MJK2431
✿❀❁
@Zul'Zae'ju'Jin
"I'll....manage. It's just some lost skin and a little bruising. How are you holding up?" Her voice was soft, words spoken as barely a whisper when his fingers gently took her hand in his grasp. She sucked in a breath as a particularly bad patch of skin pulled with the movement, her teeth clenching as a hiss of pain left her lips and she flinched in an effort not to pull her hand away reflexively.
She was trying to put on a brave face, downcast eyes slowly rising to meet his from where she had previously been looking at her hand. "His face was harder than I anticipated. I didn't realize I had porcelain instead of bone for fingers, that was quite a weak effort at taking a stand against someone who is bound to give us more trouble. Sooner, rather than later I would think."
She sighed heavily, nostrils flaring as the breath left her in a huff. The girl seemed to deflate, head cocking to the side before she spoke again. "He doesn't hold the Emperor in great regard. From what he said about speaking to other senators or his fathers acquaintances I'm thinking that he might not be the only one who thinks so."
She placed her hand over his, noticing how she had started to become more tanned to a tone that was closer to his own skin tone. The sun in Rome worked fast, it seemed. Almost as fast as politics had come to invading her very existence in the city.
What has Hugo and his plans gotten us into? Did he know this was all going to happen? Does he have some insight that we lack? How are we going to navigate our way through this when he is only feeding us tidbits at a time?
The questions came to her like darts flying at a cork board. Her head thumped with the possible answers, too much to comprehend all at once and definitely a large load to manage after all that had already happened since their return from the Emperor's estate.
The sun was already setting, casting the room in orange squares of light that came through the low set windows placed in each of the alcoves lining the atrium. It gave everything a fiery glow, including the top of Kaeso's hair where strands caught the light. It struck Valerie as a strangely idyllic scene, considering the violence and future danger they were discussing and had been exposed to only and hour earlier.
"He's going to be back, Kaeso. He'll come back with force next time and a well thought out strategy with little room for error once he's calmed down enough to think straight. I've bruised his ego just as much as I've possibly ruined his face temporarily and that's not a slight he'll soon forget. He'll be more dogged than ever to ensure he exacts revenge and does so in a way that does away with you and has me under his control and subservient to him."
She gulped quietly, placing her other hand ontop of his where he held her.
"I think, if my head isn't too muddled after recent events, that if Magnus' undermining the emperor is a trend present in other members of the nobilitas, that it might be part of the reason why we're here. I still haven't figured out which side Hugo is wanting us to play up and what he gains from all of this."
Valerie paused there, wrapping her thin fingers around his wrist and squeezing lightly. Her eyes darted between his, looking carefully at his face in a studious manner. He's all that I have here, the only resource I can rely on. My only friend...soon to be more than that, at least by everyone else's standards. Marriage. It was going to be happening and regardless how they felt about it, Valerie knew that it would assist them in staying together and being a strong unit. Like a group of soldiers, a squadron of two members. That thought amused her, given that the military reference was something familiar to him.
"Regardless of what has happened or is going to happen though, that doesn't lessen the help I got from you today. Things would have been much worse if you hadn't stepped in. Thank you, Kaeso. You've saved me once again. I seem to be making a habit of getting us both into sticky situations and I have a feeling that today might not be the last of it."
She smiled then, weaving the fingers of her injured hand between his. The feeling was comforting, a strength that was pulpable beneath her skin and keeping her grounded. Her stomach stirred, fluttering inside with nervousness that had nothing to do with thoughts of Magnus but rather the simple feeling of his warm flesh between hers. It perplexed her, but strangely enough Valerie still did not want to let go. To cover herself, she spoke again.
"So then, Prefect, if you were Magnus Callamis, what do you think your next move would be?"
A small distance away, with navy growing on the horizon as evening melted into night, a lone rider arrived into a well-paved courtyard with rage emanating off him in waves. A servant, a small woman oblivious to the man's angered state, arrived from the nearby stables framing the courtyard where she lived with a few others of the Callamis estate.
"My Lord, you were gone for so short a while, supper had been left for you, your father insisted we not wait and that..."
