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lydia martin ([info]futureimperfect) wrote in [info]somerealityrpg,
@ 2019-12-09 13:27:00

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Entry tags:!open, inactive: cisco ramon, inactive: lydia martin

WHO: Lydia Martin & Open
WHERE: French Quarter Courtyard Restaurant</a>
WHEN: Monday evening
WARNINGS: TBD
SPOILERS? TBD

With her classes over and no job, the apartment was boring during the week. By lunchtime, she'd given up on accomplishing anything at home and was out exploring. They'd done quite a bit of a tour of the city on arrival, but now Lydia was on a mission. With all of the recent upsets and the upcoming holiday, there was only one activity that was going to soothe her nerves while being productive.

Shopping.

Over the course of several hours, she accumulated possibly more shopping bags than any mortal should be able to carry, but when it came to shopping she was no mere mortal. She was Lydia freaking Martin. Almost every gift on her list was accounted for (along with a few presents for herself, naturally), housed in no small number of bags. Exiting her latest conquest, she noticed that the sun had gone down at some point. Shuffling bags, she checked her watch. 6:30. Well, she might as well get something small to eat before heading back. Especially since she'd only settled one of her reasons for going out.

The soft sounds of live music floated through the air, drawing her into a neighboring courtyard where a jazz band was playing a soothing piece while diners enjoyed their meal. Getting herself a seat at a loveseat with a small table, Lydia set her bags on the floor and sat down for the first time since leaving the apartment. As if sitting meant she had stopped running from her problems, the questions came flooding in. Why wasn't she doing more to help figure this place out? How could she help make sure they didn't lose anyone else? Had she grown complacent, deciding too many cooks would only ruin the meal and excusing herself? What she knew for sure was that she was letting herself and the others down. She needed to figure out a way to do more.

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-12 02:52 am UTC (link)
Cisco had taken a little time by himself that day to explore. He'd gotten some of his Christmas shopping done, but was nowhere near finished. He was trying to remain in a solid mood for the holidays, but holidays were a little rough. They had him thinking about his brother and family back home, the blood ones more often than he'd like. He found himself spotting things while he was out that Dante might want, but even if he was home he had no way to get it for him even there. It didn't matter where they were, there was always a possibility of losing someone. He adjusted the little earbud in his ear as he looked in a nearby window at a Christmas display. There were all kinds of ornaments hanging off a tree. New Orleans was an interesting place.

It was really the first time Cisco took advantage of exploring the places the Entity brought them. He was tired of being wary and afraid of them. Nothing inherently bad had happened except for Halloween, and he was pretty certain the Entity felt some kind of way about that. When it did these things, it almost seemed like it was making up for the last awful event it caused. Cisco still wanted to know why, but it didn't seem like there was rhyme or reason.So there he was, Christmas shopping in New Orleans. Embracing the insanity. There was no way he could tell the shrink this and not get thrown in the nut house. Any normal person wouldn't have any reason to think otherwise.

Cisco had decided on a few ornaments for his friends, and slipped out of that shop. The sound of jazz caught his attention from a nearby cafe courtyard and turned to watch. His eyes wandered util they spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Lydia? He looked around for Stiles or her other friends who were usually near by but saw none. He had a thought maybe she might want to be alone, but he'd at least go say hi.

He tapped her on the shoulder from behind a few minutes later. "Lydia?"

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-14 05:47 am UTC (link)
Deep in her own thoughts, the tap on her shoulder was a surprise that almost made her jump out of her skin. Twisting in the direction it had come from, she was surprised—but happily so this time!—to see Cisco there, her expression immediately shifting to a happier one. "Cisco! What are you doing here?"

She used her foot to slide the bags out of the way, then scooted to the end of the couch to make room for him. "Did you want to sit? The music here is out of this world." She was pretty sure it was the only thing keeping her from a panic attack, which was pretty amazing of it.

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-14 06:42 pm UTC (link)
The engineer raised an eyebrow at her jumping around, and tilted his head a little curiously for a second and then held up a small bag of stuff. "Christmas shopping." He still had a few people he had no clue what to get, but he was making a solid attempt to not just buy a stack of gift cards. Personally he never scoffed at gift cards though, he appreciated whatever the gift was considering a complicated history with Christmas. "Actually just picked up Stiles'." Yeah he was getting a lights saber but Cisco had also found something to accompany it.

