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Sinric lead Hannibal out of a doorway and into the warm light of spring afternoon. He cranes to look up, following the line of the wall and the buildings. "We're in the right place. The bath should be just through there."

He points to a alley that leads out the road and the grand entrance to the bath houses. "It is small by some standards. Only large enough for thirty or forty people. Many of the greater baths have closed for the cost to keep them is very high and many wealthy households have smaller bathes of their own."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

thewidewideworld

Sinric chuckles again and starts on Hannibal's legs, his small hand graceful and practiced as he rubs the god clean oil onto Hannibal's skin and pores, kneeding tight muscles as he goes.

Unself-conscious in his nakedness, Sinric sings softly as he works the oil in.

Other men enter, not paying the pair much attention as they chatter in Greek. Other than a brief and open admiration of Sinric's exposed form.

From:

cook_the_rude

Hannibal gives thos people a Look, but mostly simply ignores them, stretching like a great cat under Sinric's ministrations.

From:

thewidewideworld

Sinric doesn't notice, accustomed to being an object of interest and admiration, a walking piece of art.

He adds a little more oil and starts to work with the scraper, his touch even and firm. The blade removes dirt, dead skin, oil and hair in swift, easy strokes.

He works right up to Hannibal's crotch, his touch professional but intimate in this open, exposed place.

From:

cook_the_rude

On Hannibal's back, though, there is a large round brand showing a boar's head -- clearly not a slave's brand, but something strange and artful.

From:

thewidewideworld

Sinric's hands move lightly over the areas of the brand, carefully testing that it causes no pain to Hannibal. He has seen the edges of it but never the whole design so clearly.

He touches Hannibal's shoulder lightly, catching the doctor's eye. Part of him wants to ask but he knows now is not the time. "Let me know if my touch causes you any discomfort, please?"

From:

cook_the_rude

"It does not," Hannibal assures him. "It's over three years old. It was given to me by an enemy who was rather obsessed with pigs -- it was the brand he used on the pigs he raised and slaughtered by the thousands."

From:

thewidewideworld

Sinric rests a gentle hand on Hannibal's shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry, sir. That was cruel of him." Branding is used to mark slaves, a permanent and brutal act.

More men come in, laughing loudly. Like the other men, they start to oil and scrape themselves down.

One of the calls to Sinric in Greek, brash and loud. "Hurry up with him, boy! You can do me next."

Sinric's hand tightens minutely on Hannibal's shoulder as he turns to address the man, his voice even and controlled. "My apologies, sir. I do not belong to this house. If you would like assistance cleansing, I'm sure the staff here will help you."

From:

cook_the_rude

"He is here for me," Hannibal says coolly, in quite passable Medieval Greek.

From:

thewidewideworld

"And who are you to own such a pretty slave?" The man challenges but his friends hush him. It's clear they've all been drinking.

Sinric ignores the man, focusing his attentions on Hannibal's arms and shoulders, blocking the brand from the man's view.

From:

cook_the_rude

Hannibal doesn't answer, instead relaxing into Sinric's touch and ministrations, like somebody who doesn't need to pay any attention to such rude rabble.

From:

thewidewideworld

Sinric too focuses working the knots out of Hannibal's shoulder, cleansing his skin with care. He gestures for Hannibal to roll over, beginning on his front.

The man and his friends make their own preparations, still muttering and casing lewd looks at Sinric's naked form.

From:

cook_the_rude

Hannibal rolls over, shamelessly offering himself to view while obscuring the brand, which might have aroused undue suspicion.

He smiles up at Sinric.

From:

thewidewideworld

The man seem curious about the stranger but not interested the way they are in Sinric.

Sinric smiles back and leans in, pressing a soft kiss to Hannibal's lips. His hands moves shamelessly over Hannibal's body, as much massaging as caressing.

From:

cook_the_rude

"They wouldn't want to see me rise in public, would they?" Hannibal says, opening his maroon eyes again to smile at Sinric.

He is clearly enjoying this.

From:

thewidewideworld

Sinric purrs softly, tracing the shape of Hannibal's lips with his own. "You would not be the first, nor the last." He grins. "Why do you think I requested a private room. I hoped you might rise to me."

He scrapes off the last of the oil, offering Hannibal a hand up and gesturing him to corner where an amphora of clean water waits to rinse off.

From:

cook_the_rude

Hannibal follows him over. "I will rise to anything you have to offer," he says, "but perhaps not before that?"

He rinses himself off.

"Yes, I can definitely tell that the soap-like reaction of oil and my sweat has worked the way it should," he comments.

From:

thewidewideworld

"That might be wise." Sinric chuckles, scooping up water and helping rinsing Hannibal off, rubbing him down with the linen towel.

"Would you prefer the frigidarium or the caldarium next? Most people prefer the steam rooms first but in these smaller baths, it is acceptable to use the rooms in whichever order you wish."

From:

cook_the_rude

"Do they have a tepidarium here, to warm up gently before braving the steam?" Hannibal asks.

From:

thewidewideworld

"Oh yes. And it is most beautiful." Sinric smiles, giving himself a quick rinse off too before leading Hannibal into the tepidarium.

The tepidarium is a great vaulted hall, large as any Olympic sized pool with smaller, more intimate pools around the edges suitable for groups of five to ten.

The walls and floors are decorated in geometric blue and white tiles, the arching ceiling picked out in silver starbursts depicting the constellations.

From:

cook_the_rude

Hannibal stops beside the threshold, as if to keep the entrance free, and looks around.

"It is amazing," he says. "Would you like a swim first, or shall we take to one of the small pools?"

From:

thewidewideworld

"I am at your disposal." Sinric smiles, hanging their towels by a peg. "I wish I were free to take you to the baths in the palace. They are much more grand than this."

He crouches on the edge of the large pool, using the reflection of the water to pull his now dark hair back and bind it away from his face.

From:

cook_the_rude

Hannibal sits on the edge, and smoothly slides into the water, causing barely more than a ripple to disturb Sinric's reflection.

"Grander than this?" he says. "I do believe you, but I find this very grand."

From:

thewidewideworld

Sinric binds the end of the braid with a leather thong and comes sit beside him, dangling his feet in the warm after.

He leans back on his hands to look up at the vaulted roof. "The common areas of the palace bath is larger than this, with half the pool is open to the sky so a clear and beautiful day may the enjoyed." And the bacteria in the water kept in check by the sunlight.

"The other half is covered by a roof tiled with gold, each piece no larger than the nail of your thumb. Along the edges are depicted every animal known to man, and more known only in stories. The marble of the bath is white as snow but veined with such a deep red that the stone seems almost to pulse with blood."

From:

cook_the_rude

Hannibal looks up at him. "That sounds amazing -- especially the marble! Where is it from?"

From:

thewidewideworld

"In truth, I do not know. The bath was commissioned by Constantine the Great in the building of the palace but much was repaired and changed by Justinian the first. My Lord has always stressed that it is the duty of each emperor to keep such things in trust and care for them well. He sees it as his responsibility to see to it all public works and building are kept in good repair. Especially the aquaduct and wells."