riverviewlogs | [open] it's time to tip it off

Entry tags:

[open] it's time to tip it off

who: cisco + anyone!
what: catch-all
when: july
where: anywhere; if you want a starter, please hit me up!
warnings: discussion of sex & drinking

i. tech testing

[ Most of Cisco's work is done within the privacy of his workshop, but there comes a time when he has to leave and find a nice quiet place to actually test some of the tech that he's made. The one time he'd done so outside the wall, things had gone very very badly. So he makes a compromise, finds an alleyway that is within the city but deserted. Sure, he might blow up a dumpster or two and make quite a racket, but he is less likely to get attacked by monsters here, and if anyone disturbs him he can just tell them to clear out.

That's the theory, anyway. But some of the stuff he brought with him might be a bit more powerful than he'd intended... ]

ii. nesting

[ Cisco had been very tentative about his new living situation, at first. He didn't want to get too comfortable, in case Yuri changed his mind, or Eddie got sick of him. But after a few weeks, with no signs that they want him to leave, Cisco starts to think about maybe settling in to his new room. It's fairly stark, still - just a bed, some sheets, and an old couch. All his clothes are still in bags, but the first thing on his list is some dark curtains for the windows. He was never meant to be a morning person.

He can be seen in various shops in the quarantine, looking at furniture, rugs, curtains, etcetera. Cisco's not above asking random strangers for their opinion, either. ]

What do you think, this one or this one?

iii. misc

[ Come plot something! ]

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Is it?

[Kate perks up a bit. She'd already started taking college classes however she hadn't thought that it was still in the cards for her. She used to love learning and had been very good at school. Though she isn't sure what she was going to do outside of that.]

I'll admit. I'm not sure what I'd study.

[Her smile grows a bit.]

I wouldn't have offered unless I was ready to hold up my end of the deal.

See, but that's totally normal, I think a lot of people haven't got a clue when they start out. Just take a bunch of different stuff and see what sticks.

[ Cisco hadn't been one of those people - he'd always known what he wanted to do, just not if it was possible. It's only now that he's a little older that he realizes that that single-mindedness had been kind of a blessing in disguise. ]

Like, whatever it is you do for fun, there's probably some version of that that's a career. Like, for me, I was always taking stuff apart trying to figure out how it worked and like, see if I could turn a toaster into a robot. Boom! Mechanical engineering.

[ He grins when she says she is willing to do the rest of the shopping with him, and he wheels his cart in the direction of the desks and bookcases and the like. ]

[Kate laughs.]

I don't know why you'd want to turn a roaster into a robot. [She doesn't remember the last time she'd felt like laughing, let alone let the sound escape her lips.] Maybe historical studies or something like that. I always liked doing research and learning about everything I could. Though I did have someone teach me how to pick a lock. [That had been her start as a thief.

Kate follows behind him, silently grateful for the company. She finds it hard to be gloomy around Cisco.]

Okay, but like, why wouldn't you want to turn a toaster into a robot? Or, try, you know, because it's not really possible, there's just not enough of the necessary components there, by a long shot.

[ Maybe engineering is not for Kate, if she can't understand the intrinsic appeal of making shit into different shit. But from the sound of it there are other things she might be interested in that have some real potential. Cisco starts weaving his way through the desks, saying as he does: ]

So I'm looking for something pretty small, my room's not exactly gigantic.

[ He knows the exact measurements, but he doubts he'll really need them: he just needs to pick something relatively compact. And in the meantime, as he searches: ]

Okay, so it sounds like, maybe historian, maybe locksmith? I mean research can be about a lot of stuff, not just history. Even if you wanna stick with researching old stuff, there's archaeology, too. Actually I'm not really sure what makes archaeologists different from historians? Are they different?!

[Kate smiles, finding the mental image of a toaster turning into a robot interesting.] I never saw the Transformer movies. [She remarks casually as they make their way through the desks. She could understand the mechanics of objects, how they work and go together but she doesn’t have the sort of creativity that Cisco appears to have.

She lingers between desks before waving Cisco over to a small 3 foot by 18 inch black desk. It was simple, with a little shelf looking thing between the legs. Kate assumes it’s for a computer tower or something.]

What about this?

[She asks while thinking over her options.]

Not exactly like a locksmith. [Kate smiles, looking as if she’s sharing a private joke with herself.] Archaeologists are more concerned with uncovering history while historians learn the histories we already know. I’m sure there is more too it but I think that’s the idea. I would probably like Archaeology more though I’d feel a little obligated to buy a whip and a nice hat.

[Who doesn’t think of Indiana Jones when they think Archaeologist.]

