An impromptu visit

[Liv]

Early February, 75 AD

It had her taken several weeks to form the idea and find the courage to present it to her husband, who was invariably and very demosntratively displeased that Livia would entertain such thoughts. It had taken a few more weeks to warm him up to the perceived benefits of a social visit: did Secundus not want to know what his brother was up to, if only to protect his own interests? Did he not want to know what that slave son was like, again for his own sake? At last he relented, but made Livia swear she would be back before nightfall, and sent her with one of his trusted slaves as a not-at-all-undercover spy; although Aglaea would be going too, Secundus knew the body slave was far too loyal to Livia to be persuaded into reporting to him.

She knew it had been in poor form, but Livia had not dared to send a message beforehand to let Tertius know she would be dropping by - he could have refused by claiming to be too busy, and she did not want her little outing - one of increasingly fewer - to be compromised by a polite denial. So it was that they reached the Esquiline unheralded. A slave rushed off to announce their arrival and as the party of three waited for her brother-in-law to come and greet them, Livia took in her surroundings. The domus was big and airy, and gave off an impression of lively bustle even though everything was impeccably maintained. It felt like the opposite of her own house, which she found gloomy and austere despite being just as pristine in furnishings - any ruined or destroyed objects were quickly replaced with new, whole ones.

Livia looked to her body slave for encouragement, who provided it with a small nod. This was out of line and she knew it, but she hoped Tertius would forgive her and let her into his house. Her desire to meet with him and his new heir - Teutus, she recalled - was genuine, and she wanted to be optimistic that they would see it.

@Atrice @Sharpie @Echo

[Atrice]

It was a normal day like any other. Tertius had spent the morning functioning as Praetor, but now it was time to go home and have a bite to eat and maybe a rest. He had no plans for the day and currently sat alone in the tablinum with a plate by his side, with a bit of bread, cheese and olive oil… and a cup of watered wine of course. The silence was broken however, when one of the regular house slaves knocked quietly and entered to announce that his sister-in-law, Livia Justina, had turned up unannounced… with two slaves in tow. His plan for the afternoon was originally to teach Charis some more; she was really improving with both her understanding of reading and writing. But it would seem there was a change of plans now.

He didn’t know her that well yet, despite the fact that she’d been married to his brother for almost two years. But these days he barely saw Secundus. Since Tertius moved out, they saw each other less and less and he honestly saw no reason to change that. He had no desire to spend time with Secundus. He felt a little sorry for his wife though, she was young and quite pretty and seemed kind and friendly. What a pity for her that she’d been wed to his brother. He probably should have found himself another wife too, but he had Antonia and Teutus and that would be enough. He did not feel he needed more children and despite Secundus having married, it did not seem as if his wife would have any children with him… which was fine by him, honestly. Poor woman though, he doubted it could be easy being married to Secundus.

And now she was here. She had been here a few times before, usually together with Tertius’ nephew Marcus for some reason. He had a feeling that they were more than just friendly with each other, but he didn’t know, so he never mentioned it. And now she’d come alone. He downed the cup of watered wine and sent the slave to the kitchens, so they could prepare drinks and something to snack for his unannounced guest. Then he went out to greet her.

“Livia Justina… how good to see you.” He said with a friendly smile to the younger woman, ignoring the slaves of course. It was a bit odd that she’d come unannounced and he wondered if something was wrong, but she would tell if it was important he imagined. He had decided he had the time for a visit, after all, “How have you been lately?”

@Liv @Sharpie @Echo @Sara

[Echo]

Aglaea glanced around the domus, taken aback at how two brothers could maintain their households in such different ways. Secundus's home was barely a home for anyone there, least of all Livia and Aglaea. The abuse that her mistress took at the hands of her husband was almost at the level of the cruelty slaves faced in his household, though Aglaea was somewhat shielded from it by being Livia's slave alone. Her mistress had an ulterior motive for visiting Tertius, certainly, but Aglaea could not put it into words even if she wanted to. Livia glanced back at Aglaea, who was standing a few feet back with her head respectfully bowed. Their eyes met and the slave dipped her head encouragingly. Whatever her mistress's motive for visiting, she knew she would understand it soon and in the meantime, she would stand behind her (both literally and figuratively). 

[Sharpie]

Teutus was still finding his feet as a free man, and figuring out what that meant for his daily routine (he had yet to establish what his father now expected of him).

