[ open ] call it your 2.0, your rebirth, whatever

[franciscoramon]

who: cisco + anyone!
what: catch-all + tdm prompts + fajro prompts
when: february
where: various places!
warnings: will add as needed

I. DREAM A LITTLE DREAM

[ Cisco thought that the crystal caves sounded exactly like something from a fantasy series he had loved as a child, so of course, he dragged Eddie to go and see them with him. There had been nothing ominous about the place, at the time. It isn't until a few days later that Cisco's dreams start to show the sign of outside influence. They become vivid, surreal, and most importantly, he starts having guests. A few times he'll have a passing thought about a friend before falling asleep, only to run into them in his dream. He's no stranger to unusual dreams, and - after what had happened in October - not even a stranger to encountering other people in them.

But it's still pretty damn weird. ]

You see that, right? It's not just me?

[ Cisco asks the question to whoever is standing next to him, pointing down an empty city street at the looming figure of what is, unmistakably, a Godzilla-sized robotic panda. ]

II. CLEANING HOUSE

[ Cisco had rolled his eyes at first at the idea of a whole holiday based around cleaning. What could be less fun? He's always been somewhat inclined to keep stuff. After all, you never know what use it could be later. He spends plenty of his time scavenging the things other people left behind in the abandoned parts of the city, for materials and parts for his work.

But once he and Eddie decide to share the same room, he realizes he is going to have to get rid of at least some of his stuff, to make room. So he reluctantly starts, only to find himself getting more and more into the task. He can be seen either having a cute little yard sale to get rid of various items (clothing, books, etc.), or else taking what remains after the sale down to the bonfires by the river. ]

III. CLEARING THE AIR

[ Along with everyone else in the Quarantine, as the month progresses, he finds himself dwelling on resentments from his past. Unfortunately for Cisco, most of those resentments pertain to people who aren't even here. Once the 15th rolls around, he finds that his sense of taste has vanished completely. A few conversations with others tell him that this is probably something to do with the holiday, that he needs to clear the air.

But what is he supposed to do, when the people he's feeling resentful towards aren't even here?

So Cisco can be found all that week making his way around town, sitting in a park or perhaps at a bar, slump-shouldered and wan and uncomfortable, needing (but not knowing it) someone to talk to. A good heart-to-heart will put things right, but he's not aware of that yet.

He is also, despite his distraction, more than happy to listen to others' woes, or any resentments held against him. ]

Comments

[franciscoramon]

one of my what now?

[ Cisco has been awake for a little while, but ever since he woke up something is off. He can feel it, but he doesn't know where it comes from. He's not hungry, not sick, not tired. The sensation doesn't feel like anxiety. It's as if gravity has shifted, or the amount of atmospheric pressure. Something he is so accustomed to that he didn't even think about it before this moment.

So it takes him a moment to get what Taako might be talking about, that he's not bringing up a video game or something like that, but perhaps... ]

wait do you mean a BREACH?!

[spellslots]

[There are an anxious few moments as Taako waits for the reply. Weird things happen here all the time and he's fairly confident that this is, in fact, Cisco's power. But he's worried that whatever it is could be permanent, or at least long lasting, and he really doesn't want to go more than a couple days without magic]

Yes? Maybe? They're blue and kinda wet looking but not water-wet more jello texture?

[franciscoramon]

[ Oh, no. ]

yeah that definitely sounds like a breach
why are you asking?
also this might be totally unrelated but i tried to use my powers just now
like just summon some energy in my hand you know the way i showed you?
anyway it super didn't work and everything feels really weird and wrong right now
so i think something's up

[spellslots]

I'm gonna put something out there, might be super crazy but let's just roll with it and also like not freak out

I think I have your powers

1/2

[franciscoramon]

what

[ Sometimes that's all you can say. ]

2/2

[franciscoramon]

[ A few seconds later, another text comes through: ]

i think you're right
and i think i maybe have yours
i definitely just changed my favorite xbox controller into a starfish
um
help??????????

[spellslots]

You know what I'm gonna come to you, I think I've got a handle on not accidentally doing shit so we can avoid like turning anyone into anything weird

Where ya at?

[franciscoramon]

okay.
good idea.
i'm just gonna not touch anything for now.
i'm at my apartment.

[ And he just stays where he is, sitting on the couch, in pajama pants and a clever t-shirt, just staring at the tangerine-colored starfish that is sitting on his coffee table where once a controller used to be. He is just gonna stare at it, for now. Is it alive? Should he.... put it in water? ]

[spellslots]

[This is the sort of situation that might, normally, have necessitated the use of a high level spell slot to teleport quickly to Cisco. Unfortunately, that's not on the cards right now and Taako isn't in the mood to risk a breach, so he does things the old fashioned way: he catches a taxi.

It means taking a little longer to get to Cisco's, but eventually he's there, knocking on the door because while he might barge into like, Bryn's apartment, he tries to be polite about this particular space.]

