Ready to learn

[Érik]

Trigger warning: mention of assault attempt

July 75

 

It had been weeks since Florus had met Cinnia out in the markets. Weeks, during which he'd been extremely busy. Busy with the gardens, first and foremost, but then also busy with figuring some very obvious things out. And, then, of course, after the earthquake, there was so much to do, so much to repair in the gardens. Trees to replant, new plants to order, the lack of rain to deal with, and the neverending battle against weeds. Yes, Florus had been very busy.

He had wanted to see the other Briton again, but chance had not favoured him, and for a while he hadn't thought about her offer anymore. Until one evening when he was returning to the villa from the baths, and a hand had violently grabbed his arm from a shadowy alley. Florus had said he wasn't carrying any money, but that hadn't stopped the stranger from pawing at his waist, despite his evident lack of a purse. He'd managed to turn around and shove the stranger away, and had run all the way back to the villa. The altercation had lasted all of ten seconds, but it had been really stressful. What if he hadn't been able to get away? Surely he would have gotten beaten up badly.

Since then, though, Cinnia's offer had come back to the forefront of his thoughts. She'd said there was a chance he could end up in a situation like this, and he almost had. Florus had to take it seriously. And he had to heed her advice.

This was why, on his next free day, he had walked all the way to the imperial palace, and, as Cinnia had said, asked for her by name at the servants' entrance. The gardener stood there waiting, his back straight, hands behind it, feet apart at shoulders' width, immobile.

 

@Atrice

Edited June 19, 2020 by Ejder

[Atrice]

The earthquake had happened a little while ago and Cynane too had done what she could, to help rebuild. She barely left Claudia’s side at first, worried that her princess would come to harm – Cynane had never experienced such a rough earthquake before. She’d felt the ground tremble a few times, but that was nothing compared to what happened this time. It was all over now though and life was slowly returning to normal, as much as it could anyway. Claudia was busy with charity and Cynane followed her, but this morning she had no plans so far and when a slave turned up saying there was a young man, a slave, asking for her, she was allowed to go.

A slave asking for her? She’d almost forgotten about Florus with everything that had happened since, with the earthquake and the aftermath of that, but when she saw him, she could not help but smile warmly at the young man. She had said he could come and ask for her, but he hadn’t come right after and she wasn’t sure if he really would take up the offer. Yet here he was and she approached him.

“Samorix… how good to see you!” She said, speaking their own language to the annoyance of another slave nearby, who gave them a look. She rolled her eyes at the other slave, as if they could do anything anyway!

“Are you on an errand or have you come to learn how defend yourself?” She then asked, recalling that she hadn’t even asked whom his owner was. Maybe she’d learn that today, unless he was just here for a short moment. You never knew these days.

@Ejder

[Érik]

Finally, Cinnia appeared, and Florus nodded at her politely, walking to bridge the distance between them. He stopped at a healthy distance, and the shadow of a smile appeared on his face. 'Gratitude for seeing me, Cinnia. I...' Florus cleared his throat. 'I was wondering if your offer still stood? I would like it very much if you could help me learn to defend myself. If you are still willing?'

 

@Atrice

[Atrice]

She didn't know for how long he'd been waiting, as she came as soon as she was able. But the palace was vast and it took time to cross it, even for her. Eventually though, she reached the right entrance and smiled warmly at the young man, hoping to guess why he was here... but she couldn't know for certain. He gave her a polite nod, coming closer to her and smiled slightly, thanking her for coming. She let him speak his errand and smiled once more, when he had asked if she would still be his teacher.

"Of course my offer still stands... of course I am still willing." She said, "I would not offer something I didn't want to do after all." She added, "I think it might be best though, if I stay at the palace... in case the princess needs me." Cynane said, glancing over her shoulder briefly, as if Claudia was there, which of course she wasn't - she was in her own rooms.

