[Begin Scene]
"... And on this day, after years of setbacks, we are proud to open... The Coliseum!"
A deep, male voice boomed out through the air, triggering a joyous round of applause and cheers. In front of a massive structure known only as "The Coliseum" stood a pack of toga-wearing citizens, all of them cheering in response to the news of the establishment finally being built. Throngs of people began to pour into the many opened archways, ready to see the beginning of the festivities. Their sandals clapped noticeably as they men and women alike poured into the Coliseum, except for one.
A single, blond woman ducked through the crowd in an attempt to escape it, not wanting to be swept up in the rabble.
"E-excuse me... Please, watch out... I... I'm trying..." The mousy woman kept mumbling to people as she tried to her best to get by them, but they seemed to only ignore her and kept moving forward. With a quiet squeak, she managed to break through the back of the pack, nearly falling on her face as he tripped over her toga; luckily, she got her hands up just in time.
She let a huff escape her lips, hoping the air would knock her bangs away from her eyes. Without much grace at all, she pushed herself up to her feet and gave her toga a quick dusting off, mumbling to herself the whole time.
"Barbarians... I don't get why they like violence so much..." She griped under her breath before giving the massive structure a look over her shoulder. She couldn't deny that it was impressive, but the fact that it would only be used for the citizens' damned bloodsports only made her sick to her stomach. With a sigh, she turned her head back and began walking down the stone-paved road leading in the opposite direction.
As she walked, she couldn't help but take in the sights as she went along her way. City stalls were still open on every side of the street, with stragglers being conned into buying something extravagant that they didn't need. Perfumes, pottery, clothing, oils, all kinds of wares were being peddled, even as the Coliseum opened its doors for today's grand battles. A little chuckle resonated from her throat and she gave a shake of her blond locks; she thought it was silly to be selling wares at this hour, but what did she know? She was no merchant.
The woman continued her path down the road until she was close to being away from all the stalls and shops in the area; however, at the very end, a male voice called out louder than the rest of the merchants.
"Minervina! Yes, girl! Come here!"
The woman, apparently known as Minervina, stopped in her tracks and gave her blue eyes an annoyed roll. Without missing a beat, she turned to her side and put a small smile on her lips as she spotted the merchant that had been calling to her; it was a young, light-skinned man with black hair, standing behind a stall of various jars. He gave the Minervina a wicked grin as she approached the stall. "You didn't think you could sneak by without saying hello, did you?"
"N-no, of course not... Hello, Marcel. H-how are you today? Have you sold much?"
Marcel lofted a brow at the girl and took a quick moment to look around, as if expecting people to come approach the stall. "Oh yeah, with all the people about, right? The Row is just so busy today!" He said with a strong hint of sarcasm and a small s**t-eating grin to accompany it.
Minervina shook her head and gave an annoyed little huff, even going as far as to turn her gaze away from the man. "I don't understand w-why you're always so rude..."
"Oh, come now! I was only teasing, dear Minervina! Don't be like that, you know I wouldn't be rude to you," the man responded as he leaned to the side, as if trying to get back into her field of view.
The woman tried to keep her eyes away from his, but eventually gave in and looked back to him, with a very faint smile on her lips. "W-well, I think you should stop. Especially since I lack the time for such t-teasing..."
Marcel's lips remained curled into a smile when she finally looked back at him, and he leaned forward on the stall to get a bit closer. "Going to the old man's place today, then? He'd make you work on a beautiful day like this?"
"Well, of co-course. Where else would I be? Enjoying the bloodsports with the rest of the c-city?"
"Anything's better than that stuffy library, dear Minervina," Marcel responded in a matter-of-fact manner, even tilting his head to the side and giving her a smirk.
The woman quickly shook her blond locks in disagreement, "You're wrong! The library is the b-best! Scrolls and tablets covered in all sorts of knowledge... tales of the past... historical records... all s-sorts of things! How could you not love that?!"
Marcel gave a shake of his shaggy locks as he began to kneel behind his stall, "Whatever you say, girl. Well, if you're going to see the old man, maybe you could help me out..." He rose back to his feet and put a small jar sealed with a top on the table. "He's in need of his weekly olive oil delivery. Think you could take it for me? I'd love to go, but I'm allergic to old, dusty scrolls."
Minervina let out a reluctant sigh and gave the man a dismissive shake of her head, "I'll never understand y-you..." She reached forward and took the jar of oil, grasping it carefully in both hands. "If you're so allergic to t-them, maybe you ought to stay away f-from me... after all, I spend all my time with those scrolls, Marcel..."
She began to walk away from the stall, hearing Marcel call back to her as she walked away, "I'd deal with the sneezing to see you anytime, Minervina!"
She couldn't resist letting a small smile creep on her lips as she walked out of his sight.
