Sacrifice and Stalemates

[Atrice]

Maybe she would enjoy looking at jewelry. Or maybe she would not, who could tell? She certainly wasn't like any of the other Senator wives he knew of, but was that a bad thing, really? Some of them seemed like they didn't think about anything but the next social event or new expensive fabrics or jewelry. Not that his previous wife was like that, but maybe... maybe he was just attracted to something different. His first wife he married because it was practical, sensible and because they got along. It was the right thing to do. Yet she was not like the rest. And his new wife, she was not like the rest either. Again, it was the right thing to do, to marry her. Anything else would be wrong. And he did like her and adore her. As long as she would not betray him again. But he tried to not think too much about that.

Instead focused on the current conversation, like where they should take a walk, as she suggested. She then also mentioned the Gardens of Sullust, but she grinned and suggested they went somewhere else. Well, they had each other now and they didn't need to go to the Gardens of Sullust to share a bit of pleasure. Besides, was it the right thing to do, after visiting a temple? He didn't wish to upset the gods.

"Perhaps the Porticus Liviae? I don't think you've been there before." Tertius said, "It's a popular place for the noble ladies to stroll. And I don't mind showing you off." If they saw him with her in public, maybe it would be easier for them to accept her. When they saw how beautiful she was and how she followed her husband. He wanted them to accept her so that she would feel better in her new role.

@Sara

[Sara]

She chuckled, arching a brow. "I don't mind being shown off." Of course she did - the other women were towing glamazons with their perfect Latin, flawless fashions and natural grace. She felt like a little imp in comparison, but didn't dare say that. She presumed what they said about her in any case, as she suspected Tertius did as well. 

"What is the...P-orticus Liviae?" She asked, peering up at him with a frown on her face. "I've heard about the gardens and the temples obviously, and the Mau...Mausoleum...of Augustus...?" She wondered if she butchered the pronunciation, "But not this place. Is it a temple?" She was schooled in many aspects of Roman life now after her years here, but several of them were still alien to her. 

 

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[Atrice]

He smiled when she said she didn't mind being shown off like that, which he supposed was good. How was he to know what went through her mind? He adored her as his wife, she'd been good so far and the way they were now both able to be proper parents to their son... that was more than valuable too. Also for Peregrinus. He would not grow up with one Patrician parent and one that was a slave. They were husband and wife now. At least in his eyes. And by now he didn't care so much about what anyone else thought. He was too old for that anyway. Charis wondered what the Porticus Liviae were and he smiled again as she tried to pronounce certain words.

"Mausoleum of Augustus." He said, correcting her gently, "Augustus, as you may know, was a famous emperor here in Rome. Livia Drusilla was his wife and the Porticus Liviae is a structure he had built for her. There is plenty of space for walks, gardens, artworks and so on. It's a lovely place. I think you may like it." Tertius said, the more he thought about it, the more he thought she'd like it. She liked gardens, after all, and she might like the art too. She had lived here a few years now, maybe she would begin to understand Roman art.

"But first, Vesta's temple." Tertius then added, "It shouldn't be long now." 

@Sara

[Sara]

"He built it for her?" She asked with an arched brow and sighed, sinking into his side, surprisingly comfortable with the intimacy and the closeness. "He loved her that much?" Because why else would he? Oh. She suppressed an eye-roll, he built it because he wanted to show off his wealth, and his wife as his property a little voice chimed in, in her head. Much like Tertius wanted to show her off, perhaps this Augustus wanted to show off his Livia. She nonetheless, not showing her discontent, leant to kiss his hand and then settled back into his side and his touch. 

She nodded and allowed herself to be jostled as the litter bearers worked through the busier crowds as they approached the Forum. Finally, after what seemed like an age, they set down the litter and Charis waited for Tertius to exit first. That was the proper Roman way, right? When she was out she blinked into the crowds that swarmed the Forum. "I'm excited." She said with a smile up at him, "To see a proper Roman custom. You'll...tell me what I need to do though?" 