"We have training grounds here, usually it's the princes and the praetorians who use them, but I'm allowed too. Come." She said and motioned for him to enter, "Try not to drop your jaw too much in here. Just follow me, quietly. If anyone asks us anything, let me speak." She then said. No one knew she'd have a visitor and they might ask question as to why he was here and what he wanted. She thought it best if she took the lead, since she was the one who lived here. Then she would lead the way into the large and beautiful palace. She still thought a lot of the decorations and mosaics was overdone, even though some of it was now ruined and was being redone, but it wasn't her place to tell the Imperials how to decorate their home. 

@Ejder

[Érik]

Florus simply nodded, his expression neutral. Training at the palace was fine. He wasn't going to be too impressed by anything, really. It was the imperial palace, so what? Florus didn't care for statues and fancy marbles. He didn't care for mosaics and columns. Roman architecture was a strange beast, and it mostly made him indifferent. He couldn't imagine how the imperator's palace would make him feel any different than Rufus' villa. Trapped, and ever mindful of the fact everything had been built by slaves. Cinnia needed not fear his reaction. He was now perfectly trained in remaining as expressionless as humanly possible, and he would make a fine display of just that.

Florus followed Cinnia, until they had arrived at what the gardener presumed were the training grounds. Inquisitively he turned to look at his new tutor, but remained otherwise silent. She had told him not to speak, and he was awaiting her instructions.

 

@Atrice

[Atrice]

Cynane didn't know how you could not be impressed by the palace - especially when you were born and raised in Northern Britannia, where most houses were still made from tree and dirt and the walls around villages weren't well improved either. It wasn't like Rome. This palace was the largest 'house' she knew in the entire world and she'd been impressed. But Florus for now simply followed her through halls and corridors, until they reached a little courtyard with a few badly kept trees in the corners and a marble bench just next to the doorway they came through. There were walls on all four sides of them and under their feet was rough sand. This was one of the training grounds. She kind of wanted to teach him about swords, but he wouldn't have a need for that. He wasn't a guard or a gladiator; he was a gardener.

"Here we are then." She explained with a smile to the young man, "How have you been, since we met, by the way? I see the earthquake left you unharmed." 

@Ejder

[Érik]

Florus tried not to judge how bad the trees looked. He thought this was the emperor's palace, and that the emperor was one of the most powerful men, if not the most powerful man, of the world. Clearly, though, you couldn't be all that great if your plants were this lacklustre. Florus' gardens at the Roman's domus was more impressive, that was for sure. The thought gave him satisfaction.

Florus was completely indifferent to the marble and finery that surrounded him. He was certain that everything was even more luxurious inside, but he didn't care. This wasn't his universe, and so much stone made him uncomfortable. He preferred more natural materials. Britannia was clearly better in every single aspect of absolutely everything.

'I have been... good,' he measured. He had been, for the most part. He wasn't sure if getting closer to Tranquillus had been a good thing, because it wasn't like he would get what he wanted out of that relationship, and being strictly friends would likely be frustrating in the long run. And then there'd been the earthquake, of course.

'I was unharmed, but the gardens suffered some losses.' He knew it was a trivial thing to say, since learning of the number of victims, but the plants were what was close to him, what touched him most. He cared about them, and seeing harm come to them had hurt him.

'You were right, though. I was attacked the other night. That's why I need to know how to defend myself,' he said brightly. 'Anyway, how are you? I'm pleased to see you are equally unharmed.'

 

@Atrice

[Atrice]

Cynane might agree that Britannia was better when it came to a lot of things, but this was their life now and while she did not always enjoy it, she had accepted the circumstances because she had to. And at least she had enough freedom with Claudia to meet kind young men like Florus and had the time to teach him something valuable. He told her he’d been good since last time and that only his gardens suffered losses during the earthquake, “I think that’s the case a lot of places. At least plants grow. You don’t have to rebuild them.” She said with a comforting smile, before he suddenly explained that he’d been attacked and needed to defend himself. She was both surprised and not surprised. She hadn’t expected to hear that, but then, it was bound to happen to someone like Florus. Young, attractive and unable to defend himself… he was an easy target.

First though, he asked how she had been, “I’m fine and luckily busier guarding the princess than rebuilding and painting walls and reassembling mosaics. I don’t think I’d be good at it.” She said with a grin and looked him over. He didn’t look weak, at least. He could learn some good skills. She decided to start the same way she had with Claudia.

