[open] try to tell the difference

[franciscoramon]

who: cisco + anyone!
what: catch-all post
when: the rest of november through december
where: various places
warnings: will add as needed

[use a prompt from the tdm or come plot with me @ platoapproved. ]

Comments

⚡️ billy

[franciscoramon]

[ Putting it lightly, October had been a hectic mess, in Cisco's life. He'd lost track of a lot of folks who weren't within his most immediate circle of friends, while there were still ghosts around and random memories popping into people's minds and all the disruption that caused. Even after all that had faded away, he'd been left with such a mountain of backlogged work for his job that he'd barely had time to get out and participate in various community events.

Things have been finally feeling back to normal this last week or so, and he's starting to have the time and energy to wonder how some of his other friends are doing. Which is why, when he spots Billy a ways off walking down the street, he doesn't just let the opportunity go. Instead, he calls out, enthusiastically. ]

Yo, Billy! Wait up!

[ He waves an arm through the air, jogging to catch up with Billy, who... doesn't look as happy to see him as Cisco would have hoped? Some part of his brain registers that the response isn't what he was expecting, but he forges on, happily and a bit breathlessly declaring: ]

I haven't seen you in ages, man!

[wiccant]

( that is definitely his name, but it's not a voice he recognizes. for a moment, he almost assumes it's just someone else named billy this guy is calling out for--but this wouldn't be the first, nor the last time some unknown person here in riverview has known more about him than they should.

so he twists around, moves to face cisco and--yeah, definitely not ringing any bells. it's good he's already used to this: the process of letting people know he doesn't remember anything from being here before. that two weeks ago he was busy hopping through the multiverse, not. . this. his brows furrow, but the corners of his lips do twist up into some semblance of a hesitant smile. )

I'm--sorry. I don't remember you. There. . must have been a portal glitch or something when I came through? ( or something. ) Because I know I had been here for a while before, but I don't remember any of it.

[franciscoramon]

[ As soon as Billy says he doesn't remember him, Cisco's smile drops away. It takes a few moments for that information to actually sink in. Cisco's heard of this kind of thing happening before. Rey had told him about it, when it had happened with Poe. But it's never been someone he actually knew.

His first instinct - which he's not really proud of - is suspicion. This could be Billy, returned but without his memories. Or it could be a Billy from a slightly different version of reality than the one Cisco had known. But it could also be a shapeshifter, of the same sort as Hannibal Bates. Or even someone like Eobard Thawne, who had used god knows what technology to transform himself into the shape of Harrison Wells. ]

That's, uh. Wow.

[ He rubs at the back of his neck, feeling awkward and alarmed but trying to muster up a smile. After another moment's hesitation, he holds out a hand for Billy (?) to shake. ]

Cisco Ramon. I- we were, um, friends.

[wiccant]

( alternative universes or really inconvenient memory loss are his two current best guesses; billy's traveled the multiverse enough to know there's plenty versions of him, but most of the ones he's run across were different enough that one would be able to tell the difference. loki called him a different incarnation of the one who was here before, which. seems like a good call, too.

still doesn't make this part any easier. cisco offers his hand, and billy's quick enough to shake it, the same sheepish smile never quite fading. )

Billy Kaplan, but I guess you knew that already. ( friends he said. and as far as he can tell, he's not that different from how he was before, so: ) It's nice to meet you, again.

⚡️ beverly

[franciscoramon]

[ They'd decided today was the ideal day for their little mission out to the abandoned hospital; Beverly and the small team she was bringing wouldn't be missed at the hospital, Cisco had finally caught up on all his backlogged work for the fire department, and the weather was clear, if a little on the cold side for Cisco's taste. He had bundled up, thrown together a pack with everything he thought they might need (and then some). He's not expecting trouble, but he wants to be ready for it if it comes.

He's sketched out a map to the building in question; it is possible to get most, though not entirely, the way there in a vehicle, so Cisco had called in a favor with the Perimeter Guard and gotten a jeep and a driver. It's all feeling a bit Jurassic Park, which is an analogy he doesn't want to think about too much or else he'll start to worry.

