Apples and Alleys
A tall black haired boy of 17-years, Lepidus, stood in the dirty alleyway, his back against the worned out stone wall.
The smell of freshly baked bread and roasting meats wafted from the nearby stall, mingling with the sweet, tangy scent of rotting apples. He crunched into one, the juice dripping down his chin as he gazed out at the over crowded stalls. Watching people go about their daily lives was one of his favorite pastimes. As he stood there, a sense of tranquility washed over him, his worries fading each passing moment.
Lepidus's lean build, broad shoulders, and quiet confidence earned himself unwanted attention, even in the midst of the bustling market. His slightly long dark hair fell effortlessly with every small movement of his head, and his bright expressive green eyes sparkled like a polished emeralds, always shining with curiosity and intelligence. His nose was straight, his pinkish long tongue licked his slightly thin lips, savoring the sweet and sour taste of the apple that lingered in his mouth, earning a few giggles from young female pleabians that passed him by. Their eyes locked on the captivating young man, who's wearing a tattered brown cape with the hood drawn. Beneath it, is a red tunic paired with a worn leathered sandals.
While he is waiting for his friends, the sound of pleabian merchants hawking their wares, the clanging of pots, and the murmur of haggling customers filled the air. He closed his eyes and take it all in. The noise is a welcome distraction from Lepidus's darkening thoughts, which threatened to consume him when he is alone like this. Wanting to forget all about it.
The warm sun that's nearing meridies beat down on his golden brown complexion, radiating a sun kissed glow.
He then remembered the early days, sneaking out of his noble family's domus, to explore the market in disguise and hanging out with libertis and plebian kids. He then first met Marcus and Lucius, his plebian friends, when he got robbed out of his denarii by a passing slave, those days were especially rough but Marcus and Lucius chased the thief and helped him recover his coins, but in the end, Lepidus shared it with the slave, and tried to give rewards to Marcus and Lucius, who just laughed it off and tell him to put it in his subligar to have a better hold of his silver coins.
They then started calling him dominus iuvenis and teases him good naturely, they see through his disguise but never once ask about his noble background, they knew but never pried, that's when he started liking them. Never caring about statuses. They'd been inseparable ever since.
As his mind is about to wander again, while he is waiting, he heard the sound of footsteps and Marcus's loud chatter with Lucius. He peeked around the wall, his eyes locking onto his friends. A breath of relief escaped him.
"What took you guys too long?" he asked, tossing the apple core aside.
As they strolled through the market earlier, the trio's laughter and banter drew unnecessary attention. They soon found themselves in front of a familiar bearded pleabian merchant, who is quite known for being stingy. Unable to dodge the merchant, with a wide grin in his face, who asked for their help in moving crates of fresh fruits. But Lepidus's two friends shooed him in the corner where he is standing and waiting.
Marcus and Lucius told him, whispering in their teasing voice, 'the dominus iuvenis isn't fit for lifting these heavy crates, you just wait around the corner, we'll be done in a jiffy' they then asked the merchant to get paid with apples, the merchant being the stingy merchant that he is, tossed them three bruised almost rotting apples each while grumbling to himself. And that's where Lepidus's apples came from.
Marcus grinned teasingly. His brown shaggy hair almost covered his eyes.
"Lucius got held up.. admiring the passing view."
Lucius freckled face blushed, being reminded by a particular young female noble that he's been crushing on for the fifth time. Lepidus raised an eyebrow, remembering the past four noble ladies.
"You and your penchant for nobilitas daughter, huh?" he teased, knowing Lucius's soft spot for pretty female nobles.
Lucius denied it quickly, but his bright red face says otherwise. He quickly turned the tables on Lepidus to get out of the teasing.
"Hey, how about you Lepidus, why are hanging out with us today, huh? Aren't you going to that military camp to take a look at your lovely Caligula dulcis?"
It is now Lepidus turn to get embarrassed, his ears turned red, unable to deny the sudden assault of Lucius, then a memory flashed in his mind - the unforgettable face he saw three years ago, the first time he run away and sneaked in to take a look of those camps.
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*last revision for this chap and no more (021725)*
INDEX:
1. plebian - common people or commoners
2. libertis - former slaves that bought their freedom
3. denarii - silver coins
4. nobilitas - nobility or aritocracy
5. Caligula dulcis - sweet Caligula or beloved Caligula