franciscoramon | riverview ∆ ic inbox ∆ @ciscodelamancha

gotcha
are we talking something big and obvious
that'll say "fucking try me" to possible intruders
or are you thinking something discreet?

[ Curiouser and curiouser. Taako has always seemed to have such faith in his wards, before. Something must have happened. But helping comes first. He trusts Taako enough to offer without knowing the purpose: ]

i can do an install in a couple hours either way.

Discreet, I wanna catch these fuckers not scare them off

gotcha
i can set you up real soon, got all the parts i need just have to put 'em together
any specifications on the fuckers in question that i should be aware of?

[ Now's the time when Cisco is going to start needing some details. ]

Remember that cult in the forest that a couple of us went to shut down?
I think some of them survived

oh shit son
how come?
have there been like clues?

[ He settles in, gathering the supplies he needs even as he carries on his text conversation. ]

I just keep feeling like someone's fucking following me or lurking outside waiting and I'm pretty done with it

[He's been hearing the occasional whisper, too, the same ones he heard in the lair, which he's attributing to someone using the same magic nearby, not... the shit... he stole...]

that's messed up.
how bout while i work on this
you conjure up or shop or whatever for some outdoor decorations for your place
doesn't matter what they are, point is i can put those up and do the cameras at the same time
that way if anybody's watching it won't look suspicious.

[ CISCO YOU ARE ENABLING HIM. ]

Shit, good idea, I knew you were the dude to ask

thanks 👍🏽
be there in a few hours.

[ And lo and behold, two hours later on the dot, Cisco shows up Chez IPRE, with a backpack slung over one shoulder. He tries to look as casual as possible, knocking on the door, pretending to be checking his phone at the same time. Very smooth, very inconspicuous. In his bag is a small plastic zip bag with around a dozen cameras, each the size of a tic-tac. ]

[It doesn't take long for Taako to answer the door, and he does so with a coffee in his hand just to also look Super Casual. Despite his bluntness and anxiety during the texting, his smile is easy.]

Come on in, my dude, can I get ya anything?

[It'd be weird if Cisco immediately got to work, so he figures they can just chat for a bit inside.]

I'll have some of that coffee, for sure.

[ Cisco, for his part, seems to understand and be able to go with the flow without any awkward stopping to ask why. Either Taako is worried someone is watching right now (which as far as Cisco is concerned, is a legit thing to worry about), or Taako is trying to make up for the fact that he'd asked for a favor and admitted he is not doing great (which is legit in an entirely different way). Either way, Cisco never says no to caffeine and knows it'll be easier for both of them if he accepts.

Once they're inside, Cisco smiles and says: ]

Hey I wanna show you a funny meme I saw...

[ And he pulls out his phone, pretends to be searching though he's actually typing out: ]

Can we talk in here?

[Taako's halfway to a questioning what when he actually reads what Cisco types, and quickly waves a hand to dismiss it so he can get back to making Cisco's coffee.]

We're good, dude, I'd know if someone was trying divination shit in here.

[It's why he's a lot more comfortable at home.]

Okay, cool. [ Cisco deletes the words and tucks the phone away in his pocket, saying as he does: ] But you gotta remind me when we're done 'cause I do actually have a really dope meme I wanted to share.

[ He says it lightly, just trying to lift the mood a little bit, because from the sound of it Taako's been under considerable pressure lately, and Cisco knows how important it can be to find a way to laugh when shit is scary and upsetting. Cisco opens up his bag and pulls out a tablet, which he sets on the coffee table, saying: ]

This'll be your monitoring system. All the feeds will go directly to this tablet, so you wanna make sure you keep track of it. It should be able to juggle about six feeds, and it'll keep the footage for up to three days before it gets automatically erased.

[ Cisco follows Taako into the kitchen, concern furrowing his brow as he asks, quietly: ]

What was all this stuff about a cult anyway? I mean... You mentioned if offhand but you didn't actually tell me how it went down or whatever?

[Taako has adapted to technology pretty well, mostly when it's something that fuels his vanity, but that's still a lot of jargon that Cisco just dumped on him and it takes him a second to mentally sort it all.]

Sounds pretty sweet, thanks.

[He adds the required amount of cream and sugar to Cisco's coffee, then offers it over.]

Right, uh, so - Rin got wind of this cult fucking around in the forest and a few of us went out there with him to deal with it. Real creepy shit, just bad vibes the whole way down, there were haunted dolls and people with these freaky needs in their heads 'cause they didn't have faces. Plus this super cursed ruby, but we weren't fucking around with that. Lup torched most of it, but-- [He shrugs, gestures vaguely to his room.] I hauled a couple of their spell books out to see if I could figure out their shit, you know? Stop it from happening again, but I dunno, maybe we left some of 'em alive and now they want their stuff back.

[ People with no faces, and creepy haunted dolls? NO THANK YOU. ]

Okay, so, total nightmare city, got it.

[ He listens to Taako's story without questioning it, and without ever really doubting that some of them must have survived and come for Taako. It wouldn't occur to him that the danger might be only in his friend's head. He does wonder, however... ]

Whoa. Hold up. Do you think there was maybe a tracking spell or... device or something on the spell books? And they're drawn to it? 'Cause we could try hiding 'em somewhere, see if they stop following you and hanging around here? Put it in a secret location and... just teleport there when you wanna examine it, so no one can follow you? I mean, I can still fix you up with the spy cams, but... maybe that'll help too?

