Family reunion (M)

[Sara]

Horatia, for all her confidence in other areas of her life, felt decidedly overwhelmed now. As he drew back to her, naked, she averted her eyes and kept them squarely on his face as she - embarrassed - finally slipped off her tunica over her head and unwound her subligaculum. She felt exposed in a way she hadn't for years and wanted to wide her arms around herself but forced herself not to. At his compliment, she flushed with pleasure and felt herself relax a little. "You're a liar," She chuckled against his ear as she moved her hands slowly across his back and then chest, feeling  unfamiliar scars underneath her fingertips but not reacting to them. "Helen would be appalled at the comparison." 

At his kiss she shifted to lie under him, fingers running over the muscles of his arms and then finding his neck as she deepened the kiss. She felt the familiar, but long-lost pull of attraction deep in her stomach and when she withdrew, her cheeks were flushed. 

In their few months of intimacy before he had left (whilst she hadn't been heavily pregnant or recovering from birth) she had enjoyed sex and taken equal pleasure in it, but it was different now - they were both different now, and she felt uncertain about how much he'd want her to lead, or what he really wanted from her at all. So instead of doing anything to initiate, her hands stroked across his chest and she smiled uncertainly up at him, asking; "What would you like me to do, husband?" 

 

TAG: @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

"She would not. I would certainly go to war over you," Aulus told her. "I have been told I make a terrible liar."

He could bluff, well enough, and was not, in actual fact, a bad liar at all - he preferred not to, but being the pragmatist that he was, he would lie through his teeth if the situation warranted it. Anyway, Longinus was certainly not to be trusted to tell the truth about such things, especially to close friends.

"What would I like you to do?  If you want to touch, or to look, by all means. I would rather not find myself making love to a statue, my dove. I would hope that you enjoy yourself, in fact - tell me where you like to be touched, or if something does not work for you."

He bent to kiss her again; she tasted of wine and honeyed almonds. He slipped a hand between them, tracing down the rounded belly with the faint silvery-white webbing of marks that were the shadow of her pregnancies - he would not press into her until she was ready for him to do so because he did not want to hurt her. He did not think that she would consciously tense up under him, but after five years of socially-imposed chastity, it would be inevitable that she would.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

She tried to relax at his urging and sunk into his kiss, shaking off feelings of inadequacy and foolishness. Aulus liked her, Aulus loved her exactly as she was. If only she could regain some of that lost trust - if it had been five years ago she would have been delighted, as it was, it felt as if a stranger was touching her, complimenting her. At least he was a handsome stranger, she thought to herself slyly. 

As his hand worked over her body, hers did likewise over his and hovered on her hipbone. She was not usually a shy person - reserved, quiet, polite but not shy but this was a whole new arena for her. Continuing the kiss she moved her hand down before grasping his manhood - uncertainly at first but but she began to move in slow, firm strokes. She hadn't forgotten everything it seemed. 

When she finally broke the kiss she was breathless and let out a quiet mewl of satisfaction at the movement his hand, feeling the unfamiliar sensation of pleasure move in waves through her body and her back arched a little. He hadn't even entered her yet and she had already relaxed.

 

TAG: @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

He was not a teenager who'd no sooner get it in than spend, but he was very certain that he would not last long if she kept doing that to him. Two could play at that game, of course... He found her own little button, the woman's equivalent, and let his finger rest there for a moment, stroking gently.

He could not help the smile as she arched beneath him, and he bent to kiss the hollow of her throat. That small sound she made was everything he could have hoped for.

"Horatia Justina, my own darling... you are utterly divine," he told her, his breath against her skin. "I hope I can make tonight worth the wait you have had."

He probably couldn't, but he was going to do his damnedest, Juno help him!

