canem ne credite

Bella smiled, letting out a small chuckle even though it was truly the opposite of what she wanted to do. Though she was happy that the dog had stopped growling at her. The girl was sure that it the dog had attacked her for some reason, she would have been able to defend herself easily, but harming Septimus was not something she wanted to do at the moment. “I don’t blame you, why do you think I’ve been hiding in the shadows?” She quirked, seeming relatable to the girl. It was the truth though, with how paranoid everyone she had to keep her guard up. “I’ve been checking up on everyone, trying to help out where I can.”

Septimus wasn’t really the attacking type-- unless his companion was in mortal danger or he was commanded to do so. He could play ferocious when the occasion called, but there was no denying his kind heart. “That’s fair,” Adriana chuckled lightly. “Nowhere seems to be entirely secure these days. It doesn’t even feel quite like home anymore.” It was rather ironic, she thought, that her grandfather -- the family patriarch, was the Senator of the Lake District, yet the Greeks had taken the waterfront for their center of operations. The same headquarters with which Adriana had aligned herself. Luckily, few of the residences around the lake had been targeted. For now.

The defected centurion sported a slight smile at Bella. It was nice to hear that she was doing what she could to help out, but it still didn’t exactly explain why she wasn’t doing so within the Roman-occupied territories. Then again, she could have just strolled past the perimeter to extend her search or merely take a breath, as Adri was. “The middle of the woods seems an odd place to do that, but I’m glad you looking out for everyone. If the curse is as troublesome for you as it’s been for us, I can imagine you need all the help you can get.” 

The plastic smile on Elliot’s face melted into a genuine one as they recognized who it was. “Adriana! And Septimus too, I see.” Happily, Elliot got down on their knees and started giving the canine all the petting they could short of hugging him. A happy dog meant a happy Elliot. 

As Elliot half-scratched half-massaged Septimus, they looked up at Adriana. “The curse, huh,” they mused, an edge to their tone. “What kind of curse do you have, if you don’t mind me asking? And can I help in any way?”

Septimus was all too happy to receive Elliot’s attention. He nuzzled into the demigod’s hands and assaulted them with a few happy licks, tail waving profusely. “I think you’ve found his weakness,” Adriana laughed as the canine’s amber eyes shut, a content grumble rolling from his chest. 

Adriana joined Elliot where they knelt, returning to the moderately relaxed state she had been in before her friend had appeared. Idly, she brought her hand down in slow stroked across the dog’s back, and in time, he too settled on the ground with them. “The kind that graces me with physical burns whenever I touch any weapons, armor, gear, you name it. Apparently, I can’t train or defend myself either,” she sighed, miserably. “Thank you for offering, but I doubt there’s much anyone can do until this curse is broken.” 

“Well still, I didn’t want to worry you! Messing up your own hair is way better than having someone else mess it up. I didn’t want you to think I would do a bad job since I had no idea what I was doing. I’m glad you like the way it turned out though. I’m honestly very surprised with how well it turned out. I’m a little proud of myself.” She admitted with a shy smile. She truly was a bit worried when Adriana came to her to fix her hair. A part of her felt like it was a test, although deep down she knew it wasn’t. Adriana was putting all of her trust into Blossom, and that was a big deal. Luckily it didn’t blow up in her face. As Adriana got a bit deep with self expression, Blossom shook her head. “I won’t deny that it’s easier, because it is. But regardless, you have to be your true self no matter what anyone thinks or the consequences. At the end of your life, you want to look back and be able to say ‘Wow, I’m really glad I was able to be myself and do all the things I love’. You shouldn’t let others restrict that. If you get punished, so what? It’s worth it if you’re being true to yourself. It’s like that Dr. Seuss quote, you know the one I’m talking about? It goes, ‘Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive that is youer than you’.”

"I suppose that’s fair, but you’ve uncovered an unknown talent out of it, so I’d say it was worth the risk.” Adriana returned Blossom’s sweet smile with an encouraging one. 

Another of Blossom’s other talents, she had found, was her unique, philosophical method of support and encouragement. She could be unconditionally positive, even in light of terrible circumstances. True self were foreign words to Adriana’s ears, however. She couldn’t quite grasp an image of herself that wasn’t somehow permanently welded to her family or the Legion, whether or not she approved of those components. And Blossom’s mention of standing up against punishment-- the daughter of Mars could have laughed. There was no doubt the two had very different perceptions of what “punishment” entailed. For Adriana, the sort of punishment related to the stance Blossom was implying were not necessarily consequences from which one could recover. 

