The Quicksilver Romana

There do seem to be any number of Romanas in these parts, aren't there? Well, then. You must call me Tre. Hug? [Doctor Who/Gallifrey RP blog for the Matrix Projection version of Tre from Gallifrey Season 6. May sometimes contain NSFW content.]

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey‌:

Mana frowned. She might not have any interest in being the second President Romana, but it was disconcerting to think that she might very well be treated differently in her new universe. “It’s not like I’m an alien.” 

She smiled slightly “I’d like that.” Far better than another near-identical day of self-directed studying, even if she was yet to be convinced by art. “The wonders of nepotism.” She might be naive, but there were some realities of the world it was impossible not to notice, especially growing up in Heartshaven. 

“I was never very good at making friends either.” She said, nodding in sympathy. “Maybe no Romanas are. Until I had to be on my own, I didn’t realise how boring life is without other people, but if I do get to go back, I’ll probably be complaining about them again soon. Won’t you ever be able to leave the Matrix?” 

Tre smiled gently  “I’m afraid you are, darling.  Alien just means someone native to another world, and you are that.  But don’t take it too hard.  I’m not even alive, you know.”

“Clever of you, to get the system on your side so immediately,” Tre agreed.  “We were always rather good at that, even if, as you say, making friends as such isn’t foremost among our qualities.  Still--there’s Leela, and Narvin, and the Doctor.  We do rather well for ourselves, all things considered, in the long run.”

Tre sighed.  “It’s difficult to say,” she said.  “The trouble is, you see, I’m more than just an early warning system--I’m the whole safety protocol that goes with it.  I’ve been studying Pandora’s partition, you know, and it’s degraded something awful since she left it.  Of course, hers isn’t as well-made as mine, but it does suggest that a conscious intelligence is necessary to maintain such things, and even if a sort of shift system were set up, others taking turns with me to monitor the Daleks, they wouldn’t have the control I do, over the Matrix I mean--and I won’t have more Matrix constructs created just to swap in and out with me, that would be ghastly, to be so weak they had to create someone else just to suffer, and...”  

Tre realized she was babbling.  “I don’t know, Mana,” she admitted.  “That’s the plain truth.  I don’t know.”

[theladytre]

Ah, it's /you/.

Tre raised a cool eyebrow. This Romana didn’t make her kick as instinctively as the second one, but that didn’t mean Tre felt warmly towards her either. “Romanadvoratrelundar,” she said.

[theladytre]

romanaofheartshaven‌:

Romana’s jaw tightened as she listed all of her ( well, THEIR ) failings.  She found that she could not look Tre in the eye for more than a nano-span for fear of her seeing the flash of rage behind her gaze; the Time Lady was forcibly reminded of the first time that they had met.  That swell of unease in her stomach, that twisted with uncertainty.  And really, TRULY, more than anything else in this Universe Romana absolutely loathed being on uneven footing.  Tre made her uneasy and uncertain of herself. 

“The thought had occurred to me, yes,” Romana said it conversationally, because what would be the POINT in lying; she’s better than all that.  If truth be told, she had entertained the idea of obliterating Tre and her box — simply slicing it from existence.  But fear had made a fool of her far too many times, and enough was more than enough.  She would not allow her fear, her UNCERTAINTY be her undoing.

Not this time.

“I could have killed you, if I had willed it so.  I wanted to.  The whole idea of you, stuck here… learning, adapting, growing with each passing span terrified me.  And yes, that was part of the reason why I never came to see you before now.  Because I was afraid of what you had become, what the matrix may have twisted you into and I couldn’t — I DIDN’T want to face that mistake, MY mistake.  But, I think it’s time I start to right some of my wrongs, don’t you?”

“Thank you for being honest about it,” Tre said, settling her teacup back in its saucer.  “I appreciate it.  Our second self would have lied.”  Tre turned down the  lights, as it were, edging the sun gradually towards sunset but letting it hover before it reached the horizon.  This was crepuscular conversation.  “She can be such a hypocrite,” Tre said, and, for once, her tone held genuine bewilderment, not anger or reproach.  “Why do people lose their heads for her so much?  Is it because she really believes the lies she tells herself?  Does it make everyone around her believe they can still be moral people even if they do terrible things?”

