Oh Fortuna Bellona {Arruns}

[Ariadne]

Clothes

Festival of Bellona, June 3rd, 59 AD

There was something to be said about festivals. It gave muse to the artists and brought people together who normally wouldn't interact with each other. This festival in particular was for soldiers, or so her "uncle" of her cousins had told her. Ariadne's family of cousins had dressed to go to this festival, where torches and loud music paved the streets.

Ariadne's older cousins had come with their husbands, some of whom had toured before, but their conversations didn't particularly interest her.

A stand that had murals and paints? That intrigued her. Her family wandered over to an outdoor food stand across the way from her and Ariadne moved to the stand. The shop keeper glanced at her and talked with his aid, but appeared to be ready to answer any questions that a passerby or she might have.

There were a few frightening murals painted on a sort of card stock that she flipped through in the slots provided at the stand, but then there were gods and goddesses pictured as well, predominantly Bellona, since this festival was in her honor. Her fingers ran over an ornate shield that was held at the stall and she looked it over. "May I see this?" The shop keeper nodded at her and she immediately began looking it over before she found straps at the back of the shield. It was hammered gold laid over wood, relatively light and obviously for decoration only, but... well, she was curious. Ariadne began to wiggle her arm into the slots of the leather straps for the shield, trying her best to get her arm into it. She missed a strap though and when she went to lift the shield, it twisted at an odd angle. In the low light and obviously having no idea how to actually put on a shield, she struggled for a moment to right it on her arm. On the front painted in gold metallic paint was Bellona, confidently holding her spear and shield --- where as the user of her image wasn't even holding it right.

[Arruns Autronius Paetus]

His hands came from behind her and one on each side, he held and lifted the shield, so that it was no longer dragging on her arm.

“Looks like you missed a strap.” His voice was low, close to her ear.

Arri had been in attendance at the festival, but only half there in spirit. Being reminded that he was still on this prolonged hiatus from the army was maddening. His sisters had wandered off to shop at the many stalls, Minor was somewhere behind him, and his two younger brothers were standing watching some street performers. Arri was keeping an eye on them, when he had spotted her across the way. At first, it was just the flaming red hair that caught his eye. But as he looked closer, he saw that he recognized her. She was the young woman he had encountered that hot day in Olympia. Small world, he thought to himself, watching her peruse some items at a stall selling mostly pieces of art. Then she had picked up a decorative shield. Her back was half turned to him by this point, but he could see the way it dangled so awkwardly from her arm. Arri had stepped towards her, without really thinking about it – other than he thought he’d like to say hello just so that she would know how small a place their world was too.

“Try again. I’ll hold it for you.” he added, his chest practically pressed against her back.

[Ariadne]

Of all the things she had expected for that evening, the deep voice just a breath away from her ear was not one of them. Ariadne would have dropped the shield on her foot if it hadn't been for his hands lifting the shield up for her.

Ariadne tried to hold very still and for a moment her voice fled her as she looked over her shoulder, ready to whirl around with the fake shield to defend herself from whoever's arms had wrapped around her. Arruns stood behind her and surprise lit her face and she blinked a few times before letting out a quick breath. The man she'd met in Olympia who had talked to her about battles and goddesses held the shield for her and after a moment she turned her head and looked back to the shield. The missing strap, now that he had lifted the shield, was in a vital part where her elbow was supposed to go to hold it up. She wiggled her arm out of the straps that she had, concentrating against the shield and not the heat from his front against her back. The shop keeper watched with some amusement as he talked idly with his assistant as the red haired woman wiggled her arm back into the straps.

Ariadne muttered under her breath for a moment as one of the straps got stuck and she pulled at the leather until it gave way and her pale arm could slide in home. Ariadne had pride on her face when the awkward angle of the shield righted itself and settled comfortably against her arm now. Her fingers gripped bar across the shield where the hand could wrap around it for better leverage. "I did it," she said with some surprise. A small laugh left her as she looked at his hands on either side of the shield. Either she /did/ have a great grip on the shield, or he was just making it look like she did.

She bit her lip in concentration as she held the shield close to her body and hiked it up to a higher level so it wasn't drooping towards the ground. The wood and gold were a little heavy, but she had some muscle to her advantage. You didn't haul pastels, mortars, paint jars, and brushes all day for nothing after all. Granted... the shield wasn't a barrel of supplies either. "These things are so heavy, how do you carry them for so long??"

