Marcellus descended from the staircase outside his villa after having a conversation with Placidia about their niece Pulcheria. The girl was located outside the palace in the gardens, playing within the large fountain that was more like a pool than anything else.
Upon seeing the girl enjoying herself to such an extant, rather than looking depressed like she had since first coming to Rome, Marcellus smiled, and for the first time in a long time began to strip himself out of his armor, so that he could join Pulcheria in the fountain.
The moment he snuck up behind the girl and splashed her with some water, she looked around with a pouting expression before noticing that rather than one of her siblings; it was the filthy pagan who had splashed her. The moment Pulcheria saw this, her expression turned to one of wrath, which only caused Marcellus to wear a bitter smile as he approached his niece.
