riverviewlogs | (closed) september (wtf how) catch-all

[ He can tell Taako's setting him up for a disappointment even before he gives the name, but even so... ]

'Whirlwind'? Seriously? Damn, that's next-level boring.

[ Cisco hops down from that fallen tree, walking over in the direction of the damage that Taako had done with the spell. It is mostly still, now, but there are still some leaves falling, a couple cracked branches that are just now tumbling their way down. He squints through the trees, trying to gauge just how far it had reached, mentally wondering just what a spell like that could do to an enemy. ]

Present company oughta sit down one day and decide one new names for some of these spells, because no way is 'Whirlwind' worth all of that.

[ Cisco leans down, scooping up some kind of weird, less-prickly alien pine cone that had been shaken loose by the spell. He wanders back to that fallen log and hops up again, saying: ]

What else you got?

[With a grin:] Big hurty boy sounds like, way better, right?

[While Cisco is inspecting the damage, Taako shoves his spellbook back in his bag, since he knows what he wants to cast next and has a better grasp on this particular one. Then, after a second of deliberation, picks the bag up and hooks it onto the branch of a nearby tree.]

Hold onto your butt, my dude.

[Taako crouches down, using the umbra staff for balance as he holds one hand out over the dirt. After a steady breath, he curls his hand into a fist almost as if he's straining against some invisible force.

About fifty feet away, the ground splits with a slow crack as a trench starts to form in the area. It's going to take a little while, but he wanted to try this out and see how it went.]

Big hurty boy. That's the name now. Whirlwind who.

[ Cisco is pretty sure that Taako just said to hold on in order to get Cisco hype for whatever spell he was going to do next. Just in case, though, he reaches out and gets a good grip on the mossy bark of that fallen tree he's sitting on, waiting in breathless anticipation for whatever is going to top the first spell.

At first, it doesn't look like much, and Cisco wonders for just a moment if Taako is pranking him, or if the spell has failed somehow. Then he hears that crack, sees movement on the ground some distance front of Taako. It takes a moment for him to realize what that movement was, to see the ground shifting and splitting apart. It jut grows, and grows, and grows, and Cisco murmurs a quiet: ]

Holy shit.

[ The trench just keeps getting bigger, and Cisco waits, glancing between it and Taako, looking for any signs of alarm, but Taako seems to think that this is all going as it should. ]

[Things that Taako is going to do later: cross out whirlwind in his spellbook and write big hurty boy instead, just for kicks.

For now though, he's focusing on the spell as the ground keeps tearing itself apart, and it's all going perfectly well until about fifteen feet down, when something shrieks and Taako's spell goes dead. The shriek is unsettling enough, but suddenly losing grip on his magic like this is a new and very strange experience.]

Fuuuuck that's not good.

[Without even thinking, Taako gets to his feet and gestures at Cisco, planning to cast a shield on him, only to find that it also doesn't work.]

Okay it's getting worse! My magic's not working.

[A clawed hand, wreathed in shadow, suddenly grips the edge of the trench and Taako does not hesitate to run over to where Cisco is, grabbing onto his arm.]

Let's go let's go let's go!

[ That first shriek sends a chill down Cisco's spine, and he sits up straight, peering down into the darkness of that trench. He looks to Taako, who is standing very still, and at first he thinks it has to be some kind of joke. This is what the spell was building towards, or else he'd used some little cantrip that's probably called 'create terrifying shriek to scare the pants off your friend' or something of the sort. Except it goes on too long. The little of Taako's face that Cisco can see from his angle is too pale, too genuinely freaked out.

By the time Taako is gesturing his way and nothing happens, Cisco's heart starts to race. He slides down off the log and hits the ground, just before that clawed hand appears from the trench. It all happens so quickly - the hand, and Taako saying his magic isn't working, and the horrible sinking realization that they are in real trouble. If Taako's magic isn't working, they can't teleport out. They are far from the city, from any help. Cisco doesn't even have a weapon with him...

...except that he does, kind of. Before Taako can pull him away, Cisco bends low and grabs his bag, throwing it on his shoulder, and then the two of them are running. Cisco looks over his shoulder and sees a creature emerging from that tear in the ground, and he just has an impression of long black spiky tendrils, and flying, and awfulness.

The two of them sprint some distance before Cisco yanks Taako with him behind a tree. He carefully peers back, trying to see if the creature has followed them. As he does, he asks, in a harsh whisper: ]

What the fuck IS that thing? Have you ever seen one before?

