Immortalys

Chapter Fifteen: The Gift

Upon his arrival, every citizen in attendance stood up from his or her chair; Willow and Friction hastened to imitate them.

Altair, with a form younger and more lithe than all those of his department heads, smiled amiably at the hundreds of people in front of him. His wavy red hair, which usually fell about his shoulders, was tied back at the base of his neck, revealing surprisingly pointed ears.

Willow was still tempted to call him Todd: she could still plainly see in him the young officer from the ice cream shop, although now it was clear that he was embracing his true position. He wore a slate-grey uniform like his officers, but his was rather embellished: a golden stripe shimmered down the front from the collar to the hem, and on the collar he wore a small Immortalys pin. Over this he wore a long black coat hemmed with silver which went down to his ankles, with the Immortalys insignia on the shoulder and a medal of gleaming gold on the lapel. If his intent was to appear impressive, Willow concluded he had accomplished it.

"Greetings," said Altair, surveying the room and looking completely unfazed by the large amount of people. At this word the crowd took their seats once more. "I delight in welcoming all of you to the fifty-sixth feast for the Withouts, as we celebrate their courage in their arrival and their presence in our great city." Willow noticed that although he spoke in a normal tone of voice, everyone in the gigantic room seemed to hear him perfectly; she interpreted this as the work of extremely skilled architects.

Altair continued, "I am pleased to say that I have gotten to hear their story, and I have found them friendly and intelligent and a first-rate addition to Immortalys." He glanced over at the two of them. "Willow and Friction, would you please stand?"

Willow, her face immediately flushing a bright pink, looked at Friction and then hurriedly got to her feet again. She saw the faces of all two thousand people staring at her, some craning their necks to better glimpse the newest additions to their city. Willow was encouraged, despite her heart slamming around in her chest, by the smiling faces of each one of them. And then they began to applaud and the noise of it filled the room, resounding from the walls and ringing in Willow's ears. She and Friction shared a shaky smile.

"Thank you." said Altair once the clapping had ceased and Willow and Friction had sat down once again. "This night is to celebrate them and their future contributions to Immortalys, and I encourage you to come forward after the feast and introduce yourselves. Our collective aspiration is their successful assimilation into our society."

This was met with more applause, and Blainey leaned over and whispered to Friction and Willow, "Somehow he comes up with something different to say every time."

Willow laughed and shook her head, still blushing quite a bit.

"And now, citizens of Immortalys," Altair announced, raising his hands, "let the feast begin!"

As his hands rose, the lights in the room dimmed further, and little candles all over and above the tables flared into life; Willow hadn't even noticed these until now. She also saw the faint glow of a bluish light imbedded within the table, outlining everybody's plates and glasses. The atmosphere became one of a fancy low-lit restaurant. Willow even heard music start to play from somewhere in the room; she looked around but couldn't see where it was coming from.

The Feast-room began to be filled with the chatting of people and the clinking of glasses and silverware. Willow stared at the piles of food in front of her, wondering where to start. Friction had already dug his hands into a basket of bread with a hungry look in his eye.

Altair Chasm came to join them, taking a seat at the head of the Front Table. He gazed happily around at them all as he arranged his silk napkin onto his lap. "Good evening! Great turnout tonight, don't you think?"