Hermes managed better than Idris had initially expected, much better. He could see the young man straighten his chin in resolve, and that was it – no complaints, no slowdown. The unguent and the massage in the baths this morning had obviously helped the slave over the worst. Their latest acquaintance, Oppius Memmius Afer, and his retinue were nowhere in sight. The Silure supposed that they’d taken advantage of the early morning hours. Though the streets were considerably more crowded at that time, it was pleasantly cool and the constant breeze refreshing though they already were a good deal away from the sea.

Around noon the lovers noticed Hermes furtively rubbing his behind every now and then. Even though Salernum wasn’t too far away anymore, they decided to take a break and have lunch at the next opportunity. A mile further down the road was a small roadside inn which Sextus and Idris entered, leaving Hermes outside to tend to the horses and guard their belongings – and also tend to his sore parts. As Sextus noted with a private grin, the young man didn’t seem to mind this. By the time they’d reached the door he’d already made eye-contact with the impressive barbarian bodyguards surrounding a richly decorated litter sitting beneath the shadow of a tree. Since it was quite late for lunch, the small guestroom was crowded and some of the guests already quite boisterous. The intense aroma of fried fish and burnt fat hovered heavily in the air and did not much to enhance Idris’ appetite, though most of the patrons around them had only left the fish bones on their plates.

Their arrival didn’t attract much attention. Some of the guests politely slid closer together to make room for the newcomers, after a short while a pretty serving girl appeared to take their orders. Despite her obvious weariness she spared the handsome Roman a dazzling smile while he ordered food and wine and also a good-sized portion for Hermes outside. When Sextus returned the smile and even winked at her, she blushed and nearly hovered back into the kitchen. “Charmer”, Idris whispered with a grin. Sextus squeezed Idris’ leg beneath the table and chuckled and the other men at the table joined in. Soon after, a conversation among the travellers ensued.

Most of the others were merchants from the inland on their way up north to harbour cities like Pompeii, so they swapped information about the respective routes ahead of them. Surely the most colourful guests belonged to a travelling entertainment troupe, working their way up along the coastal road all the way to Volturnum where they hoped to be engaged by one of the local landowners. The artists’ own grapevine was abuzz with news about a local festival there.

When they returned outside, Hermes was in good spirits again; he also looked considerably more ruffled than before. Sure enough, one of the barbarian bodyguards guarding the litter looked quite pleased with himself. Sextus and Idris exchanged a glance, and the Silure merely rolled his eyes. Obviously the slave had found his own cure for saddle-soreness, and judging by his smile it had even worked.