un: lecomte

[levampere]

Bonjour. I have a question for you all, if you'll indulge me.

How many of you here are immortal? Whether it be by natural means or otherwise. How do you feel about your immortality?

You don't need to tell me how or why you are, I'm simply curious. I myself have lived for 500 years, so I'm looking for kindred spirits, one might say.

Of course if you're not immortal and you know someone who is, I'd be glad to hear that as well. This platform was made to share opinions, correct? I'd enjoy having everyone's different perspectives.

All the best,
Comte de Saint-Germain

[ It's... It's not a letter but he's from the 19th century so. There you go. ]

Comments

text!

[passio]

Is there a way to tell if you’re immortal besides just living forever? I think I might be. I must be.

[levampere]

That depends. There are many different kinds of immortals, it seems.

But if you do not age, you may be immortal. Or if you're able to recover from any wound, then you may be immortal as well.

Was your immortality inflicted upon you?

[passio]

[ it’s hard to tell if he’s aging, but he definitely does not recover from any wounds. then again, he hasn’t received any mortal injuries in a while. ]

I’m not sure about that either, but I wasn’t born into immortality. [ a pause, and then: ] I don’t think I was.

[levampere]

What makes you think you may be? If you're unsure.

Are you suffering from amnesia?

[passio]

It’s not amnesia.

Something happened to me, and I changed. I just wondered if there was a way to tell without waiting.

[levampere]

Ah.

[ Sounds rough. He'll just keep it light, then. ]

I'm afraid there isn't some sort of test, certainly none you'd want to attempt since a negative answer would simply kill you. Perhaps someone with some scientific knowledge may be able to help you, but immortality is so varied from world to world, it may still prove inconclusive.

[passio]

I thought that might be the answer.

What’s it like? I’ve only been alive for the blink of an eye, compared to you.

[levampere]

It's all I've known, so I have little to compare it to.

But if I had to describe it simply, I would say it's very varied, at least I've made sure to make it so. Observing humans and fostering the arts keep me busy, and allow me a certain level of involvement without raising too many eyebrows if I should vanish every few decades.

You learn not to grow too attached to humans, unfortunately. Or you should want to learn, since those who do not... well, it can be very difficult for them. Someone like that would have a widely different perspective from myself.

[ See "Leonardo da Vinci" for what happens when you care too much about everyone. ]

[passio]

[ that’s precisely the thing dextera is afraid of, so it worries him to imagine that he might one day become the sort of person that doesn’t care. he has to. it’s a necessity. ]

You don’t have to answer if it’s personal. But aren’t you lonely? Do you only make friends with other immortals?

[levampere]

No, I wouldn't say so. I have friends who are immortal, and friends who are not. One learns to value the time one spends with them, when it's so limited comparatively.

[ Of course, he's pretty good at being detached even then, so who can say? ]

[passio]

[ … ]

It sounds scary.

I don’t know if I’m immortal, but all the people around me aren’t. That much I’m sure of.

[levampere]

It can be. Certainly for those who are not, it is... unnerving.

You should take good care of those people, then. Even if you aren't, I've found that's fairly universal advice.

[passio]

You’re right about that. I’m sorry for being dark.

I’m sure you’ve had many interesting experiences. 500 years is a lot of time to learn things.

[levampere]

Not at all. I'm more than accustomed to it by this point.

It is indeed. I've learned much from the world and consider myself quite fortunate for the opportunity to do so.

[passio]

[ dextera can’t help but wonder, as it’s been a while since he’s had the chance to play: ]

Are you good at chess?

[levampere]

I would say I am at least passable at it. Are you offering a game?

[ Not good enough to beat most of his friends from back home but then they're all geniuses so he's definitely way better than he's letting on. ]

[passio]

[ the chance to play chess with someone who has countless years of tactics and practice is enticing… dextera can’t help but be interested. ]

If you don’t mind. I think there’s a lot to learn from you.

[levampere]

Then I'd love to. It's been too long since I played.
You wouldn't happen to own a chess set, would you?

[ Do you wanna do action or move to an inbox log? ]

we can switch to action if that’s easier!

[passio]

I don’t, but this is a good reason to buy one.

[ there are a lot of apps that he could probably use to play chess digitally, but nothing is as satisfying as the feeling and weight of a piece in his hands. it feels real. ]

I’ll get one, and we can meet somewhere quiet. I think that sounds nice.

works for me!

[levampere]

Splendid. There should be cafes in town that allow for such a thing. We can meet over coffee.

[ He'll go ahead and send him some coordinates because he definitely keeps track of all the best cafes in town. ]

sorry for the delay!! weekends are busy…

[passio]

[ it takes longer than dextera expects to actually find a chess board that’s just a plain, simple set without any strange technological additions—and ultimately, with time running a little thin, he doesn’t find something that’s fashioned entirely to his tastes. the one he ends up purchasing is a garish neon pink and blue plastic nightmare, but it’ll do.

the coordinates, at least, are not difficult to track. ]

I’m almost there.

[ just as a polite warning, as dextera approaches. ]