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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[ Cisco has heard quite a bit about this Gramarye place, and has spoken to more than one of its employees via the network. He's also not entirely ignorant about magic; those conversations had been supplemented by the things Taako has told him here and there. But none of it had been very systematic, and it had only served to make Cisco more curious. He has a lot of questions that he wants answered.

So, one day, he leaves his workshop early and goes to visit and see if he can't find out a little bit more about what sort of stuff they do there. Probably it would have been wise to contact them in advance, maybe set up a tour or a meeting. Instead he just turns up at the door, with a little notepad and a pen and a big grin. He asks at the front desk (if they have one) whether there are any magicians or sorcerers or witches or warlocks or other magic-workers willing to see him and talk for a little while. ]

Edited 2017-07-05 20:33 (UTC)

[ To say that Cisco is nervous would be the understatement of the year. He is actually pacing within his workshop, checking the time on his phone every minute or so, and chewing on his nails until he notices what he's doing and forces himself to stop. He spends a good twenty minutes like this, waiting for Billy to show up, cursing his past self.

But his past self had known that the best way to avoid chickening out was to make arrangements in advance, so that Cisco couldn't bail or change his mind without looking incredibly suspicious. He had texted Billy and said it was important, and asked him to come by the workshop at a particular hour. And now that hour is here, and Cisco knows what he'd planned to do. He is going to tell Billy about his powers, and ask for his help.

That doesn't make it easy.

The knock on the door startles him as he is chewing at a cuticle, and Cisco quickly goes over to answer it, smiling a bit too wide when he sees Billy on the other side of the door. ]

Hey! C'mon in.

[ He lets Billy inside and closes the door after him, gesturing towards the pair of rolling chairs near the computer. Even as he sits down in one of them, Cisco is filled with restless energy. In total, Billy will only be the fifth person to know he has powers. Two had figured out on their own despite Cisco's efforts, and the other two had seen Cisco using his powers and all he'd done was fill in the gaps. So this is the first time it's really, truly been his choice, and it's harder than he'd anticipated. ]

Um. Right. So. I wanted to talk to you. About... some stuff.

Edited 2017-07-05 20:46 (UTC)

(He most likely gets directed to Lucretia's office, as she's been specifically researching the variance in magic of the people who live here. She's in there with the door open, flicking idly through a little bunch of notes with her thumb and trying to jumble everything into some semblance of order.

When somebody appears at her door, she glances up, pushing her glasses up her nose with her forefinger. She spins her chair to face the door.)

Hi. (Lucretia notes with interest that he's holding a notebook and pen.) Can I help you?

[ Cisco feels a little guilty interrupting, but anticipation and curiosity are overriding the better part of his nervousness. He steps into the office, gives a quick glance around it before transferring the pen and notebook both to his left hand so he can extend his right for her to shake. ]

Hey there, my name's Cisco, Cisco Ramon. They told me you were probably the best one to come talk to? About, y'know... magic!

[ Wow, Cisco. Real specific, there. He huffs a little laugh at himself, ducking his head and explaining in a rush: ]

See, back home my job, well, part of my job was researching some pretty weird and unexplained stuff, trying to understand it and figure out how it works. But we didn't have magic. Magic was just... totally not a thing outside of stories for kids. And then I came here, and magic is real, like, I've seen people doing spells! So obviously, I wanna know more about how it works, but everybody I've met who does magic is more of a "I don't know the nuts and bolts, I just wave this wand and I levitate" type of person. So I thought I'd come talk to someone who studies it

[ Some of that was probably not information that Lucretia needed. In fact, most of it probably wasn't. He could have just walked in and said "Explain magic to me please," but Cisco is something of a nervous talker. ]

(Cisco? Sounds familiar. It could be that Taako has mentioned a Cisco before.

She shakes his hand with a mutter of 'hail and well met', before he launches off into a complicated explanation; which is fine. She's more than happy to sit and listen. It seems like he's quite passionate and interested in the whole thing, and it kind of makes her a bit excited to talk with him. Working here is so great.)

