Post by Daystar on Jan 25, 2022 22:40:25 GMT
There had been a certain event that, for hundreds of years, only a small handful of individuals were ever invited to. It was the most exclusive guest list in the history of the species. Only one thing was required for invitees to gain entry- they had to be immortal. The tradition had endured for longer than most people lived, until recent events had forced a break in the chain. The party's host, Elektra Pygmalion, had sacrificed her life. It was a rare thing, of course, for an immortal to die. Practically unheard of. Especially if it was by choice. Out of respect for the dead, the regular attendees had mourned privately, and allowed the tradition to lapse. For a time.
Time, as any immortal would know, continued to march on. And with time had come a new breed of immortals. Young, even by human standards, and faced with a lifespan more similar to that of the average empire than the average ordinary person. And by chance, a number of these young immortals had come into contact with one another. Moreover, Elektra's sister, Sophie Pygmalion, had found herself charged with hosting the event once more. And, having met one of the young immortals at the site of her sister's final resting place, she'd struck up a conversation.
That immortal's name was Alexandra Russell, but the world knew her better as Daystar. And as chance would have it, she'd just recently moved into new, much more spacious accommodations. Somewhere that no party crashers would be able to interrupt the evening's proceedings, as they had last time. All that was required was a change of name, to represent the break from tradition, and the induction of new faces into the ranks of the undying. Alex had been the one to suggest that they call it the Kronos Gala, to represent the one thing that every attendee would have in common- time.
Hosting a party on the Empyrean had felt like an inspired idea when Alex had first suggested it, but it had made the logistics considerably more difficult. Instead of simply giving everybody an address, she'd arranged a number of pick-up locations, where she would activate the station's teleportal system at a specific time, to transport guests aboard the station. Given how much time they generally had on their hands, most immortals weren't given to punctuality, but if they missed their window, they'd likely have no other way of getting aboard the satellite. Daystar had made the windows rather generous, just in case.
The lights in the atrium of the Empyrean were dimmed, tastefully-chosen mood music playing in the background. Sophie had been kind enough to help with the event-planning side of things, which Alex didn't have much personal experience with. She'd even recommended the Solar Sentinel a tailor, from whom Alex had commissioned an outfit for the gala. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing she would ordinarily wear, but a formal event demanded proper formal wear, or so she'd been told. In all honesty, the impulse to just wear her ordinary costume had been there- but this would be her first opportunity to meet people she'd be sharing a planet with for centuries to come. Best to make a good first impression.
If Alex had been wearing a watch, she would have checked it. Instead, she referenced her internal clock, which was far more accurate than any machine could ever hope to be. Given the various different time zones, synchronizing arrivals had been a challenge, but if she'd managed to do it right, everybody would be arriving right about... now.
Simultaneously, a number of portals opened, and a variety of sharply-dressed men, women, and others stepped through. Some wore more austere outfits, even those that had gone out of fashion in the eighteen hundreds or earlier. Others had chosen to go with something more eclectic and eye-catching. A few hadn't bothered to dress up at all. Alex spotted a man in a tattered brown cloak with three claw-scars across his face, who immediately made a beeline to the table of appetizers. The rest, however, spent a few moments observing their surroundings in awe- many hadn't yet left the Earth, even in their long years of life -before focusing their attention on the host of the event itself.
At times like this, Alex really wished she could get drunk.
"Good evening, and welcome to the Kronos Gala. My name is Alexandra. A few of you, I know. Others, I haven't yet had the pleasure to meet. But I'm sure we'll all get to know each other intimately at one point or another. After all, we have all the time in the world, don't we?"
There was a smattering of polite laughter. Alex smiled, grateful that the Empyrean's gravity was reduced compared to that of Earth- otherwise her outfit would have been rather difficult to move around in.
"Dinner will be served in a few hours. Until then, feel free to partake in food and drink, or explore the station. Some doors will be closed to you, and I ask that you respect that, or I'll be forced to show you the door. And you really won't like what's on the other side."
More laughter, sounding decidedly more genuine this time. Daystar bowed and descended from the balcony on which she'd been making her pronouncement. Thanks to the reduced gravity, she didn't need to call on her powers of flight to land safely, the dress flowing around her elegantly. It incorporated aspects of both her current and previous costumes, with a certain regal flourish she hadn't been certain was entirely appropriate, but among all the other eccentric immortals, she looked right at home.
Alex wound her way through the crowd, making brief introductions with a handful of people, laughing politely at their jokes, and brushing away one of the floating drinks platters that carried champagne around. While there were plenty of interesting people here to talk to, she was looking for two in particular, fellow members of the 'new generation' of immortals. One she'd met before, at the same time she'd met Sophie. The other, she'd only heard tell of, but knew that she was intimately connected to the first. Tonight, she wasn't interested in talking business with either of them, though. The reason was quite simple. The three of them were likely going to live longer than nearly anybody else on the planet. If that was going to be the case, they ought to get to know each other properly.
