[open] don't know where i am, don't know where i've been

[franciscoramon]

who: cisco + anyone!
what: catch-all; tdm prompts
when: the rest of june
where: anywhere; if you want a separate starter, please hit me up!
warnings: will add as necessary

i. monster plants

Cisco isn't a member of the Perimeter Guard for a reason. He's just not a front-lines kind of guy. He'd get in the way, put himself and the people around him in unnecessary danger. But when Killer Vines From Hell™ start coming over the wall and mayhem breaks out, he has to help somehow. Back home he'd do that from the safety of S.T.A.R. Labs, over the coms, with Barry facing down the real danger. Here, he has to improvise.

He gets close enough to the fighting to pull aside one of the Guard members who is resting and to ask what weapons have been working. And when one of the answers he's given is fire, Cisco knows what he has to do. He rushes back to his workshop, and to a few stores, comes running back as close as he dares to the fighting, and starts to whip up as many fast-and-dirty flamethrowers as he possibly can. The more he can make, the more he can give to people to help defend themselves and defend the Quarantine.

ii. attraction

After the whole Little Shop of Horrors mess at the wall, Cisco heads home for a very needed shower. He doesn't know, yet, that some of those very same experimental chemicals that had brought the plants over the wall had seeped into the ground, into the water supply.

And because he is such a naturally friendly, extroverted person, Cisco doesn't realize that anything is off for quite some time. All he knows, after he gets dressed and heads out for a celebratory meal, is that he's feeling acutely lonely, that he just needs to see a familiar face, or strike up a conversation with a stranger if he has to. He sends out over-affectionate texts of appreciation and jokes and fondness to his friends, but that isn't nearly enough.

iii. repellant

They do their best to clean up the area of the spill as quickly as possible, and Cisco does his bit. But a few days after the worst of it, as he's walking past, he can still smell it lingering in the air. And this time, unlike when it had gotten into his system via the water, it has quite the opposite effect. Without quite realizing it, the stuff puts Cisco on edge.

How could they have been so careless with such a dangerous project? Did they not realize what would happen? What if those plants had killed people? There are children living here, and civilians, and people who never hurt anyone in their lives. Was it criminal negligence, or did the scientists involved just not care about collateral damage? (The way Dr. Wells had not cared, when he set off the particle accelerator explosion, just to further his own ends).

The idiocy and injustice of it keep churning away in Cisco's mind, putting him in an uncharacteristically foul mood. Better not bump into him, while he's like this, or you're likely to get a piece of his mind.

Comments

I - Monstah Plants

[fistlogic]

Now, Chandra can't build things. Just lacks the patience, skill, or overall artistry her parents had. But she can tell when someone's building a torch. It isn't using aether, whatever the fuel is it smells awful. But she does remember what she did when she first discovered her pyromancy.

"Hey Cisco," she calls, to her they met when she was like this, the whole conversation about her powers the same. Just... at a different angle. "Can I have one of those tank thingies? The fuel stuff." Chandra isn't a perimeter guard, but she's still been surveying since her little mishap. More importantly, she was a walking firebomb of red mana so really who would tell the little girl not to help set plant monsters on fire.

"Oh! And a screwdriver."

[franciscoramon]

[ As soon as Cisco sees Chandra, he grins from ear to ear. Not just because it's nice to see her (though it is), but because if there's anywhere that her particular skills will be useful, this is it. He is a little surprised when she comes over to him - she doesn't need a flamethrower, after all, but when she asks for fuel, he nods, says: ]

Just gimme one minute to finish taping this puppy together before it all falls apart and I'll get you some propane, stat.

[ He has a half-finished contraption with cans of bug spray, a lighter, and a long piece of string that can be tugged on to detonate it from a distance. Cisco is securing the whole thing with duct tape, and as he's working he keeps talking to Chandra.]

Boy am I glad you're here. It's a disaster over there, did you see?

[ The sounds of the mayhem are loud, even though Cisco is standing far enough away that he won't get caught up in it. ]

[fistlogic]

*Chandra can vaguely see what he's made, at least she's guessing it explodes. She likes things better when they explode. Fireworks, new forms of airship, bombs. That's what she's hoping to do here too or at least leat her fire spread in a more interesting way.*

It's so cool, I've never seen plants so vicious before! Even in the hinterlands of Kaladesh they're fairly... boring. Fun to climb, but they don't do much.

And of course I'm here, they pulled me off surveying to help with their gardening. I really wish I had a volcano right now...

*Volcanos fix so many problems!*

[franciscoramon]

I don't know, maybe if it was one or two killer plants I'd call it 'cool'. Once you hit four dozen then it's just a nightmare.