"This isn't a bad time?" She seemed pretty spaced out when he approached, but when she slid stuff over he shrugged an sat. "You okay? Don't usually see you alone." He asked as he glanced over at the live band with a nod. "Heard them the next store over actually. I think I'll actually regret going back to New York when this is over." Even if he had gained a few extra pounds.

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-14 06:52 pm UTC (link)
"Me too." He knew that it wouldn't have been out of character for all of those bags to be hers, so she felt the need to point out that they weren't. "Yea? What did you get him?" She grinned and gave the bags another look over, trying to see if she could guess.

Angling herself to face Cisco, Lydia pressed her shoulder into the back of the seat and shook her head. "No, this isn't a bad time. I can't go Christmas shopping with all of you with me, that would ruin the surprise." Was that an answer to his question? Not really... "So did I. Maybe they're some kind of siren. ... And maybe we won't go back. It's been a long time, comparatively."

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-14 07:15 pm UTC (link)
"Not going to tell him are you?" He didn't want Stiles finding out early. "He already knows one of them, this one's just a bonus though really." Stiles was a good friend too, so of course i he could get him two things he thought he'd like, Cisco would do it. He'd also gotten Lydia's too, so he wasn't about to hand over the entire bag. He didn't want his friends t know everything just yet.

"Yeah, same. Had to tell George the same or he'd have wanted to come." They were getting pretty close, him and George. Cisco found himself wanting to spend more and more time with the man. At first it'd started as hero worship from kid him, but now it was different. "I found a toy shop here." They had modern shops as well as tourist stuff, so at least he didn't have to stick to the New Orleans theme. "Any guesses?" It was something she was going to roll her eyes at most likely, but at least Stiles had another friend who would watch it with him instead now. For the time being, he accepted her answer. It wasn't unusual, doubly so to find a girl out shopping in a city like this.

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-14 07:37 pm UTC (link)
Lydia raised a brow. "And ruin his Christmas?" She knew how to keep secrets, especially the good ones. "I won't even tell him that I know, much less what it is." Which was mostly to save herself from the possibility of him asking until the end of the time.

"Soon you won't even remember alarm clocks, with your new roomie," she teased, very obviously not bothered by the fact that he was bonding well with George. In fact, she was really glad he was making more friends and putting himself out there. As for the gift-guessing, a toy store didn't narrow things down much. There were a lot of things Stiles liked that had a merchandise line. "Is it related to the lightsaber?"

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-14 07:57 pm UTC (link)
"Good." That was an answer he could agree with. He didn't want the rest of them knowing either. It'd been a bit hard for him to get into the Christmas mood this time around, but New Orleans had helped, hell Stiles and his ridiculous Star Wars Christmas t-shirt helped. They'd both gone out in their new star wars swag and did a little shopping together the day before.

When she mentioned the alarm clocks he visibly flinched at the memory of them. "I don't think I could ever forget even if I wanted to." He rolled his eyes at it but gave her a little smile. "Thank you." It was an odd thing to thank her for, but he knew they cared. It'd solidified that in his mind. He'd never think he was alone again and that had been helping with his sleep issues too. He didn't really elaborate, but instead pulled out the little adorable looking baby Yoda plush toy. "Yep. I'm finished with the light saber too nearly. Just have a few more things I need to piece together...I know you might be worried about it, but it isn't real plasma. He can't cut off his own arms with it." Cisco hadn't built it like that. In fact if Stiles even tried, there would be a stopping mechanism built in.

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-14 08:20 pm UTC (link)
Reaching out, she gave Cisco's knee a small squeeze. It probably would seem weird from the outside, but she knew what he meant. "Of course." She'd do it again if she had to, but that didn't seem as likely anymore.

A soft, involuntary gasp escaped at the sight of the small green thing in Cisco's hands. It had truly nailed the eye-to-head ratio in a way that immediately brought out caretaking instincts in her. Not unlike the intended recipient a month or so back when everyone had changed ages. And then it was her turn. "That's—Thank you. I hope that doesn't make it less fun for him." Doubtful, but she'd take it.

