riverviewlogs | [open] try to tell the difference

[ 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?!

[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?

[ There is a whole lot to unpack there, and Keith just blazes right on past lots of it without pausing to explain. Apparently the lion is sentient, and understands language, and is also somehow an arm, and there's a black one as well, and they are both supposed to be gigantic!? Plus, Shiro is involved? (Cisco knows nothing about Shiro apart from his name, the fact that he is a mech pilot, and the fact that Hana thinks he is hot stuff).

Cisco listens, a furrow forming between his brows, but he doesn't interrupt, waiting for Keith to finish speaking first. ]

Yeah, that's me.

[ Part of him wants to ask how Keith knows his name, or where his workshop is, but they can cross that bridge when they come to it. It's not unprecedented for random people to stop by and say they've heard his name recommended as someone who can help with tech problems. ]

So- you want me to... try to make her big again? Or figure out what the portal did to Honey, I Shrunk the Lion her?

Wait... you can do that?

[It was extremely tempting.]

I mean, we're starting to figure it out like this, and I have no idea where we'd keep them if the Lions were they're full size, but...

[Red looked up at Keith as he looked down at her for a moment. Honestly, he kind of liked her this size. As much as he missed actually piloting her, it was cool to have her be more like a companion.]

I was actually wondering if you could make a riding harness for her.

Oh, I've got no clue if I can do that! Like, I can try, but I've never seen tech like her before. Might be over my head.

[ Cisco's normally fairly optimistic, about his abilities and about finding solutions to things sooner or later. But it doesn't hurt, with a new person, to be a little cautious with his promises. He doesn't want to get this guy's hopes up, make him think that it's a certain thing, when Cisco has no idea what the Lion even is, yet.

And based on Keith's reaction (and Red's), that hadn't been what he was looking for, or something that he urgently needed. If the creature wasn't being hurt being that size, and housing her would be an issue if she was larger, maybe best to leave things be. When Keith actually names his request, Cisco makes an ahhh sound of understanding, taking another look at Red, his eyes narrowing in assessment. ]

Oh yeah, that I can definitely do, no problem. You looking for anything in particular? We talking combat-ready, or something lighter?

Oh... right. Yeah.

[The Lions were really unique, even in their own world. He wasn't surprised.]

Actually... combat ready might not be a bad idea. I take her on patrols with me for the Perimeter Guard, so, I might need to fly her pretty aggressively at times.

[At that, she rumbled a little, a deep growling-like sound that seemed to come from her chest. But she lifted her tail and head a little, like she was proud of her fighting prowess. This Lion definitely understood Keith's words, and was reacting to him.]

[ Cisco gives a quick nod, then starts searching around him, pulling a pad of paper from underneath a pile of machinery (which sends a few screws clattering to the ground, which he entirely ignores). He pulls a pen from his pocket and starts jotting down notes. Perimeter Guard work meant it would have to be a durable material, capable of withstanding damage from fighting and the elements, while still being light enough for long journeys... though it is a robotic Lion, rather than a normal one, so fatigue might not be a factor. It doesn't sound like Keith is going to need much storage, so something minimal would probably be best.

Without looking up from the page or stopping writing, Cisco gets to his feet and starts wandering in the direction of the cabinet where he keeps his tools. ]

I'm gonna start by taking some measurements, well, a lot of measurements, actually, I'm gonna need those before I start any kind of design.

[ He looks away from his notes just long enough to fish some measuring tape from the closet, before he looks over his shoulder, adding: ]

Oh, and I don't just mean Red. You cool with that, uh...?

[ Cisco realizes just then that he'd never caught the guy's name. ]

Edited 2017-12-28 23:42 (UTC)

[Fatigue for Red wasn't really a factor, but she did occasionally need to recover from damage or a heavy battle. Keith was pretty sure she wouldn't be getting that badly beat up here, though.

He watched Cisco move about, and nodded as he listened about measurements. Then, there was that prompting pause...]

Huh? Oh... yeah. Keith. That's fine. I can understand why.