“Dr. Seuss?” Adriana blinked, focusing her response on the more amusing bit of Blossom’s innocent wisdom. “Is he some sort of philosophical doctor? His message is encouraging, but someone should tell him that his poetry skills are in definite need of improvement,” she chuckled and gently squeezed Blossom’s shoulder. “I think I prefer your advice far better.” 

In another minute or so, they arrived at Adriana’s tent. The former centurion instructed the girl to wait and ducked inside. When she emerged, she did so holding two simply concealed items -- one of arm’s length wrapped and tied in a large, well-worn piece of yellow-brown cloth, and a second in a small black leather pouch with a drawstring. “Happy birthday, Blossom,” she grinned, handing the smaller package over first. 

Inside was a silver ring with a golden wolf etched into its surface. As she unwrapped it, Adriana carefully watched her face. “Our cohort may no longer be together in an official capacity, but I want to have something that shows we’re still a family and no one can take that away from us; so, I had our emblem etched into a set of rings for those of us who... will still accept them. You can wear it however you like, of course. I’ll be handing the others out in time.” 

Dinner with Percy had been an otherwise pleasant affair. After eating so much of their own genius lakeside pasta though, Elliot decided they needed to walk off the carbs. They had to maintain their figure, after all, or fighting as aggressively as they did would be a bit of a challenge.

And so early evening found Elliot wandering through the woods. The woods closer to Greek HQ and New Rome were much less dangerous than the woods further away, something that Elliot was both grateful for and bored by. On one hand, they liked the need to fight their way through something, but on the other, they liked having some quiet time to themselves where they were usually balls of energy around other people. 

As Elliot tread the forest, they heard a voice. The voice sounded familiar,  though Elliot couldn’t quite place who it was. Looking through the trees, Elliot could make out two silhouettes: one small and close to the ground, the other taller and standing upright. 

The demigod paused. If this person were a Roman, they stood a chance of being attacked. If this person was a Greek, it wouldn’t hurt to get to know them better… Then again, even if Elliot were attacked, they could definitely take on whoever it was. Barring maybe First Cohort and Second Cohort members, of course. Even then, it would be quite an exciting fight.

“Hello,” Elliot greeted with a smile on their face as they drew closer. “Early night walk?” 

When Elliot emerged from the tree cover, a relieved smile broke out on Adriana’s lips. “Buonasera, Elliot.” Septimus, all too happy to see a friend, bounded over and circled around Elliot’s form before padding along at their side, hoping for at least a pat on the head, but he wouldn’t push his luck. Adriana moved over toward them as well, putting the canine in between them. “Something like that.” As she walked, the daughter of Mars tapped the stick in her hand against the side of her leg, muscles restless. “I needed some air. This curse is just about driving me mad,” she breathed a tight sigh, “but I suppose I’ve had worse.” 

“I wasn’t trying to hide or anything.” She smiled, taking a step into view. Bella glanced at the dog, stopping herself from sneering a little bit. It wasn’t as if she disliked dogs, in fact she was quite fond of most animals, but she didn’t enjoy dogs growling at her. She understood that the animal was simply doing its job, which was why she left it alone. She herself had a companion, though it was a cat as her personality matched theirs much better. 

"Bella,” Adriana breathed a small sigh of relief when a familiar face stepped into view. She remained on the side of the Romans, yes; but, their families had a longstanding relationship and Adriana had known Bella since she was practically in diapers. Still-- that didn’t mean she was going to drop her guard entirely. “You’ll have to forgive me. With the current climate, I can’t afford to let my guard down on unclaimed ground.” Sensing his companion’s tense muscles loosen, Septimus glanced up at her, flicked his ears, and silenced his growl. After a sharp bark of greeting to the young woman and the cat at her side, he took a step back and plopped down on his rump, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. Adriana produced a small smile at that before her attention flicked back to the girl. “What brings you out here so far from headquarters?” 

A proper day of enjoyment. Blossom didn’t know how much they could achieve in the middle of a war, but she had hope. It was nice to see that someone truly cared about her birthday, even though she didn’t really tell many people that her birthday was today. “Well, thank you. I appreciate it a lot, that you’re doing this for me.” She said with a nod, following as Adriana led the way. “I’m glad you like it! I didn’t want to freak you out in the moment, but I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I just winged it really. So, I’m glad it came out well and that you like it so much!” She said with a small laugh, a little embarrassed to admit she had no clue what she was doing. But, seeing that Adriana like the hair cut she gave her so much, maybe it was one of Blossom’s hidden talents. “Wow, that was a big compliment. Thank you so much, but you have those same abilities, you do it with your legionnaires. Although, it is hard to guide yourself so I don’t mind helping. Stubbornness is part of you, it’s nothing to necessarily overcome. It’s more of knowing how to maneuver it and deal with it. You can do it though, I believe in you.”