Time, as any immortal would know, continued to march on. And with time had come a new breed of immortals. Young, even by human standards, and faced with a lifespan more similar to that of the average empire than the average ordinary person. And by chance, a number of these young immortals had come into contact with one another. Moreover, Elektra's sister, Sophie Pygmalion, had found herself charged with hosting the event once more. And, having met one of the young immortals at the site of her sister's final resting place, she'd struck up a conversation.
That immortal's name was Alexandra Russell, but the world knew her better as Daystar. And as chance would have it, she'd just recently moved into new, much more spacious accommodations. Somewhere that no party crashers would be able to interrupt the evening's proceedings, as they had last time. All that was required was a change of name, to represent the break from tradition, and the induction of new faces into the ranks of the undying. Alex had been the one to suggest that they call it the Kronos Gala, to represent the one thing that every attendee would have in common- time.
Hosting a party on the Empyrean had felt like an inspired idea when Alex had first suggested it, but it had made the logistics considerably more difficult. Instead of simply giving everybody an address, she'd arranged a number of pick-up locations, where she would activate the station's teleportal system at a specific time, to transport guests aboard the station. Given how much time they generally had on their hands, most immortals weren't given to punctuality, but if they missed their window, they'd likely have no other way of getting aboard the satellite. Daystar had made the windows rather generous, just in case.
The lights in the atrium of the Empyrean were dimmed, tastefully-chosen mood music playing in the background. Sophie had been kind enough to help with the event-planning side of things, which Alex didn't have much personal experience with. She'd even recommended the Solar Sentinel a tailor, from whom Alex had commissioned an outfit for the gala. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing she would ordinarily wear, but a formal event demanded proper formal wear, or so she'd been told. In all honesty, the impulse to just wear her ordinary costume had been there- but this would be her first opportunity to meet people she'd be sharing a planet with for centuries to come. Best to make a good first impression.
If Alex had been wearing a watch, she would have checked it. Instead, she referenced her internal clock, which was far more accurate than any machine could ever hope to be. Given the various different time zones, synchronizing arrivals had been a challenge, but if she'd managed to do it right, everybody would be arriving right about... now.
Simultaneously, a number of portals opened, and a variety of sharply-dressed men, women, and others stepped through. Some wore more austere outfits, even those that had gone out of fashion in the eighteen hundreds or earlier. Others had chosen to go with something more eclectic and eye-catching. A few hadn't bothered to dress up at all. Alex spotted a man in a tattered brown cloak with three claw-scars across his face, who immediately made a beeline to the table of appetizers. The rest, however, spent a few moments observing their surroundings in awe- many hadn't yet left the Earth, even in their long years of life -before focusing their attention on the host of the event itself.
At times like this, Alex really wished she could get drunk.
"Good evening, and welcome to the Kronos Gala. My name is Alexandra. A few of you, I know. Others, I haven't yet had the pleasure to meet. But I'm sure we'll all get to know each other intimately at one point or another. After all, we have all the time in the world, don't we?"
There was a smattering of polite laughter. Alex smiled, grateful that the Empyrean's gravity was reduced compared to that of Earth- otherwise her outfit would have been rather difficult to move around in.
"Dinner will be served in a few hours. Until then, feel free to partake in food and drink, or explore the station. Some doors will be closed to you, and I ask that you respect that, or I'll be forced to show you the door. And you really won't like what's on the other side."
More laughter, sounding decidedly more genuine this time. Daystar bowed and descended from the balcony on which she'd been making her pronouncement. Thanks to the reduced gravity, she didn't need to call on her powers of flight to land safely, the dress flowing around her elegantly. It incorporated aspects of both her current and previous costumes, with a certain regal flourish she hadn't been certain was entirely appropriate, but among all the other eccentric immortals, she looked right at home.
Alex wound her way through the crowd, making brief introductions with a handful of people, laughing politely at their jokes, and brushing away one of the floating drinks platters that carried champagne around. While there were plenty of interesting people here to talk to, she was looking for two in particular, fellow members of the 'new generation' of immortals. One she'd met before, at the same time she'd met Sophie. The other, she'd only heard tell of, but knew that she was intimately connected to the first. Tonight, she wasn't interested in talking business with either of them, though. The reason was quite simple. The three of them were likely going to live longer than nearly anybody else on the planet. If that was going to be the case, they ought to get to know each other properly.
{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{OOC}Attendance is unreservedly open for anybody with an immortal or extremely long-lived character. You can assume they got an invitation with a time and place for transport relatively convenient to their home.
Others are also welcome, provided there's a reasonable way for them to get to the Empyrean. I'd personally prefer this not turn into a conflict, but if that's what you want to do, I won't forbid it. Just don't be stupid.
Others are also welcome, provided there's a reasonable way for them to get to the Empyrean. I'd personally prefer this not turn into a conflict, but if that's what you want to do, I won't forbid it. Just don't be stupid.