Marcus hummed. "Pardon, but isn't a thousand dollars a bit excessive? I have friends in the gentry whose entire salaries wouldn't be able to cover it. I own a number of well-off businesses, so it's not really a problem, but I was under the impression that this was not reserved for the financial elite." He smiled, and added; "If I am to pay this much<span style="font-style: italic">because</span>I can afford it, thus allowing others to participate, that's fine. But I can't help but wonder what it's for."