Windsor Arms Hotel, Toronto, Natalie's Canada, Tuesday

[whenshewasnice]

It was New Year's Eve, and time for Natalie to make up for the Christmas she'd managed to miss almost entirely. And what better place to do that than at a lovely upscale hotel, somewhere far away from almost everyone she knew?

Yeah, she was standing in the lobby of the Windsor Arms Hotel, win Toronto. She'd already handled check-in (including the part where she aggressively used the might of her charm stats to convince them Moxy wasn't going to be any trouble at all) and sent all her stuff upstairs to the suite. It was just her, waiting for Jim, looking every bit the barely adult politician's assistant on vacation that she was.

Those were some killer heels.

[ooc: NFB, for the boy!]

Comments

[pursuedthestars]

At some point, Jim did finally slide through the door. Moxy hadn't liked being out in the cold and had made that position known by meowing loudly and scurrying around in the carrier.

That made the whole walk from the portal to the hotel tough and he'd cursed plenty. He'd almost lost his own bag a few times because of the cat's antics.

"Goddammit, stay still," he muttered as he came closer. "We're inside now."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie gave him a small smile and a little wave when he (well, they) came closer.

"Hello, boys."

[pursuedthestars]

"Calm your cat down," Jim said, holding the carrier up. "He won't stay still and he's about to dislocate my damn arm."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie reached out to take the carrier from him. "Shhh, Mox, everything's fine," she murmured, as she did. "I'm here, everything's cool."

[pursuedthestars]

Jim shook out his arm and shifted his bag from one shoulder to another.

"The treat calm didn't last long," he said, shaking his head.

[whenshewasnice]

"Well, that was for getting him into the carrier. I didn't think about the weather issue." She nodded towards the elevators. "Come on. I'll make both of you happier."

[pursuedthestars]

"Good. I'm cold," he said, making a face and heading towards the elevator. "How are you?"

[whenshewasnice]

"I'm fine," she said, as she led the way, Moxy now a little less restless in his carrier. "But in desperate need for a few days away from politics."

[pursuedthestars]

"You don't want to work?" he asked, feigning surprise. "I'm shocked."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie snorted as she reached out with her free hand to call the elevator down. "Maybe not for a day or two. I reserved the room until Thursday, and Peter wants me back by the weekend."

[pursuedthestars]

"Wants you back?" Jim raised an eyebrow at the phrasing but said nothing further.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie raised her own eyebrow, as the elevator doors opened and she gestured for him to step inside.

"Issues with my wording, Mr. Kirk?"

[pursuedthestars]

Jim shrugged and stepped inside. He leaned one shoulder against the wall and waited.

[whenshewasnice]

Now both her eyebrows bounced, but she followed him in, thumbing the button for their floor when the doors slid closed behind her.

"Okay then."

[pursuedthestars]

Jim stayed quiet and watched the floors ascend. He was a little tired from the portal travel and the cat wrangling but he was otherwise just quiet and observant.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie let the quiet be. After a moment of side-eyeing him, anyway.

It didn't take long for them to hit their floor. The door opened, and she stepped out, reaching for the key in her pocket as she glanced around for the suite.

[pursuedthestars]

Jim wasn't going to break the silence. Hey, he'd spent a long walk listening to Moxy meow so he liked the quiet at this point in time.

He followed behind her.

[whenshewasnice]

And Natalie could busy herself with getting them in the suite. She walked up to the door, put Moxy's carrier down on the floor, got the door open, and picked Moxy up again before stepping in.

And the suite was huge. The door opened into the living room, and that alone was pretty damn vast.

"Huh. This looks worth the cost."

[pursuedthestars]

"Jesus, how did you afford this?" he asked, blinking. "I can't afford this."

[whenshewasnice]

"It's my Christmas present to myself. Possibly birthday, too." She set Moxy's carrier down again, and ignored his curious meows for the moment so she could make her way further into the suite.

There were a few rooms. Den, dining room, master bedroom.

[pursuedthestars]

"Jesus," he said to himself, shaking his head. "This place is bigger than my house back home."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie's new duplex was pretty big too, but that wasn't what she was comparing this with. That didn't even feel like a home yet.

In the master bedroom, she ran her hand over the edge of the baby grand piano, and smiled to herself.

[pursuedthestars]

Jim didn't really wander. He stayed in the main room, stretching and checking out everything that was nearby. He was sure he'd see everything else in due time.

[whenshewasnice]

Then he was going to have to deal with Natalie sitting down by the piano just for a moment. Just to pluck out a little bit of melody, to feel at home.

Maybe she'd manage to get a piano in Brazil now. And not just the keyboard and the guitar.

[pursuedthestars]

Jim spent that few moments to let Moxy out of his carrier so the cat should stretch his legs. He wouldn't have wanted to be cramped up in the carrier for any longer than necessary.

Once that was down, Jim found his way to a sofa and dropped down on it.