He did not know how long it was before he felt she was ready for him to slip inside her, their bodies fitting together as if made for one another. He waited for a moment, allowing her to adjust to him, enjoying the sensation and anticipation.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

She breathed against his skin, managing a breathy; "You are worth the wait." Because in that moment, with anticipation and nerves mixing with the pure unfiltered pleasure at the ministrations of his fingers was worth the wait. As he entered her, her hips arched to meet him and she felt her body tense involuntarily. She let out a little sound; a mix of pleasure and shock - not pain - against his ear. 

Her head was spinning, it had been so long she was embarrassed to admit she had forgotten what this felt like. But it felt good. 

Slowly, she moved her hips to signal to him that she was ready and nudged his face with her own so she could stretch up and kiss him. She broke it breathlessly and grinned against his lips as her body relaxed and the sensation became pleasurable. She swallowed the lump in her throat and wound an arm around his beck, pulling him closer. "D-definitely worth the wait." 

 

TAG: @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

Finally, he began to move, his hips rolling against hers. He had taken his pleasure where he would, and occasionally used this act as another weapon in Rome's arsenal, but it all paled in comparison to this moment, with the woman who had given herself to him as his wife, the lady who was the mother of his children. He hadn't even done it all that often, not really - with Felix the most, and had never sought out a brothel to pay for the pleasure.

Eventually, instinct seemed to take over and it was only another long moment before he reached his climax, breathing heavily. Even as he rolled to the side, one arm went around Horatia and his other hand went back down to give her the same pleasure she had given him. He kissed her ear, and then again and lifted his head to follow the angle of her jaw, peppering it with tiny kisses until he reached her mouth.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

As he spent himself, Horatia gripped his shoulders, feeling him shudder. She watched him through cracked eyes as he rolled away and expected that to be the end of the matter until his hands wound their way southwards. She felt her hips arch and a breathy gasp left her lips until it was smothered by his kiss. It only took her a few moments until she was climaxing; five years of pent up frustration unfurling in shudders from the tip of her toes to her head as her nails dug into his back. 

Habitually, she pushed his hand from between her thighs and curled her toes as the after effects settled. When she finally opened her eyes it was to look a little dazed at his face, cheeks flushed and hair mussed; the very opposite image of the formal Roman matron he had been presented with all those hours before. She didn't say anything as her breathing settled, heart still beating against her ribs. When she finally did speak it was with a hoarse voice as she shifted to lie on her side; fingers running over his chest tenderly; "I missed you." Was all she could manage. 

 

TAG: @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

Her climax was everything Aulus had hoped it would be, and he smiled at the sight she presented to him - no longer the flawless image of perfection that she presented to everyone else around her (except, perhaps, her closest slaves), but a real, living breathing woman who was more beautiful in her imperfections, with her messy hair and cheeks whose colour owed nothing at all to rouge and paints.

"I missed you, too," he told her, wrapping his arms around her as they both recovered. "I'm glad I was worth the wait."

He found his hand running, almost of its own accord, over her soft skin, trying to acclimatise himself to her new curves and softer figure. A softer figure which hid an iron will, he was sure of it, especially after hearing his father's description of her arrival at the villa.

"I suppose we should get under the blankets at some point tonight," he said, lifting his hand to stroke her cheek. "Because I have no intention of spending the night anywhere else than right here, with you."

 

@Sara

[Sara]

She chuckled, amused and tried to smooth down her hair as she spoke; feeling uncomfortable looking so...vulnerable; "The slaves will be disappointed, they prepared your room with flowers and new silks just for you." At Horatia's instruction, but he didn't need to know that. She wasn't sure what his mood would be when he returned home; whether he'd forego any intimacy or the opposite - a quick fuck and then sleeping alone. She was relieved that it was neither. 

Tentatively she moved to pull the cover from underneath her, shuffling under until she was enveloped. She settled back down into his arms and so she had to tilt her head back and peer up at him to meet his eyes. She knew this would take time; their relationship, their shift in roles, and time to blow away the cobwebs of awkwardness that had gathered. But this night had been a start, and what a good start it had been! 