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-14 08:26 pm UTC (link)
The shrink helped too, so there was that. It wasn't all just another person. He was dealing with a lot when they showed up. "It was just a messed up time..it wasn't you guys." He wanted them to know. "I told Stiles too." He'd admitted with a little smile at the touch, and held out the little plushie so she could take a look if she wanted.

"Oh, it isn't dumbed down at all, it's still very much lethal but it reacts to him and his DNA." How he made it do so was a little less ethical than he was willing to explain in public. "I saw what happened in Star Wars, I just didn't want my friend losing a limb mostly. But to other people, it'll work just like a real one. Except I don't have the exact materials from star wars." All he'd done was make it so it didn't maim the user. "It'll still look and react just as badass, just..you know. He'll maintain his arms."

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-14 09:37 pm UTC (link)
"I didn't take it personally. I'm sure he said the same." Taking the offered toy, she was glad for its presence in her lap when he went on about the lightsaber. Unconsciously, she hugged it closer.

"So... don't get too confident around it, I've got you." She wasn't naive enough to think they'd never need it, but the thought of him slicing someone in half so easily just didn't sit right for some reason. "What color did you make it?" Realizing she'd been squeezing the stuffed Yoda, she fluffed it out with her fingers and held it back out to him. It was only a little rumpled, nothing that wouldn't work itself out.

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-15 03:28 am UTC (link)
"Yeah, I just..wanted you to know." It was a thing. He was glad neither of them seemed to hold it against him, they were good people. He watched her hug the little plush and smirked. "So you do like Star Wars...at least cute star wars plushies." He teased as he glanced over at the band for a minute.

When she spoke again, he nodded. "Uh huh. You don't wanna try touching the blade, it'll still be hot like a lightsaber. It's green, like Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. And the chrome detailing?" He did a little chef's kiss and grinned as she handed back the little plush toy. It wasn't hurting it to have it hugged or anything, he'd have to find her a plush of some kind for herself. Maybe not so much a Yoda, but he mentally noted that.

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-15 03:35 am UTC (link)
"I'm glad it's getting better." It might not ever be perfect, but what was? Improvement, even non-linear, was the goal, and he seemed to be on his way. "Hey! I've at least seen them." Mostly because she loved Stiles, but the middle ones at least were interesting. "Unlike Scott."

His pride in his work made her grin and shake her head a little. They were both such nerds, the entity had to have known that they'd be perfect for each other when it placed them as roommates. "So I'll lose a few days with him while he geeks out over it? Are you building yourself one so you two can duel?"

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-15 04:19 am UTC (link)
"Me too. I haven't had a panic attack in a while." Whatever it was, he'd take it. "You knew enough to know they have colors, so I guessss that's something." He stuck out his tongue at her and propped his feet upon the pole under the table. "...There's actually someone around Stiles who hasn't seen Star Wars?" He asked with a look of disbelief. How exactly had Stiles let that one go so long? "I'm pretty sure that was the first thing we ever did together to get to know eachother." He smirked at the memory. No matter what was going on, Cisco also loved movies. It was something he could do even if he was having an awful mental day. Movies weren't demanding.

Cisco took his job seriously, he made weapons and gear and all sorts of dangerous toys. If he didn't take it seriously nobody would trust him. "Probably. If I've done it right, at least a week. Uh, absolutely I am. I'm making a purple one." All of them had meaning.

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-15 04:36 am UTC (link)
"I think at this point he's stubborn enough to die before he has to see it." Which... maybe they were all a little stubborn about something. Maybe that was how they were all still together—too stubborn not to fight for each other. "Which one of you had that idea? Or did you blurt it at each other at the same time?" There was nothing but warm affection in her eyes and she teased him, able to imagine the scene perfectly.

"I know enough to know purple's better than red, too." So, a week for the solo lightsaber, then a lifetime once Cisco's was built. And all of this on top of Cisco's normal work. "Do you feel like you're doing enough here?"

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-15 07:32 pm UTC (link)
"And now I want to make sure he's going to see it." He barely knew the guy beyond a few words on the network, but all the same Star Wars was a classic! Love it or hate it everyone ought to see it at least once. "He's not the only stubborn guy here." A smirk on his face that was probably going to be dangerous later on appeared for a moment. "Ah,..both of us." That smirk melted into something of an attempt at more of a innocent look that probably failed. "I may have egged him on about that part a bit more though." He admitted with a laugh. Cisco always liked playing with toys, even if they were dangerous toys.

