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From Candlewood, Henry could hear the party going on northeast of town, the thud of distance bass and the pop of fireworks and the shrill of cars put to the test. And how shit was that?
He texted Blue, first. A soft, subtle inquiry, a joke of an invitation, but a broad one. One for all of them. He remembered Ronan's arm in that cast, and him saying it was from Kavinsky, and Henry had no duty to them, but it would be good to keep all of them away from the mess that was going on at that party outside of town. None of them had to come, of course. They were all their own people, adults--and a ghost who was as good as one, in Henry's eyes--and they were each allowed their own decisions.
So Henry texted Any plans for the 4th Wendybird? And then he followed it up, even before she could answer, I think my place could use some Virginian charms.
He had no decorations. Fourth of July over the past two years had become a thing tainted by Joseph Kavinsky. But he could, easily, go down a couple blocks and buy more two-liter bottles of Pipsy and lemon-lime soda than he could possibly need, and some liquor and mixers, and chips and dip. If he didn't use it all up, he'd bring it to Panoptes. And that seemed like a good enough way to ignore that Joseph Kavinsky was trying to blow himself up, to him.
[Running as a gathering]
He texted Blue, first. A soft, subtle inquiry, a joke of an invitation, but a broad one. One for all of them. He remembered Ronan's arm in that cast, and him saying it was from Kavinsky, and Henry had no duty to them, but it would be good to keep all of them away from the mess that was going on at that party outside of town. None of them had to come, of course. They were all their own people, adults--and a ghost who was as good as one, in Henry's eyes--and they were each allowed their own decisions.
So Henry texted Any plans for the 4th Wendybird? And then he followed it up, even before she could answer, I think my place could use some Virginian charms.
He had no decorations. Fourth of July over the past two years had become a thing tainted by Joseph Kavinsky. But he could, easily, go down a couple blocks and buy more two-liter bottles of Pipsy and lemon-lime soda than he could possibly need, and some liquor and mixers, and chips and dip. If he didn't use it all up, he'd bring it to Panoptes. And that seemed like a good enough way to ignore that Joseph Kavinsky was trying to blow himself up, to him.
[Running as a gathering]
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Date: 2016-07-04 02:14 am (UTC)He wasn't sure if he was supposed to bring anything, so he'd brought some cookies and some board games if anyone got in the mood for them. And also some pot. Just in case.
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Date: 2016-07-04 06:04 pm (UTC)Across the room, Cheng is busy talking to both Blue and Adam and Ronan takes another swig of his beer to dull the flare of irritation under his skin. It doesn't work.
"How long do I have to stay to make it look like I give a shit about being here?" he asks, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.
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Date: 2016-07-04 09:03 pm (UTC)Noah follows Ronan's gaze to where the other three are talking, and then back to Ronan. He presses his finger against Ronan's mouth to shush him.
"That would imply you're succeeding at doing that in the first place. What's the big deal?"
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Date: 2016-07-04 10:19 pm (UTC)"Fuck off, at least there's beer," he snarls, though he keeps his voice low, more sulk than bite. He takes another drink then before looking back at Noah, eyes narrowed, a frown still creasing his lips. "You really like him?"
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Date: 2016-07-04 08:44 pm (UTC)"Nice shirt," he said with a smile, and relieved Noah of his food stuffs, for now. "If you have plans to smoke, my bedroom window goes to the fire escape? I just don't know how well the apartment ventilates."
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Date: 2016-07-04 09:11 pm (UTC)"I brought it in case you like it, like an apartment warming gift. I guess you don't? That's okay, nobody else here does. Ronan prefers alcohol, and Blue and Adam aren't really into anything," Noah says, returning the little bag to his pocket. As far as he knows it doesn't bother any of them, but he realizes he doesn't do it much around them in the first place.
Mostly parties with adults, which is kind of weird, now that he thinks about it...
"Is anyone else coming, or just us four?"
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Date: 2016-07-04 10:30 pm (UTC)Henry was distinctly aware that, perhaps, this get together had been a bad idea. Blue and he and Noah got on well, and he and Adam didn't dislike each other, but he didn't want to cause tensions.
"No, it's just us," Henry said, a bit shyly. He knew other people, but-- "I wanted to spend time with Henrietta."
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Date: 2016-07-04 03:42 am (UTC)Despite what he knows of the last party, despite what he's been told by Adam and Noah and Gansey alike -- or maybe even because of what he's been told -- Ronan nearly goes. Not to drink, of course. Not to party. No, he'd go for another reason altogether.
It's Blue who mentions Cheng's as an alternative. It doesn't feel like much of a second choice, but Noah's excited for it. And Adam is amenable.
