Meet You At The Market (Lux)

[MARCIA LEVINE]

The New Rome Market was actually called The New Rome Produce Market, but as far back as Markie could remember, just about everyone she knew simply called it The New Rome Market. It was strictly a produce market though- fruits and veggies, some grain products here and there. No meat or milk. Markie, as well as her parents before her, left those two food groups to other merchants. Markie was proud of what they sold though. Not only was it fresh and homegrown, but Markie had grown a good bit of it with the powers she had inherited from her godly grandparents, Bacchus and Ceres. Her powers weren't as strong as those of her mother and father, but as she grew older and learned how to use what she had, they had done her well in the business she now ran.

Markie walked about, checking over the recent fruits she had brought in. She knew they would be in good condition, but she wanted to make sure the market was well stocked on everything as the next day was a big marketing day for citizens of New Rome. It was a bit quieter that day, so she could take the time to do the inspection.

"I swore we had more strawberries, Deanna," she said to one of her female employees.

"Janie Lovegood came in and bought a bunch of them to make pies," said Deanna. "For that upcoming dance in honor of Venus."

"She is one of Venus's daughters, so that makes sense," chuckled Markie. "I'll go and see about getting some more after I finish the inspection. Oh, Aunt Audrey is coming by to pick up a shipment grapes to pay tribute at Bacchus' Temple. Could you make sure those are ready? Thank you." Deanna nodded and went on her way.

Lux Aurelius Morgenstern

[Lux Aurelius Morgenstern]

Lux was at the Market, mostly to purchase supplies. He'd been up and about, collecting some things for the new apartment he'd moved into recently. He knew that as augur he'd soon enough be far too busy to spend an awful lot of time decorating but that hardly mattered. The Legion had it's place and it would come first. He was more than aware of honour and glory due to how his father had raised him, but he did find himself missing out on some of the more mundane things at times. It was part of why he was on his way to the market. His old friend Marcia ran the produce market and he missed seeing her around. She'd retired from the Legion while he still served in his own way.

He'd heard about a dance in the honour of Venus coming up and he was rather bummed out to discover it was on the Greek end. He still was very determined to attend, he just knew that going to such events alone was a risk. People tended to have love and romance on their minds and well, he found all of that very intimidating. He'd decided that company was company and he wouldn't be in trouble if he had company with him. So he'd opted to ask Marcia, whom he considered one of his best friends. Once upon a time he'd fancied her but when it became clear to him that his feelings were not reciprocated he'd worked hard to leave that behind him. Now he just cherished their good bond and friendship.

He walked into the shop she had and smiled slightly as he did so. He walked up to her with his usual confidence and grinned. "You look good Marcia." He said as he approached, his gladius belted at the hip as always. He never went anywhere without his weapon. It was, in a way, a matter of pride to him. He was formal as always and looked around the shop for a moment. "How is business? Is the upcoming dance for Venus positively affecting sales?" He asked, half to be polite and half out of genuine curiosity. He was a man for politics far more than business and his aspirations still surfaced from time to time. He wanted to be a good leader but it wasn't particularly easy. Everybody always seemed to know how to do better and unless you were a child of the big Three, you were never considered a natural leader. The children of Mars had that advantage on the battle field, which only made sense. He personally desired a position with less fighting and more bound to rules that would make life as optimal as possible for everybody that he considered to be his own people. That was his goal, to create a safe environment for all demigods, although he currently had a job to care for the Romans. If the Greeks would turn out to be worthy of a trust there was nothing more fullfilling than to start a new life together between the two factions.

MARCIA LEVINE

[MARCIA LEVINE]

Markie turned and absolutely beamed when she saw Lux. After all this time, her heart still warmed when she saw him. That feeling was still there as Lux had only grown stronger and more handsome. Sadly, Markie felt she had long lost her chance to tell her how she felt about him. Maybe back when they were both just legionnaires in their cohort, she would have had a shot, but now he was an Augur and she... well she just ran her business. Still, the feelings were very much there.