"It is. It's a color of moral uncertainty but still doesn't mean the dark side. It's also a color that signifies someone who can see through the Force. Kind of similar to my own powers." He grinned. "For a while I thought I was going to turn Vader before I realized it was my choice so I thought it was fitting." The question made him raise an eyebrow. "I'm doing what I can and I think that's all anyone can ask of us. We didn't ask to be brought here, but now we are, it's our choice what to do with it I think." He shrugged a little. "Why? Are you worrying about it?"

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-15 07:58 pm UTC (link)
"I'm sorry if things got weird for you two after I showed up." It was really a question of if, she thought. And it wasn't like she'd had a choice in being here... and things obviously had gotten back on track. But if he was going to say things that had been weighing on him, she could, too. "And I'm glad you never went Vader. He tried at the end, though. Could have been you."

Shifting in her seat, Lydia caught herself staring at her hands in her lap instead of Cisco as he answered her. Forcing herself to smile and look at him, she cut her eyes away again almost immediately. "No, you're right, you are doing your best."

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-15 09:45 pm UTC (link)
"It wasn't you." He'd thought it was at the time, but it was just his own issues. "It was my own insecurities and awkwardness. I guess you've noticed I'm not the most suave person in the world." He smirked, as if this was the point where she was supposed to deny it or something, but he really didn't expect her to. He was awkward at best. "Same. It easily could have been, these powers give me a lot of anxiety and when they aren't working properly, double anxiety ontop of that." He shrugged a little. He felt bad for being so awkward at them, but that was just who he was. "Guess I was out of roommate practice, I hadn't had one since college for real...Barry stayed over once, but even that was a total disaster..." He admitted with a little laugh. "Barry's a morning person you see..." Cisco was very much not. He didn't want any morning cheer before coffee, and Barry wanted to talk or whistle or make him breakfast. As nice as it sounded for a morning person, that was hell on earth.

He tilted his head a little as she looked away. "Do you think you aren't? You avoided that part." She wouldn't even look at him. "It's okay just to live. In fact I think the entity is encouraging it. I just. "

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-15 10:17 pm UTC (link)
"At least you had some practice. I never had a roommate before this place unless you count occasional too-exhausted-to-go-home moments or hospital rooms." She briefly remembered some of Barry's at-home routines from the short period of time when he'd lived with them. To be honest, she hadn't noticed it much, but she could see his point. "Compatible sleep cycles—or at least awareness of the differences—is important. I can see how that would be annoying." Sometimes, though, you got used to it. She'd been dragged out of her bed at all hours of the night for years now. Did she like it? No. But it was normal life at this point.

Her hand rose to her neck, fingers curling around the arrow necklace she wore every day, still unable to look at him. "I go to school. I was a personal shopper. I mess up Stiles' board. I'm not doing anything productive or helpful when it comes to figuring this place out."

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-16 01:48 am UTC (link)
"True. Except I mainly hid in the library and avoided them like the plague." He smirked. "I think in Barry's case, we're better off friends, not roommates." He mused as he leaned on the table, idly watching the band for a bit. "I think he was trying to over compensate since I'd let him stay with me during a rough patch or something, but all the same.." They'd figured it out at least before they let it destroy their friendship. He still loved Barry, i nfact he worried about him. Nora was gone, Barry had an uncertain future in an uncertain place. He wondered if enough time had passed where he could go drop in on him or not.

As Lydia fidgeted though, his attention went back to her and he frowned. "I think you're being too hard on yourself. What do you want to be doing? There isn't much to figure out these days, we've gleaned what we can from a scientific stand point...even my satellite being here only tells us we're in space. It's still trying to figure out whether it's our space or an inbetween, but that's neither here nor there..." He commented idly with a shrug. "You're good with math right? Ever consider a career with Stark?" He sounded like a want ad, but if she wanted to do more he'd how her around. He'd help her how he could.