Minervina continued her path for another couple of minutes, passing by other houses and buildings, until she came upon a large set of stone stairs. Her head tilted up to look at the building that towered above. It was a large, square-like stone structure, sitting in the shadow of a massive mountain just a couple of miles away. The city library, a building that held the entire history of the city. Troves of scrolls and piles of tablets, and she had the privilege of working there. Once she got over the daily shock of seeing the building, she cautiously trekked up the stairs and disappeared into the large doorway, eager to get to work.
"You're late." A weathered voice addressed the girl as she entered the building, and she increased her pace to that of a jog upon being addressed.
"I-I'm sorry, sir!... Marcel stopped me along the way, he wanted me to bring you your olive o-oil..." Minervina mumbled as she approached the desk in the front area. She put the olive oil on the corner of the desk and looked to the old figure sitting behind it. He wore the same style of clothing that the rest of the citizens wore, except his long, white beard seemed to be long enough to practically attach to his toga. He gave her a nod of his balding head, which triggered a quick bow from her.
"I-It won't happen again, sir..."
"Hmph. I've heard that before..." The old man grumbled before standing from his chair and turning away, beginning a path of towards the bookshelves that extended towards the back of the building. "Come now... some new scrolls came in today, we must go about organizing..."
"C-coming sir!" Minervina stuttered and scampered around the desk, wanting to catch up to him as quickly as she could. As she began to go passed the desk, something stopped her cold in her stride; it felt like the ground shook. It was brief, so much so that it seemed to only happen for a split second. There were no sounds of something causing the ground to shake under her feet, but something did... Something had to have.
When that split second finally went by, she heard the sound of clay shattering. Minervina whirled around to look for the sound, only to see the jar of olive oil had disappeared. Instead of resting on the desk, it was now shattered all over the floor, the olive oil itself spilled out and beginning to seep into the stonework on the floor.
"... Clumsy girl." The old man's gruff, annoyed tone hit Minervina like a boulder, knocking her back into reality. She gave her head a quick shake, as if trying to pull her thoughts together. "Get a cloth, clean it up... Be quick, girl..." The man's irritable words echoed off as he disappeared through the bookshelves, leaving Minervina alone.
"B-but... I didn't hit the desk..." She whispered to herself, then taking a moment to look around the room. It looked like nothing else had even shifted; just the single jar of olive oil had fallen over. Whatever caused it, she was sure it wasn't her. Alas, she couldn't exactly argue with the accusation either. She gave her head another small shake before going about to find a cloth to clean up the mess...
[End Scene]
"... And on this day, after years of setbacks, we are proud to open... The Coliseum!"
A deep, male voice boomed out through the air, triggering a joyous round of applause and cheers. In front of a massive structure known only as "The Coliseum" stood a pack of toga-wearing citizens, all of them cheering in response to the news of the establishment finally being built. Throngs of people began to pour into the many opened archways, ready to see the beginning of the festivities. Their sandals clapped noticeably as they men and women alike poured into the Coliseum, except for one.
A single, blond woman ducked through the crowd in an attempt to escape it, not wanting to be swept up in the rabble.
"E-excuse me... Please, watch out... I... I'm trying..." The mousy woman kept mumbling to people as she tried to her best to get by them, but they seemed to only ignore her and kept moving forward. With a quiet squeak, she managed to break through the back of the pack, nearly falling on her face as he tripped over her toga; luckily, she got her hands up just in time.
She let a huff escape her lips, hoping the air would knock her bangs away from her eyes. Without much grace at all, she pushed herself up to her feet and gave her toga a quick dusting off, mumbling to herself the whole time.
"Barbarians... I don't get why they like violence so much..." She griped under her breath before giving the massive structure a look over her shoulder. She couldn't deny that it was impressive, but the fact that it would only be used for the citizens' damned bloodsports only made her sick to her stomach. With a sigh, she turned her head back and began walking down the stone-paved road leading in the opposite direction.
As she walked, she couldn't help but take in the sights as she went along her way. City stalls were still open on every side of the street, with stragglers being conned into buying something extravagant that they didn't need. Perfumes, pottery, clothing, oils, all kinds of wares were being peddled, even as the Coliseum opened its doors for today's grand battles. A little chuckle resonated from her throat and she gave a shake of her blond locks; she thought it was silly to be selling wares at this hour, but what did she know? She was no merchant.
The woman continued her path down the road until she was close to being away from all the stalls and shops in the area; however, at the very end, a male voice called out louder than the rest of the merchants.
"Minervina! Yes, girl! Come here!"
The woman, apparently known as Minervina, stopped in her tracks and gave her blue eyes an annoyed roll. Without missing a beat, she turned to her side and put a small smile on her lips as she spotted the merchant that had been calling to her; it was a young, light-skinned man with black hair, standing behind a stall of various jars. He gave the Minervina a wicked grin as she approached the stall. "You didn't think you could sneak by without saying hello, did you?"
"N-no, of course not... Hello, Marcel. H-how are you today? Have you sold much?"
