As things turned out, the East Apartment was fairly nice, even by the standards of Rome...it had a small vestibule rather than a door which opened directly onto the street, and the central room would make a very nice reception area. To the north would be Laris' room and a small kitchen. To either side of the door was a room for various uses, and the large one on the southern side would be an excellent bedroom/study combination! The walls were the usual painted plaster--red above and a dark blue below, which he could live with for now.

Laris carried the boxes and chests inside from the small cart, and said he'd be back in a moment after returning the vehicle to the place outside the gate where they'd rented it, their horses having been stabled there until they found a place to stay; as it turned out, Titus thought it best to leave the horses there since this place had no facilities for stabling, at least that he'd seen so far. He went from room to room, examining the contents, and making a mental list of what he would still need to purchase...and had made a small list by the time Laris returned, carrying a small basket containing a few rolls and some meat for an afternoon snack.

"Thank you, Laris...I hadn't even thought of eating yet!" The slave, only a year older than his master, nodded his dark-curled head. He well knew Titus would forget to eat if he got distracted by something...and from the looks of the codex in his hand, something had already claimed his attention. He had grown up in the family household just outside Rome, and had been schooled along with his master.

"You want some of the furniture removed," he asked with surprise, examining the pieces scattered about...all nicely made and expensive, if a bit over-decorated. Titus didn't like gaudy things, and he had to admit that some of the cushions and curtains certainly were that! Titus pointed in the direction of the southern room, and shuddered.

Laris walked to that room, and looked through the door, and drew back quickly--"Gods! Someone actually paid money for that!?" He took another look, then closed the door on the offending sight beyond. "I'll have someone take it away, and replace it with something more..." he searched for an appropriate word, "...suitable. Now, come eat, and I'll go out right after."

Titus sat on a stool with only a medium-sized cushion, and helped Laris to consume the bread and sliced sausage. He ignored the olives, and ate a handful of raisins for his dessert, along with the last of the cup of a local Campanian wine. The two young men conversed on many topics: mainly what the plan was for staying in Pompeii--would he try writing, do research on the local area, or pick up the greek culture?

Plans had been scanty once the settling of his father's estate had been finished; Titus had no real interest in running the business, so that was left in the hands of the trusted retainers who had been doing it for years--they knew all the details, and reported every few weeks on its status. Had Titus tried, the family would likely have gone bankrupt in less than a year! His brother was too young yet to take over, and his sister was married and now living somewhere in Sicilia. Even worse than her oldest son, his mother had no head for business either, so things were best left in the hands of the experts.

"I should invite mother and little Lucius down from Tusculum..." Titus said wistfully. He missed his brother a great deal--the boy was just getting to an age where he thought he ought to do more things on his own, and tended to get himself into trouble. He had tried hard not to cry when Titus left--as he had also attempted when their father had died two months earlier.

Laris looked around the room before answering. "Let's get unpacked at least, before we start planning on company! At the very least...that bed needs to go!"

Titus nodded enthusiastically. "I refuse to sleep in that thing for even one night! See what you can do--I'll sleep on the floor if I have to, but a proper bed would be nice--not some sybaritic tub of cushions and feathered mattresses four feet thick!"

Laris left to begin his search for proper furniture, and Titus began sorting his belongings, putting each chest in the room it should belong in....