[ OPEN ] i know some places and i've seen some faces

[falcony]

WHO: sam wilson and anyone/everyone.
WHAT: captain america cookout.
WHERE: sam's horizon domain
WHEN: third saturday of september (aka, about 3 weeks after the jailbreak)
NOTES: see below!

HELLO ALL AND WELCOME TO SAM'S CAPTAIN AMERICA COOKOUT!!!!

Over the last week or so, Sam has been going out of his way to contact as many people as he knows to invite them to a cookout at his place in the Horizon. He knows that after the jailbreak, a lot of people were separated, and this was his first thought on how to bring people together. The purpose behind it is simply because Sam thinks that the one thing all of them have in common, opinion on the Singularity and their situations aside, is that they were all brought here and can actually access the Horizon. He sees merit and use in coming together when they can, especially in ways that don't involve the politics of the land they're now living in. So, what better way to do that than around food?

The long and short of it is - this is a peace meal. Leave your issues at the door. Sam has very few rules and there is very little he will give in terms of what this cookout will entail, but three things he will make very clear:

1.) There will be no fighting at his home. You want to duke it out? Take it somewhere else. There will not be warnings or second chances. Don't be an ass.
2.) There is no meeting or serious reason for this cookout. Literally, he just wants people to come together who may no longer be able to see each other due to the travel constraints. It's meant to be fun. Come have fun. (he knows y'all know what that is, even when some of you pretend you don't). Bring food if you want to! There is also a kitchen (if you know what that is) and places to crash. Hope you like seafood!
3.) Anyone who can come into the Horizon is welcome. He'd love it if everyone came, so spread the word.

The cookout itself is set up out front, with picnic tables and chairs and fire pits and lights abound. There are tables set up near grilles if anyone wants to do any actual cooking outside, and a table (probably multiple) set up with sides and napkins and utensils. There are a variety of different places to go and sit and hang out while you're eating. Anything and everything you can want is available - food, drinks, yard games, music playing from out in the trees that will remain consistent unless someone tries to find the speakers and hijack the playlists, etc. If you can't find something outside, you're more than welcome to check the house.

All throughout the party, too, there will be a new friend. Red, as Sam fondly calls him, is a blood-red hunting hawk with silver in between the feathers. He can be found circling around Sam quite often, or perched on his shoulders, but also if you are out and about you can often see him checking up on anyone and everyone. He's a very curious little bird, and also pretty sassy, if you want to interact with him.



If you haven't, or have, been to Sam's domain before, feel free to take a look around. Anywhere is open (save for one locked bedroom) so everyone has open access, but most of the cookout itself will be located in the front yard.

OOC: This is mean to be an OPEN LOG, so leave your TLs or closed threads below! This party will last basically as long as people want it to, but the idea is for it to be an afternoon into the evening. Y'all have free reign save for destroying Sam's home, but if you have any questions, hit me up on plurk (disarmingly or disco (dai#3757). Sam's TL is below, and he will be bouncing around like the good host he is, but lets get a little party started.

Comments

arrival

[baltimores]

[ Word gets around, even in Amos' own little isolated corner of the world. There's nothing to lose by coming, so — after a false start or two in making it back to the Horizon — he shows up. Not like he's got anything better to do with his time, keeping to himself and generally being a moderately productive total loner out in Solvunn's Tertiary Settlement.

That total loner disposition translates to his arrival, too, as Amos stands awkwardly at the edge of the drive. He looks almost mystified, taking in the size of the yard and all therein. He knows that here people can make up whatever environment they want, but he's still never seen any kind of setup like this.

Isn't entirely sure what to make of it, if he should just go or what, but then Sam's seen him, is approaching him, and okay, guess that means Amos is officially here now.

His hands are empty because none of this is real. Anything anyone eats or drinks here — not real. He can play along with things, just to fit in, but he's never going to actually get it, and isn't exactly bothered about making an effort for someone he doesn't know.

Still, Sam's open, and friendly, and Amos doesn't want to just blow him off, so, ] Hey. [ A pause, just for a second, before he follows him. ] Okay, I guess. Better than before.

[ Better than prison. He figures Sam was never in jail because, well, this is the first time Amos is ever seeing him. Doesn't know if he'll get what he means; doesn't really care, either. Sam asked, Amos answered.

He is also dreadfully awkward, and out of place, and it probably shows. ] This, uh. This all your idea?

[falcony]

[ sam is expecting faces he doesn’t know - or, maybe doesn’t know is a bit of a stretch. sam’s pretty sure he’s caught amos’ face in a group every now and then, knows he was down in prison, knows he made it out like the rest of them. still - they don’t know each other, which immediately has sam into something of a hosting mode (not that he hasn’t already been that way this entire time).

he catches the figure of amos off at the edge of the drive, and while part of sam tells him that maybe he should let people arrive at their own pace, that he shouldn’t be so much right off the bat, a larger part of him reminds himself that everyone is from very different places. that aside from the general state of introversion that sam’s already picked up on the people he’s met, that this house, this party, could all be extremely strange.

which means - of course - it’s on sam to make people feel welcome. to make sure they know they’re allowed to be here in any way they want, for however long they want. so when he notices the figure, the body language, the awkward tension that radiates from that corner of the drive - sam approaches. asks the question. nods, easily, at amos’ answer. ]

Yeah, for sure. I’m Sam, by the way. [ and he’ll hold out a hand to shake - because that’s normal, most people tend to know what that means, and if they don’t? well. it won’t be the first time.

it’s almost in spite of that dreadful awkwardness that sam appears comfortable, in his element and happy to help, when he gives amos a small, almost conspiratorial smile at the question. this all your idea? ]

I mean- I guess that gets to depend on if you end up having a good time or not. [ he gestures to the yard, to the not real food and not real house and the sound of music wafting somewhere in between. ] If you hate it, this was all Jaskier. If you like it, well, welcome to my place.

[baltimores]

[ The only reason Sam's hospitality isn't outright appreciated is because Amos isn't aware he can appreciate it. Still, it strikes him that this is all a very... nice thing to do. That the kind of person who would put all of this together, who would lead him in is probably someone worth knowing. The world's too big, compared to the pocket of air that is a spaceship, and Amos desperately needs good people in his life, and maybe Sam can be one of them.