Good, 'cause they're terrible. There's way better out there, if you're looking for action movies. And robot movies. And car movies to be honest.

[ Cisco doesn't have the world's highest opinion of Michael Bay, what can he say. He comes over to look at the desk she has chosen, making 'hmmm' noises of consideration and concluding: ]

I like it, but I'm thinking something with lighter wood? And a bit fancier? I mean... normally, I wouldn't care one way or another, believe me, most've my desks end up with scratches and scorch marks and pen all over them in about a day, but see... this guy I moved in with, you should see all his stuff. The apartment looks like a freakin' magazine, and he's totally doing me a huge favor letting me stay there, so I feel like I gotta up my game a little. Have classy adult furniture.

[ Cisco glances back into the cart, and then adds, with a conspiratorial little smile: ] Minus the space curtains.

[ He's sure that if Eddie were here, he'd insist that Cisco should just decorate however he wants, but Eddie's also too nice for his own good, and for all Cisco knows it would kind of bother him if he upsets the aesthetic too much. ]

Okay, so, scratch locksmith, substitute... cat burglar? [ He says it as a joke, mostly, but he does glance over, to see if maybe he's not that far off. He beams at the Indiana Jones reference (it's always so nice meeting people who have common points of cultural reference, and he doesn't have to stop and explain every other quote and joke). ]

I mean, obviously, yeah, but is that really a downside? Hell, this place has got a whole huge abandoned section of the city, and nobody's from here, who knows what kind of history you could uncover. If that's not asking for some Indiana Jonesing I don't know what is.

[Kate laughs and makes a mental note not to watch the Transformer movies. She rather likes Cisco's description anyway.]

So like that one over there? Do you think he will be that worried about the things you pick out for your room?

[She glances over to the space curtains and smiles.] I think you should be yourself around your friends. [Kate won't press the matter and it looks like they can find a small desk that's similar to the first one she found but nicer. It has a darker wood for the drawers and a lighter wood for the frame. It looks more sophisticated though Kate isn't sure if she likes it.]

I'd need a partner if I became a thief. [Kate meant it as a joke but it's hard to erase the sadness from her voice. It makes her think of the last time she saw Seth, walking along the road. She hopes he's okay, wherever he is.

Kate snaps out of her thoughts and looks over at Cisco.] I'll find something. I'm not in a rush and I think I'll look at some classes too. [She smiles a little brighter.] I'll look into becoming like Indiana Jones. The girl version.

[ Cisco goes over to look at the desk she'd pointed to, and it is much closer to what he'd been looking for: modest in size, still, but a touch heavier, a bit more old-fashioned, with a slightly worn walnut-colored wood. ]

It's perfect. [ And he picks up the rather heavy box with the disassembled version of the desk, lifting it up and into the cart with only a small amount of difficulty. Gives him a moment, anyway, to think over his answer to her question about whether Eddie actually cares what kind of furniture he gets. ]

I mean, maybe. I don't know. He's super nice, so probably not. I'm just worried about screwing things up, I guess.

[ The way she says what she does about needing a partner in crime if she's going to be a thief is... not quite the tone Cisco would expect for an offhand joke that really is just a joke and nothing more. Maybe the person who taught her to pick locks really was a thief. Which... is a little worrying. Cisco's not above a little rule-breaking now and then, but this girl's too young and too nice to be getting mixed up in a life of crime. ]

Hell yeah. Kate-iana Jones, action archaeologist. Just be careful of snakes.

[ He wheels the cart in the direction of lamps and light fixtures, talking as he goes: ]

So I'm guessing you're from Earth, since you know what Transformers are. Where you from, more specifically?

[Kate moves out of the way when he lifts the box and waits. She'd offer to help but it looks like he has it handled and sometimes you can help by simply remaining out of the way.]

Screwing things up? [She asks with a curious raise of her brow. It sounds like someone he likes though Kate doesn't want to presume. She's about to inquire further when he mentions snakes.

Her smile drops.

Seth, the man who had taught her to pick locks had been a thief. He'd been the only person to come out of Twisters alive with her. Her brother and Seth's brother had both turned into Culebra's; a snake like vampire. She should have realized that Indiana Jones talk would lead to snakes but it'd completely escaped her mind.]

Yeah. Oh, I'm from Bethel, Texas. Don't know if you've been down that way.

[She doesn't have the accent of someone from Texas.]

