Episode 6.1.b
>Caecilius's Villa, Pompeii, Italy, August 79 CE<
Caecilius believes your story. The little you give him sounds enormous to his ears, because he wants so badly to be part of something enormous.
Then he turns to you, and his face goes serious.
"Now," he says. "We have to think about your future. A servant of Caesar should be a wealthy one. The friends of an emperor never go short of money, and my money is yours. Did you ever want to live in Rome? What is it you want to make of your life?"
He sets his hands flat on the table, the way he does when he is working out a ledger. He sees himself, now, at the center of something important: the man who opens the road to fortune for Caesar's young people.
"There are five roads open to new men in Caesar's city. Listen:
"A soldier, who takes up arms and serves the emperor in the legions. An orator, who moves men with words and pleads cases in the forum and the Senate. A historian, who understands the old days and explains them to everyone else. A poet, who writes verse about great things. A farmer, who works the land and sends grain and money to Rome.
"Choose for yourself. I will give you the money. I will speak to my friends about you. Pompeii does not hold you any longer. Rome is waiting."
Tiberius has not said a word this whole time, and he is not happy. Maybe he is thinking about his father. Maybe about the city. Maybe about the mountain that stands over Pompeii.
Prompt: Using your knowledge of Roman culture, choose a way of life in Rome for your Recentius. Explain why this path fits your character. (You are not limited to the five choices above; if your Recentius has another vocation in mind, make your case for it.)
