Chekov's sorry that Lucy can't be here, too. She likes clubs; this is exactly the kind of party that she would most enjoy. Not having her here also means that there's no reason to not talk to Korra about the more serious things that have happened recently. Although he likes Korra very much and enjoys spending time with her, he would rather not spend that time talking about serious things.

And, really, serious things are the only things that are talked about in quiet corners.

Between Korra's expression and his own unusually low mood, Chekov doesn't have much choice but to answer her inquiry sincerely. "I have been better." Prior to the ghouls and the cursed weekend. The latter bothers him more, if only because he still doesn't know what really happened. "And you? Are you enjoying your party?"