[Thankfully, he and Lance were close enough in size that, if Lance did show up, they could probably share the harness. Or, well, Keith could also just... hand it over... along with Red...

But he'd worry about that if and when the time came.]

Okay, awesome. Just stand there for now and we'll get this done real quick.

[ Cisco gets to work with an ease that shows he's clearly done this before. Usually, it was because he was creating superhero costumes that needed to be closely tailored to people's measurements, but the principles are the same. He starts by measuring Keith's height, then the length of his legs, jotting the numbers down as he goes and chatting to break up the silence and make the whole process a bit less awkward. ]

So I gotta ask, dude. What do you mean she's an arm? Like... is that a name for a particular, like, lion squad or something like that?

[ He's got no clue, and that's the best guess he has. Cisco moves on, measuring Keith's arms and even the size of his feet before he's standing up, moving over towards Red. To the Lion, he asks: ]

Mind if I do you next?

[ Maybe he'll look a little silly, if she doesn't understand him, but it had seemed like she did understand when Keith was speaking, so... ]

[Keith nodded and then let Cisco do most of the talking and driving of the conversation. He moved as needed, holding his arms out, turning around, standing up straighter, all of it.]

Well, Red's one of five of these robots. When their bonded Paladins are in sync with each other, they can transform and come together to make a giant robot fighter called Voltron. She makes the right arm.

[Red watched the whole thing with those non-blinking glowing eyes of hers, and then tilted her head a little when Cisco addressed her. Keith gave a small mental nudge, and her tail suddenly perked up. Oh! So, this would be like when Marinette wanted to sketch her! She stepped forward, and then looked at Cisco expectantly. Just stand like this?]

[ Red would have to wait a moment to be sketched, however, because Cisco needs a moment to process what Keith has just told him. He just stares at Keith, open-mouthed, and then asks slowly: ]

So you're telling me... there's not just one, but five giant sentient robot lions that, when piloted by a bunch of friends using the power of friendship... can combine together... into even more giant butt-kicking robot?!

[ Every single thing about that sounds like something you'd see in a cartoon from his childhood, and Cisco would think that Keith was pranking him, if it weren't for the fact that Red is right there, and the fact that Cisco's heard some truly weird, unbelievable, awesome stuff, since coming to the Quarantine.

Slowly, a little dazed, he turns back to Red and begins measuring her. He takes many more measurements than he did of Keith - the circumference of what would be the ribcage of a normal lion, the length of her legs, the length from the base of her neck to the base of her tail. ]

Are there any... I don't know, any spots that shouldn't be covered up? Compartments or lasers or jets or who knows? You said she flies, right? It'll be helpful if I can see that, real quick.

[Keith nodded, managing a small smile at the way Cisco described that.]

Yeah. Pretty much. It does sound a little like a Saturday morning cartoon, right?

[He looked over at Red, watching Cisco measure her.]

Most of it won't really be stuff that we'll use because of her size or because I'll be on her back. [He showed Cisco a small square hatch on the top her head.] That's a cockpit access. It's normally about the size of a manhole cover. [Relative to her head, it was tiny at the moment.] There's also the hatch on her chest that the speeders get stored in, but, again... it's too small. [She lifted her head to accommodate Keith, showing Cisco the rectangular patch in her chest, right between her forelegs. Was she full-size, sure... it was a great access point for a small vehicle. But, at this size? Definitely too small for anything more than a single bag of groceries.] I can show you the rest outside.

[Keith nodded and Red started for the door. Once outside, Keith showed Cisco that the upper part of each of her rear legs had the main boosters for her flight capabilities. The whole red section was an engine attached to the outside of her leg with the exhaust of the engines pointing down when she stood normally.]

She kicks her legs out behind her when she flies, but she'll bring them forward to reverse thrust if she needs to stop fast.