[Running is a great plan, Taako's very good at running, especially when there's something creepy following after them and he can't use his magic. He's praying that it's some kind of effect from the creature and not a sudden loss of his magic, because the latter isn't a situation he couldn't even begin to cope with, regardless of fast approaching danger.

He's so focused on the whole process of getting the fuck away that he nearly yelps when Cisco drags him sideways, but manages to cover his mouth with his hand. Despite it currently being useless, he's still got a death grip on the umbra staff, and he clutches it to his chest as he absolutely does not peer out from behind the tree, because he doesn't want to know how close that horrible thing is.]

I have no fucking clue, but I can tell you right now that it's doing some bullshit to keep me from using any magic. All I've got is a stupid dagger.

Okay. Alright. Okay.

[ Cisco is muttering half to himself and half to Taako, trying to convince the both of them that there's no need to panic. It's not helping, much. Taako has no magic. Cisco only has a vague idea of where they are. He has no clue what that monster might be or what it could want.

Cisco's hands are shaking badly as he yanks open his bag and hauls out the gauntlets. He doesn't see the creature following them, but he isn't taking any chances. The gauntlets feel so frail, still - he hasn't put on the final casings, hasn't adjusted the fit or done any of the things he should do to tech before it's combat-ready.

(The truth is, he doesn't even know whether they will help at all, or whether he'll be able to call on his powers if he needs to. What if he just gets lost in a vision, instead? Just totally spaces out 2 seconds before some awful monster bites off his face?) ]

Just- just keep checking on the magic, in case it wears off, I don't see-

[ Just as he had been saying that he couldn't see the monster, it flew out from behind a clump of greenery, it's weird tendrils flowing through the air behind it as if it were underwater. Cisco would probably think it was cool, if it were a random encounter in a video game with some good graphics and a spooky soundtrack. But this is real life, and the fear is so intense he can't breathe for a moment.

He freezes in place, waiting to see if it will come any closer. Cisco hopes, prays that it will head off in another direction, but it seems the creature is smelling them, or tracing them by body heat, or some other sense that is leading it slowly but unerringly towards the tree they are hiding behind. And Cisco can see that this isn't going to work. The running, and hiding. It's too far a distance, to get back to the city, and they don't know which way to go. Eventually one of them will get tired, or trip, and then they will be toast.

Cisco screws his eyes shut, letting out a slow breath. He opens them, jaw set, and nods, as if making a decision. ]

If this doesn't work, you should run.

Edited 2017-09-21 00:38 (UTC)

[A few months ago, when they were just dudes who hung out sometimes and played video games, there wouldn't have been a second of hesitation here, in Taako leaving Cisco to the creature following them in order to save his own ass. But it's now, and Cisco has firmly made himself part of the people Taako considers real, actual friends, which means he's not going fuckin' anywhere.

Hopefully that isn't going to end up with him dead, but it seems like Cisco has some kinda plan, judging by the gauntlets that are was more impressive than the knife Taako pulled from his boot.

And then Cisco shoves his hand out towards the creature, at which point literally nothing happens.]

Shit, fuck, okay! [Taako's already moving, circling around the other side of the tree and alongside the creature, aiming to keep it busy. Unlike Cisco, he has an idea of what it's tracking, because if it's suppressing his magic it must have a way of knowing it's there.

This is all very 'Magnus rushes in' of him.] You can totally do this, my dude, you just gotta believe in yourself and the power of friendship or whatever the fuck! Some kinda hippie crap!

[The wraith moves quicker than he expected; it turns towards Taako as soon as he's with a few feet and darts forward, using one of those long, spindly arms lash out, knocking him to the ground. It stabs a smaller tendril down, aiming for his chest, and he barely manages to roll out of the way.

The tendril goes through his arm, instead, pinning him to the ground and forcing him to drop the knife. It moves slower, now that he's trapped, leaning it's... face(?) down to inspect him.]

Now would be super good! If you could do a cool thing now I'd really appreciate it!

[ When he thrusts his hands forward, palms outward, and nothing happens, Cisco's heart skips a beat in horror. There's an awful sinking in his gut, but at the very least he hears Taako moving. The creature must have seen Cisco coming out from behind the tree, but Taako is getting a head start. He is fast, and he's been in worse spots than this. Taako will get away alright, at least, and that's what matters.

...until Cisco realizes Taako's running in the wrong direction. He's not running away, but along the trees, not towards the creature, but not away from it either. For a moment, Cisco's too stunned to realize what's happening. Had it somehow confused Taako, when it interfered with his magic?