She ran her hand, under the covers, lazily over his body until her soft fingertips found the scar on his thigh. She quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head back to look at him; "You were injured," She murmured. She couldn't remember him writing home to tell her of it, but then again she hadn't written when she'd been on deaths door following childbirth - she could hardly be irritated at him. Offering a wry smile she turned her face back down and said quietly; "Well at least you still have all your limbs. Olcinia Paeta's husband came back missing an eye and a hand." Poor Olcinia, she thought sadly to herself. She said quietly again, tiredness tugging at her; "I can't wait for the villa with you. What will we do?" Her voice was sleepy and her blinks were becoming drawn out, but she wanted to listen to his soothing voice and future dreams of their plans.

 

TAG: @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

Aulus likewise shifted until he was under the covers. "The slaves will get over it, I am sure. They probably couldn't give two straws whether I see it or not - but I will see it at some point tomorrow, I am sure."

He was fairly sure that it hadn't been the idea of any slave to have done the room out with flowers and who knew what else. It could have been his mother's idea, of course, but he was almost convinced that it had actually been his wife's command. "I am sure that it looks lovely," he told her. "And yes - some British barbarian got too close before I could do anything. It was pretty superficial, really, and looks worse than it really was."

He'd been off his feet for a few weeks with it, but it hadn't been anything that had been a major concern; his legion's surgeon was one of the best, and had sucked his teeth a little but there had been no danger, no fever or infection, though Aulus was perfectly well aware that there could have been.

"Mmm. We could just let the slaves do whatever they like while we spend all our time... catching up, so to speak. Or you could do... whatever highborn ladies do, while I potter in the garden. And probably manage to kill everything I touch." Aulus had little to no experience with gardens or plants of any description. He could recognise roses, and jasmine, and oleander, but that was about his limit.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia withdrew her fingers from his thigh. She suspected it had been worse than he let on, but didn't push to know more. Had it been life or death then somebody - whether Aulus or Felix - would surely have sent word? Still - judging by its position and the feeling of the scar under her fingertips, he'd been exceptionally lucky. "Well it's a good job you don't get your thighs out then," She grinned wryly, "If it looks worse than it was. Unless you'll be importing some new British fashions into Rome?" She rarely made jokes but the image of Aulus is an obscenely short tunic made her grin to herself. 

A blush coloured her cheeks at his suggestion for their time in the villa and she shifted a little to lie next to him, rather than on his chest. 

"Whatever highborn ladies do..." She laughed a little, vibrantly, and shook her head. What did he think she'd been doing all these years? "Mostly we just sit and stare out of the windows, pining for our husbands. There's not a lot else we're good at." She meant it in jest and shook her head, smiling. Truth be told, her life had been a little dull in his absence. With Aurelia's presence in the domus since after Calpurnia's birth there had been very little for her to do in terms of household management, her forte. "But it would amuse me to watch you try and garden." She smiled to herself and breathed a deep sigh of contentment. Tiredness was eking in - it had been an emotionally charged day, after all, but she wanted to stay awake a while longer. Glancing up at him, she queried; "What are your plans for tomorrow, if you don't mind my asking? Besides our visit to the Gardens of Sallust, of course." Soft fingers ran across his chest as they spoke.

 

TAG: @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

"Well, I should have said 'looked'. The scar doesn't look terrible - but I think I'm glad for our own Roman fashions regardless. Even if military tunics are shorter than what is generally worn in Rome. They're still not as short as the British wear theirs, on the whole - though they have braccae under them, thanks to the colder weather they have."

Her laugh made him smile and he ran a hand along her side, enjoying her warmth and closeness.

"Sit and stare out of the windows? I would have thought that you'd be busy scolding the slaves - although I will grant that  'she worked in wool' is probably just a polite fiction that men have inscribed on their dear late wives' tombstones."

He stopped caressing her, content merely to hold her close. "Well, I don't know how long the children will want to be out, but if they are tired after that, we can send them home with a slave while I take you to the market. It has been so long since I've seen you that I would like to spend time with you - and shower you with presents, even if you don't need anything. Just because I want to be generous, if you will allow me to?"

