Work dinner

[Chevi]

"I could get you an audition at the Venus. You'd make a killing I'm sure of it." 

"A killing of the family name." he grinned. She was not done complimenting him yet. Although "you would do well in a brothel" was not usually the compliment most men craved to hear.

"Ah. You see this is where I'm having difficulties Lucius. I'm not a mundane person and so I just can't think of any hobbies that may be mundane, you see. A clue?" 

No, she was definitely not mundane. He was still curious what she was like with her mask off, but it did not seem like she would show that part very easily. Still, sitting her in the tree had been comfortable. And entertaining.

"Here's a clue: it's happening right now." 

@Sara

[Sara]

"What?" She frowned and pursed her lips in thought. She glanced about them as if hunting for something that should be right in front of her face. 

The party? No, that was a classic pastime of senatorial youth. Speaking to her? Ditto. She looked down at herself and then purposefully dragged her eyes up him, her gaze deliberate and studious. She came out with a joke first; "Getting aroused?" She grinned at him and then narrowed her eyes again, flicking her clear blue eyes between herself and him..."The tree? You...climb trees?" It was ludicrous as a guess and she laughed, shaking her head and resuming trying to guess...

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"What? Getting aroused?"

Well, that too. But that was neither technically a pastime, not anything that anyone would have thought unfit for a young man his age. But Vibia was obviously losing her patience, and running out of guesses.

"The tree? You...climb trees?"

"Well... yes. You could say that's part of it, anyway." he chuckled. He had definitely been reprimanded by Gaius for that before. 

@Sara

[Sara]

Part of it? Was this man a poet? Talking in riddles like a bloody fool. Vibia strove to and succeeded in keeping the frustration from her face. 

She glanced at him again and around him, his face, his chest, his hands - nada, that was no help. They were sat up a tree having a bet. His hobby involved what they were doing now - but the tree was only part of it. It wasn't speaking with sex workers and it wasn't gambling. She frowned and turned the apple in her hand. She glanced down at it and then back up, bemused and breaking into a laugh - a genuine one of utter confusion. "Apple picking?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Vibia finally cracked up. His clue was less help and more confusion, and he could see it in her eyes that she was baffled by the whole situation. Baffled, at least, was definitely honest.

"Apple picking?" 

"Close enough" Lucius laughed too. "I have had lectures from my brother before about picking produce, for sure." He shrugged. He wasn't even sure himself how to sum things up, but at least she had made a valiant try.

@Sara

[Sara]

If Vibia looked baffled, it's because she was. Utterly. She mouthed 'picking produce' to herself and shook her head. 

"So you're telling me that a man with all the time, money, power, luxury, education and friends in the world chooses to spend his spare time as a...farmer? Farming is your hobby?" She cracked a grin and chuckled. "May I ask why, Lucius?" 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Oh, the look on her face was completely honest this time. And kind of hilarious.

"So you're telling me that a man with all the time, money, power, luxury, education and friends in the world chooses to spend his spare time as a...farmer? Farming is your hobby? May I ask why, Lucius?" 

"Well, not exactly farming." he laughed, amused by her reaction "Although I did grow up on an estate. Just... doing normal people things." he shrugged. "Things someone in my position should not be doing. Helping out whenever some help is needed. Talking to people I find interesting. Trying things that I have not tried before." he smirked. "I'm not keeping to my own social circles. Because my own social circles are... well, that." he noted, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the building.

@Sara

[Sara]

Well. Go figure. Not what she expected at all. Surprise lit up her features and her lips twitched into a smile. So her mysterious tree-dwelling prospect was...a good guy. A nice guy. An odd guy. All of which were fine by her, but she had to admit, knowing that he was a kind soul and knowing his secret sort of...dampened down her interest, just a touch. Still - it didn't show on her face, she was a professional. 

