riverviewlogs | [ open ] where I end, we'll begin

[ Cisco had been expecting that Ragnar would take him up on the offer to help him with tech sooner or later. When time passes without word from him, Cisco isn't all that surprised. After all, it sounds like he has a lot on his plate - getting used to this place and it's strange ways, settling in to a new job, finding a new place to live, and of course looking after his kids (and grandkid). Guy has got to be busy.

It's a few weeks after he met the man that there's a knock at the door of Cisco's workshop, and he opens the door to see Ragnar standing there. Ragnar looks considerably more intimidating, in the daylight and standing up, but Cisco takes it in stride, stepping aside and gesturing for him to enter. ]

Ragnar! Sup? C'mon in!

This is it? [He looked excited, blue eyes practically gleaming with curiosity. He barely waited for the invitation before stepping inside, already poking around.

If he was at all aware of how intimidating Cisco found him, he didn't show it. It seemed more than likely that he was completely oblivious. It likely didn't help that he'd swung by after a day with the perimeter guard, which meant he was in his leather armor with his skeggox at his side.

He put a hand firmly on Cisco's shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze.] Come. Show me everything.

[ Cisco, being Cisco, definitely notices the axe hanging at Ragnar's side right away, but he doesn't comment on it. If Ragnar grabs the weapon, then it will be time to worry. Right now, though, it merely looks like an accessory as part of the whole warrior ensemble, and that's totally cool! He smiles, a little surprised by the shoulder-grab, but rolling with it. He gestures towards the cluttered, but not messy, workshop and proclaims: ]

Yep. This is where the magic happens. [ After a pause, he adds: ] Proverbially speaking. I totally can't actually do magic.

[ There's a long table with a computer at one end, three monitors all clustered together by a keyboard. The rest of its surface is covered in schematics, tools, circuit boards, and projects he's tinkering with. The walls of the room are covered in shelves and cabinets, filled with plastic tubs containing various raw materials, old sketches and paperwork, sewing machines, and gadgets of all kinds. It is clearly a lived-in space, too; there is a rather ratty looking couch pushed in one corner, and on a small table by it, a coffee maker that is bubbling away, brewing a new pot. ]

Everything?! How long you got, man?

[He flashes Cisco a lopsided smile at the clarification. He'd actually just been about to ask.]

There is a lot of magic here. More than I have ever seen. Is it the same for you, or is it common where you are from?

[Ragnar meandered further into the packed workspace, peering at everything and anything that he happened across.]

I do not want to keep you long from your work, but anything you are willing to show me, I have time for. You mentioned weapons, yes?

Same. There's no magic at all, where I'm from.

[ He could leave it there, save himself the potential confusion of trying to explain metahumans and all the rest of it to Ragnar. But Cisco kind of likes the guy - their first conversation had been enjoyable, and oddly intense, but in a good way. It wasn't often that Cisco met someone and within a half hour was talking to them about death and theology and heavy stuff like that. And besides, if he is living here, Ragnar has doubtless already encountered people with strange powers and abilities. Some of them, like Taako, or Loki, might well be magical. But some might not. So he adds: ]

There are some people who can do things that seem like magic, though. People called metahumans. It's kind of long story, but something happened, and a group of folks, about twenty five hundred or so, got changed. They were given powers - controlling the weather, taking over people's minds, splitting into 100 copies of the same person at once, running faster than the speed of sound...

[ It is all pretty wild, when Cisco stops to think about it. It's all just so normal to him, now. But metahumans and the things they can do are very very strange, when he considers them from an outsider's perspective.

When Ragnar asks about weapons, there is a pause, a notable hesitance in Cisco before he answers. ]

I... make weapons for the Guard and the police, yeah. It's not my main thing, but I do on occasion.

[ He walks over to a cabinet, opens it and pulls a small metal sphere from inside, about the size of a tangerine. ]

Like this. Sonic grenade. You press the button, throw it at somebody, fifteen seconds later it lets out a blast of sound that'll incapacitate most species, for a little while. Gives you enough time to arrest them, if you're a cop, or get away, if it's a monster that's chasing you out in the abandoned city.

