riverviewlogs | [closed] There is a terrible cost to dark magic, but you know what they say

[There's a second where it feels like something is pulling at Cisco, from just below his breastbone, but the sensation fades and nothing changes.]

Fuck.

[And Taako is just there, hauled into the dream as he tries to refocuses his magic; he doesn't even take the time to look around, just makes a gesture in the air as he pulls at the dream in an attempt to reshape it.

They knew that something could go wrong with this, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon. Apparently the vision is more resistant to being changed than a regular dream is.]

Fuck, I got some bad news for you, pumpkin.

[ Cisco doesn't panic right away. When he hears Taako's voice, at first it is a relief. A reminder that this isn't really happening, that the two of them are camped out in a little room in the hospital, on a moon that is in another fucking universe than S.T.A.R. Labs. Seeing Taako also helps; he doesn't belong here, in this place. The mismatch keeps Cisco's head clear, for a little space of time.

But then Taako is waving his hands, gesturing like he's doing magic. Only... nothing changes. Nothing at all. The juddering, vibrating hologram speaks its recorded line in the same creepy voice as always, and they are still here. Cisco's heart is racing, but he's still hoping this is some stupid mix up. Or maybe... ]

Taako, you know I love your sense of humor, but this is a really, really, reeeaaally bad time to be pranking me. Just- get us outta here, please. Doesn't matter where. It can be somewhere totally shitty.

[ He glances over his shoulder, and the elevator is only two floors away. His breaths become a touch more frantic, a thin edge of panic in them, but he's keeping a handle on it, for now. ]

[This is unfortunate, but unlike Cisco, Taako has no need to be afraid; this isn't his nightmare, and there's nothing in here that can hurt them.]

We knew this shit might not work, and this is this shit, not working.

[He keeps his voice steady, a little casual, trying to help Cisco keep his own chill despite the fact they're currently stuck here.]

Try to calm down, this could be cause you're subconsciously fighting this.

[And this magic is different, if the person is fighting it.]

[ Cisco does try. When Taako tells him to calm down, he takes a long, shaky breath, lets it out very slowly. He tells himself that the fear is just a chemical reaction in his brain caused by the goggles. He can just choose not to pay attention to it. ]

Just end it then. Experiment failed. Stupid idea in the first place. Wake us both up.

[ He tries to say it all very calmly, and rationally; it comes out a bit more clipped and urgent than all that. Then he misunderstands, when Taako says maybe the magic isn't working because Cisco is fighting against it. Cisco is not an angry sort of person, but more than anything else, fear makes him lash out, which is what happens now. ]

Subconsciously fighting it? What, for real? Like, you think I want to be here right now? I don't-

[ Before he can get any further, there is a soft noise, and the elevator doors are opening. Cisco whirls around, his rant against Taako forgotten. As soon as Cisco sees the rather unremarkable looking man in all black standing in the elevator, his demeanor changes from just this side of freaking out to full-blown panic. He freezes in place, can't seem to take his eyes off the man, even as he says to Taako, desperate this time, pleading: ]

Please. Taako, please, you need to get me out of here.

[The anger doesn't bother him, he gets that this is just because Cisco is scared, the fear from this memory heightened by the goggles, and he doesn't feel that explaining himself will help the situation. Nothing much is going to help this particular situation, except for getting them out of here.

And that becomes far more important when... someone exits the elevator, a man Taako doesn't know, and Cisco's voice takes on a desperate edge.]

Trust me, bubbale.

[It's gentle as it can be, as Taako closes his eyes, ignoring the sound of the man approaching, ignoring Cisco's quickened breathing, just focusing all his effort and energy into changing the spell.

He gestures again, and with an almost painful shudder, the vision changes. He'd been thinking about elevators, about basements, trying to stick as close to the original dream as possible in the hope that would help, and it did, because they're currently in the voidfish's chamber.

When Taako opens his eyes, he can see it floating in it's tank in front of them, and even if it's not real, he says:]

It's real fucking good to see you, Fisher.

[The voidfish hums in response.]

[ Cisco wants to trust Taako. He had trusted him enough to try this experiment, after all, which is a hell of a lot. But it's hard to focus on anything else with Eobard Thawne walking slowly and purposefully towards him, one hand raised high and vibrating so fast that it is an awful, nauseating blur. He's smiling a little, even though Cisco's not really sure anymore whether that detail is quite right. When Taako closes his eyes, clearly focusing on trying the spell again, Cisco just assumes it will fail a second time. And he stops pleading and just... gives up. He hangs his head and braces himself for the pain of having his heart torn to bits. There's no point in trying to run or fight back. He knows that as well as he'd known it the first time.

