Gathering: New Year's Eve Gala

[concierge]

The annual Nexus New Year's Eve gala began at 8 in the evening. Too grand to be contained by the lobby or dining hall, the gardens at the front of the hotel were employed, with long strings of white lights forming a twinkling canopy from the front doors all the way to the hedge maze. The weather was temperate and calm, and the night perfectly clear.

Drinks were served at various bars set up throughout the gardens and lobby, with champagne cocktails being the specialty of the night. Wheeling through the crowd was a bartender with golden cart providing warm drinks on the go: Tom and Jerrys, rum punch, negus, and Irish coffee.

Crisply-dressed wait staff wove through the collected guests with an abundance of hors d'oeuvres for all different tastes. The Bistro remained open with a limited selection of items for those who were wanting something more substantial.

Above the front doors was hung a large, gold-rimmed clock counting down the last hours, minutes, and seconds of the current year.

Comments

[nebaritralk]

"I'm not a fan of coffee," Chiana answered with a doubtful little moue. "But there's another hot drink I discovered tonight. Come on," she took his elbow to draw him along, grinning up at him. "Peppery ginger cider, they called it." She liked the spiciness.

[nebaritralk]

Chiana's smile turns into a grin when she catches sight of Harvey, and in no time at all she's sidled up to him. "Fancy meetin' you here."

[averygoodshot]

What, and blur his vision?

Perhaps. But Aramis knows that being with the Queen is impossible. A relationship only endangers all of them. He must be smart about this. He must not put his heart first.

Athos has already indicated he has no faith in Aramis. Aramis, for his part, is determined to prove him wrong.

He smiles at what Porthos says, though and clasps his shoulder. "Let us drink then."

[praiseandglory]

"Let's drink some more," he agrees, and claps his hand on Aramis's back. Drink some more, and then find some female company. That sounds like a lovely plan.

[averygoodshot]

And if that doesn't work, at least they will have an adventure to look forward to.

Re: Martha Jones - OTA

[trulyoracular]

Olaf cocks his head to the side and narrows his eyes, not even sure he could name one non-interesting government agency, which is partially because he just never cared to find out and more that he finds it a touch boring. "What sort of consulting? And how can governments be interesting?"

[theprodigaldoctor]

He lets out a scoff, given that he's always been a touch of a crap liar and unable to really lie. "I don't know," he confesses. "I like what I do and I know that I should probably move on and do something else, but working for House is comfortable and he's always got new things for me to learn. It's just not so great when I compare myself to other people."

[armedagainstlove]

"You know, for many, the waltz is considered quite the daring dance," he reminds Anne, given that their proximity is rather a risky thing, but they both have been much closer than this, of course. Their relationship has never been about propriety. He curls his fingers in against her body, holding her close.

His wife.

He closes his eyes and drifts into the miasma of her bearing and being, exhaling as he sinks in towards her.

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

There's a reaction he's accustomed to. He smiles first, then it turns to a bit of a frown. "You didn't even notice I'd left, did you?" He honestly has no idea how long it had been here at the Nexus. Back home, he ran through several months of time though.

[nebaritralk]

"You say that like it makes you special," Chiana remarks, teasing and playful. Everybody leaves, after all. "Were you back home?" That would make him lucky, if not special. If he likes 'home', anyway.

[aspecialkindofwoman]

Even as Anne keeps her eyes open, aware, as always, of their surroundings, she holds Athos more tightly, leaning her temple against his cheek.

She'd meant it when she said that they were bound together. She loves him, so much so that it's dangerous. But she can't help it and more than that, she doesn't want to.

Re: Martha Jones - OTA

[legendthatwas]

"Sort of," says Martha, gesturing a little with her glass. It's a very timey-wimey gesture. "I can go back, but getting back here is a bit awkward, much more random. It does seem to happen more when I'm going somewhere at home that I don't really want to be, to be honest."

Re: Martha Jones - OTA

[legendthatwas]

"Medical consulting," Martha says, slightly sheepish. "It's one of the few things I'm good enough at to be worth the consult--and the agency occasionally needs a doctor who both doesn't blink or pass out at weird shite and who asks the right questions instead of the wrong ones. I'm picking up some alien and transdimensional anatomy knowledge, so that's something."

She adds, after a moment of thought, "Governments can be interesting when they're the parts you don't hear about on the news."

[armedagainstlove]

He's protective and possessive of her, though he knows he has no right or need to be. She is here by choice and in his arms. "Is this a suitable dance, milady?" he asks, ever open to being teased by her. "I'm sure I could be convinced to something else if it was not to your liking."

[aspecialkindofwoman]

"I quite like it," Anne tells him, smiling just that little bit. "Though it is good to know that I could convince you of more if I needed to."

It is terrifying how she could grow accustomed to this.

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

"Of course it makes me special," he counters. "I was," he confirms. "For a little while. Then I came back here unexpectedly." Again. It was weird.

[nebaritralk]

"That makes you lucky, I think," Chiana points out, hips shifting in that way she has, her body language so entirely different from humans'.

[alegalsuperhero]

"Dinosaurs? Are you sure you haven't just been doing drugs?" There is only a little judgment in Rachel's voice. Mostly it's just a little wistful because she can't be irresponsible that way.

It's been a long time since she's been anything but responsible.

[tooktheblack]

"Sounds like that might keep you warm on a cold night," Jon said with a quick, barking laugh.

"Where I come from, it's so cold that a man's nose might freeze clean off. I like hot things."

[only_hope]

"If it satisfies you, there's nothing wrong with that," Obi-Wan said, slightly softer in tone. "I would rather you be happy than ambitious. Ambition and pride have destroyed many a man and I'm not looking to see that happen again."

He nudged him lightly. "That got maudlin, didn't it?"

Re: Martha Jones - OTA

[sawny]

"Bit of a nice escape, then," Jamie says with a little chuckle. "Reminds me of when I was a wee boy and me feet found me in the stables instead of at the table for supper or to my father for a beating. Funny how the doors can do that for ye."

[nebaritralk]

"Just his nose?" Chiana asked with a wicked smile, and let go of his arm to lean on the counter, giving the bartender a dazzling grin (and a nice look down her cleavage). "Can we get two of your - peppery ginger ciders?"

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

"Maybe. I went back only to get sucked into a huge case that's turning out to be a giant pain in my ass." Meaning, the sidetrip to Nexus-land would be great if it wasn't delaying the inevitable. He still has to do all of the 'lawyer' things with this case, but now, for him, there's a delay of how-the-hell-ever-long he's going to be here.

"I take it you haven't returned to wherever 'home' is for you," he says. That's the vibe he's getting anyway.

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

"I'm not currently. But I could be later." If he chooses to do so. If she says just the right thing, he might talk her into doing them with him. He's sure he's got some weed around somewhere. There's definitely alcohol. And who knows what else they could dig up just asking around.

[nebaritralk]

"Hasn't let me, not once since I got here," Chiana replied, like it was nothing big, but there was a hint of something else underneath her carefree attitude. If she stayed here forever, Nerri might as well be dead. She couldn't stand the thought of never seeing him again. "But it lets me get around everywhere else, at least."