riverviewlogs | [open] cast an illusion

Entry tags:

[open] cast an illusion

who: cisco + anyone!
what: memory share event & catch-all
when: october
where: anywhere
warnings: murder, torture, bullying

MEMORIES

Feel free to either have your character text Cisco (or comment on this post but indicate a text message) about having a vision / dream of his past, or to come to where he is to discuss it.

A. MURDER {third person dream OR first person vision}

[watch here

This memory is both intensely traumatic and one that Cisco has relived many many times. Have fun with it if you want, there may be small distortions - sometimes Cisco seems to remember Eobard's demeanor being gleeful, even smiling as he kills him. There may be odd gaps here and there, as well as inconsistencies. Or you can play it totally straight, just as it happened.]

B. VIBING {first person; vision}

[watch here (memory lasts up 'til 2:30)

This memory is likely to come across in jumbled pieces at first, and then more clearly as the week progresses. What's most important is that this memory captures the subjective experience of vibing from Cisco's perspective. So at one moment the memory is of looking down at a microscope slide of sand, feeling intense unease and fear, to hands reaching out and touching the sand. Once that contact is established, there is a swooping feeling, like missing a step going down stairs or plummeting on a roller coaster, and then the world goes static-y, with strange flashes of light, blurred vision, and an eerie blue tint. The warehouse that Cisco sees feels intensely present, though sounds are a bit muffled and occasionally there are jumps and starts. The end of the vision is as jarring as the start, and afterwards there is the confrontation with Stein, and a palpable feeling of panic over being interrupted and witnessed.]

C. PRISONER {first person; vision}

[watch here

This memory is clear and vivid, accompanied by feelings of hunger, exhaustion, frustration. Feel free to supplement after the cutoff at the end of the scene a moment where Cisco begs that he's already made them weapons (the heat, cold, and gold guns) and that's enough, and also Snart threatening to just out and out kill Dante, both of which are confirmed to happen but aren't shown in the clip I linked.]

D. BABY NERD PT 1 {third person; dream}

[ Cisco can't be older than nine or so, and he's adorable. We're talking a criminally cute child. His hair is cut short, which makes his ears stick out a little, and there's a tooth missing his bottom row of teeth. He's small for his age, (looks even smaller because he's wearing what are clearly hand-me-down clothes), all round-cheeked and bright-eyed. He comes bounding up to a bench in what looks like a small neighborhood park. Sitting on the bench is a pretty brunette girl with a high ponytail and big earrings, and a boy that looks a little like Cisco, around five years older. Cisco, bubbly and excited, asks: ]

Hey Val, hey Dante, do you wanna see what I made?

[ Dante, who has a hand very obviously and purposefully perched on Val's knee, glares absolute daggers at his little brother, but before he can say anything she answers with genuine interest: ]

Yeah, totally.

[ Cisco beams and pulls the lid off the shoebox. Inside is rather ugly-looking device, clearly cobbled together with materials from a bunch of different things. But Cisco pulls it out carefully as if it's the most precious thing on earth and holds it up, explaining in a delighted rush, what it is and how he made it. He has apparently cobbled together pieces from a broken cell phone, an old malfunctioning digital camera, and a half-smashed mp3 player, into a frankenstein'd device that can take pictures, make phone calls, and play music, too. Val sits up as he explains, going from indulgent to this kid with his little doodad to genuinely excited. Cisco hands it over to her and she tests it out, taking a photo of the beaming Cisco, clicking a number code onto the pad which makes 'I Could Fall In Love' by Selena play (though only loud enough that she has to hold the thing to her ear like a phone to hear it). Then, she even uses it as a phone, calling her mom, exclaiming that it really works, and hanging up again. ]

Cisco, this is so cool.

[ She jumps to her feet, saying that she's got to go get her best friend from the corner store across the street to bring her to see it, too, and goes rushing off. Cisco just stands there, holding the thing and beaming like he's never been more proud of himself in his entire life. ]

E. BABY NERD PT 2 {third person; dream}

[ (Continued from the last one, for anyone who wants an angst component)

As this scene was happening with Val, Dante was getting more and more visibly annoyed, trying to redirect attention back to himself. As soon as she leaves Dante snatches the device from Cisco, turning it over once or twice, unimpressed. Cisco's face falls, shifting from joy to trepidation, like he knows something bad is going to happen. Dante doesn't disappoint; he tosses the thing in the air and then catches it as it falls. Cisco pleads: ]

Dante, don't!

