Family reunion (M)

[Sara]

Horatia shifted Calpurnia on her lap as she leaned forward, as if to get a better view of her father. Not that she could see her daughter's face, but the little girl had a frown furrowing her brow; "Why did you not t-take Mama and me and Tit-Titus to 'tannia?" And Horatia rocked her enough to make the little girl giggle, speaking to her children rather than looking at Aulus directly; "Britannia, not 'tannia...and because it wasn't safe to and your Papa was very busy, and you," She squeezed her daughter's midriff - a grin of adoration for her children on her face, "Surprised me and were still in my tummy at the time young lady." Calpurnia giggled and Titus distracted himself suitably with handing over his sword to his father. How amusing, she thought, that even at seven years old he'd already internalised enough about the role of a man that he found such things distasteful to think about.

She glanced across at Titus and noted the awed look on his face as he gazed upon his father with a sword, and then she pivoted to look at Aulus. Even with a child's toy he looked like a natural with the sword. It reminded her of those fleeting moments in Greece - both before and after their marriage where he'd still been in service and thus any moments they did get to spend together as newlyweds were in the context of stolen snatches between manoeuvres or other military matters. She had seen him, and adored him, in his armour with his weaponry then and this little moment gave her a glimpse of it now. She said nothing, however, and blushed a little to herself as she turned her face away - setting to pick at the daises with Calpurnia.

Titus grinned his sweet, gap tooth smile and nodded hesitantly; "I would like that very much." Horatia coughed indiscreetly and Titus added a hurried; "T-thank you Tata." 

 

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[Sharpie]

"Well, Calpurnia, I'm going to be here in Rome for a while yet - a long time, to get to know you and Titus, and then after that I will  probably be made a governor somewhere and I'll take all of you with me." Governors, being in post for several years, could reasonably expect to take their families with them, of course, and Aulus didn't expect that his career would deviate from the expected norms again. "Although it depends on what the Emperor says, of course."

Titus' sword was a well-balanced thing, even for a toy; Uncle Publius had chosen well (not that Aulus expected anything else of a doting uncle who happened also to be a professional military man).

"Did Uncle Publius show you how to hold it?" he asked, looking at Titus' grip, which was nearly right. He shifted to one knee, to make it easier, and reached to carefully adjust his son's grip. "There, like that - we use the very tip, which is why we hold it like that. And of course, you ought to have a shield on your other arm. We'll have to get you one as well as the scabbard, I think."

 

@Sara

[Sara]

And getting to know me, she thought in her head but didn't say anything - only smiling gently at Aulus' insistence they should go with him. In truth - the thought was a welcome one. She knew plenty of women that would loathe the idea of leaving the trappings of comfort they'd come to expect in Rome to trudge halfway across the Empire to some dismal province. But Horatia had grown up in a military family - as a girl she had spent time in Germania and Hispania and then on to Greece and was comfortable with a life away from Rome. Likewise, she was also a woman had been installed with the idea that her husbands word went and so if Aulus was to leave and desired the family move with him, she would not argue. Not unless there was serious risk to the children involved. She tried to shutter the feelings of discomfort, however, at being taken away from her family with a man she - really - barely knew. They'd come to get some familiarity in time, she was sure of it. She just had  to deal with and cope with the awkwardness and the unusual in the interim.

She watched with genuine pleasure as Titus heeded his father's lesson, although she was growing increasingly aware of Calpurnia's fractiousness on her lap. It came to a head, sooner than anticipated as the little girl - evidently upset about being left out of the conversation, snapped at her brother; "Tata should look at m' pebbles now! N-not swords!" in a voice that Horatia recognised was close to a tantrum. 

Her daughter was a well behaved little girl - exceptionally well behaved for the most part, even with her riotous imagination - but all little children were prone to bouts of tantrums and upset, regardless of their upbringing. Wishing to diffuse the tension and not embarrass Aulus (or herself and her parenting abilities!) she quietly shifted Calpurnia off of her lap and moved around to face her. "Why don't I look at the pebbles whilst Tata and Titus talk of boring manly things, hm? Or we could make some daisy chains for your hair?" She stroked a soft finger over her daughters cheek to get her to stop glaring at her brother. She knew, history had taught her, that men often favoured their sons - understanding their pastimes and their inclinations in a way they could not with their daughters. She sought to save Aulus from that difficulty by suitably distracting little Calpurnia so he could bond with his son.