 

@Sara

[Sara]

She chuckled and shook her head, "I'm not a shrew, I don't scold them." She was firm with their slaves but she hoped never overzealously so. None of them seemed discontented, after all, but the mention of wool made her arch her brow and she spoke quietly, softly; "Well, with your mother running the household I have started a few projects - tunics for your return and things, none very good mind." She was being modest, Horatia had an excellent skill in weaving but pride wasn't becoming and so she simply smiled lightly, "But I don't know if you'd remember I prefer reading to weaving. Please do include that as my epitaph if I'm to go first; 'She worked well through book rolls' perhaps?" She laughed a little and settled down into the crook of his neck.

Would he really remember much of anything about her hobbies or interests after so long apart and such a short courtship - the majority of which, and their early marriage, had been spent apart? She doubted it, and so endeavoured to drop hints here and there. She wasn't a particularly extroverted woman who delighted in the theatre, but reading was her passion, and politics if she could call it that. Given the limits of her gender, she couldn't exercise her passion for the latter, but it still interested her nonetheless. 

She smiled wryly and shook her head, "And here I was thinking you would have brought me back a great strapping Briton in his braccae as a present." She glanced up at him to ensure he took it for a joke. As she settled into his arms she felt herself relax and her personality began to show a little more. Whilst not naturally the centre of attention or a jokester, she had a dry wit when needed. Nodding her head she smiled to herself as her fingers moved to run over the hollow of his collarbone, "I would allow such generosity, only if you tell me what I can do for you." She blushed, "Not like that...but...you will tell me what sort of things you'd like your wife to do?" Some men liked their wives silent, she knew that, and some did not. She didn't know what sort of wife this Aulus would want.

 

TAG: @Sharpie

 

[Sharpie]

"Of course. 'An astute scholar of...' What is it you prefer reading? Have you somewhere in the house where you can read - I must presume that you can have some time for yourself, or I shall think the slaves lazy, that they cannot mind the children for a few short hours and give you an afternoon for your own pleasure." He would have to see whether he could find Horatia some space for her own study, a place she could keep her scrolls and use as the centre of command to run the household. "I am sure I did not call you a shrew."

He shifted a little under her caresses, beginning to relax properly in a way he could not remember doing in a very long time.

"I have brought back some spoils of my time away - you are very welcome to have your pick, if you wish," he said. "Whether a strapping warrior, or pretty girl to... well, to serve however you'd like." She had an ornatrix, and a body slave, but there were plenty of other things a slave could be trained to do.

He opened his eyes - he could not recall closing them - to look at his wife as she lay there.

"What do I want from you? Let me reassure you and say that I have never desired a trophy wife, a pretty air-headed thing. I think..." He had not really though about it, and certainly had not thought about it recently. "I think what I would most like would be a Livia. Someone I can talk with about the decisions I must make - especially if those decisions will have an impact on you, and the children." He turned his head. "I married you. I would most like you to be yourself - I don't want you to think that you can't talk to me, or ask me questions or - and I want to be able to talk with you, especially when it comes to things that will affect you and the children."

 

@Sara

 

Edited March 26, 2020 by Sharpie

[Sara]

"I'll read anything," She shrugged lightly. She was a voracious reader and had covered most genres, "But I enjoy reading the histories of the provinces. I think sometimes of when I was a girl and went to Hispana and Germania with my father, it gives me a newfound appreciation for the places I can remember, to understand what had come before. I've been reading a lot about Britannia too." Her lips quirked in a slight smile. She read anything she could get her hands on about the place on the off chance Aulus wished to discuss his time there. She didn't wish to seem uncultured or naive, although she'd keep the extent of her learning out of direct conversation, of course. 