[ Which, of course, only seems to encourage the older boy. Dante throws it into the air, higher this time, and catches it, but Cisco winces, clearly terrified that he'll drop it. He tries to grab it away from his older brother, but Dante gets to his feet, holding it above his head. ]

Come on, don't be such a fucking girl, I'm not gonna drop it.

[ He tosses it into the air with enough momentum to it goes behind him and he has to spin to catch it. Cisco keeps pleading with him to quit it, trying to wrestle it away from Dante, who only laughs. It's inevitable, what happens eventually. Dante hurls the thing much too high, and it's hard to say, whether he was really trying to catch it or not. Either way, it slips between his hands and crashes onto the asphalt, shattering into about a dozen pieces. Cisco scrambles to pick up all the pieces, but the lens from the camera has shattered and the casing is cracked. ]

Oops.

[ Dante shrugs, sounds absolutely unapologetic. Cisco starts sniffling, fighting back tears as he tries to fit the thing back together. He starts putting the pieces back into the shoebox, wiping tears from his cheeks as they start to fall but saying nothing, not even looking at his brother. Dante, for his part, says scornfully: ]

Seriously, Cisco, it was an accident. You gotta stop being such a sissy all the time. It doesn't look good.

[ Then he walks off in the direction that Val had gone without another word, leaving Cisco to clean up the rest of the mess. ]

OR hit me up on plurk to plot something else!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Rey stilled and turned to face Cisco. What was he was talking about? He wanted to figure out what the stuff was used for and...go into a trance? That sounded an awful like meditating and getting a Force vision. She opened her mouth to ask him a question, but too late! The man had acted on his own. She moved to him, doing as he asked and stared in silence. He...he was in a trance and she had no words.

Maybe the Force was trying to tell her to be calm and patient. Whatever the case, she turned her attention to the area around them, listening for anything that didn't sound right, and watching for anything to suddenly move.

There were...secrets between them, and it was naive of Rey to think Cisco didn't have secrets of his own. If he had a power, or a connection to the Force, wouldn't they have sensed one another? Kylo Ren sensed her, even wanted her to train under him, but she said no. Maybe in Cisco's world...they had the Force? Or something similar to it, and he was just coming into his own? Or he had mastered it and just didn't want to tell her? He had his reasons, she knew, just as she had her own for keeping her secrets away from him. All of her thoughts did come to a screeching halt once Cisco came out of his trance.

Leave, they'd have to leave, now.]

Let's go. [No questions asked, nothing they needed to discuss in an area that was dangerous and could get them both killed. As fast as they wanted to bolt out of the place, they still had to be careful. They had to go down those stairs and get out of the building. Once they step outside where the air is fresh, and the light of day hits her face, Rey bolts for her Speeder, turning it on. She offers her hand to Cisco to get him to climb up. They need to head back to the wall. They've been gone far longer than they anticipated and they need to talk.]

[ Cisco appreciates deeply the fact that Rey doesn't question him, despite the curiosity that is evident in her expression. She doesn't challenge him or delay, but rather listens, and leaves with just as much urgency as he's feeling. Once they're outside, Cisco lets out a long sigh. He doesn't make his way to the Speeder quite as fast as Rey; he delays, pulling the door shut and, after a moment's hesitation, tying it closed with some of those cut vines, so that no animals could easily nose open the door and wander inside.

After that, he pauses, pulling out his first aid kit and upending half of the bottle of disinfectant onto his hands. Is it a necessary step? Who knows. But he's not going to risk it. He hands the bottle to Rey on top of her Speeder, so she can do the same, and once she does he climbs up, clinging to her as she takes them back to the wall.