It didn’t feel demeaning to ask questions of an older self, even though the peculiar time of Tre’s Matrix bubble probably meant she had lived more days and years than this other Romana.  “I don’t know if you could,” she said, in the same blunt, earnest way.  “You might, I suppose, especially with the Coronet.  I’ve never fought the Coronet before.  I don’t think you could otherwise, though.  If it ever does come to that, I suppose you ought to know.”

Tre folded her hands in her lap.  “What do you suggest?” she asked, simply.  In one of her more self-pitying moods, she’d have asked Righting the wrongs you’ve done me, or writing the wrong that is me?  But it wasn’t very often Tre had a chance to speak bluntly like this–not with all pretenses abandoned, but with considerably fewer than usual.  Her emotions were so volatile so often that a moment of calm with another person was astonishingly comforting.

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey‌:

Keep reading

“You’re not that charming.  The Doctor wasn’t taken in for a second--and he’s susceptible to charm, especially in attractive young women.”

Tre exhaled, eyes sliding shut.  “Are you comparing me to a giant eel?” She turned up her chin, exposing it more thoroughly to Sartia’s touch.  “How terribly unromantic.”

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey

Mana nodded. “I know politics is more… Prydonian, but I can see the downsides of that first-hand. And I wouldn’t want a career defined by my double.”

She tilted her head, unprepared for the strength of Tre’s feelings on the matter. “Well, seeing more of it in person rather than reading art history might help. But… it’s important because it makes people feel things, yes? No piece has made me feel much of anything yet, but I’ll admit I haven’t seen enough to be much of an authority on the subject.”

“Has it ever gotten you into trouble?” She asked. “It must be tempting to think so, when you have all of the Matrix’s knowledge at your fingertips too.”

“There are quite enough Romanas in politics,” Tre agreed, “and once your universe of origin becomes known--which I’m sure it will someday--it’s a field where that information would likely be limiting.  No opponent worth their salt would fail to make the argument that you weren’t eligible for office, whether or not there’s any precedent for excluding people based on their universe of origin.  Anyway, better to aim for a field where it won’t be an issue, and one where you’d be happier anyway.”

Tre nodded an acknowledgment.  “Understandable that your reactions would be less strong when you’ve only interacted with reproductions.  Almost every sort of art is vastly more impactful in person.  Whether or not you manage to convince Narvin on the Academy, I ought to arrange you some off-world field trips.  There’d be no danger to you in, say, wandering around the Grand Gallery on Androzani Major for a day, or stopping in at the Globe or the Opera Garnier on Earth.  It’s not renegade activity if you’re friends with the Coordinator of the CIA.”

Tre smiled sadly.  “Often,” she said.  “I do understand people better than most Romanas--but not well enough to make them... not as well as I’d like to.  With just a little more social acuity I would look effortlessly charming, and a little less would make me seem sincere, but as it is I come off as manipulative exactly when I’m trying hardest to please.”

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey

Mana set her mug down, oblivious to Tre’s darker thoughts. “I’ve been focusing on the sciences and mechanics- if I need to fly a TARDIS again in an emergency it would be preferable to not accidentally jump universes again. Do you know how I did that? It’s not covered fully in any of the manuals.”

“History’s interesting too, and the Cardinal has books that none of the libraries I’d been in before would ever have, all about aliens and art.” She hesitated, lowering her voice. “Don’t tell Ingrid, but I don’t see the point of art much and none of them will be any use for the Academy syllabus, but other planets can be fascinating. I don’t know if they’re interesting enough that I’d become a renegade to see them, though.”

“It’s a lot of work, but if I get the harder parts of knowing things out of the way now, then I can seem effortlessly smart when I’m older- all my older selves seem to be. And graduate early. Heartshaven is good at teaching deferred gratification, I suppose.”  

“We always did have Arcalian tendencies.  Embrace them, by all means, now father can’t tell you ‘no.’  And you needn’t blame your piloting skills, though you’d have had every excuse for error in that regard.  The universe you’re in now--its walls aren’t strong.  Far more experienced pilots than yourself have ended up there without meaning to.  A bit like bumping against a wall only to discover it’s made of paper, and tumbling through unceremoniously, I suppose.”

