Before the curtain rises... (Location: The Cato Estate)

The Cato Estate has existed though time, starting anicent times. It has received updates over the years in material and design, but it still maintained its original concept of the ancient Thanin villa. The huge rectangular structure was build around a central outdoor yard consists of a various gardens and a shine to the patron family god.

The wind blew over the building's walls, so the trees hardly made a rustle. The walling within the buildings made the garden rather quiet, save for the familiar chirping of birds and occasional splashing of the fish or a amphibians dragging their snack into the depths. A drop of water of such an occasion hit against Gallus's cheek.  He was significantly smaller without his armor and padding, but he was no soft man.  His chiseled muscles had clearly shown in his blue tunic that he was wearing. The general felt like he deserved some reprieve after dealing with the events from three days ago and laying on one of the stone carved benches would have to do. He knew dad would return later today, so this would be his last chance.  So he was there, on the soaking up the peaceful morning...as long as his sister remained asleep.

Suddenly, he heard a pebble hitting the cobber-stone path. Silently cursing his heighten sense of awareness, Gallus opened one eye lucidly towards who approached.

It was somewhat good to be back home in Speciosa, the capital of Thanin. Tiberius breathed in the familiar scents and heard the familiar sounds of the city of his birth. He got pleasant smiles from the people who didn't examine his face too closely, but the scars on his arms drew their attention away from his deformity anyway, so that was good. He stood a little taller now, grateful now for the wounds those creatures inflicted on him. He walked down the paved roads to the Cato Estate, where he spent much of his time growing up. His home away from home, as it was.

He was dressed in his purple tunic, belted at the waist, with his brown trousers and boots. He must have kicked something because Gallus perked up without seeing him coming. He nodded a greeting to his best friend. "Good to finally be home, eh?" he smiled beneath his aquiline nose. He hoped Irina was enjoying the change of scenery as well. He'd stayed away from his own father's estate as much as possible since their group arrived a couple days ago.

The echo of Irina's higheels could be heard before the brunette could be seen, a not pleasant expression in her face. She had showed up in a meeting with Aurelios Thanos in which the man had made her an offer that according to him "she wouldn't be able to reject". The day had started greatly, when she had heard more than one comment regarding to the fact that likely she was too young to be meddling in politics and then the meeting. Irina had told him with a fake smile that she would have to think about the proposal and that she was flattered.

"While the city is without doubt charming, I have to say that I'd rather deal with Seraphane or Krev politics" she muttered as she moved towards the main door, spotting someone that seemed to be paying a visit too. A smile curved her lips as she approached someone familiar.

Noticing that the visitor was Tiberius , Gallus opened the other eyes and stared at him for a long moment. It was hard to tell whether the man was trying to wake up completely or fighting the urge to throw Tiberius backwards into the lake behind him.

"I suppose it's good to some extent." He answered.  "Once you get past the meetings with your father and writing death notices  to families." Gallus sighed, looking more tired as he said that. He heard another set of footsteps and looked behind Tiberius to see that Irina had arrived."Ah, Miss Yevhanova. I hope the lodging were more than suitable."

At first, the general offered Irina lodging in the villa itself, but that was before his sister dragged him aside and reminded him how much people in Thanin would get the wrong idea.  For him, the sole heir of the Cato family,  bringing a woman to stay the family house would imply a lot of things in which the rumors would make her  stay very uncomfortable, especially if he had no intent on marrying her. In the end, Gallus paid for the any lodging of Irina's choice. He was relieved she was at least within walking distance around the capital district.

"Gally?"

"Oops, looks like I'm busted." Gallus said non-chalantly. Coming his hair with his fingertips, he rose up and turn his body to sit properly on the bench, facing the two, as his sister approached them.

Aelia Cato walked towards the group with nothing more than simple blue silk stola with a simple gold instita borders. It was enough for her to walk in  the villa with, but Gallus knew she had more modern forms of dresses.  Her hair was bold reddish brown , like her brother,  but was in a long  length of loose waves that stopped past her shoulders.  Her face was fair, lacking in age lines or stress behind them, though she was seven years younger than Tiberius .  

"Gally! This is no time to lounge around. You still have t--"

"put my report to father's desk. I had also cleaned his office,  ordered the food for dinner, which the cooks should have by this afternoon, and got the servants  on a full sweep around the villa. . ." Gallus continued with two minute list of chores.  When he was done, he gave a smile. "All that's left is for you to look pretty.  You can go check around  to confirm what I said, but could you also provide honeyed wine for our guests or a stick to beat me around with if you think I'm lying."