I'm Lucretia, (she supplies the moment he's finished talking, lips quirking in a quick smile.) It's good to meet you. And I'd be happy to talk to you about magic, though you have to understand that I can't speak generally for- uh, for magic as a whole. I can only speak for my own experiences. That's fine with you?

(Hopefully that's not too blunt an answer.)

[ It's encouraging, when Lucretia smiles briefly at him, and Cisco relaxes just a fraction; he perches on the edge of the chair by the door that is clearly for visitors, opening up his notepad and tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear and out of the way. This is all going so much easier than he'd anticipated. ]

Yeah, of course, are you kidding? I'm starting from zero here, so anything at all that you can tell me is gonna be super informative.

[ He tries to think of what would be helpful to him, if their roles were reversed: if a witch or druid or whatever showed up at his workshop and said "tell me all about science". He imagines it's probably difficult to know where to begin, so he chooses one of the many many questions he's had rolling around in his head for some time. ]

So... I heard that magic's got something to do with the manipulation of energy?

[With a really urgent sounding text like that, Billy doesn't let himself be late meeting Cisco. He can't imagine what's going on really, but he wants to help him with whatever he's able to.

And he's never been to Cisco's workshop, or at least inside of it like this, so he does sort of take a look around as he's let inside. He's about to make a comment, but--

Yeah, he can totally tell Cisco is nervous. That's not really alleviating any concerns he has since that's-- probably not a good sign, is it? Something must really be going on. His interest in his surroundings fades for the time being as he goes to sit in the chair he's motioned towards.]

Hey-- yeah, alright. What's going on? ['Stuff' can mean such an infinite number of things that Billy can't help a concerned look.] Is everything okay?

[ Cisco holds out a calming hand, waving off Billy's concern with a quick: ] Yeah, yeah, everything's fine, this is not, like, a crisis.

[ With that out of the way, he sits back, and just... tries to figure out where to begin. It really is a strange feeling - Cisco's not someone who usually struggles with expressing himself. He is good with words, witty, fast on his feet when it comes to jokes and conversation. But he only barely has the language to articulate any of this, and very little practice with it.

After a few intensely awkward moments of silence in which he draws a few breaths, clearly about to speak, and then falters, he at last manages: ]

So you remember when we first met, and we were talking about our worlds, and you were telling me about mutants and being a mutant, and I was telling you about metahumans and I said I knew about them 'cause of working with the Flash and that was it.

[ He is working himself up to it, looking everywhere but at Billy. He picks up a multitool swiss army knife off the desk and messes with it, just so he has something to do with his hands as he talks. But he's got some momentum, now, so he can keep going: ]

I... may have been lying. A little bit. Or... a lot. 'Cause the thing is- [ It's such a strange disconnect; he knows Billy well enough now to know that of the people he could tell, he is a very safe option. He would have no reason to want to exploit Cisco's powers, and he's hardly going to be biased against people with powers when he is one himself. But somehow it still makes his heart race a little when he forces himself to just finally say it. ] -I'm. A metahuman.

[ Though he's no stranger to trying to settle down in unfamiliar places, Morgana's finding it much harder to relax and think when he stands out so damn much. All that time spent in Yongen-Jaya complaining about being stuck in a cat's body - he's realizing he sort of took the advantages it gave him for granted. Now he has the freedom to walk around and do the same things that normal people do... but he gets stared at and stopped more often than he'd like. And he's not content to just hide in his friend's room all day.

Basically, he's purposefully trying to take backroads and alleyways to stay out of the public eye a little bit. He's a sneak; he can't help it. But he's also a responsible little thing - so when he hears an explosion coming from one of those deserted corners, he can't help but immediately run over. Just by poking his head into the alleyway, he can't tell exactly what happened, but he does see someone standing there-- ]

Are you okay?! I heard a huge bang from over here!!

Yeah...

[Billy's relieved that Cisco isn't having some kind of emergency on his hand, but there's a mark of confusion clear in his expression when he continues on. Billy doesn't rush him though, lets him take his time-- just from personal experience. It's not easy to tell stuff you've been holding on to for a while.