[Arruns Autronius Paetus]

Arruns held the edges of the shield easily as the redhead wiggled her arm out and then back into the straps. Once it seemed to be adjusted to her satisfaction, he released his grip. The shield did sag just a bit, but he let her get the feel and the heft of it herself, before stepping around to stand in front of her. He made a few minor adjustments to its position, and then replied unhelpfully, “It’s that or go without. And a man without a shield is very often a corpse soon enough.”

He stepped back to take a critical look at the overall effect of girl and gilded wood.

“Very nice. You should sign up. I’d have a century of your kind under me.” If he had made such a blatant double entendre as some sort of lewd jest, you’d never know it from the deadpan expression on his face.

“It’s a pity there are no painters about. I’d pay out of my own pocket to have a portrait of a redheaded Greek Bellona – with a shield that’s far too big for her.” His lips came up in the faintest of smiles, which probably meant that he was teasing – unless it was that he was really making fun of her.

[Ariadne]

{Because I'm an idiot and somehow missed that this had been posted to.... Feel free to kick me next time bro D<}

And she had thought the shield was heavy the first time! Once his hands had let go, the shield dropped drastically and Ariadne tried to haul it back up. It wobbled for a moment before she stuck her knee out behind the shield and balanced it. Her body wasn't used to an extra thirty pounds dangling from her right arm. She shuffled a little until she could adjust the shield better and hold it up at an appropriate angle. The dark haired roman stepped out from behind her and walked around to her front and started adjusting the shield to his standards. Arruns' nonchalant statement included a 'do or die' sentiment that had the red head eyeing the shield.

"I'm suddenly glad the Roman armies deem these necessary then. I just hope yours aren't gilded in excessive gold trim." Ariadne was getting more and more used to the weight of the shield and she adjusted it a little again before standing straight. Ariadne didn't know Arruns well enough to judge whether he was making a lewd comment or... if he was actually serious. His expression was completely serious while her own was mildly confused, and wary. After a moment she shrugged it off and went with the flow of the moment; she'd been called and heard worse in her lifetime, although she wasn't sure what to even begin to say to it. "A century's worth of women? Trust me my friend, better to have one woman than a hundred years worth of them, or you'll go to an early grave from the continuous nagging and catfights amongst them."

Music clashed louder somewhere in the distance as bands joined the street performers. Tamborines, drums, panpipes, lyres, singing, and more joined to create the perfect atmosphere for a celebration. "I'm a painter, but I'd be biased if I did a portrait of myself." Ariadne answered his small smile with a grin of her own. "Think of it this way, the bigger my shield, the more arrows I can catch. Now all I need is a spear and I could be truly ferocious." Ariadne posed for a moment with her most serious expression, one that was haughty and "god like" before dissolving into more laughter. "Grab a shield young hero and try one on for size! Maybe it will look better on you than me."

The stall owners straightened a little at the mention of grabbing more and the aid came around with a shield; ever so helpful as he set it on the display that Ariadne had taken her's off of so Arri could grab it, if he so chose.

[Arruns Autronius Paetus]

He gave a small snort of derision at her reply concerning the behavior of women when in a group. “I agree. In fact, I’ve suggested it as a powerful secret weapon – instead of sending soldiers in the belly of a wooden horse, we should send litters of women into the enemy camps. They’d be so busy fucking them first and then listening to them rage at one another with their jealousies and bitchiness that we could simple walk in and mow them all down. They’d probably rather be dead anyway than have to live with that.” His tone again was matter of fact, and he seemed quite serious. But could any man – a stranger too – really mean such a thing? Surely he was joking - wasn't he? This Roman was exceedingly hard to read.

At her further suggestion, he only frowned slightly and shook his head. “War is not a game, and when next I heft a shield it will be in earnest, if Mars answers my prayers. Until then, I’ll leave the toys to the little ones . . . and women.” He was still looking at her, appraisingly, and it was clear he had some thought stuck in his head – something having to do with her, it would seem.

Once more he stepped closer, to hold the edges of the shield and help support the weight, as if perhaps he thought it was time for her to stop fooling around. He was looking down at her, as he asked, “You are an artist? A painter? What kind of work do you do?”

[Ariadne]

She hadn't been sure at first, but the more Arruns spoke, the more she had a sneaking suspicion about a few things in her mind. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, or where this conversation was going. Would he play noble and then slip in mockery or jabs to her gender? Or was he just being blunt and his words didn't fit the social status quote? Ariadne wasn't sure...

The red head listened as he explained how women would be used - fucked and then nag whoever got close enough that the men would gladly be killed. He said it in such a blase way that you would think the entire world knew this fact, and she was the only one giving him a strange look. Ariadne rolled her shoulders once as the shield started to grow heavy on her once again. "Depends on the women you send in in that belly of the horse," she said after a moment. A bunch of whores, maybe. But true women? That was another breed altogether. Just as horses had different breeds, shapes, and colors, women took on different shapes and sizes, but more importantly, personalities.

