Flick of Horror (IC)

[PurpleProse]

Hah! We have her in our grasp!Sombra-La's telepathic crowing just made Danni's head hurt even more. Nocturne floated down from the air, shooting a glare out at the audience.

"What are you people waiting for?! Show's over. LEAVE!"

She rubbed her forehead and turned back towards the ghost. "Um... well, I used a spell to force you into a solid state... it looks like it turned off your ghostly powers too. Sorry about that. Uh... could you maybe just chill a bit and not try to terrify everyone?"

At the sight of her ethereal streamers, Danni paused. "Sombra-La? What's going on?"

[Aoiroo]

"Is the least of your worries."

Silver chains shot up from the ground, cracking the floor on their entry and wrapped around the demon pulling him down to hold him in place. Changeling stepped out of the shadows sword ready as she approached. She looked out to the sorceress who was handling the spector with a solidation spell before turning quickly back to the demon,

"Tell me, what purpose does a lowsome devil such as yourself have in this realm, and please do not waste my time as my patience with your kind is thin and my blade strikes with the truest silver to thine unholy flesh."

[PurpleProse]

Without her ghostly powers to sustain her, she is returning once more to the realm of the dead. An appropriate fate.

"Ugh..." Danni pinched the bridge of her nose as Sombra-La's eager tone. She inhaled, then glanced down at Silver Scream. "Look... I've got the feeling you aren't supposed to be here. There's a chuckle-head here with an evil camera, and I think he managed to pull you here. If I break the camera, will you leave peacefully?"

[Supercape]

GM

"Look... I've got the feeling you aren't supposed to be here. There's a chuckle-head here with an evil camera, and I think he managed to pull you here. If I break the camera, will you leave peacefully?"

"The camera? I felt something....strange...." whispered the Silver Scream, as she flickered and faded, to reappear once more in the still playing film. Not that the film was looking to healthy - it was become increasingly blotchy, scratched, sticking and jumping more and more often. Only the horrible ghostly screams that came from it seemed real at all.

"What is this?" said the Silver Scream back in the film. "Trapped! This film is ruining me! I will be the star I once was! not trapped in this demeaning film!" she shrieked, voice full of anger.

She looked around in the film, scared for a moment.

"And...not alone! the damned are here! The camera...it feeds on souls and spits them out...and I am no exception...just stronger!"

"Destroy it! Destroy it! Or I will destroy you all!" she shouted, her face against the film screen, thumping it.

[Supercape]

GM

"Tell me, what purpose does a lowsome devil such as yourself have in this realm, and please do not waste my time as my patience with your kind is thin and my blade strikes with the truest silver to thine unholy flesh."

The man in the smoking jacket grunted and groaned, his face and body warping and struggling against Etains spell in a quite unearthly manner, the powerful spirit therein resisting with all its might.

"Lowsome?" he replied "I think you misjudge my strength, and my status, fey witch! I am no chained and brutish denizen of the realms infernal!"

He struggled once more, a shimmering effect around him, still able to move but drained of effervescent strength.

"My business is suffering, witch. The vanities and insecurities of men shall be made plain in front of the Camera Inferna, and this will be their downfall!"

[Aoiroo]

If there was any amusement to the contradictions of the demons predictament it showed not on Changeling's face. She had a stone cold frown and a burning in her eyes as she watched the equally searing demon struggle to move against her bonds and suceeding with a step before being pulled back. She walked around to meet his gaze, and then suddenly gave him a smile lacking any subtle hint of warmth on her pale face,

"Thine business is suffering is it,"

The chains dropped and buckled to the floor as a long pointed javelin formed in the dark haired woman's hand. She grabbed it with both hands and thrust it forward right through the demons chest. It pushed all the way through blood splattering out the demons back as it trickled down the front onto the woman's golden gloves,

"Then suffer."

[PurpleProse]

Okay, back to plan A, Danni thought to herself as she spun around to face the crowd. Find the camera, smash the camera. Now where the heck is it?

