[open] it's time to tip it off

[franciscoramon]

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! ]

Comments

[franciscoramon]

[ Don't worry, Morgana: it's definitely a little bit of both. No reason young geniuses can't also have a little mad scientist in them, too.

But at the very least, when Morgana seriously declares that he is tough and unbothered by surprise explosions, Cisco accepts that without question. He can just be freaked out enough for the both of them.

Morgana's offer to help him get materials comes out of the blue; Cisco looks over to him quickly, head tilting to the side. ]

Wait, for real? How?

[neyouze]

[ the immediate acceptance coupled with equally-immediate interest strokes Morgana's ego; he puts his hands on his hips and puffs out his chest a little. ]

Heheh... I'm on the salvage team in the perimeter guard, so I go out there and find stuff all the time. And back home, I was always out adventuring and finding loot! You could say that I'm an expert.

[ He at least sounds extremely confident in his skills there. Power dampeners might have components a little more complex than smoke bombs, but how bad could it be? Honestly, he's kind of interested in how they work. ]

And I do a little bit of tinkering, myself, so I know good parts when I see them.

[franciscoramon]

Seriously? You're not jerking me around, right, 'cause that would actually be super helpful. Somebody told me about this one warehouse in the abandoned section of town, and I got a lot of good stuff outta there, but...

[ Cisco hesitates, gesturing vaguely as he struggles with how best to put this: ]

I'm not really your going out and adventuring time. I mean, I can do it, I just. Generally prefer that kind of thing to be vicarious.

[ He'd gotten cocky and gone into the woods and almost gotten eaten by a giant lizard; Cisco's seen horror movies, he's not dumb enough to make the same mistake twice. He knows that his talents are best exercised from safety, lending support and strategy to adventurous dudes like Barry or, apparently, Morgana.

Cisco's face brightens when Morgana boasts that he tinkers around, too. He asks immediately: ]

You do? Like, on what kind of stuff?

[neyouze]

[ morgana can for sure slay some giant lizards. It might be kind of hard on his own, but he'll try, dammit. He nods vigorously in response. It feels like it's rare for someone to actually take him seriously, so, of course, he's savoring it. And having it go straight to his head, most likely. ]

Mm, mm, of course. Not everyone's cut out for adventure like I am. That's nothing to be ashamed of. [ his tail is held high behind him, just like a proud cat. ] And... all kinds of things! Tools, smoke bombs, anything that might be useful for -- uh, adventuring. I'm pretty handy with cars, too.

[ though he doubts that will come up much. ]

Maybe we can work something out.

tfw you see a stupid typo but it's too late to fix it 😓

[franciscoramon]

Never really been into cars, myself. Don't know why. But if I ever hear about anyone having car trouble, maybe I'll give you a heads up.

[ Sure, Morgana is in the Perimeter Guard, but who doesn't love a good side hustle?

'Tools' is a bit vague, but that only makes Cisco even more curious. There's a part of him that wonders how Morgana could manage to make smoke bombs and the like without opposable thumbs, but that seems like a very rude thing to ask. Best way to satisfy his curiosity about both things, he figures, is to make an offer. ]

You should come by my workshop sometime, we can geek out. I promise, nothing'll explode next time. Well... 90% chance nothing will explode. 85%, minimum.

[ At Morgana's suggestion they can work something out, Cisco grins. He younger, when he is smiling: it has a way of lighting up his whole face. ]

Absolutely.

HAHAHA it's okay we've all been there...

[neyouze]

[ and Morgana grins right back. It's different, being able to just walk around and meet people like this. He's still not sure how he feels about this whole Riverview situation - but he thinks that he likes being able to be himself here instead of a regular housecat. ]

Then it's settled! I'll just... stand behind you while I'm there, just in case.

[ can't have explosions ruining his money-maker mascot mug. ]

How'd you get a workshop, though? They put me and Yuuto in this big apartment.

[franciscoramon]

[ Wow, burn. Cisco sets a hand against his chest, in mock-hurt at the remark about standing behind him in case of explosions, but it's clear he's trying hard not to smile, and in the end he gives an exaggerated shrug. ]

That's fair.

[ Now it's time for Cisco have a crisis - should he try to find somewhere they can sit to talk, so he's not towering over Morgana so much? Or would that be more rude? Would it be rude to ask which option is rude? Oh god... better to just stand there and do nothing. ]

Oh! They set me up with it after the whole job test, when they told me what they thought I could do to contribute around here. The job they said was best for me needed a place where I could invent stuff, so they just... handed over the keys.

[ Cisco's tone makes it clear he's aware of how acutely weird that is. Riverview is taking some getting used to for just these reasons - the residents don't just get everything they want handed to them, but at the same time... there is an awful lot more respect, consideration, and generosity from the powers that be than Cisco is really accustomed to. It's not a total utopia - he has to work, has to have money for rent and food and the rest. But it doesn't feel like a struggle, the way thing sometimes had back home. ]

They put you right into an apartment? Not the big communal housing building? Man... that's lucky!

[neyouze]

[ honestly, if Morgana knew he was panicking about something like that internally, he'd probably think it was funny. He's used to everyone towering over him. The alternative was usually sitting in someone's backpack, which was probably slightly more humiliating, now that he thinks about it. In any case, he shows no sign of being uncomfortable, or noticing that Cisco is, for that matter... ]

Oh, no, no, it's that big building. I'm not that familiar with this kind of stuff. [ considering he previously lived in The Void, and then jail. He sets that aside. ] You sound like the lucky one to me. I'm really surprised they'll just hand over space like that for free... They must be desperate for people.

[ which is intended as an insult towards the people in charge, not Cisco. He's not a big fan of authority. ]

It sure works out nicely for you, though.

[franciscoramon]

Yeah, it totally weirded me out they just gave it to me, too. I think it's 'cause what I'm doing is for the city, technically? I mean, I'm making this tech for the police and the firefighters and even you perimeter folks, so I guess I'm like... kind of a civil servant? Or something like that, I don't know. I wasn't about to look a gift workshop in the mouth.

[ Cisco had been a bit more suspicious, early on, but it's been months without any sign of an ulterior motive, and he can't really sustain his paranoia for all that long without any fuel for the fire. ]

Can I, um. Buy you a coffee? You know, as thanks for the whole, trying to save me from an explosion that it turns out I actually caused myself?

[ It's really a 50/50 whether or not Morgana will like coffee, but it was the most normal thing Cisco could think of to offer. ]

[neyouze]

[ it would probably be politer to turn the offer down at least once out of modesty. But Morgana is a cat. His eyes light up at the mention of coffee, and he shifts where he stands, seeming excited by the idea. Guess who lives above a cafe? ]

Ooh! That sounds great! All right, I accept your gratitude, Cisco! I want one with lots of cream in it.

[ it probably won't compare to Yuuto's homemade blends - but he barely ever gets to drink those, anyway.

(He's also thinking he should have made his teammates buy him stuff more often as thanks...) ]

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco grins: he certainly doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with accepting immediately, and enthusiasm over coffee is definitely something he can relate to. The slight formality of Morgana's response is unusual, but Cisco doesn't think twice about it. He nods in the direction they're going to go, and the two of them set off, away from that still faintly-smoking dumpster and the alley with garbage strewn all over it.

The comment about cream, it turns out, is the final straw that breaks the camel's back of Cisco's curiosity. He walks with his hands in his pockets and asks: ]

Okay, so. What, uh... what would you call yourself, exactly? 'Cause we haven't got, um, beings like you where I'm from. It's pretty much just humans and nothing else in my neck of the multiverse woods, so there's a lot of catching up I'm doing in this place.