Or not. You don't blindly trust someone off of a first impression. ... Though this is a good one.

He looks down at Sam's hand, meets his eyes. Extends his own hand and takes Sam's in a firm grip, gives him a solid shake. Yeah. He's familiar with the concept. Hadn't even crossed his mind that anyone here wouldn't be. ] Amos.

[ He's soft-spoken, partially due to how foreign this setup is for him, partially because that's just his natural speaking voice. Doesn't react to Sam's smile, but. There's that not-appreciation again, stemming from somewhere inside him, unrecognizable and somehow he feels slightly warmer. He blinks, looking away from Sam back out at everything before them, and, all he can think to say is, ​] 's nice.

[ His place is nice. Anywhere this spacious, with this much entertainment where he's from would be rich people shit. Money, resources don't matter here, but that Sam could think of this at all... It's not a bad way to set your space up.

Back to Sam. ] Dunno any Jaskier, but I'm guessing it'll be as easy to have a good time here as any other place. [ Some of the awkwardness is sliding away, replaced by something resembling good humour; though his default state at any party he's at is to hang by the sidelines — and he will retreat to that once he no longer has a reason to engage with anyone here — he can also see how just existing somewhere like this would be pleasant. ] Never seen anything like this before, actually. Not this open. Or with this many people.

[ Intimate, closed off gatherings are what he's gotten used to over the past couple of years. This is in direct contrast to them, except despite the size of all of this, Sam's seem to got the intimacy part covered. It's kind of mystifying, actually. ]

[falcony]

[ don't worry, sam will give amos plenty of other opportunities. because he's not wrong - the world is too big, and sam's felt like he's been pushing up against that since he first arrived the need to know as many people as he could of the place they were staying was at odds with how there were more specific others that needed to stick together. they were all in this situation together, and he hadn't done a great job back at the castle keeping tabs.

so now - now sam was trying to make up for it, even if no one really cared if he made up for anything. he's motivated by the very real fact he believes that their connections to each other will get them where they need to go, whether that's home or somewhere else. and he appreciates amos showing up - there really is very little else sam wants, or needs, out of this. just as many people showing up as they can.

the smile remains and almost seems a bit more natural, warm and easy, at the handshake - his own grip firm and solid in return. he'd count amos lucky that he hasn't interacted with enough people to know how awkward it can me, there are only so many times you need someone to look strangely at your outstretched palm before you start getting a little self-conscious about the whole thing. ] Good to meet you, man. [ and then, at amos' gesture back to the house, sam glances back over his shoulder. takes a moment to just sort of look - his expression is, briefly, more complicated. but it eases away quickly enough as he turns back, shrugging once. ]

Guess I could'a made something more impressive, but I was feeling homesick. It's nothing like the actual house, but it works. [ as for the party, well. sam gestures back to the cook-out and subsequent set-up. there are people milling about, music playing, but more than enough space, too. ] There's plenty of food, if you're hungry. I think someone brought punch, drinks, anything you could want. [ his gesturing moves with each thing he points out - a sort of casualness to his introduction. he's in his element, it seems, and he while he feels like he might notice amos relaxing, bit by bit, he's not going to make a show of it. just tucks that piece of information away for later and continues on. ] House is open, too, for whatever - I think the TV's working but the magic is out of my wheelhouse, so I take no responsibility for what might be on there.

[ the point to the short tour is simple - this whole place is open to him, for exploring for hiding away. if amos doesn't want to be at the party he doesn't have to be, but that also doesn't take away from the fact that this place is still open for whatever he might need. that's at least the vibe sam is getting from him, so he offers it up - just in case he wants it.

and when he's done, he turns his attention back over, one hand sliding into the pocket of his coat while the other brings the bottle up for a quick drink. ] You mean back in your home world? [ it's a small step, an opening if amos wants to take it, but there's a pretty clear note in his tone that if he doesn't want to talk, sam won't force him. ]

[baltimores]

[ The pieces that make up Sam — or at least, the ones that he has on display — are falling into place for Amos. Open, warm, friendly. He doesn't know what it is that has Sam looking back at his house with that look, nor the impulse to downplay what he's made, especially after Amos said it was nice. It is. He'd have been plenty happy if he'd ever gotten the chance to live somewhere like this.

Also doesn't seem like the kind of thing to comment on. Not that Amos is even sure how he'd approach the subject to begin with, so. He looks out at everything Sam's gesturing at — the homely feel, the sense of community and gathering that he thoroughly does not understand. But Sam seems to like how everything's come together, carries a certain pride and happiness about it that makes him think, If Holden ever held one of these sorts of things — and he would — this is how he'd show it off, too. And that makes him all the more receptive to everything Sam is laying out before him.

The TV comment makes him raise his eyebrows, though. ] You get reception here? Isn't this all just in our heads? [ At least, if he's correct in his meagre understanding of what the Horizon actually is, how it works. He's able to get back here well enough, apparently, but that's about it. Though there's an element of playfulness to the question, too — he's been wondering if there was a way to get some of his Roci re-creation's systems online. Probably not in a way that wouldn't be purely cosmetic, though that's... kind of just what watching TV would be, huh.

Doesn't really matter. Amos sees the whole introduction for what he thinks it is: an opening up of the entire environment, a really well thought out welcome mat. Not the kind of thing he'd ever do, so it's probably a good thing someone here is doing it.

So he can like Sam on the surface, unless something happens for him to think otherwise of the man. There's always the chance for that. Amos hopes it won't be the case.

He does not have a bottle of his own — should he pick one up? Just to play along? Maybe — and so just keeps his hands at his sides, comfortable enough to just stand there following the tour. He looks back out at the yard again at Sam's question. Back at him. ]

Sure. Not while in jail, either, [ obviously, ] but back home wasn't anything to write about. Kinda crowded. And ain't nobody having backyards in space.

[ He's fine with just about any conversation, really. There are only a couple of topics that are off limits for him, and if they go there, Amos will just brush it off easily. Doesn't get the sense Sam is the type to pry, though. Nobody he liked from back home was. And he's... shit, he's not sure, but even though he doesn't get it, he thinks he can see the appeal of this whole setup.

