Floating in the Onsen

[Onrai]

[member="Kay Larr"]

“There we go.” She said, smiling. It was a good thing Kay had finally accepted the need to continue working with Vanessa. Had she chosen not to, it would make things incomplete and partial - such would in fact be a problem. Vanessa hopes that after the bad memories were purged from her mind, Kay would be a nicer and overall more interactive person instead of being morose and isolationist.

Upon their arrival, Vanessa would as expected motion for her to sit down and be strapped in. The map of the first brain scan would still be there, allowing her once more to prepare before the “scan” began. “I assume the hallucination has not been as problematic as it has been in the past?” She inquired.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay kept silent on the trip over, moreso as she was mentally trying to prepare herself for this. She kept trying to tell herself that it'd be all over soon, yet that did little in calming her heart.

The sight of the chair filled her with dread, and her body felt as though it weighed a ton as she moved towards it. Yet still she managed and closed her eyes after sitting upon it while [member="Vanessa Vantai"] strapped her in. "Yes, he's been...quieter. And not as intrusive." That was the truth of it. However she still enlisted his help while she worked on creating new products for her shoppe. Especially as business had gotten quieter.

 

[Onrai]

“He’s not real.” She reminded Kay. “And once we’re done, I will ensure he no longer bothers you anymore.” Once more Kay would be strapped in. Once more the scan would stimulate her neurons. And once more the scan would manifest on the screen. Vanessa would be pleased to once more witness such.

After she was done, Kay would again be released from the chair. “Not as bad as the first time, see?” She said.

[member="Kay Larr"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Mayhem does exist. He is a real person. Just...not the one that I've been seeing lately." Or so she hoped.

Kay tensed up as soon as [member="Vanessa Vantai"] turned the infernal machine on. And within seconds she was bombarded with memories of torture, of pain and emotional scarring. Mixed inbetween were moments of happiness and joy, yet it was the hurtful ones that stuck out the most. She grit her teeth and tried not to scream, yet tears poured out of her anyways.

Finally it was over. Kay wiped at her tears after she was released and merely nodded, even though she didn't agree. Right now she didn't feel like talking. She just wanted to curl up and drink tea.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Kay Larr"]

"We have one more. A week from now." She said. "Then I will have the solution to your problems. No longer will you continue to suffer these unnecessary phobias, nonexistent hallucinations, or traumatic memories." Vanessa began comparing the two scans of Kay's brain together. There were very minor differences, but around ninety-five percent of her mind had been accurately mapped. The final scan would ensure which parts of the last five percent would be dealt with, and which would not.

"Then it will be nothing more than a simple injection to help you."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Again Kay merely nodded to [member="Vanessa Vantai"] . She was still partly unsure of having her mind messed with, even through this way, yet she convinced herself that it was for the better. It had to be.

She needed to get better and be better.

A week passed by and Kay waited for Vanessa at her shoppe, drinking tea like normal to settle her nerves. Just one more...That's all that she had left.

Hopefully.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Kay Larr"]

The last scan was essentially no different from the others Kay had undergone, aside from perhaps feeling slightly different due to the new memories she would have gotten over the week. Vanessa considered what precisely there was to do before ultimately determining that she had enough data thanks to the triumvirate of scans that appropriately showcased unchanging clusters of neurons.

“So this was the last one. In another week’s timespan I will have a retroviral solution ready to help you eliminate these troublesome bad memories. I am going to say, you need someone to watch over you. You will be bedridden for some time and as a result will need to be taken care of while your mind reaccommodates itself to the wiping of those neurons. Perhaps as much as five or six days.” She said.

“If you really want, I can do such.”

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay reacted to the scan in the same way that she did with the other two. Reliving torture wasn't something that she could ever be used to. Even if it was for just a short time.

She sat forward after [member="Vanessa Vantai"] undid her bindings, looking as though she just ran a marathon, her breathing just as heavy, her heartrate just as quick. "Bedridden?...For five or six...days?" Kay wasn't so fond of that. It made her feel vulnerable. But....she had no real enemies now. Only the ones in her mind. So she should be fine.