"Well..." She chuckled and tossed her hair over her shoulder, moving her leg further into his touch, "You might be the only nice guy here Lucius. I can't say any of your friends would willingly help out whomever needs it." She chuckled and a mischievous glint came to her eye, "So whilst I didn't really guess correctly, surely your good nature will prevail? If I go back to the Venus without a client, I may well lose my job. So help me out?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Well, the secret was out. It was probably not what Vibia had expected at all. Lucius looked a little sheepish; for all the guessing, it really wasn't some big reveal, in the end. At least she didn't walk away right away.

"Well... You might be the only nice guy here Lucius. I can't say any of your friends would willingly help out whomever needs it."

He shrugged, still a little sheepish. He really wasn't going for the nice guy title. Honestly, he was more curious than anything, and had the time and resources to wander around, trying things and getting to know people (and occasionally selling produce at the forum).

"So whilst I didn't really guess correctly, surely your good nature will prevail? If I go back to the Venus without a client, I may well lose my job. So help me out?" 

He laughed again, a genuine laugh this time. Oh, she was good. She found something to use against him, and she used it, in an expect way and obvious enjoyment. In the end, they had both won the game.

"Seems like you are much better at your job than I am at mine" he grinned. "I can appreciate that. But, back to the Venus? Isn't it a bit late for that?" So far outside the city, especially. He knew she was speaking figuratively, but still. "Can't I just read you some Sappho here?"

@Sara

[Sara]

She grinned at his compliment and inclined her head; "Why thank you, I do pride myself on my professionalism." Her laughter died to chuckles as she smoothed out an invisible wrinkle from her dress on her thigh, her fingers lightly brushing his as she did. 

Rolling her eyes, she groaned; "That's not what I meant," but at his question about Sappho she rolled out the actress in her, crumpling forward, head in her hands, pretending to sob; "You can," She said as she pulled her head back up and gave him a mockingly mournful look, "But do you not think that a waste of this dress?" Her look turned into a grin at a flash, "Unless perhaps I'm not your type? Are you more of a brunette-man, Lucius? Or a...man-man?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"Why thank you, I do pride myself on my professionalism."

There. That was good. That was her actually accepting the compliment, and not making a fuss about being called a professional. Now they were playing a more honest game. Up until the point when she started fake crying because of Sappho.

"That's not what I meant... You can. But do you not think that a waste of this dress?"

That dress has done it's job well so far. She moved again, her fingers brushing his.

"Unless perhaps I'm not your type? Are you more of a brunette-man, Lucius? Or a...man-man?" 

"All of the above, maybe?" he chuckled, tilting his head. "As I said. I like people, if they are interesting enough. And what do you like? Beyond being paid for your talents?"

@Sara

[Sara]

"It's best not to be picky," She agreed with a nod and a grin, "Variety is the spice of life." If she were choosing her own partner, she honestly didn't know how she'd pick. Man, woman, big, small etc didn't matter. Just that they were a good lay and a good laugh.

"Oh no," She shook her head with a 'nope' sort of face directed at him, "I won," She didn't, "Therefore I get you for a night of entertainment - we didn't apply any conditions to that about talking ahead of that." She grinned and moved as if to start to climb down but the drop was not insignificant and the way they were sitting made it awkward. She sighed and arched a brow. "New game, I'll tell you one thing you want to know about me, and then you can help me climb down and we can go and find an unoccupied bedroom." 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Seemed like they were both picky about company, although in different ways. And it also seemed like they intended to pick each other, at least for the night.

"Oh no. I won. Therefore I get you for a night of entertainment - we didn't apply any conditions to that about talking ahead of that."

Lucius smirked and help up his hands. Technically, they had never agreed what the entertainment would entail; if she wanted to, she just as easily could have told him to read her poetry. But she didn't want to.

"New game, I'll tell you one thing you want to know about me, and then you can help me climb down and we can go and find an unoccupied bedroom." 

"Sure." Lucius nodded, lowering himself from the branch and then jumping down, landing under the tree easy on his feet. Looking up at her, he smiled. "If you were not working at the Venus anymore, what would you do?"