He arrives at the agreed-upon meeting point a few minutes early, with coffees for everybody, and a bright smile which is only mostly covering up his restless, nervous energy. When he sees Beverly arrive, he waves her over, holding out a coffee for her to take. ]

Hey, Dr. Crusher. Thanks so much for... all this.

[dancingmd]

[Perhaps it's strange, but Beverly's really been looking forward to their little expedition. Exploring has for so long been part of her life, yet here in the Quarantine, she's found herself settling into a more... domestic existence, more easily than she would have thought. While there isn't anything particularly wrong with that, she's feeling restless and she finds she doesn't want to lose that part of herself either.

So she's full of energy this morning, making the coffee rather unnecessary - not that that stops her from drinking it.]

It's my pleasure, really.

[franciscoramon]

[ They make small talk and finish their coffees - Cisco introduces Beverly to the driver, talks about how far away the site is, they go over the various emergency protocols and signals and things for if they get attacked while they're on the road, and then everyone is piling into the vehicle and heading out.

Cisco makes sure to get a seat next to Beverly; during the drive he says (although he's pretty sure he'd told her as much in their initial conversation about the place). ]

So, it was sealed up tight until a few weeks ago. I'd tried to get in a couple times, but the vines over the door were super thick and there were easier buildings to scavenge so I just left it. When Rey and I went in there weren't any signs that any animals had got in since it was locked up. That's like, really rare, out here.

[ He doesn't know how much cause Beverly has had to come out past the wall, so he is trying to be as thorough as possible. His hands are twisting together in his lap as he talks, but he's really trying his best to not worry. Trying being the key word. ]

[dancingmd]

[Beverly, in turn, introduces him to the small crew from the hospital - adventurous sorts who were as curious about what the abandoned site might have to offer as she is. There's an atmosphere of cautious excitement among them, though they keep the chatter to a minimum as the jeep drives deeper into the abandoned city. Even those who rarely venture past the wall know all too well the dangers that lurk there.

Beverly unobtrusively reaches a hand over to rest on Cisco's. Her hand is steady and warm, hopefully offering some reassurance.]

That's good, for us. Whatever's in there should still be intact then.

Communal Building - Floor Six

[alchemyfreak]

[After the last message from Cisco, Ed had been a little skeptical when he got another one some time after the meeting with Magnus. Still, he wasn't going to count the guy out completely yet, and Floor Six was generally a pretty busy place. Everyone had work, and there were few residents at the moment, so for now Ed had the floor to himself. Which made it a perfect time for Cisco to stop by for... Whatever reason.

On the plus side, if he was coming over rather than expecting Ed to meet him somewhere, he could be sure it wasn't another attempted set up. In typical Elric fashion, he remained focused on getting some research done and recovering lost notes after the August fire while he waited for the other's arrival.]

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco's intentions had been good with the whole blind date thing, but he'd come to realize afterwards that he had, perhaps, overstepped a little.

Okay, overstepped a lot. On the grand scale of things, no one had been in danger, no one had gotten hurt; it could have been worse! Still, he feels like an apology is probably in order. So he doesn't just show up to Edie's room empty-handed. He has a basket tucked under one arm, filled to the brim with candy, beers, and a serviceable Gameboy-knockoff that he'd managed to throw together with the resources available to him.

He knocks, and when Ed bids him to come in, steps inside. ]

Sup, Ed.

[ What's up, it seems, is some kind of project - research maybe, judging by all the open books balanced on various surfaces around where Ed is bent over some paper. Cisco opens his mouth to announce that he's brought gifts, but doesn't quite get there. Ed's wearing a sleeveless vest, and Cisco notices with considerable surprise that one of his arms, all the way up to his shoulder, is made of shining metal. He hadn't realized he'd never seen Ed without sleeves or gloves, hadn't known Ed had a prosthetic.