But then, impossibly, he feels a kind of tug from just beneath his ribcage, and Eobard is gone. That shuddery, awful sound of his hand vibrating is gone, replaced by the soft sound of water moving in some kind of huge container, an overall low hum as if there were in some kind of ship or plane. Cisco looks up, breath catching in his throat.

Taako had told him about the voidfish, but words didn't really do it justice. It's so much bigger, and stranger, and more beautiful than Cisco had imagined. And he knows what it means. He whirls around, looking at every corner of the room, but it is empty apart from the two of them and the voidfish. Cisco lets out a huge, shuddery sigh of relief, hand coming up reflexively to cover his heart, to rub away at the half-imagined, half-remembered pain there. ]

Holy shit, you did it. You- Taako, thank you.

[ Cisco is trembling faintly from head to toe, but he stands up straight and works on slowing his breaths, dispelling the lingering panic now that they are safe. He notices, then, that this room still has the faint blue tint of one of his vibes. Still has that weird, hyper-real feeling of a vibe, as opposed to a dream. But... the voidfish had made a sound after Taako spoke to it. That shouldn't happen, normally, in a vibe. ]

That was, uh- we... can talk about that later. [ Then, more briskly, clearly eager to move the conversation along before Taako can ask any questions about what had just gone down. ] So this is the voidfish, right? Are you- does everything look blue to you? It does to me, like I'm in one of my vibes, do you see it like that?

[Even though he had no idea exactly what the expect at the end of that vision, Taako is relieved to be out of it, at least for Cisco's sake. And Fisher's room is peaceful, which he thinks should help, as he leans back against the tank and waits for Cisco to calm down, not wanting to invade on... whatever this is.]

Uh... [Now that Cisco mentions it, he looks around the room, focusing on the colours of it, rather than just trying to maintain this part of the dream.] Kinda? So like, real talk, I'm thinking magic and vibes aren't a great mix, we might've fucked something up.

[Just judging by the fact they seem to be caught in a half dream/half vibe, with Taako trying to maintain control while Cisco's powers do their thing.]

[ Cisco nods, comforted at least by the fact that Taako is seeing things the same way he is. He's never been... not alone, in his visions before. No one has ever actually seen what they look like, the strange distortions to color and light, the way they skip sometimes like a record with a scratch.

He's aware, logically, that being in some kind of half-dream half-vibe is more dangerous than the memory they'd gotten out of, but it doesn't terrify him in the same way. It seems like a problem that can be solved. Cisco squares his shoulders, comes over beside Taako, staring through the glass at the voidfish. ]

I'm assuming you tried waking us up, already?

[ Cisco shuts his eyes, thinks to himself that they are really just in that hospital room, that he should wake up, snap out of this. But it has absolutely no effect, which isn't much of a surprise. He can't stop his vibes when they happen naturally; no reason he would be able to when he's artificially induced one, and thrown magic into the mix. ]

Pretty much the first thing I tried when changing it didn't work.

[Taako has never really experienced anything like this before; he's never had a dream he can't wake up from, since he doesn't exactly sleep the way most people do.

He tries again, anyway, to drop the spell, but nothing happens.]

Jokes about ghosts aside, Lup does know where I'm at, if the spell lasts longer than eight hours she'll come get us.

[Being trapped in this half-dream for eight hours doesn't exactly sound like fun, but it's not... terrible. At least he enjoys Cisco's company.]

Good. That... that was good thinking.

[ Cisco knows that he ought to be more worried about this, but the relief from escaping that basement is still too great. He stares up at the voidfish, the strange lights and its galaxy pattern, the graceful way that it is moving through its tank of liquid. Mostly, when Taako had mentioned it, he'd been talking about its effects. About how Lucretia had used it to make him forget about Lup. ]

I didn't realize it would be so beautiful.

[ Cisco stares up at the voidfish, but keeps speaking as he does so: ]

Maybe... we could try going through a door, see where it leads? Find if there are edges to the dream, or something?

[ The temptation to just stay here, in this room, where everything is safe, until they wake up naturally or someone finds them, is very strong. But that's inaction, not a plan. ]

[Despite his reassurances to Cisco that he wasn't worried, about something going wrong, Taako has a half decent self-preservation instinct. Also, he just kind of tells Lup everything, so it was bound to happen.]

It has its moments.

[At the end of the day, it isn't Fisher's fault, how he was used, and looking back Taako can see the ways it seemed to be trying to clue them in. The song, the way it responded to Magnus, so he can't really blame the dumb fish for making them forget in the first place, or blame its child for continuing the secret.]