It's a good thing, and holy fuck, does he need to be around that kind of thing. ]

[falcony]

[ there is an inherent sort of pride around the house - whether or not sam downplays his work, whether or not he shrugs off any real attention, it is his home. his home, inherited from the generation before. and maybe that's what it is, when it all comes down to it - he can't take credit for something he didn't really make, not when all he's doing is trying to recreate something from memory, a memory he's held too close, for too long. but then again, that's his issue - a collection of things he takes out every now and then, before packing away before the guests come over. right now? guests are over, and sam can hear his parents' voice in the back of his head. welcome them, this is their home as much as it is ours.

sam laughs at how amos reacts to his mention of the tv - thank god, more people with some kind of modern appliance awareness. he's been spending too long with medieval transplants, he's so excited he doesn't have to explain what a tv is. when you've taken something for granted for so long and have, basically, moved so far in the opposite direction like sam (so much for that electrical engineering degree), it's been humbling to have to go back to square one. dishwashers? fine. batteries? little more complicated. television? god help him, if he has to say "it's like a bunch of bards had a moving painting taken of them" one more time he might just lose it. ]

Honestly? Pretty sure the only thing playing is shit I've seen a hundred times. So if you're down for a Fresh Prince marathon, I've got you. [ you just have to get beyond the news stations first, memories broadcasted back to him just as the rest of the world had seen them, no context, no understanding. thankfully, no one seems all that interested in deep diving into sam's avengers past, and hey - entertainment is entertainment. sam will take the comfort of his living room wherever he can. ]

Space? [ that catches sam's interest, if only because the future is not something he somehow wrapped his head around. he's been the furthest along in any semblance of a timeline he's got going, so the concept of someone ahead is new, a little exciting. and space he can handle. amos is not a talking racoon, so they've started off on a great foot already. ] Are you some kinda astronaut, or are we talking 'humanity moved to a space shuttle to avoid a dying planet' kinda deal?

[baltimores]

[ Amos offers a blank smile at the mention of Fresh Prince. No clue what that is, but hey, he can be polite. Or whatever it is that passes for polite. He goes to that empty, amiable smile so much it's a reflex, and maybe not one Sam deserves in this moment, but old habits don't die.

Really, the news would be more meaningful to him, even if it's all events of a world he doesn't know, disasters beyond his capacity to care. Entertainment wasn't much of an option growing up, and as an adult, fiction has done nothing for him. Seeing flashes of newsfeeds was all TVs were good for, really. That'd be home for him.

Though this house would also have to be a drug den or a brothel or both to remind him of where he came from, and it seems like distinctly neither of those things, so Amos is content to move along, completely unsurprised at Sam's reaction to space. That seems to be a thing around here — nobody else has been there, everyone probably stuck too far in the past. Though at least Sam has some idea of what electricity is, which, it's sad that little is a win, even though it's all still ancient history as far as Amos is concerned.

Huh. That's probably what the Fresh Prince thing is about. ]

The dying planet kinda deal. Shit, Earth was long dead before I came around; it just didn't know it yet. [ Well. Not entirely accurate. The people on the ground, the nobodies like him — they all knew it. Only so much any of them could do but just try to make it to the end of the day. Anyone who was actively trying to keep things going on that mudball? They were the delusional ones. ] Not so much a space shuttle, though, as the rest of the system. Y'know, like Mars, Ceres, Ganymede. Couple of manmade stations. Habitable space is kinda at a premium in. Well. Space.

[ He shrugs. Lotta space out there; too bad most of it will kill you. ]

I'm from Baltimore. Spent most of my life up the well, though. Not an astronaut; just a ship mechanic. [ Or, more accurately — although it's blasé to him — a rocket scientist. So, you know, you ever wanna talk about electrical engineering degrees... ]

[falcony]

[ ah, sam recognizes that look. because yes okay, amos is being quite polite and sam appreciates it, but he makes the mental note all the same. that far in the future, then. sam can make a note of that, can adjust going forward, it's what he's been doing since he arrived, after all.

and you know - the news is on there. open for whatever amos wants to sit and watch. snippets from events sam remembers watching, stories that came over that same tv i that same living room, all throughout the years. but that's not what sam would choose to watch, himself, so he doesn't verbally offer, assuming that if amos does take him up on the exploring, on the open house, he'll figure it out for himself.

and okay listen - space isn't far from sam's wheelhouse. he just hasn't had to do it himself, considering the team he flies with back home has that covered for centuries to come. sam doesn't see a need to take to the universes when he's got enough happening on planet earth. but it's also not so far fetched a concept that sam can't imagine it, especially when the dying planet part of it comes up.

sam shakes his head a bit. ]

Yeah, well, Earth's still dying where I'm from, so thanks for that kick in the ass. [ adds one more thing on his plate for later, because sam's of course never going to be able to just chill when it comes to this sort of stuff. and part of him wants to ask about it, curiosity bubbling up in him a bit unexpectedly. maybe it's just because of amos' general air about him, but sam feels like this is already easy. he feels a bit bad, suddenly, thinking that amos had spent all those months in the dungeons and sam just...hadn't taken the time to find him, but he has to move passed that. can only really do better and keep moving.

sam perks up, though, at the mention of baltimore. little connections that almost feel familiar. ] D'you say Baltimore? Man, I lived in DC for a few years there and was just there before all this. [ which, you know, doesn't exactly sound as important when he says it aloud, but he's finding the familiarity nice. really nice, actually. ] I'm from Lousiana, originally, which is- [ he gestures at the house and yard, the unspoken where all this came from hanging between them. ]

So a space ship mechanic? [ sam's brow arches, because, you know, he's kind of picking up on that. ] Kind of like a rocket scientist? [ c'mon dude, sam's smile seems to say. that's pretty cool. ]

[baltimores]

[ Thing is, Amos might not be all that inclined to explore. It's Sam's space. Sure, he's opened it up to everyone here, and it isn't even real, but the fact of the matter is — it's Sam's. Wouldn't mean anything to Amos. And growing up somewhere where he didn't really have anything to call his own, the limited room one tends to have for oneself in space; he respects what it means to have a place just for yourself.

