c a t h a r s i s ||iuliana||

[MERE]

And now I'm your apple eating heathen

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any old rib stealing eve.

Mere sat in the tepidarium, letting the warmth expunge the winter chill outside. She didn’t plan on working that night, and she had spent most of her day lazing around. Later, she would go out and party to make up for it the next day. But for now, she relaxed in the steam wearing only a towel, watching the other women conversing and laughing. The baths were crowded today, as they usually were during the winter months.

A female attendant brought her a clay goblet of wine, and Mere took it gladly.

“Mere, isn't it a little too early to drink?” the slave asked.

Being friendly with everyone, and a usual patron of the baths, Mere knew most of the people here. It was not unusual for even slaves to refer to her familiarly, and even less unusual for others to lecture her about her drinking habits.

She waved her hand. “Oh, don’t worry so much.”

She shooed the attendant away. After all, Mere never became too inebriated, always staying on top of her game. Even when she seemed out of her mind, she always had a keen grip on the situation. In her business, it would be dangerous not to be in control, even when her clients thought they were the ones on top.

After scraping the oil off with a strigil, Mere stepped into one of the pools and swam to the side, placing her goblet on the edge. She dreaded the thought of having to go back out, and just focused her mind on the heat. As she leaned her arms against the side, and rested her head atop them, she observed her surroundings with cunning green eyes.

wordcount; about 300
tagged; Iuliana 8)
notes; lazy post is lazy. but i like it. *.*
lyrics; worms by beth orton.

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[IULIANA CALIDUS]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500px][atrb=background,http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx24/cyyne/bgtemplate8.png][atrb=style,border-radius: 30; -moz-border-radius: 30;] and remember what it felt like a day in the baths was something that she dreaded. not because she was insecure (no, she was never insecure, confident iuliana) but because she didn't like going to public baths. if her family had one of her own, well, she would be in it whenever she could without it being damaging her to her looks. but alas, her father was insistent that they save their money for more "important" things, such as where they were going to go next, or perhaps what shipment they were going to purchase. so here she was. iuliana calidus looked particularly displeased, her thick blonde hair trailing down her back and her thin form covered by naught but a towel. she moved through the ladies' baths, looking for one that wasn't as crowded as the others. women glanced and whispered as she passed, giggle and tittering here and there. another reason she disliked public baths - it gave people reason to talk. again, it wasn't as if she was ashamed of herself or anything. she just thought that if anyone should be seeing her without any clothes on, it shouldn't be another woman. at any rate, she finally came to a bath that wasn't so crowded. in fact, it had only one person it. she stopped outside of it, let her towel slide to the floor, and slipped into the water across from the other woman. "hope you don't mind me slipping in here," she said, giving a sigh as she let herself slide to the top of the water. "i don't want to sit in with all of those harpies." the pieces come together for some reason just as well

[MERE]

And now I'm your apple eating heathen

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any old rib stealing eve.

A small wave alerted Mere to her new companion, and she lifted an eyebrow. Usually, the women did not approach her (unless they wished for her intimate company, which was rare)—she approached them.

The new arrival looked peeved as she slid into the empty pool. She must have been of higher birth, with beautiful hair like that. Hopefully, this girl would prove interesting, a distraction from the hum-drum around Mere. Life had begun to seem quite dull as of late, the denizens of Rome absorbed in riots and the dilapidated state of their once great empire—too much politics for Mere’s taste.

She preferred to laze around, absorbing the gossip of the women in the baths and the markets, planting her own inklings in their minds. Did you hear about so and so? Mere would say as she slipped into a group of chatting females. I hear he will soon fall into economic ruin for his involvement in this and that. Not simply to spread scandal but to see how others reacted to Mere herself and if they were suspicious of her in any way.

After all, Mere was not the perfect Roman woman. Her occupation was legal (with those who disapproved, of course), it was her other activities that garnered wary glances and talk. Her ambiguous connections to illicit business made her a person of interest in the city. And she did nothing to steer these accusations away from her.

Mere gave the girl a smile like a pleased cat. “But of course.” She swirled the liquid in her goblet; it was an older red wine, a niger. Surprisingly, the prostitute hadn’t already downed it all. She mentally thanked the attendant who must have had a sixth sense, always at the ready with another cup. Mere was never without spirits, though such a thing was forbidden to women. “Would you care for a sip? You seem a bit tense, Miss…" She tilted her head. "It seems I haven’t caught your name.”

wordcount; 300+
tagged; iuli~
notes; sorry for late reply and ramblingness...
lyrics; worms by beth orton.

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