and it's hard to dance with a devil on your back

When Samuel revealed that he didn't mind the retrieval of tomes and that he wasn’t going to do anything to stop Loren, he started walking forward again, heading towards the stairs. Astra gave the Ascended a wide berth, given that she disliked his kind. However, the summoner and the luxere were barely past the redhead when the other man's words stopped the Launceleyn in his tracks. Turning, he stared at Samuel, eyes still dull and expression still blank. "You seem to have answered your own question." Loren's voice came out in that same flat tone, not mean, not blunt, just empty. His companion let out an anxious bleat and backed away. LOREN Not quite an open book