@Sara

[Sara]

As he deftly moved from their perch she felt the loss of his hand from her thigh. Still! His agreement to actually get on with the entertainment proper suggest there'd be more than his demure touch to come. Excellent. She gave him a triumphant smile. "Music, probably. You can earn a mint as a professional I hear." And wouldn't it be funny, to be hired by some rich lady who thinks me so beneath her, to play at her party, all the while knowing I screwed her husband a decade ago, she added in her head. 

She arched a brow at him, "You're going to need to help"  Because without him there was a very good chance of her dress tearing (which would therefore be docked from her wages) or you know, perhaps more concerningly, slipping and falling to her death. Tentatively, she moved to the end of the branch and slipped her legs so they were dangling over it. "Ready  to catch me?" 

She didn't wait for an answer as she jumped, assuming she'd be there and immediately regretted it. She landed awkwardly on her ankle and she yelped in pain, stumbling onto her knees in front of him in what looked like a very compromising position for poor Lucius, if anybody were to glance out into the garden.

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"Music, probably. You can earn a mint as a professional I hear."

Well, that was one answer. She had mentioned music before, and how she enjoyed playing it. Maybe she was telling the truth; maybe, later on, she'd fall back on music when her Venus days were done.

"You're going to need to help. Ready  to catch me?" 

Lucius looked up, holding out his arms to catch her... but she jumped early. The way she slipped off the branch put her just short of his grasp, and she landed on her feet, collapsing to her knees with a yelp. Lucius winced.

"Could have given me a moment" he muttered, leaning down to offer her a hand. "Are you alright? Did you hurt something?"

@Sara

[Sara]

"You could have moved to catch me," She retorted back with a wince, "Remind me never to bet on you if you get into any sort of athletics that involve catching or throwing." 

She took his hand and pulled herself up with a little gasp as she tried to put weight on her right ankle. It ached when she wasn't leaning on it and when she was, a sharp stabbing like pain radiated up the side. Shit. "Just my ankle, nothing important." She chuckled although her face had grown paler and she was breathing a bit heavier. Still, she had a job to do. She wasn't going to let an injured ankle stand in the way of a handful of sestertii. 

Hobbling back a few paces from him, she gestured to herself in a sweeping motion; "And w-what do you think of the dress now you can see it in its full glory?" 

 

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[Chevi]

"You could have moved to catch me. Remind me never to bet on you if you get into any sort of athletics that involve catching or throwing." 

Lucius huffed, helping her up. She had jumped very suddenly. Still it was embarrassing that he had not caught her. She got on her feet and winced, the look on her face a clear indication that she was in pain.

"Just my ankle, nothing important... And w-what do you think of the dress now you can see it in its full glory?"

"Do I look like I care about the dress?" he sighed, watching her hobble for a few steps before he caught up and scooped her up into his arms. She was not exactly heavy, and the last thing they wanted was for someone to see her walking around injured.

Lucius headed to the guest rooms, some of which were already occupied, but others still waited empty and made up for people who have had enough debauchery for one night. Lucius picked the farthest one, depositing Vibia onto the bed before he lit some of the oil lamps on the table. "Let me see your ankle."

@Sara

[Sara]

"You should care, it's expensive." She muttered and before she could protest, she was suddenly in his arms. She blinked as she was carried through the villa quite like a sack of flour. Well. This was not how she particularly wanted to take him to bed, but ultimately it achieved the same result as the door swung shut on them. She settled herself down on the bed, giving him a triumphant smile as he busied himself lighting oil lamps. 

"My ankle is fine," She rolled her eyes and moved it out of his reach. It wasn't of course, and would be a nice shade of blue and a bitch to walk on tomorrow but she intended to spend most of the rest of the night on a bed and not on her feet so what did it matter? "And you never told me you were a medics, Lucius. Or are you just an enthusiast of the lower extremities?" She'd had men like that, who were more interested in her feet than her chest. Not one to judge, buts he couldn't understand it. Still - whatever floated their boat. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"My ankle is fine,"

It was most definitely not fine. But she pulled it away as soon as Lucius took a seat next to her on the bed. Stubborn woman.