He's also pretty content to just stay off to the side instead, away from everyone else. Or trail after someone he likes. Which isn't so much an option here, but Sam is making him think a lot about Holden, so...

Amos is that little bit more alert when Sam mentions that Earth is dying where he's from. Maybe when he's from is more relevant, since it's pretty clear he's from a time Amos would consider the past, but the idea that even despite knowing to create a space like this, Earth is still dying is... huh. A slow, prolonged death then, probably. Not quite sure what to make of that, but makes enough sense.

But at the mentions of DC and Louisiana, all he can offer is a small shrug. ] Heard about DC, but never really been there. If you're from Baltimore, that's kinda just where you stay. Unless you get lucky. [ Which he had, by getting the chance to make a life in space. Despite how easygoing his tone is, there's no love lost between him and Earth — though it is notable that Sam actually knows where Baltimore is. Was. Whatever. Sam's just giving him all the more reason for Amos to look at him with new eyes, maybe be that little bit more invested than he would've been otherwise. Polite conversation is impossible, but they kinda actually have something to talk about here. Which is rare. It'd been rare for him back home, too.

Especially when Sam is... teasing him. Like the way friends do. Holden had done this once, back when they didn't know each other as well, right down to the rocket scientist remark. Except this time he's better prepared for it. His smile broadens slightly, turns a little more real, as he huffs out an amused almost-laugh. ] Yeah, sure. Only 's not all that special where I'm from. I just got in on the right apprenticeship. Turned out I was good at it.

[ He peers at Sam. ] When're you from? Getting the sense we got a gap between us. [ And somehow not a geographical one, but a gap all the same. ] It's, shit, I dunno, sometime in the 2350s for me. 2356? Seven? Something like that.

[falcony]

[ that's a fair point, in general, and sam isn't going to push him towards any direction. if he wants to look, he can look - the place is open, and feels inviting, even if amos is just going to want to keep to the yard. sam is comfortable in every corner of this place, from the yard to the dock to the porch to the rooms, and for anyone else who wants to feel it too, the space is there. (and as it turns out, he might know a little about being in group events and having someone who doesn't really want to do the talking following after. it's too bad sam doesn't know amos enough to offer it aloud, but there will always be more parties.)

and amos would not be far off - a slow, prolonged death is the right way of thinking about it. a climate crisis, that has a lot more to do with political change than what sam currently does for his own earth saving responsibilities. immediate, all-encompassing threats are one thing. global warming is one that he should also, probably, bring into focus. ]

I'm guessing you got lucky? Getting up in the ship and all. [ sam assumes as much, but the curiosity to know is there. about how someone can be from Baltimore, but why they hadn't been to dc, especially knowing how close they all are. it always feels a bit like putting a puzzle together, getting bits and pieces of what some pasts and some futures might look like, whether or not they're from the same one.

the smile and huff of an almost-laugh is all the answer sam really needs - to know that joking might be okay, to know that his attempt in this direction is well received. sam laughs a bit himself, partially at the ridiculous nature of a rocket scientist not being all that special, and because he can see it. he understands the idea. considering geniuses fall a bit short when compared to tony stark or bruce banner, yeah. it makes sense. ] At least the basics of your skills still work here, in some ways. A mechanic is more useful than an electrical engineer in a place that hasn't really figured out circuit boards. [ oh the woes of being sam wilson. there's an air of dramatics to his words, the my life is so so hard clear in his smile. the truth is that sam has adapted, and always will adapt, but god he misses his tech. and maybe that's something amos can relate to, too.

the peering gets sam thinking, because okay - the blip? makes remembering dates a little difficult. ] I'm in- whoa, hold up. 2350s? [ sam is brought out of his thinking for a moment to give amos an almost...what, impressed? kind of look before shaking his head. ] Yeah, I'd definitely say there's a gap. I'm from back in 2024, or thereabout. Which means we've got about three centuries between us.

[baltimores]

[ The climate wasn't ever even a thought for Amos — solutions implemented before he was born, something he has no reason to think twice about. Baltimore would've been fine, really, if not for the people. Maybe the planet would have been, eventually, but when everything's overpopulated, when you've got unregistered people with nothing to look forward to, when even those with legitimate births have to enter a lottery system just in hopes of getting a job... As far as he's ever known on Earth, nothing gets done. There's nobody who can fix it, or if there were, they aren't trying. The vast majority are left to be crabs in a bucket, and he just so happens to be one of the few that made its way to the top.

So he gives Sam that blank smile again, nods. ] Yup.

[ It isn't like he's shutting him down on purpose; it's just. There's only so much about Baltimore to talk about; less that he's willing to vocalize. And he's also just... like this. Man of few words. Sam asked a question; Amos did give him an honest answer. It's about as much as he's told his people back home, too.

Though this is a whole other world. System. Possibly universe. So maybe one day, if Sam asked — if Sam proves himself to be as much like Holden as Amos thinks he might be — he might say a little more. Who knows.

He gets his attention back with the self-deprecation; with the subject matter he can easily talk about without a second thought. Amos tilts his head, almost conspiratorially. ] Sure, but fixing wagons and shit ain't exactly fulfilling work. [ Nor something he's actually done, but he's pretty sure he could. ] Maybe you can be the first to invent the circuit board. Place where I'm at? Now that's some real backwater shit. If you've got materials where you are, maybe you can put something together. Be hailed as a genius. Cap joked about that with me once, 'cept we didn't know being thrown back in time was an option.

[ You put it like that, and it's real messed up they are where they are. God, he'd probably kill to get his hands on literally anything with wiring. It's the simple things.

... Though the early 2000s would count as a simple time, too. Amos blinks, furrows his brow. ]

Three centuries don't seem like a lot considering, [ and he gestures vaguely with his arm outstretched; you know, the world outside of the Horizon, ] but, damn. And Baltimore still somehow lasted that long. At least you know what electricity is.

