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"And now, watch as I drain your life force!"
...
"No, no... Ahem, now, foolish brats, tremble with terror as I drain the very life energy from you!"
...
"Too much? Ahem, and now, mortals, watch as the Queen of Enchantment siphons your precious life energy!"
A convincing cackle follows. Then awkward silence.
Sabrina frowns at herself, observing how her brow furrowed, and her eyes narrowed. Truth be told, the mirror was not a good audience. Usually she might be fortunate enough to have Erika or Misty on hand for critique, or a meeting with Brycen to discuss the shoot, but that was not an option today. Today, she's in Pasio, away from her friends in Kanto, and without her usual Unovan collaborator. Brycen was here on Pasio today, but he was occupied with something else right now and so unable to offer her guidance.
That left Sabrina alone in a changing room, nothing but her own occasionally self-doubting psyche and a rather subpar script to try and motivate Bellelba. Glancing back down at it, Sabrina must wonder who on Pasio bothered to hire this writer. Their lines were all half-hearted and often unfinished. What was even the plot? Another confrontation between the dastardly Brycen-Man and the cruel yet beautiful Bellelba against... a fairy queen? An actual giant fairy? The description for the opposing heroine was shallow at best.
Sabrina's dealt with poor scripts before. Usually amateur writers were brought on the hastily cobbled charity events, the organisers none too willing to pay out the nose for a professional. Some of them could be kind of entertaining in their blatantly exasperating dialogue and frankly nonsensical scenes. But some of them could just feel so utterly empty, and Sabrina has to resort to hyping herself up in front of a mirror to get any kind of motivation going.
She dares to wonder. Almost on cue, her mind aches, the usual hint of a vague premonition, and then the door opens.
The woman who enters can be best described as quirky. Overly large grey eyes and an outfit that looked like a giant pink insect coated in jewels with absurdly huge sleeves. The effect could be beautiful to some, but Sabrina finds the get-up gauche at best and making her eyes ache at worst. Sabrina only knows this woman, known to Kalos as the fairy specialist Valerie, because another Unovan associate Elesa had told her about her during a cafe break. She and her girlfriend Skyla had giggled at length about the quirky outfits Valerie picked out for them for some photoshoots, and Sabrina had to wonder how the two hadn't just rolled over and died laughing at some of the costumes they showed her photos of.
Ahem, but not to say Valerie was a bad person or anything of the like. Just quirky. Sabrina plasters a welcoming smile over her face as she greets Valerie, who has the kind of smile that made one feel like she wasn't entirely in the same zone as them. Sabrina shouldn't judge, the amout of times her psychic abilities had zoned her out in the past, but she can at least grasp why a few people considered her eerie.
"Madame Sabrina? I don't believe we've been formally introduced. I am Valerie, and I'll be your costume aide today. We've prepared a special variation of your usual wear for Bellelba in honour of today's event. I understand it's somewhat short notice, but the director felt it fitting for the charity's theme."
Valerie spoke in a low soothing tone, not exactly serene but gentler than her quirky fashion sense might suggest, odd as that sounded. Sabrina found her quite pleasant to listen to, able to better see past her odd eyes and gaudy outfit now that ache in her mind recedes. But the pleasant feeling dips down when Valerie spoke of a costume change, and it practically drops when Valerie slides out fabric from one of those massive sleeves and shows her the dress.
Her usual outfit for Bellelba was something elegant. Sabrina felt charming wearing it, like a proper queen, a mystical enchantress. But this new attire was only slightly less gauche than the woman's own outfit. Now in fairness, the craftsmanship was undeniably competent, and Sabrina can see the theme the designer's going for- a galaxy of some sorts with stars and comets. But it's just so much. Far too much glitter, far too much colour, all clashing together. The dress itself is oddly cut, probably where flashes of her skin could contrast the darker sections, but it just comes off as pockmarked. It has oddly long trailing sleeves, an oddly long trailing hood, all of which
Her mind aches again and Sabrina bites down on her tongue to keep from audibly groaning. She can only be grateful learning to control her expression was one of the first techniques she mastered in restraining her psychic abilities, otherwise Sabrina might just have broken down between dumb giggles and wails of disbelief. As it stands, she speaks politely and softly.
"Thank you, Miss Valerie. I'd be delighted to show it off."
Valerie helps her put the dress on, thankfully accurate to her measurements and accommodating of a plain pink shirt and shorts Sabrina usually wore under more elaborate costumes. But even if it was at least comfortable, when Sabrina turns to look in the mirror, she really does wish she could drop all professionalism and ring her head in her hands.