 

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[Atrice]

He nodded at her question and then she asked if Augustus loved his wife so much, that he built the Porticus for her. Tertius smiled, "Maybe. He gave a lot of things to Rome. The place was for her, but now belongs to the city." He replied, unsure if Augustus loved his wife or just respected her. Tertius knew that a marriage could be good without love, he had that with his late wife and perhaps he had it with Charis too. He did have some feelings for her. Feelings he tried to deny before, but now not so much anymore. She was his wife now and he told himself it was alright to care for her, now that she was no longer a slave. Even if the society of Rome might look down upon him for naming her his wife. It didn't matter now. He was a Praetor, no one could tell him anything but Caesar or the Consuls and they didn't. He'd been in the position long enough to have a certain amount of power. Gods, he almost felt rebellious for thinking like that. 

The litter was coming closer to the Forum and was finally set down. Tertius exited first and held a hand for her to take, once she left the litter as well. 

"I will. That's the temple." He pointed up to the circular temple in front of them. It was different from the other temples, most temples were rectangular, but Vesta held the hearth of Rome and was more important than the rest. He escorted her up the stairs, followed by a slave carrying gifts for the temple. Once he came in, a young student of the Vestals quickly spotted him and went to find one of the older women to attend to him and Charis. In the middle of the temple was a hearth with an impressive burning flame. It stood out due to the faint light inside the building... "What do you think?" Tertius asked Charis quietly, hoping she would sense the presence of the goddess here too.

@Sara

 

[Sara]

She followed his gesture to the temple, taking it in. She'd seen it as she'd passed through the Forum in the 2 years, 10 months that she'd been here. Most of that time had been spent as a slave of course, passing through her on the way back from errands and shopping for the domus. Now she was here - dressed and draped in finery she couldn't even fathom before - with her husband. Her Roman husband. One of the most important men in the city. It felt surreal beyond measure. 

Lost in those thoughts she followed Tertius up the steps, glancing around the place as they entered. She'd never been in a Roman temple. She'd never seen any need to - she still prayed to her own Gods (although in secret, and when the house was empty). His still felt utterly alien to her. And then her eyes caught the hearth and they widened. Instinctively, she took a step closer - although she was still far away enough that she couldn't interfere with it. She watched it, somewhat mesmerised. She smiled at his question but  her eyes were still transfixed on the flames. "It's..." She didn't know how to articulate it. "It's powerful." She settled on. "I feel something." It felt different to the power and awe of her own Gods but she couldn't deny that there was something about this place, and the way the flames danced and leapt in the hearth, that was deeply spiritual. 

She glanced up at him and smiled softly. It was odd. For all she thought she loathed Tertius - and had good reason to - very occasionally he would surprise her with something like this. She reached for his hand gently. "Thank you. For bringing me here." She said and then glanced as one of the girls - dressed all in white - as they hurried over. "And what did you bring for your sacrifice?"

 

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[Atrice]

It wasn't that often out and about in Rome, that you'd see a bonfire like the one in this temple. Of course there were funeral pyres, but since that usually happened in the outskirts of the city, this sight was rare. And you couldn't exactly call the many kitchens of Rome bonfires, they were much smaller. This flame stood out, beautiful and bright in the middle of the temple. He noticed how Charis stepped closer to the flames, seeming almost paralyzed by them. He was curious to hear what she thought of the place and asked her. Charis took her time, but then called it powerful and said she felt something. Tertius couldn't help but smile, feeling an odd mix of gratitude and pride for that. So maybe the Roman gods were not so bad for her after all. 

Then she looked up at him with a soft smile and took his hand, thanking him for taking her here. 

"I'm glad you like it." He replied to her and a moment later, one of the Vestals approached them. Tertius nodded to his slave, who came forwards and handed Tertius a leather pouch with coins and a cloth folded around some incense for the temple. Tertius handed the gifts to the Vestal.

"I hope you will find the gifts useful. Now... my wife and I would like it, if Vesta would bless our marriage and union." Tertius then said, having Vesta's blessing would be very important. He couldn't marry her legally, but he could still call her his wife and if they had Vesta's blessing, who could speak up against their union? The Vestals should know Tertius well enough, he'd been a Praetor for more than a decade. And his contribution to the temple, the coin, should prove that he was loyal enough to be granted such a blessing. Loyal and wealthy.

