<strong>~ Liliana in the outer courtyard with Antonious and Aulus, at Antonious’ temporary kiosk ~</strong><br/><br/>Liliana had hoped to glean some useful tidbits of information from Antonious about the Domina and Dominus of the ludus, as she was well aware from Gnaeus about how the flow of information moved smoothly from merchant’s mouth to customer’s ear with the right amount of coin to conduct its travel. However, apparently he had none much to share on this subject, although her interest was definitely piqued when Antonious mentioned that nobles were currently visiting; that was a good sign indeed of the high status that this ludus held.<br/><br/>A gentle, amused smile played along Lilana’s soft lips as Aulus tentatively circled around her, presenting a reflective surface in hesitant hands for her to view her potential purchase where it nestled warmly against her skin. It pleased her to see his shy yet sincere smile appear on his handsome face, and she desired to learn more about this bashful young soldier she had just met. Aulus lowered himself into a demi-kneeling position in front of her, angling the mirror upward for her convenient viewing. Her eyes flicked briefly to Antonious as he bestowed flattery upon her with effortless and practiced skill, and she smiled and nodded her acknowledgement in his direction.<br/><br/>Looking back toward the mirror, her glance was distracted by Aulus turning his head from her gaze, a telling blush warming his cheeks. Her soft smile returned, and she stepped closer toward Aulus, her back now to Antonious who was busy fussing with other items at the moment.  Moving to stand directly in front of Aulus, the fluttering green fabric of her dress wisping around him in the breeze, her feminine hand rose to rest atop the mirror and pressed down on it firmly until Aulus lowered it to expose himself to her gaze once again. Her mesmerizing violet eyes warmed at the sight of the young soldier’s obvious shyness that unwillingly revealed his interest which he otherwise strove to not display.<br/><br/>Reaching her fingertips to lightly trace the dark Legionnaire emblem on the side of his neck, she marveled at the smooth, firm and unlined skin of the young soldier, so different from that of her aged husband. Pressing her fingers firmly against the side of his neck as her violet eyes held his wide-eyed blue gaze, she felt the racing pulse of his blood thrumming under her fingertips as his body heated under her touch. Stroking her fingers lazily up to his jawline, she curled them under his jawbone and pulled his face firmly toward her slowly, knowing that by doing so she would be forcing him to tighten his stomach and leg muscles in order to preserve his balance in this half-kneeling position.  Allowing the pad of her thumb to graze gently over his lower lip, she bent her upper body down toward him, her long dark hair spilling over her shoulder and resting on his, the full swell of her softly rounded breasts curving over the neckline of her gown a mere hairsbreadth from his mouth, her scent of rose and myrrh drifting toward him. Her breath was soft and warm in his ear as she spoke in quiet tones, “My sweet Aulus; I find I much enjoy seeing you in this position before me, and have serious contemplations about inviting you to accompany me to my home so that you may repeat your pose under conditions providing more...opportunity.”<br/><br/>Abruptly withdrawing her fingers from underneath his chin, she turned toward Antonious without waiting to see Aulus' reaction, or if he was able to maintain his balance in his precarious position without the support of her fingers. As she walked toward Antonious, she smiled encouragingly as he spoke to reveal a bit more of his limited knowledge about this ludus and its esteemed Dominus and Domina, and she nodded her interest as he voiced his suggestion for a theme for the upcoming gladiatorial games. She heard Aulus’ questioning tone as he repeated Antonious’s words,<strong>“gladiatorial games?”</strong>, but before she could address the soldier’s surprising unfamiliarity with the games, her carriage driver rounded the entrance of the courtyard and jogged up to her, bowing his head in deference and speaking quietly, “Mistress, shall I bring you the wine now?”  Liliana smiled generously at him for anticipating her wishes and replied in a warm tone, “Yes, Rufius, your timing is perfect. Please bring my gifts for the Domina and Dominus to me directly. I expect we will be greeted and granted audience before too long, and I would like to be able to make offering of my gifts upon my introduction.”  Glancing again to Aulus briefly, she smiled to herself.<em>One never knows where a good first impression might lead...</em><br/><br/>