467 Courtship Rituals
After their little fracas with a would-be thief and a shopkeep, both Freya and Lucifer continued to sightsee the grand city laid out all around them. And of course, they snacked on candied plums and stuffed dates as they continued.
“Hey, um, before we go and visit the Ravens, how about we enjoy a bit of ‘us ti’?” asked Lucifer.
“What, you an like every other day in our lives?” Freya joked.
“No no, not like that. I an, without the jobs and the coin. Just you and and this city and a whole lotta fun. It’s just that I don’t think we really get to do that often, do we?”
“Oh, you an kinda like a date night?”
“Yeah, exactly!” Lucifer exclaid. “We haven’t been on a proper date in a long ti… Not since before we split off to do our own thing years ago.”
Freya blinked in realization. It had been quite a lot of ti since they did anything of that sort, just for the sake of being together. Although they had spent almost all of their ti together, it was just as Lucifer had said – too much business, not enough pleasure.
Well, with the exception of their nightti intimacies, of course. That was sothing neither failed to do on the regular.
She wasn’t quite sure why she had forgotten about all this, but then again she had been forgetting quite a lot of things lately. Or, more accurately, she had been rembering too much of a life that never existed.
.....
“Yeah, I’m down for date night,” she said after a mont. “What’re you in the mood for? Wanna check out the coliseum, maybe? See who’s fighting who?”
Lucifer shrugged at the suggestion. It wasn’t like ze didn’t like a good fight, but every fight they had personally participated in far eclipsed any fight they could watch.
“I guess it depends,” ze replied. “Are you looking to watch or join in? Personally, I’d get bored being a spectator. Can only really get so excited watching two people ham it up while they play at fighting each other.”
“I get what you an,” said Freya. “They’re more show, and less fight.”
“Yeah, exactly. And on top of it, if we want any kind of fun, we’d have to join in and challenge soone. Or maybe lots of soones at the sa ti. And at that point, we’d end up working instead of, er, coupling.”
“Alright, alright. So no arenas then. How about… ummm… brothels? I keep hearing that they’re basically tourist attractions in the city. Are you even into those?”
Lucifer looked at her questioningly. Ze didn’t expect her to suggest such a place – the Freya ze was familiar with wasn’t quite as outward with her sexuality. Not out of private, anyway.
But ze quickly brushed it off.
“It’s not a bad suggestion, and I wouldn’t normally mind, but…” ze replied.
“But?”
“Why?”
Freya shrugged slightly.
“I dunno, maybe to be a little naughtier than we are normally, I guess?” she said. “I an, aren’t you feeling more experintal? It might be a good ti to try things out, now that we’re in the city for a bit.”
“Experintal? I guess,” said Lucifer. “Not really all that tempted, honestly. I an, I’ve already got you, right? The both of us can pretty much do anything we want, especially out there. I guess what I’m saying is that experintation is what we do normally.
“I think for though I’m not quite so into the whole brothel experience because, well, aren’t most of ‘em slaves? Doesn’t quite sit right with .”
Freya grimaced lightly as she realized that Lucifer was right. Most of the n and won (and children) employed at brothels were mostly slaves. Or freed slaves. Either way, their existence there wasn’t always of their own will, even if they enjoyed their line of work.
Hell, even if they were paid very generously for their work.
Of course, both knew that the majority of work done in the entire empire was perford by slaves. Their use rose higher and higher as the years passed, with more duties taken from the plebes.
Which of course ant more money for the patricians that owned them, and less for the common people.
The fact that they were in the largest city in the empire didn’t change things in the slightest. In fact, both fundantally understood that the situation was far worse here.
“We really oughta do sothing about that,” muttered Freya. “Not just with the brothels, but everywhere.”
“Yeah, I agree,” Lucifer replied. “But not on date night, alright? Any other night but tonight. Although… a bit of small-ti slave freeing could be a fun post-coital activity, yeah?”
“Listen to you – ‘post coital activity’. You sure do know how to keep things nice and romantic.”
Although Freya chuckled at Lucifer’s choice of words, for so reason it nagged at her in the back of her mind. It seed too… programmatic.
Not that the words were wrong, of course. They worked just fine. They just didn’t seem to fit Lucifer, or vice-versa.
Lucifer however, simply sighed at being teased.
“We can fuck stuff up after we fuck,” ze said. “Or is that too crude for you, your highness?”
Freya burst out in laughter at hearing hir curse – this too seed out of character for Lucifer. But it was so outrageous that she couldn’t help but find it hilarious.
“Okay, fine, fine, fine,” Lucifer said after a few monts, and after Freya’s laughter died down a bit. “How about we go see a play or a show, then hit up so of the cheap tabernas afterwards? Or vice-versa?”
Still charged up with laughter, Freya chuckled as she tried to respond.
“We’re in ancient Ro, and the best thing you can think of for a date is dinner and a movie?” she said.
“Seriously, your teasing is incessant,” Lucifer groaned.
Ze even crossed hir arms in frustration, annoyed at being picked on. Freya quickly nudged hir with an elbow in an attempt to disarm hir annoyance.
“No sense pretending you don’t like it,” she said. “And besides, I didn’t say I didn’t wanna do it. Honestly, I kinda dig the idea. Old earth habits, new terra lifestyle.
“Though honestly, that’s exactly what I figure people did anyway when they courted each other. Went to see or experience so kind of entertainnt, and enjoyed a whole lot of wine in the process.”