Gaudy doesn't begin to describe it. It really is pockmarked, showing her legs and midriff at uneven spots that didn't match at all with the dress decor. The sleeves and hood were just as trailing as she feared, not at all moving well with the lower half. And so bright. Really, Sabrina can't even look at herself for too long. The glitter effect, the studs, the colours, it shone far too brightly. She may as well be a moving collection of jewels whose cohesion was undone by tactless glamour. Sabrina attempts to twirl and pose as Bellelba would, and finds the effect awfully hindered by her ridiculous sleeves and hood, with the dress failing to whirl pleasantly. How bothersome.
Valerie doesn't share her pessimism, clapping her hands in delight on seeing Sabrina was apparently satisfied with the aesthetic.
"Truly magnificent. It's as if the stars themselves bask in your magnifience, Madame Sabrina. What an exquisite incarnation of Bellelba you shall make today."
The enthusiasm is appreciable. Sabrina can at least tell Valerie's sincere to style, even if their tastes may differ. Still, being the one wearing the gauche thing, she can't help but be overly dry in her response.
"Yes, I can see the theme there, and I can say it is striking. It's only a shame it seems more like shallow style over substance. The designer really should've had outside opinions in the concept phase."
In hindsight, Sabrina would be impressed at how Valerie's demeanour did not change in the slightest. Not even a little hint that she was upset or offended by the response. But goodness did Sabrina flush red and wish she could teleport away and find a nice grave to crawl into when Valerie offered an earth-shaking response.
"Well, I couldn't put it to anyone else, as the concept was my own design. Still, I'm certain you will wear it quite wonderfully."
Candidly, that serenity in the face of blatant offence was something to admire. Sabrina should apologise, but she's too busy mingling between embarrassment and disbelief. At least Valerie makes no further mention of it as she offers some refreshingly plain black high heels, offering her to escort her to the shoot. Politeness is appreciated, but Sabrina can't help but feel her day is only going to get more discomforting. Call it an ache in her mind.
...
One of the courtyards by a more popular salon was the scene of the shoot. Getting there wasn't much hassle, even with how the dress was cut making it more awkward to move her legs, as Sabrina was experienced in walking with fancy high heels, but it was awkward as all heavens with how so many people gawked at her. Whereas Bellelba was usually so graceful and confident, this more glittering incarnation just felt flustered and far too shiny. Never mind a queen of enchanted lands, Sabrina felt like if Carbinks and Starmies got stuck together on a pair of legs. Her psychic senses feeling the bewilderment of onlookers doesn't help matters.
Hold head high. Small smile, eyes straight ahead. At least Sabrina's learned enough from Brycen about a poker face when in costume.
The walk is graciously short, and at least the rest of the crew was on set. Though, the set itself seemed a bit gauche. Sabrina blinks on seeing walls and pillars splattered with all sorts of green shades, strewn with webbing and dollops of honey. It's like she's walked straight into some kind of joint Combee-Spinarak hive, an idea that makes her shiver and leaves a glimmer of unease in her psyche. Psychic specialists weren't fond of bug themes. Did the script even mention this, a kind of strange hive or a bug theme? Sabrina had thought the theme was a fairy queen to oppose Bellelba and Brycen-Man. Why was this day proving so exhausting, her own social slip-up aside?
The artist of this impromptu set is none other than Burgh, another of Unova's gym leaders and an eccentric bug specialist. Then again, Sabrina thinks, wasn't every bug specialist eccentric? She wasn't as familiar with this man as some others from Unova. Elesa and Skyla occasionally mention him, noting he did commissioned artworks on occasion for some collabs and advertisements. Brycen, not so much, apparently not as keen on his craft. From what Sabrina's seen, Burgh's art style had her feeling the same way as Valerie's current dress choice; competent in practice, gaudy in aesthetic.
Speaking of which, Burgh himself is on set, chattering to Brycen. He's dressed as oddly as Valerie, a kind of tuxedo that resembled honeycomb and wood, with tiny spider-like ornaments dangling from his arms and a glittering hexagon atop his head. At least Brycen seems to have gotten the best deal from this whole outfit conundrum, wearing his trust Brycen-Man outfit. Sabrina feels a little resentful that she got such a gaudy get-up while her associate keeps to his tried-and-true style. Well, judging by the subtle variations in mood she detected, at least he seemed just as irked by the script as she was. Why couldn't these charities organise more competent writers?