“Are you ready to begin? I’ll teach you a very simple move first, just so you get an idea of it. Then we move on to the more important ones after.” She explained, assuming he understood she would touch him, but then he would also touch her. And when it was a matter of fighting and defending yourself, well that was just how it had to be.

@Ejder

[Érik]

Florus nodded in agreement. 'I don't find myself in as bad a predicament as most other household slaves,' he said. 'I can keep to the gardens, and mostly no one bothers me. I do do it all on my own, though, so it's still a lot of work.' But at least it wasn't rebuiling walls and painting and stuff. Surely he wouldn't be good at it either. He didn't want to be asked. He liked that he would never be asked. He had his own responsibilities, and they were cut out for him.

Cinnia looked him over, but it wasn't in the same way that a lot of other people tended to do it. He found that he preferred her way. He felt less like a display at the meat stalls under her eye. Still, though, he was uneasy. In Britannia, and in Longinus' household, no one had really looked at him twice. The only people who did look at him seemed to be men and women who leered at him in the markets. The one by whom he wanted to be seen didn't even notice him, anyway. Being seen was certainly a curious thing.

'I'm ready,' he said. He hadn't much liked how the stranger had pawed at his waist. It had been quite obvious that he hadn't been carrying a purse; what was the interest in grabbing at him in that manner? 'I want to learn,' he said. 'I don't want to be a vulnerable target, I want to kick ass.'

 

@Atrice

[Atrice]

She smiled at his explanation about his home and the other slaves – and how he could just keep to the gardens, “It doesn’t sound like you have it too bad at all, Samorix.” She said to him, he seemed pleased with his garden, just like she was pleased with guarding the princess. It beat many other things slaves had to do, at least. And it allowed her to wear practical clothes instead of useless dresses and capes. Florus didn’t look too bad either, she thought as she looked him over to judge his strength. He’d be able to do a lot of things, she thought. He just had to learn.

 Then he said that he was ready and wanted to learn. She let out a little laugh when he said he wanted to kick ass, “Gods, don’t we all? I know some asses I’d like to kick.” She said with a wink, although there was a good amount of truth to that sentence. Maybe one day, if she got sick of her life, she’d do it. Because if she beat up a Roman Senator, she was surely to be executed. But not yet and not now.

 “Alright… so… the first move is simple, as I said.” Cynane came closer to him, so close that she stood right in front of him, “I’m going to pretend I’ll strangle you. And when I have my hands there and you want to escape… you bring your hands up between my arms and push outwards, even hit me, if I don’t let go. Just use your strength. Once I’ve let go, you can quickly step back and away. Let’s try.” She said and brought both her hands up to his neck and throat and wrapped her fingers around it. And then she waited for Florus to make his move… she gave him a little smile, “Don’t be afraid to hurt me.”

@Ejder

[Érik]

That's what the Romans wanted them to think, though, wasn't it? That they were lucky and could have it worse. It was still true, though. Of all the things he could have been sent to do, he was able to do the thing he most loved. It was a bizarre conundrum, whether to be angry at the injustice or happy for his situation. He generally settled for a mixture of both. He nodded in answer, and put himself in what he supposed was a fighting position, with his legs apart at shoulder width and his back straight.

Florus wasn't uncomfortable with Cinnia being this close. She wasn't intruding his personal space, and she wasn't Tranquillus. Then again, was he really uncomfortable when the body slave was this close? Maybe that was part of the problem. He nodded as she explained what he was going to have to do, but then frowned. 'But I don't want to hurt you,' he said. He didn't think he'd necessarily have the upper hand on her if he tried her tactic. He was younger, and thought he might be more muscular, too, but she was a fighter, and she had experience on her side. They wouldn't assign her to guard a princess if she couldn't do more than just hold her own. But why did she want him to hurt her?

 

@Atrice

[Atrice]

It was sweet that he placed himself in a fighting position and Cynane smiled at the sight, although he didn’t have it entirely right. But she would tell him. First though, she would instruct him on what she would do to him and what he should do in return. She would do the attack from the front move, they could always move to the others afterwards. It was just a basic useful thing, that would lead towards the next. She told him he should not be afraid to hurt her and she couldn’t help but chuckle at his sweet answer.

