amongst the plethora of scars marring simon's body, some of the most jagged and tender are the ones that encircle his wrists and ankles.
roba and his cartel, as stated, had torture methods 'the kremlin couldn't even dream of.' a lot of simon's more brutal, prominent scars, he owes to roba and his men — both mental and physical ones. injuries sustained during service were often treated quickly and up to a somewhat professional standard, meaning that while scarring was inevitable, injuries healed far more appropriately. though of course this isn't always to case.
however, under roba's care, it was the opposite. wounds were irritated with the intent to ensure maximum suffering: the same injuries were inflicted in the same place to be sure nothing healed as it should. a lot of simon's time, when not left rotting on the floor of a cell, was spent tied to a bolted down metal chair: wrists and ankles bound with barbed wire. it was rare he ever went down without a fight, rare he ever sat there and wallowed in the darkness, so his struggles accounted for a lot of the marring from said wire. however it was also left on him for days at a time, meaning his skin would begin to mend around the offending barbs until it was wrenched from him for the next round of torture roba cooked up. or he would be strung up by the slack wire between his wrists, limbs forced to bear his weight while tender flesh is torn to shreds.
it's one of the main reasons why simon always wears gloves; even in short sleeves, even in warm weather. they're thick and harrowing and ugly; which, while he doesn't care for aesthetic, he'd rather avoid prodding questions and glances of pity that people think he doesn't clock onto.
alongside this, the 'glasgow smile' bestowed upon him (also courtesy of roba) is another scar he often tends to keep hidden behind his signature balaclava. while the masks help with the concealment of his identity, for simon riley has been dead for a long time, it's also a way to hide the scar that spans from the corner of his lip up to the centre of his cheek. it's a defining feature he'd rather keep hidden for the same reason of having no desire for pitiful glances nor probing questions.
