Immortal's Club - Game Thread. Arc Five : Winter Soldier (Started, Open)

[TheIronRuler]

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?I intend to live forever, or die trying? ? Groucho Marx​

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Paris, France.
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Sometime in the 1900s. [small] I lost track of time when Ceasar got stabbed.[/small]


Creatures of otherworldly quality gathered tonight under the same roof, binding together eras of the past into a paste of ongoing human development. They, the undying bearers of fire, the Prometheus of legend, have found a dwelling most suited for their underhanded affairs in the mortal plain. It is a rare occurrence that the members of the Immortal?s Club meet, for the eyes of a mere mortal the wait for the next encounter could mean a lifetime, but for an Immortal it would only mean the difference between lunch and tea-time.

Speaking of tea, it was about to be served to the Immortals attending the meeting taking place in an underground café not too far from the Louvre owned by a well-established member. The red brick walls were covered with stolen old pieces of art thought to have been lost in the previous war in Europe, antique exquisite furniture made with the wildest tropical wood were scattered across the hall which was fit for two score guests. Gilles had been, and always will be, for the rest of time, a most extravagant of hosts and an arrogant bastard. He had prepared the occasion for the past few months, foaming at the mouth for the opportunity to host a meeting and dazzle the other Immortals with his voluptuous hospitality.

Alas, it wasn?t meant to be, and Gilles had been sobbing and wailing at his loss of words for the introduction of the newly undead. The little credit he earned with the guests had vanished as quickly as he had gazed his eyes upon the great big machine which would constitute as a new member, imagining all of the marvelous delightful treats and exotic food he had prepared that couldn?t be enjoyed by the new Immortal. Most terrible of all, the new member couldn?t congragulate Gilles over his beautiful café, his delicious food and generous hospitality, since he was a machine and didn?t mind all of it.

?He?s not even mortal to begin with!? Gilles had snapped in anger when holding a platter of butter encrusted blackened crackers smeared with yak cheese and topped with beluga caviar and gold sheerings to the guests and receiving no compliments. The attention of the crowd was aimed solely at the newly anointed creature, the otherworldly immortal of the day. He wouldn?t go as far as even looking at the confections available to the guests. After all, what is food to a man with no stomach?

?I am-? the mechanical creature took another calculated look around the room, ?-I was flesh and blood, and now I am machine. Doing this transformation broke the first law, and here I am?. This immortal was unlike all of the rest, a new breed of creation. It was denied by both men and mortals, forced to flee its home and live in fear of being dismantled and caged as an intriguing lab experiment. It was when the facets of immortality were being prodded by men that it was rescued, whisked away from danger for the benefit of the entire club. The savior of the machine was the infamous Utna, the first of his kind.

?So how do they call you?? Gilles snapped at him in rage, still angry at his refusal to eat his gourmet food and now enraged by his refusal to sign his name in the guest-book. ?You do have a name, or, should we call you ?it??? he continued prodding the startled machine. Gilles didn?t even stay long enough to hear an answer ? he swiftly moved aside towards his other guests, dispensing tall glasses of champagne and wine to his ever-lasting friends.

?I had a name, once, but now I cannot use it? the machine spoke in its metallic voice, cringe-worthy to those of this century and entirely alien to most of the immortals. ?Gears, they used to call me in uni. I guess it fits now more than ever? it looked down at its body, a mechanical marvel of engineering propped up by ingenious design and the breach of the first law.

?Gears it is, then, my friend? Utna spoke softly, holding the machine close to him and smiling widely at the crowd. ?Move around the room, meet with those who you will spend eternity with. Make friends, make plans? you?ll do them eventually, we all have the spare time? Utna chuckled to himself, let go of Gears and walked away towards Gilles who was standing in the corner, muttering curses under his breath.

?Greetings? a soft-spoken voice reared Gears and reminded him of an oriental origin. Gears turned to meet an elderly couple, much shorter than him and the others in the room, dressed lavishly in fine robes embroiled with gold and jewels. They haven?t gone with the times as the rest of the immortals, it seems, but the couple seemed to be pleasantly inviting. It was the man who spoke first, ?I am Xi, and this is my wife Jade? he motioned to the woman at his side, ?We are relieved to spend eternity with you. You are truly a marvel of a new age?. Gears did what was closest to blushing, an involuntary reaction which showed nothing to the naked eye. He regained his composure and the screen imitating a human face smiled back at the couple, ?Thank you. It was my work that created this, and gave me this gift?.

