Gando laughed lightly at her response once again. "You're a sweet girl, Sage. Truly. But you need not apologize for such a silly thing. The moment I laid eyes on you was one of the happiest moments of my long life. And that should probably carry more meaning since I've been around for a lot longer than most. If anything I should apologize to you for the predicament you find yourself in."<br/><br/>He had made his way back over to his closet and pulled out a traveling cloak. He pulled it over himself and then blinked when she asked him what the source behind his longevity was. He really had been expecting this question to come up sooner or later. It wasn't often someone came across a 400 year old man.<br/><br/>"Well, it's a simple story...." Gando laughed, sounding quite embarrassed for some reason. He sighed and looked at the floor, twiddling with his cloak. He was acting quite like a naughty boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "The story is simple. I may be four hundred years old, but even I was young at one point. You and foolish. I was midway through my lessons at the College of Mages in Anarktum. A side note, Anarktum was leveled a long time ago. Anyway, I was feeling brash and confident in powers I had only barely begun to learn how to wield. Feeling like a big shot, I went to a pub. And who do you think I met at the pub? None other than a blasted Djinni."<br/><br/>He paused here and laughed. He was obviously recalling the moment. He grasped Sage's hand gently and smiled at her.<br/><br/>"Come, I'll tell you the story as we make our way out of the castle." Still holding her hand, he led her out of his room and shut the door. "She was quite beautiful. Exotic. Erotic, even. She could smell my boyish horniness a mile away. Of course the Djinni would have loved to take advantage of me, so she led me to her private rooms and we made passionate love. It was perhaps a bit too passionate for me as....well....The thing is, she somehow broke my back while she was riding ontop of me. Now, it sounds funny in hindsight. Sure, laugh at old Gando. But it was not fun for a fledgling Magician who couldn't properly heal himself so I cursed her. I called her every foul word I could imagine. She got angry and told me I would die a lonely old coot. I told her I'd rather die a lonely old coot than see her ever again. And thus, I was granted immortality."<br/><br/>The hallways and stairs they walked through were crowded with solders and servants. But Gando paid them absolutely no mind. It wasn't long before they had reached the entrance hall and were walking through the mazelike gardens that decorated the courtyard of the castle.<br/><br/>"It's a silly story, I know," Gando said, looking up at the hazy blue sky. The rain had finally let up during the night. "But that's how I was granted immortality. Let that be an important lesson to you. Never have sex with a Djinni. It might be the greatest sexual experience you could ever have, but it's not worth it in the long run." There was a little more to the story, but there were some details he'd rather much keep to himself.