Intent #
The first real conversation with Marcus. Ulysses is roasted for his poor Latin.
Narrative #
The stone pulsed. Text began to crawl across its surface in sharp, clean Latin.
VERBUM UNUM NON INTELLEGO SED SENTIO FUROREM IN SCRIPTURA TUA
"I don't understand a single word," Ulysses translated slowly, his breath catching. "But I feel your fury in your writing..."
The stone continued: CLAMAS VELUT ANCILLA SPUMOSA
"You scream like a foaming servant girl."
Then, a second line of text appeared, distinct from the first: YES, YES, I’M TRANSLATING FOR YOU. YOU’RE WELCOME.
Ulysses stood stunned. "Wait — did I just get roasted... in Latin? And it was... kind of good."
He took a breath and tried to compose a response in his best academic Latin. WHO ARE YOU he thought, then typed: MEA NOMEN EST ULYSSES STUDENS HISTORIAE IN POMPEII