<strong>~ Liliana sitting with Aulus in a secluded garden nook, between the outer and inner courtyards of the ludus ~</strong><br/><br/>Liliana quelled her laughter with great effort, her violet eyes shining with suppressed mirth when Aulus tumbled backward off the bench in response to Nakia’s close proximity.  All men held a well tended sense of pride, and even the quietest, most unassured men surely did not enjoy pricks to their ego. So when Liliana was immediately reassured that there was no injury beyond his pride, she chose to not address his graceless yet somehow endearing spill to the ground. More of interest to her was the soldier’s reaction to the lovely woman attending him; she obviously effected him greatly. Liliana noticed the deepened flush of his cheeks, the quickened rise and fall of his broad chest, the way his eyes could not seem to meet her own gaze, or glance at the eyes of the slave girl. Here was a captivating mystery for her to explore; a soldier, who by his very title was sworn to ever be at the ready for violence, but who by every gesture and action displayed he was of a gentle, kind nature.  Watching the two, Liliana found that she enjoyed seeing the beautiful girl so close to the handsome Aulus, enjoyed watching her touching him and drawing out his reactions. A mischievous smile played over her lips as the seed of an idea began to grow in her mind, an intriguing idea that she just might enjoy coaxing to bear fruit. Aulus spoke to Nakia as she departed,<strong>“Please excuse my incompetence from having to distract you from your duties.”</strong><em>Oh dear.</em>Either his confidence was well below her already low estimation, or his thoughtfulness exceeded most anyone else’s she had ever met. Again, her curiosity was aroused to ferret out the true nature of this enigmatic young man.<br/><br/>As Aulus responded to her inquiry about the Legion, he began by sharing of his childhood, recounting stories of his parents from his boyhood, of his father and the man’s influence on his life. While Aulus spoke to her softly, his blue eyes glazing over with a far away look, Liliana reached out and grasped his large hand in her small delicate ones, holding it almost tenderly, as the obvious emotion behind his words seeped through to his speech.  Her eyes widened and she listened intently as he regaled her with stories of his battles with pirates, ending by unsheathing two lovely blades for her inspection and appreciation. She smiled encouragingly at his obvious pride in the custom blades, as he pointed out their special details and intricate hilts before nestling the steel back within their sheaths.<br/><br/>Compelled once again to reassuringly grasp his hand as he spoke haltingly of his parents’ tragic deaths, her eyes glistened with the sheen of her own unshed tears of sympathy as she imagined how painful it must have been - must still be - for this young man to have lost his parents so horrifically, while he was away and unable to protect them. Her eyes followed the single tear as it tracked along his cheek, a sudden drop of rain from within skies so blue.  Aulus wiped away the tear with his thumb, and without conscious thought, she released his hand she had been holding and let it rest in her lap as she reached for his other hand. His expression vulnerable, his pain-filled eyes drew her closer, her body leaning toward him as she mutely tried to provide comfort with her physical presence. Neither he nor she could change the past, but instead of allowing the pain of wounds yet unhealed to rule the day, they could each choose to embrace the joys and pleasures that life still offered. Their eyes holding each other’s gaze in wordless communication, she grasped his hand in hers and pressed his thumb to her rosy lips, her soft kiss tasting the salty sadness on his skin. Liliana whispered the fingertips of her other hand caressingly over the side of his face as he spoke of his current purpose,<strong>“Thus I must gather money to pay for a funeral to see my family properly to the afterlife.”</strong><br/><br/>“Aulus, I am so very sorry to hear of your loss. May the gods bestow comfort upon you as you mourn your beloved parents,” she spoke compassionately and sincerely as he became quiet once more.  Letting go of his second hand, Liliana brought her hands back to the one resting in her lap. Turning it over to expose his palm, she focused her gaze on its masculine shape, the skin rough and abused as compared to her silky smooth hands. Tracing the lines of his palm with her fingertip as she held his hand in her other hand, she then followed the shape of his fingers with light caresses as she pondered what she might wish to do.  “So, you have garnered position with Antonious in the hope of earning the money you need. Do you think your commission on the sale of his wares will provide you the amount you need in the time you desire it?”  Liliana knew that Aulus would not pursue bettering his current situation on his own any time soon, so she was happy to offer her assistance in aiding the young soldier. Her thoughts forming an idea, she suggested to him, “Perhaps a man such as yourself - a soldier - might better exchange different services for coin to more quickly and successfully reap the reward you seek.”  Now her hands moved to press firmly into the meaty flesh of his hand, massaging the muscles and tendons to ease out any soreness or tension. Smiling again up at him, she nodded her head to affirm the idea, “Yes. In fact, you should allow me to broach the subject with Antonious so that we may offer your services to this fine ludus. And should the Dominus prove to not be in need of an additional guard, then I shall employ you myself at my villa. Have no fear, sweet Aulus, you shall gather the coin you need for your family in short order, and position yourself well for continued reward. All we need now is a way to break the news to Antonious that his new helper has already been invited to drink from a sweeter cup than he could offer.”<br/>