<strong>~ Liliana in the outer courtyard, standing at Antonious’ temporary kiosk ~</strong><br/><br/>As Aulus brushed by her with barely an acknowledgement, Liliana’s smiled greeting dissolved into a small moue pouting over her lips. Since she had displayed rather overt interest in making his acquaintance, his apparent obliviousness to her presence brought both disappointment and curiosity.  His bearing spoke of his assurance of his position in society, as well as an innate confidence - yet not annoyingly overly so. As she continued to watch him, the young man appeared to throw all of his focus into wrestling with the stubborn knot securing the satchel filled with more of Antonious’ merchandise, seemingly completely unaware of her standing nearby.<em>Despite his quite obviously manly form, was Aulus young enough to be lacking in experience with the company of women?</em>The thought brought a contemplative smile to soften the corners of her mouth upward. Her gaze widened in surprise when she noticed the unmistakeable mark of the Legion tattooed into his neck, and her curiosity was further piqued.<em>Perhaps the long struggles of waging war alongside his brothers in arms had swayed his tastes in more....masculine directions</em>she pondered. In her limited experience, soldiers tended to fall neatly into one of only a few different categories; the braggadocio womanizer, those who lusted after manflesh, those who had lost all or part of their sanity somewhere on the bloody battlefields, and that rarest of men, the gentleman soldier.  She found herself wondering which category - or combination of categories - this young Aulus fell into.<em>Perhaps I shall make it my prerogative to discover the hidden mysteries of young Legionnaire Aulus,</em>she mused to herself.<br/><br/><strong>“I trust your husband is well.  Last I heard his latest ventures earned him quite a fortune.”</strong><br/><br/>Antonious’ friendly yet craftily prying comments brought her attention back to the old merchant. Looking into his lined but pleasant face, Liliana felt that his inquiries were sincere and lacking the double entendre undertones she was so often confronted with. A married woman of wealth could prove prosperous for those around her, but the prospect of a wealthy widow - especially one who was young and beautiful to boot - would present strong temptation indeed for men of a certain disposition. She had absolutely no tolerance for men with heinously unscrupulous machinations toward her husband or herself.<br/><br/>“Ah, dear Antonious - yes, my beloved husband Gnaeus is well indeed, thank the gods - and he would most assuredly offer his profuse felicitations had he known I would be so fortunate as to make your acquaintance in his absence.”<br/><br/><strong>“I see you have taken a fascination with the stock that had just arrived.  Do you have plans to……”sponsor”….one of them?”</strong><br/><br/>Taken somewhat aback by his frank manner, she was nonetheless pleased that the merchant apparently had no reservations about discussing business matters with a woman, a fact which moved the kindly old man further into her good graces.  “In all honesty, my kind Antonious, I have no experience in the realm of sponsoring a gladiator.“   Moving closer to the aged merchant so as to be able to speak in softer tones, she reached a slender hand toward his arm, lightly resting her fingers against the withered meat of his bicep. “Have you knowledge and experience of the arena and the business of gladiators?”  Glancing briefly toward Aulus, she stepped back from the merchant, her cheeks blushing a slight pink as she moved toward the table displaying Antonious’ wares.  “Oh, dear Antonious, apologies for my distraction from your purpose here - let us first discuss your business at hand, then perhaps we can converse later at our leisure with regards to my potential....investment or gamble, I have not quite determined which title better suits!”<br/><br/>Covering her mouth delicately with her fingers to stifle a soft laugh, Liliana watched in amusement as Aulus grappled with the satchel and the jewelry within. Charmed with his flustered countenance, Liliana approached the jewelry laden table. Quickly perusing the lovely adornments on display, a beautiful amethyst pendant necklace caught her eye. Pointing out her choice to Aulus and making sure he saw which item she meant, her violet eyes flashed mischievously as she looked directly into Aulus’ blue gaze and stepped in close to his body. Turning her back to the soldier, she reached her hands up to lift the heavy waves of deep sable brown hair off the elegant column of her neck, turning her head to look over her shoulder at Aulus as she spoke. “Dear sir...would you be so kind as to fasten that beautiful jewel around my neck so I may determine if I have chosen wisely?”  The baring of the heated flesh of her neck previously blanketed by her thick hair felt delicious, and she closed her eyes in enjoyment as a gentle breeze wafted caressingly against her skin.  Long tendrils of her dark hair danced around her face and fingers, and the diaphanous layers of her light green gown whispered softly around her body with the faint breath of air, the heady scents of rose and myrrh rising off her skin with the breeze, lifting her perfumed aroma toward Aulus.<br/>