[ Don't get him wrong, Cisco really does love all the crazy dangerous exciting stuff that comes from living here. He just likes it better when the really vicious monsters stay on the other side of that wall, thanks very much. But maybe that's just a matter of perspective.

He finishes taping the cans together and starts looking through his rather messily-assembled supplies for a tank of propane. He hands one over, and then starts looking for a screwdriver, which proves much more elusive, even though he knows there's probably two in the pile SOMEWHERE. ]

Are you... used to having a volcano handy?

[fistlogic]

My nightmares are usually about things a lot less flammable. Stone monsters! Those would be a nightmare.

*Chandra shapes some flame into a very cartoony and not very lifelike phoenix. Her flame construct has trouble flying and quickly just crashes into one of the plant monsters bulbs as it opened to launch some acid at it.*

...That would have been cooler if it could fly. And yes, fire magic is a lot easier to just conjure up next to a volcano. It's like the mana of the area wants to set everything on fire. And explode. Because that's what a Volcano wants.

*She shouldn't have slept through her lessons. Again.*

[franciscoramon]

I guess that makes sense, but some of us have seen Little Shop of Horrors.

[ He's too distracted to filter the pop culture references from his speech, and before Chandra can even begin to ask what that means or who it is relevant Cisco is waving a hand through the air to dismiss it as unimportant. Where IS that screwdriver? How could it get so lost in just a few seconds?

Then he is distracted from searching by the fact that Chandra is making some fire into a bird shape, and Cisco stares for a second or two. But then he hears a few shouts from the direction of the fighting and feels a lurch in his gut. Now's not the time for showing off, or for being curious about fire magic. Now is the time for using it to wreak some real devastation. ]

Didn't know volcanoes were sentient...

[ And with that, he spots the screwdriver, scooping it up and offering it to her. He jerks his head in the direction of the fighting and says: ]

Better get over there, doesn't sound like it's going too good.

ii

[followhim]

[poe noticed cisco helping with the monster plants by giving out flamethrowers (or maybe he received one? sure why not), and when he sees him just walking along on the street he decides to show his appreciation by thanking him. because he's also a super friendly dude.]

Hey, you helped with the plants earlier, right? Even though you're not on the Perimeter Guard. That was great! I just wanted to thank you.

[franciscoramon]

[ It is almost suspicious, how nicely that works out: Cisco was just thinking as he walked along, how badly he missed his friends back home, his social circle. There are people here he's close to, but they're either busy or more introverted than himself and he ends up with way too much alone time. It's just not healthy...

And then, the moment he thinks that, a man he's never spoken to before comes up and starts thanking him for helping with the plants, and Cisco can feel his cheeks going a bit warm with happiness. If there's anything he's a sucker for, it's gratitude and validation. He shakes his head a little, tucking his hair back and saying: ]

Yeah, yeah that was me with the improvised flamethrowers. You're in the Guard? I wasn't really paying attention who I was handing those things to, I was just trying to crank 'em out as quick as I could. I was just going for a celebratory... yay we didn't all get eaten by plant monsters drink, you wanna join me?

[ Friendly as he is, Cisco would usually wait more than about 20 seconds after meeting a guy, whose name he doesn't even know yet, before inviting him to go drinking. But not today. ]

[followhim]

Yeah, I am. Drinks would be great, I'm in. [it's been a long day of fighting plant monsters, ok. he'd like to chill and have a drink. if someone is inviting him to one, all the better. he doesn't even think there's anything to forward about it because he would most likely act this forward on a regular basis. it's fine.]

Oh! I'm Poe Dameron. It's good to meet you.

[franciscoramon]

Cisco Ramon, totally likewise.

[ Just like that, instant friendship! Cisco doesn't quite throw an arm around the guy, but he's not feeling far off from it. Together, the two of them head in the direction Cisco had been walking, towards the local bar he likes the best in this place. Usually, it's pretty quiet, but apparently there are some other folks who were feeling like being out and about and having a good time. In fact, maybe a slightly suspicious amount of people, and maybe a little bit more PDA than is statistically average. But Cisco doesn't worry about it - everybody must just be riding that post-adrenaline high.

He manages to spot a few guys leaving a tiny booth and swoop in to get a seat before anyone else does; once they're settled he asks the question that's become usual for him in this place, when meeting someone new: ]

So what planet are you from?

[ Gotta really start with the basics in the Quarantine. ]

[followhim]

[poe isn't even under chemical influence (is he??? or maybe he is ... ); he's just totally cool with everything. cisco is just A REALLY FRIENDLY DUDE and he's in the market for new friends pretty much 24/7 so THIS IS GREAT AND AWESOME.

he slides into the booth and gets comfortable before replying:]

I'm from a small moon named Yavin 4. What about you?