?gift, pfft. What a waste-?, a contemptuous voice stung Gears from a distance. A young man in his late teens was the perpetrator. His skin rarely peered beyond the ink which decorated his body, creating lavish carvings across all of his flesh. They seemed to have told a story, but Gears couldn?t understand what it told. ?You?ll stay like this forever. I?ve stopped counting the times I killed myself? he sneered at Gears, taking a swig of fine red wine in his mouth, turning it around and spitting in on the floor with a sense of disgust. ?It all turns to ash in your mouth in the end, but you won?t be worrying about that, won?t you, you piece of iron?. Gilles was soon to come, holding a mop with one hand. He cleaned the floor and simultaneously chastised the young man, tossing obscene curse-words in a foreign language at him. Gears gathered his name was Emanuel. His eyes were old, tired and knowing, a stark dichotomy with his young and energetic appearance.

?Psst?? a voice came out of nowhere, ?Psst??, it whispered to the room, ?Psst?hey, Gears?hey?. The confused android scanned the room around him and was shocked to find the voice coming from the fireplace. Above the bright red wooden frame of the fireplace stood several trophies which belonged to the Immortal?s club, one of which was whispering at Gears to come closer. It stood together with other strange knick-knacks, a golden chalice, a massive gemstone the color of the rainbow and a golden apple. ?Psst? the severed and mummified head seemed to whisper at Gears, ?I need you to scratch my nose?. Gears quickly walked towards the fireplace in a brisk pace, stood in front of the head and cocked his head to the right in confusion. ?Who are you?? he asked curiously. ?Nose first, questions later, please-? he begged, and Gears obliged the poor severed head. A delightful sigh came out of him, followed by a quick string of words, ?I?m the resident freak-show, Tut?s the name. This here is the holy chalice from the last suffer, which belongs to that knight bloke over there-? he motioned with his nose at a large, burly white man in the corner, speaking to the odd couple from before, ?-and that over there is a golden apple which gives you immortality-?, Tut snickered and nearly fell back on his head, ?-not anymore, though. It?s Idun?s, the fine woman slapping Gilles over there-?, his nose twitched again at the direction of Idun, a young, lean maiden with long golden hair, in the middle of beating Gilles to a fine pulp, ?-nice trophy for the group. She also got a nice rack. Feisty?. ?But who are you?? Gears asked, staring at the head. ?I told you, dummy, I?m Tut. I?m the talking head?.

?Give me the damned elixir, you hack!? a deep voice, one which came from the center of the earth, boomed and roared through the hall. ?Sit down, you drunkard, and try this on for size? another answered him smugly. A massive, heavy man was slumped on the wall, his hands reaching up to grab a glass another standing near him was holding. He held the cup in both hands, took a deep breath and gulped the entire content in one go, letting out a scream of pain and agony as he threw it away and smashed it at the end of the hall. ?That?s not good enough!? he boomed at the room. ?You?re mad, Isaac!? he bellowed at him with a smile, ?I can?t find ANYTHING good enough for you!?. ?You?re alright, Mahmod, even if you?re a stinking Muslim, you?re alright?? he mumbled drunkingly, head tilting from side to side. His sneeze shoock the entire foundation of the building, and when his head snapped back at the wall and smashed into it, Isaac was at last in peace. ?I told you I could get him to shut up-? Mahmod grinning at Utna, ?You owe me?. The tall, dark and lean figure was wearing stylish clothes and a million-dollar smile. ?Heh, I guess I won?t be dealing with you then?? he turned to Gears, ??unless you robots can get a high?.

?Don?t be alarmed, Gears? Utna was finally done with the oriental couple, ?See who else you haven?t met yet. You might find a friend, or even a lover, for the rest of eternity?.

 

[TheIronRuler]

Accepted Character Sheets:

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[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Ali looked at the new member from afar. It had been awhile since a new member was inducted but given the nature of her existence, it was all just leaves in the wind for her. She had been a member for awhile now and she always was quite excited for a new face and this occasion was no different although the lack of flesh a bit troubling for her. She already knew all the members of the club and loved just about most of them but none of them really fit her type. She damned her parents beneath her breath once more and took another drag of her cigarette. Another plus about immortality was that she could smoke all she want but it was mostly to past the time since time was the only thing affecting them along with boredom.

Ali got up from her chair and straightened her purple, form-fitting dress with one hand while holding her wine glass with the other. Then she checked her hair before she poured herself another portion while the others mingled and argued like they always did. It was to join in but she was in a curious mood concerning the new member. She watched as the mechanical being went from one immortal to another in an almost childlike manner. It must be interesting being a machine, Ali thought as she sipped her wine. She didn't know why she bothered sipping. Immortals could almost never get drunk anyways and if they did then mercy on those who try to stop them. As she finished her sip, Ali sauntered over to the machine with intent on knowing more about it. There was some curios feeling that coursing right through her that she hadn't felt in quite a while or maybe it was the wine that was actually working. Utna mentioned that the wine was from America. That explains it.

