[center] [h1][color=red]S[/color] [i]a m u e l[/i][/h1] [img]https://i.imgur.com/YAOdhnj.png[/img] [color=red][url=https://youtu.be/KLDpFOgUVIQ]"I guess I'm dreaming again."[/url][/color] [color=888888]— Sam[/color] [hider=Status]30 | Male | G.E.M.I.N.I | Creeping Anxiety Stab, Slash | Dagger, Sword | Arcane | Fade Paranoia | Hallucinate Malice | Darkness | Devious Intent [Obfuscate (4)] [Intangible (4)], Damage X (6), Pull (2), Dispel (6), Mana Burn (6), Restrain (4), Extend (2), Trap (0), Piercing (2), Full Enhance (4) DAMAGE: D | SPEED: D | SENTINEL: D | 750 [Bronze Spawn][Restrain (4)][Damage X (6) = -180 Mana PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 530[/hider][/center] [hider=Hmm]There's a quiet room with a relatively nice view towards the topmost floor of a skyscraper, but it is plain otherwise. Inside it is a desk covered with papers and a pen, pincered by two office chairs, and a certificate of some sort hangs behind the desk. A potted plant that may or may not be fake rests in the corner, somehow giving the room a more artificial feel in what is presumably in contrast to its purpose. Depending on your point of view, the man pensively staring out the window could be considered young or old. It would be many years until he needs to worry about gray hairs on his head instead of black, but it had been over a decade since he graduated high school. He looked no different than your everyday office worker, wearing a collared shirt, slacks, and loafers. The quiet was broken with a sigh, and he turned around to face the one other person in the room who was sitting on the chair in front of the desk. A raven-haired woman who couldn't be too much younger than the man and whose apparel was similarly professional. She looked at him expectedly. He chose to wait nearly seven seconds before speaking in a tone that betrayed resignation. [color=red]"I understand why you have done what you did. I won't pretend to be a friend, but I will say that in our short time together, you have always kept your conduct 'appropriate' to the situation. The ambition you have displayed in everything you do is commendable and I simply would not be surprised at all if I found myself answering to you in a few years. I would welcome it, in fact,"[/color] he seemed to perk up when talking about the woman, so it was all likely genuine praise he had. He lost a bit of excitement as he continued, however. [color=red]"And that is why it is with a heavy heart that things have taken this turn, [i]Leroux[/i]. To see that potential, that brilliant light be dimmed by a fumbling of priorities... I am disappointed."[/color] The situation was obviously harder on the man than the woman. Presently, she appeared similar to a deer in the headlights, as if all that had been said simply hadn't set in yet. But for the man, for Samuel... this was just too much. He couldn't stand to look this woman in the eyes. Perhaps it was a sign of the very weakness he was disciplining her for. Sympathy. [color=red]"Until such a time I can be sure that you will put the company's interests first and foremost, I regret to inform you that I must ask that you stay away from the vending machine in the lobby,"[/color] he stated gravely. [color=red]"You may, however, ask a fellow coworker you trust to purchase things in your stead."[/color] A final exhale escaped his lips. [color=red]"You are free to go."[/color] Perhaps in the future, he thought, she would not make the mistake of breaking company property to help someone in need. A cog in a machine was only useful when it turned. ... ... ... Samuel knew it had to be born from arrogance, but it was a habit of his to take situations like the one he was in now and repurpose them into an office setting with which he was much more familiar and in charge. It was a coping mechanism of sorts, something he required since he began his venture into a world full of danger and death, but it also assisted in keeping him stable as a character. The power to end one's life was power nonetheless, and that was bound to corrupt people. He feared he would be more susceptible to its influence given his old ways. If he ever found his reaction to a situation to be driven by something other than duty or sympathy, then it was time to take a step back and assess where he was going wrong. The example provided, of course, is merely a way of determining how much life is valued. He did not feel his reaction in the scenario was unwarranted, as the 'recreation' took place within an office space. Reprimanding and punishing Leroux was acceptable there because it was not in the company's best interest and nobody was in serious danger, so duty prevailed. Seeing as the real-life situation did, however, happen in a life-or-death scenario, Samuel would not personally pursue much more than light scolding, was he in a position of power over the woman, because her actions were beneficial to the people risking their lives. A bit of collateral damage could be overlooked because it ultimately may have saved lives. He could sympathize with that. ... ... ...[/hider] Somehow, it felt as though only a moment had passed, and also 16 days had passed. Samuel was doing his best to ensure his teammates could do their best. A machine was a lot less likely to run smoothly if even one cog could no longer turn. If he could serve better greasing those gears, Sam had no problem doing so. He continued along until, after a certain incident with one of their freelancers, he was privately contacted by Binky, requesting that he keep a watchful eye on their (thankfully) poor Dick Cheney impersonator. [color=red]"I understand,"[/color] Samuel agreed, though Binky's instruction wasn't exactly necessary. Threats to the whole were always going to be Samuel's focus if nothing else was supposed to take priority. With the arrival of new foes, some of whom had names and cut-ins, Samuel had to take a more conservative approach. Shotguns and riot shields were actually quite effective against a man with weapons that sound like they were named by goblins. He allowed the others to be productive for those moments, with the armored freelancer providing a much-needed barricade between them and bullets intending on wiping them out and Apollo managing to shoot at things that were not considered friendly. Samuel did not mimic this behavior simply because he wasn't sure how wieldy a gun like that would be in this demonic form of his. He abstained, ultimately. Assistance then came from Klava, who rejoined them and helped them push to the stairs, their armored freelancer still leading the charge. It was here, however, Samuel was forced to witness conduct he did not approve of, but he remained quiet about it. There is an argument that ignoring these sorts of problems is a problem itself, but Samuel had a sneaking suspicion these thugs weren't the sort to take five so that they could all watch his company's training video on sexual harassment in the workplace. Suppose that meant there was another reason to get rid of these thugs. As Protector made short work of the men on the stairs, Sam received another call from Binky. [color=red]"Acknowledged,"[/color] Samuel spoke into his receiver, listening to a loud, thunderous roar coming from above them as Binky informed him of Cobra's position. He took this slight moment, still following behind, addressing the freelancer group. [color=red]"As expected, our objective is higher up, on the fourth floor. If we can continue to use this momentum to push through these optimists and sever the head from the snake, I suspect the rest of it will go limp,"[/color] his ghastly voice added an ominous feeling to that statement. It was then that they began their ascent, following Protector's lead and in pursuit of the shotgun-wielding gangster. The suit managed to snatch away the weapons from a number of their foes, and Apollo continued to rain fire on them. Until they were in a more open space, all rushing past their defense would do would hasten Sam's date with the devil, so he instead relied on his spells, which he was a bit more confident in if the truth were to be told. Silhouette extended his arm out towards one of the disarmed grunts, who, when confronted with what appeared to be a literal demon glaring and pointing right at him, swallowed a lump in his throat. In the confusion with being relieved of his weapon and startled by Silhouette, he wasn't able to notice in time the swirling mass of shadow forming beneath him. One of his 'friends' attempted to warn him, but to no avail as in but a split second the shadow formed into a hand similar to Silhouette's own, erupting from the ground and grasping the man tightly. He began to panic when it then started to apply pressure, futilely trying to pry himself out of it with his bare hands. The gunfire prevalent in the building drowned out the crack of his bones as it shut tight, crushing him in a gruesome manner that left no doubt to those nearby that he had perished.