Ariadne thought about his strategy for a moment. The fucking would be more like raping and she felt her stomach twist unpleasantly at the thought. And after her run in with a crazy blond in the red light district, it was no longer a situation where a woman thought 'oh, it'll never happen to me'. It had become an almost reality, and she had the scars to prove it. Her thoughts must have showed on her face, because her jovial expression slowly started to fade to a more serious one. That, and his next comment about leaving the toys to children and women wasn't funny. Ariadne lifted her eyes to look at him and for a moment she merely stared before shaking her head at him. "It sounds like you have women all figured out," she said quietly. He seemed so eager to rush back to the battle field and she mentally wondered why. There were some that thirsted for blood and craved battle, but he didn't seem like that type... His appraising look was returned with one of her own as he approached and took the edges of the shield for her.

Her burden became lighter but Ariadne held onto it for a moment more. It was almost a silly thought, but it was the only barrier between herself and him. And after the incident with Marcellus and his gang... she could do to be more careful and less careless. The conversation turned towards herself and she started to carefully wiggle her arm out as he held the shield for her. "I paint and I make mosaics, but I also do some sculpting. What I'm better known for is painting murals on walls or making mosaics from ceramic or colored glass." Once the shield was off she readjusted her hands and put them below Arri's. Just as she had picked up the shield, she started to gently take it back to put it back on the stand she'd pulled it from. "And what of you? I would rather not bore you with talk about myself." Some of her humor came back as she smiled. "I don't even know your name and this is the second time we've bumped into each other."

[Arruns Autronius Paetus]

If Arri cared one way or the other about what this red headed woman thought of him, as she shot him a look, it sure didn’t show in his expression, or demeanor. Her comments in reply brought only a shrug from his well muscled shoulders.

“I don’t understand woman at all. I have no idea why they do the things they do. But, from my experience, they all pretty much act the same. So I’m not so sure it would matter – which ones got shoved into that horse.”

He gave her a steady look in return. It wasn’t challenging or arrogant or teasing. It was simply a direct look that seemed to say that he was open to discussion on the topic, if she wanted to waste her breath further on it.

As she took the shield back into her hands, he didn’t try to assist further or wrest it from her grasp. His initial impulse to help had been prompted by her obvious struggle to heft it with one arm. Holding it with her hands was do-able. And he was more interested in her reply to his question in any case. So as she settled the decorative shield back on its stand, he said, “I am Arruns Autronius Paetus.” He didn’t elaborate further, apparently finding the giving of the name sufficient, for now. His mind was focusing on another matter, and sifting through the first threads of a plan.

“My cousin’s great-uncle is having his domus remodeled. I know for a fact he has been searching for a skilled painter, to do just as you say – decorate various walls with murals.” This was only a partial truth. Aulus was indeed having his luxurious home redone and expanded. But whether there were any painters lined up or not, Arri had no idea, nor did her care. If he could manage to place this young woman in the house where his estranged cousin was holding out like a hermit, Aulus would gladly pay her to paint whatever she liked. If it was horrible, he could always have it painted over. But this opportunity to have a “contact” inside the place – someone who might befriend poor stubborn sad Arruns (the other Arruns) – was too good to pass up.

Of course, Arri thought about the saying, ‘you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.’ If he wanted to propound this idea to this young woman, he should probably be a bit . . . friendlier. Or even . . . pleasant?

He could do that. For Arruns’ sake.

Arri stepped closer to the young woman who had just turned from replacing the shiled. He looked down at the red head and smiled gravely. “Perhaps you are just what we have been looking for. Would you be willing to come share a cup of wine with me, now, and we could discuss it? There . . . “ Was he willing to share the ins and outs of this private family discord with a complete stranger? Well . . . he supposed he would have to, in order to get her full agreement to what he wished her to do.

“There is more that I would tell you. There is more than just the painting that I would ask of you.” His dark eyes searched her lighter ones. Was she a person who he could trust, or that would care enough to be willing to do what he wanted?

“Perhaps we could start with you giving me your name as well?”

He was always a man of fairness, and reciprocity in all things.

[Ariadne]

I don't understand women at all. A smile grew on her face at that. He wouldn't be the first, nor would he be the last. "I'm a woman and I don't even understand other women at times. I'm sure it's the same for men - some act stranger than others." Ariadne wondered if that's how he truly felt. If it didn't matter which ones got shoved into the belly of the horse.... the story of the Briton girl flashed through her mind. Would he shove the lioness protecting her brother in the belly of that horse, to be used as bait? Were all women really the same that he'd treat them as such?