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-16 03:06 am UTC (link)
"Which is so different from hiding in your room and working weird hours..." It definitely wasn't hard to imagine college-age Cisco hiding from other people. Unknowingly, she echoed his thoughts. "At least you figured that out before you ruined the friendship. From what I've seen, you make a good team. It's good you're both here and have each other."

Letting her hand fall back into her lap, Lydia looked over at the band. There were a few couples slow dancing between the tables, and she smiled softly to herself before taking a deep breath. "Back home, it was always us solving the mysteries. Doing the research, finding the bodies, dealing with the bad guys. It was hard when I got here to realize other people were doing that. I tried to get used to not being needed in the same way. And then more people from home showed up and they have questions and they don't want to go back and they assumed I'd have answers that I don't have." No one else had the answers, either, but that wasn't the point. Pressing her lips together tightly, she looked over at him finally, eyes brighter than usual. "I don't know if I want to be out there fixing things for me, or because I'm trying to be who they think I am."

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-16 03:33 am UTC (link)
He gave a guilty grin at that comment and shrugged dramatically. He didn't have the support back then that he had now. Hiding was a good coping mechanism. "I got my degrees and got the hell out. That's all I was there for." Yes, multiple. Cisco nodded. "Yeah, I try anyway..." Lately he hadn't known what to do for Barry with the loss of his daughter. It was hard, his friend had buried himself in work and everything else he could do and Cisco didn't know how to fish him out.

Cisco wasn't sure what to do for her, he hated seeing her so upset. "I know...trust me. I know that feeling, it's why I forced my way into Stark's. That was my job too, I still wanted it but if you found something else you wanted then you claim that." Maybe that was bad advice. She looked ready to cry or something. "Can I hug you?" That was a thing people did when others were upset, but he didn't want to push it on her if she didn't want to. If she just wanted to vent, she could do that too. Cisco prided himself on being a keeper of secrets, none of it would go past him. "I don't know who they think you are, but who you are now is pretty great. " Cisco didn't often initiate touch, but it was Lydia. Even if he couldn't solve her problem he'd at least be there for her.

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-16 04:25 am UTC (link)
Lydia flashed him a sad smile. She'd seen on the network some of what Barry was going through, and could easily guess how upsetting it had to be for the people who loved him. "Just keep trying. Persistence is good for letting people know they aren't alone." That had been the key for her with multiple things, and it usually worked out.

She wasn't sure she'd be able to keep it together if he hugged her, but he'd asked and that was nice. And she kind of felt like she needed one. Not trusting herself too much to talk, she nodded instead. It was nice that he'd listened, too. She still didn't know what the answer was, but she felt better for having let some of it out into the air.

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-16 04:49 am UTC (link)
It was pretty awful, not only that he didn't know what fate his niece went home to either. Barry was practically mourning her, which didn't give Cisco a good feeling about what happened back home but his friend hadn't told him yet. He just had a bad sinking feeling. "Yeah, George said so too." He gave a half smile, then slid toward her and wrapped an arm around her. He was usually awkward at touch, but he knew Lydia now. At least a little. It seemed like she might need one.

He wouldn't have minded if she needed to cry or something. "This place is hard." Even as comfortable as he was now, it'd taken him a long time to adjust and it hadn't been easy.

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[info]futureimperfect
2019-12-17 01:06 am UTC (link)
Lydia rested her head on Cisco's shoulder, taking a deep breath to steady herself. It seemed like maybe he needed a hug, too, so she wrapped both arms around him. She hadn't meant to burden anyone else, but at least he was a friend. Somehow in the last five months they'd managed to see each other in some pretty low spots so she knew he wasn't judging her. And everyone else here was a stranger who would disappear somewhere else when they left for New York again. "Even when it's nice, it's hard," she agreed softly. People showing up was nice, even if it did send her into a temporary tailspin. "Thank you for listening."

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[info]onlygoodvibes
2019-12-17 02:14 am UTC (link)
He didn't feel burdened at all. Its what friends did, she'd stuck it out with him when he'd practically decided going catatonic was best thanks to some shit. As if he'd just leave her alone now. "It is. I wish I could fix it too, for the record." He offered a little smile "But I'm here for you whenever you need me." She'd been there for him. "You've grown on me a little." He teased as he gave her a gentle squeeze and appreciated the hug. He wouldn't deny he could use one too.

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