♔ | general information
𝕹𝖆𝖒𝖊
Evander

𝕹𝖎𝖈𝖐𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖊
Eve
An
master
sir

𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖘
heir to a succesful, upper classed family of politicians

𝕲𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗
male

𝕻𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖘
he/him

𝕬𝖌𝖊
20

𝕾𝖊𝖝𝖚𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖞
bisexual, but he leans much more towards men

♔ | appearance
𝕲𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖑 𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊

♔ | personality
𝕲𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖑 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖞
Evander is a rather complicated young man. He has many internal struggled which make him a hard person to understand at times. Overall he may be described as a well mannered, flattering and kindhearted young man, but he is not as superficial as that.

how he acts and how he truly feels often contradicts each other, a result from his father's teachings in his youth. While he is already a man grown, he sometimes still struggles with knowing who he really is. He lives to please, wanting nothing more than for his mother but above all his father to be proud of him. He wished for them to speak of him with pride, look at him with that small sparkle in their eyes.

He cringes under any look of disappointment from his father and obviously still wants the man's praise and approval for the things he does. His family is very important to him and he loves his mother so dearly.

The problem is though, that he is quite different from his father. Where the man is inconsiderate of others, especially slaves whom he considers as simple property and does not even pay attention to unless giving orders, full of himself, finds political status very important and believes kindness towards anyone who is not of his own status is not necessary, Evander has grown up to become almost the opposite. He used to be more like his father, as a young boy he used to ignore the slaves, not even bothering to pay the slightest attention to him, and also not being bothered by seeing them beaten. After he spent years away from his family home though, to live with a mentor who helped him with his studies in politics, he grew softer.

Now, much unlike his father, he does acknowledge their slaves, occassionally thanking them for things they did and no longer feeling so indifferent upon seeing a beating or the results of it. As much as he wishes to act on those feelings though, as much as he wants to show his kindness, be more considerate and all, he does not do so often. His father disapproves of such behaviour and above all else, Evander wants to please his father.

When the man is not around, Evander is a whole different person. Without the pressure of the man's judgement, he is more openhearted, chattier and friendly. He is often seen with his bright smile when the man is not around, instead of his more serious and entitled expression. He is not very demanding and while he does order the servants around, he phrases it in a kinder way than his father. He is not quite fond of displaying harshness himself, but he is put in a rather tough spot when a slave messed up in front of both him and his father. The man expects him to be just like him, to show authority, be ruthless.

It is safe to say he is scared of his father in a way, while he knows the man would never go further than to hit him, for he does not want his son to be scarred like some slave, the disappointment hurts him more than any physical harm could do. No wonder that when you get to know him better and get to see through his mask and act, you will see an almost love starved young man who tries so hard to please his parents and be the son they want, while it mentally conflicts him so deeply. All he had learned from his father was so different from what he saw he wanted to be while staying with his mentor.

♔ | past
𝕲𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖑 𝖇𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖌𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉
Evander has lived a life of immense luxury. His father was a powerful and successful politician, married to a beautiful woman from a rather influential family. Their match was not the romantic love match, but they worked well together and were connected by their mutual love for their son after he was born. The woman, Cecilia, has spoilt her son ever since the moment he took his first breath. She was busy all day trying to ensure the babe's comfort, ordering her maids around and shouting at any who dared to make him cry, which was almost inevitable with a baby. His father doted on him as well, however he did not have much to do with the child at this age. he was a proud man though, bragging to all who wanted to hear how perfect his son was.

It was when the boy was about five years old that his father, Hortensius, got his chance. He set to having his son study literature, for he believed that was the best education for a future politician. His son would follow in his footsteps, he had already decided and nothing would stop him from having that dream come true. It was rather soon that he found out evander had no talent though. He was rather slow in learning his letters and even simple texts for boys his age seemed to take ages for him to master. You can imagine this lead to horrible disappointment by the ambitious man and his kind and loving demeanor towards his son changed.

