riverviewlogs | [open] the dating game!

Entry tags:

[open] the dating game!

who: magnus burnsides, cisco ramon and you!
what: some blind dates!
when: throughout november
where: throughout riverview
warnings: will update as needed!

[ Since his friend with benefits went and got himself a For-Real Boyfriend, Magnus has been just a little bit lonely. It’s really not a big deal; it wasn’t anything serious. However, one of his friends is taking it upon himself to remedy Magnus’s loneliness.

That friend is Cisco.

He’s making it his responsibility to make Magnus’s life a little happier… by playing matchmaker. You might get a call or a text from Cisco asking if you’re up for a blind date. He might not even tell you it’s supposed to be a date. However he convinces you to get out of the house, you’re going to find a (possibly confused) Magnus Burnsides when you arrive. Maybe you’ll have a good time. Maybe you won’t. ]

( If this is something that interests you—for good times or bad—feel free to contact Magnus mun at

aldigrocery or Cisco mun at

platoapproved! We’ll be happy to set up a scenario. )

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[Magnus is about to retort to Cisco, but he's caught off-guard by a pleasant surprise. So far, Cisco's picks haven't been quite Magnus's style, so when Hana comes in he almost doesn't believe she's here for the date. But Cisco's just waved at her, so that confirms it—she is, in fact, Cisco's pick.

Without even thinking about it, Magnus finds himself with a grin on his face, and he gives Hana a little wave. He's still grinning to himself when Hana turns to get in line.

But Magnus is stubborn, so when she's not looking, he leans into Cisco and insists,] Just for the record, I don't need somebody. I'm good, okay?

[...But then he turns to look at Hana again, breaking back into a smile.]

But I can give Hana a chance.

[Magnus is very grateful that Cisco is using words he can understand to explain the science thing. Last time, Cisco had mentioned, like, atom vibration frequencies or something, and it was way beyond Magnus's grasp. At least he understands what facial recognition is.]

That's super neat, dude! You make the coolest stuff.

[He'd taken a few sips of his beer while Cisco spoke. Now, he sets it down, produces a knife from his pocket, and starts slicing up one of the apples he'd brought.]

Yeah, right now I'm helping out at one of the community centers. The facility's kinda out of date, so I'm helping, like, restructure the building. It needs some mega repairs. I might try to talk some of the higher-ups at my job to start prioritizing reconstruction around town.

[He's had a good rep with his bosses so far, so he's been able to taken on interesting projects like these. It's that rustic hospitality at work.]

[ Cisco looks between the two of them, seeing them both wave, seeing them both smiling at each other. And they don't look like strained, polite smiles, either. His eyes might be deceiving him, but it seems like there's actually some sparks, there. Fourth time is the charm, apparently.

He is a little surprised when Magnus leans in to get the last word, but rather than crack a joke about how he knows Magnus is a strong independent woman who don't need no man, he just nods. ]

Okay.

[ After all, pretty much anyone else would be much much angrier if Cisco had continued to trick them into blind dates, and he really should listen, if Magnus insists that he's alright. But that doesn't stop him from clapping a hand on Magnus's shoulder, and shooting a completely radiant smile over at Hana, saying as he goes: ]

You two have fun!

[ And then he makes his way out the door, resisting the temptation to stick around a little and peer in the window to see how the two of them are doing. ]

[ Cisco faces that teasing with the grim acceptance that he has thoroughly and completely earned it. That had been a world-class fuck up and he's already had to deal with the consequences on Angela's end. At least Magnus isn't threatening him. ]

Thank you. He had no idea this whole thing was a set-up, so... just don't blame him, okay? It was all my idea and doing.

[ Introductions were something he'd avoided the last few times he did this, but Cisco knows he's not getting out of it this time. He walks with Magnus over to the table where Dorian is sitting. When he comes to a halt he is shifting his weight from foot to foot, obviously uncomfortable but smiling anyway as he says: ]

Hey, Dorian, I got a confession. There is no app. I... remembered you mentioned you weren't seeing anybody, and my boy Magnus here isn't seeing anybody either, so I ... decided to play matchmaker. So. Um. Yeah. Magnus, this is Dorian. He's from a world with magic and stuff, and he's got super dope facial hair. And Dorian, this is Magnus. He's also from a world with magic and stuff and he also has very dope though very different facial hair. I already squared away the check with the waiter, soooo. Yep! Just gonna leave you two to the ambiance. Have a good night, sorry for all the deception and stuff!