"And I read in the garden, if the children don't bother me," She let out a melodic little laugh, "Or your father indulges me and lets me read in his tablinum once he's finished with his clients for the day. We have a mutual interest in Velleius Paterculus' history." She shrugged a little again. Truth be told she got on better with her father in law than her mother in law, but such things were the way of the world her friends had told her.

She watched his face as his eyes drifted shut, an amused but contented smile on her lips. She wondered, briefly, whether anybody had seen this side of him over the last few years (Felix aside) and the thought wounded her slightly. This was such an intimate sight. When he fluttered his eyes open again she rearranged her features into contented neutrality and felt warmth fill her chest at his little speech. She could have made a joke; that she had a Livia - her sister - for him to take, but decided against ruining the pleasant moment with flippancy. Instead she nestled into the arch of his neck and sighed, contented. "I will do my best to be your Livia - and your Penelope, my husband." She knew she had the wits and the courage to be such a woman, but the last five years of distance would take time to repair and resew. Gently, her fingers worked their way up until they stroked his cheek. "And for now, your Livia suggests you sleep - I'll still be here in the morning." 

 

TAG: @Sharpie

 

[Sharpie]

"You will have to tell me about Velleius Paterculus and his history, I am unfamiliar with them," Aulus murmured, feeling more relaxed and more drowsy than he could remember feeling for a long time.

"I must make an offering to Juno for giving me such a wife as you, sweet one," he added. "Best of women, my love."

If she wished to watch over him while he slept, he had no objection, and found that he could not keep his eyes open any longer and drifted into the deepest sleep he had had for a long time.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia woke to a thump on her arm. She screwed up her face and tried to drift back to sleep, thinking she'd dreamed it. Yet not two minutes later another thump came - more forceful this time, and the tell-tale high pitched giggle of her daughter drifted into her consciousness. She cracked her eyes to find Calpurnia standing, alone, at the side of her bed - a confused but gentle smile on her face. "Mama the man is in your bed!" The little girl whispered and Horatia, in her tiredness, offered a light chuckle; "Your tata is here, yes, but why are you sweeting?" Calpurnia looked confused by the question and without further warning, moved to climb on the bed. "Y-you said we go to gardens today!" Ah - so the excitement of a trip out of the domus was enough to rouse her five year old from her slumber. 

Horatia opened her arms so Calpurnia could lie next to her - over the top of the sheets - and gently rolled over to nudge Aulus awake. When he blinked open his eyes she smiled softly, almost embarrassed by the familial intimacy now they were sober and she had a night to sleep on it. 

"Your daughter is very much looking forward to the Gardens." She said slyly and indicated her head to the small girl chattering away and fiddling with her hair next to her. She moved her neck and felt a satisfying click as she shuffled up the bed to sit - taking the sheet with her to shield her modesty. "Why don't you tell your tata what you want to do in the Gardens?" She said to distract her daughter as a flustered slave entered - obviously embarrassed Calpurnia had escaped her eye. The girl poured a cup of water for Horatia which she sipped - her mouth felt full of sand after all of the wine the night previous. 

 

TAG: @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

Aulus blinked awake in response to a nudge or poke, to find his wife lying next to him. He smiled at her and was about to wish her a good morning when he came to the realisation that they were not alone, as Horatia sat up, pulling the sheet with her. The chattering, that had been a brook or something in Aulus' vanishing dream, turned out to be coming from his daughter, who had climbed onto the bed beside her mother.

"Good morning," he said, pulling himself upright next to Horatia. His next sentence was interrupted by a yawn. "Excuse me. Yes, we are going to the gardens, once your mama and I are dressed and we have all had something to eat. I think maybe we will have lunch there, what do you think?"