He had been reading in the garden but rolled the scroll up as one of the slaves came to tell him that his father was home, and there was a visitor. He handed the scroll to the slave who had come to tell him about the visitor, before dusting himself down and coming into the atrium to see his father and his - their! - guest.

"Good afternoon," he said, and turned to quietly tell a waiting slave to bring some refreshments, before letting his father take the lead in however this visit was to go.

 

@Liv @Atrice @Echo

[Liv]

Livia let out a shaky breath she didn't realise she had been holding when her brother-in-law appeared, and by Fortuna's grace not seemingly too bothered by her spontaneous dropping by - or just polite enough not to let it show; she was not able to tell. Unlike his brother, Tertius did not seem the type to be governed by his emotions at practically all times, and also unlike his brother, he had always been perfectly cordial to Livia when they happened to meet.   

And with that in mind, she thought it best not to test his patience, and reveal the reason for her visit fairly soon. Aglaea's supportive nod had also had its emboldening effect, however small it was. "It is good to see you well, Tertius," Livia replied with a bow of her head and just a hint of a smile. "My apologies for intruding on you, and my thanks for welcoming me just the same." Behind him, she spotted a young man approaching them. How providential that Teutus was home, and not out and about taking advantage of his new freedom - that way, he could be the focus of the whole visit.

She greeted him too. "Teutus, good afternoon. How good to see you too." It had not been unreasonably long since she had last seen him, but Livia reckoned there was a different air to him now: his posture seemed to her less rigid, his expression somehow more relaxed.

"I regret that we were not able to be present for the celebrations at the time..." She managed to impart some contrition to her tone, though in all honesty it wouldn't have made a difference. Saturnalia, by its very nature, infuriated Secundus like few other festivals did, and when he was in such a state he couldn't be considered polite company by anyone, or even passable company. "...But I thought the occasion deserved more than a written salute. So I came to offer mine and your uncle's congratulations on your new role, Teutus." And name and status and rank, all rolled into one, but 'role' had sounded appropriate and inoffensive enough when she had prepared her lines in her head on the way to the domus.

It wouldn't do to forget her host.  She flicked her eyes at Tertius. "And congratulations to your father on his excellent son." She had brought a small gift too, currently resting in a money pouch she had given Aglaea to carry before they had left home, but a childish part of Livia hoped she would be invited to sit down for an hour or so - it would be nice to catch up, scout for suspicions about her and Marcus, and have an excuse not to go back right away. 

 

@Atrice @Echo @Sharpie

[Atrice]

Livia smiled lightly, when Tertius appeared and greeted her and then apologized for intruding and of course she thanked him for welcoming her despite that. Tertius returned her smile, although he also noticed she didn’t answer his question about how she’d been lately. He wouldn’t say he hoped she was well, or something like that, because you never knew how Secundus would treat an actual wife… if he treated her the way he treated their sister, he felt very sorry for Livia. Yet he had no say in the matter, it was not his household. Livia was still his sister in-law however and he wanted to treat her well, both because he felt a little sorry for her and of course it would also put him in a better light when compared to his brother.

“Why should I not welcome you? You are family, after all.” Tertius just replied to her and not long after, Teutus appeared too, also greeting their guest. Tertius was pleased that Teutus turned up, as a free member of the household and soon the family too, he was expected to help keep up the image of the family, after all. Livia then apologized for not having been there at Saturnalia, but she was here now, apparently to congratulate Teutus with his freedom. She also congratulated Tertius of course, for having such a son. It did not seem to matter to her, that Teutus was born by a slave and lived most of his life as one – even if he always had more liberties than the rest of them. Well, it was good it didn’t matter to her. Tertius wanted Teutus to be treated properly.

“Thank you very much for your congratulations. He is an excellent son, is he not?” Tertius said with a smile and glanced at Teutus, “Can we offer you anything, now you’re here? Please, come in an have a seat.” Tertius gestured for Livia and her two slave companions to follow into the atrium, where a few chairs and couches were set up for entertaining guests.

@Liv @Echo @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

"Livia Justina," Teutus said, bending his head in acknowledgement of her visit - though by no means was it as self-effacing and deferential as it would have been a few months before, though there was a very large part of him that insisted it should be. That was what you got when you'd spent your entire existence as property, Teutus thought. The compliment that was offered to Tertius was prcisely the sort of thing that had been offered about Teutus before, with the substitution of the word 'son' whereas every previous time it had been the word 'slave' that the visitor had used. Teutus merely lowered his eyes - he was not the one addressed, or meant to reply, after all - and turned to send a slave to fetch some refreshments.

