<b>House Iulia</b><br/><br/>His wife was late. Had it been any other guest surely they would have been insulted by this lack of tardiness. Drusus had no smiles for his wife, despite her tremendous beauty and attractiveness. Yes, he had forgotten how pretty his young, new wife could be.<i>Too pretty.</i>Too pretty to leave alone for the better part of six years, with gods only know how much scandal might be fluttering beneath the surface of her dutiful demeanor. Drusus did not believe for a second she had been faithful. She was young. She was beautiful. Why would she sit by the loom and wait for her husband when life was so full of possibilities for her? He was at once suspicious and doubtful and knew he would have to put her in line before anything else.<br/><br/>Drusus was tired. He was aching from the long sea voyage to Brundisium on the heel of Italia and then the long march and ride up. His wife Alexandria had a plate of food in her hand and wondered what other luxuries he had missed out on. Did she spend all her time relaxing and indulging while he marched about in parched deserts and rocky mountains? His eyes did not blink once as he watched her and listened to her words of greeting. It sounded like he was at a travel lodge and not really home, offered the bare necessities. He looked at the plate and then back to her. He wasn’t going to have any.<br/><br/>“My men should be found proper lodgings and food.” He instructed first, telling Alexandria to tell one of the household slaves to see to that.<i>Romans and barbarians separate, of course.</i>They would have to turn one of the out-buildings into a barracks for a score of men at least. “I will eat at dinner. For now, a bath and a fresh set of toga and garments laid out for me. You and I shall have a talk. And,” he said, turning to point towards the household shrine tucked into an alcove on the wall, “I want vigils lit for Jupiter and Mars every morning. You will see to it.” He announced flatly to Alexandria. A good Roman family prayed to the gods at the start of every day.<br/><br/>He looked over his wife again. A beautiful woman most definitely, one he had not the time to properly get acquainted with. Or accustomed to. He was not entirely blameless in his own morals. There had been pretty slave girls in the camp and cities of the east. But he was home now and the institution of marriage meant something. He was going to put a stop to his excesses. He judged himself to have the capability to do so. But his wife? Young and foolish, that’s what he thought. He began to walk towards the bathing chamber and it was evident his wife should follow. He dismissed the slaves from that room, leaving only him and his wife. She would serve him well enough. He shed his garments in a messy pile on the floor, where a slave would usually pick them up after, and then strode into the sunken pool, the strong muscles and fiber of his body visible before he sank in.<br/><br/>Gods, it had been years since he had a warm water bath. He could already feel some of the grime and sweat washing off. “You’ve been busy.” He remarked to Alexandria, not having invited her into the pool that could easily hold a dozen or more people. “I hope at least. Tell me wife, how have you been keeping busy all these years? I’ve had few letters and few messages from Rome. The Gods have not favoured me clearly on the coming and going of my family.” He said at first, splashing water over his face.<br/><br/>“Drop whatever it is you have tonight. I want word sent out that there shall be a party in our home. All the leading families of Rome, I want invited. The pontifex maximus, both consuls, the censors, the<i>princeps senatus</i>, the tribunes, all of them. If they come, they come. It will be in their interests to come. I want entertainment for them arranged as well. The good ceramics, good wine, perhaps requisition one of the…guilds,” he meant the brothels, “to loan us some women to serve and impress. Can you remember all of that Alexandria or do you need it written down?” Drusus said to her.