Calpurnia looked almost as if she would burst with excitement, which made Aulus grin - he had not expected to find himself enmeshed in simple domestic pleasures and actually enjoying them.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

Calpurnia beamed at the suggestion and nodded her head, but was too shy to respond to Aulus directly. Horatia surveyed her daughter and then inclined her head at the waiting slave; "If we are to go and have lunch in the gardens you had best get ready sweeting, hmm?" Calpurnia pouted a little but silently nodded her head and set to clambering down from the bed with all the grace of a newborn foal. Horatia inclined her head at the slave and said shortly; "Make sure a lunch is prepared for us to take out." The girl nodded a "Yes domina." and hurried away, little Calpurnia's hand ensconced in her own. Horatia was unimpressed; that was the second time in as many days as the slave had been all but useless at keeping an eye on her young daughter; although at least no cosmetics were harmed this time (unlike yesterday). 

Feeling awkward so exposed, on shielded by a thin sheet - she saw Callista lingering outside of the doorway and invited her in with a jerk of her head. 

Turning to Aulus as her body slave set to finding a tunica to shield her modesty before she bathed in the small facilities in the domus, Horatia offered a gentle smile; "It seems you already have a fan in little Calpurnia." She supposed this transition would be easier on her, given her tender years and gender. Titus, she estimated, might struggle more with a new authority in the house besides his mama and beloved grandtata. Callista stood demurely to one side, eyes averted at the intimate scene in front of her. Horatia, for her part, made no move to leave the bed until he did - not wishing to seem presumptive if he wished the intimacy to last a little longer.

 

TAG: @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

"I should probably go and get dressed into something fresher than my senatorial tunic," Aulus said, glancing at the clothing that some slave must have picked up because it was spread over the back of a chair. "I was thinking we could buy lunch - but taking some with us would work, too." He leaned across to kiss her.

"It is much harder to be a big scary man when you're lying in bed with nothing on," he informed his wife as the kiss broke. "I hope we can learn to get along, although as I'm sure you can appreciate, I have less than no idea what sort of things appeal to little girls. I'm sure I can find things for Titus, but I will need your help for Calpurnia."

He glanced up at his wife's body slave. "Go and find Felix and tell him to bring me a clean tunic and subligaculum," he said, and bent his head to press his forehead back to Horatia's. "I hope you don't mind me borrowing your girl for a moment," he told her.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

She was about to call out for the slave girl with Calpurnia to come back, embarrassed that she had presumed when Aulus silenced her with a kiss. She sunk into it, and when he pulled back she smiled a little; "She did wake me up by asking why you were in my bed...let us hope she doesn't tell her friends or their parents that her Mama had a strange man in her bed." She chuckled to herself, amused and considered his ask.

She had been closer to her father than her mother, before she had passed away during the Civil War, but she appreciated it was not the same for every man and his daughter - especially when said man had a mini-me in the form of a son. Calpurnia, likewise, took after her more than her father; she was reserved and quiet although had a vivid imagination. She pondered silently and nodded a little, trying to think of ways to engage father and daughter whilst Aulus instructed Callista and she quietly withdrew from the room. 

Blinking, she laughed and shook her head, raising soft fingers to trace his jaw; "Not at all - although I will have to get out of bed at some point." She said, although she was very sure she didn't want to move right at that second. Instead, she leant in and left a lingering kiss on his lips.

 

TAG: @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

"Visiting the villa is beginning to sound more and more appealing," Aulus said, laughter lurking at the edges of his words. "I am not going to stop you getting out of bed, seeing as I can't stay here either. And if Calpurna does start saying a strange man has been here, well, we should make it known that I have returned - getting out as a family will begin to get the news out, surely. Have I told you today that you look divine?" He knew full well that he had not, but saw no reason not to compliment his wife at every opportunity.

"I hope that Calpurnia - and Titus - don't find me too intimidating for too long," he added, and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

Waking up with his wife had been a thoroughly pleasant start to the day - one of the most pleasant starts to a day that Aulus could remember having recently.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia grinned against his lips at the compliment and flushed in pleasure. She was more than positive she looked anything but divine; hair askew and cheeks the colour of rosy apples, but his kindness warmed her heart. She wanted to reassure him that the children would come round - just as she had begun to - but was silenced again by his kiss. Any further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the slaves and with a gentle stroke of his face, Horatia slipped from underneath him into the waiting robe held by Callista. She would wash herself and dress in a manner that befit a woman of her station and poor Aulus, undoubtedly would be kept waiting. How simple it was to be a man! Throw on a tunic and a toga and comb one's hair and they were ready for the day!

