riverviewlogs | [open] we tried to bury it and rise above

[ Cisco is more than willing to take any pointers from Taako, who is obviously very used to riding on horseback. He grips on with his thighs as tightly as he can (honestly, probably overdoing it a little bit) and, after a moment of consideration, keeps one hand gripping the saddle and sets the other on Taako's shoulder, just in case. At least this way if Cisco goes falling off, Taako will know right away.

Hopefully, though, it won't come to that. ]

Right.

[ Despite his nervousness about falling off, Cisco has started to smile. He is riding on a unicorn, and the wonder and strangeness of that is too much not to appreciate it a little bit. If he weren't sure that doing so would absolutely send him falling off, he would be trying to take the world's sickest selfie right now, so that he can boast about this later. Oh well. ]

What d'you say? Giddyup? Go Garyl Go?

You can just ask me to start moving, dude.

[Which is exactly what Garyl does, starting at a walk as he picks his way down one of the tracks, doing his absolute best to keep the bumpiness to a minimum, although they're still going a fair bit faster than they would on foot.

After a little while, Taako pipes up again:]

You still with me?

[ It's probably a good thing that Taako had told Garyl to start slow; it takes a little bit of adjustment, getting used to the specific kind of swaying that comes with being on horseback. But as they move, gradually Cisco stops freaking out and overthinking it quite so much and just sort of settles into it, holding on tightly with his legs and keeping one hand on Taako's shoulder, even as he lets go of the saddle with the other.

And it's kind of nice - the sound of Garyl's hooves, and seeing the scenery go by from this weirdly tall vantage point. So when Taako asks if Cisco is still with him, he can answer with genuine enthusiasm: ]

Hell yeah. This isn't so hard. I think I'm getting the hang of it.

[ A little overconfident, maybe, but then perhaps they can speed up just a little and he can find out where it is they're going. Besides, it would be exciting to try something a bit faster. ]

So how, uh, did you and Garyl meet? Or did you make him, or...?

He's all illusion, baby.

[Taako gives Garyl a pat on the neck, and between that and Cisco's confidence, he decides to pick up the pace a little. It's not quite a trot, but it's faster than the easiest meandering they'd been doing previously.]

He can act independently and shit when I make him, but he's not like, a fully realized creature. [Garyl doesn't seem bothered by this awareness of his limited existence.] His personality is just an aspect of mine, really.

[ Cisco thinks that maybe his definition of illusion and Taako's are a little bit different. Garyl feels solid, and real, and he's really getting them to wherever they're going way faster than they would have on foot. So he is real, isn't a lie.

But he is fake - not a real talking unicorn that Taako just summoned here, but a being that he'd created out of thin air, and presumably which would go back into thin air later on. It's weird, thinking of the unicorn as a kind of offshoot of Taako, but after a moment it kind of make sense. There is something decidedly Taako-ish about the creature. He'd just thought they had an affinity, but apparently it's more than that. ]

Your magic is so dope.

[ The ride is a bit bumpier once Garyl speeds up, but Cisco adapts to that, too. There's only one moment when his balance is a little bit off, and he quickly corrects it by tightening his grip on Taako's shoulder and then holding on a little more firmly with his legs. ]

Whoops- I'm good, I'm good.

[ Even knowing what he does, it feels the tiniest bit weird, knowing Garyl can hear him and understand him, but still talking ABOUT him to Taako rather than to him. ]

So did you decide what Garyl was gonna look like in advance, or is it just, I'm gonna cast this spell that's going to take a part of me and make it into a mighty steed, and maybe when I do I'll learn something about myself in the process?

[Garyl doesn't stop when Cisco has his little moment of difficulty, mostly because he assumes Taako has got it under control, which he mostly does.]

Here, I'm not gonna explain to Eddie if you fall off and crack your skull.