He appreciates that she doesn't try to question him while they're driving, though he knows he's probably going to have to do some explaining, once they're back to safety and no longer moving. So Cisco is ready for that, when they arrive back and Rey navigates to the garage where she'd picked up her Speeder before they left. Cisco dismounts, legs shaky, happy to be on solid ground once more. ]

[Rey doesn't hesitate to take the disinfectant and rub it over her hands. Whatever was in that building, she didn't want to bring it back with them once they reached the city. The drive back was made in silence, passing by different landscapes and old buildings until they're back in familiar territory. There's been enough time for her to think and figure out what she needed to say and how to approach it.

She turns off her Speeder and disembarks. The box is left in the cargo net. The adrenaline was still running through her veins. She had time to think of what to say, and now the words had left her...]

...That wasn't too bad. [A fat raccoon scaring them to death, using the lightsaber and....learning something new.]

I think you and I...we need to talk. [About what happened. What her weapon, about her past--and his. And what they could do, but not out here. Not where someone could over hear them.]

We can talk in my room. There's practically no one on my floor. [Really, it wasn't like her floor was the life of the party or anything. It sometimes felt like she was the only one there. If Cisco agrees, she'd take him up to the 12th floor, down a hallway or two and into her room. There's a pillow, a mattress and a sheet for a blanket. In a corner are a few books and papers. She hasn't done much to the place, but she doesn't own much either. She gestured for him to sit where ever he wanted. Once both of them were comfortable and the door was closed, she finally asked:]

What happened back there? It looked like you were in a trance and...were you...[How could she put this lightly?] Were you having a Force vision?

[ Cisco, perhaps because of the lingering unease from that vibe, feels a prickle of fear across the back of his neck when Rey says they can talk in her room. He's acutely aware of the fact that no one would know where he was, holds up a finger to get her to wait as he shoots Eddie a quick text, just where he's going, when, and with whom. Paranoid? Sure. But Rey doesn't need to know that.

Then he follows her up to her spartan, bare room, which is just depressingly empty. The lack of distractions means there isn't anything Cisco can look at or fiddle with to delay the conversation. Not that he would have much of a chance, since Rey launches in the moment the door is shut.

He at least had the duration of the ride back home, to think of what he will say. He's all ready to speak, when she asks that, cuts him off. Cisco pauses, furrow forming between his brows. ]

Force vision?

[ She says it like it's a phrase he will have heard before. The vision part is right, at least, but he's not sure what the whole force thing is about. Maybe a vision that is compelled, rather than a natural one? Like slang for a 'forced' vision? He's got no clue. ]

I was in a trance, and... I had a vision, yeah. A vibe, I call them. I can touch stuff, sometimes, and see... things. The past. Where the person who owns that thing is. The future, sometimes. I touched that equipment and saw people being treated for a plague in that building.

[There's a nod of Rey's head. Yes, a Force vision, something brought to him by the Force. Unless, they don't have the Force where he's from, or it's called something else. She doesn't say anything though, listening to Cisco's explanation of what he can do. So he was able to see the past, or the future by touching an object, something that she was all too familiar with.

For a moment, she looks relieved. Someone else who may understand what she's going through, what type of power she--they have. But could she trust him? He had shown her kindness, offered her a job, and connected with her on a personal level. She stayed still for a moment, trying to listen to the Force, to her own instincts...yes. She could trust him.]

It explains why you wanted to get out quickly. [She replies softly, gathering her thoughts and trying to figure out the best way to tell him her truth. She had set her staff down by the bed and opening her bag, and placing it at the foot of the bed.]

We have something else in common. The weapon, the lightsaber you saw me handling earlier. When I came across it the first time, I had a Force vision. I saw different things, it's hard to tell if it was the past or future. I'm still learning about the Force and how to use it. Aside from receiving visions and...

[Her words trailed off as she opened her hand. This was something much easier for her to do, it felt..natural in a way. The lightsaber from her bag easily floated out to her, landing in the palm of her hand.]...That.

You're the only person who knows what I can do...because I trust you. [Because he shared what he could do, and to repay him for that trust, she gifted him with the knowledge of what she could do. A faint smile formed across her lips, sort of relieved that she became friends with someone who had seemingly, similar abilities.]

