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

[iwillnotsettledown]

"Occasionally? I have a very stressful job." Understatement, really, but anyone who worked in news knew that it never stopped and you, by extension, never stopped.

"It's nice to know I can come here and sleep for a few hours or have dinner and go back home and no time has passed. It's convenient."

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

So, that frown doesn't go away.

"What the hell do you do?" Because her explanation for wanting to slip into an alternate dimension or timeline or universe or wherever-the-hell almost makes a wacky sort of sense. (And he's wondering if that's, maybe, how Jessica manages to get so damned much done all the time. Then he realizes that the Star Trek is talking too much again and thinks he's gone mad, because none of that is actually supposed to be possible and he's probably not actually here, he's just hit his head or something and he'll wake up in a hospital somewhere having suffered some sort of head trauma.)

[iwillnotsettledown]

"I'm an executive producer for a show on a 24 hour news network," MacKenzie explains. "So basically I don't ever really stop working. Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I eat, but I'm always just fingers-length away from my job. It's not exactly something you can just leave at the office."

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

"I'm one of the top attorneys for one of the top corporate law firms in Manhattan and even I make time for things that aren't work," he says. Not that he has all that much in the way of a personal life, but he at least makes time for the gym and the occasional evening companion, maybe a baseball game here and there.

[iwillnotsettledown]

"My fiance works for me. With me. He's my anchor," MacKenzie says, stumbling over it a little since it's so new for her. "So I guess I don't have the motivation to leave as much as someone else. And it's new, so, I don't know? But I come here! So that's getting away sometimes."

She isn't sure her argument is entirely convincing.

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

She clearly has him beat in the 'personal life' department. This is not something that he points out. He wouldn't say he's proud that he doesn't have a personal life, but he isn't shouting that his life sucks because he doesn't have one either. He just doesn't have much of a personal life. It's a thing.

"I'm not sure running away to an alternate dimension -" he cannot believe he just said that with a straight face, "- is the same as 'taking a break from work'." Though, really, pot-kettle-black much?

[iwillnotsettledown]

"No, it is not," MacKenzie agrees. "But I tried really hard to pretend that it was? I have a little trouble disconnecting from the very stressful reality of my life. I'm sure this is some kind of psychotic break or coping mechanism or whatever the hell it is that you learn in first year psychology."

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

Harvey half-grins. "Okay that - that I can almost buy." He pauses. "Not that I hope you're having a psychotic break, just that it seems like the most viable option. I thought it was just me." All the shit that went down over the last couple of weeks before he stumbled into this place? Yeah, he could believe he's losing it.

[iwillnotsettledown]

"Oh no, it's not just you. I guess if we're all crazy, we've got good company," MacKenzie says brightly. "I don't think I'm crazy though and you don't seem to be but otherwise, well. There's just not a good explanation for this place and how it works otherwise, is there?"

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

He offers a shrug. "I suppose there could be a better explanation. However, I don't have one." He pulls a face. "I don't have a drink either. I thought there was a bar at this party?" If that was all a lie, it's very distressing and he will return to his thorough investigation of every door he can locate in this goddamned place until one of them leads him the hell back to his office.

[iwillnotsettledown]

"Well, we can fix that," MacKenzie says cheerfully. "We can go find where they're hiding the liquor because obviously it's not a party without getting completely smashed." She isn't sure how Will would feel about her getting wasted and teetering back to their hotel room but she can deal with that later. Obviously the two of them have bigger issues at hand if they're going to keep dwelling on how the hotel works.

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

If she were to ask Harvey, he would tell her that any significant other worth their salt wouldn't give a rat's ass if she came back smashed every now and then. If it was a regular thing, there would be cause for concern.

"If they're hiding the liquor, this is a terrible party," he comments.

[iwillnotsettledown]

"Fair point, I have to give you that one. Still, it's the only option we've got," she says, laughing a bit.

"Ah ha! I think it's back over there," MacKenzie says, pointing over a sea of people toward what she thinks is the bar.

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

He waves a hand. "I'll let you lead, since you seem to have some idea." Though he's a little taller than she is, he can't really see much with the mask and the hat.