[ And really, it's not that big of a deal for Amos. He'd kinda figured he was from the most advanced society here; still looks like that's the case, but at least Sam might be able to keep up. ]

[falcony]

[ see, that’s just it, isn’t it? because amos simply says yup, and sam could poke for more, if he felt like it would get them anywhere. if he actually thought there was more information there that was necessary for him to know. as it stands, sam is pretty content with that yup, and nods in response. ]

I’d say your luck ran out, landing you here, but who fucking knows. Maybe we all won the jackpot. [ there’s sarcasm in those words, though it’s thinly veiled. sam’s not an overly negative person, but it’s pretty obvious this isn’t the place he thought he’d ever find himself. and not exactly the place he wants to be. but he’s not going to complain, not any more than how he has so far. he’ll make due. he’ll adapt. he always does. ]

Yeah, but at least you can get work. I’m sitting over here trying to get consistent work but it’s like I’m a freaking handyman. [ but then amos says something - backwater, materials, somewhere in there, and sam almost laughs - facing amos in an entirely friendly, amiable way. we’re this not their first meeting, sam might have clapped his shoulder. pulled him under his arm. ] Wait, you’re in Solvunn? God, I couldn’t imagine that. Free Cities are hard enough and we’re at least…what. Maybe a couple of decades from some kind of industrial revolution. But I swear to god, I’m tired of horse shit. [ he’s laughing a bit now, head thrown back. ] Can you imagine? Inventing that crap? God, I should have paid better attention in college, then I might be able to backtrack that far.

[ listen, give sam enough time and his horizon domain might just end up looking like tony stark’s avengers complex, just for the sake of the technology. sam didn’t think it’d be this bad, but then again, he never thought he’d be here long enough for it to matter.

his laughter calms down a bit to something a bit more generally upbeat. sam’s in a good mood now, who knew just this sort of conversation could make him feel that much better. ]

Makes sense in a way. Everyone I’ve ever met from Baltimore’s been a survivor. If any city was gonna make it that far, I’d put my money there.

[ sam’s looking around now, eyes scanning the house, the yard, the place hens built up because of how much he misses home. it only lasts a second, before his attention is back on amos. ]

You want a beer?

[baltimores]

[ It takes him by surprise, but Amos barks out a laugh; a single, sharp ha! at the idea of any of them winning any kind of jackpot. Sure, odds are someone who got pulled out of their own world and ended up here did, but him? Or even Sam? Nope. A grin comes out with the laugh, all teeth and self-depreciating, before it fades away as quickly as it'd appeared, replaced by something a little more thoughtful.

His luck has probably run out. Not in the way Sam thinks, though. Amos needs to be around good people. It was being around good people that got him out of Baltimore in the first place. There aren't that many good people here. Or, maybe there are, and he just doesn't know it yet. It's a lot harder to get to know someone when you aren't sequestered away with them 24/7 on a spaceship, no other place to go, breathing each other's air until you dock somewhere.

Himeka; she's maybe his best hope. Sam? He's giving off the sort of vibes that suggest he might be, too.

So, you know, thoughtful. Amos frowns when Sam mentions the disparity between Solvunn and the Free Cities, grunts softly. He's not offended by the laugh or anything, just... damn, he really did fuck up, didn't he? ]

That guy, with those portals — [ that Oliver guy — ] said Solvunn was s'posed to be neutral and reclusive. And I mean, it is. But, shit, an industrial revolution? I could actually do something there. [ The we? could do something there he's thinking goes unspoken. ] Solvunn's just farming and shit. I knew a guy back where I'm from; it'd be like a wet dream for him. 'cept he's not here. And grease monkeys don't belong on farms. [ His frown slackens; back to Sam's issues. Not like Amos' are important. ] Y'know theory though, right? Give someone else the puzzle pieces, maybe they can put it together, invent it for you.

[ He's totally earnest, too. Hell, it'd be kind of nice to see someone else with technology everywhere. As far as Amos knows, he's just got the re-creation of his ship back in his domain and... that's about it. Kind of feels like that's as good as he's ever going to get again, though damn, does he want to see the Cities now.

That earnestness carries through when it comes to his hometown. There's no love lost for it. He'd never wanted to go back there to begin with; never will go back, even if that was an option. But when Sam brings up actually knowing people from there. There's just that hint of a connection, another way in which Sam might know exactly where he's from in a way that none of his closest friends from back home ever did, and Amos swallows, thick. Couldn't even put a name to what he's feeling, just. Nobody else has ever brought it up, known. ]

We got a reputation, don't we.

[ He almost misses Sam's offer of a beer. Amos blinks, brought back to this space; lets an easy smile grace his face once more. ]

Sure. Y'know none of it's real though, right?

[ He'll still take one, though. Because it helps to fit in. And Sam offered. ]

[falcony]

[ the bark of a laugh has sam grinning, his joke having - apparently - landed as planned. because sam doesn't see this as any sort of jackpot, and while he knows everyone he meets is going to have their own struggles and their own trauma back where they're from, and he knows he shouldn't assume everyone who comes here doesn't want to be here, but god damn. what he wouldn't do for vaguely modern technology just anywhere. anywhere at all that isn't some reflection of his own head.

and that's the thing, right? sam can adapt. he can figure it out. he's not going to up and perish just because he's left to some renaissance festival-level fantasy world. but when it's that, coupled by the immediate people around him all being from a similar vaguely fantasy world - shit gets old. and honestly, just this one conversation is doing wonders for sam's state of being - knowing that someone else gets it. that he doesn't have to explain what a television is supposed to be to someone who still centuries away from the radio.

sam catches what goes unspoken, nods along with amos' explanations. laughs, again, at the concept for farming being someone's wet dream. ] Man, I guess. There are plenty of people who dream of living out on farms and in old places like that, but I don't know. This all feels like an extreme in a direction I don't know what to do with. [ but we? amos could be on to something there. sam always worked better with someone at his elbow and a back and forth he could keep up with. he shrugs at amos' question, looking only a little sheepish. ] Kind of? It's at a point where I can't tell what needs to be taught and what's just common sense. Is any of it common sense anymore?