[ Cisco hasn't told all that many people about his powers, still, so he has a limited number of examples to compare Rey's reaction to. Stein had been excited, intellectually, by the prospect of studying what was going on. Eddie had been supportive but deeply surprised. Taako and Lup and Magnus had been utterly blasé because their world was so full of magic that visions were nothing. With Tony and Sam, it had been by text, so it was hard to say.

But Rey is nothing like any of them. She seems... happy? Relieved? Cisco doesn't know how to read the expression on her face. It's not shock, but not exactly casual acceptance either. When she starts to speak, saying they have something in common, Cisco sits up a little straighter. He doesn't interrupt, but he listens intently, hanging on every word.

His heart is beating quickly, and he realizes he's been holding her breath. Is it possible Rey has the same powers as him - or, at least, very similar ones? Cisco has a hard time telling what is past and future and present and other timelines and other worlds, too. He watches her moving the lightsaber through the air without touching it, mouth falling open a little in wonder. ]

You're telekinetic, too. You can move stuff by thinking about it.

[ Then she says he is the only one he has told, and Cisco's expression turns grave, the quiet wonder slipping away for a moment. He gives a small nod, jaw set, and promises: ]

I won't tell anyone. I promise. You can trust me. My powers are a secret, too.

[ Nice, not to have to go into a long explanation of why for once. If Rey has never told anyone about what she can do, then she understands. There are always many reasons. Their reasons might not be the exact same ones, but they both have them. And her honest admission at how much she is trusting him right now makes Cisco want to trust her more in return. ]

I can do more, too. Not, um- it's not the sort of thing I can demonstrate indoors. I can kind of... blast stuff? With my hands?

[ He demonstrates holding an arm out, palm forward, then gives a little shrug, looking down at his hands as he picks at his cuticles. ]

I've only done it when I was in danger.

[ But he looks up again, smiling a little, too, and asks: ]

So what is the Force, anyway?

[Telekinetic? Possibly. She didn't know what sort of gifts would come from tapping into the Force. In reality that's all she was doing, using the Force to move objects. Or, it was the will of the Force to let her have a vision. She didn't have one since touching Luke's lightsaber for the first time, but she did have inklings here and there. The Force whispering to her on what to do in times of need, trying to guide her.

Relief washes over her face learning that Cisco wouldn't speak of what she could do. She wouldn't breathe a word of his powers to anyone else. At last, someone she could freely talk to about the Force. Sure, she could tell Poe, but she didn't want to overwhelm him. She managed to do that by telling him that he survived the crash.]

I won't tell a soul.

[But, it was interesting to hear that he could do more. Albeit, he couldn't show her what else he could do, but telling her was just as good. He didn't need to say why he he had to keep his powers a secret, but they could trust each other with this secret. In time, they could tell each other more things. This...this was a stepping stone.]

That's how I was able to call the lightsaber to me before, I was in danger...kind of. [Facing and about to duel Kylo Ren...a memory that wouldn't leave her anytime soon.]

The Force? It's what connects all living things together, and there are people who can tap into the Force and use it. It's something you can use and something that is alive. [She looked down a little.] I'm still learning, and I was supposed to find someone who would train me.

[Hence why when she got here, she was trying so hard to find a ship and get herself off this rock.]

Isn't that...how you're able to use your powers? Or...is it magic? [Because that's the only other explanation she has for this.]

[ Cisco isn't going to try to explain things in terms of neurotransmitters and brain chemistry, not because he believes Rey couldn't follow along (hell, he'd seen just how smart she is when she was talking about building her Speeder) but because he's not sure all the specialized terms will translate, and because ultimately that level of specificity just obscures the truth rather than revealing it. So instead, he says, plainly: ]

You said you had a vision the first time you came across the lightsaber... were you in danger then? Or- or excited? Was your heart racing?

[ Strange, how easy it is now, to tell Rey details about his powers that he has kept secret even from some the few friends who do know. But if sharing will help her to understand herself at all, or offer any kind of connection or comfort, how could he refuse? ]

For me, when I first got my powers, I only vibed when I was scared out of my mind. I've been kinda training since then, trying to get it so I can see stuff even when I'm not panicking. But I think that's common for people with abilities, to discover them during a crisis, even if fear isn't their trigger specifically.

