, since he was Greek, and also not a noble anymore.

"You don't strike me as a nobleman. They are usually cocky and throw their power around. What was it like?" 

"Short-lived and ill-fated" he summed up, popping some olives into his mouth "There is a law that grants equestrian rank to every medicus who serves their twenty-five years in the legions. But there's no law about keeping it, go figure. I got my diploma and a piece of land in Pannonia, out of all places, that turned out to be bare rock. So I sold it, and with it went my career as a land-owner." she shrugged with a chuckle "Nobility is overrated anyway. No real nobleman would work as a medicus. They leave it to us Greeks."

@Sydney

[Sydney]

Justinia was even more shocked at his confirmation of him being a noble. It was still quite unbelievable. He was so unlike most nobles she had met. He went on to explain how he becamae a noble. It suddently made sense. He wasn't a born noble nor was he a noble by birth. He earned his nobility, which she wasn't surprised by. Theo did deserve it, after all. But when he only got a rock, that just seemed to unfair to her. He had served for so long...why would he only get a bare rock? If he worked so hard and did his time for the good of the Empire, why would they screw him over like that? It just didn't seem fair to her. 

He said that nobility was overrated, which she had to agree with. She would pick nobility over slavery any day, but the title and power seemed to turn men into bad people. Theo didn't turn out like that; she wondered if they didn't screw him over, would he have? She still didn't think so. 

"I don't think that's very fair of them to do that," she said. "You serve your time and work so hard, and they give you worthless land? I don't understand. Why are the men that already have money treated better than the ones who work their whole lives to achieve nobility? You deserved a lot more than a rock."

@Chevi

[Chevi]

"I don't think that's very fair of them to do that,"

Theo arched an eyebrow at the girl. For a quiet and demure slave in a brothel, she did have her own opinions, even if she needed some time and wine to voice them. And it wasn't like she was wrong. Theo had had his many weeks of blind anger when he found out what he had been given for his years of service. But there was not much to do against the Imperials and the laws and the great big military machine of Rome. He filed a complaint that probably got lost somewhere, but now that he had sold the land, it didn't matter anyway. It was amusing, though, to see Justinia discover the injustice of it.

"You serve your time and work so hard, and they give you worthless land? I don't understand. Why are the men that already have money treated better than the ones who work their whole lives to achieve nobility? You deserved a lot more than a rock."

"Shhh, now, don't talk like that" Theo smiled, placing a finger on the girl's lips. The last thing she needed was to overhear her talking to someone instead of doing her job, let alone talking about how rich people did not deserve their wealth. Slaves talking about injustice got swift punishment for it, if their masters found out. The girl was too valuable to get into trouble over nothing. "It's done now, anyway. The gods' will, most likely, since I ended up here instead of Pannonia. And the city's growing on me." he added with a cheerful smile. 

@Sydney

[Sydney]

Justinia normally didn't have opinions on anything important. She was never really told of politics or of the views of society. That wasn't her job. But when she heard of nice people like Theo get the short end of a deal, that's when her unusual opinion came out. It was something she never thought about except in the moment. Justinia would never say these things out loud to her Domina or Dominus, but she didn't know why she said it to Theo. Maybe that was a mistake. He shushed her for the best, not realizing how stupid she was being. It was strange, she never thought about what she said before. 

He continued talking about how he ended up in Rome instead of Pannonia. She was more than glad for that. He was the kindest customer she ever had. Justinia smiled at him, thankful that the city was at least growing on him. That made her feel good, especially since he did face that injustice. 

"Well, I am thankful that you ended up here. I hope you can call Rome home in a matter of time." Justinia was genuine with her words. "And if you end up hating it, you always have the whole world to explore." 

@Chevi

[Chevi]

"Well, I am thankful that you ended up here. I hope you can call Rome home in a matter of time. And if you end up hating it, you always have the whole world to explore." 

There was much wishful thinking in Justinia's words. Theo was born a free man, even if not a full Roman citizen, and he had never experienced the kind of constraints slavery put on a person, but he had more empathy than most men of his standing, and also a vivid imagination. While the Fates had their own will and design, it seemed like a waste to have a girl with Justinia's wits to be confined in a brothel. 

"I like it well enough for now" he noted with a smile, sitting back "What about you? If you earned your freedom, would you keep living in the city?"

@Sydney

[Sydney]

Justinia never imagined what her own freedom would really be like. Her world was so small, her network consisting of the people in the brothel and a few others. She just assumed that she would always be a slave. Why wouldn't she be? Especially now, Justinia knew she was too valuable to be set free. She couldn't have imagined how much Spurius got from selling her to Domus Venus. She figured that if she was sold to the most prestine brothel in Rome, she must have been quite valuable. There were many who were born into slavery, had generations of slave children, and died in slavery. That was what she figured would happen to her. It seemed so rare that slaves were set free. 

"I've never thought about that Dominus," she said, her face showing that she was probably thinking a little too hard about what it would be like. There was a whole world out there. Most people decided to spend their life in one place with the same people and the same objects. But Justinia had no ties to Rome. "I don't know if I'd stay. There's so much of the world to see." She grabbed a piece of cheese and ate it. "But I would have that choice. Thinking about those things can drive a slave insane, but the thought of choosing where I could go and what I could do would open up so many possibilities."

@Chevi

[Chevi]

"I've never thought about that Dominus,"

He could tell that she was telling the truth; she was thinking hard, trying to imagine the freedom she never had. Theo felt a little guilty for bringing up the topic at all - but he hated tiptoeing around obvious things, and he did not want to insult the clever girl by pretending that she did not have wishes or dreams of her own. She did not choose Rome for her home the way he did. Would she leave?

