"This is a breeze, carissima, surely you had something more difficult in store for me." Octavian looks up from the ball, leaning on his club as he makes, yet another, two-in-one. It is impressive given he has never played a sport a day in his life, but not enough for him to be making such remarks.

When you mentioned earlier that you had a sport you wanted the two of you to try, he had that same pretentious attitude he always does. This is just the first time it is actually justified.

He takes step back so you can line your shot. "Did you know that ancient Romans had a similar leisure game back in Rome's prime. They called it Paganica, and they used leather balls instead of these. With curved sticks they would hit the ball towards a target that was predetermined by competitors."

It is not outlandish to wonder if he really thinks you care or if he is trying to distract you. (It is most definitely the first one, but he considered the second.)

Even when his "fun fact" is met with silence, you can hear his club repeatedly tap the ground. While he is softer a for you compared to everyone else, he is still Octavian at the end of the day. He will use every trick in the book to try and trip you up, then pretend he is not.