[ Cisco lapses into silence as he listens to her explanation of the Force. In some ways it sounds an awful lot like the multidimensional energy his powers allow him to manipulate, but then she says it is alive. Then again... he can see how it might still be the same, or at least very similar. Different belief system, different experiences, different way of seeing the world... he can see how it would be possible to see something living in all that unpredictable energy. Wally talks about the Speedforce like it is a sentient thing, sometimes. Is it really all that much of a stretch? ]

See that's the thing - I don't know how much of this is different names for the same thing, and how much is actually separate. For me, a wave of dark matter energy changed my DNA, and gave me the power to manipulate multidimensional energy - the energy that makes up the multiverse, that knits it all together. I don't know if that's the same thing as the Force or not. It's not magic, what I do. Not like someone like Taako or Lucretia or anyone at that Institute does.

[ Cisco had heard what she said about someone who was supposed to train her; he doesn't respond right away, but he doesn't forget, and will mull over it a little, wondering if maybe he could help out with that... ]

I wasn't in danger... [Rey began, thinking back to the moment that changed her life forever. Come to think of it, she hadn't shared this story with anyone. She really was trusting Cisco that much...and in the back of her head, she was hoping it wouldn't backfire on her.] I was in a different area. I was upset with a friend and walked away, I heard a voice calling out for help. I followed it down a level and came across a box that had it. I touched it for a moment and then it felt like I was thrown into one scene..and then another.

[A very intense vision that left her with tears stinging in her eyes. She was scared, confused and had to face a painful memory. Rey listened to Cisco's tale, hanging on his every word. It was a relief to be able to speak openly with someone about this. Though, she sort of recalls their late night texting session, texting back and forth about different foods and people with gifts--Cisco was one of them.]

That could be the case....[She pauses for a moment, trying to recall the exact moment when her connection to the Force had awoken.] When I first called the lightsaber to me, my friend was in danger and I wanted to protect him. Prior to that, someone was trying to get in my head, pry into my mind to look at something. I fought back as best as I could and suddenly...I was pushing him out of my mind and even managed to sense a few things about them. [You're afraid, you'll never be as strong as Darth Vader. That instance took both of them by surprise. Rey didn't think she was capable of such things.

Rey shifts a little, moving to sit down on the bed, tucking one leg underneath her. She follows Cisco's explanation, her mind trying to connect the dots and forming other new thoughts. They could be talking about the same thing...after all, the Force is in everything. Regardless of the galaxy or world, it's alive...it's there, and she's still able to tap into it.]

Maybe it is the same thing? But, I also don't know much about the Force, or what I'm supposed to actually do... The people who were able to use the Force, they're gone. Or at least, most of them are. The person I was meant to find, he's the last one of them. There is someone here though, someone from my world who has an understanding of it so..I'm hoping he'll help me. [Obi Wan said he would, it was just a matter of setting up a time and date to meet up.

In the midst of their talking, she cold feel her stomach start to gnaw on itself. She had something to eat this morning, but with traveling beyond the wall and discovering each other's gifts...maybe it was time to eat something?]

Are you hungry or thirsty? [Because she did have enough water and snacks for them.]

[ Curiouser and curiouser. Cisco listens to the bit about the voice calling her, and that is pretty strange. Maybe it's a question of an enchanted object, or one that has some special connection to Rey, rather than visions like the ones he gets, where the object itself hardly matters. It's the kind of thing he might want to inquire about more and even do a couple of small tests on, later. But for now, he just accepts it, nodding, believing her, validating her experience. He knows that that is the first and most important thing. He isn't going to propose tests and experiments until he knows she won't be scared or angry about the suggestion.

The part about someone trying to pry into her mind makes Cisco look up sharply, meeting her eyes, but he doesn't interrupt. His face is still grave, but a tiny smile tugs at the corner of his mouth when she finishes, and he says, low and admiring: ]

Damn, girl. Gave him a taste of his own medicine, huh? Nice.