He dismounted, landing heavily before spinning furiously to face her. The angry welt on his face was like a red flag, made all the more glorious by the redness of his features which still hadn't abated since leaving the previous estate belong to Valeria.
"Sir! Your face! What happened? Should I fetch?-" The woman gasped as she was struck, Magnus heaving as he back handed her with enough force to send her sprawling a few steps away. The woman clutched at her face, cowering in a bent-over manner with the shock. Being beaten was not an uncommon occurence for a servant of the Callamis family, even when unprovoked despite the tireless efforts of the staff. However, the woman had not even seen the strike coming and was loathe to get any closer to the furious young man should he insist on taking out his temper on her further.
"Fetch me herbs and cold water, along with my paper and writing material! Speak to no one and stop for nothing until this task is complete!"
He stormed into the villa of his family, making a beeline for his quarters without thought for supper or socialization. There was work to be done and plans to set into action. Plans which would need to be pushed forward after his loss at the villa he hated would think would soon be in the hands of a low born soldier rather than under his control. The villa was a minor detail in fact, but it was more the power, businesses and wealth that came with his name on the ownership of the house and lady occupying it that fueled him.
The servant of before didn't tarry, arriving almost the same time he did with the required supplies. She darted in to set the items down before scurrying away before any further violence could fall upon her.
Magnus seated himself at his desk, harshly scraping his chair in before furiously beginning his letter.
My comrades, the meeting has been moved up from next week to tomorrow evening. The Emperor has gone to far with his latest move and clearly shows his weak spine and frivolous thinking in allowing the nobilitas to be passed down to a common thug who wears the military colours. It is high time we take back the power and authority that so rightfully belongs to us, before the Emperor brings any more weakness to our ranks and with that takes all of Mother Rome down with him. Same time, same place as usual. Do not be late.
Ever yours for Rome
Magnus Vicinius Dominica Callamis.
It was a short trip to the aviary on the grounds, Callamis' fury only abating the slightest as he watched the wings of his messenger bird disappearing into the starry sky.
"I'll....manage. It's just some lost skin and a little bruising. How are you holding up?" Her voice was soft, words spoken as barely a whisper when his fingers gently took her hand in his grasp. She sucked in a breath as a particularly bad patch of skin pulled with the movement, her teeth clenching as a hiss of pain left her lips and she flinched in an effort not to pull her hand away reflexively.
She was trying to put on a brave face, downcast eyes slowly rising to meet his from where she had previously been looking at her hand. "His face was harder than I anticipated. I didn't realize I had porcelain instead of bone for fingers, that was quite a weak effort at taking a stand against someone who is bound to give us more trouble. Sooner, rather than later I would think."
She sighed heavily, nostrils flaring as the breath left her in a huff. The girl seemed to deflate, head cocking to the side before she spoke again. "He doesn't hold the Emperor in great regard. From what he said about speaking to other senators or his fathers acquaintances I'm thinking that he might not be the only one who thinks so."
She placed her hand over his, noticing how she had started to become more tanned to a tone that was closer to his own skin tone. The sun in Rome worked fast, it seemed. Almost as fast as politics had come to invading her very existence in the city.
What has Hugo and his plans gotten us into? Did he know this was all going to happen? Does he have some insight that we lack? How are we going to navigate our way through this when he is only feeding us tidbits at a time?
The questions came to her like darts flying at a cork board. Her head thumped with the possible answers, too much to comprehend all at once and definitely a large load to manage after all that had already happened since their return from the Emperor's estate.
The sun was already setting, casting the room in orange squares of light that came through the low set windows placed in each of the alcoves lining the atrium. It gave everything a fiery glow, including the top of Kaeso's hair where strands caught the light. It struck Valerie as a strangely idyllic scene, considering the violence and future danger they were discussing and had been exposed to only and hour earlier.
"He's going to be back, Kaeso. He'll come back with force next time and a well thought out strategy with little room for error once he's calmed down enough to think straight. I've bruised his ego just as much as I've possibly ruined his face temporarily and that's not a slight he'll soon forget. He'll be more dogged than ever to ensure he exacts revenge and does so in a way that does away with you and has me under his control and subservient to him."