Although Blossom admitted that she hadn’t the slightest idea about how to do a proper haircut, Adriana didn’t seem bothered. In fact, the girl managed to score a similar laugh from her. “It’s a good thing I had no expectations. Though, I doubt I would have been turned of by it, if you’d said so. Shearing my hair with a sword was ‘winging it’ enough.” The centurion’s heart swelled with warmth to hear Blossom speak of her so highly. Adriana had held her office for seven years, yet no matter the experience or the confidence she had in her own abilities, she would always be worried when it came to her legionnaires. New Rome was meant to be their home away from home. Their centurions were responsible for their well-being, and making them feel welcome and comfortable -- aside from strengthening their characters and skills -- was her top priority. “I’ll take all the help I can get,” Adriana smiled softly, “and thank you. Many of my old companions I left behind certainly won’t share your encouragement.” As her tent came into sight, Adriana slowed her steps some. “You know, I envy you, in a way. Our standards are so different, so demanding... they can mold us into people that we don’t truly want to be. You had the freedom to make yourself as you wished, I imagine. It must be far easier to be who you are. For me, true expression comes with some rather dangerous consequences.”

She had found herself a spot to rest for a short time -- a large log that had to have toppled over ages ago. Septimus explored the immediate area while Adriana did her best to simply sit and breathe. But of course, she was too restless of a being to do simply that. While she sat, she carefully unwound the bandage that wrapped her palm to assess the state of her injury. The burn from the touch of her blade had begun to scar. She had made the mistake of testing her curse recently to see if there was any chance it might have lifted. The medics hadn’t been very happy about that. It had healed rather quickly, though, so she wasn’t complaining. 

All of a sudden, the hairs stood up on the back of her neck, and in the periphery of her vision, she caught the German Shepherd stiffening to attention, his ears quirking in the direction of the woods to their east. Quickly re-wrapping her bandage, the Roman rose to her feet and made her way towards the hound. “Septimus? Quid est?”  

a brief self-para to set the scene for adriana’s curse.                    the beginning of a starter that got too damn long.

the curse: if adriana engages in a fight or touches any battle paraphernalia -- weapons, armor, etc. -- she suffers the pain of white-hot needles that leave a physical burn. she has been avoiding any of the above as a result, and it has taken its toll physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Blossom never really made a big deal out of her birthday. She didn’t expect people to know give her presents, or even really celebrate. Birthdays were something she usually just kept to herself and took the day to reflect on the year past as she turned a new age. She started her birthday off as she would any other day, with yoga. By now she had finally recovered to the strength and flexibility she had before her injury, so she was back to her usual routine. Hearing Adriana’s voice, however, was not something she was expecting and turned around to greet her with a smile. “No, you’re not interrupting! Don’t worry about it.” She assured her. At the mention of gifts though, Blossom raised an eyebrow at her centurion. “What? You didn’t have to do that, but thank you so much. I’d love to come with you!” She said and slipped her shoes back on and rolled up her mat. “By the way, how are you liking the hair cut? Did I do okay?”

Blossom’s smile had a power all its own. Adriana hadn’t been feeling down, per se, yet the world around her seemed to lighten as her juniper orbs fell upon the sight. She couldn’t resist returning the expression. “Nonsense,” she waved her hand at the incredulous notion that she didn’t have to find the girl a gift, “You’ve more than earned it, and I very much intend to make sure that you have a proper day of enjoyment.” Once her legionnaire had gathered her things, Adriana waited for her to reach her side before leading the pair in the direction of her tent. At the question of her hair, the daughter of Mars glanced aside and sported an appreciative grin. “It’s perfect. I’d never have been able to fix it properly myself.” A fonder shade overtook her eyes. “I thought it appropriate that you be the one to help. You have a talent for lifting spirits and inspiring confidence, and right now that’s exactly what I need. Letting go of old habits and identities -- it’s not easy, but it’s been a long time coming. My stubbornness is quite difficult to overcome, as you well know.”