@Liv @Atrice @Echo

[Liv]

Livia gave the two men a thin smile, letting that be her answer to Tertius' enquiry as to how she was doing. He was definitely aware of his brother's ways, but chose not to have much to do with him. How could Livia blame him? If it had been possible, she would have done the same thing. The law certainly allowed her to stop being family to Tertius and Teutus and Secundus and all the Quinctilii-Vari; yet something within Livia felt she did not deserve an easy way out.

"May the gods continue to favour him," was her prosaic acknowledgement as she followed her brother-in-law to the atrium, casting a glance over her shoulder at Aglaea and another at Secundus' brute. She took a seat on a beautifully decorated, comfortable-looking chair and had a cup of watered wine thrust almost immediately into her hand by an attentive slave. Reclining on a sofa, whilst even more comfortable, was unfortunately not an option - her keeper slave would no doubt spin it to his master as her attempting to seduce her hosts by giving them a better view of the contours of her body.

Now was a good time as any to present her gift to Teutus. Livia looked up and waved limply to her body slave. "Aglaea, bring me the pouch I gave you." Not waiting for her order to be fulfulled, she took a sip of her drink - of excellent quality, as expected - and schooled her features into what she knew passed for a curious, observant expression before turning to her new official nephew.

"How are you finding your new days so far, Teutus?" Her gaze flicked on to her brother-in-law seconds later.  "And I imagine yours are even busier than usual, Tertius?" Livia reckoned he would have had to teach Teutus about new social and business intricacies, but she did not know for sure. She had never freed a slave before, much less a blood-related one.

@Atrice @Echo @Sharpie

[Echo]

Aglaea followed her domina into the domus, standing dutifully behind her as she sat. Aglaea saw Livia's glance toward her and gave her an encouraging smile. She stayed silent until she was given an order, at which she said, "Yes, domina." She pulled out the package in question and gave it to Livia, returning to her position behind her chair, head bowed, hands folded. 

@Liv @Atrice @Sharpie

[Atrice]

Teutus wasn’t talking much, was he? He was still adjusting to his new rank in the society and Tertius was still working on the matters of the adoption and the part about making sure Teutus would inherit it all one day. Adopting your freedman son wasn’t as easy as you might think, because it usually wasn’t done at all. He knew about that as a Praetor, but thought he might find some kind of loophole. Making Teutus his heir however, should be easy enough. But he wanted to adopt him, properly. Something he should have done ages ago, after all… even if he back then was too young to consider such a thing. He was nothing but a lad. Now he was a Senator and Praetor. Times had changed while Teutus grew up.

Teutus and Livia followed Tertius to the atrium, where there was a small setup for guests. Livia was kind, wanting the gods to favour Teutus and Tertius smiled, “I’m sure they will.” He said and waited for his guest to take a seat, before he sat down too. Livia then spoke to her body slave, telling the woman to bring her a pouch and the slave pulled out a package and handed it to Livia. Meanwhile Livia looked at Teutus again, asking him about how his new life was like and before giving Teutus a chance to answer, she asked about Tertius’ life. He noted how well-behaved the slave was and enjoyed the sight of it. But she bowed her head and he paid her no more attention, as it should be.

“Not much busier, although I do now have the work I put on myself – Teutus has been freed now, but he is still not yet officially my heir. And that is what I am hoping for him to become.” Tertius explained with a friendly smile and picked up his drink too, to allow Teutus time to answer Livia’s question too. Teutus was still getting used to his new life, he knew that, but he’d been spending a lot of time with Tertius before too and he knew about manners. Everything else would come.

@Liv @Echo @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

Teutus supposed that there was a greater chance that his father would actually follow through with his promise of adoption now that he had managed to manumit Teutus, but he had grown wary of trusting his father, and no longer did so blindly as maybe he had once done.

He still felt a little odd in taking a seat with his father and his father's guests, but that was no reason not to do so -logically if nothing else, he was a free man now and perfectly entitled to sit in his father's presence. It would take time to get used to, but it would take longer to get used to if he never did it, of course. He could look at ease even if he did not feel it, and to that end, he took the offered cup of wine.