She gulped quietly, placing her other hand ontop of his where he held her.
"I think, if my head isn't too muddled after recent events, that if Magnus' undermining the emperor is a trend present in other members of the nobilitas, that it might be part of the reason why we're here. I still haven't figured out which side Hugo is wanting us to play up and what he gains from all of this."
Valerie paused there, wrapping her thin fingers around his wrist and squeezing lightly. Her eyes darted between his, looking carefully at his face in a studious manner. He's all that I have here, the only resource I can rely on. My only friend...soon to be more than that, at least by everyone else's standards. Marriage. It was going to be happening and regardless how they felt about it, Valerie knew that it would assist them in staying together and being a strong unit. Like a group of soldiers, a squadron of two members. That thought amused her, given that the military reference was something familiar to him.
"Regardless of what has happened or is going to happen though, that doesn't lessen the help I got from you today. Things would have been much worse if you hadn't stepped in. Thank you, Kaeso. You've saved me once again. I seem to be making a habit of getting us both into sticky situations and I have a feeling that today might not be the last of it."
She smiled then, weaving the fingers of her injured hand between his. The feeling was comforting, a strength that was pulpable beneath her skin and keeping her grounded. Her stomach stirred, fluttering inside with nervousness that had nothing to do with thoughts of Magnus but rather the simple feeling of his warm flesh between hers. It perplexed her, but strangely enough Valerie still did not want to let go. To cover herself, she spoke again.
"So then, Prefect, if you were Magnus Callamis, what do you think your next move would be?"
___________________________________________________________________________-
A small distance away, with navy growing on the horizon as evening melted into night, a lone rider arrived into a well-paved courtyard with rage emanating off him in waves. A servant, a small woman oblivious to the man's angered state, arrived from the nearby stables framing the courtyard where she lived with a few others of the Callamis estate.
"My Lord, you were gone for so short a while, supper had been left for you, your father insisted we not wait and that..."
He dismounted, landing heavily before spinning furiously to face her. The angry welt on his face was like a red flag, made all the more glorious by the redness of his features which still hadn't abated since leaving the previous estate belong to Valeria.
"Sir! Your face! What happened? Should I fetch?-" The woman gasped as she was struck, Magnus heaving as he back handed her with enough force to send her sprawling a few steps away. The woman clutched at her face, cowering in a bent-over manner with the shock. Being beaten was not an uncommon occurence for a servant of the Callamis family, even when unprovoked despite the tireless efforts of the staff. However, the woman had not even seen the strike coming and was loathe to get any closer to the furious young man should he insist on taking out his temper on her further.
"Fetch me herbs and cold water, along with my paper and writing material! Speak to no one and stop for nothing until this task is complete!"
He stormed into the villa of his family, making a beeline for his quarters without thought for supper or socialization. There was work to be done and plans to set into action. Plans which would need to be pushed forward after his loss at the villa he hated would think would soon be in the hands of a low born soldier rather than under his control. The villa was a minor detail in fact, but it was more the power, businesses and wealth that came with his name on the ownership of the house and lady occupying it that fueled him.
The servant of before didn't tarry, arriving almost the same time he did with the required supplies. She darted in to set the items down before scurrying away before any further violence could fall upon her.
Magnus seated himself at his desk, harshly scraping his chair in before furiously beginning his letter.
My comrades, the meeting has been moved up from next week to tomorrow evening. The Emperor has gone to far with his latest move and clearly shows his weak spine and frivolous thinking in allowing the nobilitas to be passed down to a common thug who wears the military colours. It is high time we take back the power and authority that so rightfully belongs to us, before the Emperor brings any more weakness to our ranks and with that takes all of Mother Rome down with him. Same time, same place as usual. Do not be late.
Ever yours for Rome
Magnus Vicinius Dominica Callamis.
It was a short trip to the aviary on the grounds, Callamis' fury only abating the slightest as he watched the wings of his messenger bird disappearing into the starry sky.
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