Sabrina doesn't know any of the crew here, but she does recognise Elesa and Skyla, both dressed plainly and casually. An odd sight for Elesa to not be among the eccentric styles, practically plain next to the elaborate gauche outfits around her, though at least she matches Skyla's simple charm for a change. They're chattering to one of the assistants, peering over a script, and Sabrina makes a beeline for them.
Skyla looks up, and Sabrina can't fault her for giggling, even if she does feel more of that embarrassment crawl in. Elesa is more composed, albeit showing a distinct slyness to her smile and bright eyes, and playfully tugs on one of Skyla's bangs to steady her girlfriend. Sabrina reaches the pair, and Elesa is gracious enough to put aside discussions on costumes for a change.
"Looking forward to this shoot, Sabrina? The writing's a, I want to say, bizarre from what we're seeing, but it's a good little snippet that the kids will like. I mean, I think the kids will like it."
"It'll have shiny outfits and dramatic catchphrases, Elesa. They don't just like that, they love it! I mean, Mistralton kids at least."
Skyla's add is some assurance to Sabrina, who figures she can put up with all this gauche nonsense for the sake of the children. Ironic given she was playing the villain, a more literal part of her muses. Shaking her outfit with a sense of distaste, though aware Valerie's eyes were on her, Sabrina reached out for further conversation.
"I must admit, I'm not too confident on this script. I know it's for a good cause, but frankly what I've read so far feels nonsensical at best. I've had to make a few adjustments already."
"Nothing too wrong with nonsensical, especially in this work. I'm sure you'll be fine with it, Sabrina."
Elesa sounds confident as always, a sentiment backed up by Skyla nodding enthusiastically. Again, Sabrina wishes she could share more of the optimism, but then Valerie is calling her over to talk to the director. A kindly woman she was, but the director clearly didn't have too much experience, even for simple work as this. Sabrina feels irked again listening to her lay out such a bland storyline. As Skyla said, shiny outfits and dramatic catchphrases were the key here, all flash and little substance. Sabrina wants to say it shouldn't bother her so much; a good cause was a good cause, even if she felt she wasn't acting to the best concept. Still, she felt Bellelba deserved better.
Something she refrains from mentioning in front of Valerie at least. Practically insulting her work in front of her was still a sobering thought. Burgh and Brycen chip in at some point, and after a few trials with the cameras and sound system, the director has everyone get prepared. Sabrina takes a deep breath as she moves to the side, knowing her role would arrive later. Time to prepare a model mask as Elesa would say, time to find one's centre as Valerie had offered. Don't be irked, be professional. Think of goodwill and all will be fine.
Just a few hours at most and this gauche outfit would be gone, and Sabrina could truly banish the occasional ache in her mind. At least she was feeling more positivity from the others.
The scene starts well enough. Skyla and Elesa are playing a humble couple simply enjoying a walk in nature, striding before the cameras together, gazing adoringly at each other. The dialogue itself comes off as stilted, but Elesa says her lines with enthusiasm and grace, ever the model. Skyla's a bit less confident in her speech, but the sincerity with which she gazes lovingly at Elesa makes up for any hesitance to dialogue. Some days Sabrina wonders if she envies the easy-going romance between the two. She's not exactly occupied with romance, generally finding more satisfaction in honing her abilities and acting when she can, but some days Sabrina does wonder about meeting someone could adore as much as Elesa and Skyla adore each other.
Skyla and Elesa's scene goes through just two takes, a testament to the authenticity of their affection as they set up a fake picnic, and really the second take was just so Skyla could speak a bit more clearly. Sabrina rather likes this brief time, the quiet before her own role, and being able to watch the others work can make for good perspective. Granted, nature walks and romantic dialogue was an easy scene, one the pair had practiced plenty of times both in and out of filming context. Sabrina is more fixated on how they'll perform once Brycen steps in.
Speaking of which, he's on next. Brycen's experience pays off, flourishing his cape as he steps on set, a cruel grin twisting his features. The cameras roll and Brycen-Man gestures dramatically, flanked by a pair of Pawniards, as he declares his intent to rip the natural beauty away from the world and leave all things twisted and cowering before him. Skyla and Elesa play the part of horrified innocents well enough, squawking in alarm as they scurry back from the menace. Sabrina is entertained by their plainly exaggerated reactions, clinging to each other as the Pawniards menacingly advance. Brycen-Man's always got a flair for the dramatic, sharply contrasting his stoic demeanour away from the cameras. Sabrina is glad to have at least one strictly professional associate today as he raises his staff to call upon centuries worth of dark magic.
"I don't think we'll have any darkest days today! There is always a light like fireflies shooting for the sky!"