Her main cannons are in her mouth. [She opened her mouth, showing a cylinder at the back where her throat would be. There was also a ramp of some sort along the bottom jaw that led from her lower lip right to the cannon.] She's got a laser cannon and it can change out to a lava cannon if needed. She's got a secondary laser in the tip of her tail. [What would be the small fluff on the end of an actual lion's tail was painted red like the main parts of her body, but it had a silvery tip on the end that glowed blue with energy.] There's also a large rail gun that she can manifest on her back, but... [There was a burst of blue sparkles above her shoulders for a moment, and then the rail gun appeared seemingly from thin air.] Well, that's where I'd be sitting, so... [He shrugged.] I can't use it while I'm on her. [And then it disappeared in kind.]

As for flying, she's fast. That's why I came out here. In addition to those main boosters on her legs, each of her paws has a small thruster on the bottom for hovering or maneuvering. [Red crouched expectantly, her tail swishing lightly in anticipation, and Keith gave her a nod.] Alright, go ahead. Just around the block, though, and come right back here.

[She gave a soft growl and slightly hovered off the ground for a second before her leg boosters kicked in and she sped off down the street.]

Her smaller size didn't reduce her speed by all that much.

[It didn't take her long at all, really, to get back, either. She'd done as Keith said and came right back.]

[ Cisco listens without interrupting, following Keith and Red outside for a demonstration of her boosters (which he appreciates, since firing those in a lab full of potentially flammable substances would be a bad, baaaad idea). He keeps the pad of paper he was writing the measurements on with him, jotting down the occasional note. His face is one of awed wonder, but he doesn't say anything, watching intently as Red moves, making note of where her legs go, how much flexibility she has in the torso, what sort of rigging system would be best to not restrict her movement but to keep Keith on her back as securely as possible. It's a surprisingly complex balance, but one that should be fun and challenging to work out.

When Red comes back, and lands, and Keith appears to be done speaking, Cisco crouches down a bit so he's on the lion's level, so that he can tell her: ]

You. are. awesome.

[ Maybe she'd understand that, maybe she wouldn't. But in any case, he wanted to say it. Cisco straightens up, then, turning to Keith. ]

I can definitely do it. It might take some adjustments, though, so I'll shoot you a text when I've got a prototype and then the both of you can come in, make sure it fits, give it a test drive and check that everything's copacetic?

[Red's tail swished as she stared right back at Cisco. She was a robot, sure, but there was definitely a personality in there. There was a beat of silence, just enough time for a response to the compliment, and then Keith chuckled for no apparent reason.]

She says, thanks, but she knows.

[And that was why Red was so responsive to Keith. They were psychically bonded. Keith then shrugged a little.]

She can be a little egotistical, too.

[There was a soft growl of protest, and Red gave Keith's leg a soft push with her forehead. He grinned at her and then put his hand on top of her head before turning back to Cisco.]

That sounds great, though. Thanks. I appreciate this. Let me know how much I owe you when it's done, yeah?

[ So it wasn't just the link between the pilots that was crucial to them fighting together, but a link between the pilots and lions, too. It would explain how she had obeyed his commands so seamlessly. Cisco can't help laughing at that - both the boastfulness of the reply itself as relayed by Keith, and the way Red headbutts him when he calls her egotistical. ]

Hey, ain't nothin' wrong with a little self-confidence, if you ask me.

[ It's still really weird, that there is this robot cat that understands language and has a telepathic link with a person, but it's the kind of weird that Cisco loves about living in the Quarantine. ]

Sure thing. And if things work out and you like your setup, feel free to send Shiro my way, too. You said he's got a lion also, right?

[That got something of a smug rumble from Red back at Keith, and he chuckled again.]

Don't encourage her.

[He was joking, though, and Red just twitched her tail in response.

He nodded at the suggestion about Shiro.]

That sounds good. I'll let him know. He's got a bigger Lion, actually, and Black has large wings on his back, so it'll be an interesting challenge for you if he wants one, I think. Different than Red.

[ Wings would certainly complicate things... Cisco gets distracted for a moment, trying to think of how he would get around something like that. There would be a way to do it, obviously, he just doesn't know... but that was a thought for another day. For now, he should be focused on the task at hand.

