Gathering: Halloween Gala

[concierge]

A large, decorative sign situated prominantly in the lobby reads:

The Nexus Hotel
proudly presents its
ANNUAL HALLOWEEN GALA

Formal Reception
Nexus Dining Hall
6 PM - Midnight

Monster Mixer
Nexus Basement
8 PM - 2 AM

Masquerade attire recommended for all guests

Most of the chairs have been removed from the Dining Hall to allow for ballroom-style dancing to the orchestra set up on the far end of the room. A polished cherry wood open bar is aligned along one wall. The adjacent Bistro is open for the duration of the formal reception, serving gourmet hors d'oeuvres.

Downstairs, the basement's largest storeroom has been converted into a spooky nightclub, complete with DJ, dance floor and cocktails.

Comments

[haolehothead]

Well, at least Danny's accent-radar isn't totally off. So the guy's from New York. That's great, that's local, and apparently, he closes situations. Well, why didn't he just say that in the first place, huh? "Situations? You close situations? Do you wanna load me up with some more vague to go with that vague?"

[miss_vas_normandy]

"Hmmm..." Though she was still frowning dubiously, Tali picked up a dish and decided she could at least try it. She had some vague memories of something similar being served on the Citadel. She couldn't eat it then, of course, but she remembered the colorfulness, and that it seemed a popular place to eat among humans and batarians.

Picking up a fork, she nudged the sushi rolls around, poked at the thin slices of something pink and the bead of green paste. "I'm not used to being able to eat whatever I like," she explained. "Ah, my name is Tali. Tali'Zorah."

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

Harvey almost chuckles at that. Almost. The corners of his mouth might bend upward just a bit.

"I'm a lawyer." Which is one of those phrases that makes people smirk and make ugly faces - unless they need one.

[legendthatwas]

"It's definitely winning, let me reassure you," said Martha. "Though I'm slightly concerned about this slap thing--I tend to go for a more direct approach when I'm, uh, displeased. But you're doing okay, right now."

[legendthatwas]

Martha's brow furrowed a little at 'if Jamie could remember me', but she knew far better than to ask. Even her version of the Doctor had to be in a certain frame of mind to answer those questions, and she didn't know this one's moods well as yet.

"I'd just ditch any attempt at the accent, Doctor," she said, reassuringly. "You do look rather dashing, though, except for the small animal attached to your front."

[legendthatwas]

"You got it. I didn't think I'd be sharing space with the Boss, though," Martha replied, turning to favour Larry with a smile that widened as she gave him an appreciative once-over. A probably un-Storm-like smile, far more of a Martha Jones smile, but she didn't really care. "Born in the USA, yeah? I've got an unfortunate teenage years story about that album cover. Not as exciting as my other stories."

It really was a bit embarrassing, and not exactly the kind of thing you told an attractive guy, but Martha was a drink past really worrying. Larry seemed to take things pretty well in stride.

(why did I not get a notif for this?! ugh, sorry!)

[legendthatwas]

"I never knew they were so vivid in colour." Martha was used to being vaguely flirted with by older-than-they-looked men by that point in her life, perhaps even enjoyed it a little more than she should. She grinned in response. "Thank you, Olaf--though I'm maybe a little less impressive than yourself."

[malachai]

"By 'direct approach' are we talking about a right hook to the jaw...or something that would result in a drastic change to my singing voice?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow and a strong urge to cover his groin with his hand.

[legendthatwas]

"I tend to go with my gut instinct at the time. Also what's more convenient," Martha replied cheerfully. "But, as I said, you're doing damn well so far." Her smile was so, so cheeky. She'd probably think she was being utterly shameless, in the morning.

[malachai]

"I'll keep that in mind, given that I'm not just protective about the wings," he said. Then, feeling a little reckless, he reached over and drew a finger down her cheek. Better to find out now than later that her knee was primed for his groin.

[haolehothead]

"Oh, good! We're sworn enemies!" Danny says cheerfully, the way a person might discuss being besties. "See, lawyers," he says, in a half-condescending tone, "specifically divorce lawyers have leeched out every cent from my hardworking detective salary and given it to my ex-wife, who already has more money than god, so she can hire better lawyers who can continue to rob me blind. Explain to me how that works, huh?"