Ali casually walked to the machine man with a pleasant, welcoming smile to her face. She wondered if the machine had a definition of beauty.

"Hello there!" Ali gleefully said. "Forgive me if I may address you the wrong way. This is the first time I've ever spoken to a being like you before and that's saying quite a lot. My name is Ali and it's a pleasure meeting such a... Being like yourself. I hope the others have given you a warm welcome."

 

[TheIronRuler]

Gears snapped his head back in a panic, the monitor watching the figure behind him, letting out a muffled electric cry of pain as he awkwardly turned the rest of his body back and align it with his head. It didn't quite hurt him, since he felt no pain at all, but the quick movements put an unnecessary stress on his hardware. His face lit up when he examined the fine young woman who greeted him a moment earlier. Had he been what he was before, he might have fancied going places, but for the rest of eternity it was irrelevant. A few circuits fluttered in disappointment, and he carried on with his eternal life.

'It must be strange to see someone like me, after a lifetime with no machines-' Gears started, remembering the young buxom might be older than the Pyramids, '-I was told I am a unique situation, but then...', he stared out at the room and the different immortals around him, '...you all are unique'. A smile spread across the electronic face Gears presented, eyes staring hollowly at the room. 'The others are more interested in the social gathering than myself. Is this a rare occurance, the vlub meeting like this?'.

 

[JoJo]

Cadeyrn ran along the banks of Seine, his messy dark brown hair sticking to his sweaty forehead, his loosely buttoned shirt and shorts flapping in the spring breeze. In his left hand was grasped a bottle of Château Haut-Brion, behind him the proprietor of the store he had stolen the drink from, red faced and slowly falling behind his quarry. The wine wasn't particularly to the boy's taste, but he was to be attending a party and he reasoned that you should always bring a gift to a party.

"Revenir vous morceau de merde!" the large man shouted into the distance as he gave up the chase, panting and out-of-breath.

"Brûle en enfer!" Cadeyrn hurled back with a laugh, before dropping to a more leisurely pace. Before too long however he heard further shouts in French behind him, a quick glance over his shoulder revealed a pair of policemen had decided to take up the hunt. Cadeyrn sighed, this was getting boring, it was time to drop his pursuers. He took a sudden right turn into a nearby alleyway, disappearing into the shadowy depths. When the police officers finally caught up, they found nothing greeting them except a brick wall dead end and a few empty cardboard boxes. Shaking their heads in disbelief, they noted something down in their notebooks and then made their way back out, failing to spot the small boy grinning malevolently from his hiding place on the roof.

Cadeyrn turned onto his back and looked up at the sun in the sky, from it's position he realised it must be almost midday. "Shit!" he exclaimed, "I'm going to be late!"

He slid down the tiled roof and leapt onto the next house, and then the next, heading east across the tightly-packed dwellings towards the street he remembered the cafe was at. For any mortal this would be a death-defying stunt but for someone who have lived for almost two thousand years already it was merely a game. After-all, what was the worst that could happen to a nine year old who could never age, die or be injured, fall off?

Finally Cadeyrn found the underground cafe on the edge of a busy square, he clambered down a drainpipe out of sight of passersby and levered himself through an half-opened window. Brushing himself off, he bounced into the meeting room, most of the immortals were already there. After wiping the mud off his shoes onto the carpet, he marched up to Gilles and proudly presented the man with a battered and grimy but somehow still intact bottle of Château Haut-Brion.

"Hi Mister Gilles," he said brightly, "Here's something for the party. Where's this new geezer then?"

 

[TheIronRuler]

Today couldn't have gotten worse even if that midget arrived at the party. Gilles was tearing his hair out, begging for salvation from the higher powers. His beautiful establishment was wrecked even before the night began. The food he served was either ignored by his guests, especially by that arrogant machine, or spat out by the rest. The only thing that went well was the wine, and he nearly depleted his well-stocked cellars trying to sate the thirst of the mighty Isaac. Even after Mahmod had saved the party from the towering behemoth liquor flew like water. Gilles was stumbling back and forth between the kitchen and the dining hall when he was rudely interrupted. He gasped in horror as he saw the midget there again - the small thing, all hunched and evil, squinting at it from below. Oh, how he pleaded he was a child, but such unnatural things couldn't occur. He refused to believe a man could become a living legend at such an early age. He must have been a dwarf, then, one which appeared like a child.

