Nicomedes smiled. “Your recklessness is...” He waved his free hand slightly, admiring the wine swirling in the glass. “...appealing.”
I messed up the action description here. Nicomedes is not waving his free hand at all, but rather the hand holding the wineglass: hence the swirling wine.
He finds Caesar’s recklessness – and his egotism – appealing because they remind him of his own younger self.
“The desires of Bithynia are the desires of Rome,” Caesar replied.
Nicomedes sipped his wine. Caesar angled his chin slightly upward, smiling. “Are they now?” Nicomedes asked, and held out the wineglass again.
Caesar leaned forward, raising his hand to tilt the wineglass toward him. His fingers pressed against Nicomedes’, and Nicomedes found he was holding his breath. “Yes,” Caesar said, and licked wine off his lips.
I still really like this interchange with the wineglass. Caesar is exceptionally full of himself, but he’s not at all concerned about preserving the appearance of dignity. If I ever write a sequel to this, I suspect it will involve Nicomedes feeding Caesar something. Grapes maybe.
“So that is what Rome wants,” Nicomedes said. “But I am interested in Caesar: what does Caesar want?”
“I am Rome,” said Caesar, all hauteur in his tone.
This kind of statement is the reason why the Roman Senate sent Caesar on a diplomatic mission, despite his ridiculous youth. I think they were hoping Nicomedes would get tired of him and dispose of him; it’s the sort of thing that happens on Bithynia X.
Nicomedes grabbed Caesar’s collar, pulling him forward to kiss him. The wineglass fell to the floor between them, and Nicomedes kicked it under the couch, dragging Caesar off the couch to his knees on the antique rug. Caesar’s windburned cheek was rough beneath Nicomedes’ hand, his chapped lips scratchy against Nicomedes’ mouth.
Nicomedes really likes seeing Caesar on his knees. And I think Caesar gets an adrenaline rush from being on his knees for someone who has the strength of will to match his own.
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Date: 2013-06-15 05:33 pm (UTC)I messed up the action description here. Nicomedes is not waving his free hand at all, but rather the hand holding the wineglass: hence the swirling wine.
He finds Caesar’s recklessness – and his egotism – appealing because they remind him of his own younger self.
“The desires of Bithynia are the desires of Rome,” Caesar replied.
Nicomedes sipped his wine. Caesar angled his chin slightly upward, smiling. “Are they now?” Nicomedes asked, and held out the wineglass again.
Caesar leaned forward, raising his hand to tilt the wineglass toward him. His fingers pressed against Nicomedes’, and Nicomedes found he was holding his breath. “Yes,” Caesar said, and licked wine off his lips.
I still really like this interchange with the wineglass. Caesar is exceptionally full of himself, but he’s not at all concerned about preserving the appearance of dignity. If I ever write a sequel to this, I suspect it will involve Nicomedes feeding Caesar something. Grapes maybe.
“So that is what Rome wants,” Nicomedes said. “But I am interested in Caesar: what does Caesar want?”
“I am Rome,” said Caesar, all hauteur in his tone.
This kind of statement is the reason why the Roman Senate sent Caesar on a diplomatic mission, despite his ridiculous youth. I think they were hoping Nicomedes would get tired of him and dispose of him; it’s the sort of thing that happens on Bithynia X.
Nicomedes grabbed Caesar’s collar, pulling him forward to kiss him. The wineglass fell to the floor between them, and Nicomedes kicked it under the couch, dragging Caesar off the couch to his knees on the antique rug. Caesar’s windburned cheek was rough beneath Nicomedes’ hand, his chapped lips scratchy against Nicomedes’ mouth.
Nicomedes really likes seeing Caesar on his knees. And I think Caesar gets an adrenaline rush from being on his knees for someone who has the strength of will to match his own.