[He's just going to lift Cisco's hand off his shoulder and guide it to his waist, since it's a less precarious and more stable spot to hold onto, rather than lifting his hand up too high to hold onto Taako's shoulder.]

Taako's the reason I look rad as hell.

[Although Taako is also the reason that Garyl thinks he looks rad as hell, so there's a bit of a weird situation there.]

Most wizards just make normal horses, but like, that's so fucking boring.

[ Cisco is more than happy to keep his hand on Taako's waist after he puts it there, laughing a little at Taako saying he doesn't want to explain to Eddie if Cisco gets hurt. He's starting to think he knows Taako well enough to guess that maybe Taako doesn't want Cisco to get hurt, period, but that it's easier for him to pretend it's for Eddie's sake.

That explanation doesn't really answer his question, but maybe the answer doesn't really matter, either. Maybe the two of them don't even know. Cisco's kind of glad he's the big spoon, because it means Taako can't see how widely he's grinning as he shakes his head a little and declares: ]

You're a lot of things, Taako, but boring is definitely not one of 'em.

[ Then he starts to explain a series of books he'd read growing up, where people's souls existed outside their bodies in the form of animals, and those animals could change while they were younger but eventually settled into a form that reflected who that person truly was. ]

So I guess Garyl's a bit like that, for you.

[That compliment gets a pleased little hum of approval from Taako; he likes hearing the regular kind of compliments, but being called interesting is pretty up there, since it means he's doing something right.

Also: Cisco's a fucking nerd pass it on.]

I dunno if we gotta bring souls into it, I'm pretty sure all of mine is still chilling where it's supposed to be. It's like... I got a spell that can kinda replicate myself, but it's just an illusory extension of me, with my personality. Garyl's kinda that way. [Wait, he's got it! Taako snaps his fingers.] Like an echo! He's an echo of me.

An equine echo. [ The amusement is clear in Cisco's voice even though Taako can't see him smiling at his own little bit of alliteration. ] I didn't mean I think Garyl's actually a bit of your soul or whatever. I only brought those books up 'cause he suits you. I always wondered what my echo'd be like, if all of that were real.

[ That had been before the particle accelerator, before Cisco's life actually became fantastical and fabulous. ]

Speedsters can do something a little bit like that, y'know, only they do it by running so fast between two places that it just looks like there's two of them standing there, and you don't know which one's just the afterimage.

[ And Cisco's a touch self-conscious, for the first time, about the fact that he knows at least twenty times as much about speedsters and their capabilities than he knows about his own powers. Maybe that is kind of not great. That's something to think about, as they ride together towards their destination. ]

[It gets a little chuckle out of Taako, if nothing else.]

I'd offer to teach you magic shit, but one student is enough for Taako.

[Daemons sound more like familiars, really, although Taako does technically have one of those as well, it's just less of a reflection of him than Garyl is, since... familiars have more of their own existence.]

And seriously? They can do that shit? I kinda regret saying I thought being a speedster was lame.

[Not those exact words, but still.]

That's alright, man. There's a whole magic research institute here if I ever decide I wanna give it a whirl.

[ Cisco also thinks, but does not say, that it would be a bit silly to learn magic when he already has powers he hasn't tried harnessing yet. Not just the visions, but energy blasts and breaches and whatever else it is he's supposed to be able to do. ]

Besides, I think it's good you're teaching Eddie. He probably gets himself into way more danger with detective stuff anyway.

[ Not that Eddie isn't capable of taking care of himself using weapons and conventional means, but having some backup couldn't hurt, right? Definitely not. ]

Yep. A speed mirage. [ Cisco doesn't really mean for a hint of distaste to slip into his voice as he uses that term, but it does. ] Well, at least, one of 'em could, so presumably Barry could also learn to do it if he wanted to.

[ Cisco smiles a little, remembering what had prompted Taako to have such a dim view of speedsters and their... prowess. ]

Boner jokes aside, speedsters are pretty powerful. They heal really quickly, and can run on water or up the side of a building, and travel in time, and throw lightning, and probably a bunch of other shit too.