'Oh, it's you-', Gilles stared at the poor dwarf. His eyes glistened with joy when they caught sight of his gift, and a terribly endearing smile crept into his face as he welcomed him again to the party. After all, he was the only one who really bothered to bring a worthwhile gift, and wine was sorely needed at that time. 'Welcome, welcome, my dear, how we missed you so... Let me just have this-', he motioned for the wine bottle with greedy eyes. His head snapped back at the sound of wood breaking, and saw with a sunken heart a beautifully crafted chair completely smashed, Sir Gerome sprawled on his back, cursing at the roof and rubbing his bruised cheek fervently. Over him stood Lilith in her delicate night-gown, a look of contempt smeared across her face in anger as she studied the rude knight at her feet. 'You mannerless fool!', she shouted at him and viciously kicked him in the fruits, sending him further back, this time rolling from side to side and holding his crotch with both hands. 'He's the mechanical one, they're all so excited... but he won't eat any of the caviar, or no, it's too good for mister Gears...' Gilles turned back to Cadeyrn with a disappointed frown and motioned again at the bottle of wine.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

"Is this a rare occurance, the club meeting like this?"

Ali's hazel eyes drifted to the ceiling in polite thought, pondering the machine's own question before coming up with an answer.

"To be honest," Ali started. "if you've been around for as long as I am, then time is nothing than the breeze of leaves. We meet eventually but the time doesn't quite matter. As long as we exist, we shall meet." She said simply. "We see time differently. To mortals, we may meet in the next hundred years but to us, it would be just another polite party we have to attend."

Ali smiled at the machine then scanned the room for anyone to introduce the robot too. In the corner of her eye, she spotted the familiar shape running towards Giles. She turned to see Cadeyrn and a grin appeared on her face. She sauntered up to the "child" as well. Of all the Immortals in the room, Ali always found Caderyn an interesting one to talk to.

"Cadey!" Ali spoke up as she approached him. She bent over and grabbed the child's hair before planting a kiss on his forehead whether he wanted to or not. "I haven't seen you since that awful business in Germany. I hope you're doing well and-oh, this is our newest member!" Ali motioned to Gears. "A machine! Asimov would have loved to see the sight of you."

 

[Frission]

Shenshen slowly and methodically made his way through the city. He was covered in several Technicolor pieces of fabric and sported a brand new boater hat, which was supposed to be all the rage at the moment.

He was hopelessly lost and had no idea where the meeting room was or who the host was for that matter. He was trying to remember whether it was the knight Gilles or the bourgeois Gilles, but either way he had long since given up on using the instructions Gilles had provided to find the meeting. He had decided to just investigate the whole city and hope that he would find the meeting place in the allotted time slot. He had started five days earlier and had managed to narrow the meeting place down to one tenth of Paris. The food and honey he brought was also older than the city itself and he was anticipating the success his cuisine would have. He was particularly proud of his Mongolian dish.

Most of the city was abuzz about the new exhibition taking place, and Shenshen had miraculously managed to remain unnoticed more or less. This relative tranquility allowed him to let his mind wander as he strolled through familiar and unfamiliar streets.

When was the last time he had visited Paris? He hadn't visited France since the fall of the first Napoleon and the short rule of the Bourbon dynasty. He didn't recognize a large part of the city ever since Haussmann's renovation of Paris, since many of the most familiar houses and streets had been wiped off the face of the earth. The winter he hid in the slums of Paris as wolves prowled the streets were still one of the worst experiences he had ever gone through, and yet he still felt a small pang of shock when he realized that his old house had been demolished. Was the city at all the same as in his memories? Why was the world changing so quickly? Why was an angry French policeman barreling towards him?

Shenshen was interrupted from his thoughts as a big man knocked into him, sending both of the men flying. They both uttered similar squacks of surprise, before they came crashing down to pavement. Shenshen miraculously managed to save his pot of honey, but otherwise fell in a disorganized heap. The other men promptly stood up and started yelling "au voleur? ?gamin merdeux? as well as various curses directed at Shenshen before roughly moving to grab him. Shenshen only understood something about "romanichel? and ?vagabond? before realizing that the man was about to arrest him for something. However as the policemen moved to lift the fallen heap of shawls, he only managed to grab a scarf before the rest of the mess suddenly lurched forward and quickly snaked out of view.

In a nearby alley Shenshen recomposed himself and made sure that all of his affairs were in their right place. He was now even more lost than usual, and he was afraid that he may have to patrol the whole city again until he returned to his previous location. He despaired at starting his efforts over until he noticed a small form saddling down a drainpipe and cramming itself in a window. Was it the Korrigan (his laughter resounds in the halls)? If so it must mean that he was near the meeting place! What luck, this would be the first time in centuries that he arrived at the specified time!

Shenshen quickly dashed to the front of the café at a speed that would have struck Hippolyta dumb, leaped down the steps and trotted down to the meeting room. He was surprised and gratified to see so many immortals at the party. It would be only polite to introduce himself however and decided to present himself to whoever looked like Gilles (the true knight), reasoning that he would probably find the host quickly enough.