 

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[Sharpie]

Aulus spent a few minutes more with his son, demonstrating how best to hold and wield his sword before saying, "I think you've got it. Why don't you practise that for a  bit while Calpurnia shows me her pebbles?"

He would rather spend the time with his son, mostly because he understood the sorts of things Titus was interested in, but there would be time for that, and he also wanted to have some sort of relationship with his daughter. He sat down again, before looking at Calpurnia.

"What do you want to show me, sweetie?" he asked, though the picture of Horatia and Calpurnia together was almost too pretty for him to want to interrupt. Two fair heads together, one with rose-gold hair and the other with pale gold, and tried to think what figures in mythology they could be - before Calpurnia looked up at her mother with a question in her expression that Aulus couldn't decipher.

"If I spread my pallium out a little, you won't lose any in the grass, either," he said.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia smoothed  her daughters pale blonde hair in a gesture of pure maternal love and smiled gently at Aulus, grateful he should try and take (or feign) an interest in his daughter. She had a vivid imagination, and Horatia suspected, deep intelligence but her gender largely prevented her from being seen as such. At Aulus' intrusion Calpurnia glanced up at her mother and Horatia's lips twitched, amused. She knew exactly what her daughter was thinking. The little girl - so irritated at not getting any attention - was now shy in the face of her father. 

Trying to coax her out, she knelt and on her knees, leant to rifle through the little pouch before producing two little stones. She deposited them in her daughters little hand with a conspiratorial wink and a sly smile.

Perked up by this, Calpurnia spun round - back to her mother and facing Aulus and despoiled the two stones in Aulus' hand. "I-I found this one in the garden of Grandtata's." Horatia mouthed 'my father' over her head to Aulus, "A-and this one from here," The little girl grinned, despite her shyness, "D-do you see how spark'ly¹ and shiny? Grandtata s-says the Gods made them and left them for me!" Horatia chuckled. It was a pretty story, although to be fair, she had no better explanation of how the latter rock ended up in the Gardens of Sallust - half-buried. It was beautiful, and no wonder Calpurnia wanted to show it off - even if her military man of a father couldn't appreciate it. 

 

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¹ Calpurnia found some Pyrite, or 'fool's gold'

[Sharpie]

Aulus took the offered pebbles. The one from Grandtata's garden was striped and the other... he turned it in his hand, noting how it sparkled in the sunlight. A pale gold, similar to the colour of her hair.

"Do you know, I think Grandtata is right? It's very nearly the colour of your hair, after all." He adjusted his position, reclining on one elbow to bring him more onto Calpurnia's level as she sat there, and spread his pallium out, putting the two stones neatly on the fabric. "We won't lose them, this way," he explained. "What other treasures do you have in there?"

He was infinitely grateful that this was a private corner of the Gardens, and even more grateful that neither Titus Sulpicius Rufus nor Lucius Cassius Longinus were anywhere near Rome - especially Longinus. He'd never hear the end of it if Longinus found out he ever had this sort of conversation with anyone. Bringing miscreants to justice was far more the sort of thing those two knew him for (and offering much-needed common sense when he did it, too) - and this was as far from that situation as Britannia was from Rome.

 

@Sara

(Why, yes. Yes, I did refer to That Thread with the three of them. It took place before this, after all! )

[Sara]

Calpurnia grinned and bobbed her head, delighted at her father's interest. Horatia had heard it all before, of course, so for Calpurnia this was a new audience to impress with her trinkets. She snatched up her bag and began to rifle through as Horatia silently mouthed a 'thank you' over her daughters head to Aulus, amused at the scene before her. She had glimpsed his tender side, both in those few short months of marriage and with his newborn son before  his departure, but it was nice to be reminded of it now. Especially as she had grown increasingly concerned, as the years had worn on, that life in military camps would roughen him. 