Who knew...

Ariadne made sure the shield was safe in it's stand before she let go of it completely. The stall owners had been watching the pair for a moment before they went back to talking to each other and ignoring them again. When Arruns introduced himself, she nodded and mentally filed it away. She wasn't familiar with everyone in Rome, but his name sounded important, so logically it led her to believe that he himself was important. After all, he had three names where she had one... It was a little embarassing that she didn't even know her own last name now that she'd been legally adopted by her own father. Arruns spoke about how his uncle of some kind was having his house painted and he wanted murals on the walls. Ariadne turned and faced him more as he spoke, her expression turning from playful to professional. Various walls meant more than one, which meant a steady income until the job was done. Ariadne wondered if the man in front of her was actually doing the hiring when it came to this particular house. Who was paterfamilias in his household? It didn't matter, she thought, as long as she was hired for the job... depending on the specifics.

The stoic man in front of her paused though as he asked if she would come with him to discuss specifics - and something else. She wondered for a moment what else he wanted to tack onto the job as he stood over her. Ariadne tilted her head up a little to watch him, quietly waiting for him to elaborate. "I wouldn't mind a cup of wine and a conversation." Something was weighing on him, but she wasn't sure what it was... All in due time, she would find out, she supposed. Ariadne took a step away from him and started to walk away from the stall. She wasn't comfortable with anyone standing that close to her, for some reason. She waited a few moments for Arri, intending on him catching up and either following her to a tavern or leading the way to the place he had in mind. "My name is not as long as your own, but it's Ariadne." Was this dark haired man always so intent, so somber and quiet? She wondered if it was just part of his personality or if the request he had in mind was just that serious. "Is there one out of the three names you have that you would prefer I address you by?"

[Arruns Autronius Paetus]

“Arri will do,” he said curtly, though in a neutral voice. He fell into step beside her, and they walked a short distance until they came to the open front of a taberna. Bypassing the counter where customers could stand and have something to eat or drink, Arri took Ariadne by the elbow and steered her through the double wide arch that served as entrance. There he released her and took the lead, heading towards a deserted table near the wall. He sat and waited for her to settle herself, and motioned for one of the servers to bring wine and some cups. With a thoughtful look, he leaned forward elbows resting on the table, his hands clasped. His dark eyes seemed to be searching her light ones, and he finally said, “I have no reason to trust you. Nor do I have any reason not to. And as this is a private matter, and I can not see where anyone would stand to gain by what I’m about to tell you, I will do so, in hopes that you can help me, and my cousin.”

The server had arrived with a jug of wine and two cups. Arri paid her and poured out some wine for the both of them, but he didn’t drink any of his, not yet.

With a speculative look he ran the side of his thumb over his bottom lip, watching the red headed girl all the time Finally, he began, without preamble.

"My cousin, also named Arruns, is a resident of the domus that I spoke of, the one that is being enlarged. He is a cripple – wounded horribly in the battles of Britannia, two years ago. His great-uncle took him in - Aulus Volumnius Decianus, now governor of Gracia. That was the reason why I was there, when we met at Olympia. I had accompanied my cousin and his sister when they traveled with him to Gracia, and he was intent upon visiting the various cities under his rule."

Arri paused and his tone became quieter. “There is a man – a slave – who looks after my cousin. He is…vile. A snake in the grass. He claims devotion to my cousin, but I fear he has ulterior motives for making my cousin dependent upon him. There was…there was a bit of an upset, in Gracia, concerning my other cousin’s unexpected betrothal. Her brother, Arruns of whom I speak, took things the wrong way and now he is completely pissed off at me, and his great-uncle Aulus. He…he won’t let me come to visit him. I can’t force my way in, though I would if there was some way to do so without harming our relationship further. I had a slave brought from his uncle’s farm into the town home, to…to watch out for him. To make sure this other, evil man – Canicus – wasn’t up to anything. But this slave, Tertius, he has…disappeared. Vanished!”

Arri looked at Ariadne very directly, and the anxiety in his gaze was clear. “I’m very concerned, for Arrruns’ welfare. But if I force my way in, I’m afraid he may run – he might take ship back to Egypt and then I’d never be able to counter whatever influence this bastard Briton has over him. I…I need help. I need someone I can trust, someone who would be able to get in the house and know what is going on.”

Arri let out a huge sigh. “There. When I say it all out loud, it sounds insane, even to me.” His eyes dropped to his clenched hands and he shook his head slightly. “I’m sure you think me mentally unhinged.”