The Centurion's Woman

Chapter 2

        The commander in question cleared his throat to try and break the glaring contest between Alex and Verus. Verus's breath hissed out and he faced back to Heliodoro.

        "You see what I have to deal with?" Verus asked, petulant but no longer arguing. "She's like this all the time."

        "Only when you do not listen, or when you are wrong," Alex replied, kissing Verus on the cheek he angled up for that reason before going back to her inventory.

        "Ha!" Verus scoffed. "Dear one, there were very few times I was wrong before you. Now every day I am contradicted."

        "A woman often has that repercussion," Heliodoro offered, shifting to sit more comfortably on the stool.

        Alex shot the Auxiliary Legate a quick smile. The two men chatted amiably about the complications they'd encountered in dealing with their sisters and wards – neither was married, Verus because he preferred men, and Heliodoro because he hadn't wanted to yet – and compared sibling survival stories while Alex finished with the contents of the table. Verus lounged, leaning against the table as he spoke and watching Heliodoro, who couldn't speak a full sentence without engaging both arms. She burst out laughing at one of Heliodoro's stories from his childhood as she pulled the only other stool beside Verus and sat down.

        "There is no wonder why you are very good in the Auxiliary," she chuckled.

        He preened under the compliment, flashing an easy smile and launching into another tale. Alex listened, chuckling where appropriate and laughing when the conversation was actually funny, always watching Verus for signs that another fever peak was coming. He watched her in return – but without explanation for why he was doing so. She shrugged off his amused stare because he was looking better, but now was much too soon to tell if what she'd done had helped or not.

        The Auxiliary Legate had relaxed around her, which would make any further interactions with him that much simpler. His comments toward her had stopped being double edged, and Verus had spoken plainly of Legion matters while they conversed socially – something she'd come to understand as not being done while women were around – which had immediately escalated Heliodoro's outward opinion of her. She had no idea what his internal thoughts were, though.

        As the tale wrapped up, she decided to speak with Brasus, Ixillius's greatest friend and his Optio – the second in command of the 6th and 4th century that Ixillius had been the Centurion of until tonight – and find out what rumors and truths Brasus knew of Heliodoro. Or that Brasus could find out.

                                                                ***

        Ixillius paused at the entrance to Verus's tent as he heard Alex laugh. So as not to look overly conspicuous, he took up a waiting station as though the conversation inside was not his business, and listened as the speaker launched into another tale; some childhood story, bearing nothing of importance within the current situation other than Alex was present to listen. And she was laughing.

        He ground his teeth against the jealousy that piled on top of the earlier anger, trying to force his face and stance to something less aggressive than he was feeling. Verus would see through him in a glance, but that didn't mean the rest of the camp needed to. The story was coming to a close, though, and he should've already been inside and getting orders from Verus for dealing with tomorrow. He cleared his throat as the laughing died off, announcing his presence.

        "Come," Verus called clearly, the strength of his voice a small relief, and another reason to question Alex.

        "First File, Lady Avilia," Ixillius greeted them both with a nod.