Calpurnia produced four more stones; a shiny blue one that was almost translucent, one with a hole through its centre and two that Horatia had no idea why her daughter had picked up - they just looked like pebbles to her. Nonetheless, her daughter dutifully laid them out in neat rows on Aulus' pallium. Ever the perfectionist, much like her mother.

Not wishing to intrude on the moment - she glanced across at Titus who looked a little forlorn at being left out again (the perils of two children!) and moved to stand - holding out her hand to him. He did not take it and she arched her brow - suspecting now he had a male figure in his life to impress, such shows of affection were not wanted. She dropped it and indicated to a waiting slave that had finally caught up with them to fetch her a drink. "Why don't you show me the fountain whilst Tata is busy?" Titus pouted a little but nodded and turned to wander over to the fountain. She took a seat on its edge and ran a hand through the beautifully cool and clear water. She cast her gaze back to Aulus and Calpurnia and with a hint of amusement, feigned innocence, asking him; "Having fun, husband?" She felt more relaxed here and hoped to the Gods the tumultuous awkwardness would settle down, sooner rather than.

 

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[Sharpie]

Aulus smiled at his daughter's sudden enthusiasm as she set out four more of her small treasures. "That one means luck," he said, indicating the one with the hole in. "And this one... May I?" He picked up the blue and held it up to the light. Sea-glass, he thought - or river-glass, at least, though there was no reason it could not have been discovered at Baiae. "I am buying Titus something that he would like, but of course you don't want the same as him, because he's a boy and you're a girl. But I would like to buy you something for yourself - would you like me to have this one made into a necklace for you to wear, like one of Mama's?"

Though not, probably, on as delicate a chain. It would be a very pretty thing that she could wear on special occasions as she grew up, though she might be a little young for such things - he had no idea what little girls of five liked, when it came to adornments, after all, and looked up at Horatia and Titus, who could be Penelope and Telemachus, or Andromache and Astyanax or any of a dozen other legendary women and their sons.

He could not help the smile that came as he realised both of the named women were famed for their devotion and constancy, though they had suffered as a result of war (Andromache more, perhaps, with the loss of her son after Troy fell).

"Very much - it makes a great change from supply lists and drills, and a very pleasant change at that," he said, returning his attention to Calpurnia.

 

@Sara

Edited April 6, 2020 by Sharpie

[Sara]

Calpurnia's eyes widened and she glanced across to her mother for direction, at the same time Aulus did. Her mother's lips twitched in a sly smile and she nodded her head, adding; "I think that would be very pretty, don't you?" Calpurnia beamed and forgetting herself, and her shyness, in the face of her fathers generosity - moved to wrap her little arms around his midriff in a hug. "Yes please!" She beamed and giggled before righting herself. 

Horatia saw the storm before it came, however, and was swiftly on her feet moving back over to them before Calpurnia would realise her unprompted kindness had knocked all of her pebbles and treasures into the grass from her fathers pallium. She knelt quickly, in between Aulus and her daughter and set to rifling through the grass with silent concentration until she had fished out four of the five treasures. Calpurnia was still distracted, talking about what she wanted her necklace to look like - mercifully oblivious to her lost stone. 

Horatia quirked her eyebrow to Aulus next to her and said gently, joking; "You cannot take your eyes off of them for even a moment...lest disaster strike..." She meant it not as a criticism but as a joke and hoped he'd take it as such. Now...where was this lucky stone with a hole in the middle?!

 

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[Sharpie]

Aulus had to swallow a lump as Calpurnia flung her arms around him, upsetting her careful arrangement of pebbles. Horatia came over to begin collecting the pebbles back together. He leaned forward to help, and something poked him in the side.

"I think you might be looking for this later," he said, fishing out one of the pebbles from under his ribs - the lucky one.

"So, a pendant, then? I am sure we can manage that." He glanced towards Titus, extending a hand towards him to encourage him to join them again. "I need your help, both of you. If I am buying a scabbard and shield for Titus, and making this pretty thing into a necklace for Calpurnia, I ought to buy something pretty for Mama. Perhaps you could help me choose what she would like?"