Nocturne's red eyes flicked over the assembled crowd. Thanks to Sombra-La's swiftness of thought and action, it wasn't hard to pinpoint Phil. And even better, he still had his camera with him!

Whew. Good. Now, let's just pull him out. Nocturne swung her hand upwards, clenching her fingers slightly as she spoke. "Powers of shadow, heed my call. Grant unto me a mighty hand, whose grand grasp lifts mountains! In the name of Sombra-La!

Loops of crimson light wrapped around Nocturne's fingertips, then her knuckles, then her wrist and all the way down her elbow. She thrust her hand towards Phil as a hazy violet nimbus erupted around him, lifting him into the air.

[Supercape]

GM

"Whoooooaaaaa!" shrieked Phil, as he was yanked into the air, still clutching the camera, which somehow felt more ominous in appearance and mood then ever before.

"Put me down! Put me down! Let me go!" he yelled, yabbering in fear.

Meanwhile, in the projector room...

"Hwwaaaumph" whistled the man in the Smoking Jacket as he visibly deflated into a shell of himself. Smoke and Brimstone gently wafted from his ears and mouth.

"What did you do....my plans...." he said, in garbled speech, as his features changed and morphed. In the man's place stood

a tall elegant woman, shrouded in smoke and fire, with a horned face and demonic features.

"Your fey magic is strong, my dear, but the Hellqueen has no plans to fall tonight! The show will go on!" she yelled, and with that, in a puff of smoke and brimstone, she disappeared.

[Aoiroo]

Changeling narrowed her eyes at the change of the demon in front of her. She had not previously met the jealously driven possessed woman, but she knew enough to know whatever it was, was not something she could leave idly by. However, looking out the projector room she saw the woman who had handled the spector using a somewhat malicious tinted magic to hold up the young man with the camera, she sighed only slightly and left the room.

She didn't even bother with a concealment this time, in fact, when she opened the door to projector room everyone in the area could hear it's creaking exceedingly well. Walking down the aisle to the front she gave the woman in purple, who compared to modern fiction looked every inch the stereotypical sorceress, and according to her sight, did in fact have the power, and an edge of some evil to back it up. Then she looked at the boy, and said in a level voice, not terribly loud, but clear to hear in the mostly empty room,

"This is quite enough yes, would you be so kind as to put the young man down, you are scaring him."

She turned to Philop,

"And would you be so kind as to hand over the camera, it has considerable dark magic that caused this mess as of so far. If you would like a replacement, I would happy to compensate you on a later basis."

[PurpleProse]

Nocturne blinked, her hand still clenched in the Grand Grasp spell as Changeling appeared in the theater's arena seats. Another superhero? She hadn't expected something like that.

"This is quite enough yes, would you be so kind as to put the young man down, you are scaring him."

"Huh? Oh! Sure!" She lowered her hand, her gown fluttering in a phantom wind as she did so. The spell circles and the scarlet light in her eyes faded as she dropped Phillip onto the ground.

"And would you be so kind as to hand over the camera, it has considerable dark magic that caused this mess as of so far. If you would like a replacement, I would happy to compensate you on a later basis."

"I'd be careful with that camera, ma'am!" She called out, hopping down from her perch. "It's a soul-eating camera. It captured the Silver Scream in it, and probably some others as well... not that I'm questioning your competency, I mean..." She grinned nervously, running a hand through her hair.

Why are apologizing? We were doing quite well, even without this pumped-up poppinjay...

"Shut up," Danni muttered under her breath at the tome.

[Supercape]

GM

The ancient camera flickered briefly, illuminating the walls for a second, as it was passed over by Phil. The rest of the audience, taking no chances, fled the theatre with remarkable vigour, even those that had been trampelled underfoot.

"I guess you had better take it..." he gulped. "Whatever it is. Damn, I never thought my movies would become real horror shows..." he muttered as he wiped his brow.

"What are you going to do with it?" he asked. "I mean...I know its dangerous, but its...well, its beautiful, too. I'd hate to see it, you know, destroyed. And I made some great films with it..." he continued, looking at the camera with a certain fondness.