 “Samorix, that was not my meaning. I more meant… imagine that I am an attacker. A real one. One you would need to hurt to escape. I can take it. And I won’t be angry with you.” She said. He was really like a sweet little brother, she thought. And she would teach him all he would need to know. Now she waited quietly and made her move, her fingers were already wrapped around his throat and she tightened the grip a bit and gave him a nod, met his eyes as she appeared more serious, “Come on Samorix… you can do it.”

@Ejder

[Érik]

Florus nodded in understanding. 'Alright, Cinnia,' he said. Instantly his face became more serious as he envisioned the faceless person who had grabbed him the other time. They wouldn't have as much success with that once he properly learned how to defend himself, he thought. Cinnia was going for his throat, but the stranger had gone for his waist. And, well, not just his waist, but he figured it was all an attempt to grab a nonexistant purse from him anyway. Maybe Cinnia would next teach him how to protect his middle? He had managed to push the man off, but what if he wasn't as lucky the next time? Maybe he'd get beaten once they realised he didn't have anything on him. No. He wasn't going to let that happen. He'd learn.

He looked at Cinnia, who was putting pressure on his throat already, and decided to do as she said. She was no longer Cinnia, Brigantes Briton, but a faceless, nameless man, who wanted his purse. Florus brought his arms between Cinnia's, and pushed them outwards, effectively freeing himself of her grasp. 'It worked!' He exclaimed, barely hiding his excitement.

 

@Atrice

[Atrice]

Cynane liked that when she taught people, they would think about it being real, so they would know what it felt like if it really should happen and it was real. Her partner today nodded when she had explained it to him and then they finally went on with it. She had put pressure on his throat and he did as she had instructed him and he managed to wrestle out of her grasp the way she told him. He was strong! Just as she had judged he would be! He just needed to learn how to use his strength!

 She smiled, “Yes, it worked. It was very good, Samorix.” She said to him, hoping he would feel proud of himself and ready to do more like it.

 “Now, you said someone attacked you. What did they do? Imagine I am you, and you are the attacker. Show it on me, what they did to you.” She said, “Remember again… don’t be afraid. Just do what you must do.” She did not imagine Samorix would harm her for real, at any time. She did not need to fear him. Even in a situation like this, she doubted he’d hurt her with intention.

@Ejder

[Érik]

Florus was enthusiastic about it all. He was going to learn to defend himself, and no one would ever try to steal from him again. Or, well, if they tried, he was going to kick their ass all the way back to their domus! Or something like that. He was invincible, or something, now, wasn't he? Not quite, of course, but all the same, it felt great that he wouldn't be a defenseless child anymore. Sure, he'd killed a man or two in the battle, but that was all the sword's doing. It was pointy and sharp, and all you really needed to do was stab people. That wasn't skill, though. He was going to be learning a skill now. And that was exciting! He gave her a bright smile, something that didn't altogether happen that often.

His face immediately became more somber as she asked him to do to her what had been done to him. It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't a very good memory. He hadn't liked being pawed at like that, along his belt to find the purse he hadn't been carrying, and elsewhere, for better hold, he assumed. 'But I don't want to touch you there, Cinnia.'

 

@Atrice

 

[Atrice]

It was good that he felt enthusiastic and was ready to learn more. But that's why she taught him the first thing she did - it was easy and it was easy to have it be a success... both with her and an actual attacker, should anyone ever care to strangle Samorix, which she kind of doubted. But you never knew. At least now he knew what to do in such a situation. But she wanted to teach him what to do, if anyone grabbed him the way he'd been grabbed when he was attacked. So she needed to know exactly what happened and asked him to do it to her. Samorix didn't seem happy though and said he didn't want to touch her there. 

She gave him a curious look, "Touch me where, Samorix? Trust me when I say there's nothing you can do to me, that the Romans didn't already do. Besides..." She trailed off, did she dare to say this and did she mean it? He was such a sweet young man. He could almost be her younger brother, if she ever had one. Maybe he was the young brother she never knew she had? She knew she liked him and considered him a friend, or something very close to it. Something very few men (if any) in Rome could say about themselves... that Cynane liked them and counted them among her friends. 

