<strong>~ Liliana arriving back at her home after seeing her husband off ~</strong><br/><br/>As Liliana’s raeda slowly rolled up to her home, she sat upright and on the edge of her bench, impatient to be quit of the confines of the carriage. As soon as the vehicle came to a creaking stop, the horses pawing restlessly at the dirt, she eagerly stepped out and onto the ground, her sandaled feet making quick steps away as the driver scowled bemusedly after her. The lush gardens of her peristyle her destination, Liliana felt a peacefulness descend upon her as she approached her favorite sanctuary. Reaching her oversized, pillowed lectus within her gardens, she gratefully sank down into the cushions, breathing out a long, deep sigh.  Removing her sandals and tucking up comfortably on the luxurious couch, she felt her body relax within the calming soft atmosphere of her haven. The lavender, green and tan color pallet of the garden area as well as the copious verdant greenery and colorful blooms all contributed to the serenity of the space. With plenty of shady areas despite the roofless center of the structure, the gentle breezes and soft gurgling of the water fountain further enhanced the welcoming embrace of her special retreat.<br/><br/>Not in the mood to immediately engage in any household or business responsibilities ~ a not surprising state Liliana often found herself in ~ she let her eyes drift closed as she lounged, her long lashes feathering down darkly onto her cheeks. She began to contemplate her anticipated visit at the Ludus Leonis Scopulus Tarraconensis, and wondered in what temperament the Domina Valeria had received her missive.<em>Valeria.</em>Her lips softly formed the name and left a faint, poignant smile lingering on their sensual pout.<em>How interesting that a stranger I have yet to meet could evoke such long forgotten...emotions, simply because she holds the same name of a cherished friend from my past,</em>she mused to herself, letting her mind wander slowly through a feast of delicious memories.<br/><br/>After her marriage to Gnaeus upon passing her sixteenth birthday, her new husband had whisked her away from all she had known - her family, friends and the village she had grown up in.  Suddenly the wide-eyed young woman found herself lonely and adrift in a sea of strangers, unknown societal customs and fierce politics in the provincial capital of Corduba. A perceptive and kind man, Gnaeus had noticed his young bride’s wilting spirit and began allowing her to accompany him on some of his business dealings where he thought she might enjoy herself. Her introduction to the illustrious Valeria Caerellia Renate occurred on one such business endeavor meeting.<br/><br/>The impressionable and unpolished young Liliana fell immediately under the spell of the several years older, beautiful and aristocratic Valeria. With almost nothing in common at first glance, the women slowly uncovered a rich vein of affinity that ran deeply between them. Initially taking on the role of an older, influential sister, Valeria generously tutored Liliana on the ways of being a respectful woman in society; teaching her the finer points of etiquette, cultivating refined manners, and other such social niceties that would enable her to achieve greater acceptance in the more esteemed higher ranks of society that she now found herself in.<br/><br/>In return, Liliana encouraged and nurtured Valeria’s full unfurling of her latent sensual nature; being a woman of good breeding with all the associated expectations and constraints, Valeria had often suppressed that side of herself in order to conform within and maintain her esteemed position in high society.<em>Aaahh, the pleasurable fruits of their friendship had been so very....enjoyable,</em>Liliana reminisced fondly, a subtly decadent smile now playing across her full lips. Together, over the course of several years, Valeria and Liliana has experienced much of the pleasures their stations in life afforded access to, sharing in countless delights available to young, beautiful, sensual, women of means.<br/><br/>Alas, after many years living together in Corduba, Gnaeus decided to relocate the two of them permanently back at his palatial estates in the outskirts of Tarraco. Liliana had written to Valeria several times since their tearful parting, but had never received a response. Eventually she had given up, assuming that her friend had forgotten her, their friendship apparently a tragic casualty to the cliche “out of sight, out of mind.”  Readjusting her body to a more upright position on the lounge, Liliana spotted her main servant, Aemilia, approaching her with the offering of a glass of water. Smiling appreciatively, Liliana set aside her fond reminiscing of her long lost friend Valeria and brought her mind back to the present, again pondering what kind of woman the Domina Valeria might be.  Reaching for the proffered glass and taking a long swallow of the cool liquid, Liliana thought to herself,<em>Well, soon enough I will meet my friend’s namesake and find out for myself what type of woman deigns to take on the role of running a ludus with her husband!</em>Pressing the condensate wetness of the glass against her heated cheek, Liliana tried to imagine what such a woman would look like, but the image of her friend’s face continued to haunt her imagination.