Fvlvia was pleasantly surprised. Contrary to her earlier assumption, this orator did not stir much trouble in her life. Malricus seemed to recoil from formal, ceremonial gatherings just as much as she herself did. And since the orator caused so little disturbance in Fvlvia's daily life, the young woman found herself thinking more kindly of him.
He had been staying at their villa for two days already. During that time, Fvlvia had barely seen him.
Perhaps it is impolite of me not to pay attention to our guest, she thought.
She shared her concern with her sister, Aemilia. She did not wish to appear rude to the family's guest either.
"Where could we invite him, somewhere he would actually enjoy coming with us?"
Since they could think of no event or place that would suit all three of them, they decided to leave the matter unresolved for the time being.
If I run into him in the villa, I'll be kinder, Fvlvia decided.
With flowers meant for the altar of the goddess Minerva, the girl set out to perform her daily offering.
As long as Malricus is staying with us, I will return home in time for dinner, she resolved.
She did not use a litter. She simply walked down the cobbled, winding streets of the Palatine toward the forum. The temple of Minerva was close to their villa.
♡
"Well, well! The little one!" Malricus exclaimed with delight when he saw the girl approaching with flowers.
Of course, he deliberately lingered in the villa's shared spaces at that hour. He knew the girl went to offer sacrifice to Minerva every day at the same time.
The more often she sees me, the more accustomed she will become to my presence, he thought, and so he was always there, silent, wherever he expected Fvlvia to appear.
He did not use his demonic abilities. This time, he wanted a true victory. A true conquest.
The little one stopped beside him. She did not simply pass by after a measured greeting.
"Beautiful flowers," he remarked.
Fvlvia, however, remained silent.
What has changed? the young man wondered.
"Where are you taking these beautiful flowers?" he finally asked.
He did not want her to continue on and decide that they had no common topic.
Fvlvia explained that she visited the temple of Minerva every day.
"And which deity do you offer sacrifices to?" the girl asked.
She was curious which temple Malricus frequented in Rome.
"I honor them all," he replied kindly, evasively.
He honored none of the gods.
Then the girl moved on. And Malricus could not offer to accompany her. A demon could not step into the temple of Minerva.
All day long, he was vexed that he had missed the opportunity to grow closer to Fvlvia.
In the afternoon, he went down to the forum. Bato now accompanied him even during the day. He was useful not only for his physical strength. He was also capable of intelligent conversation. Malricus found it amusing that Bato, the slave, could defeat arrogant orators with pure logic and clear arguments.
If he were to leave Rome, he would miss Bato.
Before dinner, he always wandered the forum and chose a gift for Tullia. He had fully adapted to their customs. They no longer forced him into patrician circles. He was free to go about his affairs, and for that he was grateful.
♡
Before dinner, Kyra was adorning the two sisters in Aemilia's room. It was an excellent opportunity for conversation.
"A young patrician would have offered to escort you," Aemilia agreed with her sister.
"Perhaps he wanted to practice his oratory," Fvlvia speculated.
She had often seen the young man in the garden during the mornings. At such times, with short notes in his hand, he practiced before an imaginary audience. He did not take those notes with him to the forum.
"I didn't think he was so withdrawn," Fvlvia continued chatting.
Aemilia now pursed her lips.
"You do not know him. Since he arrived, neither of you has spent much time at home."
"That is true," her sister conceded.
"Get to know him first. Until then, do not assign him such traits."
"You mean being withdrawn?"
Fvlvia once again bristled at her sister's lecturing tone.
Kyra intervened immediately, before a storm could break out. After quarrels, the girls would not speak to one another for days.
"Fvlvia is simply curious and trying to ask questions."
She knew them well and had an excellent sense for steering their conversations back into friendly waters.
"She will get to know him during dinner."
Aemilia directed the solution toward Kyra.
♡
Malricus was surprised for the second time that day. Fvlvia had been kind to him in the morning, and now she appeared at dinner as well.
Of course, he was delighted, but her presence disrupted the familiar rhythm of their dinners. For all his skill as an orator, he failed to find the right tone that evening. Instead, he withdrew from the conversation. This was not how he had imagined his first shared dinner with Fvlvia.
Still, the dinner passed somehow. Afterward, he sought out Bato. He was already ready to depart.
"We will scour the taverns of the Subura in a few days. We'll find Maximus in one of them."
"Perhaps we would find him sooner if we sat down to gamble in a few and asked discreetly about him," Bato suggested.
"We can try."
Malricus was pleased that Bato was not only clever but also possessed remarkable physical strength. Even in the streets and taverns of the Subura, they formed an unbeatable pair. He provided protection with his demonic power, Bato with his physical might.
As soon as they left the Palatine and the area around the forum, all their senses were assailed by the real Rome. The rain had not cleansed the streets for days. The stench was still bearable, but they had to be careful not to step into what the horses had left behind in the street.
A few overdressed meretrices eagerly offered themselves in the dark alleys.
Bato did not even look at them. Malricus had no desire for their kind either. There was no victory, no conquest, in such things.
From afar came the sound of clattering. Perhaps a gang was extorting protection money from merchants' shops in a neighboring street.
The taverns were safer places than the street. One could still be robbed there, just in a different way.
The young man looked around. In the gloomy, bare room, several people were already trying to fleece one another in games of dice. Judging by the fragments of conversation, this was a meeting place mainly for legion veterans.
"Maximus, as a legion veteran?" he mused aloud.
"It is possible. We know nothing about him."
After Bato lost a great many asses, they decided it was time to seek out another tavern.
Of course, there too they learned nothing about Maximus.
They were welcomed back to both places nonetheless. The two greenhorns did not even notice that when they appeared, the players brought out their loaded dice.
At home, Malricus thought back on his day with dissatisfaction. He had been unable to sparkle at dinner and impress Fvlvia. He had not found Maximus either. At least they had not become entangled in brawls or scandals. Neither Malricus's demonic power nor Bato's physical strength had been needed during their wanderings.