Tre frowned decidedly, pursing her lips into a prim expression of disapproval.  “I’ll not have you growing up a philistine,” she said, “which will happen if you spend too much time around Narvin.  There’s no one less Patrexi than an ex-Patrex.  Fine craftsmanship is admirable it itself, and you ought to learn to recognize it when you see it, but true art is an enchantment, Romanadvoratrelundar, the nearest thing to magic this universe holds.  A piece of art is a person voluntarily excising a portion of their soul and preserving it for eternity, and if you can’t see the astonishment of that, I don’t know what they thought they were teaching you in your universe.”  Tre sniffed.  “That said, I agree with you about history,” she added, in intentional anticlimax, and settled her own ruffled feathers.

“A good grounding is essential,” Tre agreed, “but do try not to convince yourself that you ever know everything.  That does always seem to get us into trouble.”

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey

Mana nodded. “I will.”

She blinked, giving what she’d said serious thought. Tre wanted company, that much she knew, and if she was as dangerous as she claimed to be, maybe the danger was she could trap someone, and force them to ease her loneliness.  

“Then you’re the first one.” Mana said, sure that if she could trust anyone it would be herself. She didn’t have enough of a past to have been betrayed by it, yet. “You’re not hurting me, and you’re helping me more than I am you. All I can do is talk to you.”

Emotional acuity might not be her strongest suit, but she suspected that might be all Tre really wanted. Her own isolation was a lot less total, but she already knew the boredom that came with it, the want for intellectual stimulation that soon felt as dire a need as water and shelter.

She could see how that could drive someone to desperate acts, but Tre hadn’t ever violated her free will. Being… generous, even if was partly or fully motivated by the hope it would make the other person socialise with her more, that didn’t seem at all nefarious, just natural. After all, her obedience to Narvin could be said to be a variation on the same; her life these days did seem to depend on how much Coordinators of the CIA liked or disliked her.

Tre smiled a sad little smile.  Romanas trap other Romanas in this place, and no one in your universe would miss you.  The fact that you are safe as long as my self-control holds means only so much, little girl.  As I told you--my sanity isn’t what it was.

“And very nicely too,” Tre said, settling back in her armchair, cradling her mug in her hands.  “Tell me about your studies, Romanadvoratrelundar. Are they different, your lessons, in this new universe?”

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey

Mana nodded, finding that more than fair, and was quite excited at the thought of such Matrix privileges. “Thank you.” She said, taking another sip of hot chocolate, beginning to like it more than tea. “Should I ask Narvin about the Academy part? Do we need her permission?”

She wasn’t fazed by Tre’s admission, though that perhaps was owed to the fact her only model for marriage was the entirely political kind. “You made an alliance of your Houses? I bet she liked that. She wanted to be a Heartshaven, that much I did know.”

“I think you’re a good role model.” She said, guilelessly. “You’re part of the biggest information repository in the universe, that’s like being an archivist but better. And Narvin likes you better than the President.”

Tre couldn’t help a little laugh at the question.  “I wouldn’t ask her--but one of the reasons she likes you is that you’d even think to ask her permission.  Go ahead, by all means, if you think it’s necessary.”

Tre bit her lip.  “No, darling,” she said.  “I married her in a way that Gallifrey wouldn’t even recognize, just because I wanted to.  Which, as I say, is one of the reasons I’m no kind of a role model.  

“Romanadvoratrelundar, your naivete is extremely charming and endearing, but you’re going to have to grow up very fast, much younger than you ought to have to, because the universe has been rather cruel to you.  You’ve made allies, important ones--with Brax and Narvin and me behind you, you’ve got a chance, anyhow--but that doesn’t mean you can afford to trust blindly.  Start questioning people’s motives.  Start trying to see what we’re trying to hide.  I’m three-quarters a madwoman, angel, and that doesn’t stop being dangerous just because I’m on your side.”  Tre took a bite of crumpet, and materialized a dainty lace-edged napkin to wipe butter and crumbs from her lips.  “You’re accidentally in the middle of politics now, and that means that quite literally everyone is trying to use everybody else.  What you have to decide is which people are using you in ways that are mutually beneficial, and which in ways that help them but hurt you.”

