Sam Porter Bridges (
300kgbackpack) wrote in
ph_logs2023-10-07 04:03 pm
Entry tags:
[Open] | A Long Way From Home
Who: Sam and the General Public
What: Familiarizing himself with the island
When: Throughout October and likely to persist
Where: All the places
1. Feeling Like A Ghost
Living at the Inn, Sam doesn't show himself much. When crowds are in full swing, he is decidedly absent. He skirts the wall on his way in and out, keeping a paranoid eye on them all. He doesn't talk unless he's spoken to first, just giving a grunt or a nod of acknowledgement.
(Un)fortunately, he can be stopped in his tracks, usually by being cornered, or just touched. His opinion of you won't change (much) if you do so.
When he's able to move into a nice little house on the very edge of the village proper though, he will be seen considerably less, at least at first. He doesn't have much at all to show for his time here, but it's only been a week since his arrival. He doesn't have a lot to do, to move in, but he is trying to set himself up. He has a to-do list of his own, supplies that he's going to need when he has the Brass, and at least at first, he knows he's going to need to take his meals at the Oak and Iron. But those are going to be few and far between. He's gone longer without solid meals; there isn't an ounce of body fat on him for a reason.
If you come by his house on the outskirts, you may find him napping on his own front porch, with an infant likewise dozing in a soft sling across his chest made out of the shirt he arrived in. He's tired between explorations and the singularly exhausting ordeal of meeting new people. Sorry about that.
2. Don't Be So Serious
When he'd arrived, Sam's first encounter with the spirits inhabiting the island had been...tense. Mostly because when he's happened upon those incorporeal folks before, he'd been dragged through the tar, tossed into the Seam, killed time and again. But he'd been told they were peaceful. That they wouldn't do a damn thing to him.
Now he's out in the middle of Lockwood Forest, moving through the trees once again, finding trails or making the beginnings of them himself. He's in a pair of heavy duty boots suitable for hiking this time around, dressed in a set of basic clothes that he's already made sleeveless. He climbs trees, vaults deadfalls, and generally behaves as if this is his natural habitat. He climbs up sheer rock faces with the agility of a professional free-climber. This man may have been a mountain goat in another life.
All the while, as Sam scales these things, he'll be chatting back and forth with the bundle of his daughter tucked against his chest. He's looking much livelier than when he arrived.
3. Anything You Need
Finding the bulletin board had taken some doing, but not much. It was doing a good job as a bulletin board in that way. Asking one of the others about town had directed him toward it, and now he's standing and reading it with one arm tucked around his child's body, telling her the little things that he's reading off from the signage clearly weeks old. Not a lot of it makes sense to him, and the bewilderment reads on his face, but he skates right on past it all.
One thing does catch his attention: Seeking Accounts of the Strange and Terrifying. Shit, he has plenty of Strange and Terrifying, and the guy promises a beverage, so why not?
Find him staring at the board as he debates on whether to add something to it himself. He's never had to advertise his services before, he doesn't know how, he doesn't know how fast word of mouth can travel in communities like this...
4. Patience
The beach, even more than his new little house, is a place of safety. It's nothing that he can really explain to anyone, but it's here that he gravitates when he's not walking the trails or climbing the trees.
If you find him here, he will have removed his shirt and shoes and settled himself down to sit in the sand, close enough to the water that it laps at his feet. His baby will either be in his lap watching the water with him, or else snoozing.
You may hear Sam whistling quietly as he sits there in the breeze. You may see the extensive marking on his body too. At least he's not self-conscious about it.
5. Wildcard
Do you wanna just run into Sam out and about? Perhaps you're curious about a new arrival. Perhaps you heard a baby fussing and needed to confirm it was real. Perhaps you heard this man can carry up to 150 kilos without assistance and need some help moving shit. It's whatev.
What: Familiarizing himself with the island
When: Throughout October and likely to persist
Where: All the places
1. Feeling Like A Ghost
Living at the Inn, Sam doesn't show himself much. When crowds are in full swing, he is decidedly absent. He skirts the wall on his way in and out, keeping a paranoid eye on them all. He doesn't talk unless he's spoken to first, just giving a grunt or a nod of acknowledgement.
(Un)fortunately, he can be stopped in his tracks, usually by being cornered, or just touched. His opinion of you won't change (much) if you do so.
When he's able to move into a nice little house on the very edge of the village proper though, he will be seen considerably less, at least at first. He doesn't have much at all to show for his time here, but it's only been a week since his arrival. He doesn't have a lot to do, to move in, but he is trying to set himself up. He has a to-do list of his own, supplies that he's going to need when he has the Brass, and at least at first, he knows he's going to need to take his meals at the Oak and Iron. But those are going to be few and far between. He's gone longer without solid meals; there isn't an ounce of body fat on him for a reason.
