Hehehe wip fanfic

“Cassiodor! Cassiodor!” The door flew open with a bang, and Aurelius gripped the doorframe, panting. His bangs were even messier than usual, sticking to his sweaty forehead, and his long braid had several white feathers sticking out of it.

”Aurelius, brother,” Cassiodor said with a concerned frown, “why the urgency? It’s Saturnalia. None of us are working today, by the mercy of the Glorious Sebastos.” Cassiodor caught a whiff of the alcohol on the other Harmost’s breath and smiled. “And I see that you’re already participating in the festivities, ho!”

Aurelius shook his head wildly. “I—I am aware that we’re off-duty,” he panted. “It’s not about that. It’s my,”—a few more pants—“it’s my geese. I must’ve taken my eyes off them for too long, for I suddenly noticed that Dryastis had gone off and started eating the Rainbow Roses in the Hortus Euergetis!”

Cassiodor frowned again. “Dryastis? Isn’t that your lover’s name?”

Aurelius blushed. “Well, I, ah… I may have named my favorite goose after her.”

Cassiodor winced. “Ah, I see, then… Have you spoken with Euergetia?”

Aurelius’s eyes widened to the size of trumpet horns. “By the Sebastos, no! I do not have a death wish! And that’s not all, brother. After I rounded up all my other geese, I chased Dryastis out of Hortus Euergetis, and she…” Aurelius shuddered, and Cassiodor braced himself.

“…She dove right into one of the pipes of the Sebastos’s organ!”

This is the first Saturnalia I’ve properly enjoyed in a while, silently mused a certain God King as he sipped Bitura’s finest wine from a beautiful copper rhyton. Remus of Remuria sat with his legs crossed on the glistening golden roof of the Domus Aurea, mesmerized by the way the afternoon sun glinted off of the various rooftops of the Capitoloum. The Initium Iani had been opened for the holidays, and for one week, everyone was welcome in the Eternal City.

Remus’s gaze turned towards the crowded streets, filled with people in colorful togas and cloaks. His people, his subjects, his children, all of whom he loved dearly, all partaking in the festivites. The sight filled him with joy and wonder, and the whimsical expression on his face was quite unbefitting for someone of his status.

“Remus. That whimsical expression on your face is quite unbefitting for someone of your status,” scolded a voice on his left. He turned his head towards the intruder, his maskless face on display.

But that was alright. The “intruder” was someone he knew well—and anyway, it was Saturnalia. As per custom, neither him nor the other Harmosts would wear their masks out in public.

“Scylla,” Remus said joyfully, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. “How pleasant it is to see you.”