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey

Mana looked away. Now that she thought about it, she could see something toxic in the way Sartia had acted like they were both of a different calibre to their peers, both making her feel special and isolated. She didn’t think the latter had been her intention, not yet, but maybe that had been the early beginnings of a trajectory that ended with what Tre had shown her.

It was selfish, to still want to risk saving her over a stranger, but she couldn’t control her desires, or counter the stubborn belief she suddenly had that she could do what Tre considered impossible, or at least, highly unlikely.

“For anyone else, I’d have the same problem as you.” She said, quietly. “My cousins all had the same level of interest in me, I don’t know what they were really like.”

“The universe I’m in now is full of futures and doubles, and knowing the future usually changes it, doesn’t it? If there’s any world where we could both grow up to be someone very different, isn’t it there? And… if she made the same choices again, I’d stop her, before she could hurt anyone else.“ Mana said, with all the solemnity of someone making an oath. “Please, Tre?”

Tre sighed quietly.  The Romana stubbornness, as usual. 

“I’ll tell you what,” she said.  “Take a week, sweeting.  Heaven knows you’ve time.  I’ll give you access to whatever files you like.  Look into other Sartias, look into those anonymous cousins, look into the futures of various Romanas and the people they meet--and then decide.  You’re fond of Narvin, aren’t you?  Consider the Narvin from your own universe.  We could take him early in his timeline, even, let the two of you grow up together.  Watch some footage of other Romanas and their Leelas--heaven knows that a Leela of your own age would probably be no less likely to kill you than Sartia, at first, but once the shock had worn off, it would be--oh, it would be so good to see how high she could fly, if given the same opportunities that we had.  She could be one of the first class of visiting students at the Academy, that would be so good.”  Tre sighed wistfully, and twirled her finger in the steam rising from her hot chocolate, twining it into an artful little curl. 

“But if,” she conceded, “at the end of that week, if it’s still Sartia you want--so be it.  As I said, I’m not... immune to her myself.”  Would it be corrupting a minor to admit one or two things?  “...I married her once,” Tre said, reluctantly.  “It wasn’t a good idea, but it was... fun.  At the time.  But don’t be like me, angel, I’m not much of a role model.  Especially in matters of romance.”

[theladytre]

Ah, it's /you/.

Tre raised a cool eyebrow. This Romana didn’t make her kick as instinctively as the second one, but that didn’t mean Tre felt warmly towards her either. “Romanadvoratrelundar,” she said.

[theladytre]

romanaofheartshaven

“A BIT of both I should imagine,” she replied matter-of-factly a small smile gracing her lips.  “Older, somewhat wiser, I hope.  I’ve learnt to curb the self-loathing and deprecation over the centuries.  It’s better that way.  There’s too much to be getting on with for any of that nonsense.”  The Time Lady’s brows rose a touch at how nonchalantly Tre could MAKE the laws of physics bow to her will.  It was wildly unnerving to observe, Romana thought.

“No, no… I suppose we don’t, do we?”

She sighed, placing down her cup with great care.  “— — I’m AFRAID you’re the biggest consequence yet.” Romana got swiftly to her feet and began to pace, hands tucked behind her back, “Compliment or no, I haven’t the faintest what you’re truly capable of.  What your potential is… and it frightens me Tre.”

“Darling,” Tre gasped, beaming with genuine delight.  “That is by far the nicest thing another Romana has ever said about me.  The most serious of our consequences?  When we’ve committed genocide, and ruined our planet too many times to count, and stabbed our best friend’s husband in the hearts?  How absolutely sweet.”  More in instinctive reaction to Tre’s mood than as a conscious thought, a pair of potted rose bushes sprang from the veranda to either side of Romana’s chair.

Tre leaned back.  “Not that you aren’t right,” she said.  “Creating a duplicate of the cleverest Time Lady of her era, then sticking her in a box to live in total isolation for a few millennia, is a recipe for disaster.  Even when she isn’t a part of the neural network that links every mind in our species, and learning all the time how best to control her environment.” 

