you see me now, a veteran, of a thousand psychic wars [Open]

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Who: Chris Freeman & Anyone... perhaps even... YOU?
What: Did I hear you say that this is victory?
When: February and maybe March
Where: around town...
Warning: watch the comment titles

Thread starters in comments this time around. If you have an idea for Chris, feel free to top-level comment this entry with a wildcard :)

2/8: Reposted opener regarding Calloway's Curios for theresalwaystheview

2/12: Chris has a little breakdown, and Erik overhears lordoftheozarks

2/18: New prompt, open to all, regarding Chris being sick around the time of Merrymeet.

Comments

For Bart

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Chris About Town
As one of Sam's network of baby-sitters, Chris can sometimes be seen making the rounds for house-calls or even just walking around town with little Lou strapped to their chest. (The baby sling in question is a patchwork of linen. Chris has been doing cleaning and mending of donations for the secondhand clothing shop, and taking payment in the unsellable pieces. Then they cut out any stained bits and used the remaining fabric to sew up a sling.) Keeps their hands free and allows Lou to get a good look at the world around her, just like she's used to.

You may run across Chris and Lou in the residential areas, as Chris figures out where a new patient lives. You might find the pair walking to a trolley stop to range further afield. You might even find them in Winterbottom Clinic, with Lou studying a patient file that Chris is working on, like she knows what's going on -- gumming at her rabbit plush all the while.

The most interesting time you may run into Chris and Lou, though, is when they heading toward Gil Calloway's shop. Chris has a folded note in one hand and is marching determinedly up to that door. Feel like intercepting them?

a WILDCARD appears

[cacophonish]

Knock knock, Chris. There's a bard dropping by unannounced. Does he have some weird butterflies in his stomach because of a lingering crush brought on by a weird fucking dream?

No, don't be ridiculous!!

He's just here because he's a huge nerd for magic and occult shit, and Chris mentioned not having anyone to teach or guide them back home. That's all. Jeff's fine and cool and just here in a professional witchy capacity or whatever.

Help I'm Alive [locked to Erik]

[thelatechrisfreeman]

my heart keeps beating like a hammer

[ Set after this thread where Chris has to, yet again, clean up a mess made by Vika. ]

Chris trudges home after their clinic shift, hands stuffed into the rabbit fur muff that Angel got them for Givingstide, half their face hidden by a scarf... brow furrowed and eyes cold, so much so that nobody says a word once they get a look at what they can see of Chris's expression. Better to be safe on that front.

They go in through the side door of their home, allowing one hard, angry slam to close it -- then lock it behind them. And instead of going to the fire or falling into bed, Chris opens the door to the cellar, descends the stairs...

and curls up on the packed-earth floor of the cellar and starts sobbing.

What Was That About Stress and the Immune System?

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Don't let these shakes go on / It's time we had a break from it

It's a combination of factors that has Chris Freeman laid up with the flu right around the time for Merrymeet. The famine conditions, for all that they are improving now, weakened Chris -- and the stress of dealing the famine and the ongoing tide of wounded from fighting the star-beasts -- and interpersonal stressors all made it so that their immune system was in bad shape. And then they went and paid a personal visit to Dahlia and had a meal and gossip session with her.

The fact that Chris caught her flu and it got quite a grip on them isn't a surprise.

So you might find them in bed (where they ought to be) reading a book, or stretched out on the sofa in front of the fireplace or tending to the fire (which they ought not be doing). Their baking efforts are, naturally, suspended for the moment.

Regardless, they've fashioned a cloth mask that those who lived through a particular pandemic might find familiar, and are wearing it whenever a visitor comes by.

"I already died of a respiratory infection once, and it sucked. Don't need it going around to anybody else."

Special delivery: meds and hot drink

[300kgbackpack]

It's a hard habit to break, standing outside until he's got full and proper permission to come in. One might think he's a vampire thanks to his reticence. Unfortunately for him and his sensibilities though, Chris is laid up and he doesn't really want to make them actually get up to answer the door when it's freezing out.

"Hey Freeman," he calls about as loud as he dares into the house as he knocks the snow off his boots against the doorjamb. His pack gets left just inside after he's dug out a carefully tied package to hand over.