Her words were very strange to a man who had been taught for years of his life that he was a slave, that he was to be nothing more than that. He would never be given the right to buy his freedom, the emperor would never take notice of him and give him his freedom. No, he would fight until death came for him, and there was simply nothing that Verus could do against it. Even if he tried to escape, fight his way out, it would destroy any honor he had left.

Gladiators were taught that a loss was to be accepted humbly, and that if death came for you, you were to accept it. As it stood, Verus had only killed one gladiator in the field. He was unpopular, ending fights with dirty tricks that the audience didn't enjoy. When his blade came around to try and cripple Verus, permanently, he had instead dashed around it, slamming the butt of his own blade into the mans head. The concussion he had almost certainly received would've made him incapable of fighting for weeks, but instead, the audience called for his blood.

So Verus had acted, plunging his blade into his throat, staring down with emotionless eyes as he gurgled his last. 'You're here until you die.' The cheers of the crowd consoled the man on what he had believed to be murder, but soon he was taught that it was simply his job. He was congratulated on one of the best fights the people had seen in some time, and had even been given wine and meat with his next meals. The luxury of victory, to promote more.

"Perhaps not then, but your people would still have us believe otherwise. What makes you so different, to hate the spectacle of the fight then?" He stood up, a small smile on his face. "The allure of the... [i]glory[/i]." He took a step towards her, though nothing overly threatening in his stride. The large man would seem intimidating, though, his form easily larger than Claudia's in every way. Another step was taken, his smile slowly widening. "The taste of wealth, the tang of blood in the air? Surely it must be captivating to watch, after all, I've already had so much money poured into me as it is..."

His voice ended with a small chuckle, clearly mocking his own existence at this point. The girls morals were strange, but not unwelcome. If she would treat him like a man instead of a beast, like someone who deserved more than he'd been given, than so be it. He would have no qualms with such a kindness in his life. He stood to the side as she ordered a guard to retrieve them a meal, his smile diminishing but never fully disappearing.

Her next question took the gladiator by surprise, but he was prepared for it. "Yesterday. I'm too much of an investment not to feed, though I can't say the meals were quality. Old bread, and beans. Water too, but even that was stagnant and dirty. Can't be given what a normal man would be, afterall. I'm much lower than them, not even worthy of their luxuries. Not unless I make them happy, fight for them, make someone else disappoint them." Again, a complete mockery and insult to what he was, though his tone clearly didn't take itself seriously. "Still, I certainly look forward to wine and food fit for nobility."

Strange how his tone could shift from mockery to eagerness. Verus was certainly a strange man, one who looked forward to ups in his life. He was hoping that he would make his life a little easier, if for some reason this entire thing was a ploy to make him fight better, by attaining victory at the fighting tomorrow. If nothing else, it would prove his strength to both Claudia and her father. Prove that he was worth the price that had been paid for him.