"And you never told me you were a medics, Lucius. Or are you just an enthusiast of the lower extremities?"

"I know what dislocation looks like." he frowned, looking at her in the light of the lamps. "I told you you have the night, didn't I? There's no need to suffer through it if it's bad."

Seriously, Vibia. She needed to learn to trust people a little more.

@Sara

[Sara]

"It's fine if I keep from standing on it," she retorted with a roll of her eyes, but it didn't seem like he'd let up and so she shifted to drape her leg with the offending ankle over his own. It was starting to swell but when not moving it, it was a dull ache now rather than a sharp, stabbing sort of pain. Which she took as a good sign. 

She was embarrassed though. Through years of work she'd carefully crafted herself into the very vision that most men wanted to see at the end of a long night; a flirtatious smile here, a well-crafted quip there, a hint of cleavage...all undone now by her own foolishness and clumsiness. She tensed her jaw, muscles in her throat tightening at annoyance of herself. 

"How's it looking doc?" She asked, although the lightness in her words didn't quite match her face. Gods she was such an idiot. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

She gave up the stubbornness and complied, lifting her leg across his. Lucius examined her ankle carefully in the light of the lamps. It wasn't exactly the best lighting, so he touched the injured foot gently. Nothing was sticking out at odd angles, and the swelling was not red or purple. That was probably a good sign. And that was where his expertise ended.

"How's it looking doc?" 

"I don't think it's broken, or dislocated" he concluded, with reasonable confidence. "But you should show it to a medicus tomorrow. Do you have one of those at Venus?" It would have stood to reason to have one on call for a high end place like the Venus. People injured themselves easily even when they were sober... "We could get some cold water and wrap it so that it doesn't swell too much."

@Sara

[Sara]

She let him touch the ankle and hid her wince of pain by glancing up to the ceiling. If it wasn't broken or dislocated then she was fine, she reasoned. "Yes we do." The Venus wasn't the Elysium, by and large the girls and men weren't abused by their clientele but accidents happened, as did overzealous patricians before they were kicked out. 

Gently, she reached a hand out to his, fingers stroking the back of his hand. She was fine. "Don't worry about it, it's just a sprain. Why don't you read some Sappho to me instead? That'd soothe me as much as a cold compress." Get your head in the game, Vibs. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

They had a medicus. That was good. At least if Lucius managed to misdiagnose the situation in a horrible manner, it would be fixed tomorrow. Vibia winced at the touch, so he knew she was in pain, but short of lots of wine and cold water, he really had no other way to help her.

"Don't worry about it, it's just a sprain. Why don't you read some Sappho to me instead? That'd soothe me as much as a cold compress."

Lucius chuckled, shifting to lay down side by side with her on the bed. "I remember you implying that you find such recitals a bit... boring?" he pointed out. "But I'm sure I can rustle up some other poetry from memory if you want me to."

@Sara

[Sara]

As he led down, she shifted so she was led on her side, one hand propping up her face with a bent elbow, the other moving to softly stroke his neck. Easy does it, don't want to spook him. 

"It is dull, at least...dull compared to what else we could do alone together, in a bed." She offered a flirtatious grin and a small laugh, "But I had thought you wouldn't want an invalid?" She moved her hand up to his face to stroke up the arch his cheek and then the curve of his lips. "Or are you chasing your mind?" Nobody could say Vibia wasn't persistent. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Lucius turned to his side too, so now they were facing each other. The bed was comfortably wide (thank the gods for the hosts knowing what their guests would want). Vibia's hands traveled along his neck and the edges of his face.

"It is dull, at least...dull compared to what else we could do alone together, in a bed. But I had thought you wouldn't want an invalid? Or are you chasing your mind?"

Lucius' lips curled into a smile as her finger traced them. She was not going to let an accident slow her down. "You won the night, remember?" Kind of. "It's up to you how you want to spend it."

@Sara