Chapter 1
In the big city
I've lived in Rome for a year and I'm still in awe of the majesty of the place. Yes there's crap on every street corner, yes it smells worse than the stables on the farm in the summer, it's true that I am too frightened to leave the house at night but it's Rome. It's the centre of the world, the idea of Rome, what it represents is more important than the reality. I'll bet those other great cities, Carthage, Athens, Pergamon, Alexandreia and the like are just the same, made of wood and smelling of faeces.
My year with the prosecutor was an amazing experience, I spent all day every day looking through books, accounts, ledgers and other fascinating documents. More than one case was won due to my noticing a well hidden falsification or ommission, he told me I would have made a great lawyer if it weren't for the fact I have a worse personality than a particularly dour Spartan. I almost laughed at that one, humour never was my strong point. He did offer me a job, well paid with a cut of profits. I don't need a job though, even at the age of seventeen I am self sufficient. Father gave me enough money to last four years when I left home, rather than leave it in the safekeeping of one of my grandfather's associates I decided to invest in property and I live off the rent. I pack four families in flats intended for one and make four times the money, I have already bought another two buildings I intend to convert into tenements. I also employ a number of men to help me run my affairs as my studies take up a lot of my time. A few philosophers live in one of my apartments (by themselves, I wouldn't make them live with ordinary people) and I enjoy discussing philosophy with them in my rare free time.
I am now living with a current Quaestor who is responsible for the games in Rome. I am to learn how to raise funds, how to spend those funds efficiently and how to keep the masses happy through blood, death and spectacle. I'm not really that interested in the games to be honest but facts and figures, ledgers and accounts will keep me happy for a year. So long as I'm not expected to go around begging for money to fund the games, I'll probably just give some of my own money and say I raised that.
I've had no luck finding any information on my brother, the man he was living with, a money lender, told me exactly what he had told my father. His story was exactly as it had been years before so I think he believes it. Which is exactly as my brother would have wanted it. Still, I haven't given up, I know I will find out one way or another before I leave Rome.
Re: Life of a Roman: An AAR
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