[franciscoramon]

A moon, huh?

[ Seems like it's a good thing he'd started from there; not only is that not Earth, but it's not a moon he's even heard of, in his own universe (though, to his amusement, it sounds similar to a name he knows from a popular sci-fi movie franchise). ]

It anything like this place? I'm from a planet called Earth, which is definitely not. I mean, some things are the same, like we've got forests, and cities, and- and beer. [ He says that as a group of people walk by all holding pints. ] But it's a pre-first-contact type neighborhood, y'know? So all this is a bit...

[ And he puts his hands to his temples and mimes an explosion, complete with sound effect, to indicate just how much living in the quarantine has been blowing his mind. ]

[followhim]

[he laughs.] I think I know what you mean. I hadn't heard of Earth before until I came here, but space travel was nothing out of the ordinary where I'm from. There wasn't much on my home planet besides my family's ranch and lots of jungle terrain, but I've been to huge city planets. I've seen planets like this before. Not just like this, but ... close enough that the differences can be a little jarring, do you know what I mean?

for eddie

[franciscoramon]

[ It's not entirely unprecedented, for Eddie to stop by Cisco's workshop and say hello. But in the past, any time he'd done so, he had texted first to warn Cisco he was coming. And in the past, up until the last three days, Cisco had had no problem with unannounced visits from anyone at all.

But when Eddie turns up at the door to his workshop, there's a definite reluctance about the way that Cisco lets him inside. ]

Eddie! Hey, what're you doing here? [ It's mostly friendly small talk, but with the tiniest hint of coolness, too. The reason for that is fairly obvious; Cisco never has been the best at hiding anything, when confronted. And it's all too clear from the way he's trying to draw attention away from the broken-down couch in the corner, with a few blankets and pillows on it that make it clear that someone has been sleeping there, and recently.

If he'd known Eddie were coming he could have hidden the evidence, kept up appearances. Now, he doesn't really have that option. ]

[causational]

[Ever since Cisco had taken the time out to hang out with him at the hospital after their excursion outside the walls, Eddie's been checking in on him a little more often. In Eddie's mind, at least, it's gone from a casual acquaintanceship where they hang out because they came from the same place to something else, budded into a real, new friendship, and then jumped a few levels to a much closer one. After all, Eddie can only be so distant with someone who saved his life, confessed a deep secret to him, and then stayed with him holding his hand in the hospital.

Or at least, he'd thought they'd skipped a few levels until Cisco opens the door, sees him, and absolutely radiates uncertainty, complete reluctance to let him inside. Biting his lip, Eddie lifts his hand, in which he's holding a bag from his favourite restaurant here (some kind of alien food that's remarkably similar to a more varied dim sum) and lifts his brows.]

Uh, sorry if I was interrupting anything, I just thought maybe you could use something to eat. I haven't heard from you in a few days, you know, so I thought you might be holed up here focusing too much on work.

[Licking his lips, he glances around Cisco's workspace, and his eyes land on the couch, with the blankets and pillows on it. For a moment, Eddie is incredibly torn - Cisco's being different, distant and reluctant to see him, and part of him is a little worried he's seriously overestimated how close they've gotten; on the other hand, there's a chance that Cisco's being different because something is bothering him, and that couch done up in the corner is piquing something in the back of Eddie's mind.

Squaring his shoulders, he makes the decision. Even if he sticks his foot in it and makes himself look like an idiot by assuming too much of their friendship, it's worth it, if it really is something bothering Cisco.]

You okay? You seem a little distracted...

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco sees Eddie's eyes go to that couch, the way they narrow ever so slightly, observing and assessing. Really, why had he decided to befriend a detective, anyway? It's just inconvenient.

But Eddie doesn't come right out and ask it - whether that's some kind of interrogation habit or he's genuinely trying to be delicate, Cisco doesn't know. He huffs a quick, slightly nervous laugh, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck in an unconscious gesture of unease. ]

I guess it's been a while since I texted, huh? I got pretty caught up in stuff...

[ And he trails off. There are two options, here. He could lie, and infodump at Eddie about some of the projects he's been working on, and try to pass off the last few days as some kind of distracted genius flight of fancy. Or... well. If he wanted, he could tell the truth. If there's anyone in this entire place Cisco could tell the truth to, it would be this man. Who showed up to his door with food (that smells amazing - Cisco had forgotten to eat since the night before) and friendly concern.

Cisco casts a glance at the couch, and the looks up at Eddie. From a little closer up, there are faint circles showing under his eyes. Reluctantly, he begins: ]

Been... kind of a weird few days.

