On Tour

[Sharpie]

"Um. If a woman isn't married by the time she's twenty, isn't she considered unmarriageable, domine?" Attis enquired. Not that he knew anything about it, of course.

There surely weren't that few suitable women in Rome tat his master couldn't find someone! Sestia (or whatever her name was!) would have been ideal, but that had run into a stone wall and stopped dead.

"I don't see why Claudia Caesaris would be out of your reach, though - you're a patrician and all." Though perhaps his career path wouldn't help with that. What did Attis know! Vitus would surely be better at talking through the various merits of the eligible daughters of the Senatorial class. Attis was just good for playing the fool. And massages. Can't forget the massages!

 

@Sara

[Sara]

"Not unmarriageable," Longinus corrected with a shrug, "But subject to rumours. But I'd rather have a wife that everybody thinks odd because she's remained a spinster than one who only a few years ago stopped playing with dolls." He gave a shudder. He didn't begrudge the men he knew who'd married young women, they were all of age after all, but he'd just rather...not. 

He smirked and arched a brow, twisting his neck to glance up briefly at Attis. "Thanks for the confidence boost." He grinned to himself as he turned back around. "But alas, a Patrician who is about as likely to get elected Praetor or Consul as a dormouse, and one who was, for an ever so brief moment, on the wrong side in the Civil War. Hardly princess-husband material, eh?" 

He resolutely believed that his past political leanings shouldn't have counted against him; he had been in Britannia without really the foggiest of what was going on, and it wasn't like he shouted it from the rooftops. Besides, Cotta sounded sensible enough, until he kidnapped the Vestal that was. Longinus made a mental note that that was probably another reason why he shouldn't go for Aulus' sister, the lovely ex-Vestal Calpurnia Praetextata.

 

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[Sharpie]

"Well, why not a girl of plebeian descent, then? There are enough plebeian senators, aren't there? Or if that would scandalise your ancestors too much, what about an equite?"

There must surely be someone of the right sort of family and age in Rome. If not, Longinus had better start looking among the rich people elsewhere in the empire. Not Britannia, though. Nothing came out of those gods-forsaken islands except mists and barbarians.

Attis smirked over his master's head at the thought of Longinus taking a barbarian bride to the altar.

Perhaps not, though. She'd be as likely to eat the flammeum as wear it.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

"Because..." He managed to stifle his laughter and then sighed, turning round in his seat to fully face Attis, batting his hands off, "Because despite my very easy going nature," He said with a grin, "I am in fact just as much of a snob as the rest of my class." 

He didn't expect Attis to understand the intricacies of their class, nor the expectations placed on him as paterfamilias. "And yes there's plenty of plebeian senators with plenty of eligible daughters but alas...it's been instilled since I can remember that I needed a good bride, a good patrician girl." He shrugged. It was lunacy when you thought about it, "And I know, I know I have friends who aren't patricians but..." He sighed, trying to find an example, "It's like you, for example - you're a house slave, a body slave, in a very respected house in Rome, would you really chase after a girl who was shipped over from Gaul or wherever and was enslaved to work down a mine? Even if technically you're the same social class?" It was about as good of an analogy as he could muster. 

"And yes it's ridiculous, but alas...it's just what we do. Hence why poor Gaius Pollius Albanus was born with eleven toes, his parents and grand parents and great-grand parents kept marrying the same bloody patrician families over and over again." 

 

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[Sharpie]

Attis stepped back. "Don't forget I spend my life chasing after Metella who was shipped over from Britannia." And has the red hair and sassy grin to prove it.

Bloody Romans! Why did they have to make things so damn hard for everyone and their pet squirrel? "I'm only trying to help, I can't think of everything. Try offering a sacrifice to Venus? Artemis, or whatever her name is out here."

Movement from within the house caught his eye. "Have you had breakfast yet, domine?"

It really wouldn't surprise him if he hadn't, Longinus was not known among his slaves for his regular mealtimes, after all.

@Sara

[Sara]

Longinus dismissed Attis' very pertinent observation with a wave of his hand, "Yes, yes but Metella's different isn't she. You know what I mean, you're just being contrary." He smirked. 

Nodding his head he shrugged off Attis' grip on his shoulders and shifted around to face his slave. "I know you're just trying to help, and I do appreciate it but alas, I think I just need to...get over it all. And get over the notion that love at first sight is a real thing, especially in a marriage." He chuckled. 

"No, I haven't." He disguised a yawn in the palm of his hand. "But I am famished. Is Lutatia up?" He queried, not realising his bedmate of last night had already discretely slipped out of the house. 

 

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[Sharpie]

"I'm sorry, domine, I hadn't realised you wanted me to agree with every word you speak. I can do that if you so desire." It might kill him, though - anyway, Cassius Longinus was hardly the worst master and did allow Attis a great deal of leeway - more than most masters would. Attis knew he was pretty lucky, really, for a slave, and should stop pushing his luck.

"I haven't seen her, domine. Shall I go and get you some breakfast?" he asked. He was pretty hungry himself, but that was unimportant, he was quite capable of raiding the kitchen for a chunk of bread and some wine if he needed to.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

Longinus nodded and stood with a groan of exertion that befit a man far older than him. The years and exertions of his daily life and unbending schedule sometimes took their toll. 

"Please." He nodded affirmatively and made his way to another set of chairs in the garden where a marble table had been set up, for external dining. "And find Lutatia as well. I don't want to have another meal alone with you hovering over me looking concerned I'm not eating enough like some middle aged nanny." He grinned sardonically at his slave. 

 

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[Sharpie]

Getting breakfast for his master was easy enough. Attis set out a jug of watered wine and a platter with bread, grapes and various other bits and pieces on it, and a cup for the wine (he didn't think Longinus was going to drink more than a cup or so but only bringing that out would have looked mean).

"Breakfast, domine," he said, and sighed. "I'm sorry to report that Lutatia has left already. She probably wasn't expecting the offer of breakfast. And I can go and hover somewhere else if you don't want me to watch you eat."

@Sara

[Sara]

Longinus stifled a yawn as Attis set down a variety of goods for him to break his fast. His forehead fell into a frown though as his body slave sighed and informed him his overnight guest had already departed. 

"Oh." He blinked. He hadn't told her to go...but then again, he hadn't told her to stay so he supposed it was a fair assumption for her to make, to make herself scarce without a goodbye. It was a shame, he'd enjoyed her company - in more than just the obvious way. 

"Maybe I'll invite her round later, apologise for my rudeness in departing when she was still asleep." He kept odd hours and didn't require much to feel rested. "And stand where you like, I'll imagine you like a statue - a judgy one, but one nonetheless." 

 

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[Sharpie]

"I'm hurt, domine. Have you ever caught me judging you?" Attis said, pouring wine into the cup and stepping back. He could entertain himself watching birds or something - it'd be more interesting than watching his master leave half of yet another breakfast.

Anyway, his master did eat enough to keep flesh and soul together. Somehow. At odd moments. Why he couldn't eat full meals at the usual sort of time, Attis would leave up to the gods - he certainly didn't have a clue.

At least his master wasn't the depressed morose senator who'd left Rome, which was one small mercy.

 

@Sara