It was around the same time that Valaentina returned to Acestes' side that, on the other side of the city - in a wealthy corner where the buildings were made of white marble and bleaked stone, faded pink and grey by the heavy clouds above-, someone else was meeting a very important person too.
The girl stood anxiously on one side of the quiet street, her back pressed against a smooth marble collum as she looked around at the deserted alley. She was dressed in a beige tunic of an expensive crisp material, and the brown leather sandals that she wore promised an expensive tailoring. You could nevertheless tell that she had dressed in a hurry, as her hay-coloured hair was wind-swept and her stormy blue eyes were darting around nervously. In her hands was a brown satchel, and her dainty fingers fumbled absent-mindedly with the straps keeping it close. The slight twinking noise suggested that the purse was filled with coins.
Scarlia's pink lips seemed to pronounce a name, which however wasn't audible, and the next second she exclaimed a worried curse. She pushed herself off the column, paced around a few steps, and finally found another comfortable position against a second column.
The subject of her worry was her older brother. Unlike her, he hadn't had much good fortune. But then again, he wasn't one who asked for mercy kissing people's feet. No. Generius was a troublemaker, and one who didn't seem to care much about life anyway. He was reckless and lazy but also allarmingly charming, and that was the only thing keeping him away from utter poverty. He had friends - friends who Scarlia would be scared of. But those friends had other connections, and that was why Generius lived in relative luxury.. rent-free.
Scarlia wasn't like that. She was quiet and reserved, but had the exotic looks that intrigued the tanned, dark-haired Latin population. Although she was still young and unaware of it, she was starting to discover that her presence could turn heads when she entered a room, and when her adoptive parents made her dance or sing or play the lyre at their parties, a deafening silence would fill the room as everyone watched and listened in awe. She thought it was out of politeness, but in fact she sometimes wondered whether the big smiles she received were just for appreciation or something more...
Her thoughts were interrupted as a beloved figure approached down the street, and whatever hard feeling Scarlia might have been brooding over moments ago, was suddenly forgiven and forgotten as Generius walked towards her with a big lazy grin on his face. The two were different despite having the same blood: whilst she was pale and dainty, he was tall and had a brooding look to him. His hair was dark enough to pass off as brown, and his eyes (despite being green) had the sneaky and calculating look which most Roman commoners had. That was why he could fit in, and why she couldn't. Discarding her strict upbringing, the tall female let out a small squeak of excitement and took long strides all the way down the white stone street towards her brother, before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him for all she was worth.
She felt his familiar laugh blow caringly against her hair and for the first time in weeks, she was really very happy: she had her brother, he was her everything, and she was safe. As safe as she could be. He was her safe haven. Despite not being the safest person around, she had to admit. "I have missed you so much!" She whispered passionately in his ear, feeling her throat clog up with emotion.
Generius just laughed it off and patted her back before, to her disappointment, he pulled himself away from her and looked at her firmly in the face. "You're blossoming, sister," He murmured, "you're becoming a young woman all of a sudden. I shall have to look out for you, as Alisei and my other friends might take a keen interest," He joked.
She didn't really know what to say, because he wasn't the type who respected women... although he did appreciate them. As did his friends. "Thanks," She murmured instead, attempting a smile. "Agerius and Lamentis say they might present me to the House of Vesta." And her tone held a hint of awe, because being a Vestal Virgin was the highest rank of power a woman might wish to reach outside of marriage, and she wanted it more than she wanted a husband.
"Oh good Gods," Generius barked out a round of laugher, which she thought sounded harsh, "let us pray not!"
Scarlia's happy mood dampened further, but she bit on her lip to restrain her hurt feelings from showing. Generius, however much she might love him, was consuming and upsetting to her, and more times than not he seemed to say all the wrong things without realizing. It wasn't like he was a bad person... he just didn't come off as a nice one, most of the time.
With her silence, he decided to get down to business. "Have you got them, Scar?" He asked, lowering his voice noticeably as if they were discussing dangerous matters. "All of which I asked of you?"
"I have,"She replied, feeling the words twist wrong on her tongue. She felt nervous and anxious, and felt the urge to slither away from this situation, although she knew there was no escape route and that this was necessary of her. She untangled her fingers from the cords of the money pouch, and after a barely-noticeable hesitation, handed it over to him.
She watched as Generius counted to coins on the palm of his hand, carefully distinguishing the copper from the bronze, and the silver from the few gold pieces. Her regret built as a slow satisfied smirk spread on her older brother's lips. He had a handsome face with strong cheekbones and a square jaw, but the smirk on his lips did nothing to improve his good looks, and he seemed a lot like a snake licking it's lips as it watched a prey.
He wasn't a bad person, she quickly reminded herself, he just had... bad habits. Women, wine and opium, among other things she preferred not to know of. She didn't want to know too much of what he got up to, but he was her brother and she cared for him a lot, despite being seperated for five years now, and so she couldn't ignore the voices when they reached her. She took in a deep breath and, when she felt quite calm, she forced herself to ask: "what are you going to do with the money, brother?"
Generius hesitated and looked up, seeming surprised. "You never asked me that before, sister," He answered, his words careful but delivered with a playful voice, "that is why you're getting older - you'll be asking me to take you to restaurants and dancing with the men next, I'm sure."
And Scarlia knew that the subject was closed and off limit. Whilst other females might be able to side-step such a comment and force an answer, Scarlia wasn't one of them, and she knew her brother too well to insist. She pressed her lips together, and waited until he had finished counting and had dipped the coins carefully into the pouch. "I shall go now, sister, I don't want you to get into any trouble." He smiled with graceful manners, almost managing to hide the fact that he was taking advantage of her hosting parents by using her, and held out one hand so he could embrace her.
She hugged him tight for a moment, inhaling the familiar scent of dust and life on his skin, wondering how it was that she accepted to some things whilst knowing that she had no choice and than she'd go to Pluto's kingdom and back just for him, and finally she was the first one to pull back. "You'll be safe, won't you?" She asked him seriously, forcing herself to look deep into those dangerous green eyes that reminded her so much of Gaul: distant, ideal and.. now-corrupted.
"I will be," He promised her, "and you look after yourself."
Generius flashed her a wink that promised brotherly affection even when he was hardly ever there to give it to her, and with broad strides that assured her he was healthy and well, he walked away quicker than what she often wished he could and did.