[ And with that, Cisco makes his retreat. ]

Edited 2017-11-17 20:26 (UTC)

[ Hana is busy procuring her own stuff as all of this is going down; normally she orders matcha-flavored ice cream which she proceeds to then bury beneath piles of candy and fruit, but she had complained to Cisco that it was getting to be too cold out to go for ice cream, and she can't ignore his suggestion to get hot fudge instead. So instead she through with a milkshake in a tall glass, with the sides of it lined in thick, hot fudge and topped off with whipped cream, sprinkles, chocolate wafer cookies, and of course a cherry.

And two straws.

Cisco is already out the door by the time she makes it to the table, but it's all good, she did manage to give him a quick wave goodbye before he disappeared and now the fun could start. She sets the milkshake down on the table almost perfectly halfway between the two of them and then takes her seat across from Magnus. ]

Hey, Maggie. Guess we got set up, huh?

[Dorian stands as the two of them approach, Dorian covertly noting with at least some degree of appreciate the muscles that seem to reside beneath Magnus' clothing while Cisco stumbles through his explanation. He arches an eyebrow and turns slowly back to Cisco as he comes to the meat of it, though, his expression clearly asking, "oh really?" He makes to protest, but Cisco turns and, somewhat cowardly he notes, escapes before he can be questioned and Dorian lets out a sigh of disappointment before turning back to the other man. His own frame is well built, though lithe and he stands a few inches under six feet, yet holds himself with a confidence and poise that suggest he's used to rubbing shoulders with important people and looking the part.]

Well then. I don't know if I should be insulted or not. What do you think, Magnus? Have we both been labeled as lonely and pining, or am I simply convenient? ...I can't be too upset with him, obviously. He has impeccable taste. [He waves a hand, dismissing the question before it can be answered and motions toward the table he's risen from.] No matter. You heard the man. Our bills covered. What's say we make the young Francisco pay well for his good intent?

[As Cisco made his exit earlier, Magnus may or may not have made a little "shoo" motion to encourage him to leave a little faster. Now that Hana has taken Cisco's place, he offers her a smile.]

I guess so! Cisco has better taste than I thought.

[Hanging out with Hana isn't anything new, but... this time the context is A Date. And Hana seems happy to be here! On a date! With Magnus! ...Oh, boy. How is it that the nerves have waited until just now to hit him?

He does notice her milkshake placement and he does get the hint, but A) he doesn't want to be the first one to drink and B) he still has this big cup of strawberry ice cream to deal with. Suddenly, it feels awkward in his hands. His solution is to push it an inch in Hana's direction and ask,]

Wanna try some?

[Smooth.]

[First impressions: vaguely intimidating. He's obviously better put together than Magnus could ever hope to be, and he's already expressed some disappointment at the situation. The "situation" being this date. Luckily, Magnus had known better than to show up to a venue like this dressed as he normally would, so he'd opted for a loose button down—but still casual, with a few of the buttons left open at the top. It's a good thing he didn't show up to this date wearing, say... a jersey with 69 written on the back.

Dorian doesn't seem like the type of person Cisco would even know well enough to set up on a blind date. Magnus can't help but wonder how desperate Cisco was to rope a guy like this into it.

At least the guy seems to have a good sense of humor about the whole thing. Magnus loosens up a little as he takes a seat across from his, um, date.]

No, I think I'm the only "lonely and pining" one here. At least, to Cisco. I mean, wouldn't say I'm actually— [It's going great so far!] What I mean is, I am the only one here who is being pitied. But, hey, since he's paying—

[He comes to a stop as he has a sudden thought.]

Is his name Francisco?

[As his order of wine was never actually ordered when their kind waiter, obviously well compensated, or at least very good at his craft, arrives at the table, Dorian finally requests that bottle of red, "the good stuff", he reiterates, then suggests the rest will need a moment before turning back to his unlikely dinner date.

Date. Dorian realizes, quickly, he's never actually had one of those. Oh, certainly, his father had seen to it he'd spent a dinner or ten with his betrothed, but that ended rather abruptly when Dorian had informed his father under no circumstances did he have any intention of entering into an arranged marriage with such a boorish woman or a woman at all. They were, after all, beautiful beyond measure but...not for him, and if they were it would not be that one.]

Honestly, I'm not sure. "Francisco" is a common enough name in Antiva, a nation on my homeworld, and I simply assume...I knew a man from Antiva once named Franchez...and possibly... [He shakes his head.] Regardless, I digress. [But that stammer of his, and the clothing...though he was reminded of a certain hulking lummox of a man from back home as well, who looked horribly out of place in any sort of shirt, let alone one considered fashionable. That one, though, didn't stumble over himself quite as adorable as this one seemed to. That was endearing...and dangerous.]

Are you so lonely, then, that Cisco would see fit to trick an innocent bystander into sharing your company for the evening? You don't seem overly distraught, but I suppose you could be a good actor. [He stroked the tuft of hair on his chin thoughtfully.] What is it you do, anyway, Magnus? That is the sort of talk in which we're to engage if this is to be a proper date, isn't it?