[Ragnar immediately thinks back to the girl he'd fought alongside outside of the perimeter fence. She'd had blades that came out of her hands and a nearly mortal wound had healed before his eyes.]

These things can also be done with magic, yes? So... what is the difference? The name?

[He hovered just behind Cisco, peering over his shoulder into the cabinet. He wasn't really sure what to expect. He'd heard about lasers and he'd heard about guns and he'd seen the fireworks and had it explained to him that they were explosions. Weapons including those things seemed like a good bet.

The small sphere gets a closer inspection as he listened to the explanation.]

A sound that can incapacitate... and this is not something you would call magic, yes? [He smirked a little. It certainly sounded like magic.]

It's sorta complicated to explain.

[ Cisco turns, starting just a little because he hadn't realized Ragnar was standing quite so close. Clearly, Vikings not so big on the whole 'personal space' thing. He drops the grenade into Ragnar's hand (knowing that that one lacks a battery, and won't come on, even if Ragnar were to hit the button) and immediately ducks out from between him and the cabinet. He shuts the doors to it decisively and moves away, over to another shelf along the wall. He picks up a pair of power-dampening cuffs, but before he gets the chance to explain their function, he decides he should at least try to answer the whole science versus magic thing. So Cisco says, candidly: ]

Nope. All my stuff is made with science. 'Cause science operates using known, observable rules, and magic makes no goddamn sense. That's the difference. Science is just understanding how the rules of the world work, and finding a way to create certain effects within those rules. Magic is taking that rulebook and tossing it out the window, and doing things that there's no satisfying explanation for.

[ Cisco thinks that maybe that will still be too abstract, so he tries to think of an example that will be intelligible to Ragnar: moreso than actually explaining the workings of a sonic weapon. ]

It's the difference between... between knowing how to build a boat so it'll move really quickly on the water, and someone who can wave a special stick in the air and make a horse appear out of nothing. One's based on observing how the ocean and wind work, and knowing about different kinds of wood, and building a bunch of less good boats first and paying attention to what works best. The other is just... inexplicable. Out of all the people I've met here who can do magic, none of 'em can actually teach you why it works.

[ Cisco puts the cuffs down again, moving over to the coffee maker instead and pouring himself some, and some into a mug for Ragnar just in case. ]

That's the difference. If I wanted to, if you had a lot of time, I could explain exactly how that thing works and why it works. It'd take a while, but I could do it.

[Cisco's little jump made him smirk smugly in amusement. No, Ragnar was in fact a proponent of invading personal space all the time. It was a habit of his. He found it flustered people and gave him an edge. Not that he actually needed one with Cisco, but habits were habits.

He inspects the grenade, holding it delicately as he looks it over before setting it down on the first flat surface he spots, focus moving to the new thing Cisco pulls out.]

Mm. I see. That... makes sense. [His eyes suddenly light up and he points to Cisco.] Like science.

[He nodded as Cisco continued. He'd quickly decided that he most definitely preferred this 'science' to magic. He was a naturally curious person and he wanted to understand how things worked. It was perfect and Cisco was surprisingly good at explaining things and patiently answering his questions, which was definitely appreciated.]

Yes, like science. Exactly.

[ It was science he had used, explaining the aurora to Ragnar, the first time they'd met. Cisco remembers how eagerly he had listened, and asked questions. That focus, that curiosity... he does wonder, whether Ragnar might have made quite a scientist himself, if he'd lived in a different time. ]

So, see, if this was a magic coffee maker, it would just make coffee because... somebody enchanted it. But since it's a mechanical one, I can tell you it works because the cord- [ Cisco points to the cord, plugged into the wall socket. ] -carries electrical energy, the same stuff that's in lightning, just a lot less of it, up and into the machine, to the heating element. And the heating element contains a metal, called aluminum, and when you push electricity through aluminum, it gets hot. And the heat goes from there, into the water, until it boils, drips through, and voila! Coffee. Have you tried coffee, yet? Do you like it with milk, or sugar, or both?