If you come by his house on the outskirts, you may find him napping on his own front porch, with an infant likewise dozing in a soft sling across his chest made out of the shirt he arrived in. He's tired between explorations and the singularly exhausting ordeal of meeting new people. Sorry about that.
2. Don't Be So Serious
When he'd arrived, Sam's first encounter with the spirits inhabiting the island had been...tense. Mostly because when he's happened upon those incorporeal folks before, he'd been dragged through the tar, tossed into the Seam, killed time and again. But he'd been told they were peaceful. That they wouldn't do a damn thing to him.
Now he's out in the middle of Lockwood Forest, moving through the trees once again, finding trails or making the beginnings of them himself. He's in a pair of heavy duty boots suitable for hiking this time around, dressed in a set of basic clothes that he's already made sleeveless. He climbs trees, vaults deadfalls, and generally behaves as if this is his natural habitat. He climbs up sheer rock faces with the agility of a professional free-climber. This man may have been a mountain goat in another life.
All the while, as Sam scales these things, he'll be chatting back and forth with the bundle of his daughter tucked against his chest. He's looking much livelier than when he arrived.
3. Anything You Need
Finding the bulletin board had taken some doing, but not much. It was doing a good job as a bulletin board in that way. Asking one of the others about town had directed him toward it, and now he's standing and reading it with one arm tucked around his child's body, telling her the little things that he's reading off from the signage clearly weeks old. Not a lot of it makes sense to him, and the bewilderment reads on his face, but he skates right on past it all.
One thing does catch his attention: Seeking Accounts of the Strange and Terrifying. Shit, he has plenty of Strange and Terrifying, and the guy promises a beverage, so why not?
Find him staring at the board as he debates on whether to add something to it himself. He's never had to advertise his services before, he doesn't know how, he doesn't know how fast word of mouth can travel in communities like this...
4. Patience
The beach, even more than his new little house, is a place of safety. It's nothing that he can really explain to anyone, but it's here that he gravitates when he's not walking the trails or climbing the trees.
If you find him here, he will have removed his shirt and shoes and settled himself down to sit in the sand, close enough to the water that it laps at his feet. His baby will either be in his lap watching the water with him, or else snoozing.
You may hear Sam whistling quietly as he sits there in the breeze. You may see the extensive marking on his body too. At least he's not self-conscious about it.
5. Wildcard
Do you wanna just run into Sam out and about? Perhaps you're curious about a new arrival. Perhaps you heard a baby fussing and needed to confirm it was real. Perhaps you heard this man can carry up to 150 kilos without assistance and need some help moving shit. It's whatev.

Feeling Like a Ghost
That's what brings Chris out to the little house on the outskirts of the village one day -- a little basket covered with a cloth slung on one arm.
"Hello?" They call out, gazing around in several directions to see if Sam is nearby. "Are you here, Sam?"
no subject
no subject
They step close enough for Sam to see the basket clearly. A tug at the cloth reveals several square-shaped hand pies -- clearly cold from having shared space with a chilled bottle of milk. (Closer inspection will reveal that this particular pies are savory, filled with meat and vegetables.) Chris holds the basket out toward Sam.
"I brought you some food from the tavern." Food that Chris bought with vouchers from their own supply, though they aren't going to say as much.
no subject
"Didn't have to do that," he replies quietly, but he's grateful nonetheless. Carefully he takes the basket, reaching for the milk to be put in the ice chest. It's definitely a lot lower-tech than he's used to, but he's figuring out how to cope with that, too. Just like everything else. "Would ask if you wanna see the place, but it's pretty sparse at the moment. Not a lot goin' on."
no subject
Chris fidgets with their sleeves for a bit before speaking again.
"I borrowed the basket from Meridell with the Artisan's Guild. She said you can return it with the next package for the Guild. And... you don't have to let me into your space if you don't want to."
no subject
Chris's quiet is nice. Now that they know how to operate around him they seem to understand that keeping his space and quiet intact is key to earning his trust.
"Gonna need some firewood for the oven," he offers as something of an in. "When I get the tools I'll do it myself but who do I talk to about that in the meantime?"
no subject
no subject
no subject
Beat.
"I don't think they have dimes here, but you know what I mean."
no subject
"...Don't actually think I've seen a physical dime in my life. Coin currency was pretty much phased out in my time."
no subject
Chris curls their index finger so that it only leaves a small space, braced against their thumb. Roughly the size of a dime. "Thin little silver-colored coin, ye big. But you understood the saying, right?"
no subject
"Yeah, phrase still means pretty much the same thing. Linguistic drift didn't go that far off just yet."