[closed] as we go on we remember

[franciscoramon]

who: any established cr who wish to attend
what: cisco & eddie's going away party
when: august 30
where: cisco & eddie's apartment
warnings: none anticipated

[ They had gotten the offer almost two weeks ago, not long after Cisco had managed to open his very first breach: a communication from the Capital World, saying that somebody had told somebody had told somebody about Cisco's powers, and that his abilities were desperately needed there. The agency that sent the communication had made an offer: that he and his partner could move to the planet before the customary five years in the Quarantine had passed, with jobs lined up for both of them.

Cisco being Cisco, he was initially suspicious and scared. Yeah, being part of some kind of interdimensional Men In Black team, helping to keep this whole universe safe from malicious breachers sounded dope as hell, but there had to be a catch, didn't there? And Eddie, being Eddie, had done his detectively due diligence and had found nothing at all shady. Besides, if the whole thing went south, Cisco could just breach them back, and they could figure it out from there.

It still took a long time to decide. The salary he was being offered was compelling, and the job itself sounded like everything he'd ever dreamed - being a hero, a real actual hero. Plus, there was the comparative stability of the Capital World, compared to the Quarantine, where people were always coming and going, and every month seemed to bring some new crisis. Just because none of those crises had broken too badly in the past didn't mean their lucky streak would hold out.

But it would mean leaving their friends behind. Not entirely, of course. They could still talk, keep in touch. It would just be long-distance.

They talked it over, for hours and hours, over the course of those weeks, and finally came to their decision. Change was scary, and hard, but it was time for the two of them to start building a real and lasting future together. And that meant seizing opportunities. Even if it meant saying a few goodbyes.

Cisco explained all of this, in the extremely lengthy email he sent to his friends, co-workers... just about anyone he'd ever met in the Quarantine, honestly. He'd explained, and expressed his love and gratitude for all of them... ]

and if you want to do me one last favor, you can come to my going away party, so i can say goodbye in person. i promise i will try to keep the crying at a bare minimum. it'll be a final hurrah, in case you want to give shadow one last pat, or in case you've just been waiting to steal my boombox (yes, we will totally be giving stuff away). we'll have lots and lots of booze, and you can stay for as long (or not as long) as you like.

if you can't make it, that's okay. i'm only gonna be one planet over, just a breach away if you ever need me.

august 30th, my apartment, 10am - 10pm.

love you all.

[ When the day of the party rolls around, Cisco puts on some chill tunes, and has a fridge that has been cleared of everything except drinks. The apartment itself looks different; a lot of stuff has already been tucked away in boxes, and most of the rest of it is sitting in an entire half of the living room dedicated to stuff that's free for the taking. There are snacks laid out, and still plenty of chairs and couches to sit on. He tries not to start crying even before the first visitor shows up, but... he has a feeling a lot of tears are going to be shed by the end of the day. ]

(( OOC note: I'll be responding to this post through Sept 7th, at which point I'll officially post the drop. IT'S BEEN SO MUCH FUN PLAYING WITH YOU ALL. ))

Comments

[somnioergosum]

[Ronan didn’t care about the party or free stuff. He cared marginally more about the alcohol, but he’d done a good job at giving that up. Didn't matter anyway. It wasn’t what he cared about, but who. So he showed up at Cisco’s party, looking surly as ever.

He was here to say goodbye, so he went to get it over with. Finding Cisco, he lightly hit-- more like bumped, really- his shoulder.]

Got sick of us all, huh?

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco is surprised, when he sees Ronan come in. He wouldn't have thought Ronan would be one for goodbyes, even though he'd sent him the email and invite. But there he is, tall and scowling and ominous as ever.

He remembers, with a pang of sad fondness, the first time they met. He was terrified of Ronan. But he knows, now, that all that outward show is to cover over what a decent person he is underneath.

Cisco's voice is a little bit choked with emotion, but he does his best to joke back. ]

Yep, that's exactly it. You've seen through my clever ruse. Never could stand any of you- you losers.

[ And he bumps Ronan's shoulder back. There's only so long, though, that he can keep up the façade. He doesn't know how long Ronan is going to say, and he doesn't want to miss his opportunity to actually be honest. ]

I'm seriously gonna miss this place... crazy magic traps and all. And- and I'm gonna miss you, too.

[somnioergosum]

[Ronan wanted to roll his eyes or scoff. He was trying to say goodbye and Cisco was coming at him immediately, wanting to talk about feelings. But while his eyes glanced off, they didn't roll, and all his mouth did was shift uncomfortably.