I put that shit under a sequester spell the moment I started getting the heebie-jeebies but I'm like-- I think we're past that point, they know where I am.

[This makes perfect sense to him.]

Yeah. Yeah, I should've figured.

[ Taako isn't stupid after all. He would've taken precautions against that kind of magic. Cisco takes a big sip of his coffee, nodding slowly. He might not be able to fix this situation entirely, but he can certainly help out a little. The spy cams will do some good. ]

Once we get these cams set up and we figure out what we're dealing with, maybe I can help. Set a trap for them. Something technological. If they're spooky magic cult types, they won't see a forcefield coming, now will they. Boom! Bye bye creepy doll dudes.

[ Cisco is in full ride or die mode, now. ]

[The look Taako gives Cisco is a little inscrutable, somewhere between annoyed and disbelieving.]

Once I catch 'em I'm gonna blast them until they're for reals dead, I'm more powerful than these idiots, just not more sneaky.

[He needs the tech to catch them, not to fight them.]

[ He knows that Taako's killed people before of course, and in this context there's an obvious self-defense component, but all the same, it is a little unsettling hearing his friend talk about murder with such complete casualness. It's also odd that, instead of joking about Cisco and his tech, and how magic is obviously better, he just gives Cisco that look.

But of course, it's been a stressful time, obviously. Cisco should cut him more slack. He'd be flipping his shit if some creepy cult weirdos were stalking him. ]

Got it.

[ Cisco turns instead to the bugs themselves, setting two aside and pointing to them. There's something just a little off in his voice - enough to indicate he's feeling a bit awkward about that last exchange. ]

So... um, these two are for the front and back doors. They've got heat sensors built in, so if your guys are using some kind of invisibility spell, hopefully they'll still show up.

[ He doesn't tell Taako to be careful, or anything like that, though he is thinking it. He's seen what Taako can do - that spell which had just cleaved the ground in two - and knows he can take care of himself. ]

Most of these will be on the outside of the house, but... I can put one in the room where the book is, if you want? Just, uh, show me the way?

[Taako can tell that he's upset Cisco, and there's a part of him that knows he should care, but he can't quite find it in him.]

We should test that shit, the infrared, I can cast invisibility.

[As for the books, he hesitates a second, before:]

They're just in my room.

[ Cisco blinks a moment, surprised. Testing the heat sensing capabilities seems like an unnecessary extra precaution. As far as he's away, invisibility magic doesn't have any thermal cloaking. It definitely seems like Taako doesn't entirely have faith that Cisco knows what he's doing. If it weren't for that weird moment just now, Cisco would've given him grief for it - who's the tech expert here or something like that. But instead he just offers: ]

Sure thing pal, we can do that if you want.

[ And since he assumes Taako means sooner, rather than later, he starts tapping away at the tablet, getting it set up to display the feed coming from one of those infrared cameras. He pauses, however, when Taako mentions the book's in his bedroom. He hadn't been expecting that. ]

Oh.

[ That complicates matters considerably. Cisco knows that, if it were him, he wouldn't want a camera in his own bedroom, even if he knew he was (ostensibly) the only one who could or ever would see the footage. But he also knows he's got some Issues in that arena so Taako might be different. ]

It's your call, then. Will it freak you out more having a camera in your room or not having one?

[While Cisco does his thing, Taako sort of idly wanders the room, anxiety making him need to keep moving, but he's not snapping at Cisco, so at least there's that.]

Let's, uh, let's stick with the outside only. Rin would flip.

[If Taako had cameras in his bedroom, he means. Not that there's anything all that exciting happening in there, but he knows enough about Rin to know he's paranoid.]

[ That, at least, brings Cisco's smile back, and in full force. He manages to restrain himself from any comments, but the beaming grin says plenty. There might be a creepy cult that's after Taako, on top of everything else that's happened recently, but at the very least, it seems like Rin and Taako have progressed to some kind of point where cameras in Taako's room would be a point of concern. Even if it's just the two of them sitting in there having pleasant chats, well. It's still a rather trusting thing, having someone in your bedroom. ]

Gotcha.

[ And he carefully tucks the bugs into the pocket of his shirt, somewhere he can reach for them very discreetly as he pretends to be hanging up decorations on the exterior of Taako's place. ]

Let's get these bad boys set up, then, shall we?

It's not like that.

[There's nothing defensive in his tone, it's not as though he cares about what kind of impression Cisco has of him, since it would be accurate, but he doesn't want anyone to accidentally say something that might be taken the wrong way. The last thing he needs is Cisco saying something to Rin that makes Rin think Taako's been telling people they're doing more than they are.]

Okay, uh, lemme just...

[There's a bag set aside on the table, full of genetic kind of Fall decorations; fairy lights, a wreath, that sort of thing. Taako picks it up, planning to come out with Cisco and help a little, rather than just sending him out alone. He might be a bit ornery right now, but he's not a total dick.]

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