"A friendly little goth told me I’d find you here,” Adriana stepped softly over to the spot near the lake where Blossom had set up for her daily yoga routine. Years of leading the Fourth had allowed the former centurion to memorize her legionnaires’ daily habits, and the daughter of Eirene was no exception. It was the girl’s birthday, and Adriana was determined not to miss it, especially in the midst of a war. Blossom deserved a bit of genuine happiness, after all. “I hope I’m not interrupting. I wanted to wish you a happy birthday, is all. But if you’re not busy, there might be a gift or two involved...”

date: 08 february 2018, approx. 8:15 pm / midday after the battle for the eastern district location: the woods along the lake & the perimeter of the greek camp / adriana’s tent at the waterfront headquarters  

synopsis: after accepting the proposal extended to her by jax, adriana makes her way to the greek headquarters to initiate their mission / adriana reflects on the events of the war up to the present and her place in the battles to come (with a noticeable change in appearance)

triggers: death mention, gore (just one theoretical mention of injury)

characters this may concern: @avadakaravadra​ / @fireandseaweed​ / @peacefully-blossom

A L L E G I A N C E  I N  T H E  G R E C O - R O M A N  W A R

        When war had officially been declared, Adriana had been unconscious. An "assault" against her by her co-centurion, Kolina Valla, had landed her in the infirmary, concussed and slowly recovering from a sleep spell. She awoke the day after to find that her cousin had been killed, the armory had been bombed — resulting in the deaths and injuries of numerous close friends and siblings, her co-centurion had escaped from prison and fled to the Greeks, and her nephew — who had helped Lina to escape — had been terminated in the process. The centurion's sentiments were impossible to dedicate to merely one side of the war. She had been left alone to watch over the legionnaires of her cohort who had remained, and had reflexively begun to direct salvage and repair efforts for the armory; yet, she could not agree with the Roman treatment of the Greeks. The rest of the Legion, on the other hand, was all too ready to annihilate their "alien" neighbors.

Adriana lingered among the peers she had made throughout her fourteen years of service until the funeral of her cousin, Fergus Fitzgerald. That night, an old friend and confidant met her in secret to propose a dangerous mission. Neither could strictly assign their loyalties, so they promised themselves to the one cause that truly mattered — bringing an end to the war. No matter the cost. Their plan has sent Adriana to the Greeks and situated her partner among the Legion. In order to bring the surest end to the war, both agree that a sacrifice must be made of the Romans, whose bloodlust won't be satiated anytime soon. The now-defected centurion is responsible for aiding the Greek cause, feeding them information received from the headquarters of their enemies. However, Adriana still has friends and family across the lines of battle. Regardless of her position, she will kill to protect those she cares for, even if it means jeopardizing her integrity within her current camp.

Cat didn’t understand why she had suddenly become the Senate’s spokesperson for the Legion, but apparently as she was one of the few Centurions willing to do what needed to be done, that was her lot in life now. 

Swallowing, she nodded. “I know it isn’t ideal, but that is the best we can do right now. We can’t fight a war and run a witch hunt.” Although she wished that she could. She was becoming paranoid, suspicious of everyone around her, seeing threats where she wouldn’t have previously. 

“We follow the rule of law, that is all that we can do, until Reyna and Frank go through the trial process there is not much more that can be done, we cannot elect new Praetors until the old ones are handled.” She paused for a second and shook her head, saddened by what was happening. 

Adriana sighed tiredly, what was almost sadness leaking into her voice. "Aren't you tired of fighting, Cat? Maybe that's an odd question coming from me, but..." she picked up a thin bundle of arrows from the ground before handing it off to one of the other legionnaires on their way to the gradually filling cart of material, "we've already been through two wars. Wars against monsters; and Half-Blood Hill-- at least then we were fighting other trained demigods. Here, there are women and children who could get caught in the crossfire. If war is inevitable, I hope it doesn't become a slaughter. Anger and chaos have a bad habit of changing people for the worse. That's what worries me."

The mention of Reyna and Frank drove a spear of ice through Adriana's heart. In the business of everything, she had nearly forgotten about their imprisonment. Now, more than ever, she wished they could have been free to bring people to order-- something that was difficult to do with so few centurions around to give commands. "I know," her mood on the subject reflected Cat's own. "They've always stood for what's right. The Legion looks up to them... They don't deserve this."

