In the Asiaticus courtyard, Murmilla has marked a practice square with broom handles, folded blankets, and water jars. Castor and Pollux stand within it, eager and wary.
Murmilla
No blades today. You will learn distance, balance, and how to stop before enthusiasm becomes an injury.
Aurelia watches from the doorway, arms folded over her light-colored dress. Marcus circles the arrangement, testing each boundary with his sandal and giving a guarded nod.
Marcus Flavius
Household equipment is sufficient, provided everyone respects the limits. A fighter’s first protection is knowing who controls the terms.
Murmilla
Exactly. We can share drills, warnings, and witnesses without sharing purses, names, or the right to leave. Aid must not become ownership.
Aurelia
Then teach them that a favor has an ending. The person who names the debt afterward has already changed the bargain.
The twins begin a careful retreat between the jars, trying not to collide. Murmilla corrects their footwork while Marcus watches the lesson, and Aurelia keeps the doorway clear.
“When the exercise is ended, Valeria tells Murmilla, "The school is run by Gaius Marcellus, who was keeping some gladiators there under faulty and unenforceable contracts. I persuaded him to prepare new contracts, which I will review and which will be registered with the Colosseum, so you can accept the job offer if you want. But I found the man coarse and distasteful, and I see that you are capable of giving basic gladiatorial instruction. So I can, without reservation, recommend you to a more reputable school, if you wish."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Oratory, rolled +1)
The exercise ends when Murmilla raises her hand. Castor and Pollux step from the square, flushed and breathless, while the water jars remain undisturbed.
Valeria Asiaticus
The school is run by Gaius Marcellus, who kept gladiators under faulty, unenforceable contracts. I persuaded him to prepare new terms, which I will review and have registered with the Colosseum, so you can accept the offer if you wish. But I found him coarse and distasteful. You are capable of giving basic gladiatorial instruction, so I can recommend you without reservation to a more reputable school, if you wish.
Murmilla absorbs this in silence. Behind her, the twins exchange an unusually serious glance, while Aurelia folds the practice cloths and Marcus watches for the answer.
Murmilla
You offer me a choice, not a rescue disguised as a debt. That matters. I would hear the reputable school’s terms, provided my name, purse, movement, and right to leave remain mine.
Marcus Flavius
Then the recommendation must travel with the same safeguards. No private promise, no unnamed master, and no training arrangement that outruns its written term.
Aurelia
And let the school understand that instruction is work, not possession. Murmilla has already earned the household’s trust by teaching plainly.
Murmilla nods and gathers the broom handles, her decision settled enough for the household to proceed. The afternoon lesson ends as a lawful exchange, not another chain.
“After supper, she asks Castor and Pollux how they liked the lesson.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Oratory, rolled +1)
After supper, the household settles around the courtyard lamps. Murmilla folds the practice cloths, Aurelia clears the bowls, and the twins sit shoulder to shoulder.
Valeria Asiaticus
Castor, Pollux, how did you like the lesson?
Castor
I liked the part where we moved quickly. I did not like stopping before I reached the jar.
Pollux
I liked learning how not to fall. Castor kept stepping on my foot and calling it instruction.
Murmilla hides a smile while Aurelia sets down the last bowl. Marcus leans against the courtyard wall, listening without interrupting.
Murmilla
They learned well. Castor rushes toward advantage, Pollux watches for balance, and both understand more than they did this morning.
Marcus Flavius
That is a sound beginning. Tomorrow they should repeat the same work, then learn how to yield space without losing their footing.
✓ Quest Accepted
Continue Murmilla’s supervised instruction of Castor and Pollux under agreed limits
“"Stepping on your foot was instructive. Things like that can happen. I defeated a retiaria because she stepped on her own net, immobilizing herself. We can continue with the gladiatorial instruction if you want. Murmilla is an excellent instructor, and I hope to find a good job for her. But remember, your mother will be very disappointed if you grow up to become gladiators. You are meant for greater things."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Oratory, rolled +0)
Valeria Asiaticus
Stepping on your foot was instructive. It happens. I defeated a retiaria when she stepped on her own net and immobilized herself.
Valeria Asiaticus
We can continue the gladiatorial instruction if you wish. Murmilla is an excellent instructor, and I hope to find her good employment. But your mother would be disappointed if you became gladiators. You are meant for greater things.
Castor rubs the offended foot with exaggerated solemnity. Pollux glances toward Aurelia, who has heard every word while stacking the bowls.
Castor
I do not intend to become a gladiator. I intend to become someone who never steps on a net.
Pollux
I might continue the lessons, though. Learning not to fall seems useful for every greater thing.
Murmilla
Then we continue as students, not recruits. Tomorrow they will practice yielding space, recovering balance, and leaving the square when instructed.
Aurelia
Their future may be greater than the arena, but discipline will serve them wherever it leads. Murmilla, we will hear any honest employment you find.
Quest Complete
Continue Murmilla’s supervised instruction of Castor and Pollux under agreed limits