"I don't know if I'd stay. There's so much of the world to see. But I would have that choice. Thinking about those things can drive a slave insane, but the thought of choosing where I could go and what I could do would open up so many possibilities."

The nodded slowly. He understood why it would be hard for her to harbor such hopes, in the position she was in. Unless she became useless to her current trade, she would earn more money for the brothel than any single buyer could pay, except for the wealthiest. And if she was allowed to keep some money at all, she would be an old woman before she would have enough for her own. Theo sighed, sipping his wine.

"Well, if you do earn it, don't go north. Dreadful place, the whole of Germania." he smirked, then looked at her with a more genuine look "I am glad I could buy you a break, at least. I'm sure wealthier patrons can do more, but alas, I did not make much from the rocks in Pannonia..."

@Sydney

[Sydney]

Justinia was never one with false hopes. She knew that her likelihood of ever not being a slave was slim. She never really thought about her position outside of slavery either. There was nothing she could do to change it, so she found it distracting to worry about freedom. Though, through her talks with Theo, maybe it was something to think about every once in a while. There had to have been a better life than this, right? 

He mentioned Germania, though she didn’t know much about it. She simply nodded. It wasn’t her place to ask any more questions. It might have been even dangerous to ask any questions. 

Theo said that he was glad he could buy her a break and that a wealthy man could do more. She shook her head. “Dominus, you’ve done more for me than anyone’s done for me in a long time. I cannot express enough thanks for you.” 

@Chevi

[Chevi]

"You don't need to thank me." Theo waved a hand "You did something difficult today, and helped someone else who was in pain. You deserve a small reward for that, and I doubt that... that this place counts it as work. To be fair, my own workplace barely counts it at work either" he noted with a chuckle. His pay at the Ludus was fair enough, but in no way extraordinary. Still, there was no decent way to compare it to being a slave, with no purchased freedom in sight. Theo sighed and shook his head. It would only bring him trouble, thinking like that.

"Eat, drink, sleep if you want to. I'll wait until the time is up, so that they don't see me leaving early and give you trouble. You can tell them whatever you want." he said, after a pause. If he was going to give these two hours to Justinia, he could not be selfish with them. "Maybe... every once in a while I can visit again?"

@Sydney

[Sydney]

Justinia felt bad that she wasn't able to help Theo more. He helped her buy time to herself, something she didn't get very often, but she knew that they would probably know. They always knew. Not that she would tell Theo that. He did everything he could to help her, so she didn't want to dampen his spirit. He had a sort of innocence to him, kind of like her, but in a different way. He saw the world brighter than most people did, she thought. It was a rare trait in Rome. Even those that were highest always had something bad to say about the city or its politics. Theo made the best out of a situation, which Justinia really appreciated. She could tell he worked hard all of his life. He deserved the best life, not those who were wealthy and hadn't worked a day in their lives. Kindness was a rare trait to meet in her profession. Theo had given her kindness that she hadn't seen in a long time. 

Theo said that she didn't need to thank him, but she needed to. He had given her something that a million thank yous wouldn't make up for. "Still, thank you. You work so hard and you deserve precious time to relax as well." 

He spoke about wanting to visit again, and she chuckled. It was sweet of him wanting to visit again. "I would love for you to visit Dominus, but they would catch on." Justinia shrugged. "They can always tell when a customer has been fulfilled during their time here. It is a brothel, after all." She smiled. "If you do come back, we would have to do something. Which I wouldn't mind. I do not dislike my job, as most people would think a prostitute would." 

@Chevi

[Chevi]

"Still, thank you. You work so hard and you deserve precious time to relax as well." 

Oh, didn't he know it. He had been better at it recently, but at heart, Theo was still working and living on military time, slowly getting used to the idea that he was a civilian now. Maybe he was too old to ever fully change. But if he could have stolen moments like this, with some wine and good company, he would thank the gods and be satisfied.

"I would love for you to visit Dominus, but they would catch on. They can always tell when a customer has been fulfilled during their time here. It is a brothel, after all. If you do come back, we would have to do something. Which I wouldn't mind. I do not dislike my job, as most people would think a prostitute would." 

Theo arched an eyebrow at the two intriguing pieces of new information: One, apparently he'd have to act satisfied when he left, and hope that the owners of the brothel could not tell that he just spent two hours with Justinia eating and drinking. Two, she apparently did not dislike her job. It was not exactly unheard of, Rome was generally liberal when it came to sexual pleasures for pay, but he had not assumed it of her anyway.

"You don't?" he ventured, genuinely surprised. "I mean, I just assumed, with the kinds of patrons you mentioned..."

@Sydney

[Sydney]

Justinia considered herself very lucky. For most of her life, she had been lucky at who bought her. Her Domina raised her from a young age. When she passed, Justinia had a hard couple of years. But she was still lucky considered she could be working at a mine or doing manual labor in the hot sun. When she was sold to the Venus, she felt comfortable again. She didn't mind the work like a lot of the women did. Of course, there were good and bad days, but that was with any job. She was happy to please when men and women had come down on their luck. She liked seeing people happy and satisfied. 

He sounded surprised when she said she didn't mind her job. She smiled. "The patrons who come here are supposed to be the best the city has to offer. The wealthiest and most powerful. Of course there are many that are full of themselves, but they usually like to see a pleased woman. If the patrons ended up hurting the women, they wouldn't be welcome back. That would be a big insult to their ego. So they take care of us well, or well enough. I could be a lot worse off." She could think of what it would be like to be free or to travel, but she couldn't imagine how hard it would be for the more useless or older slaves. 

She grabbed an olive. "I'm sitting here while eating olives and cheese and getting to meet many people. Some slaves end up in the darkest and most awful places by themselves. I consider myself one of the luckiest." 

@Chevi