Another bracelet or arm-ring - but that would be something from himself alone. He would be interested in hearing what the children had to say.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

She took the little stone silently with a wry smile of gratitude and collected her stash back together in the little purse that Calpurnia took with her everywhere she went. Satisfied, she moved to step back to the fountain but as Aulus called over his son - who did as he was bidden, albeit it hesitantly - she stopped herself and moved to sit down next to Aulus. 

She flushed as he posed the question and was about to shake her head that she didn't need anything, or want anything, but was stopped by Titus' stuttering; "Mama doesn't...buy very much." Which was true - she rarely spent money on herself, besides what was necessary to look presentable (and in keeping with the fashions of the upper echelons). She certainly wasn't frivolous with her money, or...Aulus' money as it was. But her son, clearly embarrassed that he hadn't paid too much attention to his mothers hobbies, managed to stutter out a; "B-but she likes reading. A book?" And that pleased Horatia who nodded, smiling. 

She glanced at Aulus; "A book would be very kind, but I warn you, I've read a lot in your absence so I may have to choose it myself lest you buy me something I've read before." 

 

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[Sharpie]

Aulus adjusted his position and put an arm around each of his children. "A book, eh?" He looked down at his son and daughter. "Did you know, I first knew that I loved your Mama when I came to visit her father - your grandtata - and found her in the garden, reading." He looked back up. "I don't remember what you were reading, though. Ovid, maybe?"

He didn't think it had been the Ars Amoria, but Horatia might like the small joke.

"But if your Mama doesn't buy very much for herself, that just means I need to buy her more, doesn't it?"

 

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia flushed with pleasure as he spoke. When did she first realise she loved him? She tried to reach back into the recesses of her mind. It had been after Titus' birth, she was sure of it. Seeing her husband - only her husband for thirteen months or so at the time - holding her tiny newborn son with all the adoration and love in his eyes that she could ever dream of. Love had not come immediately to their match as with most senatorial marriages, at least not for her, it had built up slowly as they grew to know one another.

Had it been undone by all the years apart? No, she considered, the love she had for him still lingered, just below the surface but it was less strong, much more fragile than before and would take time to rebuild.

Titus and Calpurnia nodded their assent to his plan that he should buy her gifts and Horatia - as usual - protested with; "You really need not..."

She was cut off from protesting further as Titus frowned up and looked between his parents; "Mama has never t-told us how you met." Horatia arched a brow, "Yes I have - it was in Greece an-" She was cut off again from a shake of the head from Titus - which Calpurnia joined in with (although Horatia suspected the conversation was above her head and she was just joining in to amuse herself). "I want to hear it from Tata! Y-you said he was in the legions!" Ah. So her son didn't think her storytelling placed enough emphasis on the military side of their courtship and marriage, she thought to herself, amused.

 

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[Sharpie]

"I was in the Legions, only how we met didn't really have much to do with that," Aulus said. "I was a Tribune for Quintus Augustus, although he wasn't Emperor yet. And we were serving in Greece. Your Uncle Publius was there, too, as another Tribune, which is how we knew each other. Your Grandtata had brought your Mama out on holiday, and Uncle Publius invited me round to meet his father - your gradtata - and his sister, your mama." He smiled. "I'm sure it's a very boring story really, because it doesn't have anything to do with me being in the Legion, not really."

He hadn't fallen in love with her at that first meeting, though. It had been a little while later and he'd gone to call on Horatius Justinus only to find him out, and his daughter in the garden absolutely not dressed to receive visitors. She'd been wearing a simple tunica, her hair in a very simple style, with no make-up or jewellery - and he had lost his heart to her the second he saw her.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia smiled, remembering those first few encounters well. She'd tried her best to be what she thought men wanted; hair done in intricate braids and twists, flashy clothes that weren't her style at all and she'd even stooped to rouge her lips! She remembered the feeling of disappointment being palpable as friends and acquaintances took no notice. It wasn't until Aulus had seen her, most decidedly not dressed for any occasion that they'd begun their courtship. 

