Seek out a chance to speak with Albina.

After dinner, you decide to go for a short stroll around the estate before heading to bed. It seems a good idea to refamiliarize yourself with the grounds, and besides - you'd like to find a chance to speak with Albina.

As you wander into the courtyard garden of the main villa, you get your wish. Albina is sitting on a small bench there, looking very lovely in the moonlight as she gazes up at the stars. She doesn't notice you approaching until you're nearly next to her, and then she startles and leaps to her feet.

"Gaius! I-I didn't hear you. Apologies." she bobs her head to you, long dark hair waving.

You laugh. "You don't have to be so formal, Albina! Come on, we've known each other since we were children. Sit down." You sit down on the bench and pat the seat next to you. Albina smiles, relaxing, and sits down next to you. You both look up at the moon and stars for a few minutes. It's a clear night, and a great view. The Milky Way spills across the sky, a bright band among the thousands of other stars.

After a few moments, you turn to her. "How have you been, Albina? What's it been like growing up here?"

She laughs. "Well, I don't have any idea what it's like to grow up anywhere else, so...but I love it here. I love the fields, and the open sky, and the smell of the grass in the morning with dew on it. The shady trees..." she frowns. "It was all lovely until those bandits started coming."

You reach over and squeeze her hand. "I'll figure that out and put a stop to them. One way or another. You have my word."

She smiles at you. "Thank you. It wasn't so bad at first, but now that they've started taking prisoners..."

You nod grimly. That can't mean anything good.

She shakes her head, clearly chasing the thought away. "Ah, but that's depressing stuff! Let's talk about you! What was it like growing up in Rome? I can't imagine - I've been to the city once or twice, on errands with father, but it's just so many people! From all over the world, too! I saw so many strange fashions and customs and languages."

You laugh. "That's true! It's a special place to grow up...and the heart of the Empire, too. I think it was a hard place to grow up, in some ways. I wasn't ever really idle, you know - my father was training me to take over after him. So there was a lot of learning and work to be done...but also amusements and displays like nowhere else in the world. So that was a plus."

Albina chuckles. "To say nothing of all the city girls you must have to peel off of you."

You snort. "Hardly. There are some nice young women in the city, it's true, but...well, they can be very shallow. And, of course, the ones I meet are mostly servants or..." You make a gesture to indicate what you're trying to put into words. "Or just too damned stuck-up. You know? There's nobility and then there's 'nobility.'"

Albina laughs. "That's a funny thing for a nobleman to say."

"Well, maybe I'm a funny noble." You smile at her, and she smiles back at you. You're suddenly aware just how lovely her face is, in the moonlight. For a moment, you just smile at each other.

Then Albina seems to start slightly. "Ah, well. It's getting late, Gaius. I had best retire to bed. And if you're going to solve this bandit problem for us, you had probably better do so as well!" She stands and, with a smile, departs. You watch her go, smiling slightly and enjoying the sight. As she reaches the doorway into the house, you call out, "Goodnight, Albina!"

She pauses, dimly silhouetted by the torchlight, and turns back to you. You're sure you can see a smile, there. "Goodnight, Gaius." She departs into the house, leaving you alone.