[ He doesn't know what kind of power would be involved in pushing someone from her mind. Grodd had been able to put images into people's heads and control them by using brain waves - maybe Rey had been able to manipulate her own, to create some kind of psychic defenses, and even go on the offense. ]

I hope he can. And if he gives you any grief about it - like, if he wants to charge a huge fee or he's just being rude and not wanting to teach you for whatever stupid reason, just lemme know and I'll back you up.

[ It doesn't hurt to reinforce the reassurance that he is on her team, and willing to help, in big and little ways. She deserves a teacher who knows about the sort of stuff she's talking about: what the Force is, and all of that. Cisco can try to help, with science, but the fact is he doesn't know her world.

When she suggests food, Cisco's smile comes back, and he holds up a hand indicating she should wait, goes to his bag and finds those fancy sandwiches Eddie had prepared for them both, all neatly wrapped in saran wrap and looking entirely delicious. He sets one down beside Rey, keeping the other for himself. ]

My boyfriend made us both lunch for our expedition, and he's like, a super good cook, so I bet you'll really like it.

[There's a sheepish smile on her lips. Yeah, she gave Kylo Ren a bit of his own medicine, even if she didn't know how she did it. It was like she was learning from him, learning how to push him out of her mind while digging inside his. She didn't have to dig too far, the thought seemed like it was skimming along the surface of his mind.]

Sort of. It shocked both of us.

[There was something comforting about Cisco offering to help her. At least she had another avenue to go on if Obi Wan says no. But, that was greatly assuming Cisco would be able to help. If his training would be the same, and part of her doubted it. He didn't know of the Jedi, or of the Force. Sure their powers worked in some similar fashion, but there was a culture and history with the Jedi. Cisco wouldn't happen to know anything about that...unless his world had something similar.]

I don't think he will. His name is Obi Wan, and while I wouldn't be his apprentice, he said he would train me. I don't know what the exact difference is between student and apprentice. [Because to her they're the same thing, but again, in the Jedi culture they were separate.] But, if things don't work out..we can figure something out instead. Maybe the library has holonovels about the subject?

[On the subject of food, she was surprised to hear that Cisco's boyfriend made them lunch? Her eyes widen a little, taken aback and slightly confused on it. Cisco's boyfriend didn't know her...why would he do something like that? Was he that kind?]

He didn't have to do that. [Her voice is soft then, unsure if she really should take the food but she wasn't going to say no. Mentally, she was thinking she would need to repay Cisco's boyfriend for what he's done.] Not many people would do something like this on Jakku. [Food was scarce, especially when people had to work throughout the hot day only to earn a few scraps of a portion.]

It looks delicious, and I have some dried fruit and proteins bars if you would like any.

[ When Rey tells him her powers had been a shock to both her and whoever the jackass was who was trying to read her thoughts, he just nods a little in understanding. That was how it had been, with him and his powers. The first time he had shot vibe blasts from his hands, protecting Eddie from a giant monster in the woods - well that had been a big damn shock for both of them. ]

Library is definitely a good place to start, if all else fails.

[ Spoken like a true nerd.

He smiles at her obvious surprise (and slight apprehension, perhaps?) when he says Eddie made them food. Cisco starts unwrapping his own sandwich, and then takes a quick, tiny bite, in case Rey is waiting to see if there is poison or anything. But then, why would there be? Or maybe her hesitation was just uncertainty, worrying there are strings attached, even though Cisco has reassured that he doesn't operate like that. ]

He wanted to. He likes showing off what good sandwiches he makes.

[ When she says no one would've done the same on Jakku, Cisco nods, unsurprised. Jakku sounds like a place where there wasn't a lot to spare - not a lot of food or a lot of kindness. This place isn't like that, though, and he thinks the best way to really convince her of that is to just let her adjust, as slowly as she needs to. To be generous, and make sure she always knows there is no hardship or consequences for accepting that generosity. ]

He cooks for me all the time, I'm so spoiled. And maybe let's see where we're at when we finish these, might not need anything else after.

[ It's nice, sitting here with Rey, letting the memory of that creepy hospital fade away, talking about their powers, getting closer as friends. Cisco takes another bite, chewing thoughtfully before he says: ]

He's gonna laugh so hard when I tell him a fat raccoon made me scream like a little kid.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[open] cast an illusion

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