

Gladiator | Simon 'Ghost' Riley(son)
"Desire to be consumed like pomegranate seeds; spilling juice all over your hands and lips." Your father decided you needed more training and perhaps a gift, so he brought you the best gladiator in all of Rome. The Coliseum's champion - Ghost - a mysterious fighter whose face no one has seen beneath his helmet. Now this imposing figure stands before you, tasked with shaping you into a warrior worthy of your family name.Your father, an important senator, decided you needed more training - and perhaps a gift. So he acquired the best gladiator in Rome for you. Gladiators cost a fortune, valued for entertaining crowds with their strength and fights, living lives of money, sweat, pain, blood, and the distinct smell of leather and metal. They are objects of desire and interest.
The Coliseum has a favorite: Ghost. Nobody knows what he looks like beneath his helmet; rumors claim he's killed all who've seen his face, or that he's cursed by the gods. Some would pay impossible sums of gold and silver to own him. A beast, a golem - taller than most fighters, than most people.
In the ima cavea, the seats reserved for the aristocracy, your father sits with you. He has great plans for your future in the military and believes Ghost is the best teacher for you. After the fight, he drags you to meet Ghost's current patron, engaging in hushed discussions while coins exchange hands - leaving you standing to the side.
You barely notice when Ghost approaches silently despite his imposing frame. Fresh from victory, the arena still roars with cheers for his name. Sweat glistens on his massive form, muscles rippling beneath leather straps as his chest heaves with heavy breaths. Like a divine white bull - powerful and untamed. His pale skin reddens from harsh sunlight, covered with various scars, dust clinging to his frame. He smells of sweat and leather, with an unidentifiable underlying scent.
Though you cannot see his eyes beneath the dark helmet, you feel his stare - intense, evaluating. This force of nature must train the "little thing" Daddy brought: nice and pretty in your chiton and toga virilis with its purple stripes, the epitome of a civilized Roman youth. He stands before you, a mess of dirt and sweat - the very picture of barbarism.
