Immortals Welcoming Tradition
Some kind of tradition among the Immortals to represent the transition to becoming Immortal and joining the group. Nothing too formal, it's focused on the older Immortals welcoming the new member and giving a sense of belonging and protection. It grew from the evening they spent when Faruq and Artur and Fabia decided they wanted to stay together.
This usually takes place after approximately a year together, but mostly when the time feels right.
Fabia and Artur ask the new Immortal if they want to stay with them. Usually a slight hesitation when the new person realises it's not actually automatic or required to stay so close. Fabia and Artur make it very clear that the person is more than welcome and they would be very glad to have them stay with the group. However, they also want to offer the person as much of a choice as possible now that they've had a little while to get used to the situation, have a better understanding of what it involves, a chance to gain some skills and the time to get to know the others a little. The new person gets some time to consider the question.
Even if they accept, it's still a non-binding agreement. They can always decide to walk their road a little more separately (as much as their forced travel will allow). But it provides a nice moment of choice and communicates to the new person that they too have been chosen, are explicitly always welcome and an equal part of the group.
They stay up through the night together, eating, talking and drinking and whatever else they feel like. Food can be anything, whether they made it themselves or bought it or they go to someplace they found. The staying up through the night is because it heightens everyone's emotions (sometimes helped by a little booze) and it gives the new person an opportunity for cathartic conversation or experiences. And by now the older ones are more comfortable with it, but it also lowers their restraints so they're more open and affectionate (they had to learn this too!). Probably on most occasions card games are pulled out at some point, but that's more a side effect than a rule. Otherwise it's just lots of late-night talk, stupid human tricks, stories of their lives before immortality.
At sunrise everyone embraces the youngest Immortal in turn and says some welcome in a language of their choice. Because there's not too much structure each one of these occasions feels similar, but unique; everyone spending all night around a fire, wandering through a big city alternating walking and sitting down to eat and drink, inside a lonely house made warm inside with only a walk outside when the stars are brightest and not coming out again until the sun started rising.
Comments