Aelia made a less than dignified face at Gallus before walking off, but not before she made a smile at Tiberius in a silent greeting. Gallus chortled at the display and also at the imagery of her sister searching for the stick first  before confirming anything he said. "Well there was one thing i haven't done yet, but I'm close around to take care of it." Gallus looked over the  small lake behind him where a small mount of land was roughly three meters out into the water.  On that very small isle of sorts was  flat headstone with a name.  "Gaius Cato"  The year of death was set around 18 years ago.  The body was not buried here, but Gallus made sure on his promise of making sure this small stone was here for him. The plants tend  to grow wildly around the headstone and Gallus makes an effort to clean them off.

"Don't worry about it. It won't take much to finish. I take your meeting with Aurelios was, at least, pleasant?"   He asked Irina in subtle terms. However, it was hard to take the question by word as the tone of his voice seems to ask, 'Did he try pull something with you?'  Gallus did give some advice on prior to her meeting. Once she went inside the audience chamber, he can only hope that his advice helped.

Tiberius ran his fingers through his brown curls, and a little nod to Gallius' sister whom Tiberius knew she fancied him. When they were growing up she was always hanging around staring at him and running off, but not in the same way others did. There was no malice in it, she was just shy when he was around.

He smiled brightly at Irina as she approached. "Irina, looking radiant as ever today. Judging from the expression on your face, my father tried to swindle you to join the Blues." He muttered the last bit, still bitter at his father's cavalier attitude. Praetor Gallerius Canus of the Greens was not much better but he was the one Tiberius worked for as a diplomat.

When the time came, Tiberius joined Gallus in paying respects to the deceased Gaius Cato. Tiberius knew him too while growing up, and it was like losing an older brother. He stood away from the headstone, as he was not a Cato himself, however. He bowed his head in respect and murmured a prayer to the gods. After he was finished he stood away while Irina and Gallus talked privately.

Irina smiled at both men, her smile a touch warmer than her average one. Because of her past and personality, Irina rarely let people get close to her and yet...both Gallus and Tiberius were starting to feel to the closest thing to friendship that she had formed in years, even if the sage wasn't fully aware of it yet "They are magnificient, I can't thank you enough for your gesture" It wasn't a secret in Seraphane that Irina was used to luxury to a certain point, she even had a house in Krev which was both spacious and well furnished but the lodgings that Gallus had paid for her were magnificient. "If you ever come to Krev I will make sure of repay the gesture, the invitation of course includes you too" she said nodding at Tiberius.

The sage looked at the name, wondering for whom was the grave but she wasn't going to ask such a personal question "The meeting? Delightful of course, I only wanted to stab myself out of pure boredoom twice, the average in any politic meeting" she said with an amused smile, sarcasm evident in her tone, while she was used to deal with these issues, the conversation had been way too long even for the normal standards, apparently Aurelios wasn't a man used to receive a "not right now" for an answer "Until I told him that I needed time to think about if marvelous offer, apparently patient is not Aurelios' strong suit" it wasn't hers either so she couldn't blame the man

"Patiecnce is that man's worse subject, sadly.  He can take rejection if given properly. He has no choice to accept your answer regardless for the sake of keeping his face as it is." He looked at Tiberious as if gauging the reactions to his comment. The imperfect son, and botched Seraphance alliance were some of the dark boogeyman stories in Thanin. Gallus dislikes mentioning the facts around Tiberius, but that doesn't make them go away.

The gloom in his mood was soon broken by the return of Aelia, carrying with her a tray with silver drinking cups, and two large pitchers. "Ah, I see I won my wager."

"Yes, you did." Aelia answered stiffly, hinting her disappoinment.  "I bought some of our best vinage for our guests. The sweet stuff for you."

"Ah thanks." Gallus helped himself to the yellow bottle himself, pouring the sweeten wine into his cup.

"Usually you asked for such a thing when you have to deal with something unpleasant. . ." Her voice trailed off, showing her reluctant of her comment.

Gallus paused in the middle of his long drinking in his cup.  Tiberius knew of this habit. It was one of the few attributes about himself that he willingly showed about himself while at home, so he couldn't chastise Aelia for revealing him like that. It was clear that she was worried.

"Well, you're not wrong." The man answered, taking the drink in one gulp.