Edited 2017-06-25 03:00 (UTC)

[There's a lot he could say about Eddie getting into danger, but it all edges a little too close to Taako admitting (and acknowledge to himself) that he worries about the potential for Eddie to get seriously hurt. That's not the sort of thing he wants to really put too much thought into, so it's a lot easier to just latch onto the speedster thing and roll with that.]

How the fuck can they travel in time? Even magic struggles pulling off that sorta shit, unless it's real powerful.

[Like the stupid chalice.]

They do it by running fast enough to literally rip a hole in time and space, and enter this thing called the speed-force, which is the thing that gives them their speed in the first place, and it's like... connected to all points in time.

[ It doesn't make much sense to him, either; compared to most of the other metas he's ever seen, the amount of power that speedsters have is almost ludicrous. If he were Taako, he thinks he wouldn't believe a word he's saying. But Cisco can't deny the reality of time travel when he's seen it with his own two eyes. ]

I'm not just talking a day or two, either. Barry went back ten years, once. And there was one who came back about 140 years from the future. Or maybe 150. I don't really remember.

[ Cisco could say more, but he doesn't actually know how much Taako knows. And if it was just a matter of the two of them being friends, this would be easier. But him and Eddie are dating and it's possible he's already heard some of it, so Cisco asks tentatively: ]

Eddie ever mention a guy named Eobard?

[ He tries to ask casually, as if he's just curious. ]

[It sounds ridiculous, but Taako doesn't know enough about science to really form an opinion one way or another, and he doesn't see the point in Cisco lying about this. Especially when he takes Eddie's death into account, which was... because of shit like this, he thinks.

So when Cisco mentions some guy named Eobard, it isn't instantly familiar, but it raises some suspicion.]

Is that the asshole's name?

[The one that forced Eddie's hand, that came from the figure and pushed him to kill himself]

[ Taako's answer might not be all that detailed, but it tells Cisco a lot. For instance, Taako has to ask if Eobard is the name of 'that asshole,' which means that Eddie probably hadn't explained the whole thing in great detail. You don't just forget a name like Eobard. But clearly, Eddie had told Taako that someone from the distant future had been involved in his death. ]

That's him. Eobard Thawne, the asshole to end all assholes.

[ Is that hyperbole? Maybe. Does Cisco care? Not even a little. Maybe on a grand scale compared to dictators and war criminals and the actual devil, Eobard doesn't rank in the top ten, but he is without question the worst person Cisco had ever known, and he is not going to sugar coat that. ]

I don't know how much you know. Or if you wanna know anything in the first place. I mean, you can ask Eddie, obviously. But... I guess, if there's stuff you want to know, you can ask me, too.

[ There's some reluctance in that offer, but he makes it anyway. Talking about Eobard is not something Cisco particularly enjoys, but to a certain degree it's necessary. And if he wants information, Cisco thinks Taako is entitled to some of it. ]

[It's a tempting offer, to find out more information because it's not a topic that Taako ever really wanted to press Eddie about, since it's obviously pretty fucking shitty. And he likes hoarding information like some kinda secret keeping dragon, but...]

Nah, that's Eddie's shit, you know? I'm not gonna make you tell it.

[Even if he's sure there are details about Eobard that aren't exclusive to Eddie, it's still digging into stuff that he doesn't quite feel entitled to.]

Just give me a heads up if the shitdick ever shows his face here, yeah? I've got a few spells I've never had a chance to try out.

[The unspoken implication is that they're too awful to use on someone who doesn't really deserve it.]

[ Cisco is more than happy to accept this, and also to not correct Taako when he classifies Eobard as primarily relevant to Eddie and not Cisco. Which is probably coming pretty close to a lie by omission, but that's just how it's going to be. He really doesn't want to get into that whole history now, or like, maybe ever. ]

I get that.

