OPEN | i wanna be where the people are

[franciscoramon]

who: cisco + anyone!
what: catch-all
when: mid-april through may
where: anywhere; if you want an individual starter lmk!
warnings: will add as necessary

fireflies

[ When Cisco had gone firefly catching, he had been intending to study them - do a few modest experiments, see if he could figure out what was making them light up in so many colors. He has a scientist's curiosity, and needed something to get his creative gears going.

The trouble was, it didn't really take the scientific method to realize pretty soon that those fireflies not only bit (which is just so rude), but that their bite had some pretty serious impact on people's moods. It reminds Cisco of Rainbow Raider, and how he'd used color to send people into paroxysms of murderous rage. At least this isn't that bad - but the effects are still profoundly inconvenient.

The trouble is, knowing they might make his emotions go haywire didn't actually make him want to study them any less. In fact, quite the opposite. He wants to know how. But there's no good way to determine that without being around the damn things, so basically, that just means getting bit. A lot. And trying his best to manage the fallout. But, there's only so much avoiding he can do - he's bound to run into some people while tweaking on firefly magic. ]

moontech lab

[ Cisco's been settling in nicely at his job since his arrival. He's gotten things set up how he likes them - or at the very least, tolerably close to it. He's talked to a few members of the perimeter guard, the police force, and the firefighters, and he has a good idea of what they need. He's working on some interesting ideas for tech to keep them safe.

But he's also not hesitating to put the word out - to his roommates, and other random people that he speaks to - that if anyone needs a tech solution to any kind of confounding problem, that they should come and see him at the lab and see what he can whip up for them. Cisco might charge a nominal fee - guy's gotta eat, after all - but is aiming to make connections rather than make a profit. He knows from experience how important it can be to make friends, to have allies, and making stuff for people has proved to be a good way to do that in the past.

He can be found at the lab, surrounded by tables covered in bits and bobs - wires and circuit boards and tools and a laptop or two buried under things. ]

misc

[ Cisco isn't someone who does well with idleness. Sure, he appreciates the necessity of goofing off, of not working nonstop, but usually his leisure is busy - he's either marathoning some sci-fi show or playing his way through the newest triple a game in a single day, or devouring the latest science journals by the dozen, or going to clubs to dance until he can barely stay on his feet.

The trouble here is that here, a lot of those options aren't really open to him. So he ends up taking over a table at a coffee house that reminds him, just a little, of Jitters. He may stay there for hours on end, watching the people go by, but he is not wasting time. Cisco's brought a journal or two that he's using to sketch out designs for tech, to write down observations and theories about this place, and take notes on the few people he has met so far. Honestly, if anyone looked in them they'd probably find it a little creepy, but everyone acclimates in different ways. This is his.

Still, he has a smile to offer anyone who looks familiar or stops by his table to check in. ]

Comments

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco hesitates before taking the champagne, touching the glass gingerly. It's hard to say what he's hesitating for, precisely. He keeps waiting for the whole thing to blink out of existence and for him to be standing in the espresso bar, his hand outstretched and holding nothing, looking like a complete idiot. But it doesn't happen. And the champagne, when he drinks it, feels and tastes real. The bubbles tickle his nose and it is sharp and dry and very cold. ]

This is so beyond the coolest thing ever.

[ He puts the drink back down, examining his surroundings with keen interest, glancing back at Taako every few moments to make sure he hasn't left or started to glow or who knows what. ]

What's the catch? There has to be a catch, right?

[ Maybe he's outing himself as a bit of a cynic, but Cisco doesn't trust all this something-from-nothing. If Taako is able to just conjure matter from thin air, there has to be some kind of price - in a sense of physical laws of the universe, or in the sense of him giving something up to be able to do this. That's just how things are. No such thing as free champagne; he might not have spent a dime for it, but someone somewhere spent something. ]

[spellslots]

[This isn't his first time casting this spell, although it is the first time he's used this particular configuration of rooms. It's all very grand and elegant, like, maybe he watched Beauty & The Beast recently and is emulating the castle just a little bit.]

No catch! Magic can do some pretty rad shit, although I do have a limit of once a day on this, it takes a bit outta ol' Taako to cast it.

[Not that he seems particularly tired, or like casting it was difficult, but he's all outta level 7 wizard spells for the day, and that translates to lost energy.]

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco initially stays skeptical, until Taako brings up the fact that there are, at least, limits. That he can't just cast the spell endlessly, that it drains him. That settles down the doubt in Cisco a little bit. If he'd insisted there was no toll, no consequences, no downside whatsoever, Cisco would be inclined to think he was lying. A one-a-day restriction is at least something. ]

Yeah, that's how it is with speedsters.

[ He keeps exploring even as he speaks, looking at the details - it really is remarkably intricate, this place that Taako's conjured from thin air. ]

Uh, metahumans that can move really fast, I mean. They can run fast enough to break the sound barrier but they gotta eat, like, ten thousand calories a day to make up for it.

[ Belatedly, it occurs to Cisco that maintaining this space for a long period of time might be draining Taako; he stops poking around and turns to face him, says: ]

You can take us back to the bar now if this is sapping your energy or mana or whatever. Consider me completely, socks-entirely-blown-off impressed.

[spellslots]

Fuck, how is that a downside? Being able to eat ten thousand calories a day sounds rad as hell.

[Pick the chef.