And focusing on it is exactly what he does. It's two weeks, before Cisco texts Keith, asking him to bring Red to a park near the workshop where they can test out the harness in an open space. He could have done it quicker, were the job urgent, but since the world isn't about to end if he doesn't cobble something together in 20 minutes (a working environment he'd gotten far too used to, back in Central City), he can take his time, and really perfect the design before he begins construction. He has plenty of practice working with leather, from all the superhero suits, but this is something a little different.

All in all it's a very satisfying project, and he's quite proud of the end result. He waits for Keith, with the harness sitting on the park bench beside him. The leather he'd ended up using is very black, and he'd sewn it together with bright red thread, a tiny accent that would add a bit of flair, and work nicely with Red's coloring. There are a few strips of red leather, as well, along the sides of the harness - just enough to add a little style, without going over the top. ]

[Keith was actually glad to get that text. In those two weeks, he'd been working on redeveloping his bond with Red, and a bit with Black as well. But, he was trying to do it carefully because he knew how intensely Red could bond, and he didn't want mess things up for Lance if he were to show up. While he hadn't come right out and said as much, Lance's feelings were pretty clear on the situation with the Lion shuffle, and Keith didn't want the sharpshooter to feel bumped.

That said, when Keith and Red showed up, any awkwardness that might have been lingering between them after Keith had opened his memory canister was gone. The two of them had established a happy medium, at least, for the time being.]

Hey. Done already?

[Keith knew this was just something of a fitting to see if any additional adjustments needed to be made, but it still seemed like Cisco had worked it out pretty quickly.]

[ He gets to his feet, giving a small up-nod to both the lion and her pilot equally. ]

Hey, Keith. Hey, Red.

[ Cisco raises his eyebrows at Keith's comment; here he'd just been thinking that two weeks was a long time to take, for a job as simple as this one. He'd half-expected Keith to show up and complain about how it had been ages. Apparently, the two of them have got different ideas about what constitutes a long time. But rather than dive into that, Cisco shrugs, and says: ]

I don't know about done. Nearly there, but, gotta do some beta testing first. You mind if I put this on you?

[ That last bit was addressed, of course, to Red - though there are a few small components that Keith's going to wear, too. ]

Keith, you can go ahead and strap those onto your ankles. [ Cisco points to a pair of leather straps, almost like belts, with some metal components, which are sitting on the bench. ] They should be pretty tight, and make sure that metal disk is pointing to the inside of your ankles - those are gonna be your magnetic stirrups.

Right.

[Keith nodded.

Red gave a soft rumbling noise, almost like a question, but stepped forward all the same to have it put on as Keith investigated the ankle straps.]

Okay. Magnetic, huh? Cool.

[He put one foot up on the bench to put the first one.]

Just let her know if she needs to move for you to get it on.

[Red watched Cisco, trying to get clues on what she needed to do for him.]

Yep. Magnetic. That way you've got something extra keeping your feet in place, but nothing that's gonna break your ankle if you get twisted up in the harness. Plus, if shit gets really really real, long as you've got those on, you'll still be able to get a grip on Red even without the saddle, since she's metal all over. That's really a last resort kinda thing, though. Wouldn't recommend trying it out unless you have to.

[ As he is talking Cisco starts fastening the harness onto Red, tapping each front paw in turn and waiting for her to lift them before he could slip the thing on. After that, it's a matter of tugging, cinching, strapping, adjusting, and re-adjusting. If it ends up working out, he'll show Keith how to do it himself. He'd tried to streamline the process, so Red could be battle-ready in no more than a few minutes.

Once he's gotten the thing in place, Cisco takes a few steps back, scrutinizing before he gives a nod. ]

Go ahead and give a whirl, now, see how that treats you.