Should just be a hallway on the other side of that door, but let's give it a shot.

[He gestures for Cisco to lead the way, since this is half his, as well.]

[ Going through the door had been Cisco's idea in the first place, but he is reluctant to leave that room, and its tranquility, and the voidfish. He feels strange, just walking away without saying anything, even if it's a dream. So, rather awkwardly, he says to the creature in the tank: ]

Uh, nice to... meet you.

[ After lingering just a second or two longer, he manages to tear his gaze away, take a long, deep inhale, and head for the door. He doesn't open it until Taako is close behind him, but once he does, he tries to peer through, to look before he leaps.

Except he just... can't see through it. It is a weird, frustrating sensation; it's not that whatever is on the other side is too dark, because there's enough light in this room that some should spill through. There is just a threshold, and beyond that, he can't perceive anything. It reminds him of the feeling in dreams when he is trying to read, and the words on the page just don't work the way they ought to.

Cisco looks back to Taako, who he assumes also cannot see through, gives a tiny shrug, and steps through.

It isn't a hallway. It's an alleyway he doesn't recognize, under a night sky, empty. Or, at least, that's what Cisco thinks at first. ]

Now, what are you doing here, Francisco? And who is the friend?

[ The voice comes from directly behind them, which shouldn't be possible. Except that, when Cisco whirls around, he sees the door they'd just come through has vanished, leaving just the poorly-lit alley. And there, lurking in the shadows, is whoever spoke. After Taako had talked to the voidfish and it had responded, it's clear enough that those words had been meant for them. That this is either a dream fed with information from vibes, or somehow, they've managed to mess things up so spectacularly that they're actually projecting versions of themselves into other worlds - Taako's, and whatever this one is - that real people and creatures can see, and speak to.

Cisco hadn't gotten why that voice sent the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, until he steps forward into the light. And he sees.... well, himself. Almost. A version of himself in a rather melodramatic all-leather outfit, with a generous helping of eyeliner and updo. ]

What the...?

[So... this is weird.

The weirdness potential had always been there, but walking through a door into an alley kinda kicks it up another notch, only for it to get even fucking weirder when there's suddenly two Cisco's (this has to be someone's something). One of which has a totally different vibe (pun intended) than Taako is used to seeing from Cisco,
and honestly, he's kinda digging it.

Love the hair, bubbale. [And then to the real Cisco:] You should try that sometime, it looks good.

[This is a lot less scary than the creepy basement and threatening dude in it.]

[ The other version of Cisco doesn't say anything in response to Taako's compliment, but he does smirk, slow and preening, chin held high like he believes it is only his due. Definitely rocking a different wardrobe and a different tier of self-esteem, over there. Meanwhile, Cisco leans over and hisses: ]

Seriously? You think that looks good?!

[ He had lowered his voice, but it's not like Reverb is standing all that far away, and he clearly hears it. Rather than get offended, though, he just laughs softly. ]

I thought it would be ages until you figured out how to bring someone with you. I've been watching. I know you're still so far behind the rest of us. Or... [ He narrows his eyes at Cisco, head tilting to the side. And that, combined with the sharp little grin that follows, makes this other version of Cisco seem just a tiny bit unhinged. ] ...was it an accident?

[ Reverb makes a little tsk sound of disappointment, shakes his head with disappointment, and then eyes Cisco up and down in a way that is, to be honest, pretty inappropriate considering it's a doppelganger version of himself. Yikes. ]

[He waves away real-Cisco's hiss, because clearly Taako is the one who gets to have opinions about what looks good, out of the two (three?) of them, and anyway, his stupid comment isn't all that important, considering fucking everything that Reverb says.

Because he thought this was some weird subconscious thing, a buried version of Cisco, drawn out by the messed up combination of vibing and magic, but the way he talks, it makes it sound like he's real. It also makes him sound like a creep, which is what has Taako moving a little half-step forward, putting himself in front of Cisco.]

Hey, Eyeliner, what the fuck is that supposed to mean?

[ Reverb shifts his gaze over to Taako, the smile that had never quite reached his eyes dropping at once. He flicks his eyes up and down Taako and his expression is coldly unimpressed. ]

The name's Reverb, and if you dare speak to me like that again and I'll break to pieces you before you can blink.