It was sometime later when she moved through the house into the garden where she spied her husband. She was dressed in a simple green stola - albeit one with intricate weaving at its edges, and a palla of a lighter shade which she wore down for now - although would bring up over her head when they left the domus. Her auburn hair - left long and loose all night, had been braided and stitched into an intricate updo and fastened with ornate ivory pins.

Watching as she moved over to join him, she lightly joked; "Are you a man of leisure now, Aulus? Taking in the day from the garden without a care in the world?" She moved to sit next to him on the bench and left a soft kiss on his cheek in greeting, the smell of her rosehip perfume drifting between them. "Callista is preparing the children, Titus is adamant he is to bring his sword." Her lips quirked in amusement and she said, in a quiet whisper, "And if you wish to impress Calpurnia I suggest you ask about Mryta - the fairy she believes rules the Gardens of Sallust - she likes to chatter about it when we visit." As if discussing some great intrigue, she pulled back and spoke again at a normal volume - diffusing the still lingering awkwardness she felt with him by glancing up at the sky; "It's going to be a beautiful day." 

 

TAG: @Sharpie

Edited March 26, 2020 by Sara

[Sharpie]

Aulus had dressed in a blue tunic, with a pallium of a darker blue (togas were too formal and cumbersome for everyday wear when he wasn't attending the Senate or law-courts). He had taken a scroll into the garden - Virgil's Aeneid - but his mind had wandered from Aeneas and Dido to simply enjoying the beauty and scents of the garden. He looked up as Horatia joined him, looking far more formal herself in stola and palla.

"I am not sure I quite know how to be a man of leisure. I may require more practise," he said, looking up at her, and indicated the seat across from him. "Of course Titus is to bring his sword, a soldier should never be without it - although I will have to explain about the pomerium to him, I think." He nodded, filing the information away - chatter about fairies was so far out of his usual topics of conversation that he was not sure how much he would be able to  contribute to that conversation if Calpurnia grew shy again.

"It is going to be a beautiful day. It is made far more so by your presence," he told her, noticing the bracelet she was wearing - she had worn it at dinner the previous evening, too. It was one he had purchased for her, in Greece, before their wedding.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

She laughed a little at his compliment and shook her head, "You are a flatterer." She murmured and picked up the discarded scroll with an appraising eye, unfurling it as she skimmed the familiar words. "You are at a good bit." She smiled a little, "Although a little depressing for such a beautiful day." Images of Dido on her pyre didn't particularly chime with the family outing and show of solidarity. Her mind worked over the text she had read numerous times and she wondered, briefly, if Aulus would model himself on Aeneas; a man matured from wanderer to commander, from exile to a sense of mission. It was an interesting analogy, she only hoped she didn't parallel poor Dido. Although she could safely say she had little internal trauma compared to her. 

She was distracted in her literary musings by the shuffling feet of Titus and Calpurnia - her body slave Callista not far behind with a hand on the young girls shoulder, gently pushing her into the garden and view of her parents. In the bright sunlight of mid-morning, and when the right light caught it properly, Calpurnia's blonde hair had a touch of auburn; a little of her mothers. 

Titus - with newfound confidence and evidently trying to impressive this stranger stepped up first and offered a toothy smile; "Good morning Tata." His words and very bearing seemed so formal for what should be a normal family morning. Calpurnia didn't fare much better as she glanced between her brother and Aulus and blushed, saying excruciatingly quietly, "M-morning Tata." She glanced up at her mother as if asking for praise and Horatia inclined her head as if to thank them for playing their part. This was easy for none of them, but they'd get through it.

 

TAG: @Sharpie