Oh, uh- [ Cisco breaks off into a quiet laugh, a touch of nervousness in it. He can tell she means no harm at all by the question, but at the same time it's hard to answer. It's not exactly simple, or a good idea, to explain to a total stranger that he pretty much thinks of himself as naturally unlikeable, that he worries about alienating people merely by existing. No, there's really no way to say that. ] -yeah, just. Y'know. A person who worries.

[ But thankfully she doesn't keep poking at it, because the mention of snakes seems to kind of shake her a little. Maybe she's actually afraid of them? He can't imagine she didn't get the reference. He hastens to add: ] I'm pretty sure real archaeologists don't run into a lotta snakes. Or Nazis. I'm pretty sure most of it is like, brushes and tiny chisels, not gunfights or car chases...

[ He hasn't heard of Bethel before, but it sounds like the kind of place name that would fit well enough in the world he was used to. It's always such a strange thing, trying to determine if someone is from the same world as him. ]

Central City, Missouri. Never been to Texas in my life. But... I haven't been a lot of places, so that's not saying too much.

[Kate forces her lips into a smile. It's very hard to describe why snakes bother her. It isn't that they scare her, no, there is only one thing that scares Kate now and it can't touch her here. Snakes, Twister, the Gecko's: any time she thought of them dark memories would rise.

While she's here, she almost forgot the life she'd left behind. A part of her knew she shouldn't forget. Her brother needs her and Richie... she has to apologize to him. She doesn't know how. If she returns she'll be dead but she feels that she needs too.] That's good to know. Still work a try. Who knows, a car chase might be fun. [She smiles a little more earnestly this time.]

You shouldn't worry. You're more amazing than you realize Cisco. [Kate has a talent for seeing the good in people.] I've never been outside of Texas until recently. Never been to Missouri. I think I've heard of Central City. I guess that's a little like Chicago big, right? [She isn't 100% sure.]

Oh, right. [Back on task.] What do you need next?

[ When she says car chases might be fun, Cisco grins, nods a little as if in concession. Of the weird and exciting things that have happened in his life recently, he's still never been in a car chase. He's been in a van that was racing to get to a bomb before it detonated, but, not quite the same thing. Probably it would be terrifying, in reality, but it IS kind of fun to imagine.

Her comment that he is amazing definitely strikes Cisco as odd - he even does a little double take, a tiny crease forming between his brows, waiting for her to turn that statement into a joke or something. But she doesn't, and he's left a little flattered and a little uncomfortable at the same time. Which is not Kate's fault, really. Just his low self-esteem and paranoia getting the better of him. He brushes it off, but files it away for later. ]

Little smaller than Chicago. It's the one with all the metahumans.

[ That would probably be a pretty good metric, to tell how different her world might be from his. Everybody knew about metahumans existing, even if they didn't understand them at all. ]

I need lamps. One for the desk and some I can install overhead. I don't want anything too fancy...

[She points over to where there are a bunch of floor lamps on display, as well as lights hanging from the ceiling. Kate assumes that they have desk lamps there too. All the lamps on currently plugged in and on, making it the brightest display in the store.]

Metahumans?

[Light green eyes look over at Cisco curiously as she makes her way towards the next area as she continues.] I don't think I've heard of the term. [Then again, she hasn't exactly been keeping up on the news. She has a guess of what they are and she wonders if Culebra would count.]

I don't know if there are desk lamps here but there are hanging ones.

Edited 2017-07-20 02:50 (UTC)

Yeah. People with abilities, you know, like the Flash? [ When he sees no recognition in her expression, he nods, like his theory has been confirmed: ] Yep, we're definitely from different universes. Which is something that probably sounds super weird to you, now, but you'll get used to it once you've been here a while.

[ He comes over to examine some of the lights near where Kate is standing, and has to squint a little bit; they really aren't kidding with this section, are they? Cisco chooses fairly quickly, this time: three very basic, intensely bright fluorescent lights that are meant to be affixed to a ceiling and, on a lower shelf, a only slightly less blinding desk light to mach. He knows himself, knows he'll end up doing work in his bedroom even when he has a perfectly good lab, and so he'll want to be able to see what he's doing properly. ]

Metahumans are basically people with powers. Running really fast, controlling the weather, turning their body into steel, that kind of thing. They got comic books in your world? It's pretty much like that.

[ He shrugs; he's found that that explanation usually works, here, for people who come from places without guys like Barry. ]

Sounds like our worlds are pretty similar, though. They've both got Texas, anyway. And Indiana Jones.

[Kate shakes her head.] I'm getting used to weird. [She should be dead right now but she isn't. After that, it's hard to deny that anything could be true.]

It sounds like an interesting place. Are there a lot of these Metahumans?

