riverviewlogs | [open] it's time to tip it off

Entry tags:

[open] it's time to tip it off

who: cisco + anyone!
what: catch-all
when: july
where: anywhere; if you want a starter, please hit me up!
warnings: discussion of sex & drinking

i. tech testing

[ Most of Cisco's work is done within the privacy of his workshop, but there comes a time when he has to leave and find a nice quiet place to actually test some of the tech that he's made. The one time he'd done so outside the wall, things had gone very very badly. So he makes a compromise, finds an alleyway that is within the city but deserted. Sure, he might blow up a dumpster or two and make quite a racket, but he is less likely to get attacked by monsters here, and if anyone disturbs him he can just tell them to clear out.

That's the theory, anyway. But some of the stuff he brought with him might be a bit more powerful than he'd intended... ]

ii. nesting

[ Cisco had been very tentative about his new living situation, at first. He didn't want to get too comfortable, in case Yuri changed his mind, or Eddie got sick of him. But after a few weeks, with no signs that they want him to leave, Cisco starts to think about maybe settling in to his new room. It's fairly stark, still - just a bed, some sheets, and an old couch. All his clothes are still in bags, but the first thing on his list is some dark curtains for the windows. He was never meant to be a morning person.

He can be seen in various shops in the quarantine, looking at furniture, rugs, curtains, etcetera. Cisco's not above asking random strangers for their opinion, either. ]

What do you think, this one or this one?

iii. misc

[ Come plot something! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Though he's no stranger to trying to settle down in unfamiliar places, Morgana's finding it much harder to relax and think when he stands out so damn much. All that time spent in Yongen-Jaya complaining about being stuck in a cat's body - he's realizing he sort of took the advantages it gave him for granted. Now he has the freedom to walk around and do the same things that normal people do... but he gets stared at and stopped more often than he'd like. And he's not content to just hide in his friend's room all day.

Basically, he's purposefully trying to take backroads and alleyways to stay out of the public eye a little bit. He's a sneak; he can't help it. But he's also a responsible little thing - so when he hears an explosion coming from one of those deserted corners, he can't help but immediately run over. Just by poking his head into the alleyway, he can't tell exactly what happened, but he does see someone standing there-- ]

Are you okay?! I heard a huge bang from over here!!

Watch out!

[ Cisco only just has time to shout the warning before the dumpster (which is billowing a copious amount of dark smoke) lets out another loud BANG and sends some more of its contents flying through the air. It's only sheer luck that none of it lands on Cisco, who holds his arms over his head.

After that he goes back to what he was doing, spraying the dumpster with a fire extinguisher, coughing and trying to keep his face out of the worst of the smoke. ]

It's okay, I got this, that should be the last one...

[ A few moments of spraying fire-suppressing foam later, Cisco emerges from the smoke. There's a not inconsiderable amount of soot on his face and clothes, but he's not on fire, and now the dumpster isn't either. ]

[ Fortunately, Morgana has quick reflexes. Catlike, even. Also catlike is the meowesque squawk he makes as he evades some toasted garbage flying his way. This despite the constant claims he's not a cat.

He's fighting his urge to rush into the smoke and try to help, but a. he knows that running into a big, possibly poisonous cloud of suffocating gas wouldn't help anyone, and b. he's probably not strong enough to carry another person out of there. Hearing the sound of a fire extinguisher brings him some peace of mind, at least. When Cisco emerges, the small feline creature sighs in relief before giving him a somewhat reprimanding look. ]

You look like you're all right... Thank goodness. [ a pause. ] -- What the heck is going on back there? You're not burning things for fun, are you? Even I could tell you how dangerous that is!

[ Cisco hears Morgana talking before he actually turns to look at him; when he does tear his eyes from the dumpster, he looks back and forth once, confused why he doesn't see whoever was speaking to him. Then he looks a little further down, and stops in his tracks. He doesn't mean to, it's just, well. He wasn't expecting someone who looked quite so... feline. But there's no one else around, so there's really only one conclusion to draw. He wouldn't be the first talking animal Cisco had encountered in this place. ]

Yeah, I'm... fine. [ The words come out a bit stilted as he grapples with the weirdness of this situation. He brushes some hair from his face and explains, a little out of breath: ] The fire wasn't on purpose. They were super not supposed to do that. I been trying to fix the overheating issue in these damn things and clearly this is a big step in the wrong direction.