He started to check on his progress regularly and when Evander did not meet his standards, he was always met with a small shake of his head in disappointment and more often than not also a harsh hit, leaving his cheek usually rather red after his meetings with his father. Needless to say this left quite a strain on the boy.

As the years went by, Evander did not really improve much. He was a genius when it came to science and physics and reading texts on that, purely facts and all, went so easy. That was not what hortensius wanted from him though and so that was not acknowlegded. Instead he kept on pressuring poor evander on memorising and understanding the difficult texts and passages he had given him.

At the age of fifteen, Hortensius finally had enough and so he found an experienced politician, a distant relative who lived in Rome, and wrote to him with the request of taking in his son Evander and teach him all he still lacked. It was so the boy left in his most crucial years of childhood. the years in which a man was truly formed. Cecilia was heartbroken by the leaving of her son, but was soothed by the idea he would return to her eventually, being a son to be proud of.

The home of his mentor was so much different from what Evander was used to. The slaves there were friendly and chatty, much unlike the dull and sometimes nervous ones back at his own home. Evander got rather used to making small talk with them and it felt nice not to have such tenseness in the house all the time. The slaves there were hardly beaten and they did not constantly have their heads lowered either. Evander truly thrived in such a happy household, without the tenseness and pressure from his father. His mentor did a wonderful job and Evander ended up learning what he needed. he became an eloquent young man, with much more knowledge than before he left.

He only recently returned back home, which was once again quite a change. No more happy and easy atmosphere in the house and instead once again the tenseness and fear that could be felt everywhere.

♔ | interests
𝕷𝖎𝖐𝖊𝖘
painting; during his time in Rome he has developed a likening for the arts and he turned out to be quite a natural in it. He enjoys painting portraits most of all, loving how he can capture one's face and expression in one moment.

wine; evander likes his wine. He is rather specific about the taste and such, but so is his father so he never has any trouble with the wine served at home.

the gardens; his mother has never spared any expense in decorating their garden. it has a beautiful fountain in the middle and many beautiful flowers all over as well as nice trees for the shade. He loves to spend his time there.

𝕯𝖎𝖘𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊𝖘
disappointing his father; there is nothing he hates more. the look of disappointment on his father's face makes him a helpless boy all over again. He cowers under his stern gaze and it is enough to make him agree with everything the man says.

politics; ironically evander hates the career path his father has set out for him. while he has come to enjoy reading to a certain level and has become good enough to be a politician, it just does not really interest him

seeing the one he cares for hurt; while he has not really found this out himself yet, evander can get absurtly protective when he cares for someone. He hates to see anyone he holds dear in any sort of pain.

♔ | relationships
𝕱𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖞
father, hortensius; evander loves the man and he wants nothing more than to make him proud, but part of him also fears him. He cannot stand to see his disappointment and honestly, he still holds such power over him. Hortensius loves his son as well, he just has high expectations and is not easily pleased. As long as evander does what he expects of him though, he will treat his son with the affection he deserves

mother, cecilia; the woman adores her son and spoils him rotten. Evander loves her dearly and would not take it well if anything were to happen to her. He wants to be the son she deserves and is a dutiful boy to his mother, which is returned with much love and affection, which he lacks from his father.

𝕱𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖘
n/a; as a young boy he had grown pretty shy due to his father's harshness and in rome, he had not really been able to make many friends, for he had been focused on his study.

𝕻𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘
n/a; he has not been thinking of love, his goal had been to become a man his father would be proud of and love was not something that was of importance to that. surely his father would find him a suitable match at some point. not that such a thing would make him happy though, for while he might not realise it yet, he has a strong preference for men.

𝕺𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖕𝖘
n/a; there are many slaves in his father's household, but there is not one of them he has a specific relationship with.

♔ | other information
𝕺𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗
this roleplay takes place in ancient italy in Pompeii, enough years before the erruption of the mount vesuvius though so this tragedy will not have to play a role in this roleplay.

