franciscoramon | riverview ∆ ic inbox ∆ @ciscodelamancha

[Odo nods, and places his old radio on the table. He was just as glad to get rid of it.]

I think that's all for the moment.

[To the question, he grumbles uncomfortably before he replies.]

I don't plan to... 'settle.' I'll do what I must to function in this society, but I have every intention of leaving.

[ Cisco knows, of course, that not everybody is like him. He can understand why lots of folks want to go back to their own worlds. But at the same time, he can't imagine how that would be sustainable, thinking about how one can do the bare minimum, just to get by, before their chance to go home. ]

You know it might be years, right?

[ The words are blunt, but not unkind. Odo seems like someone who prefers the facts, without garnish, without lies or minced words trying to soften the blow. ]

Honestly, I'm not trying to harsh your plans or anything, but it might take them a long time to get the portal tuned back to your world. There's no point in holding your breath while you wait. You're here, now. Like it or not. Might as well do some good while you are.

[ That's just logical, as far as Cisco's concerned. Part of surviving in this crazy multiverse is being willing to adapt. Stubbornness can only carry you so far; flexibility is necessary, at a certain point. ]

What're you in such a hurry to rush back to?

[It's good that Cisco continued talking, because Odo had no ready reply to the first question. Of course a part of him knew that it could be years until he found a way back, but the thought of being away from the station, from Nerys - and from his people - for that long was too painful to face. At least for now.

That thought also was the answer to the second question, but the constable wasn't sure how much he wanted to say. He crosses his arms and shrugs uncomfortably. It was a gesture that showed some of his inner insecurity, as much as he tried to suppress it.]

It's complicated. It's... where I'm from.

[How long had he spent his life trying to learn where he came from? Who he was? Now, when he was finally sorting out some answers...]

Don't you have things you want to get back to?

[ Interesting, how across multiverses, across species, there are elements of body language that remain the same. Of course, it's quite possible that that body language isn't natural to shapeshifters, that Odo had merely learned it to make himself comprehensible to humanoids like Cisco. Still, intentional or not, there's no mistaking the slight defensiveness of Odo's stance as he fails to give a very satisfactory answer. ]

Central City's where I'm from, but that doesn't mean I wanna go back there.

[ It's good, though, that Odo's world is somewhere he feels he belongs and has enough devotion to, that he wants to return to it. Cisco hadn't really had that. He'd tried to. He'd lied to himself as much as he could that he was finally making a place for himself, with S.T.A.R. Labs. But he hadn't really belonged.

Which is why, when Odo asks his question, Cisco shrugs, crossing his arms, too. ]

At first, yeah. I was suspicious. Getting brought here without my permission made me think somebody must be behind it, that there was some great big evil conspiracy. But there's not. Not that I've seen in nearly a year. It's just a place in need of people. And... and I'm needed, here. To help rebuild. To help keep people safe. More than I was needed in my world. I can do more good here.

[ But all of that makes it sound noble, and moral, and safe. The truth is a lot more personal, and a lot more messy. ]

And there's someone here, from my world. Someone who can't go back. And... and he needs me. And I'd rather be with him than have all the stuff from my home that I miss sometimes.

[ He is half expecting Odo to scoff. He seems like the sort who would, at something so sentimental - even if Cisco is only telling the truth. ]

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