Marcel lofted a brow at the girl and took a quick moment to look around, as if expecting people to come approach the stall. "Oh yeah, with all the people about, right? The Row is just so busy today!" He said with a strong hint of sarcasm and a small s**t-eating grin to accompany it.
Minervina shook her head and gave an annoyed little huff, even going as far as to turn her gaze away from the man. "I don't understand w-why you're always so rude..."
"Oh, come now! I was only teasing, dear Minervina! Don't be like that, you know I wouldn't be rude to you," the man responded as he leaned to the side, as if trying to get back into her field of view.
The woman tried to keep her eyes away from his, but eventually gave in and looked back to him, with a very faint smile on her lips. "W-well, I think you should stop. Especially since I lack the time for such t-teasing..."
Marcel's lips remained curled into a smile when she finally looked back at him, and he leaned forward on the stall to get a bit closer. "Going to the old man's place today, then? He'd make you work on a beautiful day like this?"
"Well, of co-course. Where else would I be? Enjoying the bloodsports with the rest of the c-city?"
"Anything's better than that stuffy library, dear Minervina," Marcel responded in a matter-of-fact manner, even tilting his head to the side and giving her a smirk.
The woman quickly shook her blond locks in disagreement, "You're wrong! The library is the b-best! Scrolls and tablets covered in all sorts of knowledge... tales of the past... historical records... all s-sorts of things! How could you not love that?!"
Marcel gave a shake of his shaggy locks as he began to kneel behind his stall, "Whatever you say, girl. Well, if you're going to see the old man, maybe you could help me out..." He rose back to his feet and put a small jar sealed with a top on the table. "He's in need of his weekly olive oil delivery. Think you could take it for me? I'd love to go, but I'm allergic to old, dusty scrolls."
Minervina let out a reluctant sigh and gave the man a dismissive shake of her head, "I'll never understand y-you..." She reached forward and took the jar of oil, grasping it carefully in both hands. "If you're so allergic to t-them, maybe you ought to stay away f-from me... after all, I spend all my time with those scrolls, Marcel..."
She began to walk away from the stall, hearing Marcel call back to her as she walked away, "I'd deal with the sneezing to see you anytime, Minervina!"
She couldn't resist letting a small smile creep on her lips as she walked out of his sight.
Minervina continued her path for another couple of minutes, passing by other houses and buildings, until she came upon a large set of stone stairs. Her head tilted up to look at the building that towered above. It was a large, square-like stone structure, sitting in the shadow of a massive mountain just a couple of miles away. The city library, a building that held the entire history of the city. Troves of scrolls and piles of tablets, and she had the privilege of working there. Once she got over the daily shock of seeing the building, she cautiously trekked up the stairs and disappeared into the large doorway, eager to get to work.
"You're late." A weathered voice addressed the girl as she entered the building, and she increased her pace to that of a jog upon being addressed.
"I-I'm sorry, sir!... Marcel stopped me along the way, he wanted me to bring you your olive o-oil..." Minervina mumbled as she approached the desk in the front area. She put the olive oil on the corner of the desk and looked to the old figure sitting behind it. He wore the same style of clothing that the rest of the citizens wore, except his long, white beard seemed to be long enough to practically attach to his toga. He gave her a nod of his balding head, which triggered a quick bow from her.
"I-It won't happen again, sir..."
"Hmph. I've heard that before..." The old man grumbled before standing from his chair and turning away, beginning a path of towards the bookshelves that extended towards the back of the building. "Come now... some new scrolls came in today, we must go about organizing..."
"C-coming sir!" Minervina stuttered and scampered around the desk, wanting to catch up to him as quickly as she could. As she began to go passed the desk, something stopped her cold in her stride; it felt like the ground shook. It was brief, so much so that it seemed to only happen for a split second. There were no sounds of something causing the ground to shake under her feet, but something did... Something had to have.
When that split second finally went by, she heard the sound of clay shattering. Minervina whirled around to look for the sound, only to see the jar of olive oil had disappeared. Instead of resting on the desk, it was now shattered all over the floor, the olive oil itself spilled out and beginning to seep into the stonework on the floor.
"... Clumsy girl." The old man's gruff, annoyed tone hit Minervina like a boulder, knocking her back into reality. She gave her head a quick shake, as if trying to pull her thoughts together. "Get a cloth, clean it up... Be quick, girl..." The man's irritable words echoed off as he disappeared through the bookshelves, leaving Minervina alone.
"B-but... I didn't hit the desk..." She whispered to herself, then taking a moment to look around the room. It looked like nothing else had even shifted; just the single jar of olive oil had fallen over. Whatever caused it, she was sure it wasn't her. Alas, she couldn't exactly argue with the accusation either. She gave her head another small shake before going about to find a cloth to clean up the mess...
[End Scene]
[[I know this may have seemed long-winded and pointless, but trust me. It probably is. I hope not though.]]