I don't think so.

[Ed's not the most oblivious guy on the moon, but he's not exactly tech savvy so he basically took the explanation at face value. Cisco was pretty into his work, as far as he could tell, if something was up it only made sense for him to rush off and investigate the situation. Nothing seemed even remotely amiss to him until Magnus began to question it.]

Yeah, he said he wanted to grab lunch. Catch up, I guess.

[Or, so he thought. It had been a few months since they last talked. He hadn't mentioned Magnus though, Ed kind of figured the two had bumped into each other when they got here. Judging by the question, that didn't exactly add up.]

Let me guess, you think this was some sort of set up?

[ She rests her chin on her hands as she settles into her seat, watching for Magnus' reaction to the milkshake. Hana has been on a handful of dates since arriving to the Quarantine - and some outings that just sort of ended up being dates. So she's not tense or nervous, just herself, although there is some degree of morbid curiosity, here, because this was a set-up.

Which means Cisco thinks she and Magnus would be a good pair at least for a date. She has to wonder why... of course, Magnus is really cute. He's also been super nice to her all the times that they've run into each other or talked or hung out, but she doesn't know much about him beyond that. Maybe that's what she'd work towards on this date or whatever.

She raises a brow when he offers to share the ice cream. He hadn't looked like he was really intending on sharing until she put the milkshake on the table, and she ends up looking at him with an amused look on her face. ]

Only if you actually want to share!

[ ... But she's going to extract her long-handled ice cream spoon from the milkshake and lick the milkshake off of it before she reaches for Magnus' ice cream with it, looking up at him like she's asking if he's absolutely sure he wants to share. ]

Maybe that is his name... [He mutters to himself curiously about Cisco, but cuts himself off from that. This isn't the time or the place. He'll bug Cisco about it later.]

I'm not lonely, [he insists, even if it isn't a hundred precent true.] Cisco's making assumptions. But he's just trying to be helpful. I guess. [Even if he's talking smack about Cisco, he's still endeared by his friend's good will.]

I'm a carpenter. I build buildings n' stuff. But I'm more interested in furniture, honestly. I was thinking I might start a business when I save up a little money. Oh—and sometimes I carve stuff! I like to make little wooden animals. Like little duckies.

[He always gets just a little carried away when he talks about his woodwork.]

What about you?

That's awesome. There's so many places that got damaged, with the man-eating plants and the acid rain and who knows what other nonsense. That must be really great - to build something you can see any time you walk by. A lot of the time with my stuff, once I hand it over to the guard or the cops or whoever, I almost never see it aga-

[ But before he can finish that thought, or ask further about Magnus's plans for urban restructuring and renewal, Cisco looks up and realizes with a jolt that Angela is heading towards them. He scrambles to his feet, dropping the unopened beer and waving her over. He pointedly doesn't look at Magnus, who he's sure will be figuring out right about now that this is yet another setup. ]

Hey, Angela! You made it!

[ Before she reaches them, Cisco turns around to Magnus, an apologetic grin on his face. He sees that jersey again and thinks that maybe he should've put a little more planning into this. But it's too late to back out, now. ]

She's an Asgardian and a total badass. You can talk about training and fighting and stuff?

[ He says it so it sounds like an apology, then turns to face Angela again: ]

I actually have to go, but I was hoping you wouldn't mind having lunch with my friend Magnus instead? He's a great dude, and there's a whole lotta food there that somebody's gotta eat.

[ Cisco checks he has his phone and keys and starts retreating from the two of them, waving and saying: ]

I'll, um, I'll see you around!

[ When Cisco had invited Angela to a picnic, she was initially hesitant, but she relented after hearing Sera's voice in her head, telling her she needs to loosen up and make friends.

Her appearance is still rather severe, at six foot two with facial tattoos and everything, but her outfit is casual. She strides over to where Cisco is waving, and is... surprised and confused when he immediately excuses himself. She watches him back away before turning to the other man there. ]

Magnus, is it? Tell me you have some idea what's going on.

[As soon as Ed says "set up," it comes together. The way Cisco talked the moment before he'd left... Magnus's hands go straight to his face in frustration.]

Yeah, it sure is. Cisco thinks I'm lonely.

[That's a good enough explanation, right? He doesn't need to go into detail. Either way, he's not gonna keep moping about it. He lightens up and opts to make a joke out of the situation instead.]

I hate to break it to you, my dude, but I think we're on a date.

Yeah, go for it!

[Magnus places his ice cream right next to her milkshake so they're both in optimal sharing distance. He hadn't expected Hana to share hers—he couldn't possibly be misreading that second straw, could he?—but he's totally fine with sharing his own.]

...As long as you let me try some of yours, too. Ooh, is that hot fudge?