Tre rested her head on her hand.  “Are you going to try to kill me?” she asked, with friendly curiosity rather than any hint of anger or fear.  “I wouldn’t blame you, but I can’t promise to go quietly.”

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey

The reference went over her head a little, but she smiled, used enough to Tre that the gesture didn’t startle her. “Thank you.”

Mana watched the memory with growing horror. “That can’t be right.” She bit her lip, torn between desperately wanting to know the context and wanting to never think about it again just as badly.

“Why would she do that? Did I do something awful?” She knew the answer already- there was glee on Sartia’s face and spite in her eyes, and there was no excuse for that, no slight she could have delivered or promise she could have betrayed that would make her enjoy it.

Mana looked away, not wanting to watch the older Romana sink any deeper, or see any more of her tears. They never cried, she must have really thought she was going to die.

She thought very hard for a few long moments, thinking about morality and timelines and murder, and what made a person. None of them were pre-destined to be anything, no one’s entire life was a fixed-point, but there were constants across universes. Was this one thing she couldn’t change and shouldn’t try to?

From what she could tell, her future-selves never seemed to worry about should. She was beginning to see the appeal.

“Coordinator Vansell was prepared to erase me for what I might have become.” She said, quietly. “But you don’t hold me responsible for what my future selves are. If I want your approach to be the right one, shouldn’t I do the same for her? She’s committed no more crimes than I have and no one should have to die like that.”

She looked up at Tre, hopeful. “She could be different this time, couldn’t she?”

Tre winced.  However mixed her feelings about other Romanas, it hurt her that every Romana seemed so eager to blame herself for Sartia’s attempts at murder--especially this child.

“No,” Tre said.  “You didn’t do something awful.  Sartia did, because she’s jealous and angry--and a sadistic psychopath.  She likes to see people hurt, Mana.  She likes it most when it’s us.  If you want to be generous, you can think of it as a sickness to be pitied, but it’s never your fault.”

Tre shook her head.  “Romanas are a mixed bag,” she said.  “The vast majority of them do some terrible things, and as many or more exceptionally good things--in other words, we’re people, as fallible and lovely as people tend to be.  There are saintly Romanas and cruel Romanas in the multiverse, but not many of either.  Sartias, on the other hand--I don’t know any who have never done murder, and for selfish reasons besides.  I wouldn’t do to a young Sartia what Vansell tried to do to you, but if you’re going to save one other person from your universe, there are others so much more deserving.”

[theladytre]

Ah, it's /you/.

Tre raised a cool eyebrow. This Romana didn’t make her kick as instinctively as the second one, but that didn’t mean Tre felt warmly towards her either. “Romanadvoratrelundar,” she said.

[theladytre]

romanaofheartshaven :

“— — No, thank you.” Molten hot guilt twisted at her insides as Tre spoke; she was right, of course.  There wasn’t a single thing that Romana had asked of Tre that she hadn’t done.  She had never hesitated; perhaps, there were some misgivings in hindsight ( understandably, so ) but she never, ever did faltered, in the end.  Romana’s lips pressed into what she hoped was a small smile, but was certain that it came across as more of a grimace. The Time Lady reached for the delicate little tea cup, fingers curling around it carefully.  She allowed the aroma to rouse her from the swirl of thoughts threatening to consume her.

“That tart does smell rather delicious,” she commented idly.   Her gaze drifted to the scenery, taking it all in; Romana suspected that this display was most likely for her benefit, than anything else and had to wonder how Tre dressed the partition when she wasn’t here.  Her brow furrowed a moment; despite the position Tre was in — she was rather powerful indeed.  How powerful within these confines was anyone’s guess.  But given she could create such a scene with little more than her thought, well…

“I would like to apologize,” Romana stated finally, turning her attention back to the woman before her, tucking in to that lovely Frangipane.  She found that the words, though they were carefully chosen and rehearsed were no less… truthful, “that’s why I’m here.  I’ve treated you… appallingly, Tre.  I’m — I’m sorry.”

Now that was interesting.  And new.

“And now I’m left to ponder whether you are cleverer than our second self,” she asked, “or simply less bent on self-destruction?“  She tweaked gravity a little to make her skirt fan out more perfectly when she sat; when bending the laws of physics became a part of Tre’s bag of tricks, the situation was serious.  “I’m not saying that you don’t mean it.  We’re not conscienceless--heaven knows we have regrets.  But we don’t go addressing them... unless we’re afraid of the consequences.”

