riverview | Ronan can't even collect one let alone all

[ Ronan looks a lot less optimistic than Cisco had been hoping for, and his shoulders sag a little. He'd wanted to help. Not just because Ronan is his friend, and lost pets are sad, but because... well. He's got some stuff in his life he's trying pretty damn hard not to think about, and a sudden intense interest in doing as much good as he can, to offset things he'd done wrong.

So, when Ronan offers him a lift before he goes hunting, Cisco impulsively asks: ]

Want help?

[ He didn't really think it through before making the offer, couches it a moment later in disclaimers and explanations: ]

I'm not a wilderness expert or whatever, but I go scavenging for materials out in that direction sometimes. I could- I mean, if you wanted... unless you think me being there would spook him.

[ Or unless Ronan would just rather work alone, which seems like an equally possible answer. ]

[Ronan can't say he's entirely surprised at the offer but he still gives Cisco an appraising look. He looks pretty down, which doesn't make sense to him. Maybe he just really wants to find a cute pet but mostly helping just seems to be Cisco's thing. Perhaps this on its own isn't enough to count for his good deed of the day.

Ronan nods once.]

I'm cool with it if you're sure. It could take all day. If you've got stuff to do, it's fine.

I'm sure.

[ Said with the decisiveness of someone who knows he has other stuff he ought to be doing but is very much avoiding. Cisco's only too glad to and worry about somebody else's problems for a little while.

Cisco's workshop is between where they are and the western gate, so when they pass by it Cisco ducks in to grab the pack he uses when he's out scavenging with Rey. He never unpacks it, so it's got some supplies in it that might be necessary - radio, first aid kit, stun gun, etcetera.

As the two of them approach the gate that leads out into the abandoned city, Cisco asks: ]

So what is this little guy anyway? Local species? I've never seen anything like him.

Some kind of Pokemon. Adam got him for me.

[Ronan taps his temple.]

He likes to eat what's in here.

[He smiles slyly, in spite of all that's ahead of them, then clarifies.]

Dreams. I know he looks useless but until now, the little shit's been helpful.

[ Cisco nods; he's heard of those before, though he isn't sure if they are native to this place or a variety of them have been brought through the portal from another world. They're intriguing, and the few he's seen have been pretty cute, but he is also pretty baffled by them. They're all so strange and this doesn't appear to be an exception ]

Wait, he- he eats...?!

[ Cisco can tell right away why such a thing would be useful, for Ronan. If there were a creature that could eat his dream, keep him from having so many nightmares, from potentially conjuring up any more of the sort of nightmare monsters that made such trouble for Ronan before... that's a very helpful pet, indeed.

But... ]

...How!? I mean does it just sit on your pillow, or...?

[ He's not entirely sure he wants to know, but the idea of it is fascinating. ]

I'm asleep when it happens. If you're dying to know, ask Adam.

[Ronan's far less interested in the details than Cisco, but he rarely receives answers when he asks questions about his ability. His life is weird and he'll never fully understand it. Why bother? As long as it won't kill him, Hypnopompia is free to gorge himself. Assuming they can find the damn thing.

They finally reach the gate and he slips past. His pet isn't waiting patiently for him, but that's also Ronan's life: weird and determined to fuck him over.]

I think he hangs out by the bed, yeah.

[ Cisco knows immediately that he almost certainly won't ask Adam; he is interested, sure, but he also knows that in the past his curiosity has made Ronan uneasy. He gets that - who wouldn't feel that way when someone is a little too curious about their powers? ]

Naw, but the fact that you don't know is wild to me, man.

[ Just something that makes them different - Ronan is a lot more reckless and a lot less dependent on feeling like he is as informed and as in-control as he can possibly be.

They lapse into silence for a few more moments, as they move into the area outside the gates. Cisco keeps his eyes peeled for any sign of movement, or for any spots that look like what he'd seen in his vibes. When his brain starts unhelpfully drifting back, away from Ronan's pet to Cisco's recent troubles, he figures he'll risk a little nosiness. ]

So has he been helping with the whole... with stuff?