[ When Taako asks for a heads up if Eobard shows up here, Cisco's body language changes at once. He'd actually gotten pretty comfortable, riding Garyl, had gotten the hang of it and started to make the little adjustments he needs to keep his balance without thinking about it consciously. But as soon as Taako mentions that possibility, Cisco's back goes rigid. His hand, where it's resting at Taako's waist, tightens ever so slightly. His breathing changes, just enough to be audible.

It's not as if he's never realized such a thing is possible. Easy enough to put the basic puzzle pieces of that logic together. If dead people can be here, Eobard can be here. But Cisco's always managed to keep any thoughts about the possibility of that shoved so far from the surface of his mind, that hearing Taako mention it so casually as something that very well might happen is, to say the least, jarring.

And now Cisco's really thinking it through. If Eobard showed up here.... If he showed up here, what would he do? It could happen. Considering that the people who arrive tend to be affiliated in one way or another with people already here, it's not even improbable. ]

Hope some of 'em are nice and painful.

[ Which, for Cisco, is an uncharacteristically sadistic comment, sure. But that is just further evidence in the "Eobard is terrible" file. If someone is bad enough that Cisco actually and unironically wishes suffering on them, then they're pretty damn bad. ]

[It's hard to miss the way Cisco stiffens and it makes Taako consider that there's more to this than some guy who just killed Eddie, because while that's shitty, as far as he knows, those two weren't super close before getting to the Quarantine. This reaction feels more personal, more than just a bad guy they run up against and ultimately defeated, even if that came at a pretty significant cost.

Still, he endeavors to keep his own response light, not wanting to let Cisco know that he's picked up on there being more to this.]

Oh, for sure, that's the great thing about magic, you can keep people alive for a real long time.

[Taako isn't particularly sadistic, wither, but he learned a thing or two from Edward and Lydia, about dragging out someone's suffering.]

[ Cisco's gotten pretty comfortable with the fact that sometimes it's really hard to tell when Taako is kidding or when he's being serious. This time, though, he wishes he knew. He thinks maybe Taako isn't joking, and he doesn't actually know whether that's a good or a bad thing. Just like he doesn't know how he feels about the thought of Eobard being hurt, badly, for an extended period of time.

There's a little part of him that finds the idea satisfying in a bone-deep, eye for an eye, if anyone deserves it he does kind of way. But thinking about it also makes him feel a little queasy. It's not like he has to entirely conjure it from imagination. He'd seen Dr. Wells get hurt very badly before - or at least LOOK like he was getting hurt very badly. Hell, he'd used that speed mirage trick to make it look like he almost got killed by the Reverse Flash, and Cisco had been broken-hearted with guilt and worry.

But what does it matter? Eobard's not going to show up here. Sure, it's possible, but Cisco isn't going to be able to sleep at night if he thinks about it too much, so he puts it out of mind and asks: ]

So you've like... killed people with magic, before?

[ While they're sharing and bonding and all that, might as well finally ask the question. ]

[Oh.

That wasn't a question that Taako was expecting and it leaves him not prepared with an answer, because he, well... When he got here, he had no qualms about discussing the people he'd killed, since it had never really been a thing, back home. But it hadn't taken long to realize that most people here have a less laid back view on the topic of murder, so he's stopped discussing it quite to openly.

He doesn't know Cisco's exact views on it, but based on where he comes from, Taako can guess that overall, he won't be a fan of killing people.]

Is this one of those times when I lie to you cause we both know you won't like the answer?

[As if that doesn't give it away.]

[ It's pretty obvious that this is a straightforward yes or no question, and that anything other than an immediate 'no' is therefore a 'yes'. But there are more nuances to it than that. Cisco might not have thought so, before the particle accelerator, before the Flash and the rest of it. But he's seen Barry kill people - Blackout, Atom Smasher, Sand Demon - and he knows that sometimes, there's just no avoiding it. ]

First of all, you can just assume it's never one of those times, unless I'm asking you how an outfit looks on me.

