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

[the_watchtower]

Chloe is, yet again, in the middle of a hotel with a fluffy dress on but at least this fluffy dress is by choice and not because she's stuck here with no memory.

(Well, she still has a few holes but most of it has come back so she calls that a win).

Tonight, in honor of her new residence in this weird hotel and not back in Metropolis where she belongs, she's decided that Wizard of Oz is the only way to go. She'd just look stupid as Dorothy so she's decided to be Glinda the good Witch instead, complete with crown and wand and fluffy pink gown. She gathers the lace and tulle in her hands and hightails it to the drinks, wanting one to make her feel a little less awkward about such a conspicuous costume. Sure, she picked it, but she never seems to think these things through.

"Uh, coming through, dangerous costume related liability not covered under your policies, move aside, hope I don't spill drinks on you?"

[vampire_shield]

Bella smiled when she saw Chloe coming towards her, then laughed when she heard her commentary. "Hello, Chloe," she smiled, wondering if the woman remembered meeting her when she first arrived. "I love the costume but something tells me we should be standing apart in case someone tries to throw a house on me or something."

[the_watchtower]

"Hah, funny. No, I'm not planning on any house throwing but we should probably take some pictures. I think that part of my phone still works even if I don't get a signal. It's too good to pass up."

Chloe tries to juggle wand and dress and finally just gives Bella a hopeful look. "Could you hold the wand a second while I get something to drink? I am never wearing this floofy a dress again."

[vampire_shield]

"Sure," Bella said and held out her hand for it. "I'm still debating the wisdom of wearing heels for the first time in my life, so I probably shouldn't be saying anything about costume second thoughts. I mean, it's not like I can break anything, but one wrong step and I could crash into someone and hurt them."

[the_watchtower]

"Nah, you're totally rocking them," Chloe assures her, getting a drink and taking a few sips before holding out her hand for the wand again.

"I figured the costume was completely appropriate. The whole not in Kansas anymore thing?"

[vampire_shield]

"Thanks. I might actually start wearing heels more often," Bella said, looking at them again, "it's kind of nice to not be so short all the time. I even tried running in them and it was just as easy as if I was in my bare feet. Sometimes this vampire thing is really weird, but in a good way."

She nodded at the comment and giggled. "It's pretty fitting, because we're definitely not."

[the_watchtower]

"Yeah if there's a version of Kansas in this universe, the hotel is the furthest from it," Chloe agrees.

"But hey, we look awesome, right?"

[vampire_shield]

"It's pretty far from about anything I've seen. Granted it's not much but I've seen some weird stuff," Bella smiled, then laughed and nodded. "Too right we do. Speaking of, did your friend ever show up? The one you wanted me to arm wrestle?"

[the_watchtower]

Chloe nods. "Oh, yeah, Clark found me eventually. He and my cousin are both here in the hotel, so I'm not alone."

And they can go back and forth. Chloe can too but she still seems to be a little behind them timeline-wise.

[vampire_shield]

Bella nodded, trying to keep the smile on her face. "That's good. Makes it feel a little less like being trapped and more like an enforced vacation or something."

[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."

[vampire_shield]

Bella couldn't help but laugh at that. "Tell me about it. Until I started researching for a friend of mine, the nights were the worst times here. Just hours of dark and quiet and nothing. I think I read through half the library in my first month here."

[the_watchtower]

Chloe wrinkles her nose and nods in agreement. "I'm crawling the walls but at least I occasionally get a door. You haven't had any luck?"

[vampire_shield]

"I was with someone who opened a door into what looked like Rome, but I was pretty sure stepping through the door and throwing prisms off my skin would end badly for me. Other than that, not much. Just the one that leads to the abandoned version of my hometown."

[the_watchtower]

"Sorry," Chloe says, utterly sincere. She couldn't imagine not being able to get back home at all.

"Maybe you'll get there eventually, right? There's hope."

[vampire_shield]

"There's definitely hope," Bella said with a smile and a nod. "Who knows, maybe someone else from home will come here, like your friends did? One thing I've learned here...anything can happen."