Tales of Adventure: Welcome Home

Character's Name:  Antonia Claudia Thonnius

Title of Adventure: Welcome Home

Month: 08-Agrius

Date: 06

Year: 956

Story

The rains in Selix were beginning to let up as the rainy season was slowly coming to an end. Antonia could smell the scent of warm mud move through the house as the servants opened the windows to let air in. The house was busy with her grandfather’s servants working, cleaning out some of the mud from the entryway, opening up windows or doors to let in the warming dry air. It was a welcome chance.

But Antonia was lost in thoughts as she stared at her untouched breakfast. The weather was changing but Julian was still out at sea. She knows that the team wouldn't be in selix much longer and if Julian wasn't back in time she was worried they would leave without him. That wasn't the only thing on her mind.  It was hard to explain but she had been afraid that being away from him her feelings for him would have diminished. The letters the two had been writing back and forth had left Antonia missing him more than she expected. If anything her emotions had grown stronger. A half penned letter was sitting on the table. She fiddled with his ring still in her necklace as she wondered what he might be up to.

Julian didn’t really care much about or for the family business. He saw it as a means to an end, or a necessary evil. The trouble was, he was good at it. He had been able to repair the damaged relationship with their trading partners and negotiate a deal. His father might not approve, it wasn’t one-sided enough, but it was fair and one he could live with and his family would just have to be satisfied with it.

There had been a storm, a particularly nasty one on the return voyage. The ship had sustained some damage, though nothing major and he had gotten seasick for the first time in a dozen year. But, it had all been worth it, because he was home.

He had stopped at the office only long enough to file his report and let everyone know what had happened.  Then, after promising to come in the next day, had pled exhaustion and told everyone he was headed home.

He wasn’t going there, at least not his home. He stopped by the baths to get cleaned up and presentable, then headed to Anotina’s place. His pants were a deep royal blue, his shirt white and his still damp hair manageable and in control with a deliberate mussed look.

He held three roses behind his back as he knocked on the door and waited for her to open it.

The door opened to the entryway only to reveal one of the elder Thonnius’ servants. An older man with salt and pepper hair he looked on Julian with curiosity. “May I help you, sir?”

    “Yes,” Julian said with a smile, a hand still behind his back. “I’m here to see Antonia. My name is Julian. I’m a friend of hers.”

    He gestured Julian into the entryway as he stepped aside. “If you wouldn’t mind waiting here, sir. I’ll announce you.” He said closing the door behind Julian. Giving the man in front of him a once over. He took notice that Julian was fairly well dressed and cleaned up. He nodded his head and left him to go let Antonia know who was at the door.

    It took only moments before Antonia to came running from the house, across the open gardens, and into the entryway. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

    He hugged her back and held her in the embrace for several long moments managing, just barely, to keep the flowers concealed. He pulled back slightly and then held the flowers out to her. “I hope you like these,” he said, “I didn’t know what your favorite type was.”

        She smiled. “They are beautiful.” Antonia took the flowers from him and took a deep breath of their aroma. “I missed you.”

    “I missed you too,” he replied, “and I missed doing this most of all.” Then he leaned in and kissed her with heat and passion.

Antonia wrapped her arms around him again and matched the intensity of the kiss. She'd missed that too. Then she deepened the kiss, just to prove how much she'd missed him.

    He responded in kind, deepening it further. After all, it had been a long time. What he wanted was more than a kiss, much more But they had agreed to take things at a slower pace.  So instead of pressing that issue, after the kiss broke, he said, “How about if we go to dinner,” he said, “we have a lot of catching up to do.”

She smirked as the kiss broke and he suggested dinner. Antonia nodded. “Let me go put these in some water.” She said about the flowers in hand. “Do you want to come?”

    “Of course, I want to come, I will follow you anywhere,” he replied, “all you have to do is ask.”

            That had so many implications that Antonia wasn’t exactly sure how she wanted to take those words. She took him by the hand and walked him through the gardens. She noticed that his hand has callouses on it that hadn’t been there before. Weeks on aboard a ship in rough seas would do that to anyone. She had a dirty thought as she walked in through her grandfather's house. Her cheeks turned flush with color.

    Antonia felt her heart thundering in her chest as she pushed her thoughts aside and entered the kitchen. One of the servants asked if she wanted water for the roses in her hand and she nodded her head. As she waited for the vase and fresh water she looked at Julian. “Will you have time for dinner with my father, or are you going to be going back out on family business?”

    “I’m done with the family business for a while. I would love to stay for dinner. If it’s no imposition and your father is okay with it.”

         “Tomorrow night with my father. I'm sure he'll want time to set dinner up. He's a details sort of man.” She stole a kiss again. “You look exhausted are you sure you don't want to rest first? We can have a late supper.” Antonia smirked.