But then Taako is yelling encouragements at him, and the terror in Cisco's chest tightens further as he understands what is happening. Taako is luring it away, distracting it. Using himself as bait to give Cisco another chance, even though he fucked up and has no idea what he's doing. Taako could have gotten away, should have taken his chance. But he didn't.

And before Cisco has a chance to process this and try again, the wraith is twisting towards Taako, knocking him off his feet and stabbing at him. Cisco sees it stabbing, over and over, and when it hits Taako's arm, Cisco's panic overwhelms him. He doesn't think about calling up energy, or focusing, or any of his various hangups about his powers. In fact, he doesn't think at all. He just pulls back his arms and releases a blast of intense blue light, that streaks over at the wraith in a shuddering, vibrating blast, knocking it clear of Taako.

He doesn't wait, to see if it's done any damage, or to check if Taako's seriously hurt, or to worry about anything. Cisco pulls his arms back and releases another blast, and another and another, each one sending the wraith back about five feet. After the second one, the thing starts shrieking, a different sort of wail than before. Cisco pauses just for a moment, waiting to see if the thing will retreat. It lashes out at him instead, and even though Cisco dodges to the side, it still manages to wrench one of the gauntlets off his hands. Unfortunately for it, Cisco only needs one. He sends off a final blast directly into the wraith's face, which is evidently as much bullshit as it was willing to put up with for the day. It reels in the air, goes gliding off at a frightening speed, shrieking all the while. ]

Nice!

[Taako, who at some point managed to get to his feet, gives Cisco a double thumbs up as the creature retreats, more than a little impressed by that display of power. This is a lot different than just a vibe, or their accidental dream fuck up, and honestly, he's a little relieved to know that Cisco's powers including something actually physical, that he can use to fuck shit up.]

Told you that you could do it, all you had to do was believe~

[He says that last word a little singsong, as if he's in the middle of a Disney film rather than casually dripping blood onto the forest floor.]

[ It's moments like this when it is very clear to Cisco that Taako isn't exaggerating, when he talks about all the intense and horrifying shit he's been through in his long life. Even Cisco needs a couple of moments before he can muster up a quip, after something as intense as being attacked by a horrible stabby wraith. But there Taako is, hopping back to his feet and acting like they'd just overcome some mild inconvenience, like crossing a stream.

Only it wasn't minor. The two of them could've died, might've died, and Cisco is shaking from head to foot with adrenaline and lingering panic. He rushes over to Taako, tripping a little on the fallen, broken gauntlet that the creature had ripped off him. Cisco ignores it for now, coming over to Taako and reaching out towards his injured arm, hand hovering in the air a few feet from it, fingers curling a little, fruitlessly. ]

Taako, I told you to go- are you- fuck- we should stop the bleeding.

[ He knows that's the right thing to do, the correct first aid procedure, but the how of it might as well be brain surgery right now, while his mind is abuzz with fear and confusion. He glances from Taako's wound, to the patch of woods that the wraith had flown off into. Cisco keeps glancing around them at short intervals, clearly worried that it will return, on edge and hyper-vigilant. ]

Lemme get a look at it...

[ There could be spines, there could be poison, there could be any number of things. ]

Hey, hey, relax, we're good.

[He holds up a hand in a placating gesture, then noticing the way that Cisco's struggling a little with like - panic, moves that hand to grip Cisco's shoulder, just to give him a slightly steadying presence.]

Can you take a deep breath for me, bubbale? Just like - one real big one, maybe two, but we'll start easy.

[The wound on his arm is so minimal compared to other damage he's walked off, so right now he just wants to make sure Cisco isn't about to have a panic attack on him.]

[ Cisco opens his mouth to argue, to point out that they are absolutely not good, thank you very much. But whatever words he'd been about to say get tangled up in his throat. Taako's hand on his shoulder is an anchor and Cisco gives a couple small nods, glancing around them once more before forcing himself to let out a long, very slow breath, and then inhale slowly and deeply as well. The one benefit of those somewhat silly breathing exercises Sam had taught him - he's getting pretty good at making himself breathe slowly, whatever the situation.

And he doesn't feel better, exactly, but he is a couple inches further away from completely freaking out. He swallows, voice croaky as he says: ]

That motherfucker was some straight-up nightmare fuel.