Titus, for his part, seemed a little disappointment and Horatia shushed him as Aulus spoke. Only when he was finished did Titus look up to his mother, and then back across to his father, a quizzical little frown on his face. 

"And then you had me? After Tata met you and Unc-le Publius and Grandtata?" Horatia grinned and shook her head, "We were married a few months later, and then you came along about ten months after that." She chuckled. Nobody could question Aulus' virility, that was for sure; she'd fallen pregnant with Titus only four weeks after their wedding, and after only a few weeks of actively trying to conceive again, she had fallen pregnant with Calpurnia. She winced a little at the expectation that there would be another surprise announcement in a few months time of a third child. The amount of silphium she had stockpiled before his arrival meant it unlikely. She never wanted to experience what she had done with Calpurnia's birth ever again and two children was plenty, surely?

"Mama I'm hungry!" A small female voice chimed in and Horatia glanced down at her daughter, cuddled in next to Aulus. The slave appeared as if from nowhere with a hamper. She glanced at Aulus. "Are you hungry? Or would you prefer to walk around a while?" 

 

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"

Edited April 28, 2020 by Sara

[Sharpie]

Aulus squinted up at the sky for a moment. "I am not such a heartless monster that I would keep my children hungry and waiting for their food just to indulge myself in walking round the gardens," he said, and looked down at his daughter. "Though it is a little early for a full lunch - but an early lunch never hurt anyone."

A single gesture was enough to order the slave to lay their lunch out for them.

"So... your mama says you know about the faeries that live in the gardens," he said to Calpurnia, once she had eaten something and was contenting herself with a sprig of grapes.

He caught a glimpse of Titus' face as his son rolled his eyes. "If I talk about nothing but the legions, your mama and Calpurnia will be bored," he pointed out. "We have plenty of time for all that, just you and me."

 

@Sara

[Sara]

"I didn't mean that," She urged gently with a nervous smile and continued, out of the earshot of the children, "Just that if you wanted some privacy, the two of us, before we dine." She felt colour come to her cheeks and she she shook her head, "It doesn't matter." She intoned as he glanced at the slave who promptly decanted a light lunch for them all. She ate silently, picking at a few almonds and grapes here and there - she'd always been fastidious about maintaining her youthful figure, and she felt it even more imperative to do so now. Besides, it was far too early for lunch and she wasn't yet hungry. 

She smiled a bit to herself - she wouldn't be bored at all if Aulus deigned to regale them with stories of the legions. She'd voraciously read all she could on the subject of military matters to feel closer to her husband in his long absence. Or she had read much as she considered proper to do so, until Tiberius had spied her with a copy of Book X of Pollio's  de Architectura and lightly scolded her for reading such masculine works about siege machines and military budgets. She hadn't forgotten her embarrassment and didn't want a repeat of it now, so said nothing. 

Calpurnia frowned petulantly at her brother - also noting his eye roll - and started chattering away; "There are some little ones that live here...I-I can show you?" Horatia chimed in, "After lunch, if your tata wants to see." And resumed her picking at the food. Titus, however, now firmly out of his shell - was not to be forgotten about; "When can we talk of the legions? Just us two?" He cast a glance at his sister and then his mother and Horatia couldn't help but return a raised eyebrow which made Titus blush and look back down at his food.

 

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[Sharpie]

"I find that you will have to be more direct with me," Aulus said ruefully. "I seem unable to speak the language of hints and suggestions!" He grinned and lifted a grape to Horatia's mouth.

"After lunch, Calpurnia - after all, we don't want this to go to waste, do we? And they probably want their own lunch; it's not polite to call on people at lunch time unless we're invited." And there was no need to risk upsetting such capricious creatures; most supernatural beings that Aulus was aware of could be capricious. His sister would know better than he about things like that, but Calpurnia Praetextata was in the Atrium Vestae, which was not in the Gardens of Sallust, and therefore unavailable for comment.