Helping to organise his cohort had made Xander remember why he’d never gone after the position of Centurion while he was there. Kids were annoying. Sure he could understand they were scared, worried, angry, and a whole host of other emotions, but did that mean they lost all sense of common sense too? Which was why when he found the chance to sneak away for a 5 minute break, he took it eagerly. Flicking his light the brunette held the flame against the end of his cigarette; not sure if he was antsy for it or just for a five hour nap. As he took a drag footsteps started to round the corner to where he was stood hiding behind a building, without even looking up he said, “If you’re here to reprimand me for smoking or not helping out, please save it for a later time.”

With the shortage of Centurions left in Camp Jupiter, Adriana had been struggling to balance overseeing the Fourth and working towards the reconstruction of the armoury. Though it was doubtful the beloved establishment would be entirely resurrected in the midst of the war, it was imperative that they salvage what they could, clear the rubble, and set up a temporary shop to manage the distribution of weapons. With the shortage caused by the armoury’s destruction and the limited influx of resources, they would need to be systematic about where they were entrusting their arms.

For a moment Elara just gazed down at the dagger in her hands, holding the tip of the blade against her finger and almost wishing she could apply enough pressure to pierce the skin. At least then the pain she felt wouldn’t be entirely mental. But Adriana’s hand on her shoulder drew her attention before she could consider the action further and she glanced up to meet her eyes. “Thank you.” She murmured softly accompanied by another small smile. She wasn’t sure what exactly she was thanking her for. Perhaps for the ‘glad you’re here’ comment, but more likely it was for the comfort the hand on her shoulder provided her. They both felt the loss of Callum and Fergus, albeit in different ways as their connections to them were different. But the pain was still there. And maybe Adriana did in a way miss Lina as well. The brief physical contact had brought that to mind, and it made Elara feel at least a little less alone.

Allowing herself to be maneuvered to direction Adriana wanted her to face, she looked down at the crate and nodded. So far it was empty, but she was hoping that wasn’t a tell of how much there was to salvage. For all she knew they hadn’t been there searching for long. “Alright. I can do that. Well, one Imperial gold dagger can be checked off that list at least.” Holding up the dagger she had been handed, she moved to the crate and crouched down, laying the dagger gently at the bottom of the crate. Once she straightened, she looked around and moved toward an area that seemed to have faced the least amount of damage from the fire. If they were going to find fully in tact weapons that was likely to be the best place to look. For a few moments she just shifted through the rubble in silence, until she finally decided to broach the subject of what happened. “Maybe I shouldn’t be saying this now, while we’re here,” she paused and looked around herself briefly before looking over to Adriana. “But I’m really sorry, Adriana. I know a lot of your siblings worked here, and I’m sorry we couldn’t save them all. You’ve always been the toughest of us all, but if you need anything I’m around, okay?” 

There was a little increase in her smile when Elara murmured her thanks. She couldn’t place precisely what it was for, but the woman’s smile, however faint, gave the daughter of Mars all the assurance she needed that in some fashion, she’d alleviated a bit of her fellow centurion’s pain -- even if it lasted only a moment. As Elara laid down the dagger in its place, Adriana stepped aside to retrieve the leather-bound journal that she was using as a temporary ledger. Once she had noted the dagger, she joined the other in her task, searching a nearby area for any material of worth. 

It was evident what subject Elara was going to broach as soon as she broke the silence. Adriana met her eyes for a second before she turned her head away with the faintest, halfhearted smile and a shake of her head. She paused her actions and shut her eyes towards the ground. A slow breath pulled into her lungs and then pressed out through her nose in the form of a quiet sigh. That faint smile of hers resurfaced when she lifted her head and turned a juniper-tinted pair of eyes to Elara once more. “Elara, you have nothing to be sorry about. It’s not in our hands to decide who lives and who dies. You tried, and that’s all that matters.” But as she approached the woman’s mention of her ‘toughness,’ Adriana found herself puzzling over when that perception had started to be recognized. 

It was a funny vision to her, especially as she thought back to her childhood, when her cousin Murdoch had dubbed her Bambi because of her thin frame and its struggle to handle blades that were far too large for her at the time. Jax had used a similar approach, amusing himself by calling her a kitten, both a tease at her canine-related heritage and a frustrating means of suggesting that she was frail and weak -- it had been a playful jest, of course; but, that those games hadn’t failed to boost the ferocity of her training. She had toughened herself physically and emotionally, also, by her grandfather’s demand. He saw an advantage in the ability to eliminate sentiment, and while Adriana didn’t wholeheartedly agree, his belief wasn’t entirely false. 