The theatre lights briefly flickered on and off in a eerie reply.

[PurpleProse]

Nocturne stared at Phil with a good deal of incredulity. "Uh, dude? What part of 'soul-sucking demonic camera' do you not quite get. You're lucky some horrible Faustian demon from the pits of hell didn't show up to, I dunno, force you to watch Battlefield Earth for all eternity on repeat or something." She paused. "Or something else properly horrible. I dunno. Do demons do film?"

Unlikely, Sombra-La snorted telepathically, Most demons have poor taste in culture.

"Anyway! Don't think you're getting the camera back now. Or ever." Nocturne turned toward Changling and blushed. "Um... thanks, I suppose. It might help if I went with you to deal with the camera. If you had a library I could use, I could probably whip up a spell to eliminate it without hurting the spirits trapped inside."

[Aoiroo]

"Ohh, but one did."

She looked at the boy, then produced a small cloth strawberry which with a tug pulled out into a medium sized pink tot bag. She didn't have any qualms about simply dropping the camera into it as strangely mundane as it looked,

"I rather thoroughly dissuaded said demon to hang around this premises, but there was in fact one here."

She looked at the boy for a second and then the pair of them simply disappeared from his sight, not that they actually went anywhere, but anywhere, just that he could no longer percieve either, even as Changeling brushed past him up the aisle,

"I have no doubt in your abilities, but there are other things to attend too. The demon for example, her name is Hellqueen, and it is quite a triffling thing that she is about. If you would kindly use your expertise to find her location, it may make the search more fruitful."

May was the operative word, the truth was, it was likely that she could easily find the demon with a scrying pool, and that having this person set up a spell was unnessicary. Though, given the demons earlier disguising spell, it may not be that easy. Either way, whatever resources Changeling had, she was no keen to enlighten this particular spellcaster, and not only in part because she was powerful. She had come a ways to identify that even magic that has rather innately well bad properties could be used for good, but that did not warrent not being cautious around such users regardless.

[Supercape]

GM

Phil clucked in irritation as the Camera Inferna dissapeared from his view.

"Hellqueen?" he asked "that sounds great! I hope I can film her too..." he muttered, trying to crane his neck to get a look inside Changeling's cloth and catch sight of his wonderful artefact once more.

He looked around the carnage of the popcorn, hotdogs, and a few broken glasses in the empty theatre. A few more brave souls had peeked a look back inside, and some blue light sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Hey, um, can I still play my film?" he asked hopefully.

[Aoiroo]

Changeling looked at the boy for a second,

"If you wish to do a career to simulate horror and danger, you should recognize it well enough not to even suggest such things, otherwise you may lose more then just a camera."

She held up the bag,

"You may keep films that you have recorded with other devices, but I suggest any done with this should be destroyed as a precaution. Anyway, I was not joking about the camera, pick something nice and I will see about getting it delivered to you, then use it perhaps to remake some of these. There is always room for improvement, yes, now you should be off then."

Changeling didn't take the sorceress to Parkhurst, she took her to the alley. She leaned her back against the wall and looked her over and very quietly produced a long sharp curved knight from one of her boots that she began to play with absently,

"I have some questions to ask of you, you need not reveal everything about yourself, but please answer them honestly, it will make things much simpler in the long run."

She began to toss the knife in the air,

"You do not hold yourself as someone rather outwardly malicious, but your entire being and the spell you used to bind that ghost says otherwise, why is that?"

[PurpleProse]

GM

Phil clucked in irritation as the Camera Inferna dissapeared from his view.

"Hellqueen?" he asked "that sounds great! I hope I can film her too..." he muttered, trying to crane his neck to get a look inside Changeling's cloth and catch sight of his wonderful artefact once more.

He looked around the carnage of the popcorn, hotdogs, and a few broken glasses in the empty theatre. A few more brave souls had peeked a look back inside, and some blue light sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Hey, um, can I still play my film?" he asked hopefully.

