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

[digyourman]

The Springsteen costume was a cop-out, Larry knew that. He'd spent days trying to conceive something more clever, more easily-recognizable to the average Nexus guest, and nothing had presented itself. Anything scary felt wrong and gratuitous now, and most everything else required access to materials Larry just didn't have. He might have plied a friend to take him through their door to go shopping, but his heart hadn't been in it. More than anything, he'd simply wanted to attend the gala, and he could do that with one bandana tucked into the back pocket of his blue jeans and another tied around his head.

It surprised him how little it bothered him to dress as a rock star, and he had to wonder if it was the magic of being someone else that made it okay.

Martha's costume was infinitely more impressive than his own for several reasons, and Larry's eyes were lit with appreciative awe as he stepped up, guitar strapped across his back.

"Storm," he said, nodding his approval. "That's a killer costume, lady."

[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!)

[digyourman]

"Oh, well now you have to tell me," Larry was quick to reply with a tip of his beer bottle Martha's way. "It's a rule. 'Course, we've also made it a rule that I'll have to tell an embarrassing story in return, so maybe I should rethink that request," he added, smile going a little lopsided.


[You know I'm slow as molasses on the best day; never apologize to me for that!]

[legendthatwas]

Martha groaned, shaking her head, but took a large sip of her drink for liquid courage. "It's embarrassing," she said, and Larry's cheeky smile just made it a little worse, her cheeks heating. "So...my GCSE World History teacher was a huge Springsteen fan, so he had all the album posters in his classroom. He was an American history specialist, and this was an independent school, so it wasn't quite so weird as it sounds."

She cleared her throat, took another sip, and forced back a giggle. "And you know what the cover of Born in the USA looks like, yeah?"

[digyourman]

"Yeah, of course," Larry replied with a nod. His eyebrows had pulled together in confusion, but the amiable smile remained. "Is this going to be a story about your teacher's ass? Because I'm not sure I'm ready to hear about that," he said with a laugh.

[legendthatwas]

"No, I swear, it's just about Springsteen's. I couldn't help but stare at that poster in class, because you know, I was a teenage girl. Totally developed a crush on Springsteen...or maybe just his arse, which I couldn't tell my friends about because the 80s? Not cool." Martha rolled her eyes a little at the memory.

"So I was doing this presentation, on Appomattox." Because of this, she therefore hadn't been able to block the US Civil War from her memory, for whatever good it had done her (not much). "And I'd stayed up way too late, I'd rehearsed too many times, so I was facing the poster, running on autopilot...and started talking about arses in front of the entire class."

[digyourman]

For a tick, Larry waited for the inevitable grin or poke in the ribs that signaled he'd been had. When it didn't come, he reared his head briefly back and scratched at the back of his neck in a show of sympathetic awkwardness.

"I don't know, I'm thinking you probably improved on it," he replied with a laugh.

[legendthatwas]

Nope. It was all true, and Martha looked very sheepish. "Really happened, and I was called Bobby Jean for the rest of the year. But I swear I'm not going to subject you to Ulysses S Grant," she said, lifting a finger to make her point, and winking at him. "Or my off-key singing, I'll leave that up to you. But that's where my mind goes, with Springsteen. Pavlovian response."