[ 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]

I mean, I guess it depends how you define magic. Most of the stuff that people can do here that they call magic - summoning fire out of thin air, turning people into animals, alchemy, bringing people back from the dead, talking unicorns, all that... nobody where I'm from can do any of that.

[ It's certainly not the sort of conversation he'd expected to have, manning his little yard sale, but it's clear how much Cisco is enjoying it, bright-eyed and lively as he adds: ]

But, then again, there's probably stuff people can do in my world that would sound like magic to someone from somewhere else. See, the difference is, I don't think of it that way, because I know there are scientific explanations for all of it, even if we haven't found them yet. None of it is outside the laws of physics.

[ He says it confidently, though of course, there is just a flicker of doubt in his mind. When it came to stuff like the Speed Force, or his own powers... it was hard to imagine how it could possibly be explained. But it's easier to pretend the categories and definitions are simple, for now. ]

Hey, well, researching's pretty freakin' important, too. Especially in a place like this, you know? If this place is gonna thrive, we need good researches a hell of a lot more than people who are gonna use their magic to just interfere in other people's lives.

[hylights]

I suppose that's true. I'm finding that magic is more difficult to categorise than I would have thought.

[If her starting package at Gramarye had taught her anything, it was that magic had a lot of permutations out there. Hyrule's magic seemed relatively straightforward by comparison. There were magic creatures, magic weapons, and long-held stories about magic from the past. She had never thought to question much of it, except for the one power she had struggled so long to awaken in herself.]

I'm not familiar with the laws of physics, but I do agree with trying to find solid explanations for everything. It's what I try to do myself.

[And really, some of the ancient artefacts they had uncovered held magic of their own. She knew the Divine Beasts in particular weren't wholly machine - there was something else there, with a will of its own.

A smile tugs at Zelda's lips, and she nods in agreement.]

I would hope so. I don't like to think about people who might do that; it seems petty.

[franciscoramon]

Stuff never fits in neat categories quite the way you want it to. Especially not in this place.

[ Cisco grins when Zelda says she isn't familiar with the laws of physics - because of course she is. At least, the basic ones. Everyone is, she just might not know the particular language that articulates them, in Cisco's world. But the fact that she is someone who is constantly looking for answers, explanations, information about why and how things are the way they are... well, that makes her sound more like a scientist than many of the other magic-users Cisco knows.

And there's something very endearing about how she says she doesn't like to think about people who use their magic to interfere in other people's lives. It strikes Cisco as a slightly naive way of thinking - the rest of them, who don't have magic, need to think about it, because they are in a position of comparative helplessness. But she's young. At least, she looks young. But she also looks like an elf. Does that mean that, in years, she might actually be older than Cisco?

Oh, well, no polite way to ask. So instead he says: ]

I'll have to stop by and say hey, the next time I'm visiting someone at the Institute.

[hylights]

[Zelda nods, already happy at the idea of having a visitor. It makes it seem that much more solid and real, having a job that people can come visit her at.]

I'd like that. And I'll be sure to contact you about those lessons. Here-- [She opens her belt pouch and gets out a piece of paper, quickly writing down her network ID.] This is my contact name, if you want to get in touch with me.

[Zelda places it on the table, before placing the books Cisco had given her and the fidget spinner into the cardboard box.]

And thank you so much for these, Cisco. I'll put them to good use.