Nocturne stared at Phil in equal irritation. Could this guy honestly be serious? He wanted to film someone called 'Hellqueen?' He'd gone past 'well-meaning and obnoxious' and veered head-long into 'amoeba-with-no-survival-instinct-stupid.' "Um... you do realize that Hellqueen would probably roast you alive? For fun?"

'Tis probably best to write the fool off and leave him to his fate, child, Sombra-La muttered darkly. It would be safer in the long run for all involved. And if he meets a dreadful end, then it's his own fault.

"No thanks, Sombra-La..." She sighs, looking at Phil. "Just a fair warning; doing something stupid like that will probably get you hurt. Or worse. Leave magical stuff to the magic folk, alright?"

When Changeling beckoned her out, she followed. As the pair made their way out of the theater, Nocturne frowned and whispered a spell under her breath. A great black disk outlined along its circumference with bands of red and purple runes sprang into being over her head, hovering along and blocking the rain for both of them. She paused as Changeling drew a knife and started asking.

"Um... well, that's a bit of a long story. It's mainly due to this." She held up the tattered-looking Grimoire she was carrying. "I came across this book at an estate sale, and when I opened it... well, things just sort of happened. I can tell you this. I wasn't this tall to begin with, or this..." she gestured to her rather imposing figure and pallor, "everything. I'm kind of a sorceress now, I guess."

She glanced at the knife. "Um...is that really necessary? You might cut your finger or something doing that."

[Aoiroo]

Changeling caught the knife by the blade and smiled as she tilted the blunt handle to the girl,

"I could say something similar about your book. This volume changed both you appearance and imprinted an incredibly malicious magical aura. It is an almost unthinkable phenomenon for suck a thing to happen without causing drastic change in personality. So I hope you understand my caution in asking about it first hand,"

Turning her attention to the book she spun the knife switching it's handle to her palm and the blade pointing outward at the book,

"And my position in requesting that you let me take a closer look at that volume, if that would not be too much trouble."

She wasn't smiling any longer, her expression and tone had dropped to that of quiet concern for the girl, however she did keep the knife pointed at it as she talked.

[PurpleProse]

"Um...yeah... no offense, but I don't really want to just hand the book over to you. I'm sort of responsible for her. But here, if you want to know more..."

Danni extends the grimoire out to Changling, the old book looking a little worse for the wear. The second Changeling touches it, she would hear a voice in her ears. A feminine voice, like velvet rustling over steel with a hint of malice to it.

Don't you dare release this book, Danica. We made a promise, remember?

"Yeah yeah, I know Sombra-La. Calm down. She just wants to know what's going on."

And you trust her? Naive child. Hrmph. And you. Changeling would feel the voice's attention shift towards her, a sound of pages flipping. Gheh! A child of Avalon, a pox be upon the lot of them. You stink of Faerie glamour. Speak then, what truck would you have with me, Sombra-La the Witch Queen?

Danni glances apologetically at Changeling. "She's always like this. Don't take it personally."

[Aoiroo]

Changeling was at first surprised when the girl refered to the book as a her, at least until she heard it, she looked down at it for a second and focused her gaze,

"I see,"

The knife disappeared and she looked at it as it spouted off, first about it's promise, and then about her own condition. That was surprising, no one ever guessed that, or at least out loud. This was a very loud book,

The nature of the magic that oozed off it made her think, and the book before she looked at the girl again, given with the previous information about the transformation it clicked into place.

"You, you tried to overtake her,"

It was not a question, Changeling eyes narrowed,

"You forced her to take your form, you gave her your magic, that is why it glares of malice."

She shifted her gaze to the identified Danica,

"You should destroy this book, this magic, you cannot have such a stain without great bloodshed. This Sombra-La, she cannot take this magic back from you as much as she can try to overtake you, but she may try to do so as soon as she is able."

[PurpleProse]

And this is why I don't trust do-gooders, Sombra-La growled. The first whiff of dark magic and they become zealous fools and inquisitors!

"And that's enough out of you," Dannica glared at the book, then looked at Changeling and put a hand on her hip. "I'm not going to destroy it. Sombra-La promised to aid me in exchange for her life. Swore it, in fact. So with all due respect, I'd rather not kill her."