"I think my days are about the same in terms of how busy I am," he said, managing to bite off the 'domina' that came almost naturally to him. "But naturally, what I am busy with is very different. I never have liked being idle." Though, could reading and visiting the baths and everything else really be termed 'busy' - they just took up time; it was not as though Teutus really had much he could be busy with. He was not sure he could enter the political sphere, after all; that was something forbidden to every other freedman, and even with the adoption, Tertius would probably have to petition Caesar to allow it. He would let his father worry about that, and think about what other path he could choose if that were indeed barred to him.

Something to decide on later, anyway.

@Liv @Echo @Atrice

[Liv]

"I am sure he will be a worthy one," Livia smiled beatifically at the two men. The technicalities of making that happen could not be more foreign or less interesting to her, but Tertius, by virtue of being a praetor, might have some room for manoeuvre where others would face a definite refusal. Teutus' mention of how he spent his days now also fell within the expected: he could not be presumed to be running mindless errands anymore, but learning your new place even if the surroundings remained the same would naturally take some time. "I imagine there are new angles to consider, even in familiar situations..." Like the three of them sitting down for a chat and drink, for instance; whereas before Teutus would have had to be at his father's beck and call, he was now able to join in as an equal.

She took a sip of her wine and put the cup back down for a moment, leaving both hands free to receive the small pouch from Aglaea.

After a heartbeat's hesitation, Livia passed it deferentially on to Teutus while explaining what it was. "This is a small token from your uncle and myself, to mark your new circumstances. We hope you find it to your liking." Inside, Teutus would find a thick gold ring embedded with a smooth oval carnelian. It was simple in design but of quality materials and workmanship. Needless to say, Secundus had not been involved in its selection at all, although he had miraculously if grudgingly agreed that she should not show up empty handed. She had briefly considered asking for the image of Libertas to be engraved on the gemstone, but had ultimately decided against it in case it was too much on the nose.

Livia watched Teutus' reaction with expectant interest, but turned to Tertius after a few seconds to keep the conversation flowing. Every minute they spent talking about something else was a minute not spent fielding questions about how she was doing. "And how is young Antonia taking to the changes?"

@Atrice @Echo @Sharpie

[Atrice]

Livia said she was sure Teutus would be a worthy heir and Tertius nodded at her words, he was certain Teutus would too. His many years as a slave had taught him to be very humble though, and now he needed to learn something else. It would take time, but Tertius would work for it too – make a proper Roman man out of Teutus, rather than just a former slave and freedman. Sure he could not hold the same offices as Tertius, but he could still climb in society. And he would. He was Tertius’ heir, after all!

He listened to Teutus explain how his days were like; he was still busy, but just with other things. It was true, Teutus had never liked being idle. He was on the move; he did things. That’s why Tertius believed he could actually become something and make a name for himself one day. Livia spoke of new angles in familiar situations, and then she had asked her body slave to retrieve something for her and she opened the pouch. Inside was a thick gold ring with a beautiful carnelian set into it. A gift from herself and Secundus. Then why had Secundus not come to deliver it? As if he would. As if he would ever set foot in Tertius’ house. And he better not. Tertius inhaled a small breath as she mentioned it, but gave a smile anyway.

“That is a very fine gift, Livia. Remember to thank my brother too, from us both.” Tertius commented after Teutus had taken a look at the ring. He did not imagine Secundus had much to do with it; he didn’t care for Tertius, so why would he care for Teutus? But it was kind of Livia to think about it. It was indeed a proper for the son of a Senator. Then Livia turned to himself again and asked about Antonia.

“She is very thrilled that her brother is no longer a slave. She’s very fond of Teutus.” Tertius said with a smile, it was true, Antonia had always loved her brother and now she could consider him more her equal than before. Not that he thought she gave it much thought beforehand; Teutus had just always been there for her. And now that Teutus was free and would be adopted, he could take proper care of Antonia, should anything (gods forbid!) happen to Tertius.

@Liv @Sharpie @Echo

[Sharpie]

Teutus hadn't expected a gift of any description, much less a ring - and of such exquisite workmanship. It must have cost his aunt a decent amount - and he couldn't think that Uncle Secundus had had anything to do with it. The intaglio was smooth, without anything engraved into it, which was fine with Teutus; he could get something engraved into it if he needed to (and if he was going to be honest with himself, he would need to - every citizen had their own seal, after all).