"I do have business to attend to over the next few days, but I shall make a point of taking you to see Horatius' bridge especially, and I would like to spend afternoons with you and Mama and Calpurnia, after all my work is done for the day," he said, and reached for an egg.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

Calpurnia mumbled and nodded, "Mama says the s-same things." And Horatia grinned a little to herself, amused. It was never too young to teach children manners and etiquette, although she concentrated her efforts more on her daughter than her son. Little boys, and - come to think of it - adult men, could get away with blue murder and have all the manners of a truffle pig and they'd not be complained about. No, it was much more vital that her daughter was reared right to understand what was, and was not polite and good manners. She just found it amusing that poor Calpurnia was now getting the lessons from two grown ups rather than one. 

Titus, however, was not to be settled by Aulus words and quizzically (and comically) frowned; "What business do you do?" Ah, the innocence of a child with no understanding of how the world worked. She had to suppress her rueful grin and instead just commented, "When you're older I'm afraid you'll find out that you can't spend all of your days idle and playing with swords. Your tata is an important man, and has important business." Although granted, given his only very recent arrival back to Rome, she had no idea what said business would be. Presumably meeting with friends and clients. 

Titus glanced between his parents and ventured to his father; "A...are you important tata? Are we important?" He said the latter with added emphasis, as if good old Tiberius hadn't been drilling their families ancient lineage into the poor boy's mind since he could talk. 

 

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[Sharpie]

"And it's always good to listen to your mother, she is a very sensible lady," Aulus said, smiling, and offered his daughter some of the egg he had just taken.

"I have come back from being a legate in Britannia, and an envoy to one of their tribes. That's a very important sort of messenger, taking messages from Caesar to their chief," he added by way of explanation. "And usually a legate is the officer in charge of a legion, although I had to get someone else to do that job for me while I was being an envoy. And now, I am going to be a senator."

His son's next question made his smile grow wider. "Yes, we are important. Your grandtata - both of them, in fact - have been consuls, and I hope to be a praetor soon, although that will depend on Quintus Augustus, of course. So that will mean lictors and a curule seat in the courts." Titus would understand the significance of those, at least, Aulus was sure. "But that won't happen for a little while yet, and I have to meet all my clients and get to know all of you again, and that's important too, isn't it?"

It would hardly be fair on any of them for him to return and immediately throw himself into the political wrangling of the Senate before they had spent any time together as just a family.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

As Aulus spoke she saw her son's eyes widen. There must be something about being a boy and hearing tales of adventure, or at least looking up to one's father. She suspected Aulus did it with his own, given Tiberius' glittering career. It was different for girls, of course. Whilst her father indulged her on very rare occasions with discussions of politics and his career, she was largely separated from that world and the worlds of her two brothers. She blinked, realising she'd been in lost in thought for a little while and nodded as Aulus finished, and Titus did like wise. 

She stayed quiet as she picked at the grapes left in front of her, simply enjoying the serenity for a moment before an ear piercingly loud squeal came from behind her and she blinked up to see one of her least-treasured friends stood gawping at their little family scene. "Horatia Justina!" Pontia Aponia beamed and glanced sideways almost immediately to Aulus. "This must be your Aulus? You didn't tell us he was going to be home so soon!" A little dig as it had not been so soon, it had been almost six years. Pontia, as was said, was one of Horatia's least treasured friends. The woman - in her late thirties and thus nearly a full fifteen years older than herself, had all the sense of Horatia's left foot and thrived on the gossip that surrounded the upper classes of Rome. She was a friend out of necessity given that she hosted the best sewing circle anywhere near Horatia's own domus. It did not mean that Horatia enjoyed her company, however. 

Drawing to her feet, she leant to leave a kiss on Pontia's cheek cosmetic-caked cheek. She tasted the bitter powder on her lips as she withdrew. "Pontia, it's so lovely to see you." She glanced back at Aulus with apology in her face. Pontia's family were not one of renown, and as a widow she didn't have male company that she could leave Aulus with. She inclined her head and held out her hand for Aulus to make his own greeting. She hoped the wretched woman would take the message and leave the family alone. 

 

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