The Gift of Conversation

[Sharpie]

"A dress length in emerald green, then." He added another note to everything he'd written so far. He would have to consult with his mother as to what, precisely, constituted a 'dress length', not being any sort of seamstress, but it would be easy enough to have a suitable length cut and dyed for her once he knew how much that was.

"Oh, I'm sure plenty of them would like to speak to me, but not everyone is as... generous as you are. I think they would see me as a freedman merchant first, before they saw me as a Praetor's son." He gave a rueful shrug, and had to straighten his pallium on his shoulder. He couldn't help arching an eyebrow. "All right, then. If you invite me to your next party, I'll be sure to come, and I promise to do my best not to embarrass you to your friends."

It was odd, he thought, looking at the girl sitting opposite him. If things had been different when it came to his legitimacy, and had his father been able to name him as his heir, he could well have married Ovinia. She was everything he could have asked in a wife, and she made it ridiculously easy to talk to her. If not husband and wife, though, perhaps they could be friends - as much as a man and a woman could be friends, anyway. He suspected that they could both use a friend.

And he'd made her a promise. Well, he wasn't going to break that, although it remained to be seen whether her father and brothers - and future husband - would veto his inclusion on any potential future guest list.

 

@Sara

[Sara]

Ovinia shrugged as well, an amused grin on her lips. He seemed to be taking her advice with good nature at least. "Perhaps. But plenty of people I know are friends with merchants, and not solely for the discounts. Some of the greatest Senators in Rome came from stock that isn't patrician. Or perhaps you should spend more time studying your history books, Teutus." Chuckling, she sipped her wine and then set down the cup on his desk.

Clapping her hands in delight she nodded. "You shan't embarrass me as long as you don't get level drunk, or mope endlessly." She grinned again and sighed, pushing herself to stand. "But I shall send the invite. And perhaps you could deliver the items yourself? I fear I've taken up too much of your time here," She heard the telltale sign of a slave shuffling their feet outside the door, as if they had something urgent to discuss with their dominus, "But I should like it if you paid call. It's so rare to find a decent conversationalist who doesn't have an ulterior motive...beyond emptying my father's strongboxes." she arched a brow at him.

 

TAG: @Sharpie

[Sharpie]

"I'm fairly sure your friends don't invite their merchant acquaintances to their nice polite social gatherings, though," Teutus said with a smile. "And I know about Cicero - he was a lawyer, though, so halfway to being a senator. He wasn't a freedman though - even your friends might look askance at a freedman being at their parties."

He shook his head, still smiling. "I promise I won't get drunk and I'll do my best not to mope, I can't say more than that. And I will be delighted to bring the things round for you, though I think after the last time, your father is more likely to send me around to the slaves' entrance than let me in the front door." He clapped a hand to his heart. "And you have discovered my one true aim in life, whatever shall I do?"

 

@Sara