[The more he describes it the more she thinks about the Culebra's and her brother. Part of her mind thinks about Richie too and then Seth but it's a darker, sadder part of herself that she doesn't know if she's ready to face. She isn't running away, she just needs time. 'There is no more love.' Kate wonders if she really believed that.]

I don't know much about different worlds or comics but it's nice to know that they aren't too different. [She flashes him a friendly smile.]

[ Cisco's brows lift just a touch, but his expression is amused. She sounds so serious about it, but it's hard to know if that slight touch of drama is a result of her age or if her life had just become spectacularly weird before the portal and this place ever got involved. He's learned not to make assumptions. ]

You mean before you got here, or since then?

[ Her comment about it being an interesting place earns a little snort from Cisco, as if that's the understatement of the century. Kate's question is easy enough to answer: ]

We calculated it was about 1% of the city's population that got turned into metas. Which is still about three or four thousand. Guess it's up to you whether you think that's a lot or not.

[ He walks with Kate in the direction of room decorations, next: little rugs, mirrors, posters, all of that. Cisco stops to just stare at it all for a moment - this is the stuff that really matters, that will really make his new room feel like a kind of home. ]

Definitely not too different. You wouldn't believe how hard it's been to adjust to half the people here not understanding my Kanye jokes. That's like, half my repertoire!

[Her life has really gotten that spectacularly weird.]

Before I got here.

[Kate says with a practiced smile. She doesn't know if she can talk about everything but some things come easier: talking about her brother or the culebra are usually the easier topics to attempt to breach.]

It sounds like a lot.

[Her expression softens.] It must be hard to feel different like that. High school was bad enough, I can't imagine it with powers that others don't have.

[Kate's smile returns as she looks back over at Cisco briefly.] Kanye is half? How much can you say about him?

Okay, now you got me mad curious.

[ Which is not a request for her to say more about why she is getting used to weird, so much as an invitation to tell him more if that's what she wants. If she wants to stay vague he isn't going to push, but he is pretty intrigued.

Cisco's learned that it says a lot about a person, how they react to metahumans. Some people immediately jumped to thinking of them as a threat. Others, as saviors. Kate, apparently, didn't have any intermediate steps between hearing metas are real and thinking of them as human beings, who would have to incorporate them into their everyday lives. Cisco smiles softly; he thinks he is going to like this kid. ]

Right? Just when you thought high school couldn't be any worse...

[ Yet another thing their worlds have in common, it would seem: high school sucks across the multiverse. ]

...I've actually never heard of any metas that young. Which doesn't mean they don't exist, it just means they're keeping things on the dl. Not telling anybody about their powers, if they even know they have them. Not everyone's abilities emerged right away. For some metas it was weeks or months or even a year later.

Ever here of Culebra? [Besides the fact that it's the word snake in Spanish.

She doesn't know where to start. There are legends about the things she'd run into but she hadn't known about them, she doubted that someone from an alternate universe knows about them.

Kate thinks it's best to accept people for who they are. They're all gods children. That's what she would have said but she isn't sure if it's true. What she does know is that they all share the Earth and they should treat each other like neighbors. It doesn't matter what skin color you are or if you have powers or if you're a vampire.]

I actually liked high school but I know that's not the case for everyone.

[She had friends that she'll never see again. A homecoming that she never got to go too.] I suppose that's easier and harder. If you're older.

[ Cisco's eyes narrow and his head tilts to the side in confusion, clearly he is even more curious now and definitely surprised by that answer. ]

I mean, I know the word, but I'm guessing you don't just mean, like, have I heard of snakes...?

[ He is still really interested in what she has to say, but starts browsing some of the decorations. A lot of them are not really to his taste - either very cutesy or very sleek and classy. He finds a clock that he likes - large and minimalist, non-digital, and sets it gently into the cart.

It doesn't surprise him terribly much that Kate liked high school - she is friendly, polite, very conventionally pretty. Absolute popular girl material, as far as he can tell. Which, in some kind of '80s coming of age film, would probably have made them natural enemies, but real life is much more complex than movies. The so-called popular girls, who were supposed to be so vicious, had never bothered Cisco much. ]

Yeeeaaahhh, I definitely wasn't a fan.

[ It is a complex question to consider - whether people who were turned into metas younger had it better off than people who got their lives turned upside-down after they had a settled idea of themselves and where their lives were headed. ]

I think it depends on the person, and even more on the power. Some abilities, it's pretty easy to hide. Others... well, some metas never got much of a choice.

[Kate tries to find the right way to explain it. They are snakes but it’s so much more as well.]

