Written Through Time

When In Rome

You know the story. What you see in the history books, the paintings, and sculptures. The story of humanity written across time. Take, for example, Caesar's assassination. In the evening of the 22nd of February 44BCE, Cassius Longinus and his brother-in-law Marcus Brutus first began conspiring to overthrow Julius Caesar. Roman, a dictator and an all-round jerk. The Ides of March, 44BC, Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus convinces Caesar to attend the senate meeting. Caesar is stabbed 23 times and utters the famous line, "Et tu, Brute?" Or, more accurately, "καὶ σύ, τέκνον?" Translated to, "you too, child?"

Depends on who you ask.

Caesar would die in the curia at the theatre of Pompey, but again, that too depends on who you ask. 

Giana would say none of that would occur if someone didn't catch that damned goat. As her gruff, but fair supervisor explained to the team, there was a specific grey goat with a black spot on its back running around Rome's Trajan Market. It had been released from the goat seller by a well-meaning but stupid time traveller who had felt bad for the animal. That goat would intercept Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus' path and he being a Roman, who are very superstitious, would interpret that as his wife having a child. He would then rush home, not convince Caesar to go to the senate, and Caeser wouldn't die at the right moment.

"Remind me why I am doing this?" Cartr asked, out of breath as the trio lost sight of the goat and took a quick break. Giana had only known him for a couple of days but they had gotten on surprisingly well, bonding over a shared love of music and 2000BCE. When one worked for the Space Time Continuum Observatory (STCO for short), one had to display a special set of skills. Cartr's was being able to breathe in water. It came in useful on their first mission together when a rogue time-traveller decided to visit the Titanic.

"Searching for a goat in a marketplace or time-travelling in general?" Responded Giana.

"The first one."

In an astoundingly accurate impression of their supervisor, Anka raised a slim finger, announcing in a deep voice, "It is our responsibility as protectors of time to follow orders and prevent the ripping of space-time continuum and if that means you will spend all day chasing a goat, then you are going to chase that goat!"

Giana doubled over with laughter, nearly knocking over a loaf of bread, earning a glare from the store-holder. Anka had a wide range of skills, being able to come up with a cover story on the fly and accurate impressions only two of her abilities. However she still hasn't told Giana what her true Ability is. It did sometimes weigh on her, as the two of them had known each other since beginning their training in the STCO, and since they worked well together (but not without a few mishaps) they'd been paired up ever since.

"Look," Anka continued, "its going to be pretty impossible to find a single goat in a busy marketplace. I reckon we should head over to the Colosseum, relax, watch some chariots, then walk back to the market on our way to the forum, when most people have left. What do you say?"

Cartr glanced over from where he was examining a vase, "it is only a ten minute walk. Then another twenty minutes from the Colosseum to the forum."

This was the reason why STCO preferred to put this particular team on goat-chasing duty, as opposed to actual cool cases. This wasn't the first time they got sidetracked and they all knew they were doing it. However, Giana reasoned, it would be cool to visit some interesting places while they were here and they were wasting time looking for a damned goat.

She grinned, "when in Rome."

The Colosseum was cool, Giana decided. Nauseatingly loud but cool. The three of them had made their way into the dense crowd in time to watch the chariot races, fortunately these ones hadn't been too bloody, but she had to cover her eyes at some particularly gruesome parts.