"Thanks," she said when Lux said she looked good. "You look... great yourself. You an Augur? I mean, I knew you were destined for greatness, but it's still hard to believe my old cohort buddy has grown so... well you know what I mean. I couldn't be happier for you."

Lux then asked about the dance and Venus and Markie tensed up a bit. Talking about love or the Goddess of Love with Lux made her do that. Talking about a dance didn't help matters either.

"Oh yes, it's definitely rose sales on passion fruit," she chuckled. "I've been running back and forth to keep things stocked." She then cleared her throat just a bit. "Soooo... are you going to the dance? Have you... found a date yet?"

Lux Aurelius Morgenstern

[Lux Aurelius Morgenstern]

It was warming to his heart to see that Marcia was always happy to see him. He cared about her a great deal and to see that she seemed to feel the same way in terms of his presence in her life was comforting. Still, he wasn't quite sure how to handle this situation as he wasn't really used to getting close to people. He was so used to keeping a professional distance. Dating within the cohorts had always been a messy and risky situation in case of break ups and he hadn't been willing to risk anything harming his career within in the legion. He had always put his career before everything else but he was ready to explore other aspects. Besides, it helped she was no longer part of the Legion. If anything was still there, it was allowed to grow this time around.

Yet he was more than aware he probably far too late. Either his feelings were not what they had been once or she surely would have moved on with her life if she'd ever felt the same to begin with. He couldn't allow himself to dwell in the idea, not even now that he had time to explore. He couldn't let it distract him from his duty to the Legion. So he kept his distance still, out of habit and concern. He smiled at her praise. "I've worked for it a long time. It's nice that I was finally able to get a position where I feel I can mean something for the Legion, although I do hope to retire within the next few years and hopefully join the Senate. There is too much I still want to do in this world for the Romans. Perhaps for all demigods now." He mused the last bit. It seemed more and more like the best choice as time passed, although he still wasn't fully sold on it.

He was glad her business seemed to profit from the upcoming event. It meant her business was thriving and that they were sure to have quite the wonderful treats at the party. When she asked if he was going and if he had a date yet, he passed a hand through his hair as he looked out onto the street. He wasn't quite sure what he expected or how he was supposed to ask in a way that didn't give of the wrong idea. The problem was more than he wasn't even sure what he wanted this to be. He looked at her and smiled slightly. "I will be going, yes. It's a perfect opportunity for the people of both camps to mingle and bond. It should be good for the relations between both camps as well. Since I'm a high ranking official I feel it's my duty to go, even though I probably might have gone otherwise as well." He said, as always the job factored in, didn't it? He then looked at her. "I was actually hoping you wanted to accompany me. If nothing else it should give us some time to fully catch up again. I've missed spending time with you." That seemed perfect. It didn't suggest anything inappropriate but did clearly display he wanted to spend this evening with her over other people in terms of company. Perfect right?

MARCIA LEVINE

[MARCIA LEVINE]

Markie smiled when Lux said he was doing something that made him finally mean something to the Legion. She reached over and took his hand, giving a friendly squeeze.

"Lux, you have always meant something to the Legion," she said. "Even back when we were a couple of kids sparing together. I wasn't the only one who knew that you were even great back then. And if you do go into the Senate, you know I'll support you there as well. I've always had your back and always will."

Markie couldn't help but chuckle when Lux listed the professional reasons to go to the dance. She adored him, but the man could be so serious, not that she herself was any kind of goofball. She did like to let loose now and then though.

"Well, also go to have some fun too," she said. She then pretended to think it over when Lux asked if she wanted to go. Of course she did! She had to play it cool though. "Well, I am a busy, busy woman, but... I think I can squeeze a little dance into the schedule." She then grinned. "Lux, I would love to go to the dance with you." She then patted his shoulder. "But like I said... let's have fun there. I expect to hit the dance floor at least a few times."

