(Episode 5.1.a Mission Assist HUD)

>Vīlla Caeciliī, Pompeiī, 79 CE<

You find yourself once again in Caecilius’ ātrium.

Something is wrong, though; it’s as if the angles of the walls aren’t quite as they should be.

Instead of Caecilius walking into the room, he fades in, somehow. And he opens the door without noticing you.

“salvē!” inquit Caecilius.

He leads a man into the ātrium. To your surprise, the man is a nitidus, his skin shining in that way that indicates that something is important in the immersion-space of the TSTT. Sextus is the only other nitidus person you’ve seen, but this is definitely not Sextus. You feel a very strange sensation in your guts, like something is. . . coming loose?

nitidus tē spectat, et rīdet. Caecilius circumspectat, et tē videt. “amīcus novus meus est. commendō Publium Horātium Sinistrum.”

Something about the way this Sinistrus is smiling is making you uncomfortable.

“salvē,” inquit Sinistrus. “quid agis?” Caecilium spectat. “nōnne iuvenēs sciō? nōnne mē vīdērunt in Trōiā?”

Caecilius laughs, sure that this is some strange joke, but you’re far from sure about that. He tells you that Sinistrus is from Rome, and that they all act so urbane there that it’s hard to know what they mean sometimes.

“nōnne sunt Recentiī?” rogat Sinistrus. “Gaius Recentius habitat in Rōmā. Gaiumne sciunt?”

Prompt: Find out what Sinistrus knows, if anything, about this man who shares your name, and what, if anything, Gaius might have to do with the situation in Rome or with the Lapis.