Good! That is very good to hear. From your- [he waved his hand a bit, forgetting the word for 'video' and letting Cisco fill in the blank]- it certainly seemed like it was off to a good start.
Did I ask you? Did you have the candles and make wishes? [He was way too fascinated with that tradition now that someone had shown him it.]
Mm. Probably a very wise thing to do. Can you lock mine? Last time I made a friend a... one of those friendr things. She was not very happy with what I came up with while drunk. [He smirked, definitely not remorseful in the least bit. Though he certainly hadn't meant to anger her.
He picked up the glass, eyebrows raising a little in surprise regarding how cold the drink felt, which presented a slight problem as he attempted to drink it in nearly one go. He set the glass back down, only a mouthful or so left and tried to decipher the flavor.] It is... good... I think. Like fruit? Lime! I have had one of those. I know what that is. It is sweeter than a lime though.
[ Cisco laughs, tucking his hair back behind his ears, cheeks flushing a little with embarrassment. He is mildly appalled by that video and his conduct on his birthday, thinking back. But at least Ragnar seems to think it was fun, rather than undignified and inexcusably childish. ]
I did! Blew 'em all out on the first try, too. You know that's the only way for the wish to work.
[ When Ragnar asks if Cisco can lock his phone, he nods, gesturing for him to hand it over. When Ragnar does, Cisco taps the screen a few times rapidly, programming the phone not to send any outgoing messages or videos of any kind, and not to record any videos or messages, and not to let itself be unlocked, by typed command or voice command, until tomorrow at 10 AM. ]
Lemme guess, you tried to set up a booty call.
[ He knows how drunk brains work, okay? It's possible Ragnar had done something else that was frustrating while drunk texting this lady, but... it seems likely he's right.
He beams when Ragnar takes an experimental drink of the margarita, lifting his own to do the same. He's going to have to pace himself, tonight. Ragnar's considerably taller and heavier than he is, and no doubt has a respectable amount of alcohol tolerance. ]
I'm sure it's alcohol. It's just made from a plant you probably never ran into before.
[ Cisco pulls up a picture on his phone, shows it to Ragnar so he can appreciate the strange, spiky plant, which probably looks nothing like the sort of things he'd been used to at Kattegat. ]
It'll get you drunk, though. Trust me. Tequila's potent stuff. I've made some pretty bad tequila-based decisions in my day.
You have to blow them all out on the first try as well? I was told about not being able to speak of your wish. Who do you ask the wish of? The person who explained it to me said you do not ask anyone in particular, so how will you know who will fulfill your wish and how much such a wish might cost?
[Because, birthday or not, gods didn't give things away for free. There was always a price.]
'Booty call'? What is that?
[Sadly, he didn't even know the word 'booty' yet, let alone booty call, or he might've been able to decipher the meaning behind Cisco's question.
He tilted his head slightly, squinting at the picture of... it might as well have been a picture of an alien on Cisco's phone, as he down the rest of the margarita.]
These taste very good... Which is probably bad. [He grinned.
It took him a second to get the attention of a bartender.] Another. Tequila.
[A moment later he had a shot glass in front of him, which made him frown a little and look to Cisco.] This... is not the same.
[ Ragnar's take on the whole thing is far more literal than Cisco had anticipated, though maybe he ought to have been prepared for this. Ragnar has always had a way of asking the tough questions that make Cisco really think about things he'd never questioned before; his perspective and worldview were just so radically different. ]
You don't know the wish is going to come true. It's - just something you hope for. And you're putting that hope out into the universe, for whoever or whatever you believe in. Doesn't cost anything. It's not a deal. Just... something you want.
[ When Ragnar asks, in that careful and particular way, what a booty call is, Cisco can't help it: he bursts out laughing, covering his face in his hands. He takes another gulp of his drink, to steady him, and then says, carefully holding back further giggles: ]
Wow, okay, let's see. It's, um. A booty call is when you send a message to set up a sort of, um... spontaneous meeting with somebody you know, usually like, an ex, or an acquaintance, or a friend even, to have sex. But, like, in a casual way. Just kind of a one-off. Not a lot of talking or romancing involved. Which is different from a one night stand, if you've heard that one, 'cause that's with a stranger, and a booty call is somebody you know.
[ How on Earth did he get here, explaining the lexicon of casual sex to a viking who is, like, married with kids? Still, embarrassing as it is, there's something delightful about it, too. ]
We've got a lot of categories and words for this kind of stuff.
[ And Cisco clearly knows a lot of them... ]
No no no, margarita's what we were having, tequila's just one of the things in it. It's okay, though!