[ Cisco can't stop thinking about how it had looked, bending low over Taako like that, while he was pinned to the ground. A full-body shudder goes through him, and he glances in the direction it flew off in again, just once more. There's no sign of it. The way it had shrieked... ]

Sorry it took so long. I wasn't- I couldn't- [ Cisco's voice cracks and he has to stop a second or two. He can't finish that sentence honestly without probably starting to cry, from stress and belated fear, so instead he jokes: ] ....gotta wait 'til the last second, right? So much more dramatic that way.

Edited 2017-09-21 04:41 (UTC)

[While Cisco is taking a second to collect himself, Taako subtly and wordlessly casts prestidigitation on a tree behind Cisco, causing a random circle to appear on the bark. It's nothing with any purpose, but the fact he can cast again means that the creature isn't close.]

It was very dramatic, that was some action movie shit right there. Which I guess makes me the damsel in distress?Whatever, I can live with that if means not fucking dying from a weird creepy thing that I think drains magic? But hey! That thing is super gone, can we go get my shit? I didn't think to grab it when he started running for our live, you know? It was low on the list of concerns I had at the time.

[Sometimes Taako gets carried away.]

Living is definitely the best option. Has that ever happened before? With your magic?

[ Whatever effect it had had on Taako's magic, it clearly hadn't interfered with Cisco's metahuman abilities. The difference must lie in the nature of the abilities themselves; for the same reason that Taako's sleep magic hadn't been able to help Cisco get control of his vibes, that wraith's magic-draining force hadn't been able to touch Cisco's powers. Useful to know. Useful having one of them with each Cisco knows that fields can be set up to disrupt metahuman abilities - hell, he'd designed the pipeline and that wing in Iron Heights precisely to do that. But he knows that making a piece of tech that could in any way impede magic would just be totally beyond him.

Those speculations are cut off, however, by Taako's question. Cisco holds up one finger, pausing a good long moment before he replies. ]

You wanna go back? To the place where that thing crawled outta the ground? Which is probably, like, its den or whatever? And probably where it flew back to? You wanna go back there? For real?

[ As far as Cisco's concerned, they had barely escaped with their lives. This is only the second time he's successfully channeled those energy blasts. He doesn't know if he could do it again, if they ran into that wraith - or if it would be deterred this time, even if he did. ]

Isn't that, like. A monumentally stupid idea?

Ye....s?

[That could be answer to so many of the questions that Cisco just asked, but Taako doesn't seem all that worried about creepy crawling magic monster, since once Cisco had the energy nonsense under control, they kicked its ass pretty easily.]

If you're gonna be a baby about it - [He means this affectionately] - I'll send a familiar to scout out the sitch, if tall, dark and spooky is still hanging around, we'll know when the magic disappears.

[With that, he takes a step back from Cisco and pulls the mongoose familiar he created like six months ago out of its pocket dimension and onto the ground between them. It seems a little disoriented for a second, as though it just woke up, but then it chitters at Taako before disappearing into the undergrowth, back in the direction they came from.]

[ Cisco will just have to do all of the worrying for both of them, evidently. It really is strange, seeing how quickly that switch can be flipped in Taako, from sheer terror to complete indifference. Cisco had been through some stressful times, working on Team Flash, worrying about Barry, being confronted with danger what had felt like an awful lot. But for Taako, monsters and danger and fighting for his life are so thoroughly incorporated into the ordinary that about a minute after they'd just gotten out of a scrape, he's entirely over it, emotionally.

But fortunately, Taako doesn't seem to mind, accommodating Cisco's caution and uneasiness. His familiar plan sounds logical enough, and Cisco watches with his mouth slightly open as Taako pulls a small, hurry critter out of thin air and then sets it off in the direction of the clearing they'd been in before. ]

Is that a weasel?

Mongoose, don't be rude.

[This is apparently the highest order of insult that Cisco could give right now; except that it's not because Taako clearly doesn't care, not when he has two more important things to worry about. Thing the first is his stuff, which they're in the process of dealing with, and thing the second is the fact there's a hole in his arm the size of that stupid wraith's tendril.

He glances at his arm, then at Cisco.]

I know I gave you a lotta shit for bringing everything and the kitchen sink last time, but is there any chance you can hook cha boy up with bandages?

Edited (when u realize u used the same icon twice in a row) 2017-09-23 13:37 (UTC)

Is a mongoose.... better?