He recovers quickly from the surprise, though, and says: ]

Brought an olive branch. Metaphorically, obviously, 'cause what would you even want a real olive branch for. Wait, is that a saying you've heard? Olive branch? It's like a peace thing. Um. What I mean is it's a "sorry for the blind date" gift... thing.

[alchemyfreak]

Hey.

[Ed looks up from his research long enough to give Cisco a glance in greeting before golden eyes fall to the basket in one arm and then back to Cisco pointedly, as if he doesn't get it. He notices the way the poor guy falters with a slightly quirked brow, Cisco doesn't exactly have the best poker face on the moon, but he moves past it fast enough that Ed almost doesn't have time to question what might have caused the reaction.

It sinks in as he's explaining about olive branches that Ed hadn't thought to put a shirt on, and perhaps without any warning that might have caused the reaction - but considering Cisco breezed onto the next topic without so much as a questioning look or word of sympathy things seemed to be going smoothly enough on that front.]

Uh, yeah I've- heard of that one. Thanks.

[He's just going to smirk a little, mostly as a sign he's not mad over the whole ordeal - of course, if he was Cisco probably would have gotten a completely different reaction to his message - and move some stuff out of the way to allow him to set the basket down. Not really looking at Cisco as he speaks next.]

It was a nice thought, at least. Magnus said you did it because you thought he was lonely, you were just trying to be a good friend, I get that.

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco's eyes do return to the automail once or twice, but he's not staring, and he doesn't ask about it - at least, for the time being. Of course he's curious, but he didn't show up so he could interrogate Ed about something that's probably fairly private. After all it can't be a coincidence that when Ed is out and about he covers up that arm. Probably not something he likes talking about all that much. ]

Didn't know if you liked beer, but you can always give it away to your floormates if not. Or, you know, to whoever.

[ He'd been meaning to stop by and apologize for a while now, but something had happened recently to quicken the process. Cisco had been headed home from his workshop when he'd spotted Ed with a girl. Cisco almost hadn't recognized him at first, as distinctive as his looks are, because Ed had looked so... happy. Bubbly, laughing, delighted. It had occurred to him that maybe... well, who knows. That there might be something going on there.

A little awkwardly, he continues: ]

I, uh- realized after the fact I probably should've checked with you first to make sure you were still single, and all. And if you were, y'know, interested at all. That's my bad. I was so preoccupied with whether or not I could that I didn't stop to think if I should.

⚡️ hana

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco isn't sure when he'd made the decision, exactly. It hadn't been in one particular moment, but rather by degrees, over a long period of time. It had been the time he spent with Hana while she was sick (her letting him see her like that, vulnerable, not at her best). It had been trusting her enough to get on that stupid toboggan with her. It had even been, perhaps, showing up in that nightmare which showed her something from her past she probably would've preferred to keep private.

Again and again, Hana has proven worthy of his trust. And while Cisco feels like he can never be 100% entirely certain about people, it seems to him that the likelihood she is some secret supervillain is fairly low.

So he makes the decision to tell her about his powers. And then proceeds to freak out over the logistics. In the end, he texts asking to meet with her at a diner he likes in town: one with food that is only so-so, and that has always been almost empty any time Cisco goes there. Which is a plus, considering he doesn't want to be overheard. After reassuring her repeatedly that no, it wasn't another blind date, they finalize the arrangements.

Cisco shows up early, and he's already on his second cup of coffee by the time Hana comes in. He smiles at her, and there is an obvious edge of nervousness to it, despite his best efforts. ]

Hey, Hana!

[ He smiles, but beneath the table he is twisting his hands together, full of anxiety and doing his utmost not to look it. ]

[bunnyhopped]

[ Hana is half wondering if this is still going to end up being another blind date when Cisco invites her out of the blue with no lead-up whatsoever, even in spite of the reassurances... but she attends, nonetheless. That's how real the trust between them is.

She knows where the diner is, at least, from having gone out there with Jason once, so she times her arrival for exactly when they'd agreed on. Except that when she walks in, she can see Cisco already seated at a booth - and when she approaches, she sees that he's on his second cup of coffee. ]

Hey, Coco.