Adam wouldn't let it happen if it could kill me.

[And if it makes it better... why does it matter? Studying that ability too easily opened the door to dissecting his own. No thanks.]

And-- maybe. Yeah, I guess. Mostly Adam helps.

[His voice is stilted. It's not exactly a comfortable subject for reasons they already knew. Cisco's quite possibly the only one here, outside of Adam and Gansey, he'd talk about this with.]

[ Cisco doesn't doubt that Ronan is right, and he's glad that Ronan has someone around who he trusts so completely to kep him safe (or at least, not in any MORTAL danger), but Cisco just can't relate. Maybe it's the scientist in him. Maybe it's just how he deals with shit that scares him.

He can tell that Ronan isn't keen to talk about this, but at least he's not swearing or stomping off. That's a good sign! ]

I'm really glad to hear that.

[ He sounds like he means it, too.

Cisco decides it's better not to push his luck, so instead he asks: ]

What should I do when we find him? [ When, not if. ] I mean, should I just stay still? How shy is he?

No, he likes to get all cuddly. It's embarrassing.

[And also worrying, given all the other things out here. If Hypnopompia tries to get friendly with some kind of beast-- well, that would get ugly fast.]

You can probably just call to him. Like this.

[He cups his hands around his mouth.]

Hey, shithead!

[ Cisco has a similar worry when Ronan says that Hypnopompia is friendly. His expression grows more serious, and he begins scanning the foliage faster, making his way through the ruins. Instead of making a joke about Ronan calling his pet 'hey, shithead', Cisco just solemnly calls out, too: ]

Hey, shithead! C'mon, shithead, we're worried about ya!

[ They do not see any small animals floating in their direction, but after a few minutes of calling, Cisco halts in his tracks, holding out a hand to stop Ronan, listening intently. He hears nothing but the quiet of the abandoned city. Turning, Cisco gestures wordlessly at Ronan, to get him to call out again. When he does, Cisco listens hard. This time, he's sure of it - he heard a definite clattering, a noise, after the call. Cisco nods his head in the direction of the sound, feeling relieved and hopeful and nervous...

And after a little circling in, Cisco spots it: high up in a tree, secured by some kind of strange light-grey metal cage... ]

Is that him?

Hypno!

[Apparently, Shithead isn't the only nickname he gave the munna.

Ronan starts for his pet immediately. Rushing into things without thinking, as always. If Ronan knows any other way, he certainly never considers it at the time.]

Who did this? What sort of sick fuck-- Hold on, I'm getting you.

[And that's when he starts to climb the tree. Or attempt to climb it.]

[ Cisco does not rush in, but follows after Ronan at a slower rate, watching from the ground as Ronan struggles his way up the tree. Now isn't the time to make fun of his tree-climbing technique; the little munna is even rounder and cuter in person than he had been in the vibes, and Cisco has to figure that he isn't all that happy being stuck in a cage.

Once Ronan gets to the thing, though, Cisco calls out a warning: ]

Careful! It might be- I don't know, it might be booby trapped.

[ It's possible that the little pet had wandered into a trap, set out here for creatures a lot more deadly than it is. Or, Cisco thinks, looking around the clearing for any signs of company, this might be bait. Bait for Ronan, specifically. Cisco knows he's got enemies; he's glad he came with, if anyone is thinking of an ambush. ]

Do you see a lock or anything on there?

Edited 2018-07-04 23:08 (UTC)

[In Ronan's defense, he's not used to this kind of tree. Hypnopompia seems to be faring better than Ronan. No flailing or panic involved there.

Finally, Ronan's close enough to stretch out his hand. He only stops when Cisco says the word 'booby trap.' Then he examines the cage. He shakes his head.]

No lock. I think I see a cage door. The bars are spaced differently. But I can't figure out how you open it.

Here, lemme get a look at it.