"I trust you, Samorix. What did they do?" It had her a bit worried, exactly what kind of an attack was it he'd been faced with? How bad had it been? 

@Ejder

[Érik]

'I'm not like the Romans,' Florus countered. He closed his eyes, recalling the events of that moment. All this for a few coins? He just didn't get it. Very obviously he wasn't carrying anything, but that hadn't stopped his attacker. He was lucky to have been able to get away. And he did need Cinnia if he was to avoid a repeat of the situation. What if another time he couldn't manage to just push the other man off? He didn't want to be beaten for not having any money on him, which he surmised was what might have happened.

She trusted him, she said. Okay. He took a deep breath, and positioned himself on her left side. The attacker had lunged at him from an alleyway, and so he lunged at Cinnia himself, grabbing her belt and pulling her towards him. Once she was facing him, he looked up at her with an apologetical expression. 'He must have been reaching for my purse, but I didn't have one,' he said, pawing at her front, and pretending to grab her crotch. Even if she said it didn't matter, he didn't want to do it to her.

'And then I shoved him away,' Florus said uneasily, taking a step back.

 

@Atrice

[Atrice]

She gave him a kind smile, when he said he was not like the Romans, “I know you’re not.” Why would he be like them? He seemed so fresh and he was a nice young man and he loved Britannia, still, just like she did. He would not violate a woman, probably not even if forced to do so. He would probably rather face something worse for himself. Finally though, she had admitted that she trusted Samorix. He probably didn’t know just what it meant, when she said it to him, but to her, it meant a lot.

 At last he took a breath and came closer to her, on her side and then he grabbed her belt and pulled her closer. She let out a little surprised gasp, but she had allowed him to do this and she tried to pay attention to what happened and what it must have felt like to him. After she was closer to his body, and she was facing him, he showed how the stranger had reached for her crotch, but he thought it was the purse. But he managed to shove the other person away.

 “I can see why that would make you feel uncomfortable and afraid.” She said and thought it over, although she had an idea for the right move, “I don’t know if they wanted your purse though. I think they wanted more than that. But nevermind. I think I have an idea about what you can do, if someone does that again.” Cynane said.

 “So what you need to do here… is to use your elbow. See, it’s hard and pointy. Bring it up towards his jaw or nose like this…” She showed how to move her elbow backwards and upwards in a fast and hard move to hit any attacker, “When the attacker is then surprised by your move and hopefully stepping back… use the same elbow to their stomach. Try and do what you just did, and I’ll show it. I won’t hurt you.” She then promised, just to be sure. Once she had showed him, it would be his turn.

@Ejder

[Érik]

Florus nodded, looking at Cinnia's feet. He had been uncomfortable, and yes, afraid, if he admitted it to himself. He had escaped, but what exactly he had escaped, he wasn't sure. He gave the bodyguard a confused look as she explained the man might have wanted more. What more could he have wanted? He had neither a purse, nor money hidden elsewhere on his person. Florus bit the inside of his cheek, and looked up at the woman. Yes, changing the subject to the more practical aspect of things would be best.

'Okay,' Florus agreed, trying to clear his mind and put on a more determined front. The elbow. Elbows were pretty strong, she was right. Unless he pinched the nerve there, then it felt all weird, and he wasn't sure he could use it as a means of defense if he did. But if his elbow was normal, then sure. He mimicked her movements, not really sure how it all made sense, but he innately trusted her. She knew what she was doing.

He trusted her enough to repeat the moves his attacker had made, slowly. He didn't think she would hurt him.

 

@Atrice

[Atrice]

Samorix' quiet nod told her that he had indeed felt afraid and uncomfortable, when someone had grabbed him like that in the street. Good that he managed to escape anyway, but he might not a second time and he was very handsome. It was surprising no one had taken advantage of this youthful slave yet, to be honest! She then explained what was going to happen. What she would do and teach him to do and she watched him move his elbow, mimicking her movements. It would take a few times, but he could learn, she was sure. When he grabbed her just before, she could tell he was strong. He didn't just look it, he was strong.