[ he moves on easily from the topic easily enough, not wanting to make amos feel like he's pushing for anything. sam knows why people chose solvunn when it came to the portals, and part of sam almost regretted not ending up somewhere more neutral himself. but in the same breath, he doesn't regret it - the free cities has been kind to him, and until they come to a place where it becomes obvious what they want to do and something bad comes from it, well. sam's there to step in. he can do something, if he's close enough to know. he wouldn't be able to, if he'd gone off and joined the farming life.

now it's sam's turn to have something of a thoughtful look cross his eyes - just a brief second, thinking about baltimore. about the last few times he'd been there, before giving a nod of his own. ]

Y'all definitely do. [ and then it's amos' turn to blink, to be brought back. sam's smile brightens back into that laugh, gesturing towards the closest ice chest (because of course there isn't one all that far from here) and starts off towards it, assuming amos will follow. ]

Listen- yes, I know it's not real. But it's real enough and it still tastes like beer, if you know what beer tastes like. [ a beat, and then a slightly worried sideways glance. ] The future does have beer, right?

[ only...partially a joke. ]

[baltimores]

[ Amos would kill to have something from back home out in the real world. Literally. Preferably his ship, but that feels like too big an ask; even just a gun would be nice. And he's plenty adaptable, too. Never would've made it as far in life as he has if he wasn't. Except this wasn't the kind of adapting he ever thought he'd have to do, and it's doable, but damn, is it annoying.

The burgeoning camaraderie he's finding with Sam is helping, though. Knows Baltimore. Not just where it is, but what it is. Some technology, rudimentary but technology all the same. It makes for an easier shorthand, makes Amos feel a little less out of place than he always does. It's just. It's nice.

He reaches up, scratches the back of his neck. It's a small movement; that he's making any movement that casual at all is a sign of how at ease he's starting to feel in this conversation. ] Yeah, this whole place'd probably be considered a paradise where I'm from, but I dunno. Kinda the exact opposite from everything I know. [ That doesn't bother him so much as the part where it feels like he should be bothered by it and just. Isn't. Like something's wrong with him, but he already knew that. So, best he can offer is a shrug. ] Place like this, I figure what's common sense to us ain't so common. Might have to start with the basics. [ A beat. ] Which, now I say that, sounds exhausting.

[ Though Amos has never really been the teaching, mentoring type. Something like tech, he might actually be able to do, but that'd be assuming someone's already looking at his field to begin with, and his field doesn't exist here. So, point taken; it's probably a hopeless endeavour.

... Fuck. Ah, well.

It's easy enough to push Baltimore out of mind, follow Sam over to the ice chest, pick out a beer for himself, feel the not-real coolness of the bottle's exterior. Give Sam an easy, only somewhat off grin. ]

Sure does. Only, y'know, in space, you make do. Not a whole lot of room for growing shit out there, so certain crops take priority over others. So you get a lot of substitutes. Things that don't quite taste right. [ He pops the top off, takes a drink, tries to imagine the best beer he's ever had. Something from Earth. It almost works, but something in his brain just keeps reminding him that none of this is real, so there's only so much of the desired effect he's actually capable of achieving. ] The best stuff's always from Earth, anyway. 'course, that makes it the most expensive. Or hardest to get. [ Hence, you know. Wet dreams over farmland and shit like that. ] That's maybe the only good thing about being here; even the food they gave us in prison was some of the best I've had in ages.

[falcony]

[ annoying is the best way to put it, really - because they can manage, they can make this work, and they will. but god damn sam would pay money for anything resembling the last hundred years from home. the horizon can only do so much. and it's almost made more obvious by how easy it is to revert back - that this conversation with amos is going so well. that he can feel that connection, or at least something very obviously working, in the words they exchange. ]

Anything can be paradise if it's far enough away from your every-day - which, you know, is making a spaceship look really nice right about now. [ which, okay, that sparks an idea in sam - something he might bring up later, or maybe in this conversation here shortly. because if amos is here, then he's got a domain of his own, and if they can constantly change and update what it is they make here...god. sam is struck with an intense desire to see it. but they've also just met. so maybe...sam will see how this goes.

sam snorts a bit, though, at that comment about common sense - shaking his head. ] You in the business to invent wire? Cause I'm not entirely sure I want to get down that far. But hey, who knows. [ he sounds thoughtful as they walk, and even before they make it to the ice chest, sam is pointing to amos with the neck of his bottle. ] You get your ass to the Free Cities and we can co-teach a class. Maybe we can bring about the Industrial Revolution all on our own.

[ it's an easy statement to make and sam doesn't think twice about it - this may be their first conversation, but just as sam is willing to open up his home to everyone for this event, he's just as willing to open up whatever home he's making here, too. and it's genuine, the way sam wants to open what he has to others, to amos specifically, her.

sam finds himself nodding, because yeah, yeah, okay. that does make sense and honestly, he's really quite interested in it. sam's almost about to ask more about it, too - what they eat, what the weirdest thing amos has had made into food, or beer, but the next statement he makes has sam all but choking on his next swig of beer - his eyes wide (but of course, dramatically so) as he turns to look. ]

You serious? I mean- okay, yeah, it makes sense you wouldn't have five-star restaurants up in space, I get that. But that was the best you've ever had? Man, that hurts me. If you weren't already in 'none of this is real' I'd try and convince you to eat some of the crawfish I boiled up, but now I'm not even sure if you'd know what it's supposed to taste like. Damn. [ sam looks actually a bit disappointed at this concept - mostly because so much of his home, and his life, is associated with food that it really does sadden him to think someone could grow used to. bad food. even if it makes sense. ] What do they have out in Solvunn? Or are you more on your own over there?

[baltimores]

[ Pay money for, kill for... same difference, right? Though a thoughtful look crosses Amos' face at Sam's words. ]

My everyday was arright, I figure. Better than my time on Earth. I almost don't know what to do with this. It's like it's too much. [ Too much land, too many resources, not enough people. There's something peaceful and freeing about it, but it's not like he knows what to do with that, so there's that little something there stopping him from appreciating it as much as he knows he should. ] I got my ship back at my place, though. If you want to see. Not like it's real or anything. Not like I'll probably be able to build it out there. But, you know. If you want.

[ Since Sam's being so friendly towards him. Since Sam's the only other person he's come across who laments this dark ages bullshit they're stuck in, he's pretty sure. Since Sam reminds him of Holden.