Lucifer quickly loosened back up after hearing that Freya actually was ga for a simple kind of date night. It was more of a relief than anything – ze had a few more ideas, but was running out of all the good ones.
All the legal ideas, anyway.
“And hey, like I said maybe we could do sothing during the late night, post date,” ze added. “Just for fun, to cap things off.”
“Now that’s romance,” Freya said with a laugh.
By the ti they had finished debating and teasing each other, dusk had already started to fall.
And as the skies beca darker, so too did the streets. To avoid becoming prey to the night, many lit the nurous torches lined up in braziers everywhere. The city’s bustle began to ebb and fade as the majority of plebes and slaves went to get their duskti al.
Certainly, many of the streetside tabernas beca filled with all sorts of people, even as twilight descended down on them. While most retreated back to their hos after filling up, especially the slaves,, so stayed out to continue celebrating whatever day they had labored through.
Freya was surprised at how many people de-stressed their day through wine and song, sotis with copious amounts. Both were completely unsurprised to see that very few won were out, and that they were perhaps the most feminine figures out there on the streets.
Nightti wasn’t exactly safe in ancient Ro, especially in the city. And definitely not for won.
Sure, there were night watchn – Vigiles Urbani – patrolling around, but they didn’t exist to keep the peace between citizens. Not exactly, anyway. They existed to stop thieves and fires and catch runaway slaves.
Or, in other words, they protected the interests of the patricians, rather than the people.
Regardless, neither Freya nor Lucifer was particularly afraid. Both were certain they could handle whatever ca their way, even if it was a platoon of legionaries.
They elbowed their way through a small crowd of plebians into what seed to be a very popular taberna. There, the sll of grilled fish and vegetables wafted into the air, which wove around all the boisterous singing and conversation.
Both eventually made it to the L-shaped counter near the rear where a gruff man cooked up his goods over a few open fla grills. Next to him was his young female assistant, likely his daughter, who served up whatever food he made.
Lucifer gave her a wide smile as ze held up two fingers.
“Dinner and wine for two, please,” ze said happily.
The young girl imdiately acknowledged the order, and prepared their al for them. She first set a pitcher three-quarters full of wine in the middle of a wide basket, then placed two bowls, two spoons, and two mugs next to it. All made of wood.
Then she placed barley bread in each of the bowls, then poured a light brothy stew on top of it. The stew was mostly lentils and chickpeas, though there were marginal amounts of fish as well. She then topped it off with a chunk of cheese, then handed it over to Lucifer.
At the sa ti, Freya dropped a gold coin into the paynt basket right next to her, which she audibly gasped at the sight.
“Th-that’s too much!” she said.
“Well, give everyone else a bit extra for a while,” Freya replied with a shrug and a smile.
The both of them then headed off to the room behind the taberna, where a number of booth-like seats were lined up along the walls. The booths were rather simple, and had been ford out of shaped concrete. Most were already occupied by other patrons, so they went to the corner and sat down at the only empty one.
In the center of the booth was a circular pedestal, where they gently placed their basket tray filled with food and drink.
Both sat down and quickly chomped down on their delicious food. Although it was simple and relatively light, both found it extrely enjoyable. Sure, enjoying delicacies and the finer foods was always a treat, but food like this was always satisfying.
They took a sip of their wine, which was both potent and decently made. The taste was still rather strong, despite it being watered down a great deal. The alcohol quickly spread through their systems and ward their blood.
A warmth spread through them as their bellies and hearts swelled – their affection for each other filled their chests. They long since found that the simple act of enjoying a al together was as powerful as beating down so despot or tyrant sowhere.
It was a tried and true bonding experience.
“Never thought in a million years that we’d be in the middle of ancient Ro, enjoying the simplicity of life,” said Freya. “You really hit on a great idea there.”
“Sa,” Lucifer replied. “Honestly, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I just love you so much that it doesn’t even matter what we’re doing, as long as it’s together.”
Freya was absolutely floored by what Lucifer was saying. Ze had said the ‘L word’ so easily and so casually that she was practically disard.
It wasn’t the word itself, but rather she hardly ever heard hir say it. And of course, she knew that ze loved her deeply. Ze displayed it in hir every action and decision. But hearing hir say it out loud made it seem as though the entire world had shifted, sohow.
“I love you too,” Freya replied. “And I love that you said it. I an, I know you’ve always had trouble with the word. So hearing it now… I’m just glad you finally overca whatever was stopping you before.”
Lucifer quickly shot her a look of absolute puzzlent.
“What’cha an?” ze said incredulously. “I tell it to you all the ti. Allll the ti. I an, I said it at least a half dozen tis on our trip here – once a day, practically!”
“Really?” Freya said in mild shock.
Her mind was suddenly filled with mories of Lucifer doing exactly that – hir professions of love. And ze was never once shy about it. Each ti ze said it, it ca easily and quickly, for all sorts of reasons, big or small.
She shook her head, unable to understand why she forgot all of it.
.....
“Oh, right,” she said. “For so reason, I thought… I… you know, nevermind. Just got confused for a second there.”
“Okay, I think it’s ti we stopped delaying things,” Lucifer said with a deep sigh. “Tomorrow, we head straight for Azrael and get you checked out. At first light, even. And no distractions or excuses ‘til then.”
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