@Sara

[Sara]

She laced her fingers through his as he smiled at her. For a moment, however brief, she felt peaceful. He had brought her somewhere special. He cared enough to show her and ask his Goddess for her blessing. She struggled - for a moment - to comprehend that devotion in contrast to the cruelty he'd inflicted on her time and time again. She tried her best to blink it from her head, still gripping his hand. Another life. 

The Vestal approached - young and beautiful and Charis vaguely remembered learning from one of the books she was reading that they were forced into celibacy until they were almost middle aged. As she looked at the girl she considered it a great shame. But at least, she supposed, she had the security of knowing she would go unmolested for the rest of her life if she chose. The woman gratefully accepted the gifts, passing them to her own slave and nodded at Tertius. "Of course, Praetor Varus. Please -" She extended her arm and an open palm to a small altar near the fire, "Come with your wife and make your sacrifice, and I will repeat the prayers." She turned on her heel - important enough that she didn't need to wait for Tertius' permission and glanced over her shoulder; "You ask the Goddess to bless your union? Bless it with children, or bless it with happiness and love?" She asked as she set down the fresh incense at the altar, lighting it carefully.

 

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[Atrice]

Feeling her lace her fingers with his, after she just thanked him for bringing her here... something about it all just felt perfect and right. It was a good decision to come here and to bring Charis with him too. He knew their past together could never be forgotten, but he also hoped that now she was free and they were husband and wife, she would find it easier to live with him. Maybe she could even learn to like it. It seemed like she did, sometimes. But then she sometimes forgot her place and did things behind his back. Hopefully there would be less of that now. For now though, the moment and the place felt right, with her. 

A Vestal approached them and Tertius stated his purpose and handed his gifts to the woman. She took them and passed them to her own slave, asking them to follow towards a small altar in the temple. Tertius brought Charis with him and the Vestal wondered what exactly he wanted blessed about the union with Charis. Children would be nice, but he was no longer young and while he would love to have more children with her, it wasn't what he wanted the most. 

"It is my hope... that we will live happily together." He said and looked at Charis, hating that he couldn't know what her thoughts were, but he hoped she wanted the same... shouldn't everyone want happiness? And love? Surely she desired that too, despite their history... "I wish that the goddess will bless us with happiness and love." Tertius then said after a pause and looked at the Vestal again, "We brought gifts to the temple and I hope you know what sacrifice the goddess desires in return for our wish. For her blessing." A goat? He rarely did this, in this temple. He wasn't sure if it would be a live animal or something else.

@Sara

[Sara]

Live happily together. In love. It would certainly take divine intervention for such a thing, for whilst she tolerated Tertius - and indeed in rarer moments (particularly those where he spent time with their son) she could stand him, even like him, love felt an age away. Whenever she thought of him those tender moments were not the first in mind. The image of her arrival, her husbands bracelet stored in his desk, when he first took her, the imprisonment...all of it came first. Only after her mind had darkened with those images could she picture the happier times. But the bad still far outweighed the good. She supposed it would be a testament to Vesta's power if she could conjure some feelings of love between them. She showed none of this on her face though, and only nodded, a sweet smile on her lips as he glanced at her. 

The vestal, likewise, nodded. "Of course. And your gifts are gratefully received. Licinius, fetch an ass." It was a significant offering - at great expense - but it was the Goddess' chosen animal. Should Charis have understood that, she would have concluded  that the Vestal saw a need for a significant offering for a significant ask - one of love. The slave hurried off and the Vestal gestured for Tertius and Charis to follow her." We have a chamber, below, where we provide our sacrifices before we bring the blood up here. Please. Follow me." Charis let go of Tertius' hand briefly to navigate a narrow set of stairs that led to a room underneath the main temple. The smell was already one thick with blood. She glanced at Tertius a touch nervously. "Is this usual?" She whispered. 

 

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[Atrice]

Tertius waited patiently and Charis only gave him a sweet smile, when he said he hoped for a marriage with happiness and love for him and for Charis. He did care for her. He felt he'd done it almost since the beginning. And maybe that's why his wrath had been so deep, because he had feelings for her. His disappointment ran deep too, because of it. But he didn't consider all that now, he just nodded too, when the Vestal thanked them for the gifts and then decided to sacrifice nothing less but an ass. Tertius nodded. That was a significant offering, but he supposed he asked for a lot in return. Love and happiness. The slave left them and together with Charis, he followed the Vestal to the chamber below. Down there, the light was more faint and there was a certain smell of blood in the air. He felt Charis' eyes on him.