 

[TheIronRuler]

Gears eyed the child curiously, taking in the happy and upbeat figure as an unexpected apparition. He imagined living his eternity always looking up at the world, stuck in a body of a child and doomed to stay that way. Everyone had their drawbacks, he told himself, and he wasn't any different stuck in that rust-bucket he called his body. 'I read Asimov as a child, he was an inspiration to me-', Gears smiled at the memories of himself tucked under his blanket, reading stolen books with his flashlight, delighting himself with the prospects of the future, '-though I am quite certain he is still with us'.

'...And who are you, young man?' Gears asked cautiosly.

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'Psst...Psst...Shen...Shen...Shenshen...', Tut giggled from his place at the back of the room, 'Psst... I need you to scratch my nose...', he whispered and giggled uncontrollably. 'Shut up already', the young teen approached Tut, strutting and swaggering on his way to the fireplace, 'You stupid talking head, you never shut up'. 'Oh, if it isn't the hero of the great war, nazi-hunting ink-master of the world-', Tut muttered angrily before getting viciously slapped. He tumbled down on the back of his head and turned on his left side.'Go and take a hike, Emanuel, you whiny little *****', Tut flung insults at the teen in rage, '-waste of immortality'. Emanuel was about to hit Tut again, aiming to toss the head right off the fireplace and down on the floor, but he was stopped by a strong hand from behind. 'Stop that, boy', Mahmod hissed at him, his voice threatening with every known misery in existence, 'leave the poor mummy alone'.

'Ah, you're here, and only five hours late. It's easy for us to loose track of time... Come in, Shenshen' Gilles greeted him at the door, then turned back to watch his guests fighting with each other. He let out a desperate sigh and disappeared into the kitchen.

 

[Baddamobs]

Screecher had arrived early, as usual. It had helped that she recognized some of the layout of the city from years ago, admittedly with some great difficulty.

What is it with these humans and constantly building on-top of everything they built before? At least the street names remained SOMEWHAT consistent. Still, she reasoned, she couldn't expect the world to stop turning wherever she was not. And besides it had been a much...different time, when she had last been here. 1789 was not a good year to buy an estate here...

After getting some directions from some helpful police officers (who looked with no small amount of confusion when she initially tried talking to them: her French was evidently more then a little Archaic at this point), she had managed to arrive at the pre-designated spot with only minimal wandering, just in time to see a few more early birds (sigh) just settling in. She had offered to help Gilles with any last minute set ups (more out of politeness then any desire to help), but despite clearly having his hands full, he had cheerily passed on her offer, so giddy was he for the newest member of their little 'club' that he practically glided from the kitchen and the main room. In the meantime, as more of their numbers strolled in, she had made pleasantries with the other friends she would have for the rest of time; in particular greeting Lilith, whom she hadn't seen for a long time even by THEIR standards. She had been lounging in one of the cushy chairs half listening to Xi and Jade while swirling brandy, when their newest member made themselves known.
A being made out of metal...now we really HAVE seen everything...

As cruel as it sounds, Screecher couldn't help but smirk as their host subtly, and then not so subtly, despaired over yet another of their membership being completely regardless for food (she wasn't sure if Tut could still taste, though she didn't care to find out, and the less said about some of their less savory members the better. She herself didn't care a huge deal; alcohol still had enough a pleasant enough kick that it warmed her stomach, and she ate what was offered by Gilles if only because someone needed to humor the poor sod. Meat, however, never ran of allure and she would admit that Gilles knew how to cook up one hell of a steak.

Shaking her head to clear it of the tantalizing idea of cooked field mice, she took stock of her surroundings again.
Seems Ali's giving the new blood-...new member the introductions. Better her then me, I suppose.
Screecher knew she would have to introduce herself at some point, if only to lay down the proper 'house rules' more clearly than most of these misfits could. Honestly, for beings that had lived for so long, Screecher sometimes felt like (barring the likes of Uta, of course) the most level headed and least-childish out of all of them-
Ugh...speak of the devil, and he shall appear. A sneer formed on her expression as she saw Ali pull 'Gears' over to greet the pint sized form of Cadeyrn. Bad enough for how he acted, let alone actually LOOKING like a child. Screecher re-settled in her seat. She would let Ali handle their newest member for a time, and once the... wood-sprite was out of ear shot, then she would make her way over to them.
Until then, she thought crossing her legs, I'll finish this drink...and avoid whatever the hell scene Tut is making. She looked over just as Emanuel knocked the head from his perch, Shenshen simultaneously being approached by Gilles, before turning back to attend to her drink.

 

[JoJo]

Cadeyrn quickly passed Gilles the bottle of wine before he was accosted by Ali planting a sloppy kiss on his forehead.

