If there ever was a smell that was inescapable from Livius it would have to be the smell of vomit.  You smell it in the battlefields, you smell it in the markets, you smell it in the streets, and even at sea.  Hold up inside the confines of the galley it had no means of escape only to make the cell even fouler.  It was enough to make any man want to break silence, even Livius.  “Jupiter’s cunt lets some air in!” One of the passengers could bear it no more banging fiercely against the cargo doors.   Livius was glad he wasn’t the one who didn’t have to project everyone’s thoughts.  Heck if he wanted to he could probably carve a few air holes into the hull for air.  Then again it would probably be overwhelmed by even more vomit, so until they reached port it would do little good.  At least now they had someone cracked to entertain their slow voyage.<br/><br/>Whatever reason though, be it miracle or otherwise the passengers would be surprised by the sudden sound of locks moving, perhaps even to unlock the hold.  Livius had to admit that perhaps it was a message by Neptune himself to warn us that we were home.  Neptune always had a cruel sense of humor for any sailor. When the sound of iron locks grinding came to the halt the holding doors broke open allowing them the first sight of the outside world for the past five days.  Livius, unlike his fellow patrons remain in the back of the holds not as relieved to see land once more.  His return was not one of good news; in fact it is the worst of all news for a young soldier of Rome: his parents have gone to the afterlife.  For a moment Livius felt paralyzed as he watched the fellow passenger/crew members exited the hold to prepare for disbark, troubled by whether going home was best for him.  Livius knew though that he had to get out of here, because believe it or not with all his experience with vomit he could not stand it.  Grabbing his pack and satchel he paced forward making his exit towards the door to his destination.  Exiting the hold he saw before him the port of Tarraconesis before his eyes.  Even he had to admit he had never been to Spain.<br/><br/>Livius was the model example of a Roman soldier, a modest height of 5’10, well toned figure.  His uniform marked him as a standard soldier but any soldier returning home always meant capability.  His hair well maintained reflected its brown complexion giving it a color much like the ship itself.  His eyes, a luscious blue that matched the sky itself. He would have kept his helmet but a close encounter unfortunately cost him that losing it to Neptune’s home.  He kept his weapons close to him, but to prevent any unintended intimidation he preferred concealing them using the red cloak that Pompey had given him.  In fact with the help of the hood he could even mask his tattoo on his neck.  For now though it was not necessary, for he had nothing to hide from others.<br/><br/>Watching the ship reach port the endless barking of orders erupted from the ship as sailors came to life acting as a single entity in order to secure the ship to the dockyards.  With the galley now secured the gang plank could be let down and the passengers nightmare be over.  Just like in the hold Livius remained the last to leave the ship.  Before Livius could depart though a hand shot at his chest holding him back.  Turning his head to where the arm was connected to he looked before a young sailor bearing an emotionless face.  “Gods look after you now.”  The hand then moved to his shoulder patting it firmly like saying goodbye to a brother.  Livius wanted to thank him but he was already back on duty, so in the end Livius could only smile and nod as he finally left his tour of duty once more.<br/><br/>Not much to his surprise, Tarraconesis seemed no different from Capua or even any Roman port city at that. The moment he stepped off the boat he would be met a masses of merchants, shipyard workers, dock workers, refugees, nobles….it was a hub of the community.  Most of the passengers much like Livius had to be careful though when exiting the wharf since large social areas like these always attract thieves, and pickpockets, so it was vital that you kept your coin close.  Escaping such a hazardous location though was easy for Livius which didn’t in fact take much effort, well certainly no as much as his fellow passengers.  Wishful thinking perhaps for a split second upon leaving the port a young boy bumped into him, but unable to make him falter.  In fact he had countered by turning the boy’s arm inward forcing his wrist to bend back which held his coin purse.  Using his free hand he retrieved it placing it once again somewhere safe from any thieves’ eyes, especially this one.  Seeing no need to worry Livius released the boy, watching to make sure he didn’t follow.  The young lad held his pinned wrist bothered by the pain but at the least thankful he didn’t beat him or more then likely kill him.  Blood wasn’t necessary at this time no matter how much or how it is inflicted.<br/><br/>Now it would seem he required a place to stay, after all he wasn’t leaving for Capua in a hurry.  Pompey had recommended someone named Antonius who lived near the brothel district to help provide Livius with lodging.  Along with directions Pompey had provided him with extra finances for him to get situated before he prepared for his journey back to Capua.  Until then Livius will have to find work in order to gather the money for food, lodge and the eventual transport back home.  But at the same time though there was enough money to bet in the games as well.  While on his campaign destroying pirate vessels he developed a liking towards card games but would always be told about making real money in the gladiatorial events at the amphitheatre in Tarraconesis.  It would be interesting to see if this sport seemed any different from the frontlines he fought in, but so long as he could possibly make money from it, it never hurt to try something out at least once.<br/><br/>Finding the brothel district wouldn’t prove to be too difficult by the scent of perfume alone.  Finding it though was easy, getting through though was something more of a challenge.  Every step he took into that district only was met with resistance by a multitude of prostitutes beckoning him to screw them.  Sometimes it was hard to imagine that this was a human behavior but with no experience in such things perhaps it’s something that develops eventually, Jupiter forbid himself.  “Watch out!”  Livius sharply turned his head to take note of a large caravan coming his way.  He quick-stepped to the side of the road to allow more then enough room for the slave caravan to pass by without any way of causing an incident due to him.  Livius had always seen prisoners of war but not slaves really, was it really so different?  In the end they all were people who were stripped of their former lives bound by the Ideals of Rome; the very same ideals that Livius still safeguards.  Looking at these slaves though, they seemed not morally crushed but full of vigor and rage, waiting to be unleashed if not for their imprisonment.  Even one such possessing raven hair showed no signs of submission or whim, it didn’t matter if she saw him enough, for either way Livius have other important arrangements to deal with……Finding a place to eat and rest for a while.  20 some odd days at sea it would seem nice at least from his mind to lay on something that didn’t rock endlessly<br/><br/><br/>