milliways_bar | (no subject)

"Hey, Ray." It's Barry, looking chipper as he drinks a decaf at the Bar.

Ray smiles. "Hey, Barry," he says. "How's it going? Did they have any fireworks here last night?"

"Some, out by the lake. Ace was doing them. Naturally. Though I wonder if the irony of a British citizen running the fireworks for the Colonies has occured to her." He smirks.

"You went home for the day?"

"It was Ace. She probably just thought of it as a halfway-there warmup for Guy Fawkes Day if I know her at all."

Ray touches the Bar lightly and murmurs something, coming away with his usual coffee. "Yeah, I did. It's been busier than usual lately back home. Spooks don't go on vacation. On the other hand, it meant I got a riverside view of the midtown fireworks, which were really spectacular this year. The things they're doing with shaped charges these days are absolutely incredible."

"No, they wouldn't anymore than the crooks would. Except..." He remembers and smiles.

"Back in the day, Iris and I would always go to the big picnic in the park. And we never had to leave early. Maybe the Rogues were secretly patriotic? Or having a barbecue at whatever safehouse they were using. Heat Wave on the grill, and Captain Cold mixing the lemonade?

"I remember the big fireworks shows in New York and Metropolis. Central wasn't so big that."++++

Ray grins. "Any excuse for a barbecue. Myself, I would think that people with the kind of style to call themselves Rogues probably appreciated the flash-bang nature of the holiday more than they'd want to let on. Between your barbecue and the possibility of getting to go 'ooh, sparkly' for once without worrying whether the cops would turn up, that'd probably explain why you got a little relief now and again."

"You might have a point. Fireworks were basically legal in the Central-Keystone area, outside the downtown areas. And either they were busy with their own shows, or figured that if it's legal, they had best avoid it.

"Either way, I was thankful for small favors." He sips his coffee.

"These jobs you've been on - any sense that it's more than just bad timing?"

Wrapping both hands around the mug, Ray thinks. "Not yet," he says. "The incidences of spirit activity are up from last quarter, but not by a statistically significant amount, I don't think. Of course, last quarter included Michael Draverhaven's little incident with the legion of spirits he intended to use to leave New York a necropolis, so it wasn't exactly the most normal of times ghost-wise to begin with. It's not as if we're seeing a major spike, though. Just a lot of activity so far." Nonetheless, his expression is thoughtful and his gaze far away as he remembers that he's supposed to sip the stuff in his mug.

"Was just curious.

"I was remembering the bit in the film with the Twinkie representing normal activity. Figured you would still be watching for large Twinkies but also can't hurt to ask." A thought poccurs to him.

"Ray, you can come and go back home with ease now?"