[center]
[h1][color=red]S[/color] [i]a m u e l[/i][/h1]  
[img]https://i.imgur.com/YAOdhnj.png[/img]

[color=red]"I am once again asking for your arcane support."[/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

[Silver Beam (12)][Damage X (6)] = 108 Mana

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 430[/hider][/center]


Although he was without usable hands for the moment, Samuel wasn't completely helpless. That was why he was willing to forgo the healing Ashley could provide, even if he'd really love to be able to use his instruments. 

But no matter. 

Ultimately, despite appearances, Samuel was more capable at a range than close-range, and against Espers, he couldn't rely on his terrifying presence to do all the heavy lifting, like he could with those thugs in the prison. Let alone a ghost or a vampire or whatever other abomination wanted to announce its presence next. 

The trick was to be patient while he remained invisible. Even if some of those Freelancers knew where he was, his goal wasn't to remove himself from the fight in their eyes but to make it significantly more difficult to react to what he was about to do. But it was as he was gathering mana to cast a melody that the ghost had chosen to third party them. [s]Hella cringe ngl[/s]

For the majority of the ghost-fight, Samuel's attention was occupied by a living suit of armor that had animated nearby. In all honesty, he wasn't entirely sure if it could see him while he was hidden within his shadow, but he didn't want to assume he was safe and then be cut down because of that, so instead, he went on the offensive. The sword tucked into his armpit... wouldn't visually change because it was invisible presently, but mana nonetheless did pour into and through it. A sudden blast of darkness swept upwards in a roughly diagonal line from the bottom to the top of the suit, lacking the typical precision Sam was known for. But it wasn't exactly easy to aim with your armpits. 

With that suit of armor taken care of, Samuel intended on preparing another melody to assist his teammates, but an explosion, the ghost's departure, and the sudden appearance of Billy Black, Binky, and [s]his waifu The Fritz[/s] Dr. Moller all happened rather quickly in succession. 

Binky's condition drew his attention more than anything and considering her worried voice, the same could be said of the new recruit. He imagined that the battle must have been ferocious, but her expression said anything but 'I was victorious' and Samuel had reached the conclusion that Justin escaped long before it was ever said aloud. 

[color=red][i]A failure here, when we were so close! How could this happen? Probably because we stumbled on the forgettable before even approaching the actual target! No, 'stumbled' is being too generous. We tripped and fell and only barely managed to stand back up! If I was better... if things had concluded quicker, then he wouldn't've had time to flee![/i][/color]

His crimson eyes took to Billy, who was likewise showing signs of wear from the battle. Samuel removed himself from the shadow he had created and once again approached Ashley, although his eyes never quite left Billy. His everlasting smile heavily contrasted the bit of bloodlust he was feeling at that moment. 

[color=red][i]Then at the very least...![/i][/color]

Things had gone so very wrong ever since they stepped foot in this mansion. Something was compelling him to attack this monster before them. Was it the sheer humiliation of being spared by the corrupted nun? Was it the sorrowful determination to properly avenge the life of the kid and those innocents they could not save? Or was it simply a cold, business-like opportunist in him that saw the chance to strike a crippling blow to Maverick? 

It was hard to tell, but either way, Samuel was behind Fritzi's proposition before she even uttered it. Of course, as a respectable member of G.E.M.I.N.I, Samuel would loyally follow just about any order Fritzi gave regardless. But now it wasn't just loyalty driving him. 

[color=red]"...Apologies for earlier. Didn't want to be a burden in that melee. If the offer still stands, my hands are still worse for wear."[/color] He said to Ashley, watching the Freelancers begin to abandon Billy...

...and reinforce his stance on Freelancers. Yet, even so, he was a bit relieved to see a few of them leave. 

[color=red][i]...because they would only complicate things.[/i][/color]

At least, that's what he told himself.