[Club Gambit] Is this Burlesque?

People. Oh, human beings! Such ridiculous creatures. They spent years doing horrible things to each other but at the same time had found so much growth and progress. They were truly fascinating beings though they didn't live very long and that made Pan sad. It made them sad because they did live very long. In fact, they were nearly immortal themselves, though they could die it just wasn't by age or any human means. That was a great way to be. It was a very alive way to be.

But as always with most "very alive creatures", they tend to have some peculiarities. Take Pan for example. They towered at about 6' 4" with boots, their skin golden and spotted with ancient markings. Pan didn't quite understand those himself but what could be done about it?

Pan froze in their tracks, shaking their head briskly. "There I go again... I can't even keep my own pronouns right!" They brought their hands to their head, running them through their hair, "I need to get my mind back on track." They thought as their eye's came up from the ground to look around themselves.

To their right was a building; Club Gambit. The outside was appealing and the music sounded inviting. They glanced around to see a few people hanging outside the club and a bouncer just inside the main door.

"Well, here goes nothing." They said with a sigh as they walked inside, flashing an I.D. (ridiculous that they had been able to obtain a new one once arriving on the island in less than a day). They followed the music into a room with a dance floor and a stage, with a few people standing around the edges talking and drinking. At first Pan was only looking at the people on the dance floor. If some of them even were people. Manta Carlos had proved fascinating in so many ways; majorly their lack of human supremacy, or at least a much closer to equal mixing of races from all realms and places.

Pan was completely baffled once again by what they saw and honestly, it was a lot to take in. For a moment they considered turning and heading out until the stage caught their eye.

Burlesque! Were they dreaming? Suddenly Pan was back in Berlin dancing on stage and serving drinks at the Kitty Kat Club. And for the first time since arriving on the island, something felt comfortable again.

Pan was so taken aback by the site before them, sending them into incredible deja vu, it seemed they had attracted the attention of an old friend.

As the woman slipped into Pan's view there was a sudden sense of relief that flooded them but it couldn't be placed at first. But then the woman seemed to shift in the view of Pan's deja vu and a name came rushing back to their lips, "Eli!" For a moment the tall creature wanted to reach out their arms and grab the girl, but something in the music or the noises of the crowd brought them back to the current moment. Pan suddenly looked around the room, and caught a glimpse of themselves in a mirror and their body shook a bit.

"Oh my... I do so apologize my friend." Their cheeks flooded with a deeper shade of gold, causing them to shimmer slightly. "It appears you have recognized my eyes. It is I Panaria. I do believe we met at a very similar club to this, just of a different time. A much, much different time..." Pan said scanning the room again filled with dozens of wonderful people. Even from here, with the indirect eyesights from the mirrors and those who happened to cross glances at the being, they could tell that many wonderful minds filled this place.

"I do apologize though as you see... I have changed much since then and so while you may see eyes of familiarity, there is a much different soul behind them now. Unfortunate but somehow necessary." They suddenly glanced around again, barely able to contain themselves at the sight of the room and now this woman who was so familiar yet again. "But somehow this place is... It reminds me of a time when I knew who I was. I apologize for my rambling but I...I have not felt a homeliness as this in a very long time..."

It was a little overly open but that was part of this thing Panaria had been going through lately. It seemed merely impossible to not shout what they were thinking. Which was why they had spent much time alone since arriving on the island. Most of it was not good things but this time, in this place, Pan felt comfortable again.

Eliana's hug only furthered that feeling as the the petite girl wrapped her arms around the lanky creature. Pan gratefully returned the hug, having not felt such a warm embrace in a long time.

"Oh yes, I do agree this time period is much better in many ways," They said with a half hearted chuckle, remembering WWII that followed soon after the peak of the 1930s, "However, Berlin was a good place to me for a while. One of the best really."

They chuckled again and gave a small shake of their head, "The finest wine! And speaking of wine, I would be most appreciative of a drink. Lead the way my dear!" They had to half shout over the music and gave a motion with their arm to enunciate their point. Sure they could have used their telepathy but Pan avoided doing that with siblings and friends. Though the concept of having brothers and sisters still felt odd to Pan; could a demon really have a family?

Pan sat and smiled back at the girl. She was a pleasant face and a comforting presence. Eli had been the first of their siblings that Pan had ever met. Pan had led a life mostly full of humans up until that point.

Pan chuckled, "Yes, yes I was. Unfortunately throughout most of history it is often safest to proceed as a man. The female gender has been well oppressed until recent years." They were very grateful for the change as it had allowed them to live for some time in New York as woman and they had been able to fully enjoy it. Much of Pan's existence very influenced by gender stereotypes though; both their male and female forms.

"Deus is my second name. I believe you will find my personality now much more calm and less abrasive. My male form tends to be a big more on the aggressive side." They chuckled a bit, only slightly embarrassed thinking back to their behavior as a man, "For now though, please call me Pan. It is much more suited for my current state of mind."

As Eli jumped right into the pressing question of what 'funk' Pan was, they let out a heavy sigh, "Oh, much has gone on with me recently. I only arrived at this island just a couple weeks ago and I'm afraid my transition here has not been as smooth as one would have hoped. Though that is mostly to blame on the circumstances that brought me to this place."

Pan reached for the drink in front of them, taking down a few swallows rather quickly. "Refreshing." They mused under their breath, giving a smile to their friend in satisfaction.

Pan chuckled and shook their head at the girl, "You were quite taken with me then. As I was with you. You were the first creature I ever met who shared my same passion for lust." A coy smile played across their features as their mind flashed back to the short time they had spent with Eli. Well, short time considering they were both immortal beings.

Pan's smile faded quickly as their mind returned to their current state of distress. They hated throwing all of this onto Eli; they much preferred to deal with things on their own however they had been doing that for over a solid week now and nothing good had come of it. They took another sip of their drink, sighed and then returned their gaze to their friend.

"A little over a decade ago I was living in New York. I had been there for quite some time and had taken up a fairly permanent residence. I even had a job at this quaint little book store. New York was a wonderful place full of so many wonderful people that...I couldn't bare to leave. I should have but I didn't." They gave a sad longing look to their friend, "I'm not like most demons. My body is fairly weak and I lack many of the superhuman qualities that most demons posses. Which is why I must constantly be moving from place to place to avoid drawing attention to myself because...while I am not easily killed, I am easily captured. I thought I would be fine where I was but I was wrong. Ten years ago, they found me. I don't recall the woman's name; I don't think she ever told me one. I was stupid and fell for her trap. Next thing I knew I was in a basement of some church. They kept me there for nine years trying to..purify me. I remained in a woman's form so they believed me to only be possessed by a demon and not an actual demon itself."

Their body shuddered and they tried to keep memories from flooding up. "I... I couldn't kept that form forever though and soon I became too weak to keep up the illusion that I was only a possessed human. When I changed into my true form, they transferred me to a different facility where I met a demon of gluttony, Gomph, and together we escaped. It took us a year but I was able to seduce a guard. Upon our escape we found a boat with a man who seemed to have been waiting for us. We were brought to this island and well, I suppose that's pretty much the end of my story." Pan didn't know what to say now. It felt weird saying this all out loud as they had spoken of these events to no one except for Gomph, who was there for all of it.