[ Not his best or most original joke, but he's trying to keep it light, to show Taako that he's not going to wig out and start calling him a murderer and shunning him. For all Cisco knows, Eddie's had to kill people on the job. Just because he's never personally been the one to pull the trigger doesn't mean he doesn't get it. ]

I mean, I guessed it was probably a yes. You've had all kinds of crazy adventures and been in battles and shit, right? You're basically a soldier without the fancy uniform.

I make no promises.

[If Cisco is going to go for a joke then Taako will respond in kind, although he's absolutely serious that he'll tell someone if he doesn't like their outfit. He'll tell a lot of lies, for all sorts of reasons, but that isn't one of them. People don't improve by being coddled.

But that's not really the point; he huffs a laugh at the soldier without the fancy uniform.]

There was a fancy uniform, at one point. [The IPRE robes and jackets were pretty swish, but Taako lost all of his.] But you know, usually they just call that a mercenary, so, yeah. I've killed my fair share.

[And usually it is a shared effort, he's rarely killed someone single handedly, usually Magnus or Lup or Merle help out.

He's not going to get into the deaths he's been responsible for without actively committing, because those numbers almost reach a thousand and that's not a fun topic of conversation.]

[ Mercenary, solider - there isn't all that big of a difference, as far as Cisco's concerned. Not categorically. It doesn't change the fact that Taako had killed people in pursuit of the goal - to save the world and keep his friends safe and that sort of shit. And it's useful to know, just in case they ever do come to that eventuality, and Eobard Thawne shows up. Because Cisco's pretty sure that a man as dangerous as him shouldn't really be locked up, and it's good to know there's at least one person he knows who could probably do the deed without a serious moral crisis. ]

I haven't. Just... while we're sharing.

[ He doesn't say it like he thinks he's better than Taako, or worse than him - just not something they've got in common. If push came to shove, Cisco doesn't know if he'd be able to do it. Maybe to save a friend's life. Or maybe not. ]

I mean... I thought I had, once. When the particle accelerator was about to blow, my friend Ronnie went in to fix it and said if he wasn't back in two minutes I had to lock him in, and I did. I thought he was dead for like a year, but it turns out he just fused with this other dude and got thermonuclear powers, so it all worked out in the end.

[ Which Cisco knows isn't really the same kind of killing Taako was talking about, but it's the closest he's come. ]

[Taako would kill someone that Cisco was mildly annoyed at without a serious moral crisis, so Eobard would be a cakewalk, if he ever shows up.

He nearly makes a joke, about Cisco saying that he hasn't, something about there still being plenty of time, or about how everyone has dry spells, but then it's followed up with something that Cisco probably feels pretty shitty about, so he bites his tongue on that particular thought.

He's still going to make a joke, though, since he isn't sure if Cisco wants the it wasn't your fault talk.]

Well, hey, if we could all give people thermonuclear powers when we thought we'd killed 'em, the world would be... a lot more interesting. I was gonna say better, but I dunno if I can commit to that idea.

[That'd be a lot of people.]

[ The Ronnie thing had weighed pretty heavily on Cisco's conscience, for that year, but once he found out he was okay, and got a chance to apologize, it isn't such a big deal, anymore. He's not proud of it, but he doesn't feel that guilt any longer. Especially not after he'd learned that the explosion was Eobard's fault in the first place, and there was nothing he or Ronnie could have possibly done to stop it once it got started. ]

It'd be more radioactive, anyway.

[ It isn't all that surprising that, if Taako has killed people on his adventures, and also been in various scrapes with his friends, at some point he probably thought he accidentally killed one of them. It's a little strange, trying to reconcile what Cisco has seen of Taako - just a chill fun dude who conjures unicorns and fancy rooms - and the snippets he's heard about what Taako's life was like before he came here. ]

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