"Ewh," he groaned and made a token effort to wriggle out of her grasp but he didn't mind much really, Ali was one of the few immortals in the club who didn't act like a stuffed shirt most of the time.

"Yeah, I was picking pieces of Fritz out of my teeth for weeks after that," he grinned in reply, remembering the last time they'd met, "Spare a fag?" he added, pointing to the cigarette Ali was holding. At that moment the new immortal approached the pair, his great form towering over both.

"...And who are you, young man?" the robot asked cautiously.

"Cadeyrn," the boy replied, staring up at the machine, a look of wonder in his bright blue eyes, "Of the Durotriges tribe, or at-least I was..." he unconsciously put his hand to the right side of his chest, "What are you?" he added curiously, reaching out to brush the cold metal with his fingers, "Are you an alien?"

 

[drmigit2]

Naditabirus was dressed in her Parisian black petticoat, long skirt and grasping a rather long and elegant cigarette holder, burning a white line across the streets of Old Coquré street. Nadi had always been interested in the rising of groups of people riding on smaller version of these new automobiles that made travel oh so easy. The immortal was riding in front of the other gang members and was blowing a thin line of smoke behind her, driving with one arm and smoking with the other. Some people claimed health benefits on them, but she had figured they weren?t so good for people, but she was immortal so it wasn?t like lung cancer was a serious threat. Those behind her figured that she was simply riding aimlessly, so when Naditabirus stopped in front of a small cafe with little rhyme or reason, the group looked at her curiously. Naditabirus paid them little mind and simply began to walk inside stating ?I?m afraid I have some private business inside here. Au?revoir, until we meet again.?

The gang unanimously shrugged, their slicked back hair shining in the afternoon sun and quickly took off. They were pretty fun, Naditabirus figured she would need to keep them around for a while. Either way, this will have been the first time she had seen most of these people since she left for America in the 1500?s. Europe was strange now, though not too different from what she was used to. Nice to see that they treated colored folk a bit better, but still just as annoyingly ridged as Americans. Oh well, Nadi thought as she pushed open the wooden door and entered the cafe, smoke cloud following her. There was a new member, a machine if she had heard correctly, and that was worth seeing.

Naditabirus spotted Giles rushing back and forth, same as he ever was. Probably offended about someone being themselves, or something to that regard. Nadi took it upon herself to introduce herself to the newbie personally. It had been ages since a new member propped up and frankly, she missed introducing herself to the fresh immortals. Perhaps she could also study how exactly he became?a machine. Nadi stood amidst the chaos, one of the oldest immortals, though admittedly not the first and said ?Oh how nice it is to be back with the crowd! Tell me, where is this new member?"

 

[TheIronRuler]

'Are you an alien? Cadeyrn asked innocently as he felt the cold steel plates comrpsiing the body of Gears. The computer generated expression tried to imitate raising one eyebrow in surprise, but instead failed and glitched horribly, flashing between two expressions of happiness and surprise for a short moment before returning to a grinning face. 'An Alien would have felt that, but I can't. No, I am-', Gears stopped and glanced at the other guests coming to his party, '-I was a normal person, just like you were. This is the result of years of experiments and research. It was do or die' Gears emitted a sharp rasping sound which was supposed to have immitated laughter, but it only added to his foreign otherworldly appearance. 'Now the other option is eliminated entirely'.

 

[Baddamobs]

"Tell me, where is this new member?"

Screecher looked up and around behind her chair, and it took her second to recognize Naditabirus, but it eventually clicked in her memory. The somewhat eccentric (at least Screecher considered her thus) Immortal had long been away, mainly in the Americas, somewhere the ex-owl hadn't the 'pleasure' of going to in recent times.
She'll have probably story or two to tell, no doubt. The younger Immortal thought to herself, sighing slightly as she did so. Should probably go welcome her back; the whole point of these little 'soirée's were to actually catch up with the others, even if they are a little tiresome.

Downing the rest of her drink and resting the glass on the small table between the seating, Screecher eased herself to her feet, brushing some imaginary dust from the front of her dark red long coat. Before even Gilles could have a chance to greet the other Immortal (he seemed to be swiftly sweeping up some broken chair fragments...when did that happen?), Screecher strode across the room to the door, calling out 'Naditabirus' in the friendliest tone possible, though she refused to use that pet name 'Nadi' some of the others used.

Coming before the other Immortal, she stuck out a single gloved hand, a slight genuine smile starting to play on her features. She wouldn't admit it out load, but she was glad to see Naditabirus again, if only for how long it had been since their partings.
"You've been a long time away friend. It's good to see we won't be forced to give that talking ornament we call Tut a equally immobile companion."