And who should jump onto the scene next than the set's own artistic talent, Burgh. In his ridiculous outfit, he puts himself between, a Vespiqueen buzzing at his side, glaring defiantly at Brycen-Man.
Now this was unexpected. Sabrina hadn't banked on Burgh joining the shoot. Wasn't he here just for the set display? Bemused, she watches as his Vespiqueen raises a hand and a swarm of those miniature insects rush from the abdomen, knocking the staff from Brycen-Man's hands. Aghast, the villain demands to know who dared defy him.
"What's this?! Who dares to defy me?!"
"Why, the one and only Bug King of course! Friend to all insects, herald of all hexapods, he who shall keep the sun shining for all our crawling friends!"
Okay, Burgh was pretty dramatic, not bad. Sabrina might have clapped for him- Skyla and Elesa certainly did, playing up the role of civilians in awe of their rescuer fully- were she not somewhat distracted by the outfit. Even in motion, it really was too extravagent for her tastes, and that was saying something considering her current get-up. Next to her, Valerie slyly glances at her, perhaps having a notion of what's on Sabrina's mind. Praying she didn't have some knack for reading people too, Sabrina pushes the thought down and watches as Brycen-Man commands his Pawniards to attack.
The Pokemon battle is brief and dramatic. The Pawniards attack Vespiqueen from opposing angles, slicing with their forelimbs. Sabrina knows they're holding back at Brycen's request, using their weakest moves, but it always leaves her mind feeling a little uneasy seeing dark types in action. A natural aversion to psychic enemies, really, like her initial reaction to the set itself. Still, Vespiqueen boldly fights back, striking back with simple Gusts that probably look far more dramatic on the cameras. Brycen-Man's Pawniards soon fall- and Sabrina has to giggle at how dramatically even the Pokemon act out their losing sequence. With his goons defeated, Brycen-Man looks aghast, stumbling backwards as Burgh- the Bug King- advanced with a confident grin, loudly declaring how evil had no place in the world of bug-types.
Again, pretty dramatic, not bad.
Valerie gestures to her and Sabrina settles her model mask in place. Time for Bellelba to take the stage. No more concerns now. She steps forward onto scene- and almost trips. Right, the way the dress is cut made it awkward to move in. Fortunately, Sabrina keeps steady and is able to content herself that the shots were still going, before she speaks loudly, gestures boldly.
"Perhaps you may overcome a lesser evil, but what hope do meagre insects have against the Queen of Enchantment? She who wields magic and power beyond your comprehension! Behold, Bellelba!"
All her irks today aside, it's good to just let it all out, talk like a true villain. Burgh reacts well, stepping back with a shocked expression, echoed by gasps from Skyla and Elesa. He rallies quickly, his Vespiqueen at his side, and Sabrina finds herself more positively attuned to his sense of theatre for his response. Good form and expression shift, very well done. Clearly he's been paying attention to Brycen's methods.
"So it is true, Bellelba still walks this mortal realm! You may call yourself a queen, but the bugs know me as king! I will rid the world of your cruelty once and for all!"
Skyla and Elesa cheer for him. Very good form indeed. Still, Bellelba is unfazed and gives an evil laugh. Sabrina's favourite part of playing Bellelba is the evil laugh. She's got quite a good evil laugh, if she can say so herself. Her friends back in Kanto always request it from her at gatherings, and it made a useful tool for intimidating the more rambunctious trainers at Saffron. Oh it does feel like carthasis right now. Finishing her laugh, Sabrina makes a show of displaying her outfit to the fullest, hoping drama will offset how gauche it is and hide her effort not to trip, before making her evil declaration.
"You will all tremble in terror when I siphon the life energy from you! Now watch as I twist those two cowering fools into my mindless minions! Fall under Bellelba's spell, whimpering mortals, and do as I command!"
Sabrina raises her arms, making a show of flopping her ridiculous sleeves around as she pretends to cast her spell. She really does not think she's selling this well at all; the motion is awfully ridiculous and candidly Sabrina has no affection for some mind control gimmick. At least her outfit is flashy enough that most likely viewers will be too befuddled by her gaudiness to concentrate on her motions. Skyla and Elesa react adequately enough, pretending to twist and turn as the spell takes hold. Burgh turns, gasping dramatically as he shouts out in disbelief. Alright, Sabrina can say he's got some good reactions too, his acting much more appreciable than his artstyle.
"No! Leave them be, devilish enchantress!"
