Lt. Commander Sevantha Saa - Though my mind could think, I still was a madman
Sevantha Saa
((The Chapel, Dresden Point Set, Studio 9, USP Quantum Containment Realm 5))
Breaking through the barrier between shows meant the rules changed, and she had to adapt. The rules for a serialized series that clearly had been running for longer than both men could recall differed vastly from the reality show she’d been stuck in. Both men ran the format as routine, fought the tulpa day to day, and moved forward. She admittedly found herself impressed with how they’d dealt with the challenges put in front of them, practically predicting every move the writers threw, but that was part of the trap.
Sevantha was here to break the format and get them free, whether by ending the show, cancellation or some other ingenious method she hadn’t thought of yet, she’d get them out. It was her fault that they were in there to begin with.
The Chapel was a creation of pure improvisation to test the writers’ adaptability and response. What they had created was better than what she expected. Smugly she smiled at the two as they entered, concocting a backstory and goal to keep the writers on their toes.
Caras: So it’s been a long time. You found yourself all the way out here, and have a normal haunt? Must be nice. We used to have a place like that.
Nera: The Discothèque. I miss that place. The barmen were cute.
Smugness in her smile melted into sympathy as Sevantha listened to them lament the loss of their previous hangout.
Writers were truly terrible creatures that enjoyed the suffering of their characters.
Saa: Ran across it a while back and decided to make it a regular stop. ::She glanced back:: What was that stuff you were dangling in front of the tulpa earlier?
Morro produced a purple velvet crown royal bag.
Caras: Oh this? It’s dream dust. It can put anyone, and I mean anyone to sleep. Tulpas would seeming want to use it to put one of us to sleep so they can get a new imprint of our fears. Either that or they’d put themselves to sleep if they were well fed enough.
Nera: It’s nasty stuff. Hard to come by, too, and very expensive. Wasn’t easy for us to get that back. A Tulpa, though, if you offer them Dream Dust, it’s like a cat with catnip.
As Nera quietly apologized to the Black Pearl with a light pat, Sevantha folded her arms, trying not to seem too callous about using the vehicle as a weapon to save them. Her mind, however, could not resist trying to understand the biological aspect of these creatures to assist the two in addressing their tulpa problem.
Saa: And naturally, if they’re fully fed and rested, they use the dreams of their victims to reproduce, making more tulpas for you all to contend with? ::Considering and speaking outloud:: I wonder if they require the Theta waves produced in the dream state or maybe it's more about the neurochemicals?
It was always slightly funny to watch a Bajoran crinkle their nose, deepening the prominent ridges. What was even funnier to Sevantha was a doctor cringing at the idea of procreation of any species.
Caras: ahh yep, that’s how they procreate. Most of them never reach maturity enough to procreate though, but with dream dust they could kick things off a little early. ::pivoting:: anyways who runs this place? They friendly?
Nera: No more Tulpa baby-making talk. I want to keep my lunch down if you don’t mind.
Appreciating the gesture, she smiled fondly towards the Orion, before holding back a laugh at Nera’s demand.
Saa: Should be…::Looking around:: It’s been a while since I’ve been here though, hopefully management didn’t change too much.
Stepping inside, Sevantha admired the set work the beings had drafted on immensely short notice. The bar reminded her of the one she had seen in Lhandon’s memory, where Nera stood on the stage singing as Cadet Nilsen threw hands and suffered the results. There was a moment she couldn’t help but glance towards Nera as she recalled the memory before falling back into her character.
Nera ordered their drinks with a quick flash of three raised fingers and magically, three nondescript green glass bottles appeared. Compared to the life she’d been living, the presentation of the drinks were remarkably plain, something she was thankful for.
Nera: Thanks. Nice place you’ve got here.
The barman, a man of somewhat indeterminate age with a toothpick in his mouth and a very frilling short, along with dark shoulder-length hair, didn't seem concerned with someone turning up in a torn wedding dress.