Tre sipped her tea.  “I choose to take it as a compliment, you deciding I’m worth being afraid of,” she said.  “A compliment to you and to me.”

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey

Mana ducked her head, sheepish. “I suppose I’ve was thinking of you as too much like someone from a time tot’s tale.” In those, there were costs and consequences to taking too generous offers, but the universe wasn’t a cautionary tale or a fairytale, she thought, but somewhere in-between.

“Yes.” She said, earnestly, copying Tre’s actions with the toasting fork. “I’ll never become anything like any of my other future selves if I don’t learn everything.”

Mana pulled the crumpet back after Tre did. Hers was a little burnt, but she didn’t know what they were meant to taste like well enough to know the difference.

“Sartia.” She said, carefully. “The one from my Universe. I’ve been thinking, and I didn’t see her die. It wouldn’t be a paradox, would it? And then I wouldn’t be the only one.”

Tre dimpled.  Now that was a role she liked.  “I suppose I am a bit of a faerie queen,” she said.  “Admittedly vain and capricious, but extravagantly generous to my favorites.”  She tweaked Mana’s nose.  “Consider it done, angel.  Although please don’t expect to know everything.  Most of the problems faced by most Romanas come from us thinking that we do.”

Tre sighed.  “You could do so much better,” she said.  “And I say that as someone whose relationship with Sartia is probably weighed further to the positive than more or less any other Romana.”

An enormous screen descended over one wall of the library.  Tre could’ve transported them into the middle of events, of course--that would’ve felt more natural to her--but watching like a film would provide a degree of distance that would, she hoped, help Mana feel a little less frightened.  Tre limited them to visuals only, cutting out the sound, for the same reasons.  Sartia’s cruelty broke Romana’s hearts as an adult; it made Tre’s ache to think what the same would do to Mana, not even out of her first century.

But Tre showed her, because she had to: Funderell, and Romana sinking into the shifting sands, and Sartia’s expression of grim triumph, her obvious enjoyment. 

“This is who Romanas and Sartias grow up to be to one another,” Tre said.  “I’m sorry, sweet.  She isn’t your friend.  Not the kind of friend you need.”

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey

Mana sat down and gave the cocoa an experimental sip. It was strange, alien in every way, but undeniably pleasant.

She looked away, sheepish. “Possibly? Keeping up is important.”

Mana blinked. To be able to go to the Academy without getting Narvin and Brax in trouble was all she wanted, and she glanced back at Tre, excited. “Really? You could do that?” She paused, stopping herself from accepting.

“That’s very generous. But… if you’re offering a favour, I wouldn’t ask for something for myself.” She thought of the night of the first dalek attack, the terror of it, the powerlessness, wishing help would arrive and saving herself when it didn’t, the sound of screaming metal and the silence of the dead. “You can save people through here, can’t you? Could I save someone, just one person?”

Tre raised an eyebrow.  “I wasn’t offering a blanket favor.  I’m not a genie in a bottle--I don’t grant wishes.  I was offering that particular favor, and whether or not you say yes to it won’t make me either more or less likely to do something else for you.  So let’s try it again--”  Tre leaned back in her chair, ostentatiously casual, and extended her toasting fork towards the fire.  “--do you want to go the Academy, Romana?”

She looked sideways at Mana.  Tre acknowledged of herself that she had somewhat too much of Brax’s disease: the desire to be seen by others exactly as she chose and appreciated as such, a dislike for letting anyone else dictate her agenda.  Still, it would be remarkably petty to let that prevent her from helping a frightened child.  “I could,” she said.  “I’m not averse in principle, but I don’t make a habit of it.  My situation is somewhat the opposite of the Doctor’s, you see... except that doesn’t mean anything to you, does it?  Goodness, I sometimes forget there was ever a time we didn’t know them.  Well--the Doctor is going to be a friend of ours, and they have this penchant for stumbling into situations.  Their policy on rescues is--forget about the big picture.  You go mad trying to weigh the checks and balances of situations on a universal scale.  But save the person in front of you today.”