♔ | scenarios
↬ one;
(for male characters only)
It has been many years not since Hortensius bought you and now you were the man's steward. It was the most 'honourable' position a slave could get. You got entrusted with the man's business affairs, overlooked his household in his absense, meaning you were partly in charge of the other slaves, and you also drew up contracts for him. Aside from that, you served the family as any other slaves, tending to their wants and needs.

Today was a rather exciting day, much unlike usual. You never really had anything exciting to look forward to. Hortensius was a harsh master and you had taken many beatings already by the man's command. Even he could not take away your inner excitement though, for today Evander would return home. Your master's only son, a boy you had spent quite some years with during your childhood.

You had been new back then, Evander was around ten and your age was close to him. You had been lucky enough to have a kind master before hortensius, a man who had noticed you were a rather bright boy and therefore had provided you with an education. You excelled many boys your age and older, even freeborn boys. You knew this was a risk though, for most wealthy people did not like being outsmarted by a slave, so when you were sold, you tried hard to keep a low profile. One day you had seen evander try to read a book in the gardens, the boy seemed to struggle so much and because of how much you missed reading and also your curiosity as to what this book was that your young master was struggling so much with, you tried to sneak a glance.

most unfortunately you got caught by hortensius though who immediately declared he'd have you whipped for sneaking up on evander like that and trying to read. It was your mistress cecilia who saved you from that fate, suggesting that if you were so bright, you might be of use to help their son evander with his studies. That lead to you spending every afternoon helping the boy with his studies. He was truly bad at it, though you always tried to encourage him. a friendship grew between you. Evander would always order extra food to his study during the times you helped him so you could eat, which truly was generous as you weren't fed more than one small meal a day otherwise. He also allowed you to sit instead of having to remain standing, which you appreciated as well.

The downside of this though, was that evander did not improve enough to his father's likening and you were the one who was beaten for it. Both because you failed the job you had been given but also because he could not beat evander for it'd leave scars. Afterwards, hortensius would always send you back to his son, so he could see your pain and the consequences of his failing. You ever blamed evander, for you knew the other boy tried so hard and was so nervous around his father that he kept messing up. He was always kind to you, getting you water and allowing you to rest after a beating, which was much more than most slaves got for they had to immediately continue working if they did not want to get beaten yet again.

You had been rather sad when he left for Rome, but now he would finally return. Cecilia had gone wild with preparatoins, it was as if the emperor himself would visit their estate. Your mind was preoccupied with thoughts though. would he recognise you? what was he like now? You joined the family at the doors of the house when a slave, who had been sent out to check and report if their son was approaching, ran over. "your son arrives, mistress." he panted as he bowed to cecilia, who impatiently waved him aside as she watched evander being carried over on a palaquin carried by six slaves, their heads red from the burning sun on them and the exhaustion of carrying their master's son. They lowered him to the ground at his command and kept their heads down when evander stepped down.

You glanced up and truly, evander had grown into such a gorgeous young man. You had been so lost in thoughts that you did not hear cecilia snap at you. "boy!" she glared at you. "do not keep my boy waiting, lead him inside and show him his room." you had completely missed the part where evander had embraced his parents and made some small talk with him, so lost in thoughts about your old friend. Now you quickly nodded though. "yes mistress, forgive me." you immediately spoke before doing as you were bid, leading evander to the room his mother had prepared for him, more suitable for a young man than his previous room had been. It was in the hallways that the noises from the busy slaves started to quiet down. This was it then, the moment alone with your childhood friend. would he remember you? he had not appeared to and when he spoke now, you realised he did not, not by just your looks at least. "you're my father's new steward?" you just quietly nodded. "what is your name?" This was it then, the moment where you'd find out if he remembered you.

continue from here

↬ two;
(for both male and female characters)
you have been owned by hortensius for a couple of years now. He bought you in your late teens, a most reasonable investment from his perspective. You were young, but not too young and you were still perfectly healthy and capable of work. Oh how you wished the man had never noticed you. He had not even bothered to be kind to you, he had just looked you up and down as if expecting some new goods and then spoke a few words to his steward Cassius before turning to head back home. Cassius had been nice to you, he was slightly older than hortensius it seemed, but very friendly. You learnt he had been serving his master ever since he was in his early twenties, he also told you about cecilia and mentioned evander and how he was currently away for his studies.

