Chanda

Chanda
Portrayed By	Ayesha Takia
Gender	Female
Species	Demon
Date of Birth	???
Age	125
Zodiac Sign	Scorpio
Aliases	Stripper
Place of Birth	Another dimension, far, far away
Current Location	Los Angeles, CA, USA
Occupation	Dancer (stripper) at Caritatas
Known Relatives	???
Significant Other	Carlton
Special Powers	???
First Appearance	jail-bait

So, this muse walks into a strip club..

History

To the Eastern world they are the Apsara. Young women of great beauty and elegance. Proficient in dancing to the music made by their husbands, the Gandharvas. They would serve in the courts of the Hindu God, Indra. They would dwell in celestial palaces, and provide entertainment to the Gods and fallen heroes. In the Western world they could be compared to the Valkyries of Norse mythology, or even the muses or nymphs of ancient Greece. The role of the Apsara is to play entertainer to the Gods and caretaker of fallen heroes. In other Eastern Asian mythos, they are also sent to seduce men and sages that are felt to be a threat to the Gods.

In other words, just a muse.

Ever since multi-cultural deity worship fell out of fashion, oh a few centuries ago, they found an alternate dimension to dwell in, living the life of luxury they were accostomed to. Cutting themselves off from humans by a few portals, some things are forgotten. Like human nature. Living amongst themselves for so many centuries, some things are difficult to avoid, like talking about the old days. What it was like to be revered as Gods and worshipped by humans. Oh, and the popular tale is how they were doing the work of the Gods, making mortals fall in love with them, but this is mainly to mess with the heads of the younger generation.

This is where Chanda comes in. Being of a naive and restless nature, you could say she was not so content with the lifestyle. Eager for the tales of the elder apsara, she bought the tales hook, line and sinker. So it was a horrible joke when one of the upper level women said it was ordered for Chanda to seduce the Dali Lama. Afterall, this was something they did back in the day. Seduce the religious and pious, no time like the present to start again!

This was a joke Chanda took seriously. What do you mean? We're no longer going to stay isolated in our dimension, we're going back and I can lead the trend? AWESOME!

She made it all the way to Tibet, took one look at his holiness, and decided to quit. C'mon. Seriously. This was what she was supposed to do? Seduce this good and kindly man who was a threat to no one? Let someone else jump his wrinkled, smiling self. Besides.. this dimension, Earth? Oh. My. God. So much to do, so much to see. I'll be back home later!

Chanda decided to traipse her way into India, and found a nice (brief) career in Bollywood flicks. Her abnormal grace in dance took her far, and she was clamored for in numerous films as a lead actress. Chanda found being with humans incredibly enjoyable, it awakened something within her that should have stayed asleep. In some ways, she's naive and very much like a child. As a 'higher being', she should be above such mortal conditions. Alas. It's as if her emotions have gone into hyperdrive. Soon she became notoriously difficult to work with if she did not get her way. Directors still wanted her, but few could put up with Chanda's attitude.

Needless to say, she burned her way through studios, contracts, directors and choreographers. Taking her earnings, and counting her losses, Chanda decided to venture around the world. She made it no farther than Los Angeles, CA. Having little concept about things such as money, she burned through what cash she had stockpiled quite easily. She now faced pleading her way back into her old job, or finding another way to survive as a human. Or the unthinkable, going home.

Well now, what's a girl to do? She loves being with humans, their fickle, conceited, arrogant natures just called to her, some things are just deeply ingrained. She was created to dance, to care for others. How best to take care of this side of her while pursuing base desires?

Two words.

Strip. Club.

Timeline

• January 16th, 2002 - Caritatas gets a new server! Luckily, she is jail-bait, so Carlton will keep his mitts off.

Personality

Possessive - And boy is she ever. When it comes to Carlton? Hands off, he is hers. She feels bound to him spiritually according to the beliefs and tales she was raised on. Because of Carlton's demonic nature, she truly believes he Is The One <tm>, the person she is bound to for eternity. She originally became attracted to his talkative and funny nature. If she can ever break free of his hold, someone is not going to be a happy camper. Or she might shrug it off. It depends on how this illusion of sorts is broken.

Sweet Irony - While bitchy and possessive, when it comes to Carlton, she's all smiles. She's not meek and subservient to him, but all the same, she serves him. Shoulder rubs, bringing him dinner, making sure he's comfortable, etc. The life of servitude is one she meant to run away from, only to find it in another form.

Vindictive - While she's possessive of Carlton, she has yet to take out her jealousy on him. (Directly that is.) The other women of Caritatas bear the brunt of her nature. Broken high heels, slashed clothing, makeup being tampered with by various products, shampoo switched with Nair. Y'know, the usual bitchiness coming from a woman scorned.

Fallen Angel - More or less this is the case. Since checking out LA, Chanda has discovered she much prefers dancing for her own purposes. If she decided to stop and return to her own dimension, she would have a rather difficult time of getting back in as she's damaged goods, more or less. Which is fine by Chanda, she prefers catering to herself (and Carlton) anyway. (For now.)

Prima Donna - She's beautiful and she knows it. Flattery will get you almost anywhere with this woman. Except below the waistline. That's reservation only and by Carlton so there. Her looks are her most important feature, so she takes damn good care of her body and face. She has to have the best costumes, the best makeup, the best products and oh yeah, the best dressing area there at the club.

I'm Alive - Chanda has a very passionate nature. She tolerates little and she swears that humans have been a bad influence upon her in her time in this dimension. High spirited, she has a temper that can be easily provoked. Chanda is also incredibly self-confident, she knows what her talents are and does not hesitate to use them. She also knows that Carlton might be up a creek without a paddle without her presence in the club, and uses this to her advantage. Her spirited temperament can be attributed to emotions in overdrive, living amongst humans and various demons.

Abilities

Dance, Magic, Dance - Being of a muse-tastic nature, dance comes naturally. It's a god-given talent, you could say. Classical, lambada, tango, pole, waltz, you name it, she takes to it like a duck to water. Only with a natural grace. Not like a duck dancing on stage. Err.

The Gambler - Apsaras also rule over the fortunes of gambling. She can bring good fortune to establishments or individuals. This can be done by will, or just her presence alone. Chanda's been a boon to the backroom gambling found within Caritatas. A boon to the club that is. Hey, in a roundabout way, she has to look out for number one. In this case, Number One being Carlton. He's kinda like a caretaking SugarSmack Daddy for her!

I Was a Muse, Stupid! - This goes with the power over chance, while she can affect the good fortune of others, she can't for herself. For example, if she sat down for a game of kitten poker, she can't up her chances of winning or affect her own cards. The person across from her? That's another matter all together. They could hit a winning streak! Others around her can find themselves having a streak of good luck, while she can't catch a break for herself. Another downside of this makes her something to be sought after and kept. Also, her hair can make an excellent good luck charm on a minor scale.

Suspended in Time - Chanda ages so slowly that her lifespan seems almost immortal. Currently she appears to be in her early twenties. This aging process does not excuse her from falling ill, especially with all of the abundant diseases in this dimension. She can also be killed and injured, the same as any human.

Quotes

• "Memorable quotes!"

Trivia

• Chanda - "fierce, hot, passionate" in Sanskrit.

Soundtrack

• "Joanie The Jehovah's Witness Stripper," by Paul Thorn
• "Psycho Woman," by Wolfstone