[ Vikings definitely didn't have trade with any parts of the world that grew coffee, Cisco's pretty sure, but Ragnar's been here for some time and it's a pretty ubiquitous drink, so if he's adventurous, he's probably had some, right? ]

And you use this because it is faster and easier than heating water with a fire, yes?

[He found it interesting how familiar and yet completely unfamiliar the machines were here. For the most part, it seemed humanity had changed very little since his time aside from making things more efficient. It made sense, but at the same time, it made him feel so much less isolated in a place that was obviously vastly different than his own home.]

I have tried it. [He made a bit of a face.] It smells very good, but it tastes so terrible.

Yep. Faster, easier, and safer, too. No need to fuss over it, or gather wood, or any bullshit.

[ Cisco laughs when Ragnar makes a face, pouring a liberal amount of both milk and sugar into the coffee, stirring, and then going for the secret weapon. He has a can of whipped cream - 'cause that's how he chooses to live his life - and sprays some on top, puts a dusting of chocolate sprinkles, and then sets the mug down. He gestures towards it, offering it to Ragnar as he says: ]

Maybe you'll like it more the way I make it. Coffee can be pretty nasty if you burn it, or drink it black and you're not used to it.

[ But what Ragnar had said just now about the coffeemaker and fire had given Cisco an excellent idea of something to show him, to demonstrate a few very basic principles. So he goes digging around in a drawer and pulls out, with a little aha! of triumph, a plain, simple lighter, with clear sides. ]

Okay, another good example. I've got this friend - she's really good at just setting stuff on fire, with magic. But if I needed to do that, I could use this. It's really simple: there's fuel, so basically like, oil or whatever flammable liquid you're used to, a wick, like in a candle, and this bit at the top is a little bit of flint and a little bit of metal to spark it. All so -

[ And he gives the lighter a little flick, a tiny flame appearing at the top when the spark catches. ]

- you can have fire, in a second.

[ He offers the lighter to Ragnar, so he can try, if he wants. ]

Edited 2018-01-15 16:53 (UTC)

[He idly inspected the machine while listening, tilting his head to follow the chord to the wall. He didn't quite understand how the electricity worked, but he knew that was what it was. It was something that seemed fairly complex, something he wasn't quite ready to try to learn about yet.

He looked back to the coffee at the foreign sound of the whipped cream, eyes widening as in surprise as he peered at the concoction Cisco had made. Now, it felt rude not to accept, so he picked up the cup, letting it warm his cold fingers.]

I do not know what was in the coffee I was given. There is one of these machines in the communal housing floor, so I was offered some.

[With the dollop of whipped cream on top, he wasn't even sure how to start drinking this, so he just went for it when Cisco went searching for the next toy to show Ragnar. Naturally, he ended up with a little bit of sweetened, creamy coffee and whipped cream stuck to his mustache as he pulled the cup away. He still wasn't so sure of the taste, even with the overwhelming sweetness.] It is... better.

[While doing his best with the whipped cream clinging to his face, Cisco explained the lighter and it obviously rocked Ragnar's world. He had never seen something so completely amazing. He was speechless as he put the coffee mug down and delicately took the lighter, holding it like he'd held the grenade.

He looked to Cisco just to double check he was actually allowed to give it a try and copied the way he'd flicked it, a little flame catching on top.] This... is amazing. You made this?

[ Cisco notices Ragnar somewhat struggling with the whole whipped cream plus facial hair situation, but he manages not to laugh; there's a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, but he gives no other indication that he notices. ]

It's like booze. You get used to the taste. The main point of coffee is that it keeps you awake.

[ He just mentions it off-hand, in case no one has explained caffeine to Ragnar by this point. Cisco really doesn't envy the amount that Ragnar probably has to catch up on, but on the other hand, Ragnar doesn't seem to mind having a bunch of information tossed at him at once. Besides, when Cisco had first arrived here, there had been plenty that he'd needed to learn. About magic, elves, aliens, advanced tech, all manner of things that were foreign to him. Is this really all that different? ]

Naw, I got that from a grocery store. You can have it, if you want. Just don't go committing arson with it, or I'll never hear the end of it from my boyfriend.