[ Cisco feels like he's missing something, here (like what is even the difference between the two animals) but they can talk about the nuances of that later. Like, sometime when Taako isn't bleeding, preferably. When Taako asks if he has bandages, Cisco doesn't say 'yes'. Instead, he gnaws on his lower lip, looking worried, and opens up the bag. He had made himself not pack too much, had only brought the gauntlets and some snacks. But maybe...

He digs around, through zippers and pouches, looking if there is anything that might have gotten left in the bag from the times he has taken it with him scavenging scrap. And, in one of the last pockets he could check, he finds a roll of bandages and a single gauze pad. Cisco laughs, amazed and grateful. Thanks goodness he hadn't been thorough. ]

You better believe next time the sink's coming, too. Think you can roll up your sleeve that far? Or is the shirt gonna have to come off?

[ Somehow, he doesn't think Taako would want him ripping the sleeve off of any of his shirts. Cisco glances at the wound and then looks away again, stomach turning a little. He's always been a bit squeamish, when it comes to injuries. He'd never understood how Caitlin could be so dispassionate about them. Had to be, after medical school, he supposed. ]

[A mongoose is much better, but they're going to have to deal with the full explanation later, because as blasé as Taako is about this whole deal, he would actually like to get his stuff so they can head back somewhere safe where he can get a healer to fix him up.

For now, bandages are a good start, and Taako huffs a relieved little breath when Cisco comes up with a bandage, then immediately ruins any potential for being grateful by winking at that comment.]

If you wanted an excuse to get me outta my clothes you could've just asked.

[But despite Cisco's worry re: shirts, Taako really doesn't give a shit, since the sleeve is torn anyway from where a goddamn sharp monster tendril went through it, he uses a combination of mage hand + his knife to neatly slice away the sleeve.

And because he didn't miss that little queasy look, Taako puts the knife away and holds his hand out for the bandages.]

I got this, bubbale.

I'll keep that in mind.

[ Cisco says it as drily and with as much sarcasm as he can; he's gotten used to Taako's particular style of teasing, to the point where now almost all the time he can give as good as he gets. It is becoming rarer that Taako says something that really flusters him - he's not sure whether Taako is going easier on him or if he's used to it or both. ]

I can do it.

[ There's a hint of petulance in the way that he says it; he hates being underestimated, and it crops up at strange times and in strange ways. Cisco turns back towards Taako, ripping the paper around the sterile gauze and then moving it closer as if he is going to lay it over the wound. Except that his hands halt a few inches away, and his face noticeably pales before he concedes, in a quick and strained voice: ]

Nnnnnope okay I lied nevermind you do it.

[ And he carefully hands first the gauze over, and then the bandage, so that Taako can patch up his own arm. Cisco is more than a little embarrassed at his own failure, and if push came to shove he's sure that he could manage, but it's not a life or death situation and he would just really rather not. ]

Edited 2017-09-25 23:22 (UTC)

[Taako doesn't bother voicing his doubts there, either Cisco will do it or he won't, and when it turns out it's the latter, he's grateful enough for the earlier rescue to not be a total dick about it.

Luckily, mage hand makes this easier than it would be if he was just working with one hand, so he makes quick work of pressing the gauze over the wound and wrapping it with the bandage, just tight enough to slow the bleeding. It's not a perfect solution, but it'll do for the next half hour or so until he can get to a doctor/healer.]

Pretty sure this bad boy's gonna need stitches. [And then, with a grin:] Chicks dig scars, right?

[ Cisco feels a wave of guilt when Taako says it'll need stitches (even though he could've guessed that, just based on how bad it looks) but Taako still manages to startle a tiny laugh from him, and Cisco even rolls his eyes. ]

You'll be fighting them off with an even bigger stick than before.

[ He lets out a deliberately slow breath, and it's still shaky, but the panic is receding finally and some level of rationality is coming back to him. Cisco still thinks it's a terrible idea, but Taako's spell book had been in that bag, and he knows that Taako's made up his mind and probably won't listen to reason. So he says, resolutely: ]

Now... c'mon, if we're gonna get your stuff we should just do it now and then get the hell outta here so the docs can sew you back together into a new sexier you.

That's fucking impossible, I'm already as sexy as anyone can get, but sure, let's do this thing.

[Taako can be oblivious sometimes, but he's paying attention to Cisco now because he knows that he's likely to be stressed for a little while, after all the commotion. So he lazily drops his (uninjured) arm around Cisco's shoulders as they start to walk back, just as away to silently reassuring him that everything's going to be okay.]

(closed) september (wtf how) catch-all

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when u get an 18 on a medicine check

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