So here he is, slumped against a wall, attempting to numb the self-destructive itch under his skin with his third beer of the night. It feels like a fucking kiddie party compared to what he knows is going down with Kavinsky right now, juvenile and innocent. But there's no one at that party he really needs to see. Almost everyone he gives a shit about is right here, in this room.
And Cheng.
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Date: 2016-07-04 05:58 am (UTC)Adam told himself to stop being irrational in the same moment that he told himself that he was being perfectly reasonable.
"We should've found one of those balcony grills and cooked something up," he said, feeling strangely stilted with Henry in their midst. His was not a bad presence but it did still change the dynamic and left Adam on his tiptoes.
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Date: 2016-07-04 06:07 pm (UTC)But he does appreciate the effort of lessening his hangover.
"Should've just stayed home," he argues, glancing across the room at where Cheng sat happily talking to Noah and Blue. "Why the fuck are we even here?"
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Date: 2016-07-05 04:32 am (UTC)"Because it makes Blue and Noah happy. And he's not that bad," Adam said, giving Ronan a little frown.
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Date: 2016-07-04 08:51 pm (UTC)So, Henry was going to drink, and be aware of Ronan scowling at him from the wall, until he worked up the gumption to go over there. It took significantly less drink than he thought; he didn't even feel buzzed. Maybe that was a good thing.
"I'm glad you came," Henry said, and he meant that, even if Ronan didn't believe him.
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Date: 2016-07-04 10:03 pm (UTC)"Shut it, Cheng," he says popping one of the curled corn chips into his mouth with a snap. "We both know I'm only here because these losers dragged me along."
He crosses his arms then, knocking his shoulder against the wall. He cocks his head, gaze assessing. "So what is this anyway? Some kind of fundraiser?"
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Date: 2016-07-05 01:45 am (UTC)"You look like an 8 year old dragged to the fancy party," she informs him, face carefully neutral. "It's kinda killing the vibe."
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Date: 2016-07-05 03:38 am (UTC)He takes another drink of his beer.
"And how many eight year olds do you know who drink shitty-ass beer?" he asks, shaking the bottle in his hand.
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Date: 2016-07-04 05:46 am (UTC)And he knew that Ronan wouldn't go if he didn't.
So Adam went and parked himself with a Cola away from the window, rearranging the chips around the edge of his plate.
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Date: 2016-07-04 08:58 pm (UTC)He didn't ask if Adam appreciated the gesture of the sodas, because Henry was not doing this for praise or attention. The fact that Adam had a cup and it was being used spoke of a quiet sort of trust. Henry was trying.
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Date: 2016-07-05 04:35 am (UTC)If only they had Apples to Apples, or the evil version that people always talked about.
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Date: 2016-07-05 12:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-07-05 04:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2016-07-05 03:19 am (UTC)"Not the most terrible thing we could have done tonight." It's a statement, but also a question.
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Date: 2016-07-05 04:47 am (UTC)"It's very civilized," he agreed.
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Date: 2016-07-05 01:12 am (UTC)She can't summon it. Her family isn't really the barbecues type. She's not especially patriotic, and too many boys in Henrietta take it as an excuse to get drunk, ride around on ATVs and try to set themselves on fire. Or other people: once when she was small she'd gotten a firework thrown at her. She'd accepted the colossally stupid risk of picking it up and throwing it back while the older boys laughed.
So when Henry texts her, she texts back, I'll rally the troops with a little firework emoji.
Well, they didn't all look rallied, but they were here, which is the best she can do as a stand-in general. She refills her cup and plunks herself down next to Henry on the sofa declaratively, and doesn't think too hard about Gansey not being here. "I didn't say thanks for all of this," she waves at the party favors, "earlier."
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Date: 2016-07-05 02:27 am (UTC)He smiled at Blue, sipped his drink and did not lean toward her though he wanted to. He was hyperaware of Ronan's continuously critical staring.
"Glad to be of service," he said, genuine instead of gallant. "I figured, after last year...we could all use something quieter."
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Date: 2016-07-05 02:43 am (UTC)She laughs at that. "Yeah, I think I could go a long time without showing my face at one of Kavinsky's parties. Not that I thought it was likely to be a possibility, after that." Blue frowns at herself. That sounded harsh, as though she was relieved for his death, as though it was convenient for her. She doesn't like him, hasn't forgiven that other him, but that isn't at all how she'd felt, what she'd meant. The entire experience just sort of sits in her chest, not entirely processed. "I mean." She waves a hand. "You know. This is better."
She folds one leg under her and glances obliquely at where Ronan and Adam are talking in the corner. "On the other hand, part of me wants to put on some truly obnoxious music, if Ronan's going to be antisocial anyway."
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