[ He says it with lazy and absolute certainty, and Cisco feels a quick surge of fear, because he doesn't know if that's true, if that's even possible. Is it an empty threat? Just what the hell is even happening? The only explanation he can think of is they've stumbled their way into another timeline, another universe, and this version of himself is just... a villain. Just an evil, creepy dude. Reverb speaks up again, addressing Cisco this time: ]

It was an accident. You still have no idea all the things you're capable of. You could be a god, if you just embraced it. [ He takes a step closer, looking only at Cisco, as if Taako isn't even there anymore. He doesn't seem to blink as frequently as most people do. Cisco also notices, despite the blue haze, that he seems kinda... weirdly pale. Washed-out, maybe even sickly. ] I can show you.

[ As he is spouting his crazy villain speech, Cisco spots a door in the wall of the alley, about twenty feet past where Reverb is standing - one that looks like it would lead into the back of a restaurant or club. Or, in this case, to somewhere in this dreamscape that doesn't have a doppelganger of himself, saying bizarre shit in a menacing way. Cisco just has to figure out how to stealthily communicate to Taako somehow that they should head for it. Until he can figure out how, he replies: ]

Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I don't really get what the hell's going on here, but... it's a no from me, dude. Hard fucking pass.

Edited 2017-08-04 13:59 (UTC)

[It's a struggle not to just laugh at that threat, but he manages to keep his mouth shut because right now, he has no idea exactly how high the stakes are and what this asshole is capable of. There's not exactly a playbook for this kind of situation, and he has a feeling Cisco isn't going to be a whole lot of help either.

But Taako's gonna check in, anyway, and it's a good thing that Reverb isn't paying any attention to him; it means Taako can make the quick little gesture required to cast telepathy, so that he can talk to Cisco without opening his mouth.]

You want me to waste this thug?

[There's a lot of spells he can cast before Reverb would have a chance to react. He's not a speedster, after all.]

[ Cisco doesn't react externally to hearing Taako's voice in his head, apart from a tiny startle that Reverb, fortunately, doesn't seem to notice. He swallows, and thinks very clearly: ]

Wait, so can you hear me? Are you reading my mind? Wow, you're reading my mind while also inside my mind, inception much? Shit, you heard that, didn't you? Shit. Okay, focus. Don't cast unless you gotta, I feel like adding more magic to the situation is not a great idea. You see that door, up there? I say we make a run for it. On my signal.

[ Reverb is still watching him, eyes just a little too wide. The hair and makeup and clothes are different, but otherwise it really is like looking in a mirror. And it's way the hell more unnerving than Cisco expected. He feels bad for all the times he's given people with doppelgangers a hard time, back at the quarantine. And Cisco thinks (without meaning to, because if he had a choice he really would rather not have Taako hear it). ]

God, am I gonna be like that?

[ But before Reverb can make any more threats, or creepy offers, Cisco says: ] Now!

[ And then he bolts towards the door, reaching out for Taako's wrist, not wanting to get separated from him. As they run, he hears a weird, distorted sort of reverberation, and a blast of bright blue energy shoots past, narrowly missing him. Cisco recognizes it as the same kind of blast he had shot at that monster that was attacking Eddie. But there's no time to think about that, because he's at the door and throwing it open, pulling himself and Taako through and slamming it shut behind them. ]

[They're in the Chug and Squeeze.

It's still blue tinted, but it doesn't feel quite the same as whatever the hell just happened with Reverb. It feels more like when he steps into the ethereal plane, watching everything through a grey filter, unable to properly interact with the material plane, with the rest of the world. He sees Carey, she looks straight at him and straight through him, and he realizes that this definitely isn't like the last few places they've visited.

And then he hears his own voice.]

Oh. I remember this? This is a memory.

[He doesn't pull away from Cisco, just turns enough to see himself, months ago, sitting next to Kravtiz. There's a few bottles of wine on the tables between them, as Taako makes some joking comment about Kravtiz's terrible attempt at a vase, and Kravtiz comes back with a smart retort.

It's been easy, to pretend he hasn't missed Kravtiz as much as he has, but this suddenly brings it all sharply back into focus.]

[ At first, when they come barreling through the door, Cisco looks around quickly, ready for a new threat. They could be anywhere, after all. But it's just a cute little room, full of people doing pottery. Cisco relaxes, then, and takes in more of the details. The people are all in pairs, a lot of them dressed up more than is wise with all that raw clay around. And there are little tables by each couple, with wine, and he gets it. One of those get-drunk-and-make-art type places, that are so trendy these days for dates (apparently, across the multiverse).

Then Taako says it's a memory, and his voice is a little bit... distant. Distracted. Cisco looks over towards him and follows his gaze, seeing another Taako, sitting in front of a pottery wheel. And Cisco is all too happy to just focus on this and not talk or think about Reverb and all of that weirdness.