[ that's his nickname now, congrats. She slips into the seat across from him and picks a menu up to start looking through it as she pointedly looks at the coffee cups. ]

Miss out on sleep last night?

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco blinks once or twice at the nickname, but doesn't otherwise comment on it, which is yet another sign that something is not quite right with him at the moment. Normally, he'd crack some kind of sassy remark about her encroaching on his turf as the king of nicknaming. Instead, he just laughs softly, and a bit unconvincingly. ]

You know how I operate; caffeine goes in, genius comes out.

[ He picks up his menu, too, but it's clear that he's not really reading it. Instead, he chews at his lower lip, staring vaguely at a list of various types of pancakes. Cisco thinks about putting it off until they have their food. But the thought of eating is actually kind of unappealing at the moment, and he also has the feeling that the longer he waits, the more likely he is to chicken out. So, clearing his throat, he forces himself to say: ]

Actually um, the coffee's 'cause I'm kind of nervous right now. I, uh- there's something I wanna tell you.

[bunnyhopped]

[ She's just looking at him over the top of her menu, also not really reading it, and how could she when Cisco's acting the way that he is in front of her. Her eyes narrow down and quietly, she hums in contemplation. Why's he acting this way?

At length, she slowly puts the menu down and the look on her face is equal parts suspicious and downright concerned. ]

Okay... You're really nervous, but sure. What do you wanna tell me?

⚡️ sif

[franciscoramon]

[ Most of Cisco's work is a fairly solitary process. Sure, there is some consultation, with the emergency services and the Guard, figuring out what's needed, getting feedback on how his tech has actually functioned in the field. But most of the designing and testing happens with just him, in his workshop. It's rare that he actually needs any assistance.

Normally, if he was in need of another set of hands, he would text Rey and ask her to come in, but Cisco hadn't had the heart to ask her to drop everything and come help out, when she told him she'd planned an entire day of sledding and snowfights and such shenanigans with Poe and Finn.

So, instead, he hauls himself and his prototype over to the Barracks, hoping that he'll be able to snag somebody who isn't too busy and ask them for help. Sif is the first person he spots. He thinks about waiting until he runs into somebody he actually knows, but there aren't a lot of people around, and he decides he'd better not risk it. ]

'Scuse me, ma'am? You're with the guard, right? You busy right now?

[fiercestwarrior]

I am with the guard, yes. But I am not busy.

[ She doesn't know who Cisco is, but part of the job is (she assumes) to aid citisens in need of help so she sort of feels as if she has a duty to hear him out here. ]

[franciscoramon]

Awesome! Mind lending me a hand for a few minutes? For science?

[ He realizes a moment later that phrasing the request that way might not inspire a great deal of confidence, and that he would perhaps do well to explain further. So, before she can respond, he quickly adds: ]

I've got this gadget I've been developing and it's at the testing stage but it's not really something I can do solo.

[ No, nope, somehow he's just making it worse. Cisco shakes his head, face heating a little with embarrassment at how badly he is managing to mess up this whole first impression he's making on this random woman. ]

It's a forcefield. A portable forcefield. So basically I just need somebody to wail on it while I look for weak spots and see how much it can withstand.

[ That was some improvement, at least. He holds out a hand for her to shake, still feeling a little awkward. ]

I'm Cisco by the way. Uh, probably should've lead with that, huh?

⚡️ peter

[franciscoramon]

[ Most of the time, Cisco tries to mind his own business. It's not any of his concern what other people he sees in public are wearing, what they are buying, who they're with, how they choose to live their lives. Everybody's different, and Cisco would never want to interfere with that. Unless, of course, he sees a situation where it looks like someone is going to be hurt. And okay, maybe it's a stretch, saying that this qualifies. But when he sees a stranger at the local store about to make a particular selection for a DVD rental, he can't help sucking air through his teeth, a kind of instinctive pre-emptive wince.

