Sex with this snake...snex.
>>536952428
>>536952610
NTA; for obvious reasons I feel compelled to chime in here (I apologize). The manhua that released prior to Act or Die also reinforced this—Lucian was bullied by his peers in the Troupe (for being seemingly emotionless) and his only friend was Shalem, who'd often come to his defense or look after his physical well-being. There is a flashback sequence in Act or Die revealing that the attempted escape mentioned in Shalem's files was with Phantom, orchestrated and supported by Playwright, but:
>After a field mission ended, Shalem noticed a phantasm behind him. He was the most brilliant of those young stars in the troupe, its leader's favorite, a crimson blood diamond, and he stared at him, naturally not seeking to reminisce. To evade that phantasm, Shalem left the squad, fled alone into the barrens, but the black mirage kept behind him close as his shadow. Shalem hid in the city, disguised, changed clothes, and took a circuitous route from a branch office back to Rhodes Island. He thought he'd fooled it, but on returning to his dormitory, he found it had followed aboard, and begun to roam this steel behemoth. [...] Ever since, he began making every effort to shrink his range of activity; if there was no need, he wouldn't set half a pace beyond his dormitory. The ghost of the troupe was still wandering aboard Rhodes Island, and should they meet, he would have no way out. Just like this, Shalem disappeared from Rhodes Island for an age...
Additionally, Playwright in ED4 muses:
>The protagonist fled the troupe, but returned at its call. The coward fled the troupe, but now comes back to face us.
Just to save... A stranger? A comrade? A friend?
His uncertainty contradicts their friendship. Of course, if you'd like to interpret this scene as breaking the forth wall, it would make more sense...but I highly doubt that's what the writers were aiming for. I'll stop here, though