"Yes... this is very common." Tertius told her and looked to the slave, still following them. The male slave still carried a bag over his shoulder and now opened it to reveal two simple, white linen gowns. One for Charis and one for Tertius - for them to wear during the sacrifice and the ceremony. They wouldn't stain their ordinary clothes. And wearing white for the goddess seemed most appropriate. The priestess left them behind to make sure things were ready for the ceremony and Tertius moved to a bench by the wall in the room, where they could place their things while they changed. Charis wouldn't know all that though.

"We need to change into these. It is fine to do it here. And they have a small bathing area we can use afterwards." Tertius explained to her, so she shouldn't be worried that she'd be walking around in Rome afterwards with her face stained with the blood of an ass.  He handed her the smaller white gown and the slave moved to help Tertius undress first.

@Sara

[Sara]

She nodded. Common. At home, sacrifices - like most of their religious rituals - were conducted outside in the air and in the sight of the Gods. Why Rome felt the need to cloister their people underground she didn't know. Her brows rose further as the slave pulled out two simple white tunicas. The priestess moved off, giving them a nod and a; "I will be outside when you are ready." And then they were left alone. Or alone with a slave. Not for the first time she was grateful to Tertius for explaining it to her and she nodded. Oh. So they'd be close to the sacrifice. 

The slave moved to undress Tertius, but  having been a slave for the years she'd spent in Rome and thus still unused to having others do things for her, she set about undressing herself - unwinding the palla and slipping off the sandals she wore. Then, she unclipped the fine broaches that held closed the shoulders of her dress and slipped it off. She was wearing a sublicagulum but not a strophium and as she fiddled with the plain white gown, slipping it over her head, she shot Tertius a small smile. He'd seen her undressed plenty of times but this felt different...somehow more reverent. She slipped on the white gown and pulled her hair over one of her shoulders, sighing and smoothing down the fabric. Even this plain garment was in fabric finer than she'd felt before. Then, she reached for his hand and squeezed it, as if wordlessly thanking him. "Plain white suits me, no?" She chuckled and quirked a brow. "Maybe I should have become a Vestal." 

From the next room she could hear a braying of an ass and she blinked. Well. This was it then. She tugged on Tertius' hand in a wordless ask for him to guide her.

 

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[Atrice]

How would a sacrifice work if you weren't close it - close enough to be a part of it, to let yourself be close to the gods while the ceremony was performed and prayers and words were said to the gods? That's just how it was and that's just how it worked. Rome was a civilized and proper place. But its rituals probably had deep roots in the tribes that first shaped the city and turned it into what it was. This was how you connected with the ancestors. And with the gods. That's how you made them listen.

Tertius let his slave help him undress and Charis stood near, changing her own clothes. She still wasn't used to people doing everything for her. She would have to get there someday. For now though, Tertius watched her and smiled back while she slipped the white gown over her head. She was beautiful, even in this faint light. Vesta would have no choice but to accept her and bless her, Tertius thought. She had already given a Roman a child, after all. So they must have been blessed. He put on his gown too, simple and lose. Charis smoothed her hands down over the fabric and joked about the plain white and how it suited her. It did. She looked like a goddess herself and he did smile back, while she grasped his hand. Yet her next words made it fade.

"That would be impossible." Tertius said. She was not a Roman and Vestals began their service as children. Besides, if she was a Vestal, she could not be his wife. And Tertius didn't see how and why that was even an option... he leaned closer to her, spoke in a lower voice, "Please... don't make jokes like that in this building." And then he pulled back and guided her towards the sound of the ass nearby, "Let us move on." With the ceremony, with their lives, together.

@Sara

[Sara]

She matched his smile with one of her own. But she saw how his faded rapidly at her joke. She took his reprimand as he leaned closer and her own smile fell. Well shit. She wanted to snap at him - as she would have done with Immin - that he needed to lighten up and it was just a joke, but she knew Tertius' moods were a fickle thing. It was part of the problem she'd suffered with ever since she'd come to Rome and his house. And she knew (or thought she knew) how to handle it. She nodded quickly. "I'm sorry, husband." She said quietly, eyes downcast and smoothed a hand over her dress.