[ A bit of concern creeps into Cisco's expression and he asks: ]

You're okay, right? None of that hit you? I tried to pick the most outta the way place I could find, didn't think anybody would come running...

[ he's nodding along until Cisco expresses some concern for him, at which point he looks briefly surprised before putting his hands on his hips. ]

I'm fine. That was no big deal. I was just surprised, that's all... I didn't think anybody would be out here, either. Especially somebody blowing things up.

[ which is what seems to have been going on here. So much for a peaceful detour. At least his own arrival on the scene hasn't added to this guy's confusion too much. Still... he's curious about what he just said. Morgana tilts his head at him inquisitively. ]

"Overheating issue?" Are you building something?

[ Cisco's pretty sure it is a big deal, but no harm, no foul. He's going to have to be more careful next time, though. Set up some signs, do a sweep to check the area is clear. Also, check that any dumpsters he uses are empty, he thinks, as he takes a few steps closer to the smoking dumpster, avoiding a stray banana peel that had been sent flying. ]

Yeah... trying to, anyway.

[ Carefully, he waves some of the smoke away with his arm and tries to peer inside and see what is left of his tech. He quickly pulls away, coughing, eyes stinging, and just gives up. Gotta wait until the smoke dies down. ]

I'm working on power dampeners. In case somebody with superpowers decides to rob the bank or whatever and gets arrested, gotta be a way to keep them from using their abilities to escape lockup or whatever. Obviously... got a long ways to go.

[ There's clear frustration in his voice as he says it: it had been easier back home, but he doesn't have the same resources here that he did, there. He has had to scrounge for parts, to re-work his designs to accommodate different materials, powers that work in different ways than he's used to.

He turns to look at Morgana, opens his mouth to ask about the whole cat thing, thinks better of it. He's met dudes with tentacle faces here, he really shouldn't be surprised. ]

Name's Cisco.

[ Oh. Stopping robbers. His ears flick in surprise - surprise that can be taken as a reaction to making power dampeners, but in reality, is probably more about the locking up thieves part. It's not like the Phantom Thieves have plotted any heists here (yet), but it still puts him on edge. Just a little bit, though, and only on the inside.

At least he wasn't building a bomb to blow up the ne'er-do-wells. Morgana goes ahead and files that tidbit away for later, instead focusing on the other part: dampening superpowers. ]

You can make something like that? [ audible surprise. even if it didn't work properly this time, it's pretty impressive - he's never heard of anything like that. Of course, in his mind, he's equating "superpowers" with "Persona users." ] Oh. And I'm Morgana. Nice to meet you, I guess. Even with the explosions.

Oh, yeah. I should be able to make something like that way the hell easier, but it's practically impossible to get the materials I need here, so I'm stuck re-inventing the wheel.

[ It's one of the few things that Cisco doesn't actually like about this place; then again, he can't complain too much. Perhaps the reason it's taking so long is that he doesn't have that same life-or-death urgency spurring him on to work day and night. When it comes down to it, there's just a whole lot fewer unhinged murderers with superpowers here than there were in Central City.

The smoke has dissipated more, now, and Cisco returns to the dumpster, reaching down into it with a tiny hiss of pain as he picks up the still-sparking remnants of his prototype dampeners. When he straightens up he sighs, shaking his head at them. ]

Back to the drawing board, I guess.

[ He looks over to Morgana, expression grim and apologetic at the same time. ]

Nice to meet you, too, Morgana. Sorry if I freaked you out, with the whole... [ He makes a vague gesture which seems to be standing in for 'explosions' and 'billowing smoke'. ]

Don't worry about that. I'm as tough as they come.