There is a legend in Mexico. About snakes and their goddess. Something like a snake demon but beautiful. I- [Her voice breaks and she swallows uncomfortably.] My family found something. It was a club called Twisters but we were locked inside and the people who worked there turned into these creatures. My father, brother, and I weren’t even supposed to be there. They sucked everyone’s blood like they were vampires but their eyes were like snakes and their teeth folded to the top of their mouths.

[Kate pauses. At this point she’s completely forgotten that they are in a store or that Cisco is looking for things. She’s lost, somewhere in the dark turns of her mind.] We had to fight our way out. There was a small group of us. My brother was turned into one of them and- [She stopped again but this time it’s because it was too hard to go on.]

After we got out. I wanted to help my brother. Tell him that he didn’t have to kill to feed. He didn’t want to listen to me. Before… before I could help I ended up here. [She’s leaving out the getting shot part of the story too.]

It’s hard to be different. Whatever your age is. For my brother and the metahumans in your world… I hope they’re okay.

[ If Cisco hadn't been in this place as long as he has, there might have been a pause as he wondered if Kate had an incredible deadpan and was just trying to punk him by telling the most ridiculous story she could think of. But he has been here, and he's heard about all sorts of things. Horrible dark entities swallowing galaxies whole, humans getting slowly transformed into aliens just by touching the wrong piece of tech. Hell, he's even spoken to a vampire who is living in this place. So he doesn't doubt that it's the truth.

But it's just... horrifying, plain and simple. Cisco turns away from the package of glow-in-the-dark stars he'd been considering, staring at Kate, his expression a mixture of horror and sadness. He can tell that he pushed too far, that this is all very raw and emotional for Kate. He doesn't stop her from talking, or interrupt - just listens, setting down the stars and covering his mouth with his hand when she says her brother was turned. That she'd come through the portal before she could find a way to help him. ]

Kate, that's... that's awful. I'm so sorry.

[ It's a lot to take in. A part of him is curious - about the Culebras and the legends around them - but he hates himself for it. Now is not the time to geek out and ask a bunch more questions. Cisco swallows, tries to think of a reassurance he can give that won't sound like empty, hollow nonsense. He can't tell her it's all alright, because clearly it super is not. In the end all he can think to say is: ]

I hope so too.

[ Then, he takes a little step closer, raising a hand slowly to touch her elbow, not wanting to startle her but feeling like he ought to reach out in some way. ]

Are... you okay? I didn't mean to pry and bring up all that. And I know you don't know me or whatever but now I'm like... kinda worried.

[Kate looks up when Cisco touches her arm. There is sadness in her gaze but also an immovable strength. She appreciates his words and it brings a small hint of a smile that doesn't touch her eyes. After a pause she shakes her head.]

Don't worry about it. I can't do anything about it anymore. [Even if she returns she'll be dead. There is literally nothing that Kate can do. She can't help her brother or find Seth and she doesn't have the blind hope that she used to have that believed that everything would be alright.] And I ain't tellin' you any of this so you'll feel bad. [A twinge of her Texan accent reveals itself briefly.]

It's nice to be able to tell someone here. Sorry to put that on you.

[She points to the stars feeling oddly lighter now that she's shared a small fraction of what had happened. She spent so long trying to hide it and protect her brother but it doesn't matter here.]

You should get those.

[ Cisco... is going to keep worrying, because that's just how he is as a person, but he at least has realistic ideas about how little his worry will accomplish. He's been through what Kate is going through: not the particulars, no, but the general feeling. Needing some time to let go of his past life, to reconcile the fact that he lives here now, that if Barry is in need, or Caitlin, they are going to have to deal with it without him. It had been harder, at first. Now... he doesn't mind so much. ]

Hey, don't apologize. Everybody needs a friend, and I'm more than happy to listen. No matter how weird or sad the story is.

[ And at her behest, he drops the packet of stars into the cart, and then another, and then with a little shrug of 'why not', two more. He'll have a whole night sky going. ]

Don't know if it'll really be any consolation, but I haven't heard any rumors about snake-eyed vampires, and I hear an awful lot of the rumors, so this place is probably Culebra-free.

Thank you. [It's nice to have someone that she can talk too and while she has know Cisco for a little under an hour she feels as if he's someone she can trust. Kate usually has decent feelings about people and her heart is telling her that they could be friends.]

Not all of them are bad. Just like not all people are bad.

[If her brother or Richard ever arrived here she'd probably be happy to see them, despite the fact that they are both Culebra.]

Are you going to map the constellations on your ceiling?

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franciscoramon - 2017-08-05 01:51 (UTC) - Expand

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