[ And Cisco watches Red intently, looking for any places the leather might bunch up, or twist awkwardly. Those sorts of things wouldn't be an issue, right now. Probably not even an issue for a few months. But over time, they would cause strain, and weak points, so it's better to catch them now if at all possible. ]

[Keith attached the other strap as well while Cisco explained and got Red settled into the gear. The magnets had just enough pull that he had to adopt a slightly wider than usual stance in order to not feel the pull. These were definitely not something he'd want to wear if he was doing any actual fighting on his own.

Once Cisco gave her the go ahead, Red walked around a bit. She couldn't really 'feel' the harness to say if it was comfortable or not, but she'd know if it got caught in a joint or a hinge or something like that. Confident it was okay like this, she took a quick run around the park. She moved her legs more when she was running than she did flying, but she also did a couple of laps airborne, too, before returning to let Cisco inspect for any slippage or tangles.

Keith watched, his hands on his hips, observing her movements. She didn't seem to be struggling.]

She said it feels fine. Didn't get in the way of anything that she could tell.

[ Cisco had evidently been scrupulous with his measurements and notes the first time through, because he doesn't see any problem areas at all; when Red lands he checks all the fastenings, and none have loosened even a little. It's all exactly as it should be, which is itself a kind of surprise. Is this how things are, when he actually can take his time and do things properly? He could really get used to that. ]

It all looks good to me, I don't see any issues. Keith, you wanna go ahead and give it a try, see how it feels?

[ Unless there's a huge problem with the actual riding of it, Cisco thinks this might take a lot less time than he's actually anticipated. Now, he could part ways with Keith right away, find some more work to stir up for himself to do. Or... ]

Maybe after this we could go and get a coffee? I'd love to chat, if you've got the time. Not often I get a chance to talk to a guy who rides a dope-ass psychic flying robot lion.

[Keith walked over as Cisco confirmed that everything had held the way it should and that nothing had slipped or bound up in a joint. Red seemed pretty pleased overall with the fit, and she watched Cisco and Keith curiously as they worked on getting Keith strapped in.

Keith considered the offer, and then shrugged with a slight smile.]

Sure. That sounds pretty cool.

[And, granted, Keith didn't normally ride on Red, but this was a weird place. He gave Red's neck a pat once they made sure everything was secure.]

We'll be back in a sec.

[The Lion took a few running bounds across the park before launching herself into the air. She stayed close to start, doing a few maneuvers at lower speeds and heights before Keith let her push it harder. They were making sure things were good at certain levels of riding before increasing the stress on the harness in increments. Keith took a lot of risks with Red when he was inside the cockpit, sure, but this was way different, and she was faster and flew higher than his hoverspeeder back home, too. It was definitely an adjustment for both of them.

They worked their way up in complexity for the maneuvers until finally, just to be complete, Keith leaned forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Red's neck. Once he was set, she came in low over the park to reduce the height he would fall from if this didn't work, and then pulled off a barrel roll.

When they landed, Keith was laughing, still with his arms wrapped around the Lion's neck, but it had been pretty exhilarating to push their limits a bit more.]

[ Cisco watches them, half because he wants to be able to rush to help if there is a crash, and half to observe if any problems emerge with the saddle now that there is a rider. But there don't appear to be any. As he watches that final barrel roll, he makes a mental note - magnetic gloves. Gloves with a magnetic component that could be turned on and off, easily but without accidental activations. Yes, he could manage something like that.

But then the two of them are landing, and Cisco applauds, looking genuinely delighted. It's hard to believe the two of them aren't used to moving together in this particular way - but then again, they are psychically linked. ]

Damn, dude! That was incredible! Some real Top Gun shit!

[ And of course, because he doesn't want to be impolite: ]

Nice flying, Red.

[ He waits for Keith to recover from his exhilaration and dismount, before he starts showing him which clasps to undo in which order, to get the harness off his Lion. He'd designed it to be a simple process, both on and off, and it's only a few moments before they've gotten it off Red and Cisco has tucked it away in a duffel bag that he hands over to Keith. ]

You never need repairs, you know where I'm at. So, how 'bout that coffee? There's a cafe, like, right there. And, uh, Red you can come, too. If you want?

[open] try to tell the difference

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