The small house settles around Valeria’s return: lamp smoke hangs beneath the rafters, supper cools on the table, and Marcus’s sandals scrape softly near the doorway. Her raw heel throbs after the long walk, though the purse remains safely counted before her.
Aurelia
You have barely crossed the threshold, and already someone is calling. The knock was measured, not friendly.
Three firm knocks sound against the outer door. Nestor gathers the coins into a cloth while Castor and Pollux fall silent, and Marcus turns toward the entrance without touching his sword.
The Guard
Valeria Asiaticus. A notice from the magistrate’s office. I was instructed to place it in your hands and wait for your acknowledgment.
The guard, an adult human man with a lean build, weathered brown skin, short dark hair, and a plain gray tunic beneath a red-edged cloak, holds out a narrow wax tablet bearing the magistrate’s seal. Its fresh cord and unbroken wax suggest an official delivery, while the fading light makes the inscription difficult to read.
Marcus Flavius
Read it here, with witnesses. If it concerns Marcellus or Herennius, nothing leaves this house until its terms are understood.
Nestor
And keep the receipt beside it. Rome loves a sealed paper, but it loves a missing paper even more.
The household waits around the table, the tablet suspended between official duty and another possible trap. Outside, the guard remains silent beneath the darkening lintel.
“She reads the notice.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
The guard places the wax tablet in Valeria’s hands. She breaks the seal before the household and reads the magistrate’s cramped official script by lamplight.
Valeria Asiaticus
The court has preserved the evidence, and Marcellus must answer for the altered terms.
The notice confirms that Herennius’s statement, the former fighter’s testimony, the custody record, and the altered tablet are admitted separately. Marcellus is summoned to answer before the magistrate.
A final hearing is set for the third day from now; Valeria need attend only as a witness, while the sealed packet remains in official custody. The fading light makes one marginal reference difficult to decipher, costing her several rereadings.
Marcus Flavius
Then the case proceeds without asking you to surrender your career or your household’s independence. Keep this notice with the receipt.
Aurelia
A hearing has a shape, and a shape can be faced. We will prepare the household papers and let the court finish its work.
The guard receives Valeria’s acknowledgment, and Marcus records the delivery beside the notice. The summons is understood, the evidence remains secure, and the household closes around a lawful ending rather than another demand.
+ New Item Acquired
Magistrate’s hearing notice