He wasn't good with goodbyes, mostly because he'd rarely had the chance to say them. And this was an entirely different situation. Hell if he knew if they'd even get a chance to meet in the afterlife. For all he knew: this was it.

Ronan took a breath, steeled himself, and looked back at Cisco. There was a lot to say and he had no idea how he was supposed to put it all into words.]

Yeah, guess I'll have to figure out the next magic trap on my own.

[He reached into his pocket and fiddled with a small object in there.]

I'll uh-- I might just answer if you message me.

[He tried.]

[scholiast]

(Cisco and Eddie's going-away party is a lot busier than Lucretia had expected it to be. Of course the two of them are both well-known and well-liked; it's lovely to see the outpouring of sentiment for them, but very hard to get either of them alone for a moment! Toward the end of the night when everything is winding down and getting sleepy, Lucretia takes her chance. She snags Cisco by the elbow as he's crossing the room, draws him aside.)

Cisco– a moment? I know you're in high demand, I won't take much of your time.

[franciscoramon]

[ So many people had turned up. Which is great, but it had been exhausting. Cisco had gone through at least four minor crises where he doubted himself, doubted everything. Is he really doing this? Is he really going to leave all these wonderful people behind?

It's all new territory for him. He had never had so many friends before. Never been a part of a community like this. The thought of losing it, and never finding anything similar again, is frightening.

But there is a reason he had made sure all the plans were in motion and the gears were turning before he told anyone. It is too late to back out now. It's happening, he's committed to that leap. All that's left is this painful step.

When he feels a touch on his elbow, he turns and sees Lucretia, and he feels his heart sink. He is too tired to entirely keep up the brave and cheerful face he's been trying to maintain for most of the party. Instead, though he manages to smile, it's sad around the edges. He waits til they've found a quiet spot to talk and then, without preamble, pulls Lucretia into an impulsive hug. ]

Hey, stop it, come on. You know I got all the time in the world for you.

[ And if his voice is a little throaty with sadness, well, there's just no helping that. ]

[scholiast]

(The hug actually comes as a surprise! Lucretia had been wondering what to do about that and had settled on offering her hand to him to shake, but this is much nicer. After a beat, she squeezes him back tightly, reassured.)

Thank you. (She can't help but be affected by the obvious sadness in his actions. Her smile fades, voice dropping a little.)

I– um, bought this for you. (She pulls it out of her bag and hands it over: it's a little writing set, with enough in it for ten letters. The only stationery she could find was rather plain, so she's adorned both the paper and envelopes with a voidfish motif, and included a couple of stupid souvenir pens she found at one of the marketplace gift shops: A FRIEND OF MINE WENT TO RIVERVIEW AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY PEN, etc.)

I know that writing is... kind of my thing, but I've never had a pen pal before and– um, if you'd ever like to write me sometime about how everything is going, I think it could be... fun. (She's trying to be very off-handed about all of this, but it's a little obvious she wants him to like the idea just as much as she does.) And I promise that this is solely out of desire to keep in touch, and not because I want insider information about what goes on at the Capital World. That would simply be a bonus.

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco takes the gift, looking it over and noting all the details: the mismatched, tacky, cute pens; the little jellyfish - no, voidfish - decorations on the envelopes; the compact neatness of it all. Lucretia must have made it herself, or at least done the art, and the thoughtfulness of that makes his eyes sting a little with tears. ]

I've never had a pen pal before, either.

[ He, of course, texts people a lot - incessantly really. But this is different than offhandedly linking someone to a meme. It's even different than having a conversation with someone, in real time, just using their phones to bridge the distance. A letter is something permanent. Something tangible, and slow, and slightly intimate, and therefore meaningful. ]

Definitely sounds fun. I'll- I'll make sure it's a nice mix of gossip about my life and gossip about the Capital.

[ It's not just a gift for the sake of giving one, because it is polite. It's a gift that says Lucretia wants him to still be a part of her life, even if it's from a distance. And to Cisco, that means a great deal. Without even planning to, he blurts: ]

I don't know if I'm doing the right thing.

[scholiast]

(Lucretia smiles, relieved by his reaction,) terrific. I'll look forward to hearing from you, then.

(The little outburst that follows doesn't surprise her in the slightest; this is a big decision for Cisco to have made! Of course he's having second thoughts about it. She chuckles, and puts a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.)

