Baby you're a firework [4th of July Gathering]

[jeongbro]

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]

Comments

[thedreamthief]

Correction or clarification, Ronan only arches an eyebrow in response, a silent indication that he honestly doesn't give a shit what it is they're stuck in. Whatever name Cheng wants to throw on it won't make them any fucking likelier to get home.

"But you think it's possible," he says again, not looking away even as Cheng does, curious despite himself. "Just-- what, hijack the cable signal and throw a mirror on it to send it back wherever it came from?"

[jeongbro]

"Sort of," Henry said, then frowned at his drink. It was empty. He held up a finger and turned away long enough to grab himself one of the beers. He probably shouldn't have been drinking liquor and beer, but it was too late now.

"I mean, I haven't thought on the technicalities, really. But I was thinking less just flipping the signal back around and more--more using the signal to trace back to where it had come from? If we could find one from home, somehow, we could embed something into the signal?"

Henry snorted. "But that also makes me sound like a full blown crazy sort."

[thedreamthief]

Ronan keeps an eye on Cheng as he grabs a beer, taking a sip of his own in the meantime. He finds he's actually curious about this shit. Doubtful of it actually working, but still curious.

"Isn't everyone's home different though?" he says, brow still furrowed. "So whatever you find, how will you know which one it is? And what would you embed? Just, like, a general fucking greeting? 'Hey there, people of earth, we come to you from a different dimension. Send help.'"

[jeongbro]

"'These are the voyages of Darrow, our mission: get us the hell out of here'," Henry said with a bit of a laugh. He drank some of his beer and then frowned at it. This is what he got for shopping cheap, and he had to live with it, but he didn't have to be happy about it.

He shrugged a little, because for now, it was a pipe dream. More important things were on the table--work and getting ready for school in the fall and anything this shithole of a city might throw at them.

"At least we," Henry said, and gestured with his bottle a little at the five of them, "are all from the same place. I think hitting a when might be harder than hitting a where."