[ But he can't just go from zero to this story; Cisco pulls out the two rolling chairs, gestures to Eddie to sit in one as he starts to clear a space for the food. As he's stacking papers, hands busy but with an excuse not to look at Eddie, Cisco manages to get out: ]

I've been wrapped up in looking for somewhere new to live. The communal housing thing really isn't doing it for me anymore.

[ Which would be a perfectly understandable and even uneventful stance to have, but it's pretty clear there's something more going on. Why else would Cisco say something so banal in such a decidedly shifty manner - and why would there be signs he's already left his old room even before finding an alternative that's not a beat-up old couch in the corner of this big, cold workshop? ]

[causational]

[The fact is, it's neither interrogation or delicacy - mostly it's just a desire to leave himself open for whatever Cisco wants to tell him without pushing hard enough to upset the younger man. As much as Eddie is starting to be worried because of Cisco's body language and the way he's avoiding eye contact, the way he scrubs his hand against the back of his neck, he doesn't want to push or pry. It's hard, sometimes, for Eddie to trust his judgement of how close he is to other people, of how close they feel to him.

The last thing he wants is to force anything on Cisco, to make him feel like he's expecting something he's not entitled to.

But then Cisco trails off and looks at him for a moment, dark eyes flicking from his face to the food and then back again. Eddie looks back at him, searching his face, picking out the dark smudges under his eyes, the way his eyes aren't entirely clear. And then, after a long, pregnant pause, Cisco finally speaks, his voice a little hesitant, admits that it's been a weird few days while he starts moving papers. Eddie understands it's sometimes easier to admit this kind of thing when there's a distraction.]

Yeah?

[It's gently prompting, Eddie's voice conveys interest without being pushy, and that is an interrogation technique, gentle as it is. It's subconscious, the way he goes into that mode when trying to carefully draw information out of someone who's hesitant or afraid. When Cisco continues, Eddie nods, eyes on him, licking his lower lip thoughtfully.]

I get that. I mean, when I moved, I brought my roommate with me, but at least we have our own rooms. The lack of privacy getting to you?

[franciscoramon]

Kind of.

[ Even though Eddie is his closest friend by far in this place, it's still a challenge to make himself open up, especially about something as embarrassing as this. It goes against everything about the person that Cisco wants to be. If he could only will himself to be different than he is...

But that's a foolish wish, and he knows it. And Eddie is watching him with that patient, open face of his. Cisco glances at him and away again. He half-turns his back and sighs heavily. ]

A couple of nights ago I had one of those dreams I get, y'know? About, um. Dr. Wells killing me. And I woke everybody up screaming my head off. I mean, from the way they were all looking at me I probably woke the whole damn building up. [ Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but even so. ] Only they couldn't get me to snap out of it and stop crying, since it wasn't really a nightmare, it was a vision, and when I get those nothing's gonna snap me out.

[ Cisco takes the bag of food from Eddie without making eye contact, and starts to pull out the various little dishes, setting them up on the space he'd cleared on the desk. ]

I don't want anyone finding out I have powers, you know? But that's gonna be real hard if anything like that ever happens again. And besides... they all look at me different, now, so I just. Can't really bring myself to go back there.

[causational]

[It's easy to see how difficult this is for Cisco - he can see how he struggles with it, how he holds himself a little stiff, his shoulders tense and slightly hunched, the muscles in his arms and down his back tight. Everything about his posture suggests he's trying not to give in to the flight part of fight or flight.

But Cisco sighs and then he starts talking, a little hesitant. He avoids eye contact, but he speaks, he explains what it is that has him looking so tired and sleeping on a busted couch in his lab. The more he talks, the more Eddie feels sick for him, at the thought of going through that. The idea of Cisco falling into one of those dreams, screaming and crying in his sleep, with no one able to wake him up, makes him feel a little desolate inside.

So he stays still, his hand going slack after Cisco pulls the food from his hand and starts setting it up. His brows furrow as Cisco explains that he doesn't want anyone to know he ha powers, and that he's been sleeping here so no one sees if he has those nightmares. To avoid being looked at differently. But it's the way Cisco says he can't bring himself to go back there that really cinches it.]

I have a room in the attic of the apartment I'm renting, if you want to stay there.

[He blurts it out, his eyes a little wide, and then he steps forward, looking intently at Cisco's face.]

I mean, you'd have to deal with living with Yuri, who's kind of an obnoxious teenager, but he has a cat that's a great cuddler and it would be quiet and private, and if you chipped in for rent and stuff, I'd totally be wiling to make extra food for you too...