She felt his hand on her back, guiding her out of this little anteroom and she nodded and moved with him through the door where the Vestal waited. With an ass - on a little raised platform in front of an altar. She smiled and nodded at both of them. "Please, kneel." She indicated to two cushions on the floor in front of the ass. It was close - close enough that she could see the fear in the animals eyes. She swallowed and then exhaled a nervous breath. She knelt and cast a quick glance to Tertius as the Vestal started the incantations, picking up a knife. 

 

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[Atrice]

You did not make jokes like that in a temple. And why even do it? If they sought Vesta's blessing, was it any good to joke around with her first? Tertius didn't think so. He was as religious as most Romans and he knew that the gods moved their lives like little pieces in a game. And you didn't want to upset the gods so they'd make a bad move for you. Tertius hoped for happiness and love. A true blessing from Vesta to his family; the family he had with Charis. Luckily Charis seemed to quickly understand his meaning and apologized. Tertius nodded, that was good enough and nothing they needed to focus on now anyway. They would move on to the next room, in which the Vestal waited with the ass on a platform where a fire was also burning. Fire was one of the key elements of Vesta. The hearth of Rome was here. There had to be a hearth. 

Tertius did as instructed and knelt down and once Charis had done the same, he reached to hold their hand. They wanted Vesta to bless their union. And what better way to prove that they were united, than holding hands right here? The Vestal picked up a knife and Tertius didn't take his eyes off the whole thing. He paid for this, he would watch and he would prove his devotion to the goddess. He inhaled a breath and within he said his own quiet prayer to her, something about how he'd always cared for Charis and how he wished that they could live a happy life together. How he wished they could put the past behind them and look forwards. How he wished that there would be a true hearth in his house too, like there always should have been. Tertius almost found himself growing emotional while the ritual proceeded and blood was spilled. He wondered if Charis felt the same, but he wouldn't ask. What you told the gods and what they made you feel was a private business. 

@Sara

[Sara]

Charis watched Tertius for a few moments, unable to bring herself to look at the clearly alarmed animal and the vestal with her knife. But she knew she'd disappoint him if she didn't focus on this properly. If she didn't act like she cared. So she exhaled again and turned her eyes back to the scene. She felt his hand slide into hers and gripped it. Genuinely. It provided a modicum of comfort (how strange that was!) in this unfamiliar, unnerving place. 

The Vestal struck down the animal and blood flowed forth. Some of it sprayed onto her dress and she choked, looking down. It might well have hit Tertius as well. Then she felt warmth under her knees and saw it pooling. She watched it, fascinated for a moment. If Tertius was praying, Charis was not. She took now love or comfort in this - she didn't think it was the work of the divine - but it was fascinating. Then the animal collapsed into a heap and the Vestal finished the prayers, moving over to smudge blood on Tertius' forehead and then hers. She exhaled a shaky breath, waiting for a prompt that it was over. Gods, what if this is just the beginning... 

 

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[Atrice]

They didn't speak anymore, but he felt her fingers wrap around his when he reached for her hand. They were kneeling now and the proper ritual began. The Vestal performed her part of it, holding the animal and then she slid it's throat. It stood for a few moments with the blood running and spraying out of the wound, before it crumbled. Tertius had his head bowed, but he did see some of it and he felt the warm blood on his fingers, on the hand he had intertwined with Charis' hand. Then the Vestal came to them and smudged blood on their foreheads. Tertius didn't change any expression, this was all a part of the ritual and this was how it was done. If not the servants, the priestesses, in a temple knew how to do it... then who did? 

"It is done." The Vestal then said, "You may stay a little longer. Do you wish for me to bring a haruspex?" She asked afterwards and Tertius looked up, "No. I trust that Vesta and the Fates will guide us." He replied. There was no need to try and see what the future held for them. Both because he did want to prove his trust in Vesta. And maybe he didn't wish to know what might come. What if it wasn't good? What if it was something he didn't wish to know? "Very well. I will leave you to finish on your own." And then then Vestal left them alone in the chamber with the dead animal. Tertius squeezed Charis' hand and looked at her.