[legendthatwas]

Martha didn't slap Nick, or knee him in the groin. She did, however, raise an eyebrow at him. "You did mention something about dancing," she pointed out, tilting her head a little so her cheek pressed lightly against his fingertip.

[themadmanwithabox]

"Would it help if I gave the very small animal at my front a name?" he asks, in all seriousness, giving the little thing a bit of a pat before he realises how awkward that likely looks and raises both hands in the air like it's a stick-up, giving Martha a frozen look of bewildered and joyful fear. "Or not," he quickly says. "Have you had any punch? Is it yummers? Should I try some?"

[legendthatwas]

Martha was rather surprised at how quickly the Doctor realised that patting the sporran and giving it a name was possibly a bad idea. Quicker on the draw, this one, it seemed. "I've not had any punch," she said, because he'd answered his own first question. "I sort of avoid it at Halloween parties because it tends to be...not punch colour."

Not punch colour meaning green or something. Martha tended not to drink things that were green, as a rule, not even those smoothies that were supposedly good for you.

[malachai]

"I did. And I think they're playing our song," Nick added, continuing the line of her jaw to her chin before dropping it down to offer it to her, palm up.

In truth, he had no idea what song it was. Popular music had left his notice a long time ago - before the island, before his Dark Hunter days. He only knew it wasn't one where he'd had to reveal his lack of rhythm on too grand a scale.

[legendthatwas]

Martha hadn't ever heard the song before (something about romance novels? but dancey in the process about being so? weird) but she was entirely willing to take what was open to her. She took Nick's hand and winked at him. "I accept your invitation, sir," she said, with a slightly silly bow to him.

[rangerbecket]

"Do you have rationing where you live too?" Raleigh asks, thinking that's a weird thing to say unless you've just had to go without. "And I'm Raleigh, Raleigh Becket. Good to meet you, Tali."

He offers a hand, just in case she wants to shake it. Raleigh has learned every culture isn't the same and he doesn't know Tali's - hopefully this isn't an offensive thing to do.

[the_watchtower]

"I could do with vacation. It's been forever since I've had one," Chloe admits, shrugging.

"I don't do so well with being idle and relaxing and all of that. I'd rather be going 24/7 than having to slow down and think about anything."

[powerof_water]

"No, I don't need wands to do magic. We just use our minds," Adam said, laughing a little. "I guess I could show you some, if you wanted. It's not the most interesting thing in the world because I don't have a lot to draw from but..."

He grabbed a glass of water and spilled a little but before the droplets could hit the ground, he stopped them and manipulated them in midair. "It sort of looks like mercury out of a thermometer, doesn't it?"

[iwillnotsettledown]

"Tell me about it. I got stuck here the first time," MacKenzie says, utterly sympathetic to this particular plight.

"We were here for weeks before we figured out how to get back. Eventually, though, we found a door that led back to our own world. Maybe you'll find one too? It's not something I've really figured out the rhyme or reason to."

[almightythor]

"Maybe there is nothing to be worried about at all. There was a door to a place that seemed...wrong, somehow, though. My brother and I went through it."

While he didn't trust Loki as far as he could throw him, Loki had yet to do anything out of line in the hotel and Thor felt he should allow him a bit of leeway for the time being. Still, he didn't like the feel of the empty, mist-filled place behind the door and he didn't like how comfortable Loki seemed with it.

[trulyoracular]

"Well, they're not all New Zealand krakens," he insists very seriously, but only because it's the best way he can get away with the purple fabric that he used. "And I'm not sure I'm impressive so much as I am large in size. I'm hard to ignore."

[malachai]

Rising to the bow, Nick tucked his free arm behind his back and answered with a deep bow of his own. "The pleasure's mine, fair doctor."

With his hand in hers, he lead her onto the dancefloor and did, he thought, a fairly decent job of not embarrassing herself or breaking her toes with his heavy boots. When the song ended to something slower, he started to slip his hand around her waist and paused, meeting her eyes. His asked the question of whether she wanted to continue.

[legendthatwas]

"Right, okay, so Antipodean krakens are different in colour. I'll make a note of that for future reference," noted Martha, in serious tone but incredibly amused expression. "And you are hard to ignore. While still managing to be impressive."

[legendthatwas]

Maybe it was that she felt...adventurous for the first time in a while (and true, she was interested in Nick, and there was just the edge of danger), but Martha nodded in response to his unspoken question, not making any move to pull away.