Although when Cisco finally gets it out? Well, Billy sort of had his suspicions honestly, but Cisco hadn't seemed ready or willing to talk about it, or be prodded into it.

He leans back in his chair, and he's quiet for a moment.

Billy isn't one to exploit people, no, or hurt them deliberately. He figures this is a big deal to Cisco-- and that? Well, he definitely understands. Powers can be terrifying things, isolating too.]

I have to say-- this is the first time I've had someone come out to me. [He offers a short smile to show he's just teasing, trying to awkwardly lighten the mood or put Cisco at ease... something.]

But is it something that's just sort of now kicked in or something you've suspected for a while? [Billy isn't one to judge, not about this. They may come from different worlds, with different approaches to powers, but... being judged for just being yourself? It's not something he's okay with, whatever the circumstances.]

What sort of power is it? I mean-- if you want to talk about it.

Watch out!

[ Cisco only just has time to shout the warning before the dumpster (which is billowing a copious amount of dark smoke) lets out another loud BANG and sends some more of its contents flying through the air. It's only sheer luck that none of it lands on Cisco, who holds his arms over his head.

After that he goes back to what he was doing, spraying the dumpster with a fire extinguisher, coughing and trying to keep his face out of the worst of the smoke. ]

It's okay, I got this, that should be the last one...

[ A few moments of spraying fire-suppressing foam later, Cisco emerges from the smoke. There's a not inconsiderable amount of soot on his face and clothes, but he's not on fire, and now the dumpster isn't either. ]

[ Cisco laughs at Billy's crack about him coming out, maybe a little more than he ought to; this whole thing is proving to be such a strange mix of exhilaration and terror, but that little drop of humor helps to break the tension. ]

It's the first time I've told anybody. I mean, that I've wanted to. There's a couple people who know, but that's just, 'cause they saw me using my powers and then I didn't really have a choice. So... how'd I do?

[ The question is rhetorical, Cisco's own way of lightening the mood some more. He doesn't expect or even want an answer. Because even if it had been fumbling, he'd done it, and Billy is being completely chill. His heart is still racing, but it's a little more relief and a little less fear, now. ]

My powers kicked in about eight months ago, but I didn't actually figure out that meant I was a metahuman until maybe six-ish months ago. I just thought I was going crazy at first, and then I didn't know what the hell was going on. And -

[ He hits a snag, here. The explanations get thornier, more complicated, more fraught. How could he possibly explain his own reaction to being a metahuman, without laying out the whole horrible history with Dr. Wells. Without explaining the contents of those first vibes, without delving deeply into stuff he wouldn't even feel comfortable talking about with his closest friend? It's so hard, to pull out just a few strands from that tangle, and lay them out as if they're the whole story. ]

- I'm not exactly happy about being a meta. Um. At all. So I didn't tell anyone and I lied and stuff and just figured if I pretended nothing was happening, I don't know. It wouldn't be real.

[ He pushes forward, before Billy has time to say anything else or ask any more questions: ]

But lately my powers have been, I don't know, getting stronger or something? And denial's not doing the trick so I want to learn to control them and that's the whole reason why I'm telling you and why I asked you to come here. I'm not just, like, confessing to you. Your powers sound a lot like mine. I mean... you said you can see things, right? Other timelines, other worlds. Stuff that hasn't happened yet. I can, too. That's my power. And... and some other stuff, too.

Edited 2017-07-08 01:15 (UTC)

(She's a little flustered by his obviously eager attention, but pleased to be able to help. Strange combination. She clears her throat and looks away across the room, gathering her thoughts.

When she starts to speak, it's accompanied by a lot of hand gestures, as if she's feeling her way through the answer.)

Well, it's... for me, it's about visualisation more than anything. To cast spells, I need to prepare it first, in my mind. Um, different kinds of magic have a different kind of feeling. And to access that... that visualisation and turn it into magic, you need a word, or a ritual. Something to harness it.

Does that make any sense? I feel like I'm rambling. (It's strangely hard to explain how something she does without thinking actually works.)

It's a manipulation of mental energy, more than anything.

