<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/5d/c9/17/5dc917f90d5ae211448e3ba5974dc52f--centurion--michael-fassbender.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Markus Antonius Verus<br/><strong>Status:</strong>Senator<br/><strong>Date | Time:</strong>Evening l August 10<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Atrium; Near Impluvium<br/><strong>Wearing:</strong>Similar to this (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/413yKlmyb0L._UX385_.jpg)<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Aelia, Petellia<br/><strong>Content Warning:</strong>N/a<hr/><br/>The Bacchanalia was a festival in which Antonius had spent many an occasion. As a widower, as uncommon as that was for a Roman Senator, he found the Bacchanalia to be the only occasion that he could release some of the building tension that he dealt with on occasion. It was a shame that the occasion was so rare, otherwise he would have been a frequent visitor so such festivals of merry and joy. While there were certainly other methods, and woman, that a senator such as himself might partake in to relieve himself. He found such acts mediocre and fleeting, the activities and relationships of the Bacchanalia were just as fleeting. The only difference, and source of enjoyment, for him was knowing the woman he partook in. There was something innately satisfying in knowing the woman he was with was already taken and claimed, that whatever bonds or attachments might form between him and the woman were just secondary and fleeting and he would primarily be his own man both before and after. With no significant personal ties that would weigh at his conscience and perhaps cloud his judgement, something he had been accustomed to weeks ago.<br/><br/>It had barely been a year since his last festival; certain affairs in the imperial territories had kept him from returning to Rome. One might consider a year of self-chastisement and refraining from physical pleasure to be significant time period, but to someone like Antonius it was simply a matter of self-control and patience. After all if he was to dirty himself with some form of filth he’d rather do it in the confines of the festivals of Rome amongst fellow countryman rather than foreigners and natives of the provinces. There was simply something refined, delicate, and distinguishing about Roman woman that drew not only his attention but also his impulses. Impulses that did need to be loosened up, which was why Antonius was now swirling around his third goblet of wine, letting the rich and pungent red liquid swirl around the base of the goblet as he took small sips here and there as he made his way around the interior of the hosts home. He only cast passing glances at the others wandering around the interior, a few people were deserving of second glances but since none of them were recognizable he continue wandering around the Atrium until someone finally caught his attention. Well, two particular people ended up catching his attention.<br/><br/>There were few people that Antonius would ever consider mollycoddling, the one he might consider giving such an absurd degree of indulgence was none other than Aelia. Perhaps because of his close relationship to her husband, but mostly because of just how captivating a sight she was to look upon. He watched at a distance as the young woman removed her sandals and began stepping around the atrium in her bare feet before she reached down into the impluvium and began toying with the water causing it to ripple. He watched as the delicate woman in her flowing purple silk knelt at the edge of the atrium and continued toy with the water as she waited for her salve to bring her another glass of wine. It was then that he intended to interact with the wife of his fellow senator, yet while he was moving to interject he suddenly found himself bogarted by another. It did stall him from interjecting as he watched the younger woman reach down into the impluvium and splash Aelia with the water she had been absently toying with.<br/><br/>This did slightly complicate matters as Antonius was a man not all that fond, or attentive, of strangers. While the young lady was not familiar to him there was something slightly familiar about her appearance that caused him to take a second glance, and even a third, since he could not place the resemblance it did not falter his conclusion that she was a stranger. It was certainly true that he could just wander elsewhere, perhaps even fine some other acquaintance of his, but after watching Aelia without her husband for those few short moments it would simply be a lie to say that he wasn’t intrigued. So intrigued that he was actually considering braving the stranger, and the possible conversation the two might have picked up, in order to speak with her. It was only then that he recalled that Aelia had beckoned her slave to bring her another glass of wine, which had yet to arrive. So all he needed to do was find the slave before they returned to their mistress, and procure an extra glass of wine for the stranger. Both of which were relatively simple matters and hardly took him more than a minute. Of course convincing Aelia’s slave that he’d ensure that her wine got to her had taken an extra minute.<br/><br/><div align="center">~~~</div><br/>He’d given them both some time to speak to each other, should they do more than simply greet and continue to exchange pleasantries and splashes of water, before he interjected them. His own goblet of wine was gone, discarded after he’d downed it to muster the courage needed for this particular interjection. A change of habit, of course, it was just that Antonius really did not fare well when it came to those he’d yet to meet. One of the few flaws that he continually chastised himself over but did nothing to truly heal the affliction, but even if the stranger did slightly ruffle him that didn’t mean he wouldn’t bring her a glass of wine as well. Which was why both of his hands were now preoccupied and neither of the glasses were his. He waited for the right moment to interject before tapping the bottom of the goblets against both Aelia’ and Petellia’s shoulder before offering the wine to both of them.<em>"I do hate to intrude, but I couldn’t help but notice that you’re missing a certain chaperone Aelia."</em>He gave one long glance at Aelia before sending another, slightly quick, glance at the other woman to see whether she’d take the goblet he offered her.