Monster Plants

[dispenserofjustice]

Being assigned to Search and Rescue or not, Garrus isn't going to sit idly by while there is something going down. As soon as word comes in that there are plants attacking people, Garrus has his gun in hand and immediately heads out to where he can be useful. It's simple really, if he can help he will and that's all that there is to it. If the Turian would have been told earlier that there'd be monstrous plants to tackle, he might have laughed it off. At first.

Right now? Looking through his scope and seeing that bullets aren't doing much good? Garrus really thinks that some days it would have been better to have Incinerate. He's already out of proximity mines and concussive rounds don't seem to be keeping the hungry greens down for overly long. There's a swear on his tongue just as someone insist on thrusting this weapon at him.

"What the..."

At first glance, Garrus has no idea what he's looking at. While he really does favor his rile, there's nothing to lose by trying this weapon out. All he has to do is point and aim.

i hope brackets is ok? if not i can switch

[franciscoramon]

[ In the initial rush, Cisco had just been doing his best to crank out as many small fire-making devices as he could. He'd been using everything: bug spray, lighters, whatever. And that had helped to buffet back the first waves of the plants. But when he saw that this wasn't a fight that was going to be won in half an hour, he'd taken the time to run full-tilt to his workshop and get the parts he'd need for something a bit more substantial.

Once he'd managed to construct a flamethrower with some serious firepower, however, he found that there was no one conveniently nearby to take it from him. Hesitantly, he came a bit closer to the sounds of fighting. He could try to wield it himself, but he'd probably just end up setting his own ass on fire, and that wouldn't help anyone. Especially not him.

So when he spots Garrus, trying to fire a rifle at the plants, it's an easy choice to make. He looks like he knows what he's doing, it's just that the weapon he has is ill-suited to the task at hand. So, with a nervous glance at just how nearby those vines are, Cisco runs over to him, hefting up the huge flamethrower and shouting: ]

Here, take it!

[ Cisco has just a moment of two of triumph when the alien guy takes the flamethrower, before one of those plants completely ruins, the moment by lashing out a vine that wraps around Cisco's ankle, pulling him off balance and trying to drag him back towards the mass of hostile flora. ]

perfectly fine

[dispenserofjustice]

[Far be it from him to throw away a perfectly good weapon. Just as Garrus is about to fire, that vine takes the human by the ankle and starts to drag him off. Welp. Can't have that.]

Keep your head down!

[Garrus has this. He might not be able to snipe the vines, but his aim is always spot on. Without missing a beat, he charges forward. Taking aim, he fires on that monster plant with no intention of stopping until it releases its hostage.]

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco's dealt with a lotta bullshit in his time, but this really takes his cake.

The vine catches him off guard, and he drops hard. Fortunately he doesn't hit his head or anything. Unfortunately, the plant seems to be pulling him back like it's lassoed him, and the whole thing would be hilarious if it weren't so terrifying. But then, the alien he'd just handed the flamethrower to is telling him to keep his head down, and Cisco ducks his head, covers it with his arms and feels, rather than sees, the stream of fire that is streaking over him, past him, hitting the vines that are holding him a few yards higher than where they are curled around his ankle.

He feels the grip loosen as the plant writhes in pain, and he seizes the moment. Cisco kicks his foot free and then is scrambling away, on hands and knees at first and then standing up quickly, running full-out to put some distance between himself and the plant. ]

Thanks!

[ He gasps the word out as he runs past Garrus, not stopping until he's well behind him. He waits there, a healthy distance away, watching to see how well the flamethrower works and make sure that Garrus doesn't get pulled away, himself. ]

[dispenserofjustice]

[Garrus gives a nod, not letting up on that flamethrower for a second. There's no way he's giving that plant another chance to attack.]

Just stay back.

[He's got this, creeping closer and closer. As long as the weapon holds, Garrus isn't going to stop until the creature is a toasted crisp.]

Where'd these things come from anyway?

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco doesn't need to be told twice to stay back. He finds himself a wall he can put his back to, facing Garrus and the plants, so he knows they won't sneak up on him. But he stays close enough that they can talk, albeit across a slightly uncomfortable distance. ]

Over the wall. I heard it was some kinda chemical spill, someone was trying to synthesize some kinda monster repellent and they did the shittiest job imaginable at it. Like literally the opposite.

[ If Cisco sounds a little snippy about the whole thing, well, he's got his reasons. A) he nearly just got eaten by a plant, and hit his elbow really hard on the way down which is only now starting to sting. And of course, B) it was exactly reckless idiotic scientists like these who gave people like him a bad name. ]

There!

[ He spots another surge of vines creeping up on Garrus, out of his line of vision, and shouts his warning, pointing in their direction. ]