Even through the blueish light, it's clear from the flush on his face that the Taako doing pottery has had a bit to drink. He looks... happy. Relaxed and joking with the guy sitting next to him, who Cisco looks at and promptly lets out a low whistle. ]

Daaamn, Taako, he's gorgeous. Is that the grim reaper guy?

[ Cisco had been picturing a little bit more scythe and hood and a little bit less well-fitted black suit and handsomeness. Suddenly, Taako asking out a guy who had once tried to kill him is starting to make a little bit more sense. ]

That's Kravtiz, yeah.

[Sometimes it's weird, what feels too vulnerable. Cisco has seen him cry, after the vibe about Lup being alive brought up a whole lot of shit Taako was trying to keep buried, and yet having him in this memory feels a too intimate, too vulnerable, like he's seeing something that he shouldn't.

It puts a few other things into perspective, suddenly. He never felt this way when he was hanging out with Cisco and Eddie at the same time, and maybe that's just because this isn't happening in real time, because the Taako here doesn't know he's being watched, but--

Gods, he can't believe he fell for the fucking grim reaper, all those months ago. He's just spent all that time burying it, because he isn't sure if he'll ever see Kravtiz again.]

We should, uh-- can we go?

[It's risky, because right now this is safe, and if they move again they might run into Reverb or worse, but Taako doesn't want to be here anymore.]

[ Cisco had turned back to be looking at Taako and Kravitz, leaning their heads close together and talking. He can't hear what they are saying over the hum of all the other conversations, but Taako says something that makes Kravitz laugh, and it's right around then that Taako - the real one - asks if they can go.

Cisco had been waiting for him to start boasting, crowing about how obviously he was here with the hottest guy in the room. He's Taako from TV, gorgeous, desirable, utterly fabulous. But instead, when Taako speaks, his voice is soft. Uncomfortable, and a little bit sad. Cisco turns away from the memory, and as soon as he sees the look on Taako's face, he nods. There's concern, in Cisco's expression, but he doesn't ask any questions for now. He just says, quietly: ]

Yeah, we can go.

[ The only door is on the far side of the room, and they make their way over, weaving between the seated customers. There are people here of races Cisco's never seen before - orc ladies and lizard-ish ladies and maybe that person is a gnome? - but he doesn't let his gaze linger. When he gets to the door he opens it, letting Taako step through first. ]

[Taako had spent the twenty minutes of this particularly evening drinking wine alone and desperately trying to distract himself from the fact Kravtiz hadn't arrived yet, so he knows exactly who's here, even if he can't quite put names to every single face.

It's nostalgic, this quiet moment at the Bureau of Balance, before Wonderland, before Barry, before everything went so spectacularly to shit.

He tries to ignore those particular thoughts as he pushes the door open, one hand raised in case there's anything potentially dangerous on the other side. But there's only empty moonbase courtyard on the other side.

It's a respite, at least.]

Quick question, any idea what happens if we like, die in here?

[ It's the same process again: they come through the door, and Cisco looks around quickly for anything that might pose a threat. But even though the surroundings are unfamiliar, they are empty: really empty, this time. Just a quiet courtyard, with that very faint hum he recognizes from the voidfish's chamber.

There's a little bench, nearby, and Cisco makes his way to it, sitting down for a moment to get his bearings. The plan of finding a way out by wandering around hasn't worked so far, but no other ideas are coming to him, and waiting seems just as unappealing as it had in the first place. ]

I don't know for sure, what with the magic and all. Usually, when I die in a vibe, I just wake up. But usually it's just memories of getting killed, you know? [ It's not exactly how Cisco had thought it would play out, him admitting to Taako that he's died before, but that's just how things go sometimes. ] But that stuff, with like... evil me, that wasn't a memory. And it wasn't the future, either. He saw both of us. We were like... there.

[ Cisco looks down at his hands, thinks about how close that blast had come to hitting them both. What if it had hurt them? Killed them? Cisco swallows against a rising lump in his throat, says: ]

God, this was such a stupid idea. I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Taako.

We're gonna file that one away for later.

[The memories of dying, because for all Taako's curiosity, it doesn't seem like a pressing matter right now compared to the evil AU Cisco and the fact they're stuck in a creepy memory/vibe/dream fun house. They need to figure a way out, before something catches up to them and they have to find out exactly what happens if they die.]

Fucking-- don't, okay? I agreed, we knew it could get messy and here we are. There's gotta be a way out. [They just have to figure it out.] What if we trigger another vibe?

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