Every fifth day, Albus awoke
particularly early in order to make his lengthy journey to the Forum Boarium of
which demanded him to walk down Velia and pass through the Forum Romanum. Emerging
from the slave quarters, Albus immediately looked to the road to find an empty
void filling the gateway where Severus, not only his travel partner but his
best friend, usually stood ready to greet him. Solitude or companionship, Albus
had a job to be done, and so his well-worn, leather calcei hit the stony path of Rome’s roads.
Market days were akin to
upper-class leisure days in his opinion. Providing he returned with the goods
before sundown, the manner in which Albus spent his day was at his discretion
only. Both Severus and he notably liked passing time in the Forum Romanum, but
for quite separate reasons. Severus liked to stop and admire the architecture
of the large Basilica Aemilia. He
especially enjoyed counting each of the barrel-shaped partitions as if the number
had changed since their last visit. Albus, conversely, took much pleasure in
strolling past the western side of it to observe its more animated commodities
– the prostitutes. Forbidden to wear the traditional Stola of Roman women, it always was a strange sight to see women
often draped in togas. However, like any youthful male, he gaped at the women
and their bodies and especially enjoyed participating in their banter as they
jestingly propositioned him. One of the masters eventually pushed him away for
wasting his girl’s valuable time. While he did so begrudgingly, he knew it was
for the best. Albus had lingered longer
than he had expected. He parted them with a farewell kiss to the air and
continued on his way to the cattle market.
Before he knew it, he was entering
into the wide open space of the Forum Boarium where the amalgamation of smells
of damp earth, fresh manure, salt, and smoke filled his nostrils. It was the
manure trace that led him exactly to where he needed to go.
--Eryn Persico
