The rough-looking man who stepped up beside the lady to look at the jewelry on display did not, at first glance, look wealthy enough to afford anything in this shop. On second glance, though, perhaps he wasn't as poor as all that. Sure, the plain white tunic had only very narrow trim, simple embroidery in the dark brown that was as close as some could afford to black, and sure, he wore neither a himation nor any jewelry, not even pins, the lightweight linen tied with thin cord to form his sleeves - but the fabric was high quality, tightly woven enough to be sturdy despite how thin it was, and ties were flat braids, brown, white and green threads forming a neat chevron pattern, rather than simple twisted cord. His sandals were quality as well, sturdy and laced all the way up to the knee, nothing like the cheap thongs that poorer folk more often wore, and the entire outfit was either new or exceedingly well cared for. Calloused hands were scarred, and one finger permanently bent, but perfectly clean, and the nails neatly trimmed. The man would not look out of place on a military exercise yard, in fact - even someone of rank likely wouldn't want metal pins under their armour, nor see much use for decoration that would get covered up by the same - but no-one of any rank or wealth would have wandered off duty out to the shops in such a garment. A simple soldier, perhaps.

The gladiator trailed his fingers thoughtfully across a few items, and made a conscious decision not to palm one. His mother definitely wouldn't approve - even more so because it was someone they knew - and he didn't need to anyway. The merchant didn't give him the suspicious look that people with expensive wares usually gave people with no money, instead favouring him with a quick nod that said I see you, I'll be with you in a minute. Lesley returned it with a slight shrug, Take your time. He wasn't in a hurry. He wasn't even certain that he would buy something today, he'd mostly come in seeking shade somewhere that wasn't crowded. Now that he was here, though, a couple things amongst the women's jewelry caught his eye. Riona hardly ever bought anything nice for herself - in fairness, neither did he. Being poor as dirt, and then worse, left one with financial habits that were hard to break, even after years of regular income.

"Excuse me," he murmured in apology as he reached past a well-dressed lady to get a closer look at a necklace.