While Cisco is exploring, Taako flops down in a ridiculously plush armchair, legs dangling over the side because he doesn't believe in sitting in chairs like a normal person, apparently.]

This isn't one I gotta maintain, once it's done it's done. It should even stick around when I'm sleeping, but I haven't tested it. But if you wanna go back that's cool.

[franciscoramon]

See, you think that now but I've seen what that looks like. It's a lot more time-consuming and expensive than you'd think. I actually had to make this super high-calorie bars for the Flash so he'd stop fainting while he was trying to save people's lives.

[ Does that make Cisco a kind of chef, too? Probably not - it had really been much more an exercise of science rather than trying to make something that actually tasted all that good. At the speed Barry ate them, it usually didn't matter all that much. ]

Seriously? Damn, nevermind, let's stay then, this place is suh-weet. [ He breaks the word 'sweet' into two syllables for emphasis, finding an armchair of his own not far from Taako's and dropping into it, as well. He is just a touch buzzed from the drink he'd had in the bar, and more than happy to enjoy the magic for as long as it lasts.

And apart from giving him the inclination to rest his head against the arm of the chair and drape himself a bit bonelessly, the other slight affect of the alcohol is to reduce his verbal filter just enough for him to ask: ]

Why'd you agree to meet with me, anyway? And show me all this awesome magic and answer a bunch of questions?

[ Cisco's certainly not complaining, but he is curious. There's an underlying assumption there that Cisco doesn't quite see - that, barring some kind of motivating factor, some endgame (whether malicious or not), that most people won't voluntarily just choose to spend time with him, or show off for him, or satisfy his curiosity. Cisco isn't bad with people - not standoffishly awkward like your stereotypical nerd in a 90s movie. But he spent too long with no friends at all to think that people would be drawn to him just because of who he is. ]

[spellslots]

[High calorie bars sound absolutely gross; Taako makes an appropriate horrified face.]

Jealousy retracted, ugh.

[It doesn't sound like it's worth it, if there's fainting involved (he does that enough when he gets into fights) and high-calories bars and expensive sorts of things, because spending money is all well and good when it's a choice, not a necessity because of fucked up speedster biology.

And then Cisco drops that little question on him, which earns him a grin.]

You think I was gonna pass up a chance to show off? [But he also lifts a shoulder in a lazy shrug.] Eddie seems to think you're alright, so, uh, it didn't seem like a big deal.

[franciscoramon]

Plus, I mean, there are other side effects.

[ Cisco might regret this honesty if Barry ever happens to show up in this place, but for now, he isn't here, and he's a little buzzed and a little gossipy and so he says: ]

Like, he can't get drunk. Not even a little tipsy. And drugs don't work on him so no painkillers or anything like that which is bad news for serious injuries, even if he does have super healing. And also... I mean if you think about the science of it, speedsters are speedsters because they go fast. But, y'know, there are certain situations where a guy... doesn't wanna go fast, know what I mean?

[ He's definitely talking about fucking but he isn't just gonna SAY that.

When Taako mentions Eddie, Cisco's face brightens. ]

Oh, no way, you know Eddie? Awesome. That makes sense. [ He'll accept the existence of a mutual friend as a reason why Taako might want to spend time getting to know him. It's a little bit of a relief, actually. He doesn't have to worry so much that there's another shoe that's going to drop at some point this evening. ]

D'you have any friends from back home, here? I mean, me and Eddie weren't really friend-friends before, I mean, we were kind of friends-of-friends, but also he totally saved my life, so that kind of automatically levels you up on the friend scale, you know?

[spellslots]

[Thank god he doesn't have a drink right now because he definitely would have choked on it a little bit there. He didn't even consider that, and it's definitely a downside, but it's also hilarious.]

Don't fuck a speedster, got it. Thanks for the hot tip.

[That's what the take away from that was supposed to be, right? Because it's definitely what Taako's taking away from it.]

It's just me here, the portal knew it got the best possible option already so like, why bother with any other dipshits from my world? [That's a lot of bluster to cover up the fact he's kind of lonely.

He knows about the whole sacrifice thing that Eddie did, so he's figuring that's what Cisco is referencing.] There's three of you, right? You two and uh, Caitlin?

[Eddie's mentioned her in passing.]

[franciscoramon]

[ There's really nothing to do but laugh when Taako gets exactly what he was implying and chooses to respond in just that fashion. Barry really is gonna be pissed at Cisco if he shows up here and finds out about this conversation, but right now, it's totally worth it. He feels like maybe he really amused Taako, like they're actually bonding now. ]

Any of those dipshits show up, I'm definitely going to tell them you said that.

[ Cisco's blustered enough blusters himself to suspect a fake when he sees one, but no way is he going to actually call Taako on it. He gets it. Why whine and complain about missing people when it isn't going to change anything? Better to joke, instead. ]

Yep, that's us. I'm totally lucky, man. Outta all the people from my world who could be here, it's two good ones. Caitlin was like, honestly my first really good friend...

[ And then, in the magically-summoned comfort of this weird impossible mansion, Cisco starts talking about those early days at S.T.A.R. Labs; light, frivolous, entertaining stories about building the particle accelerator. He steers clear of any reference to Dr. Wells, just says "our boss" instead. He spins things to be self-deprecating, downplaying his own moments of innovation or genius, emphasizing how much younger and awkwarder he was compared to Caitlin and Ronnie and all his other coworkers. ]