MBTI Type: ESFJ

Cassia is all about judging what information she takes in, by way of its social appropriateness or not, and is driven by her compassion for others – from the horse that breaks its spine pulling her coach to the young gladiator who puts it out of its misery for her. She moralizes at the senator by outright stating it is morally wrong to watch other people kill each other for sport – but because her family requires her presence, out of respect for them, Cassia remains in the box anyway.While her views are strong, they are ultimately subjected to respecting social values. She is compassionate and able to understand everyone’s point of view; she senses Milo’s compassion when he must take a horse’s life to end its pain. She thinks of him first when encouraging him to run away, and stands up for him even at the cost of endangering herself. Cassia is willing to marry a man she hates to protect her family from harm, and puts aside her own emotions to further their needs. When she saves Milo’s life in the arena, her approach in convincing the senator not to overthrow her decision is an emotional one – by appealing to his pride and warning him that others will look on him badly in Rome if he has “a wife that will not obey” him. Her rationality is self-based and instinctive; she trusts her own ideas and logic, and asks others to trust her as well – she lets Milo help with the horses, she understands the consequences of her actions and what will happen if he doesn’t submit to a higher authority. Cassia isn’t afraid to take control of a situation when she needs to, and is very precise in how she words agreements. She is clever, articulate, knowledgeable about politics, and constantly searches for loopholes that will give her leverage, but also fails to consider the repercussions of certain of her decisions—choosing instead to make them based on however she feels at the time. Her previous experiences reinforces the emotions she feels in the present; her encounter with Milo enables her to trust him with her other horse and gives her respect and admiration for him as a compassionate man. Her former problems with  the Senator in Rome make her reluctant to spend time with him in Pompeii. And what she observed there carries over into her political beliefs and decisions as her story unfolds. Family is of the greatest importance to Cassia, who is willing to sacrifice her own freedom to ensure her parents’ survival. She is aware of her surroundings but also detached from them, because she is viewing everything through her subjective interpretation of it (including the gladiator games). Though she enlists Milo’s assistance on several occasions, she is also fearful of the futuristic consequences (“What will they do to you if they find you on that horse?”). She occasionally steps out of her comfort zone and is impulsive. She comprehends approaching dangers (her fear the Senator may force her sexually), and searches for some meaning in her life. Cassia is a little bit of a dreamer and a romantic. She understands that Milo killed the horse out of compassion and not “barbarity.”

Enneagram: 2w1 sp/so

Cassia thinks of others ahead of herself, constantly – she worries about the safety of her loved ones and does what she can to protect them, even if it means putting her own self-interests ahead of them. She takes a shine to Milo and tries to help him, even though they barely know each other, by begging for him not to be punished, by telling him to leave her here, take her own horse, and escape so he need not fight in the arena, and asking for his life from the senator. When the senator threatens her family, she agrees to marry him “on condition.” Though kind, compassionate, and generous, Cassia can also be emotionally-driven and reactive, quick to leap into action and take charge. She gives Milo a “thumbs up” before the senator can condemn him to death, risking his wrath in the process. She moralizes at him on several occasions, shaming him for his evil actions, and mentions her refusal in Rome to give him what he wanted—products of her 1 wing’s strong focus on the right and wrongness of her actions.