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

[burdenofproof]

He's scruffy and still wearing his long coat when he walks into the party, his eyes a touch red from persistent insomnia, but for all that Luther is feeling as relaxed as he can in any such situation. Almost pleasant.

In a cursory search there is no appearance of anyone he recognizes and, feeling the heat of the room rather uncomfortably beneath his coat, he takes it off to hang it and the accompanying scarf on a nearby chair. He's not opposed to sitting alone and drinking, God knew he did that often enough, though that surprisingly isn't what his mood is calling for today.

Slipping both hands into his pockets and working to not ball them into their habitual fists, he makes his way toward the fella pushing the shiny gold cart and orders himself an Irish coffee.

[nebaritralk]

"What's Irish about it?" Chiana asked curiously, having heard the order. She knows what coffee is and then some, by now, although she doesn't understand the fascination with it. But Irish? It rings a faint bell, but she can't tell which. She's going to blame the fizzy wine; she's a good twenty drinks into the party, and starting to feel a buzz.

[burdenofproof]

"Irish whiskey," Luther answers, smiling a bit as he lifts the finished drink to his nose for a whiff, then takes a sip and holds it in his mouth a moment to savor. The heat of it is refreshing, and he can feel the warmth of it spread through his insides the whole way down. "Are you a fan of whiskey? You should try some."

[nebaritralk]

"I'm not big on coffee," Chiana answers with a nose wrinkle, watching the drink curiously. She likes the look of the cream, though.