"Now it is done. I do hope for these things, Charis. What I asked for." He said, his tone gentle and sincere, "I hope that we can work together towards that goal." The goal of love and happiness in their marriage. Now they had Vesta's blessing, but even though they were just pieces in that great game the gods played, they still had to move to beat the obstacles. And they would have to do it together.

@Sara

* Haruspex - In the religion of ancient Rome, a haruspex was a person trained to practice a form of divination called haruspicy, the inspection of the entrails of sacrificed animals

Edited September 27, 2022 by Atrice

[Sara]

Haruspex? That wasn't a word Charis had heard before and she frowned, glancing at her husband. Even several years later her Latin wasn't perfect and there were often words she didn't know or that she used incorrectly. But she merely tried to summon a smile for the Vestal as she left with two slaves carrying the ass from the chamber. Charis glanced down at the blood pooled on the floor, splattered on her white dress, on her pale skin. She felt sick and didn't know why - it wasn't the first time she'd seen death of animals, let alone humans, but maybe it was the darkness prompting something else in her. 

And then she glanced at Tertius as he spoke, squeezing her hand. Her face softened, relaxing slightly. He seemed sincere...open. Perhaps one of the few times she'd seen him like this. She offered him a small smile of her own, squeezing his hand in return. "Me too." She said in her accented Latin. "And we've given everything to Vesta for it." She understood at least that an ass was a significant offering. With her smile becoming slightly more sly, she quirked an eyebrow at him. "We should...probably wash this off," She gestured to the blood with her free hand, "Lest we get arrested by the urban cohorts when we leave..." Chuckling she dropped his hand and pushed herself up. 

 

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[Atrice]

She seemed tense, but when he looked at her, squeezed her hand, she seemed to relax. Tertius couldn't change the past, he couldn't. And who knew if he would have done things differently, if he got the chance? There was no knowing that. And it wouldn't happen anyway. They would focus on the future, both of them, that would be best. And since she was now his wife and had his son, his official heir, he did hope for a bright and loving future between them. She squeezed his hand back with a smile, and said she hoped for the same now that they had given so much to Vesta for it. Tertius nodded, she was right. What Vesta would do, if she would bless them, was up to her now. And it was up to them to help her help them towards their goal.

Charis then said they should wash off the blood and Tertius nodded, while she let go and stood. He followed her, not quite as easily as her, he was not as young as she, even if he tried his best to stay fit, "There should be a place for washing right here." He turned into another room, where there was a small basin of water and clean cloths laid out for them. The place was quiet save for the sounds they made, there was a sense of... peacefulness here, at least to him. 

Tertius removed his gown, leaving it on the floor as he went to dip his hands into the water to clean himself. He looked to Charis, "Do I have any blood on my face? You have a little." He said and smiled, dipping his hand into the water and then to her face to rub the blood off her. She was so beautiful, even like this. And since he was naked, he was unable to really hide what her beauty did to him. When he felt it, he turned away and back to the water basin to continue cleaning, it didn't feel right to be aroused in a place like this. It was Vesta, not Venus, they were here for.

 @Sara

[Sara]

Charis nodded and followed him to another small anteroom. He stripped off immediately and she blinked. They'd been intimate many times in the past, and indeed since their marriage, but this was different - it was a comfortableness. She glanced at herself -the white gown was soaked and splattered in blood and she could see the clothes she'd entered in hanging on neat pegs nearby. She undid the ties at her shoulders and the gown slipped off and pooled at her feet. She drew up next to Tertius, chuckling genuinely at his question. "Yes, silly man." She rolled her eyes, dipping her thumb in water to rub the smudge off of his nose. 

Then he turned to her wipe the blood from her face and she pushed her hair back over her shoulders so he could. But then he stopped and turned round immediately. She caught a glance of why though and stilled, swallowing. He continued to clean himself and she blinked standing awkwardly behind him. She wound her arms around her waist waiting silently until he was done. Then, when he was, she stepped up to the basin. The water was tinged pink but it would have to do. She set to work with a cloth dipped in it, smudging away the blood from her cheeks and her nose and her throat, the splatters on her arms and the little rivulet that had pooled in the hollow of her collarbone disappeared until she felt clean and then she turned back to her husband with a small smile. "Have I missed any?" 