[ Cisco is joking for the most part - Ragnar knows perfectly well how to make a fire on his own if he wants to, the lighter is simply a more efficient way of doing it. ]

The stuff I design is... a lot more complex than that. But the basic principle is always the same. You know what you want to happen - fire - and you know about some substances that can cause and sustain that effect - oil, and wicks, and flint. The trick to engineering is just arranging all the right parts for ease of use.

[ Somewhat of an oversimplification, but he really wants to emphasize that what he does isn't some kind of arcane art. ]

I've been meaning to ask - what was your job? Back in Kattegat?

[ He knows that Ragnar works for the Guard, here, but he realized at some point he hadn't asked what he used to do, before coming. Maybe he was a farmer? He'd mentioned something about being interested in farm work here... ]

Ah. Well. Yes. Now it makes more sense. [And suddenly it all became clear. That was why people suffered through it.

He still held the lighter like it was a sacred, precious thing, eyes going wide when Cisco simply offered it to him.] Are... Are you sure? [He gave Cisco a look of deep gratitude, smiling as he again clapped him on the shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze.] Thank you.

Job? [He pressed his lips into a thin line as he tries to figure out how to explain his place in the community where he was from.] Where I am from, people do many things. As I have told you, all strong, able men leave for the raids in the summer. I have land, close to water, so I fished and farmed. But... A little less than a year ago, I had to challenge the previous Earl of Kattegat to a fight. And I won. So... now I am also Earl. [Remember when he told you about having to kill the previous leader to assume their position, Cisco? Yep.]

[ Ragnar's gratitude was excessive, considering Cisco had only given him a cheap plastic lighter, but he lets himself enjoy it nonetheless. Nice to be able to make someone happy, even if it is disproportionate to how happy he ought to be.

Cisco wants to encourage Ragnar's curiosity, but not let their friendship (if that's what this is becoming?) slip into a weird dynamic where him being from the future, relative to Ragnar, makes him feel superior or act patronizing. After all, it's all relative. To Eobard, 2014 had been barbaric times. The last thing Cisco wants is to do is repeat that pattern. ]

Wait, what?

[ He is surprised, but that expression quickly fades from Cisco's face, and he nods in understanding. Ragnar's phrasing is interesting, too. Had to challenge the sitting Earl. Was that a translation fluke? Or was the guy some kind of tyrant? Or maybe the two of them just had beef and it came down to kill or be killed. Either way, doesn't sound like Ragnar was job hunting and actively pursuing it. ]

Well, that explains your civic-minded questions, for sure. Um. What's an Earl, again? I mean I know it's a ruler that operates under the king. Right?

[ He ought to have been paying more attention... ]

The previous Earl was, um... [He paused, running his hand over his beard as he tried to figure out where to even begin.] He was a tyrant. And our paths crossed. He tortured my brother, tried to me and my family, and burnt our house and farm down. He gave me little choice. It was either challenge him to a fight and kill him or... my family and I would have had to flee Kattegat.

We fought. And the gods fortuned me. [He recounted everything in a surprisingly calm and level tone.]

An Earl? Right. There is a King whom the Earls in the area answer to. I oversee Kattegat and the surrounding farmland, settle disputes and organize the raids.

[ Cisco comes from a world that is far less violent, than Ragnar's; even within that context, he is someone who abhors violence, who would always rather help bring in a criminal than kill them. The list of people who he would willingly hurt is short - only Eobard Thawne got that special privilege, and even for him, Cisco might not have the stomach for it.

But he does understand that sometimes there's no other way. Self-defense, and all of that. So when Ragnar tells Cisco what the previous Earl had been like, his usual cheerful expression falls away, revealing something a little harder underneath. His own brother had been tortured, once. It had been brief, been reversible, but Cisco remembers the helplessness he'd felt at the time all too vividly. He's sure whatever shit Vikings got up to what ten times worse, at least.]

Sounds like he left you no choice. I'm glad you won.