[ The bartender had been hovering nearby, getting that preemptively wary look of someone expecting a customer to complain or grow demanding. Cisco waves him off, smiling, and tells Ragnar: ]
That one's a shot. Just the hard stuff. You should drink it all in one go, really fast. It's gonna be a hell of a lot less sweet.
No. Of course, there is no way to know if the gods- [he paused, stopping himself and rethinking what he was saying]- if the... 'universe' will grant you what you have asked of it. But... is there not a price to be paid if the wish comes true? Why would the universe grant a wish without taking something in return? So... how do you know what you might be expected to give for a particular wish?
[Ragnar's world was one of give and take. Good things happened because one sacrificed to the gods or because wanted something from a person. Asking something of 'the universe' sounded like a terrifying practice to him because any god might decide to do what the person had asked and then expect payment a person might not be willing to give.]
Hmm. I see. Then it was not a 'booty call'. She did not have a friendr, so I helped write one for her. She did not appreciate what I wrote for her. [He smirked. He couldn't really remember exactly what he'd put for her preferences and bio, but he definitely remembered using a lot of emojis.] We were having sex, but that had nothing to do with the friendr I made her. And was also not a booty call. [Their relationship really hadn't been what he would describe as 'casual'.
He nodded when he realized the mistake he'd made with his order.] Like whiskey? [He nodded again. It was a drink he'd been introduced to and liked quite a bit. Without much pause, he knocked the shot back, shaking his head at the burn.] I think I will switch to ale. It is easier to drink slower.
[Once again, he waved the bartender over, getting a stein of cold beer a moment later.]
That's the thing about birthdays. If you blow out candles all in one go while making a wish on your birthday, and you don't tell anybody what the wish was, you get a freebie! No payback plan required!
[ Cisco had done a little bit of research about Vikings, a little while after he'd met Ragnar, but there were so many things that would never come up in books. He could read all about sailing technology, but a textbook wasn't going to tell him that Ragnar would see the world so transactionally. But this conversation is clueing him in to that. And it's not an entirely foreign concept, just not one that is as prominent in his mind. ]
Oooh. Gotcha. Well, I stand corrected. [ He nods quietly, keeps his composure for about ten seconds before he blurts in a rush: ] Okay I tried not to ask but I'm gonna be way too curious if I don't know, who was it!?
[ It's not prying to ask, is it? Cisco might not even know her, anyway, but he can't resist a piece of gossip. At least he's not asking what Ragnar wrote. It was perhaps something a little too honest, or a little too lewd. In any case, from the sound of it, whatever relationship Ragnar had with this woman is no longer going on - there was no missing the past tense. ]
How are things? With your family?
[ He knows that Ragnar is in a somewhat strange position in this place - with his daughter who he knew was going to die, and his son who hadn't yet been born, and his grandchild. There's got to be domestic complications that arise from all that, surely? ]
None? And this... the ritual is - it must be the time of year you were born, you must blow out all the candles at once, and you must not speak of your wish? [He was taking this seriously, okay? A free favor wasn't something that came around every day and he was pretty sure he'd been born in the fall sometime.]
Who? [He broke into a smirk and then leaned in like it was a big secret, smile already turning more smug and cocky.] A goddess. [He bit his lip, pausing for dramatic effect.] Sif.
But... She has been sent... back to her world? Or wherever people go when they leave this place. [He made a face but shrugged a little. He missed her, of course, but there was nothing he could do about it.] What about you? It is... 'sex month' or something. Do you have someone you are looking forward to experiencing the festival with?
My family? [He took a long drink of beer, buying himself time to think through his answer.] Gyda is doing well. She's learning to read. At the... the... what is it called? [The word he was looking for and couldn't remember at the moment was 'school'.] Ivar... Ivar just returned. He arranged to leave for a short time. Myself and Thor watched over his daughter for him while he was gone.
On the anniversary of the day you were born, yeah. [ He's starting to feel a teensy bit bad about how seriously Rangar is taking this, and wants to make sure he makes it clear this isn't a guaranteed thing, or some kind of trick. So he shrugs and adds, lightly: ] If you believe in that kind of thing, I mean. And plenty of people don't.
[ When Ragnar explains who it was, Cisco says 'ohhh' in a soft way that seems to hint both that he'd heard the name Sif before, and had been familiar enough with her that the revelation makes sense to him. Their interactions had been brief, and almost entirely professional - her helping him to test out some tech he'd made for the guard - but he can see how she might have reacted in that way to the situation.
He is, inconveniently, taking a sip of his drink when Ragnar calls it sex month, and spends the next few seconds choking on margarita. At least it gives him an excuse for how croaky he sounds, and how red in the face he goes when he answers: ]
Uh- yeah. Yeah, I do. The, um. That guy I told you about? The one who I knew in my own world, before I came here?
[ Eddie had come up during that first conversation of theirs, when they were discussing life, and death, and meeting people in this place who were dead in their own worlds. But that detail isn't important, right now. ]
We're together, so...
[ They had plans - to go to the raves, the expo, etcetera, but going in depth into any of those feels like it might be a little bit TMI. He's going to need a couple more drinks before he loses enough inhibitions to discuss his sex life any more frankly than that. ]
At school? That's awesome. If she's ever having any trouble in math or science, you totally send her my way, okay?
[ He somehow feels that, despite his obvious keen intelligence, Ragnar's not really in a good position to help the kid out with her homework, the way some parents could. ]
Leave, like, through the portal? Damn. I can't get over how weird that's gotta be. Having a kid that grown up, from the future?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Did I ask you? Did you have the candles and make wishes? [He was way too fascinated with that tradition now that someone had shown him it.]
Mm. Probably a very wise thing to do. Can you lock mine? Last time I made a friend a... one of those friendr things. She was not very happy with what I came up with while drunk. [He smirked, definitely not remorseful in the least bit. Though he certainly hadn't meant to anger her.
He picked up the glass, eyebrows raising a little in surprise regarding how cold the drink felt, which presented a slight problem as he attempted to drink it in nearly one go. He set the glass back down, only a mouthful or so left and tried to decipher the flavor.] It is... good... I think. Like fruit? Lime! I have had one of those. I know what that is. It is sweeter than a lime though.
... You are sure it is alcohol?
no subject
I did! Blew 'em all out on the first try, too. You know that's the only way for the wish to work.
[ When Ragnar asks if Cisco can lock his phone, he nods, gesturing for him to hand it over. When Ragnar does, Cisco taps the screen a few times rapidly, programming the phone not to send any outgoing messages or videos of any kind, and not to record any videos or messages, and not to let itself be unlocked, by typed command or voice command, until tomorrow at 10 AM. ]
Lemme guess, you tried to set up a booty call.
[ He knows how drunk brains work, okay? It's possible Ragnar had done something else that was frustrating while drunk texting this lady, but... it seems likely he's right.
He beams when Ragnar takes an experimental drink of the margarita, lifting his own to do the same. He's going to have to pace himself, tonight. Ragnar's considerably taller and heavier than he is, and no doubt has a respectable amount of alcohol tolerance. ]
I'm sure it's alcohol. It's just made from a plant you probably never ran into before.
[ Cisco pulls up a picture on his phone, shows it to Ragnar so he can appreciate the strange, spiky plant, which probably looks nothing like the sort of things he'd been used to at Kattegat. ]
It'll get you drunk, though. Trust me. Tequila's potent stuff. I've made some pretty bad tequila-based decisions in my day.
no subject
[Because, birthday or not, gods didn't give things away for free. There was always a price.]
'Booty call'? What is that?
[Sadly, he didn't even know the word 'booty' yet, let alone booty call, or he might've been able to decipher the meaning behind Cisco's question.
He tilted his head slightly, squinting at the picture of... it might as well have been a picture of an alien on Cisco's phone, as he down the rest of the margarita.]
These taste very good... Which is probably bad. [He grinned.
It took him a second to get the attention of a bartender.] Another. Tequila.
[A moment later he had a shot glass in front of him, which made him frown a little and look to Cisco.] This... is not the same.
no subject
You don't know the wish is going to come true. It's - just something you hope for. And you're putting that hope out into the universe, for whoever or whatever you believe in. Doesn't cost anything. It's not a deal. Just... something you want.
[ When Ragnar asks, in that careful and particular way, what a booty call is, Cisco can't help it: he bursts out laughing, covering his face in his hands. He takes another gulp of his drink, to steady him, and then says, carefully holding back further giggles: ]
Wow, okay, let's see. It's, um. A booty call is when you send a message to set up a sort of, um... spontaneous meeting with somebody you know, usually like, an ex, or an acquaintance, or a friend even, to have sex. But, like, in a casual way. Just kind of a one-off. Not a lot of talking or romancing involved. Which is different from a one night stand, if you've heard that one, 'cause that's with a stranger, and a booty call is somebody you know.
[ How on Earth did he get here, explaining the lexicon of casual sex to a viking who is, like, married with kids? Still, embarrassing as it is, there's something delightful about it, too. ]
We've got a lot of categories and words for this kind of stuff.
[ And Cisco clearly knows a lot of them... ]
No no no, margarita's what we were having, tequila's just one of the things in it. It's okay, though!
[ The bartender had been hovering nearby, getting that preemptively wary look of someone expecting a customer to complain or grow demanding. Cisco waves him off, smiling, and tells Ragnar: ]
That one's a shot. Just the hard stuff. You should drink it all in one go, really fast. It's gonna be a hell of a lot less sweet.
no subject
[Ragnar's world was one of give and take. Good things happened because one sacrificed to the gods or because wanted something from a person. Asking something of 'the universe' sounded like a terrifying practice to him because any god might decide to do what the person had asked and then expect payment a person might not be willing to give.]
Hmm. I see. Then it was not a 'booty call'. She did not have a friendr, so I helped write one for her. She did not appreciate what I wrote for her. [He smirked. He couldn't really remember exactly what he'd put for her preferences and bio, but he definitely remembered using a lot of emojis.] We were having sex, but that had nothing to do with the friendr I made her. And was also not a booty call. [Their relationship really hadn't been what he would describe as 'casual'.
He nodded when he realized the mistake he'd made with his order.] Like whiskey? [He nodded again. It was a drink he'd been introduced to and liked quite a bit. Without much pause, he knocked the shot back, shaking his head at the burn.] I think I will switch to ale. It is easier to drink slower.
[Once again, he waved the bartender over, getting a stein of cold beer a moment later.]
no subject
[ Cisco had done a little bit of research about Vikings, a little while after he'd met Ragnar, but there were so many things that would never come up in books. He could read all about sailing technology, but a textbook wasn't going to tell him that Ragnar would see the world so transactionally. But this conversation is clueing him in to that. And it's not an entirely foreign concept, just not one that is as prominent in his mind. ]
Oooh. Gotcha. Well, I stand corrected. [ He nods quietly, keeps his composure for about ten seconds before he blurts in a rush: ] Okay I tried not to ask but I'm gonna be way too curious if I don't know, who was it!?
[ It's not prying to ask, is it? Cisco might not even know her, anyway, but he can't resist a piece of gossip. At least he's not asking what Ragnar wrote. It was perhaps something a little too honest, or a little too lewd. In any case, from the sound of it, whatever relationship Ragnar had with this woman is no longer going on - there was no missing the past tense. ]
How are things? With your family?
[ He knows that Ragnar is in a somewhat strange position in this place - with his daughter who he knew was going to die, and his son who hadn't yet been born, and his grandchild. There's got to be domestic complications that arise from all that, surely? ]
no subject
Who? [He broke into a smirk and then leaned in like it was a big secret, smile already turning more smug and cocky.] A goddess. [He bit his lip, pausing for dramatic effect.] Sif.
But... She has been sent... back to her world? Or wherever people go when they leave this place. [He made a face but shrugged a little. He missed her, of course, but there was nothing he could do about it.] What about you? It is... 'sex month' or something. Do you have someone you are looking forward to experiencing the festival with?
My family? [He took a long drink of beer, buying himself time to think through his answer.] Gyda is doing well. She's learning to read. At the... the... what is it called? [The word he was looking for and couldn't remember at the moment was 'school'.] Ivar... Ivar just returned. He arranged to leave for a short time. Myself and Thor watched over his daughter for him while he was gone.
no subject
[ When Ragnar explains who it was, Cisco says 'ohhh' in a soft way that seems to hint both that he'd heard the name Sif before, and had been familiar enough with her that the revelation makes sense to him. Their interactions had been brief, and almost entirely professional - her helping him to test out some tech he'd made for the guard - but he can see how she might have reacted in that way to the situation.
He is, inconveniently, taking a sip of his drink when Ragnar calls it sex month, and spends the next few seconds choking on margarita. At least it gives him an excuse for how croaky he sounds, and how red in the face he goes when he answers: ]
Uh- yeah. Yeah, I do. The, um. That guy I told you about? The one who I knew in my own world, before I came here?
[ Eddie had come up during that first conversation of theirs, when they were discussing life, and death, and meeting people in this place who were dead in their own worlds. But that detail isn't important, right now. ]
We're together, so...
[ They had plans - to go to the raves, the expo, etcetera, but going in depth into any of those feels like it might be a little bit TMI. He's going to need a couple more drinks before he loses enough inhibitions to discuss his sex life any more frankly than that. ]
At school? That's awesome. If she's ever having any trouble in math or science, you totally send her my way, okay?
[ He somehow feels that, despite his obvious keen intelligence, Ragnar's not really in a good position to help the kid out with her homework, the way some parents could. ]
Leave, like, through the portal? Damn. I can't get over how weird that's gotta be. Having a kid that grown up, from the future?