[There's still some nerves, sure, but he can work around them. Hana's nice. He feels good about this. ...He can turn up the flirt just a notch.]

[Ed's just going to blink at the lonely thing, but the second part leaves him utterly dumbfounded, because why would Cisco ever think...?]

Date.

[Yeah, he's just going to repeat that numbly like he doesn't get it, because there's no way Cisco really thinks that either one of them are the other's type. Right? ... Right? By the mercy of some higher power he's actually not blushing over this notion. Remarkable.]

Well, that probably makes two of us. Considering the last time Cisco and I talked ... Well, he could have the same impression from me. Which is why this would make sense. I guess.

[At least, make sense to Cisco. Where it wouldn't otherwise, by all logical standards.]

[ She gives him a smile when he reaffirms the sharing of ice cream and then goes ahead and digs into it with her spoon, making sure to get a little bit of whipped cream to go with it. That smile, though, turns into a smirk at his question. ]

Uh, of course it's hot fudge, and of course you can have some. That's why I got two straws, Maggie!

[ Still, she thinks it's cute that he's making sure even when it's obvious. They are on a date after all, right? As she takes her helping of ice cream she uses her other hand to lightly nudge the milkshake toward him just a tiny bit. ]

Cisco, w—

[Magnus stands in an attempt to go after Cisco, but by the time he's up there's too much distance between them. It would be rude to walk away at this point and leave Angela standing here. ... Technically it's rude for Cisco to ditch both of them but, of course, Magnus has to pick up the slack.]  

Yeah, I know exactly what’s going on. Cisco is…

[When Magnus faces her, he’s… a little intimidated. She certainly doesn’t seem like the type of person he wants to offend. His explanation is shamefaced—hopefully she doesn’t take this super badly.]

  Cisco is trying to set me up with somebody. Like, on a date. This is his… second attempt.

It could well be, yes... [Not that Dorian felt it was a very big deal at the moment, but it was a conversation at least and that seemed to have been Cisco's point all along. A part of Dorian felt bad for Magnus, though he was also a little envious of the man. He'd never let it be known how lonely he was, how much he missed his homeland, or even the drafty keep of Skyhold, or the people who called it home, but that didn't mean he didn't think of it every day. Even Magnus here was causing a pang of homesickness in the mage, but he pressed a smile through the dreary thoughts clouding his mind and remained focused on the conversation at hand.]

Ah, I see. A skilled craftsman can always find a place in any society. [He cracks a slight smile at his description, though.] Do you make these things for children?

[And at Magnus' question, he smiles proudly.] I am a researcher, an Enchanter, an explorer of magical theory, an archivist, and...currently trying to save the world from itself. [He holds up a hand.] And I realize that all sounds rather grand, but we are an army. I am only one.

(OOC: Sorry for the delay! Crazy holiday prep is crazy.)

I know, right?

[Seems like they're on the same page, in that Ed's not too excited by the notion of a date, either. That's good.

He doesn't really think before asking,]

Why would he get that impression?

[Magnus certainly hadn't gotten that impression from Ed.]

Oh, absolutely. I love kids! [Magnus has given some of his work out to kids he'd met on his mission, and remembering their faces always made him smile.]

Y'know, that's not entirely different from my situation. Before I got here I was kind of trying to save... the universe? [He hopes that doesn't doesn't sound like he's trying to one-up Dorian. He doesn't mean to.] But I'm not super good at any of the magic stuff. I'm more the muscle of my group.

[Until this point, Magnus had only been trying to play along with this whole date thing to the slightest degree, but being in the atmosphere long enough gets to him. On the word "muscle," he casts a knowing glance down at his burly frame, and even lifts his arms a little bit to show it off. He sure is a strongboy.]

[Edward Elric and dates, oil and water, my guy.]

Ah... A couple months ago, that soul mate- romantic holiday, thing...

[Okay, well. Now he's blushing. He didn't really want to give out Cisco's personal information, the guy seemed pretty down, stressing about what to do but-]

We started talking. I kind of ... told him about a girl I knew before coming here. It was stupid.

[Telling Cisco, that is. It wasn't really something he talked about much at all, to anyone.]

[ At first, Angela doesn't get it. But then Magnus drops the "d" word. Suddenly Angela goes tense, her expression livid as she shoots daggers at Cisco's retreating form. ]

He what?!

[ Magnus might have to physically restrain Angela from going after Cisco. ]

Oh, duh. [He smacks his palm to his forehead in a joke gesture, as if he didn't get it. Then, smiling, he helps himself to a sip of the milkshake.]

Hey—I didn't get a chance to tell you before, but I saw you sing at the festival. That was, like, really good. Is that something you do? Like, on the regular?

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[open] the dating game!

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