"It is a very fine gift. I thank you, very much," he said, slipping it onto his finger, a little surprised at his thoughts and how unslave-like they had become. It felt odd on his finger; naturally, he had never worn a ring before, but he would probably soon grow used to it. As he would doubtless grow used to being a free man rather than a slave - and a ring was the mark of a free man. So perhaps wearing a ring would serve to remind him of his new status should he ever forget himself and revert to old habits.

"She is very pleased," he said. It hadn't changed all that much between the two of them, although he had had to remind her, once or twice, that he didn't need to call her 'domina' any more. Old habits died hard, even for people as young as Antonia. Perhaps especially for people as young as Antonia.

 

@Liv @Echo @Atrice

[Liv]

Both Tertius and Teutus seemed pleased with the gift, and Livia smiled more broadly than usual, equal parts relief and satisfaction showing. Perhaps it was just as well there was no engraving after all, as neither man made a negative remark about it. Feeling reassured, Livia exchanged a brief look with Aglaea, much like a child seeking silent praise after a job well done. "Oh, it was nothing. Secundus will be glad to hear it was to your liking," she replied with a nod of acknowledgement towards her nephew.

Truth be told, she hadn't much of a notion of how Teutus' relationship with his sister had been prior to his manumission, and that was almost entirely Livia's own fault. Antonia was a bright and lively young girl and a painful possibility as to how Livia's daughter might have become had she lived, so she kept a safe distance and tried not to get too close. Yet, it was polite to show interest. "I imagine Teutus has less free time to dedicate to her now... does she not resent it?" More to the point, did Antonia not resent having to treat her brother more respectfully now, when he had been a slave her entire life? Hopefully the girl had not inherited her uncle's irascible nature.

"Have you given any thought as to what the future holds now, Teutus?" Livia asked gently, a small tinge of curiosity seeping into her voice. "A career, perhaps? Or a wife?" She wasn't entirely sure where his talents lay or in what way they could be useful to Tertius, but hopefully the young man would be more fortunate than Livia when it came to a match. "Have you thought of anyone, Tertius?" she turned to her brother-in-law, happy to play the part of the ditzy nosy matron.

@Echo @Atrice @Sharpie

[Atrice]

It really was a pity, that a young woman like Livia should be married to someone as horrible as his brother. He had cared about Secundus, once, years ago. And he had missed him and mourned him after he disappeared in Germania. It was then quite a shock, when he returned home from the dead, years later… and all Secundus was after that, was angry. He didn’t like anything Tertius did and expected he could just walk right back and take over. And it only went downhill more after that. Now they almost didn’t talk. But Livia was nice. He felt sorry for her.

And it was kind that she gave Teutus a ring. It was beautiful and they both thanked her and she smiled beautifully, saying it was nothing. Tertius shook his head, “A gift as this… is not nothing. We are both grateful.” Tertius replied, didn’t want her to feel it didn’t mean anything, because it did. It meant she had most certainly accepted Teutus’ freedom and given him something of his own.

She had then asked into Antonia and they both told their thoughts on the matter. From Tertius’ point of view, Antonia seemed absolutely thrilled. She’d always loved Teutus, like a true brother. And now he was. Teutus just said she was pleased and Livia wondered if Antonia resented that Teutus had less time for her. If she did, she hadn’t told Tertius and he looked at Teutus, thinking that might be more up to his son to answer.

Livia further asked into Teutus’ future, wondering about his career and the idea of a wife. And she wondered if Tertius had thought of anyone yet. He smiled, “Not yet, this is all still very new to Teutus, I think. Once he is more used to his new… status, I will give it more thought. I am open to suggestions though.” Tertius said, looking at Teutus with a certain smile. His son was probably a bit shy when it came to the topic of finding a wife, maybe he had barely realized it was an opportunity now. Tertius had realized it very much though and he would find someone suitable, once it seemed right.

@Sharpie @Liv

[Sharpie]

A wife? The possibility of marrying had barely occurred to Teutus, except in the abstract- he could not have brought himself to enter any sort of informal arrangement with any of his father's female slaves (the closest he had come to that was his friendship with Charis, and then his father had taken her to his bed and Teutus was not going to share any woman with his father - ugh!) He didn't think that he father would have agreed to Teutus (his son, even if he had been a slave at the time!) having any sort of steady relationship with a slave, and slaves could not marry anyway. Any other slave could have an agreement to consider a fellow slave as a spouse, but it wasn't official and could only happen with the master's permission... and that sort of slave marriage could be broken up at any time. To enter into matrimonium had been as unthinkable for Teutus as flying, and the possibility of it hadn't occurred to him at all even since his manumission.