“You think so?” Her head tilted at the daughter of Trivia, then righted itself with a low sigh. “I was taught that when a leader stands strong in times of stress, they can inspire strength in whoever looks up to them. So I try to be strong, for my legionnaires more so than myself... but that doesn’t always mean I am. Right now, for example-- it’s never been harder than this.” Adriana blinked once at Elara, but soon dipped her head away and pursed her lips, distracting herself with the wreckage beside her. Though she hadn’t meant it to slip through, the context of Elara’s words coupled with their surroundings had had a more powerful effect than Adriana had anticipated, and as a result, there had been a quiet crack in her voice on the last of her words. However, she beat back any rising tears with practiced ease. “Thank you, though. I would say the same to you.”  

“Of course,” she replied dismissively, “you’ll be provided with all the relevant and necessary information that you require.” She paused and sighed. “We’ve got very little information on the actual attack, though it could be an unsanctioned attack from Legionnaires, it could be by former-Legionnaires or even the Greeks themselves. Without more information it is difficult to make the necessary inquiries, not to mention the fact that there are more pressing matters to deal with. When we’ve got the time we’ll look into it of course.”

Shrugging gently, she sighed. “That is easier said than done, all of the farms and supplies sources in the area are already being tapped.” She bit her lip. “We’re looking into accessing the mortal world, bringing in food and supplies from there, but it will be expensive and we have a finite amount of resources, there is going to be a point where we have little choice but to make do.” Pausing for a moment, she shrugged. “It is as much as a mystery for me as it is for you.” 

Adriana nodded stiffly in thanks. It was a relief that the armory’s records would be passed on to her; however, that relief was two-sided. On the one hand, she was eager to get up to speed on restoring a business so close to her heart, and on the other, there was a deep-seated irritation that Cat had gained access to Marcel’s records before herself, almost a feeling akin to invasion. Technically, there was no logical reason that she should feel such a way. Cat was only doing her duty as an officer of the Legion, overseeing the search for resources. But, it was as though the blood and ashes of her siblings that had stained these floors had turned the property to hallowed ground-- hallowed ground that should not have been touched by anyone besides the remainder of those who had worked here, those who had lost their siblings, had begun to reclaim it. Or perhaps those thoughts were a made up excuse to distract from another offense... One that became ever more prevalent the longer she stood in her fellow centurion’s presence. 

“When we’ve got time,” she said. But there wouldn’t truly be time, would there? They were at war. There would always be more “pressing matters”. Now, did Adriana think those pressing matters were unimportant? Absolutely not. Narrowing resources were a serious concern, but regardless of the perpetrators’ identities, they had committed a grave offense by harming innocent civilians and had played a pivotal role in kicking off the war that had ensnared their home and everyone in it. Making an example of those individuals could have been a sign of good faith-- as could the presentation of those responsible for the armory bombing --that the violent acts committed were unacceptable. It would have been a step toward a renewed peace. Though, it didn’t seem like the Senate would want peace; if they had been ready to expel the Greeks altogether, certainly the declaration of a war, and thereby a means to exterminate them, would not be withdraw. The Cult must have been thrilled. The thought brought a sour taste to Adriana’s mouth. 

She was glad to be busied with picking aside the debris where she’d caught a faint glimpse of what may have been Imperial gold because her face was away from Cat’s view. A single upper and lower pair of canine teeth pinched the inside corner of her bottom lip, holding her tongue from speaking anything rash. “Well, let me know when that time comes,” she spoke after a pause. She kept her tone as even as possible, but could not entirely restrain a faint hint of malice. “I’d be glad to assist, and if there is any remaining evidence, I imagine the dogs could be a great help in tracking the sources down.”

Rising with a partially damaged gladius in hand, Adriana sighed. “I’d think there's more than enough money to gather a bit of relief from the mortals; at least enough to hold over the civilians in Camp for now. And if no one is old fashioned hunting already, they might as well get started.” A low hum rumbled from her throat before she moved to hand over the gladius to the legionnaires packing the cart. As she returned, she asked, “What’s the status on our leadership then? Is the Senate going to be drawing up battle plans too or have they left the military strategy to the centurions we have left?” It was impossible to stop the subtle undertone hiss on those three words, particularly the last. Her gaze locked on Cat’s for a second, translating the cold rage-- and a small sting of betrayal --that she must have suspected the daughter of Mars was struggling to withhold. But just as soon as it appeared, it was gone, and Adriana resumed her task, quietly awaiting the other’s answer.