Classifying the situation in such a binary seems a little reductive to me; you want to go to the Capital world, don't you? To be with Eddie, to try new things? There's nothing wrong with that, Cisco.

[tempredmental]

[Keith wasn't much for parties, but he appreciated Cisco's companionship. So, he'd work up the nerve to go for this. He mostly wallflowered while he was there, but he did eventually find Cisco later.]

Hey... Congrats on the job.

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco spotted Keith a few times before he got the chance to go over to him; he was surprised, and touched, that Keith had showed up. When he finally gets a free moment to go over to him, he's glad that Keith speaks first. It's all a bit overwhelming, so many friends and so many goodbyes. ]

Thanks. To be honest, I'm hella nervous about it, but- but sometimes you gotta make that leap.

[ He sounds a tiny bit like he's still convincing himself of that. But he thinks about Keith, and all the hard, brave, scary choices he's probably had to make, defending the galaxy. That makes moving and starting a new job seem so small, by comparison. ]

Gonna miss this place. The people. The nonstop parties. The monsters and creepy cults.

[ It's a feeble joke, but the best he can do, considering how bittersweet the goodbye actually is. ]

Well, okay, not the last two.

[tempredmental]

Well... I could definitely do without the monsters and creepy cults.

[Keith chuckled a little.]

I'm glad I got to know you, though. This place has introduced me to some really cool people I wouldn't know otherwise, so... yeah. It's not bad. We'll still be in touch.

[spellslots]

[Taako is supposed to be good at parties, and usually he is, but this feels so much different from any other kind of party that he's been to before. It doesn't help that Lup is gone, even if he knows he'll see her again. Cisco heading to the Capitol World means that this is probably their last time to see each other before Taako inevitably leaves. It's a strange situation to be in, because this was always going to happen, the rules are just changing a little.

But he doesn't really feel up to a party; he changes outfits a handful of times, straightens then curls his hair, and in the end it's all a reason to put this off, to avoid having to confront whatever this feeling is. Goodbyes are too hard.

Unfortunately, putting it off forever would be too much of a dick move even for him, so Taako slinks in eventually, late and without much fanfare, something unusual for him. Cisco's in the middle of a conversation, when Taako spots him, so he claims a drink and waits, confident that Cisco will reach out when he's ready.]

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco doesn't see Taako coming in; when he looks away from the person he's talking to and spots his friend nearby, sipping at a drink quietly, he feels a little lurch of surprise in his gut. He'd known that Taako would show up - if not to the party itself, that he'd contrive some kind of goodbye. But it gives him a start, realizing he doesn't know how long Taako has been waiting, how he is doing...

It's one of the goodbyes he's been dreading the most.

He finds a way to end the conversation he's having very quickly, then - says something or other, and then heads over to Taako. His heart is beating too hard, but instead of a smile, or a joke, or even tears, he says, with an insistence that borders on ferocity. ]

This isn't gonna be the last time we see each other.

[ The future is so uncertain, in so many ways. And not just for Cisco. He doesn't know if Taako remember any of this, when he returns to his own world. If he'll remember Cisco at all. But none of that matters. Cisco isn't going to let it matter. If Taako's taught him anything, it's that love is a hell of a strong thing, when it comes to overcoming silly obstacles like space, and time, and dimensions. ]

I don't give a shit what rules they've got about interdimensional travel on that planet. I don't care what happens when you get back home. You're... you're, like, my best friend, okay, and I'm not about to let anything get in the way of that.

[ Cisco can be soft, and sweet, and kind, but he has a hell of a stubborn streak, too. ]

[spellslots]

[This could have gone one of two ways, in Taako's mind: either Cisco started things off with pointless small talk just to let them both cover up how shitty this is, or he was going to just leap straight into... this.

He wasn't sure which was going to be worse, but at least they're getting it over with. He wants to tell Cisco not to lie to him, not to make promises that can't be kept but maybe it is the truth. It's a hope he gave to Rin, a long time ago, that universes could be crossed, and he wants to believe it now.]

First of all, I am not gonna let you get kicked off your new cool planet just to visit cha boy, but I will let you come to Toril if you wanna see how the cool kids party.

[Look at that, he manages to keep his voice even the whole time.]

[dancingmd]

[Saying goodbye to Cisco is a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, it's sad that she likely won't see him again, unless for some reason she and Lucretia have to move down to the planet themselves in five years. On the other, this is such a great offer - a new job and a new home where he can start his life with Eddie. It's hard not to be happy for him.

As soon as she finds him at the party, she'll give him a big hug.]