Lux Aurelius Morgenstern

[Lux Aurelius Morgenstern]

Hearing the amount of faith and confidence that Marcia had in him always gave him a warm feeling in his heart. She was one of the most important people in his life, even outside of the Legion. Most people in his life always held relevance in the Legion but she'd left her position and he didn't feel regret over it. It had been her time to go and it didn't mean that he got to see her any less. Their interactions were finally allowed to be less formal and she used that to bring a more relaxed atmosphere to their interactions. Lux didn't exactly know how to act outside of his role as servant of the Legion so whenever he felt he could, he tended to follow her lead on that. He had plenty of time to lead others, sometimes it was nice to let other people take the reigns.

Then she mentioned that he was also supposed to have fun. What was that supposed to even mean?! He had fun! He was one big ball of fun! Well, not really and he knew it, but he couldn't help himself as he snorted a little indignantly. "Of course I'll have fun." He said, as if such a thing was normal and natural to him. As if duty wasn't always his primary concern. Well, at least she was still willing to go with him. He raised an eyebrow slightly. "Do you have a number I should be aiming for or are you keeping it vague on purpose?" He asked, a very serious look on his face. He was kidding, partially. He wanted to have fun, but it didn't suit him to admit such things. Anything informal was pretty much outside his comfort zone. Then he frowned. "How formal do you expect the dress code to be?" He had a ceremonial armour but he didn't own any suits. That idea was simply crazy. Suits? No, they were far too easy to get stabbed through for the price one paid for them.

MARCIA LEVINE

[MARCIA LEVINE]

Markie playfully rolled her eyes when Lux promised to have fun. She would believe it when she saw it. Then again, if he tried to break his promise, she would ensure he did have fun at the dance. She knew how to work her brand of magic after all.

"Oh trust me, I know you'll have fun," she said. She then smirked about the number of dances or being vague. "We'll... play it by ear I suppose." She then laughed a bit about the dress code. "If Lady Venus is putting on this dance, it might be safe to dress to the nines. I have a little number that I plan to wear in mind though. I had it specially made at one of the dress shops near the market. I think you'll like it." Yes, that did sound a bit flirty, but they were going to the dance together, right? This was a date, so she doubted the flirting was all that harmful.

Markie then grinned at her friend.

"Okay, enough about the dance," she said. "I want to hear the really juicy news. How are things shaping up at camp for the next war games? I miss the ones we participated in... and won a lot of, but I still love hearing about the new ones."

Lux Aurelius Morgenstern

[Lux Aurelius Morgenstern]

Lux felt completely off his mark when Marcia appeared to start flirting. It took him merely seconds to convince himself that he was fooling himself completely. Surely that wasn't reality. "I suppose I'll bring out the ceremonial armour for it. It's a bit of a hassle compared to the normal stuff but I don't want to risk offending Venus either. No matter how much I love my job I do hope to have a family some time in the future." Distant future. He felt nowhere near ready to be a dad just yet, but it still was part of the dream he had for his adult life. He didn't really want to consider who with, as that had more to do with his fear that maybe it wouldn't be the person he currently hoped that might be with. She had seemed to be flirting with him though, but he was not exactly good at differentiating between flirting and regular playful banter in dating context. The idea Marcia might want to date him seemed a bit silly. They were going as friends, right?

The topic change away from the dance brought him some more ease and comfort as he straightened up by nature. Just like in the old days when he was giving reports. "Things are shaping up well. So far the First Cohort is doing decently but the Second is looking like they will probably take it away. Between Vira and Cicero they have a good team that balances out well in training. They remind me of the first Centurion we had around. Really tough on the new recruits but they prepare them well. It looks very promising for them in the next games. I didn't tell them, naturally. While they probably wouldn't let things slip if they felt up to scratch I don't want the risk that they got over confident either. I mostly didn't really voice my stance on how they were likely to do. It seemed like the safer bet. I prefer the games fair."

MARCIA LEVINE