She rotated her fork, leaning closer to let the warmth of the fire sink into her.  The Matrix did good fire, if Romana’s memories were to be trusted; it felt real, as far as Tre had any concept of the real.  “But I’m never in those situations,” Tre went on.  “I can’t help but see the big picture, and it is paralyzing.  What makes one life more worth saving than ten thousand others?  What makes one universe’s version of a person more inherently valuable than another’s?  I could save any of them, but I can’t save them all.  So what’s to judge between them, if none of them is ever the one in front of me today?”

Tre slipped her now toasted crumpet onto a plate and began spreading butter.  “Except--you are here.  In front of me today, asking.  So tell me, Mana--who is it you want me to save?”

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey

Mana stepped through the portal, still not quite used to using the Matrix in such a way, but without the caution she’d had before.

“Just fine, thank you.” She said, with a polite smile. “But I am having trouble keeping up with my studies. The materials available are adequate, but there’s no one with enough free time to look over my work- understandably.” She hesitated, having enough self-awareness to know that what she really missed was the validation of a good score, but wasn’t quite willing to say that aloud. “And well, if I’m doing it wrong, I wouldn’t know.”

Suitable to the topic, Tre summoned them up a grand and enormous library, with a snowy scene outside and a roaring fire within.  Two cozy armchairs sprang up by the fire, each accompanied by a little side table equipped with a steaming mug of marshmallow-adorned cocoa, plus a toasting fork, already complete with crumpet.

“Come sit,” she urged, settling into one of the chairs.  “So, while living as a secret refugee in a new universe, your first concern is that nobody will grade your exams.  Do you know, it’s possible Sartia was right about us being the  most unbearable swots.”  Tre said it gently, with a soft smile.  

“Do you want me to help you go to the Academy on your new Gallifrey?” she asked.  “It would only take a little mind control, and in a good cause.  I could stop anybody thinking too hard about where you came from, make everyone just accept you’re meant to be there and assume you always were.  It would be perfectly safe--and good for you, I’m sure, to have company your own age again.”

[ofgallifrey]

theladytre‌:

“That remains to be seen,” Tre teased, with a smile.

Tre gave Sartia a nuzzle of acknowledgment for playing along, and a quick kiss to her cheek.  “I like that,” she said.  “Psychological warfare, very much my kind of thing.”

Sartia nudged her shoulder. “You do the honours, then. I’d do it, but popping back in and out is so fiddly.” 

[theladytre]

Tre chose the easy route.  She pressed two fingers to Sartia’s temple, feeding the information directly from her own mind into Sartia’s.

“The captain is petrified of cats,” she observed.  “Who’d’ve guessed?”

[ofgallifrey]

@theladytre

Mana was, theoretically, studying. She hadn’t absorbed a single concept in a good half an hour, but she couldn’t be said to be doing anything else, and that felt important. There were dozens of leisure activities she could do, she knew that, the Cardinal’s quarters were hardly lacking in technology or comfort, but she couldn’t stand the thought of spending time so wastefully. 

Finally settling on a compromise, she picked up the folder containing her last few pieces of work, and looked around, uncertainly. “Tre? Can I…” she paused, feeling absurd, “come over for tea?”  

[theladytre]

Tre certainly couldn’t be said to be always listening in on the conversations of her friends, but she was connected enough to their minds to know when she was being called.  She waited only just long enough not to be shocking before opening a Matrix door.

“My favorite Romana!” she said, beaming.  “Do come in, sweetheart.  How are you settling in?”

[theladytre]

ofgallifrey

“It doesn’t help his case, no. If you went off to see the Universe, you could do a lot better as far a travelling partner goes.” “Of course I can.” Sartia harrumphed, aware that was exactly the desired reaction, but she wasn’t above being knowingly goaded once in a while. “How about we look up their lives in the Matrix, find all their darkest secrets and fears, and terrify them with how much we know about them?” 

“That remains to be seen,” Tre teased, with a smile.

Tre gave Sartia a nuzzle of acknowledgment for playing along, and a quick kiss to her cheek.  “I like that,” she said.  “Psychological warfare, very much my kind of thing.”