Something twists in Sam’s chest when the troll calls him brother. Oh, Sam knows that he doesn’t mean it the way Kurloz did, that it’s a speech pattern and not a claiming of any kind of relationship, just like he knows that this guy isn’t the Kurloz he knows, but it affects him just the same.

Just like that laugh. Sam’d spent a lot of time trying to get Kurloz to laugh and smile, just… not like this.

He shakes his head, rolling out his shoulders - shake it off, he’s gotta shake this off, and he launches himself back up, hovering in the air to give himself something else to focus on.

“Only by reputation,” he replies. “I met a ghost of you once, but I’m pretty sure he was more for show.”