[ If Lucretia's explanation is at all vague or confusing, Cisco gives no indication that that bothers him one bit. He listens to her without interruption, jotting down a few notes as she speaks, eyes narrowing now and then with interest or confusion. He waits until he is sure that she's finished before he speaks again. ]

Okay first off, you're not rambling, this is totally what I came here for. Second off, so... anyone can do it, right? I mean... setting aside the whole bit where some people are just naturally good at some things and other people suck. The mental energy isn't specific to someone's DNA? I mean- to their genetics?

[ Cisco is trying to avoid scientific terms that may not translate well for someone from a different world, but there's only so much he can do. He tries again: ]

The ability to do magic isn't passed down from parent to child, it's something everybody has, in theory?

[ He wants to know more about the words, and rituals, and all of that, but his primary concern is this: the ability to do magic, and to what degree it might be encoded in someone's genes. ]

[Kate isn't looking for anything specific. She's wandering from store to store to see what all of the shops have. A home store makes sense considering the purpose of the city though Kate has no interest in shopping there. She's still getting to know her roommate and she doesn't want to push any unseen boundaries.

That doesn't mean she can't look.

Her finger gently runs along a decorative plate. There is a snake painted on it which always got Kate thinking of home, her bother and the Gecko's. She wonders what they were up to right now. Cisco's voice broke her from her thoughts and snapped her attention over to him and his plight.]

Huh? What are you looking for exactly?

[Knowing nothing about Cisco makes it a little difficult to offer a helpful opinion.]

[ Cisco feels a touch guilty when he sees that the young woman he was talking to had been lost in her own thoughts, and that he'd jarred her out of that with his sudden, random question. ]

Which would look better in an attic bedroom?

[ One of the sets of curtains is nice, but rather plain - just a rich, dark eggplant with a very faint texturing across it in diamond shapes. The other set is a bit more whimsical, with stars and planets and comets, and probably was meant for a child's bedroom in all honesty. ]

Elegant, or fun?

(It's very strange to have somebody taking notes while she talks. Is this what it feels like to be the various people she's asked for quotes, and comments over the years? Not to mention her coworkers, who have simply let her journal their lives for more than thirty years, now. Strange. Lucretia clears her throat.)

Yes, generally anybody can do it so long as they are willing to learn. I'm– um, I'm human so I have a decent proficiency in magic. Elves are very attuned to the right sort of energy, so they find it the easiest to learn, whereas orcs or dwarves have a much lower compatibility, and find it harder to learn.

So yes, everybody in theory has the ability. It's less about genetics, and more about race- but even then, that doesn't fully impede anybody from learning.

[ Clark isn't usually snooping around every corner of Riverview. If there's something unusual going on, the local police have it in hand, or any of the other superheroes and vigilantes look into it immediately.

This noise has been going on for a while. He can't hear anybody shouting in fear, so it's not urgent. But it keeps going on.

Clark goes as Clark, not Superman. He's holding his camera as he comes into the mouth of the alleyway. It's the best excuse he could think of on short notice. ]

What's going on here?

[Kate regards the two sets of curtains with a serious stare. While the dark one will work well to get rid of any unwanted light, attics are usually smaller and something a little brighter or whimsical might be a little bit more suited. Her lips tug into a smile as she looks between them.]

That one.

[She points to the set with stars, planets and comets.]

I think that space is cool.

[ Cisco continues listening and taking notes, privately relieved that he doesn't have to try again to explain what genetics are, that Lucretia in fact clearly understands both the term and the concept behind it. It occurs to him that perhaps it might be a good idea to lay a few of his cards on the table, explain a little bit why he is interested. Some of it is pure curiosity of course, but... ]

See the reason I ask that is, like I said when I came in, nobody can do magic where I come from. But about a year or so ago, there was an accident at a particle accelerator, and it released all kinds of weird energies into this one city, and it changed some people's DNA, and after that they could do some stuff that you might call magic.

[ Cisco taps his pen a few times against the notebook before he amends: ]

Or maybe it's something else entirely, 'cause there's never any rituals or special words. Maybe some visualization, though, and that might be all that matters?