Jaytona: Dackie Jaytona, Regular human bartender. Hope you boys aren’t here to cause me any trouble.
Regular human bartender? Sevantha noted the unusual phrasing of the introduction with mild amusement, studying him briefly to find indicators that the man might be inhuman. Not that the Orion, Bajoran, and Betazoid could talk about being human.
Saa: These boys? Never. ::She smiled brightly at the bartender:: They just helped a girl get away from making a terrible mistake.
Gesturing to her dress, she threw out another lie to help put the two gentlemen in better standing. All the lies were something she had learned to endure, but it never sat well; it was becoming too easy. Was this how her father felt when he first navigated discussions with other species post the Dominion War to recover lost artifacts pillaged from the Houses?
Saa: They’re my heroes.
Caras: Response
Jaytona: Why don’t you go sit down? I’ve got some spare clothes in the back :: looking towards Saa:: You’re welcome to them.
She didn’t have a chance to answer before he stepped towards the back.
Nera: ::murmering:: Friendly. Weird name. He was casing us, though. You both felt that, right?
Saa: Definitely cautious. ::Quietly:: He was difficult to get a read on.
Whether he was real or a construct of the show was unclear. She had felt something, but whether it was real or a phantasm of the empathic mind that had been deprived of connection creating impressions was unclear..
Caras: Response
Sliding into the booth, Nera already made himself comfortable, pouring out a bit of tobacco which brought a slightly raised eyebrow from the Betazoid. She was unaware that the doctor indulged.
Nera: Blame our mutual oversized puppy of a friend, he’s a bad influence.
oO Ah… Lhandon. Oo
When she thought of an oversized puppy, Morro and Lhandon were both up for blame in her mind, and both had the skill to be terrible influences, depending on the circumstances.
Nera: Tulpa King out there somewhere, more and more of them crawling out of the woodworks to track us down. How do we get out of this situation we’ve landed in?
Caras: Response
Grabbing a napkin, Sevantha looked around at the surrounding table and saw a forgotten pen. Reaching over, she snagged it and quickly put her arm on the table to guard what she was doodling from prying eyes.
Saa: Why not take the fight to the Tulpa King and finish it?
Nera/Caras: Response
Once they faced the big bad, what did the show have left? Naturally, there would be loose threads that would have to be dealt with, and they had to hope writers didn’t find something else new to throw in the tulpas place.
Taking the bottle, she sipped and scrunched her nose. She had consumed a lot of alcohol in her tenure on starships, but there was something about plain, nondescript beer that made her question if humans just enjoyed suffering. She also missed her little umbrella toppers she put on all of her drinks.
Flashing a faint little smile, she looked down at her napkin, still keeping it protectively covered. Communicating this all through the storyline was a little more difficult than she’d like, but as a Counselor, what she was about to say was second nature.
Saa: You boys have been living so day to day, you aren’t building for the future that comes after this. ::tapping her glass with her finger:: Why finish a fight if you have nothing at the end of it? A life waiting for you that truly completes the story.
Nera/Caras: Response
Appropriately called out. Slowly she lifted her hand, to reveal the starfleet delta to them both before clamping her hand down over the drawing.
Saa: I have a theory about…::Searching for a word:: Artifacts of this shape being able to protect people from the tulpas, all these nightmares they live, and connect them.
To buy herself time to speak telepathically, she lifted her glass for another long swig.
Saa: ~I bargained with them to only take officers wearing their badges, so they should be around. If we can get some, maybe we can use them to reach others or hack into their comm systems. I watched Lhandon do it on Koreli V with a communications tower.~ ::She considered quietly:: ~Our tech is primitive compared to theirs but I think that might help us use channels they don’t think to actively search.~
Nera/Caras: Response
Setting it down, she turned to notice the barkeeper making his way over with a pile of clothing. Quickly swiped the napkin across the table, cleaning up the condensation from the bottle, causing the ink to bleed and smudge, ruining the sketch.