With her free hand, she point with her thumb towards where she could hear the a sudden rasping sound that could have been confused with laughter if it hadn't sounded like a boiler giving a choked whistle.
"The newest member of our 'merry band' can be found making the rounds of introductions with Ali. Last I saw of him, he was talking to our wood-sprite, though they might have since moved on."

 

[JoJo]

"A person?" Cadeyrn replied in surprise, the machine had little resemblance to any man he'd ever seen. Then again, he'd never really understood how electricity or powered devices worked, he'd eventually settled on them being some kind of new human magic that was as unexplainable as the spells he'd seen and practised in the Otherworld millennia ago.

"Did you want to end up like that?" he asked the robot as his thoughts returned to the present, " I mean, it's cool but I wouldn't want to be a giant robot forever and ever. Can you even eat? Do you have a name?" He glanced apologetically at Ali, realising that he was asking a lot of questions at once and not giving anyone-else at a chance to speak.

 

[drmigit2]

"You've been a long time away friend. It's good to see we won't be forced to give that talking ornament we call Tut a equally immobile companion."

Naditabirus shook Screecher's hand calmly and put up a smile. "You know, I think if I got caught in such a situation, I would probably continue my research in immortal death, fruitless as it may be." Naditabirus chuckled as her eyes grew wide, she hadn't immediately realized who she was talking to, but it dawned upon her that this was Screecher, the ex-owl. "Screecher? Gods, it has been so long! How are you? I actually met a friend in America you might find really interesting, her original form was of an animal too, though she kept it." Naditabirus looked behind Screecher and saw Caedryn assaulting the newest immortal with an unending barrage of questions, as he was bound to do. "We really do not change much, it seems. Even in our rules, I suppose. I have actually come for more than just meeting Gears, but that is a conversation for later."

 

[PlastikThief]

Shanna had only taken a few steps along the cobbled boulevards of Paris before they were utterly sick of the place. The stale smoke and dreary grey of the sky made them yearn for the countryside, or at least a scarf. There hadn?t even been any interesting changes since last they were here. The tower loomed in the distance and the museums bulged with stolen artefacts. The coffee shops swelled with bad breath and empty talk, hiding promising ideas in the fug. Shanna grimaced imperceptibly. If they were going to attend this initiation then they might as well have some other thoughts to consider while the others talked.

The coffeehouse was brightly lit and serviceable. The grinding of the beans mingled with the flow of speakers to create a not altogether annoying drone, from which Shanna would pick tidbits of conversations. None were particularly interesting, the mundane ramblings of a housewife or two, the cries of an infant in a man?s body when he didn?t get what he wanted. It was nothing like the bad old days, but then, nothing was like that bad old days.

Fully upset by their excursion coming to nought, Shanna quickly finished their beverage and paid, making their way out of the shop and turning to make their way to the meeting place. The underground café was at least a more reputable sight, and gave Shanna chills thinking about the number of revolutionary meetings that may have been held there in the past, and potentially in the future. So many new thoughts and ideas and inventions. Their internal revolutionary warmed at the thought.

The party was in full swing by the time Shanna made their way into the main hall. Generous lubrication of wine and brandy made bellies warm and tongues waggle in such wonderful ways. Even if it didn?t have quite the effect it once did. Shanna cast their eye over the proceedings, catching sight of the eminent Screecher, conversing with the Lich Queen, the disembodied Tut go flying past, his face contorted. The Man-child and the actual Immortal Child were crowded talking to a?

?A machine

A walking, talking, emoting, machine

Shanna felt their heart flutter in their chest. The wine glass in their hand was placed, forgotten on a mantelpiece, as they sidled closer to the walking obfuscation of physics and nature.

?You?re beautiful? they whispered, awestruck, interrupting whatever the hell was going on prior. None of their pleasantries mattered. What they had here was breath-taking and important and vital to the understanding of how immortality worked. It was a phenomenon.

And it was dangerous. And Shanna grinned internally at the very idea of the commotion the thing would cause at any scientific gathering.

 

[TheIronRuler]

The spark in the child's eye mixed with curiousity and awe reminded Gears of himself when he was younger, but Cadeyrn was far from it. The boy must have lived longer than his grandparents, much longer than anyone he knew alive - before Plank, before Neuton, before Gallileo. The thought might have sent shivers down his spine, had he still had one. Times change, and even the timeless have to adapt to the changes around them.

'How did you end up like this?', A barrage of questions bombarded Gears, [/b]'Did you want to end up like that?'[/b], the boy continued. Gears wasn't sure if he even knew the anwser to the boy's question, or wanted to answer it, but before he could decide what to say Cadeyrn did it for him, ' I mean, it's cool but I wouldn't want to be a giant robot forever and ever. Can you even eat? Do you have a name?'. At last, a question he could answer with ease - what was his name? A name Utna helped him choose when they were clear out of the laboratory, all those years ago.