"I will have people here to watch over me, thank you. There are still a few resources that I have left..." And by that she had meant contacts.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Kay Larr"]

"Gene therapy is not something to be taken lightly. In a way, your body will have to regenerate itself. The process of the retrovirus changing your neurons and eradicating the traumatic memories is not going to be easy, nor is it going to be a comfortable process. You will need intravenous fluids as well as someone watching over you while the process takes place." Vanessa explained. "But once it's done its job, no more hallucinations and no more nightmares." She smiled. "And your problem is dealt with."

This was going to be good.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded a little, although she knew that she wasn't going to enjoy this one bit. Just how [member="Vanessa Vantai"] managed to convince her that it was the right thing to do was what she wondered now.

She scratched at an imaginary itch on the back of her neck; an old habit whenever she was uncomfortable. "I'll...see to it that I'm properly looked after. Thanks...Are there any instructions for them for me to give?"

 

[Onrai]

"Only that you continue to receive intravenous fluids and have someone watching over you constantly." Vanessa replied. "If anything happens to you that is abnormal during the conversion process, you must have these people bring you to my laboratory here right away. I should be able to help deal with any side effects that happen - though there shouldn't be any." She said. A sigh crossed her lips. "You know, I'd say you owe me for this if this works, but the fact you've humbled yourself and gotten over your intensive fear of Sith, doctor's offices, and creepy-looking medical equipment is surprising enough."

Indeed it was.

[member="Kay Larr"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

((Finally found it again. Yeesh))

Onrai

"Who says that I've gotten over any of it?" In truth this whole thing was difficult for her. Kay took whatever time she could to delay it all. And now? Now she was to be bedridden for days. But at least it was in the comfort of her own little room. That was far better than staying within some lab.

"What are the possible side effects?" Fortunately for her there was little risk of her getting attacked. For as Vanessa had said, she was nothing and no longer a threat to anyone.

 

[Onrai]

Kay-Larr

"You'll get over it eventually." She said. "The less you think about it, the better." That was how Vanessa managed to live every day, after all - by forgetting the various failures she had made. "With regards to side effects... You'll be fine." Vanessa answered. "There should be no issues, unless you consider having the traumatic memories removed from your mind as a bad thing." She said.

Hopefully not.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Onrai

Kay just shook her head a little. Vanessa didn't quite get what she was meaning by her question. "You said that there were side effects if the process gets interrupted while I'm bedridden. So what side effects are those?" She needed to let her caretaker know how dire it would be. And this way she could also choose what type of person would be the better choice.

 

[Onrai]

Kay-Larr

"Ah..." Vanessa said, now understanding the former Commenori empress's concerns. "Well, there's one side effect I can think of that could potentially occur if the process gets interrupted. Memory loss." She explained. "That's why you need to take it easy, rest, and receive the necessary nutrients at all times. I would very much prefer to not see you dead." She said, a smile on her face.

It was that easy, after all.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Onrai

Kay nodded a little. "Complete memory loss would be..." Horrible. She'd pretty much cease to exist. It would really be like death. Kay wasn't ready for that yet.

"Thank you. I'll see to it that I'm not disturbed. I've got a few holonovels that I can read in the meantime." It could almost be like a vacation. When was the last time that she had one of those?

 

[Onrai]

Kay-Larr

"Alright then." Vanessa would pop her fingers before reaching over and beginning to type into one of the computers. "Head on out and come back in one more week. Once the retrovirus is complete, and you relax peacefully for a few days, you should be fine. No more perfidious memories haunting you. No more fear. No more triggered memories caused by horrendous flashbacks of torture and abuse. And, above all, no more moments of vulnerability if a knowledgeable foe attempts to exploit such."

She smiled. If this worked, perhaps it could better deal with the traumas of otherwise mentally damaged Sith.

 

[NPC Treasury]

Onrai

"Thank you." The whole ordeal was almost as bad as the situations that caused her the traumas anyways. So much pain and suffering...

But that was all going to be over soon. And there was no better alternative than that.

Kay left the lab and headed back to her tea shoppe, getting everything in place for her final session and bedridden week. Doyle would tend to the shoppe, while another would watch over her and tend to her.

By the time it was over, she was sure to be her proper self.

- END -​