Then he came at her again and she moved her elbow backwards and upwards, towards his jaw and when it hit him (slowly and not hard, but enough to make a point) she moved her arm again and made a move for his stomach instead - and stepped forwards and away from him after that. 

"Does that make sense to you? Now, I'll grab you... and you'll do that to me." She explained, "You can do it harder than what I did to you. If that makes it work better for you. An attacker will need that anyway." Not that she was a huge fan of pain or anything, she could just take it, because she had felt much worse. So she slipped in behind him and then came from his side, reaching for his belt to pull him close and hold him. And she hoped he could do as she had asked him to. It might not be perfect the first time. But they would do it again and again, until it was.

@Ejder

[Érik]

Florus let himself be used and hit, feeling like a straw doll. She wasn't hurting him, as promised.

'It does make sense,' he confirmed. He liked that he understood how the seemingly random movements were connected and could be used to defend himself. And now she was going to grab him, and he was going to have to try to defend himself, as she had just shown him. But then that meant that she was going to mimick his attacker, and grab at him the way the stranger had, and he didn't want that. He hadn't liked it then, and he didn't want it to happen again. Did he have a choice, though?

He tried to shake himself into position, but he was still uneasy. 'Alright, do it,' he said, though his tone was less inviting than his words.

 

@Atrice

[Atrice]

She really hoped he would not be afraid to hurt her, because he would really need to dare to do that to a stranger, who would rob or rape him. She was his teacher and she could stand it. Besides, she knew the techniques for avoiding it all and she knew what to do after if she gained any bruises. It would be no big deal. Samorix told her that her explanation made sense and then she moved closer to him, while he tried to brace himself and he said she could do it. She hoped it would not be too uncomfortable for him, although on the other hand, maybe that was for the best, if it was. So he would work harder to shake her off. 

So Cynane came onto him from his side and reached for his belt to pull him closer, while her other slipped in behind him and then came from his side, reaching for his belt to pull him close and hold him and she even reached for his front side, not because she enjoyed it, but to make it feel real to him. Meanwhile she braced himself for the blow to come to her head and stomach.

@Ejder

[Érik]

The second Cinnia grabbed his belt and started reaching for his front, Florus became immensely stressed. Not thinking about anything at all, least of all what she had told him to do, his instinctive reaction was to aim a punch to her jaw.

Realizing what he'd done, the gardener immediately took a step back and stared at the woman, wide-eyed. 'I... apologies!'

 

@Atrice

[Atrice]

She was hoping to make it feel real to him, so he would feel that need to defend himself and it worked - she felt his body tense for just one moment, before it came... the blow to her jaw and a rather hard one too. She let out a loud "Oof!" and stumbled back, cracking her neck and touching her jaw where he hit her. Florus however, he stared at her and apologized, while she tried to recollect herself on top of that blow. 

She held up a hand to show it was alright and closed her eyes briefly, "Don't." She said and paused, wriggled her jaw a little bit, "I did tell you to not be afraid to hurt me." She added with a pained grin, thinking it might bruise a little bit there, but it didn't matter. It was not like she planned to go and woe someone in any near future... "But... you see, it worked? You got me away. And you punch hard, Samorix! What a warrior you could have been." 

@Ejder

[Érik]

Hitting someone, anyone, and especially a friend, it turned out, made Florus miserable. The blow had landed, and it seemed like he had hit well. She'd stumbled back, and seemed to touch her jaw gingerly. It seemed painful. She gestured that it was alright, fine, but he still felt incredibly guilty. He hated that he had hit her, especially since it wasn't the move they'd practiced. He wasn't sure how he could make it up to her. He'd have to find a way, because surely this would not do.

He shook his head at her words. 'I didn't mean to, Cinnia. I didn't want to hurt you.' Permission to do it or not, he hated it. He hadn't liked fighting in the battles either. He felt so out of his depth, far away from what made him him. He liked plants, not violence. 'I don't think I would have made any kind of warrior,' he said. 'But I don't think I'd feel sorry punching someone who grabbed me, though.'

 

@Atrice