'Gears', the android answered, 'My name is Gears. I do not eat, nor drink, nor sleep. I simply exist, and can never stop, like the rest of you'. Gears thought of all of the pleasures in life he was denied, but shrugged at the prospect of immortal depression in an instant. Before he could continue with answering Caderyn's inquiries a shrill voice shouted at him, and their attention was centered on a woman half-walking half-running to greet them.

'You're beautiful!', she spoke softly, and Gears would have blushed had he been able to. He wouldn't be hearing such compliments in the future, especially not from pretty women.

.

'You're a trainwreck', a voice from above said lightheartedly. Tut was lifted and placed on his bottom, as it should have been. 'You don't even know what a train is, Memnon' Tut quipped and was immeidetly answered with a thud against the floor. 'Sorry, I slipped', Memnon answered with a smile on his face, bent down and placed Tut back in his place. The burly black man was a renowned ferocious fighter, second only to Achilles, but now that he's dead he inherited the title. 'Methinks Gerome wants another go at you' Tut twitched his nose at the knight eagerly standing behind Memnon, holding his hands out in a plea. 'Not here, not now. It's a party, Gerome, not a skirmish. Here, get me a cup of mead and we'll work out the details for later' Memnon tapped on the knight's shoulder and gave a welcoming smile, motioning with his other hand at the kitchen entrance to their left.

'You're not dead yet?', Anansi was lounged on a sofar not far from the fireplace. The long, lean body of the African deity was spread out lavishly, wearing a fine Italian suit to celebrate the occaison. 'My body is still kind of numb' Tut replied flatly. 'Psst...Psst...' he started, but before he could even suggest anything Anansi was already on his feet, scratching the poor sod's nose. 'You know me better than my mother, Anansi', Tut whispered in delight.

 

[booksv2]

Sitting in a carriage as it trots its way through Paris Jack sets his hand on the small bag he was carrying, knowing with the way some of the other immortals drank Gilles would be lacking in drinks . Chuckling to himself as he considered that he is in another fit over most of the others not eating the food he probably took the last decade considering and refining. As he watched the street go past outside the carriage window Jack shakes his head as new things overlap the old. Thinking he recognizes the street he is on now he taps the head of his cane on the top of the carriage. Once they had stopped he steps out holding the small bag and asks the man on top of the carriage where he could find a certain address.

After listening to the directions and paying the man for both the ride so far and some extra for the tip he turns down a side street that will bring him much closer to where he wants to go. Stepping through some of the rubbish in the alley and onto another street Jack turns down towards the left and keeps walking slowly. Taking in the little shops and people he has to smile, this Paris much better than the last time he had been here.

Walking slowly and taking his time Jack spots the meeting place at the end of the street. Smiling and speeding up slightly his cane clicks on the walkway, stepping around a few crowds and again when a motorcar makes its chugging way past. Getting to the doors and straightening his suit as best he can he steps inside, the hubbub and talking washing over him. Smiling at this little party for the worlds immortals he steps in farther and looks around, catching sight of many old faces and a few new ones. Staring at the little group in one edge Jack's lips raise in a slow smile as he takes in the walking and apparently talking machine. Walking along the outside edge to Gilles holding a bottle of wine Jack steps up behind him and tapes his back softly with his fingers.
"Gilles my friend, you are looking at that bottle of wine like its the answer to your prayers."

Bringing the small leather case forward and setting in on a close by table Jack waves at it.
"That should help also, i found some amazing sake and brandy while i was traveling. Their sister drinks opened many roads and loosened more tongues."

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Ali caught Cadeyrn's glance at her and she responded with a polite little nod. She patted the boy on the head and playfully placed a cigarette in the boy's collar as she scanned the room. More immortals were arriving, fashionably late of course. Ali spotted Naditabirus, and Shanna as they entered the party with the latter going up to the machine and whispering pleasantries to to it. She didn't quite catch it but she was sure that if the machine could blush then it would be right about now.

Without missing a beat, Ali drifted to the other conversations around the room. She would catch the machine later when he wasn't being harassed. She only served as the gel to welcome the other Immortals to it. Like a butterfly, Ali glided about the party, conversing with people left and right. She didn't even need to be fully aware as she politely conversed with the Immortals. Ali caught up with some and flirted with others before she found herself with the Screecher and Naditabirus.

"Oh my!" Ali called out to the pair as she approached. "How pleasant it is to see you two again. Both of you really come by to Amsterdam again, I do miss talking to a scientific mind such as you Nadi." Ali said, nudging Naditabirus before turning to Screecher. "Maybe I can even visit you in England. I've heard its quite nice there now. There's certainly less craters there from that nasty little man in Germany."