Tiberia was heading out of the city, running on her tiny legs. Mom had said she could go to the lake but had to be back by 4pm at most -- almost two full hours! She wished Decimus could've come with her, swimming with him was fun. Not with Kaeso, though, he was too small. He couldn't even walk properly yet. Tiberia was big, she was six years old and could even go to the fields of Mars when the legionnaires weren't using them -- as long as someone was with her. On her own, though, she wasn't allowed to go outside of the pomerium.
Since Decimus still had Latin homework, Tiberia had taken Bubbles with her instead.
Bubbles, her stuffed dolphin.
"Come on, come on!" she was saying, making the dolphin go up and down as if he was jumping out of the water and back in like the other dolphins she could see on Vulcan TV. Her short curls bounced around her shoulders. Chirping a giggle, she reached the lake and put Bubbles under her arm, getting closer to the water. Water always did funny stuff to Tiberia; it made her belly feel all warm inside, like when she had just had a cup of Dad's hot chocolate. (Dad made the best hot chocolate in the world.)
Tiberia plopped down and took her tiny sandals off, placing them neatly on the side then gathered Bubbles in her arms and took a first step into the water. It was cold and tickled her feet. Giggling, she went further in, soaking the hem of her small shorts.
A couple of silvery flashes later, she was surrounded by tiny fish who swam around her, stroking against her skin like cats.
"Salve fishies, quid agis!" she said, waving at them from above the surface. The fish blubbered in her thoughts something she couldn't really understand about the magnificence of the sea god.
Since Decimus still had Latin homework, Tiberia had taken Bubbles with her instead.
Bubbles, her stuffed dolphin.
"Come on, come on!" she was saying, making the dolphin go up and down as if he was jumping out of the water and back in like the other dolphins she could see on Vulcan TV. Her short curls bounced around her shoulders. Chirping a giggle, she reached the lake and put Bubbles under her arm, getting closer to the water. Water always did funny stuff to Tiberia; it made her belly feel all warm inside, like when she had just had a cup of Dad's hot chocolate. (Dad made the best hot chocolate in the world.)
Tiberia plopped down and took her tiny sandals off, placing them neatly on the side then gathered Bubbles in her arms and took a first step into the water. It was cold and tickled her feet. Giggling, she went further in, soaking the hem of her small shorts.
A couple of silvery flashes later, she was surrounded by tiny fish who swam around her, stroking against her skin like cats.
"Salve fishies, quid agis!" she said, waving at them from above the surface. The fish blubbered in her thoughts something she couldn't really understand about the magnificence of the sea god.