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Sam rose from his chair with a faint exhale, brushing his hand down the front of his coat in an absent gesture as he tried to settle himself. He glanced briefly toward Joséphine, offering her a respectful nod before speaking.

[color=4682b4]"Mademoiselle L’Hôte,"[/color] he began, his voice steady but unpolished, marked by an edge of effort as he worked through his phrasing. [color=4682b4]"Yer introduction was... well, can’t say I’d match it. But it’s a pleasure to make yer acquaintance all the same."[/color] Turning his attention toward Monsieur Herbachet, he nodded again, more curtly this time, though the gesture carried an understated respect. [color=4682b4]"And Monsieur Herbachet,"[/color] he added, his words deliberate, [color=4682b4]"thank you for, uh... bringin’ us all together. Can’t imagine it was a simple task."[/color]

Finally, Sam faced the room at large, clasping his hands behind his back in a gesture that felt slightly too formal for him, but fitting for the moment. [color=4682b4]"Good afternoon to the rest of you,"[/color] he said, pausing briefly as if collecting his thoughts. [color=4682b4]"Name’s Samuel Trentwell—or just Sam, that’s what most call me."[/color] He shifted on his feet slightly before continuing. 

[color=4682b4]"I’m, uh, what you’d call an... an inventeur—"[/color] he hesitated, his brow knitting slightly as though second-guessing himself on the gender before nodding and pressing on—[color=4682b4]"yes, inventeur. It’s a way of sayin’ I spend me time fixin’ things or thinkin’ up somethin’ new. Whether it works, well, that’s another matter."[/color] There was a faint flicker of a smile at his own expense before he cleared his throat lightly and gestured toward the shuttered windows. [color=4682b4]"Loudon... it’s different from London, but it’s got a certain... caractère, I s’pose. I can’t say I know much about me family’s history here, but, well, maybe there’s somethin’ worth learnin’."[/color]

He glanced briefly around the room before giving a small, almost apologetic nod. [color=4682b4]"Anyway, I’ll not keep on. Lookin’ forward to what’s ahead."[/color] With that, Sam returned to his seat, resting his hands lightly on the edges of his notebook. While his words had been cautious and understated, his thoughts continued to spin, not on the past, but on the possibility that this strange gathering might just be the start of something better. The faint heat of embarrassment prickled at his neck as he reflected on speaking French out loud, and to a room of French speakers no less, for what was, essentially, the first time.