[franciscoramon]

[ For anyone else, it would be a perfectly acceptable amount of time to wait without doing anything. But for Cisco, who is not exactly the world's most patient person, it feels like an eternity. He only manages to sit still for a few moments, before he's up and moving.

First, he puts the starfish into a pitcher of salt water, just in case. Second, he closes Shadow into Eddie's room, because he didn't want the cat getting underfoot while they were dealing with... whatever this all is. By that point, Cisco's initial fear and surprise have almost entirely slipped away. Perhaps (though Cisco would have no way of knowing it), it is sharing an emotional connection with Taako. Perhaps it is something else.

But by the time Taako arrives, Cisco's been experimenting - just a tiny bit - with what he can do. And so he opens the door with mage hand from across the room, and then tries not to smile (with limited success). It had been easy. Not at all like using his own powers. The sensation of it is totally different - less physical, more just a matter of thought, and will. ]

Hey, Taako. New day new nonsense, am I right?

[spellslots]

[Well, that sure was a mage hand. If Cisco was expecting some kind of admonishment for not following the 'stay still and don't touch anything' instructions, it doesn't come, because Taako is laughing as soon as he wanders in. There's a lot of pride about his magic, but it's not one of the things he's selfish about, that he wants to keep all for himself. It's nice, seeing other people succeed with it or having fun with it.]

At least this is like, not deeply shitty nonsense. I've got a fucking short cut into Lucretia's life and it's, you know, gross.

[He'll let Cisco draw his own conclusions about what, exactly, Taako has an issue with. It's about a fifty-fifty on whether he assumes it's just because of Taako's feelings about Lucretia or if he's insightful enough to guess it's because Lucretia is currently in a happy relationship and Taako is - not.]

How's my magic treating ya?

[franciscoramon]

You've got a what?!

[ It's the sort of half-question half-exclamation that Taako can either take as an opportunity to talk further on the topic, or not. Cisco's curious - not just because of what it means for his friend but also what it might foreshadow for their own weird connection at the moment - but he's not about to pry. ]

It's, like, way different than my shit.

[ He uses the mage hand to shut the door behind Taako, then lets it dissipate into the air. He looks at his own hands, and then back up to Taako, head tilting to the side a little as he says: ]

I kind of love it. I thought it would be more... I don't know. It doesn't feel like much. Compared to what I'm used to. In a good way.

[ Cisco's powers were each intensely physical, in their own ways. He didn't just redirect multidimensional energy that was outside his body. He could feel it, inside him. He had to manipulate and shape and control and direct it, in ways that he could feel, as if there was a second set of nerves inside his flesh. His vibes came with intense emotional bleed-through - and usually a healthy dose of terror and panic. ]

So you opened a breach? Just like that?!

[ Cisco had never done one, himself. Though, to be fair, he hasn't tried. Has avoided trying, specifically because he's frightened of what might happen if he did. ]

rose why didnt u tell me my html was deeply fucked up

[spellslots]

Long story, I'll explain it later.

[That's a genuine sentiment, he has no issues with telling Cisco about the situation it just doesn't seem like the most vital topic for the moment, not when accidentally swapping their abilities could result in actual disasters. If it has a bearing on this, he has no idea what and since he has no idea what caused either, he doubts the long version will help right now.]

I was trying to teleport so I guess whatever I was reaching for magic-wise tapped into your whole... thing? It's a lot fucking weirder than magic, no wonder you found my shit easy to do.

it was only a little bit messed up!

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco merely nods, accepting that deferral. For now, they should deal with the crisis at hand. And right now, that means giving Taako advice on how best to deal with having Cisco's powers foisted on him. ]

Multidimensional energy.

[ As far as he can tell, it's what is at the root of all his powers. Channeling it. Manipulating it. Seeing through it. Cisco gives a little sigh, rubbing a hand over his mouth, confronted with the unusual challenge of trying to figure out what advice to give to someone with his powers. ]

We should be alright. 'Cuz it's only ever the visions that happened unpredictably, and mostly only when I was freaked out, so if you keep it chill, you shouldn't even have to worry about that. And if you do vibe, you pretty much just, um, ride it out. I've tried kind of... cutting the visions off midway through, but all that ever does is give me a hell of a headache.

[ It occurs to him, after a moment, that Taako might not be wanting to just totally avoid his powers, the same way Cisco had. ]

Unless you, like, want to vibe. In which case, you can borrow my goggles. They make it easier to sort of decide what you're gonna see.

was it tho

[spellslots]

Nope, hell no, lemme stop you right there, I'm gonna skip the whole vibe experience if it's all the same to you.

[There's the temptation, sure, but Taako is satisfied with what he knows about his future at the moment and the last thing he wants to do is accidentally dig into the past.]

Worst case scenario I've got a potion that makes me super chill to avoid like, fucking anything up.

[Taako is more than comfortable messing around with magic but this is something entirely outside his understanding and playing with multidimensional energy seems like a way to accidentally break something.]

What about you? Want me to walk ya through some spells?