Gathering: Garden party, interrupted

[concierge]

From grand galas to informal gatherings, parties of one sort or another were not an unusual occurrence at the Nexus Hotel. Today was no different, a low-key affair erected in the rotunda of the Italian gardens with the aspiration that tea sandwiches and mimosas would facilitate mingling of the hotel's ever-shifting population.

What was unusual, however, was the inclusion of a wayward, bipedal lizard courtesy of a door standing open on the hotel's facade. Green, spry, perhaps five feet long and roughly as tall as a man, this new guest featured a curved, hard plate across his (or her) forehead that was perhaps indicative of the stubborn nature lurking beneath -- Perhaps because the foliage was so tasty, this little dinosaur resisted all attempts by the staff to corral it back to its home. It would run away from ropes and outstretched arms, knocking over bottles of champagne and destroying the decor before settling several feet away to chomp on some accommodating flowers.

Comments

[lip_service]

"Right now? Write way too many papers and attend so many labs that your brain starts to rot from overuse," he mumbles from around the cigarette in his mouth. "I mean, true, being in college has other perks, but the school part is pretty much an endless loop of interesting shit followed by the kind of crap you have to endure to get the piece of paper."

[iwillnotsettledown]

"I did a stint in Pakistan," MacKenzie says. "Flight engineers oversee all the helos, you know, though I can imagine it's a bit different than what you're doing. Getting the piece of paper is good, though, opens up a lot of opportunity. I've always been a proponent of hard work and copious education."