 

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[Atrice]

She was sweet when she chuckled at him and smudged his nose clean too. But when he did the same to her, it was all too easy to admire her beauty and how much he'd come to admire that in her. Right from the start, since that night he caught her alone in the gardens, she'd done something to him and even now, he couldn't hide it. But he couldn't have her here, it wouldn't be right. So instead he finished cleaning himself and let her come to do the same, while he picked up a cloth to dry himself as well as possible down here. 

Charis cleaned herself too and then turned to face him. He looked her over, the gods must surely have had a plan when they presented her to him, that day he went to purchase a new slave. A plan for him and her, for why else was he so taken with her? Surely it wasn't just their private moments in this temple that did it.

"You look perfect to me." Tertius said and came closer, touched her hair, "You have a little here, but it's not so bad." It was true, there was a little bit of blood in her hair too, "How do I look?" 

@Sara

[Sara]

She smiled softly, almost shyly, looking at him as he brushed her hair. She moved her own small fingers to tug his hand down to grip at her waist. "I shall have to go for a bath when we're home." Tertius had facilities for her to do that - a sign of his wealth undoubtedly. And then he asked how he looked and she chuckled again, moving her hand from his to push his hair back, head tilted to the side, eyes narrowed as if she was considering him. "Handsome." She answered honestly. For all they had been through, for all the complexities of their relationship, she had never been able to deny that Tertius was a handsome man. In a way that made everything so much more complicated. 

With a soft smile she dropped  her hand from his hair and moved to unhook her dress from the peg, starting to pull it on. She flicked her eyes back to Tertius though as she stepped into it. "Do you...still wish to go for a walk, as we planned? Or would you rather we just head straight home?" She wondered how he'd read her words.

 

TAG: @Atrice

[Atrice]

He adored her smile when he touched her hair, she was being very sweet now. And then she even pulled him closer, speaking of a bath. She pushed her fingers through his hair too and called him handsome. Tertius could not help but smile at her sweet compliment and her actions and he leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips, not sure what to answer to such words, but he wanted to let her know it was appreciated. But she pulled back to get dressed and Tertius picked up his things too, although he kind of missed a slave to help him this time. Not that he couldn't dress himself, he was just used to others helping him. Meanwhile Charis wondered what to do.

"Maybe home? Unless you still wish to go shopping." Tertius said, as he too pulled his tunica over his head and fastened a belt around his waist and then picked up the toga to wear. Trying to untangle it so he could wrap it around him. 

@Sara

[Sara]

The kiss was soft. Warm. And tender, which were not words usually associated with her husband. "Home." She said with a small smile over her shoulder at him as she tied the corners of her chiton at the shoulder and picked up her palla. She was about to start winding it around herself - having finally learned how to do it from a slave with endless patience when she heard him shuffling to get into his toga, unwinding it. 

She glanced over at him and with a small laugh moved back over. "Here." She offered her arms. "Let me help?" She started to help untangle the mass of fabric with a light frown on her forehead. "Is it not deeply impractical to wear this?" She chuckled, trying to find the corner. "And...I have no idea on how you wrap it..." 

 

TAG: @Atrice

[Atrice]

So apparently they were going home. Maybe both would need a bath. Tertius smiled back at her when she chose they'd go straight home. Another time then, for the shopping. Maybe this trip to the temple really had done something. Time would tell. For now, they'd have to get dressed and Tertius got as far as he could on his own, but the toga was one large and long piece of fabric, heavy too and not so easy to put on by yourself. Maybe there was a reason this was for higher class men? Who had slaves to help them. Except for now. 

He heard Charis laugh and then she came to help him. Tertius let her and she commented on how impractical it was. Tertius chuckled, "I suppose it is. Maybe that's the whole point." Tertius added, "But once it's on, it's fine. If you'll just hold this one end." Tertius instructed her, so she could keep the fabric off the ground and he could more easily wrap it onto himself. Finally it was there, he chose the simpler style where it was just wrapped over the shoulder, around the back and then back to the same shoulder and arm. 

"Let's go home then." He said with a smile and offered his arm so they could leave together. As man and wife should, as intended and as hopefully blessed by the goddess. 

@Sara