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]

"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."