[ he says this completely seriously, despite how silly it sounds coming out of him, as he watches Cisco go burn his fingers on whatever twisted metal bits are left of his "power dampeners." Morgana skeptically wonders if he's actually more of a mad scientist type than a young genius type...

He doesn't seem like a bad person, though. In truth, stopping criminals is what he and his group were trying to do, too - just in a cool vigilante justice sort of way. So, though he does hang back from the dumpster (the smell is pretty unpleasant just from here), he pipes up again. ]

... If you need materials, I might actually be able to help.

[ Don't worry, Morgana: it's definitely a little bit of both. No reason young geniuses can't also have a little mad scientist in them, too.

But at the very least, when Morgana seriously declares that he is tough and unbothered by surprise explosions, Cisco accepts that without question. He can just be freaked out enough for the both of them.

Morgana's offer to help him get materials comes out of the blue; Cisco looks over to him quickly, head tilting to the side. ]

Wait, for real? How?

[ the immediate acceptance coupled with equally-immediate interest strokes Morgana's ego; he puts his hands on his hips and puffs out his chest a little. ]

Heheh... I'm on the salvage team in the perimeter guard, so I go out there and find stuff all the time. And back home, I was always out adventuring and finding loot! You could say that I'm an expert.

[ He at least sounds extremely confident in his skills there. Power dampeners might have components a little more complex than smoke bombs, but how bad could it be? Honestly, he's kind of interested in how they work. ]

And I do a little bit of tinkering, myself, so I know good parts when I see them.

Seriously? You're not jerking me around, right, 'cause that would actually be super helpful. Somebody told me about this one warehouse in the abandoned section of town, and I got a lot of good stuff outta there, but...

[ Cisco hesitates, gesturing vaguely as he struggles with how best to put this: ]

I'm not really your going out and adventuring time. I mean, I can do it, I just. Generally prefer that kind of thing to be vicarious.

[ He'd gotten cocky and gone into the woods and almost gotten eaten by a giant lizard; Cisco's seen horror movies, he's not dumb enough to make the same mistake twice. He knows that his talents are best exercised from safety, lending support and strategy to adventurous dudes like Barry or, apparently, Morgana.

Cisco's face brightens when Morgana boasts that he tinkers around, too. He asks immediately: ]

You do? Like, on what kind of stuff?

[ morgana can for sure slay some giant lizards. It might be kind of hard on his own, but he'll try, dammit. He nods vigorously in response. It feels like it's rare for someone to actually take him seriously, so, of course, he's savoring it. And having it go straight to his head, most likely. ]

Mm, mm, of course. Not everyone's cut out for adventure like I am. That's nothing to be ashamed of. [ his tail is held high behind him, just like a proud cat. ] And... all kinds of things! Tools, smoke bombs, anything that might be useful for -- uh, adventuring. I'm pretty handy with cars, too.

[ though he doubts that will come up much. ]

Maybe we can work something out.

Never really been into cars, myself. Don't know why. But if I ever hear about anyone having car trouble, maybe I'll give you a heads up.

[ Sure, Morgana is in the Perimeter Guard, but who doesn't love a good side hustle?

'Tools' is a bit vague, but that only makes Cisco even more curious. There's a part of him that wonders how Morgana could manage to make smoke bombs and the like without opposable thumbs, but that seems like a very rude thing to ask. Best way to satisfy his curiosity about both things, he figures, is to make an offer. ]

You should come by my workshop sometime, we can geek out. I promise, nothing'll explode next time. Well... 90% chance nothing will explode. 85%, minimum.

[ At Morgana's suggestion they can work something out, Cisco grins. He younger, when he is smiling: it has a way of lighting up his whole face. ]

Absolutely.

[ and Morgana grins right back. It's different, being able to just walk around and meet people like this. He's still not sure how he feels about this whole Riverview situation - but he thinks that he likes being able to be himself here instead of a regular housecat. ]

Then it's settled! I'll just... stand behind you while I'm there, just in case.

[ can't have explosions ruining his money-maker mascot mug. ]

How'd you get a workshop, though? They put me and Yuuto in this big apartment.