[ Lucretia had said that she was most comfortable talking about her own experience with magic, which is what makes Cisco think it might be okay to ask: ]

What's your, um, area of expertise, then? I heard that in some worlds there are specializations, like, druids or necromancers, or warlocks, that sort of stuff.

[ Cisco might not be shouting in fear, but he's not exactly in control of the situation at the moment. He had been trying to make something like the boot he'd had back in Central City - a device that could disable metahuman powers (and hopefully, some forms of magic) within a certain range. The only problem is, he's having a little trouble with the delivery system. Right now, the projectile version doesn't set up a power disruption pulse so much as blow up. A lot.

And now he's managed to pick the one alley that had some kind of oil spilled across the concrete, and the fire from the relatively small explosion is spreading. Rapidly. Cisco brought a fire extinguisher with him, and he's attacking the flames nearest to him, but it's pretty clear the fire is spreading faster than he can quell it. He is muttering to himself under his breath, a continuous stream of: ]

Shit! Shit shit shit...

[ He doesn't notice Clark until he hears him call out, and his response is immediate. He throws out an arm in warning, shouts: ]

Watch it! Don't come any closer! Clark?! [ Kind of hard to tell what with all the fire, but Cisco thinks he recognizes him. ] Just call the fire department, okay?

[ Cisco beams, delighted by her choice. The truth is, he'd been leaning towards those curtains, too, but he'd been mostly concerned with whether he ought to buy them. This is his first time sharing a place with roommates, and he doesn't want to immediately make them think he's some immature man-child.

But if this random lady thinks they're the better option, he's absolutely prepared to use that as justification]

Hell yeah, space is cool.

[ Cisco carefully hangs the purple curtains back into the display rack and tucks the space-patterned ones into his basket. He turns again to the girl, who by all accounts seems pretty cool, and asks: ] What're you looking for? Or are you just window shopping?

[ Get it? Because they're in the section with window dressings? Yeah, that was a bad one. ]

Edited 2017-07-10 07:09 (UTC)

(She gets a funny look on her face as he talks, like she's trying to process what he's saying and is hitting a wall somewhere in her mind. Pulling one of the open notebooks from her desk over to her lap, she finds a fresh page and a pen, and makes a couple quick notes of her own.)

Okay...

(She circles something twice in her book, then snaps it shut.)

I've never heard of anything like that before. To me it– it... doesn't sound like magic. I can't imagine any circumstances in which magical potential could be forced into people, accident or not. But, like I said before, where I come from everybody already has the ability, so the thought of something like that happening is... absurd.

(She shrugs a shoulder.)

My class, you mean? I'm what we call a wizard. I specialize in abjuration magic.

[Kate doesn't see anything wrong with whimsical or silly compliments to a room. She's pretty sure that the plaid pink curtains from her childhood were still up in her old room. She doesn't plan to return home but maybe she will for those curtains. A small reminder of the innocents she once possessed.

Her smile widens at his pun and against all odds, Kate laughs.] You could say that, yes. I wanted to take a look around and see everything they had here. I need to find a job before I can really start buying anything.

[She enjoys all and any lighthearted conversation. It feels odd talking about drapes. Maybe a little to normal.]

What about you? Did you just come for the curtains?

[ Cisco nods, not questioning Lucretia even though her answer isn't phrased entirely decisively. She's an expert on magic - that's why she works here - and it doesn't sound like magic to her. Which, for Cisco's purposes, means that he's unlikely to find a whole lot of answers about his own powers by learning more about magic. A bit of a disappointment, there, but he doesn't let that show. ]

Abjawhatnow?

[ Cisco may be young, but it's been a few years since he was memorizing lists of SAT words. As soon as he was in college he promptly forgot just about all of them - anything that wasn't related to science, anyway. Besides, there's no guarantee it would mean the same thing in this context. ]

So... if everybody starts with the potential to do magic, is there no way to block that? Like, to prevent someone from being able to do it?

[ He asks this last question a touch hesitantly, aware that it might sound a little suspicious. If it weren't so important, he wouldn't risk it. ]

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[open] it's time to tip it off

for lucretia

for billy

ty! ♡

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ii. nesting

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