[ After all, it only makes sense to let the engineer have a crack at it. Sure, if Ronan laid down for a little cat nap, maybe he could dream them up some kind of cage-destroying magic weapon, or a skeleton key. But Cisco has a feeling that's not the easiest way.

He waits for Ronan to drop down again, and then approaches the tree, himself, checking his shoelaces are tight before starting to scale it. He does so with even less grace than Ronan, and it takes longer, too. He has plenty of skills, but tree-climbing isn't really one of them.

Eventually, a bit pathetically, he hauls himself up close enough to inspect the cage without touching it. After a long pause, during which he looks at the cage from different angles, squinting at it, he says: ]

There's no physical lock. The mechanism's gotta be internal. But it's not magic. There's a sensor, though. Right here.

[ Cisco points to a tiny spot near the top of the cage. As soon as his hand comes close enough, he triggers a motion-activated chipper voice message, transmitted through some kind of concealed speaker: ]

TO UNLOCK THE SECURE COMPARTMENT, PLEASE PROVIDE A MUSICAL TUNE!

[ What the fuck. ]

What the fuck.

Edited 2018-07-06 15:45 (UTC)

[Musical tune. This cannot be happening.

Ronan walked around the cage and craned his neck. If he squinted, he could just barely make out the sensor. Stupid of him to miss.]

Son of a bitch. Why would anyone...

[Is this just for him? Ivar knew he could sing and people had seen him with his pipes-- but no, this wasn't his style. It could just be a coincidence. He'd let Adam figure it out-- or Cisco, if he volunteered.]

Forget it. We gotta get him out of there. Sing something.

[ There are situations in which Cisco loves to sing. Driving in the car with Eddie. In the shower, using a conditioner bottle as a mock microphone. At karaoke, when he's drunk out of his mind. But perched uncomfortably in a tree, in the abandoned city, entirely sober and unaccompanied, in front of Ronan Lynch, because a creepy trap told him to?

No way. ]

Uhhhh, he's your pet.

[ Cisco is generous with his time and his aid, but there are some lines a man has got to draw. He doesn't care how bad a singer Ronan is, or how unconfident. This one's on him. ]

C'mon. You sing, I grab. Perfect duo.

[This is now officially one of his worst nightmares. It's a shame that Hynopompia won't be able to suck this one out of him.]

Jesus. Fine. Let's get this over with. And not a God damn word of this to anyone.

[He takes a deep breath, then starts.]

Squash one, squash two..

[There was a sharp buzzing sound from the speaker.]

INCORRECT. MUSICAL NOTES OUT OF PITCH.

[Ronan's eyes widen first in horror then anger.]

Fuck you! My pitch was fine!

[The response is simple:]

TO UNLOCK THE SECURE COMPARTMENT, PLEASE PROVIDE A MUSICAL TUNE!

The fuck even is that song?

[ Clearly they haven't got that meme in Cisco's universe. What's worse, his grip on the tree is slipping, and while he realizes this has got to be embarrassing for Ronan, he also wants him to just get it over with. ]

Just do 'twinkle twinkle little star' or, like, 'single ladies'. Y'know, something basic.

[ He scrambles, getting a different foothold but almost falling, first. He definitely manages to scrape his palm painfully grabbing on, and he mutters: ]

Soon as we get him outta here I'm gonna find out who made this thing and-

[ But then he stops, abruptly, because all at once finishing with -and kill them is actually really not funny at all. ]

It's not my fault it doesn't recognize a masterpiece.

[His eyes dart to Cisco after he cuts himself off. The sense that something is off with Cisco himself is finally starting to occur to him. That was just a little too abrupt. But, being Ronan, he isn't going to call it out. A life is one the line and also his dignity. One of the two must go.]

You think I know 'single ladies?'

[Give him some credit. He only knows the chorus!

He closes his eyes and thinks. It has to be perfect pitch. Probably needs the right rhythm. Yeah, he knows what he has to do. He snaps his fingers a few time to confirm he has the right beat, then starts. His voice is clear, the words are well enunciated, and it's... good.]