When you arrived at the beautiful estate, Hortensius immediately left you with Cassius, not bothering to waste any more time on you. Your fellow slave mentioned how that was good enough, for it probably meant you could keep your name. Hortensius seemed to usually rename his slaves after buying them, but seeing how he left immediately upon arriving home, Cassius assumed he was pleased enough with your name as it was.

Over the years, you worked hard on a variety of tasks and chores. Sometimes you helped prepare food in the kitchens, other times you were sent to fetch buckets of water and occassionally your master or mistress commanded you to do something more specific for them, like fetching something they needed or such. Cassius has grown to care about you rather a lot and sort of became the father you never had. You did not see him very often, for he was usually around hortensius as his steward, but he tried to look out for you. In return you started to care for the older man as well, trying to take over physically demanding tasks if he ever got them and more of those small gestures, for more slaves could not do for one another.

You were now no longer a teen, you've reached adulthood and have grown into quite a beautiful young man/woman. You have gotten familiar with most of the other slaves here during the years you served and at times, when everyone was sure none of the masters was around, you would chat with each other, just about casual unimportant things. It lightened the mood and made a day more bearable.

A few weeks ago, things changed around the house, for your master's only son Evander had returned from his studies in Rome. The feast had been way too grand for just a welcome hom party, though no one had dared to object to their mistress' wishes. She wouldn't have taken kindly to it. her son was her everything and he deserved the best. Days of preparation and then once again days to clean everything up and refill the storages. You had managed to catch a glimpse of your master's son while serving dinner the night he arrived and you would be lying if you said he was not a rather handsome young man. Thinking of it alone made you blush, which of course lead to you being teased by your fellow slaves. it was just harmless fun.

It has been weeks now, yet the teasing did not stop, for you could still feel your heart beat faster whenever you saw evander walk by. Everything about him...he looked much like his father, yet something about him was so different as well. This afternoon you were hanging laundry in the gardens with a few of your fellow slaves. Hortensius was out for some business meeting, having taken Cassius with him and Cecilia had left to visit a dear friend. All seemed safe for a little chat then, for after years without evander, it was rather easy to forget he was here again when it had just been a few weeks since his arrival.

A female slave a few years younger than you playfully, very lightly, shoved you. "if i say evander's name, will you blush again?" you did, your whole face turned red. It wasn't usual you or the other slave used your master's name, but considering you forgot he was at home at all, it seemed alright. You shook your head, feeling rather embarrassed. "don't be ridiculous." you murmered as you went back to hanging out some white tunics to dry. "oh come on, y/n!" a male slave continued with a grin. "we all know you're in love with him!" You all were so busy chatting, the others teasing you and you defending yourself, that none of you noticed evander had walked outside as well. A slave boy scurried behind him, carrying a pile of books. He enjoyed to read and study in the gardens, the fresh air made him able to have better focus. Most unfortunately, the young man had overheard your chatter about him and instead of quietly heading over to the bench to just start reading, he was now heading over to the small group of chatting slaves of which you were a part.

Evander stood from a small distance, the slave boy still behind him with the rather heavy pile of books. "Who is in love with me?" the sound of his voice, which also sounded much like hortensius' just a tad younger, made you and the other slaves jump. Everyone's eyes widened almost simultaneously and your fellow slaves immediately bowed, feeling very much nervous to say at the least. Hortensius never liked his slaves chatting, it annoyed him greatly and therefore often lead to a beating, but this was even worse. Evander had not only caught you all chatting, but it had been about him! None of you really knew what he was like, but it was easy to assume he was much like his father.

continue from there