Anyway, he was as much under his father's power now as his son as he ever had been as Tertius' slave, thanks to Tertius' position as the head of the household, and he would defer to his father when it came to finding a wife. Any other senator's son was in much the same sort of position, after all. Teutus did not think that anyone actually married for love, except (perhaps) plebians, and even they must have other considerations to take into account.

"Who I marry will be up to my father to decide, I think," Teutus said, and lifted his winecup to his mouth again - his elevation in status meant that he had ready access to the best of his father's wine cellar now, and would never have to drink lora again. And the wine that Tertius offered his guests was very fine indeed, of course. Whatever Tertius might be to his household, he was not stingy to his guests. "He is still the head of this household, after all."

 

@Liv @Echo @Atrice

[Liv]

It was only when Tertius thanked her genuinely that Livia felt the small glow of appreciation warming her up from the inside. How long had it been since she had felt useful? She had done so little of value, yet the simple action gave her spirits a mild, temporary lift. Good familial relations were worth cultivating, even if it all had to happen somewhat on the sly. It had not occurred to her, however, just how tasteless the whole thing might seem to Aglaea - still enslaved despite her loyal and steadfast companionship, and having to witness the commemoration of another's freedom. Mood brought down as quickly as it had risen, Livia made a mental note to try and make it up to her body slave later; perhaps a half day off, or some beautiful gift. She gazed up to give Aglaea a short apologetic look, quickly redirecting her attention to the two men.

"I am terribly sorry. I did not mean to undermine your authority, Tertius," Livia hastened to clarify in case they had got the wrong impression.  Yet if she wasn't allowed to meddle in the one thing women were allowed and even expected to meddle in, how boring the conversation would turn."I must admit I am not too knowledgeable about eligible brides," she admitted demurely, helping herself to a bit of cheese and chewing carefully before speaking again. "I could ask my sister, though. My nephew has grown up so fast, she will have similar concerns soon." Not as soon as Tertius and Teutus, since her nephew was a fair bit younger, but Horatia would know of a handful of candidates through her boring-to-tears literary club and her husband's connections. Another idea came to her, and she tried to imprint some enthusiasm to her words. "Oh, I know! Maybe Sergia has a friend or two that fit the bill!" It was egregious enough that Sergia herself was still unmarried, but even in a family as unconventional as the Quinctilii-Vari incest was frowned upon.

She reclined in her sofa, enjoying the snacks and drinks and the light mood in the room. As a woman and unannounced guest, she had already been assertive enough; any more of tit and they might take offence. Best to let the men steer the conversation, as was custom. "What other news have I missed? So many things happen here than never make it down to Tibur."

@Echo @Atrice @Sharpie

[Atrice]

As he had guessed, Teutus did seem a bit surprised by the idea of taking a wife, but now that he was the freed son of a Senator, it was bound to happen at some point and he would have to marry the right woman. Someone with connections, but of course also someone he’d get along with. For Tertius, this had been the most important part. Antonia and he had been good friends too and he didn’t wish for Teutus to marry someone he resented. Teutus merely commented though, that it would be up to Tertius to decide on a wife for Teutus, as he was the head of the household.

Livia apologized for her question and said she didn’t mean to undermine Tertius, but he smiled, “No harm done.” He said and then she said she did not know much about eligible brides for Teutus. Tertius watched the pretty young woman eat a bit, thinking again what a pity it was that such a woman was lost to a man like his brother. She could have done so much better, but now she was bound to Secundus. Meanwhile the young woman went on, saying she could ask her sister about the question and then thought Sergia – Tertius’ niece – might know someone.

“You’re very welcome to ask her… or your sister. Any help you can give would be most welcome, dearest Livia.” Tertius said and she leaned back and wondered if there were other news she had missed. Tertius thought about it, he didn’t think so. Not a lot was happening in the winter months and especially not in this household.

“I’m not sure… have you heard any interesting stories lately, Teutus? You get out among the people more than I do, I think.” Tertius mostly went out because of his job as a Praetor and when the day was done, he would relax in the baths or come back home to spend time with his daughter… and later Hector or Charis, of course.

@Sharpie @Liv