Amos runs a hand through his hair, scratching at an itch that isn't there. Just. Sam brings up a good point about how far behind they are. (About how this is going to be someone he wants to say in touch with, both for his own general good, and for the good of not losing his mind.) ]

Maybe I should. [ Get out to the Free Cities. It's not like he's got any attachment to Solvunn. It's not like it's magically solving his problems, like he'd hoped it would. All he's really got there is Himeka, anyway, and he'd... abandoned her without so much of a word. Somewhere like the Free Cities, it'd probably be a lot more difficult to just up and leave. At least he'd be familiar with the environment. ] Shit, I might even be down for inventing the wire. I'll probably go nuts without something. If we gotta be the ones to spur development on...

[ It's funny to think about, but then again, ending up on a ship as famous as the Roci was a pretty funny development for him, too. He's just going to keep finding himself in these kinds of situations. Which, if they actually yield something good, that's fine. He can handle a little notoriety, so long as it's for the right reasons.

He's almost bemused at Sam's expression at prison food being good. What? It was. ]

I've had crawfish. I grew up in Baltimore. [ There's a teasing lilt to his voice; no offence taken here, especially now that things have kinda taken a funny turn. ] Just, you know, only so many chances you get to eat it when you're poor and the environment's already kinda at its breaking point. [ He notes Sam's disappointment, though, and... damn. There's a bit of Alex in him too, huh. ] Wouldn't mind getting the chance to have the real thing again.

[ Which, score another point for the Free Cities — or just wherever it is Sam is — probably. Although... ]

Grub in Solvunn's real good. Don't even gotta try there. I go fishing sometimes, but before I went out to the Tertiary Settlement — [ before he ended up on his own out there, yeah — ] there was meat. [ There's almost a sense of awe to how he says the word. Meat. ] I mean, stuff grown in a vat's fine, but you ever seen a cow before? Holy shit, you can get a lot off of those things. They eat good there.

[falcony]

[ there's something in the way amos says that - something thoughtful but also something else in his words - that has sam turning back to the land around them. has him resituating, just for a moment, the lens at which he sees it all. because for someone who lives up in space, who doesn't really have the choice otherwise, he can see it. see the kind of uncertainty that would come with seeing so much land, so much open space.

it's a bit humbling, in a way. makes sam feel both more grateful, and more homesick, all in one. ]

Guess it comes down to what you want to do with it. If anything. [ and then there's that, and sam... does not do a good job at looking both relieved and excited all at once. not having to bring it up, yes, but also there is something simple and easy (both things sam feels like he's searching for, more often than not) about this. about amos' offer, about this weird but the now-normal way they just...go on tours of crazy locations built up from their memories alone. sam smiles, all the same, and decides not to think too much into it. ] Man, I would absolutely be down to see it. You just let me know a good time. I might even bring a not-real dinner.

[ amos doesn't immediately laugh off the offer, and sam finds himself leaning into it. finds himself latching a bit more onto that maybe i should than this initial meeting should probably allow. but sam's smile widens all the same, shrugs once as if trying to convince himself he doesn't need to look too excited about the idea. ]

I'm not going anywhere, so if you decide you want to make that trek, I'll be there. Could probably hook you up with a place to stay and a job, too. Plus, if you're serious about getting this whole wire thing going, I'll help with whatever. 'cause that going nuts thing is real.

[ sam gives amos an incredulous look at his comment about crawfish - because yes, okay, he has a point. he's from baltimore. if he'd never had crawfish that would probably be a much bigger deal. but the teasing goes both ways, and sam has no issue tossing it back to him. ] You literally just told me prison food was the best you've had. Not sure I trust your culinary expertise at this point.

[ there are terms here that sam doesn't understand entirely, but can take enough context clues from. tertiary settlement, for one. but if the place is anything like sam's started to build up in his head, he can imagine it - farms, cattle, crops. talk about farm to table...and sam almost nods. almost. because then amos says grown in a vat and sam looks at him with some concern. ] You grow meat in a vat in space? [ the concern gives way to a smile, though, because even sam can't quite keep that serious expression on his face. ] But yeah, I've seen cows. And a lot more. But it makes sense they eat well there, they've got all the pieces of a good meal. I've lucked out 'cause I've got a friend whose been going hunting for me. Keeps me on my toes with what I want to make, since I'm never sure what he's going to bring back, but I'm not complaining. [ thank god for geralt, tbh. he might not want to talk about his feelings but he'll sure as hell leave an entire deer carcass in sam's apartment. ] Fish, now - Cadens is out in a desert, so we're not getting much of that, but I can keep enough of the cravings at bay with the shit I can make up here.

[baltimores]

[ It's all Amos can do to shrug at first. I dunno. What is it that people do with land? He'd love it if he could become a plant guy, but he wouldn't know the first thing about it, and with his track record he'd probably kill everything, anyway. It's one of those nice to have in theory, less so in practice kind of things. Or where he'd work better as a supporting player, but he'd need to have someone to give him guidance first, and... isn't that always the issue.

But then there's the change in Sam's expression, that extra engagement, enthusiasm, and it's a really, really good sign for Amos. Even if it's just about being somewhere with advanced, approximated tech. (And he doesn't think it is. Amos thinks Sam himself might want to hang out with him, too. That this really is something beyond politeness. Strangers finding solace with one another in a strange land. It's not a foreign concept.) ]

Sure. [ It's a simple statement, but there's a pleasantness to his tone, to his entire being. That this is what playing host is like. Never thought he'd see the day. He doesn't hate it. ] I'm generally free whenever. Get up with the sun, go to bed sometime after it sets kinda thing. I don't got a real routine or anything. [ Because, you know. Totally alone. Doing a great job of acclimating to a communal society, here. ] You can bring your crawfish. Never seen that on the Roci before.

[ There's humour to his voice, though he's also serious — it'd be an intriguing novelty. Holden would probably get it. Naomi and Alex wouldn't, but none of them are here anyway. It's a little private joke for Amos. One day Sam might get it, too. He's not going anywhere, after all.

Amos frowns, glancing upwards in thought, back at Sam. ​] I might make my way out there. Already did one trek across empty and hostile lands; I could probably manage another. [ It's both empty musing, and... maybe not. Maybe he is serious about this. It's something for him to think about, at least. In case Solvunn doesn't perk up, doesn't offer him direction, doesn't... do anything for him. A place to stay. A job. ] Kinda getting the sense I'd be able to do more there than where I'm at now.