The minstrel boy to the war is gone,
In the ranks of death you'll find him;
His father's sword he has girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him;
"Land of Song!" said the warrior bard,
"Though all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!"

[He looks up at the cage. There's a pause, then a pleasant tone.]

ACCEPTED.

[And the door slides open.]

[ Cisco mutters, quietly enough that Ronan might not even hear: ]

Must have a different definition of masterpiece in your world...

[ But then Ronan is snapping, giving himself a beat, and Cisco hushes up. He does his best to stay still, and not to appear like he is listening. Of course, he is, but he doesn't want to stare and throw Ronan off. So he pretends that the cage is suddenly fascinating, and only catches glances of Ronan as he sings out of the corners of his eyes.

The song is absolutely not what he'd been expecting. Something traditional, clearly, and something that Ronan knows well. This is obviously a song he's sung before, and more than just once or twice. Really, perhaps it shouldn't surprise him. Ronan has always seemed like a jumble of parts that don't fit well together. This is just another one of those strange components that add up to make Ronan.

As soon as the ton sound and the door opens, Cisco scrambles to reach in with one arm and scoop the wayward pokemon out. He hugs the thing to his chest, not wanting to take any chances that it would run off again, or that the door would shut once more before it got out on its own. Then, awkwardly, since he only has one hand free, he starts to make his way down the tree, toward Ronan. ]

Thank fuck! You oughta put a tracker in this guy. Case there's a next time.

[ He knows he probably shouldn't say anything, that even praise will likely earn him a scowl. But not saying anything feels disingenuous. So he asks, as he's handing Hypnopompia over: ]

What's the name of that song?

[Cisco barely has to take a step before Ronan scoops Hypnopompia out of his arms. The pokemon rests happily against his chest, ignorant of how much trouble he's caused.]

You little shit. I'm sticking a tracker up your ass.

[He glances up at Cisco, then back down at Hypnopompia until he finally gets him into a secure and comfortable position.]

The Minstrel Boy. Never heard it before?

[Spoken as if it were standard for people to hear traditional Irish songs so of course Ronan knows that one. Who wouldn't? It's not like Cisco's been to his world to know the difference. For all he knows, Murder Squash really is a masterpiece and maybe Ronan really can get away with not looking like a nerd.

Ronan adjusts his own posture so his shoulders are back and his head is ever slightly tilted. He's going for his standard 'I don't care' look but he's more of a musician than an actor. His effort just comes across as forced.]

[ For all Ronan's annoyed words and insults, Cisco can see that he's happy to have the creature wrapped up in his arms, safe and ready to be hauled home. ]

Nope. I don't know shit about folk music, though.

[ Whatever teasing or judgment Ronan might be expecting, Cisco's clearly not interested. The song could be one that is well-known in his world, or maybe it doesn't even exist. As he starts to climb the tree again, to get that cage down, he admits: ]

Anything that's pre-Prince is a total mystery to me.

[ Now that there is no vulnerable creature inside the cage, and since there's no one here but Ronan, getting it down is easy enough. Cisco climbs up just a little, to get a better angle, holds up a hand, and shoots a vibe blast at the branch that had been holding the cage. There is a brief flash of color - a shining, pulsating light blue - and the branch is rocked back, splinters, and then comes crashing down, cage and all. It lands with a heavy CLANG that sends birds flying from some of the nearby trees. ]

I'm serious, when I find out who made this shit we're gonna have words.

[Ronan's happy enough he lets the Prince comment go without remark. Looking up, he narrows his eyes at the cage, then quickly backs away before it falls. Watching the vibe at work was something, but Ronan has no real compulsion to comment on that either. Powers aren't something to casually ask about and they've already covered the basics.

He slowly walks up to the cage. He lifts his foot but stops it just short of touching it.]

I'm gonna have more than words. I still want to know why they did this.

[He resists the urge to kick the cage and steps back.]

I'm guessing you want to take that back for tests. I'll drive us back. Let's just get out of here before they come back. I can't kick their ass in front of the kid.

Ronan can't even collect one let alone all

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