It's louder than he'd meant it to be - enough that there's no way the guy didn't hear. At that point, there's no reason not to say: ]

Listen, dude. You really don't wanna pick that one. Trust me.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ So here’s the thing about getting stranded on some alien planet that happened to act as a nexus for, like, a billion different cultures, including Earth:

It means Peter has a lot of catching up to do.

The weird thing is, he hadn’t really cared, back when he was in his own world. He was happy with his Walkman and his two mix tapes, happy with the little trinkets he had picked up from junkers around the galaxy, happy with the few childhood belongings he had carried with him for twenty-six years while he was dealing with the bullshit the Ravagers threw at him, day in, day out. He didn’t need more, he figured, and considering how rare anything Terran had been in his neck of the galaxy, he gave it up.

But now that he basically has nothing but time, he’s diving into new music, watching new TV shows and movies.

And currently, he’s checking out something that looks suspiciously like whatever the Quarantine-appropriate version of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull might be.

Except there’s clearly a noise of disapproval, and Peter lifts his head to see the guy grimacing at him. Peter blinks, looking between the dude and the DVD case, then— ]

...Uh.

[ The guy must be mistaken. Peter’s, like, pretty sure Indy is awesome. Like, why would they make a fourth one unless it was gonna be really cool? ]

Why? What’s wrong with it?

[franciscoramon]

Uh, where do I even start. Bad CGI? Inconsistent characterization? Terrible acting? Too many boring car chases - and this is coming from a guy who watches the Fast and Furious movies like it's my religion. I could go on, seriously. It's a bad, bad movie. Not like, so bad it's good. Just bad. A soulless cash grab that doesn't respect the legacy of the original trilogy at all.

[ Cisco comes a little closer, looking at the options on the screen at the moment. This is a totally normal interaction to have with a stranger, right? He's doing a public service. He'd wasted his time and money on that movie, and no one else should have to. He considers the options, then points to Terminator 2 and asks: ]

You seen this one yet?

[tempredmental]

[Based on the recommendation he got, Keith came looking for Cisco. It was something he'd been thinking about before he'd opened that canister of memories, and, even though he didn't feel as strongly connected to her now, Keith still wanted to get that riding harness done for Red. He'd see if it could be done in a way to be adjustable for the rider... in case Lance showed up.

Red was with him, in case Cisco needed her for measurements. She was receptive to him still, but she was aware that the bond between them had changed on his end for some reason. The Lions seemed to know more than the Paladins thought they did, and Keith had stopped questioning it. It was a strange mystical thing that he didn't understand, so he left it alone.

Keith stepped into the workshop after checking to make sure he had the address right, and then looked around.]

Hello?

[franciscoramon]

[ It's not unusual for people to drop by the workshop unannounced, so Cisco leaves the door unlocked when he's willing to be interrupted. When Keith comes in, Cisco is hunched over a high-tech looking gauntlet, with various wires trailing from it. He is threading one of those small wires very carefully into place, and doesn't even look around when he hears someone call out over the music that's playing while he works. ]

Hang on! Gimme... one... sec...

[ Cisco finishes making the connection with a small ha! of triumph. Then he straightens up, tapping his phone to pause the music and spinning his chair around. ]

What can I help you- [ He doesn't quite make it to the end of that sentence, though. His eyes move quickly from Keith to Red, and his mouth drops open. ] -is that a robot cat?!

[tempredmental]

[Keith was getting used to that reaction from people who hadn't met either of the Lions before. He nodded at Cisco.]

A Lion, actually. This is Red, the right arm of Voltron. [Red lifted her tail slightly in greeting, her glowing yellow eyes never blinking as she watched Cisco. She was getting better at meeting new people like this.] She's usually a lot larger. Something with the portal shrunk her and the Black Lion when they came through to meet up with me and Shiro. [Red made a small rumbling sound, almost annoyed in tone. She didn't like not being able to have Keith as a pilot due to the size issue.] Usually she's big enough that the black spot on her nose is the same height as me.

Which... is why I'm here.

You're Cisco, right? Francisco Ramon?