His Vespiqueen puts on a show of trying to stop her with a powerful wind, but Bellelba is unfazed, cackling as she puts the innocents under her dread spell. Skyla and Elesa soon come to a halt, shifting into robotic motions in a zombie-like stance, arms outstretched and expressions blank. As Brycen laughs dramatically, Sabrina does relish voicing her dramatic dominion, casting aside all doubts for pure drama.
"You're too late, Bug King! They are my servants now and will do as I command! Tell him, minions!"
Stiffly, the two start to advance on Burgh, who backs away with, Sabrina notes with faint impressment, an exceptionally horrified expression. As he and Vespiqueen are forced back, Skyla and Elesa keep advancing, speaking in a dull monotone that emphasized their newfound thrall.
"I shall obey my mistress. I shall obey my mistress."
And then out of nowhere, Elesa turns and wraps her arms around Skyla, sweeping her up in a tight embrace and kissing her deeply. Sabrina is immediately flabbergasted, losing all momentum to her performance, and Burgh loudly sighs in exasperation. Skyla's initial surprise promptly wears off as she enthusiastically returns the kiss, hugging Elesa back just as tightly. There's a few snickers and laughs from the crew, a groan from the director, and Valerie can be heard laughing surprisingly jubilantly. Skyla and Elesa don't seem intent on stopping their kiss anytime soon, and even Brycen cracks a smile at their antics.
The director shouts for the scene to cut, and Elesa parts lips with Skyla with a jubilant laugh. Skyla looks quite dazed. Brycen is chuckling, Valerie can be heard snickering, and Burgh makes a show of rolling his eyes as he strides forward and half-heartedly bats the back of Elesa's head. As the crew set about resetting the scene, Elesa keeps Skyla close to her as she laughs.
"Ah, sorry, I just couldn't resist. Skyla's got me as enchanted as any magic spell, so I figured the magical mistress must have commanded me to kiss her."
Elesa winks at Sabrina, who figures she can be polite enough to amiably smile in return, even if she is irked. She can always trust someone to goof up a scene for a quick laugh, or a quick kiss in this case. Not always an irritating case, but today hasn't exactly seen her go through her best. And should she be offended at the implication that she would use her magic to make women kiss each other? Sabrina's not sure if Elesa's jabbing at her in some way or form. Sabrina hasn't exactly committed much thought to whether she preferred women or men, or both, or neither. Growing up mastering psychic powers tended to dull romantic considerations.
Well, it didn't matter much, right? Elesa was just having a laugh, doing that whole 'acting goofy' thing Skyla talked about. Just a jab at psychic control or whatever ignorant people thought it was like. Don't think too much on it. Valerie is watching the pair with a strangely interested expression, which Sabrina isn't sure is another part of the ploy. Burgh helps the rest get back on track, and the cameras are due to start over as the initial positions before Elesa's kiss came out are taken.
Mercifully no-one disrupts the shoot thereafter, and Sabrina can be thankful that Burgh summong a horde of insects to save the day meant Bellelba could end the shoot with a good old-fashioned promise of revenge. And then tripping on one of the loose sections of the dress, falling face first onto the grassy terrain. At least Burgh's commitment to theme ensured nothing worse than a sore ego, trying to laugh with the rest as Valerie and Brycen helped her up. Maybe now Sabrina wasn't feeling too bad about griping about the dress, and Valerie seemed gracious enough to figure her intent, smiling softly.
The shoot's wrapped up nicely, and hopefully this short film would raise some money and attention to the given charity. Sabrina can at least content herself knowing that however irritable the day seemed intent on being, goodwill has been done. She wasn't much of a child person, but helping out when able warmed her heart. She watches Burgh exchange congratulations with Brycen, Elesa and Skyla resuming a kiss, and offers some good words- purely for politeness, not genuine appreciation- to the director.
Before she heads back to change, Sabrina notes Valerie is staring at her quite intently. Praying it wouldn't be a confrontation over the dress, she pauses and addresses her.
"Was there something you needed, Miss Valerie?"
"Not a need so much as an entertaining whim. Had there truly been a magic with which you could enchant those two to obey your whims, I find it an appreciable concept that Skyla and Elesa would be inclined to share their affection even with the spell cast on them. It's like something out of a fairy tale, is it not?"
Okay. Odd muse. Sabrina told herself she wouldn't think much on it if Elesa genuinely had something to insinuate about her, and promptly decides to cut this topic short.
"I imagine so. But perhaps another time, I really should get going and-"
As Sabrina aimed to carry on, she tripped. Valeria offers to help her up, and this time Sabrina just sighs and request a moment to lay face down on the grassy terrain for a moment. Just a moment to process how irked she was, and maybe later lay up awake in the night running through each embarassment one laugh at a time.