Hrmph... Sombra-La did not seem very happy about that. I did indeed swear it, upon air and darkness and spirit. I did not have much of an alternative.

[Aoiroo]

"It is your decision,"

She held the book back to the girl named Danica, if she was reluctant she hid it, her expression blank. She didn't trust the book, wanted to burn it right there, but it wasn't her choice to make, and she already made her opinion known. There was no need to argue, though she took her eyes away from it and turned more towards Danica as the book left her hands,

"And there are more pressing matters to attend too. For example, we never properly introduced ourselves."

Her face shifted, it was a smile, it was much more pleasant,

"I go by Changeling in this guise,"

She after everything she did, took the sides of her overcoat and did a short curtsey, and it looked natural and fluid like something done all the time.

[PurpleProse]

"Um, Nocturne, Sorceress of Twilight," Danni smiled nervously, returning the curtsey with a clumsy one herself. "Though that name is kinda silly. I mean, I'm still working on the whole 'super-heroic identity' thing."

I think that much is obvious, child, Nocturne noted, causing her to groan and roll her eyes. "A-anyway. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing. So, are you, like, an independent, or do you have a super-team?"

[Aoiroo]

"I have associates and affiliations that I sometimes assist and get assistance from. None of which are currently available at the moment. Though I doubt you would nessicarily need such assistance, you are quite powerful on your own. Though I would suggest a gentler touch with handling civilians in the future, you may give others the wrong idea."

Reaching into her pocket she produced a brass watch,

"Well this is cleared up, we really must try and figure out. I have a way for us to research such thing, but I would like a promise that you do what I ask of you if you wish to use it. You may tell Sombra-La as well that she must promise to you on her power and dark magic to as well."

[Supercape]

GM

A little later...

An uncharacteristic bolt of thunder and lightning illuminated Parkhurst. Rain swept into the two heroines clothes in a panoramic fashion, leaving them wet and slightly cold.

Well, Parkhurst was spooky by most standards. It had Ghosts after all. But Parkhurst seemed to be reacting to the presence of the Camera Inferna. Maybe something in the ground, maybe something in the architecture. Whatever it was, it was spookier...

Mary Morris was still there, alone and looking rather creeped out.

"Oh your back? What the hell happened? This place is creepy. I have some stories to tell Midnight Visions, I can tell you. Damn spooky ghosts, damn spooky house..."

She looked around.

"Something seemed to have creeped even the Ghosts out..." she added, hugging herself. Her goth eye liner was smudged and her hair was limp and unruly.

"They just upped and left when you arrived...and who the hell did you bring?" she asked, eyeing up Nocturne suspiciously...

[Aoiroo]

Changeling kept the back behind her,

"You would likely not want to know, and certainly not want to see. Though when Millie returns, ask her for the glasses on top of the chest of drawers next to my sewing machine, it should help with your predisposition."

She head up the stairs and showed Nocturne to the library. Opening the door she led her to a very comfortable chair in the study,

"Please just give me a moment, I need something that will help with this. Also, do not touch any of the books, they will attack unauthorized readers, and I would be so glad as you to not burn them, some of them are quite old."

Her smile held as she closed the door from the room. Nocturne couldn't see out of it, but she heard some steps, and a door opening as well as a sound of something falling over in a large thud. There was a flash of green light under shining under the door as well as the sound of breaking glass, also some very loud thumps and the shuffling of papers, then there was another flash of blue light and the smell of burning parchment before there was the sound of the door opening again and Changeling reappeared a little out of sorts, but generally, though she was mumbling under her breath,

"And he wonders why I will not allow Millie in there to clean."

But her smile returned,

"Here we are,"

Walking over to the table she set down a piece of paper with a rune with a complex formation that looked something like a shield. She set the pouch with the camera over the top of it and it glowed forming a crystaline looking blue dome over the top of the thing,

"That should keep any entities from escaping and prevent energy leakage. Anyway, we should get to work, but first, let us change, what's your size?"