[ It was the waiting in prison that was starting to get at him. The lack of anything to do. He's free in Solvunn, now, but it's kind of the waiting game again. A day-to-day slog. Which is fine, except he'd had a taste of more back home that Sam is reminding him of now.

There's almost a mock offence to Amos' tone when the topic turns back to prison food, though. Later, after all of this, he'll reflect on what it means that he was able to feel this comfortable with someone else this fast. ]

Hey! It's all natural grown. You know how long it's been since I had anything like that? You get used to the culinary up in space, and some of it's pretty good, but then you get the real thing again and it's... [ Amos' voice trails off. He doesn't have a word for it. Amazing seems lacklustre. ] No other place to grow meat in space. You gotta calculate every last resource you have. Animals don't exactly rate high on the priority scale. Definitely not ones as big as those fuckers. Gotta make do so you can actually live up there.

[ He looks almost pleased at the thought of hunting, though. ] Y'know, I've never hunted before, but kinda feels like one of those things I could do. [ It's not a boast or anything, just plainly stated. Killing something to eat later? An action he can take for an action he'll enjoy. ] Don't even mind that much that there won't be fish. Everything you can eat on this planet's incredible, far as I'm concerned.

[falcony]

[ that is the heart of it, isn't it? that maybe it's about being somewhere with advanced tech, but maybe it's actually just about feeling a little less like total strangers with each passing comment. that maybe sam is more than just a little willing to bridge that gap with people he does mesh with, given how much effort sam's been putting into trying to mesh with others, with varying degrees of success. it's a subtle thing, something he doesn't actually give words to, more so it's just a sudden feeling - like this can be good, this could be easy, this will be worth doing, someone worth knowing, and so sam lets himself lean into it without much more.

and - with the offer, with the schedule, with the mention of crawfish, sam is simply beaming at the concept. ]

Done. Want to meet here, or I can probably find your place if I look for it, right? And what...in a week? Same time as now? [ because sam is excited about it - about the ship, about amos' domain, about the concept of having this to look forward to - a little less like he's just drifting through the days of work and eating and general anxiousness about the state of things, and a little more like plans. like settling. either way, they'll have it figured out - sam's not worried about it, and waves off the details for a later time. they'll get it figured out, if anything sam will catch amos before he leaves.

the look back to him that amos gives, and then the subsequent mention of trekking across hostile lands has sam's brows lifting. ] That sounds like a story I'm going to get out of you at some point. [ a promise for another conversation, another time. but sam doesn't push it now, just giving a quick nod to whatever it is amos feels like saying. ]

Think on it, and let me know what you decide. I know it's not an easy thing, so no need to have it all figured out, but my offer stands. Free Cities might not have anything mechanical to engineer, but we're working on it, and god knows there's plenty to do. [ sam says it lightly, and partially in jest, but there is a lot of truth to it - to what sam is trying to do, what he's working on setting up, what the cities have in both work and promise. they just met, though, so sam doesn't necessarily feel like he can really push the subject quite yet, but there's time. they have plans. and whether or not sam finds it strange that he feels a kind of urgency to this - he'll unpack that later, himself.

sam listens, as amos starts in on discussing food. when he trails off, thinking about it. he'd never considered that aspect of it all - of space, of eating, of what the options were once you got there. but he can't really help but smile at the way amos gets into it, the way he himself gets a little lost in all and then comes back around to talk about hunting. ]

Consider that a promise for if you do decide to come - I like cooking, a lot, and if you want to go get the meat I'll make whatever I can from it. You might even learn a thing or two about - what, I guess for you it'd be old school? Southern food. [ sam laughs a little to himself but also to the conversation at hand, before something catches his attention back at the house. either someone calling for him, or maybe just a noise (god dam it julie and lloyd), but either way - sam's attention is now split. ]

Here- I've got to check on something. [ hosting mode: activated. ] You can come on in with me or just enjoy the party, but find me before you leave, alright? We'll get the whole ship thing scheduled. [ and then sam smiles - genuine, happy, content with how this has gone, as his hand clasps down on amos' shoulder. ]

I'm glad we finally met - Amos. For real.

[baltimores]

[ Sam's excitement both is and isn't something he'd thought to anticipate. It makes sense, really. People who haven't been to space tend to get hyped up about the concept. Hell, he'd been like that when he was a lot younger, though back then it was more about getting off of a dying rock than the wonders of the cosmos or some shit. But the eagerness, at scheduling a meeting, at hanging out again... Amos hadn't been all that sure what to think about a big party for no reason. Still isn't, really. But it can't be all bad if this is the guy hosting it; if he wants to see his space, spend time with him.

Yeah, this was a good call.

A small huff of amusement at the idea of a trek across hostile lands being a good story. ] Not much to tell there, but sure. Some other time. [ Since, you know. Them hanging out. Might be a regular thing, if all goes well. And the more Amos thinks about it, will think about it, the more invested he is in that.

It's all he can really do but nod at the idea of thinking about making his way out to the Free Cities, to somewhere not Solvunn, like it isn't the only thing he's going to be thinking about for. A while now. Already, in his quick mental tally, the pros seem to outweigh the cons, and that's without factoring in Sam or Geralt. A thoughtful hum; that'll probably factor in the more he considers it. It's not like moving would be any bigger a change than being in this world already is.

Not to mention the idea of being right by someone who can cook... Not that Amos can't feed himself, but he's never had the chance or want to take passion in what he eats. Another potential point in the Cities' favour. ] There're so many more options for food here. Wouldn't be opposed to expanding my palate at all.

[ He glances as Sam claps his shoulder, a move he's all too familiar with — one he'd normally make himself — and nods, lips quirked upwards in a smile. He'll stick around, at least. Probably along the outskirts of this, drinking a not-real beer, hanging under. Shit, a fucking tree, and ain't something? See if he can find a way to enjoy the atmosphere. Make proper plans with Sam for later. ]

Yeah. [ Yeah, they'll get things scheduled; yeah, Amos is pretty sure he's glad they've met, too. ] I'll be right here.

[ He figures Sam isn't the type to throw platitudes around. Actually means what he says. Which is good; they'll have that much in common, too. ]