Edited 2017-07-26 06:31 (UTC)

[ Wow, burn. Cisco sets a hand against his chest, in mock-hurt at the remark about standing behind him in case of explosions, but it's clear he's trying hard not to smile, and in the end he gives an exaggerated shrug. ]

That's fair.

[ Now it's time for Cisco have a crisis - should he try to find somewhere they can sit to talk, so he's not towering over Morgana so much? Or would that be more rude? Would it be rude to ask which option is rude? Oh god... better to just stand there and do nothing. ]

Oh! They set me up with it after the whole job test, when they told me what they thought I could do to contribute around here. The job they said was best for me needed a place where I could invent stuff, so they just... handed over the keys.

[ Cisco's tone makes it clear he's aware of how acutely weird that is. Riverview is taking some getting used to for just these reasons - the residents don't just get everything they want handed to them, but at the same time... there is an awful lot more respect, consideration, and generosity from the powers that be than Cisco is really accustomed to. It's not a total utopia - he has to work, has to have money for rent and food and the rest. But it doesn't feel like a struggle, the way thing sometimes had back home. ]

They put you right into an apartment? Not the big communal housing building? Man... that's lucky!

[ honestly, if Morgana knew he was panicking about something like that internally, he'd probably think it was funny. He's used to everyone towering over him. The alternative was usually sitting in someone's backpack, which was probably slightly more humiliating, now that he thinks about it. In any case, he shows no sign of being uncomfortable, or noticing that Cisco is, for that matter... ]

Oh, no, no, it's that big building. I'm not that familiar with this kind of stuff. [ considering he previously lived in The Void, and then jail. He sets that aside. ] You sound like the lucky one to me. I'm really surprised they'll just hand over space like that for free... They must be desperate for people.

[ which is intended as an insult towards the people in charge, not Cisco. He's not a big fan of authority. ]

It sure works out nicely for you, though.

Yeah, it totally weirded me out they just gave it to me, too. I think it's 'cause what I'm doing is for the city, technically? I mean, I'm making this tech for the police and the firefighters and even you perimeter folks, so I guess I'm like... kind of a civil servant? Or something like that, I don't know. I wasn't about to look a gift workshop in the mouth.

[ Cisco had been a bit more suspicious, early on, but it's been months without any sign of an ulterior motive, and he can't really sustain his paranoia for all that long without any fuel for the fire. ]

Can I, um. Buy you a coffee? You know, as thanks for the whole, trying to save me from an explosion that it turns out I actually caused myself?

[ It's really a 50/50 whether or not Morgana will like coffee, but it was the most normal thing Cisco could think of to offer. ]

[ it would probably be politer to turn the offer down at least once out of modesty. But Morgana is a cat. His eyes light up at the mention of coffee, and he shifts where he stands, seeming excited by the idea. Guess who lives above a cafe? ]

Ooh! That sounds great! All right, I accept your gratitude, Cisco! I want one with lots of cream in it.

[ it probably won't compare to Yuuto's homemade blends - but he barely ever gets to drink those, anyway.

(He's also thinking he should have made his teammates buy him stuff more often as thanks...) ]

[ Cisco grins: he certainly doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with accepting immediately, and enthusiasm over coffee is definitely something he can relate to. The slight formality of Morgana's response is unusual, but Cisco doesn't think twice about it. He nods in the direction they're going to go, and the two of them set off, away from that still faintly-smoking dumpster and the alley with garbage strewn all over it.

The comment about cream, it turns out, is the final straw that breaks the camel's back of Cisco's curiosity. He walks with his hands in his pockets and asks: ]

Okay, so. What, uh... what would you call yourself, exactly? 'Cause we haven't got, um, beings like you where I'm from. It's pretty much just humans and nothing else in my neck of the multiverse woods, so there's a lot of catching up I'm doing in this place.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[open] it's time to tip it off

i

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i'm on vacation - sorry that i'm slow :'(

no worries! 👍

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tfw you see a stupid typo but it's too late to fix it 😓

HAHAHA it's okay we've all been there...

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