[ Which does, he know, translate to being glad someone had been killed, but that tyranny shit didn't fly with Cisco. He takes a long drink of his coffee, thinking about how hard it must have been. Ragnar had had to do what he did, for his family's survival, and because of the system in place, that meant he had to rule, afterwards. ]

That's an awful lot of responsibility.

[ He says it neutrally, just an observation, rather than sympathy or congratulations. ]

No. He did not.

[Lagertha had suggested they simply try to leave, but that would mean forfeiting their home, their land, potentially their friends, his brother, and there was still no guarantee that Earl Haraldson would stop just because they left. There was no knowing now though. He'd made his choice. And he'd won.

He smirked a little when Cisco told him he was glad.] As am I. He fought well. He was... not a good man, but he was a good warrior.

[Ragnar sort of shrugged, though it was obviously in agreement.] Unfortunately, I was not left much choice.

[He glanced around the workshop again.] Show me something else. Have you made anything... that is not a weapon? And you said this was the sort of thing you did before you came here, yes? For your...mmm... president? [Ha! He'd remembered the title given to the king where Cisco was from.] For his army?

[ Cisco thinks that it's good Ragnar at least can have a break from all that, in this place. That he can hang out with his daughter, his son, and relax a little bit without the burden of ruling. ]

Oh, yeah. Honestly, most of the stuff I make isn't weapons. The bad thing about making weapons is, well, anybody can use 'em. Nothing quite as insulting as one of your enemies gets their hands on something you made and uses it against you, on you or the people you care about. Shitty, shitty situation. So I mostly stick to the defensive stuff.

[ He heads towards a different cabinet, opening it with considerably less reluctance. Ragnar's mistake amuses him, and he laughs, good-natured and loud. ]

No, no no no, I don't work for the president. Or the army. Or anything that official. I made gear for superheroes. People with powers - either... superpowers, or just really well-trained warriors - who operate on their own, stopping crime, saving people from disasters. They're less like soldiers and more like... like the heroes you'd hear about in an epic poem. There are only a few of them, but they don't answer to anybody, and they make the world a better place.

[ Cisco taps a finger to his chin, but goes for the item that he thinks will probably impress Ragnar the easiest. It looks like a standard-issue riot shield that has been altered, covered in geometrical patterns of copper and gold. There are a few softly blinking lights that come on along the side when Cisco presses a button on the inside of the shield. ]

Looks like a regular shield, right? Maybe it'll stop an arrow, or a sword or whatever. But!

[ He hands the shield to Ragnar and walks off, fishing around and then coming back with a small vial. He holds it gingerly, picking a scrap of extra fabric off the table and folding it up. Making sure Ragnar is looking, he opens the vial and pours just a few drops of the acid onto the fabric, which burns with a loud hissing and popping, acrid smoke coming up from it as the acid eats away at the fabric. ]

Acid.

[ Cisco beckons for Ragnar to hold up the shield and, when he's ready, tosses the rest of the contents onto the shield. It not only does not burn, but it absorbs them, so that only one or two drops hit the floor. ]

Acid-proof shield. Good for the out past the wall, there's definitely some monsters out there that spit it. And that's not all! Hang on...

[ He wanders off towards his mini fridge, to get some ice cubes. It'll all make sense in a minute... ]

[He nodded, half understanding what Cisco meant. They had plenty of tales like that. Great heroes who fought and vanquished even more impressive sounding beasts.

He took the shield, his fingers running over the glass portion with obvious curiosity. He also seemed distracted by the gold inlaid in it.] I... guess. Ordinary enough... [His own shield was nothing but wood and paint.

When Cisco turns back around, Ragnar is trying it out, testing out the weight and shape. It was bulkier than what he was used to, but lighter. He looks over at Cisco, brow furrowing slightly as he watches him. He had no idea what he was holding, something molten?]

Acid? [Still, he holds up the shield, turning it to look at what effect the acid had had on it.] Acid proof... but it can still block a sword strike without breaking? [He didn't sound completely convinced.] It is very... light. [He'd pulled his axe out, tapping it against the front of the shield experimentally.]

[ open ] where I end, we'll begin

🌅 ragnar

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject