A Crimson Butterfly Dancing in the Sky!

*joyous humming*

You look really pleased with that new outfit of yours, Suzette.

I am! This isn't just any old outfit. It's an ancient, magical robe from the East. So I, Princess of the Netherworld, am now endowed with the powers of the Eastern gods!

Is that so? Didn't you say pretty much the same thing about that pair of shoes you bought the other day?

I did not! And I didn't buy those shoes, I summoned them from the Netherworld! With my dark powers of dark darkness!

So you summoned them to the shop so you could pay for them with your own money? Okay, whatever. So, why the sudden interest in Eastern clothes, specifically?

Haven't you heard the tales?

In the East, they say that physical objects can become host to spirits and witchcraft!

Spirits... Well I think I've hear there are many of them in the East.

That's right! Heeps of them!

Yeah... So... What?

The kind that's wicked and malevolent and smites all your enemies with disaster and disease!

Haha, yeah... I suppose you could say that.

What kind of witchcraft?

Um, how should I explain it?

The kind that's wicked and malevolent and smites all your enemies with disaster and disease!

Sounds like some scary stuff.

By the way, what's that book you've got there? King of the Occult Weekly? A magazine, huh?

I beg your pardon?! No! This is a grimoire, I tell you! An extremely dark and powerful grimoire!

Hey! I didn't say you could read it! And wipe that look off your face! I know you're thinking it's just a stupid, sensational tabloid, but it's not! This stuff is serious academic research! It's investigated everything, from the peerless power of the East's innumerable gods to the eternal chaos they use to create it with! And it's right here all in full, glossy, printed detail to lead earnest scholars of the dark arts to our Utopian hell of wickedness!

Well, if all of that's true then the East sure has one heck of a unique culture. So that dress you're wearing has something to do with all that?

Of course it does! It says that this robe was designed after the witchcraft-y garb the ancient Easterners used to wear.

It says? You mean in that King Occult thing of yours?

Yes, right here on page eight of this weekly magazi...

I mean, in the very real and accurate records I happened upon while astral projecting myself to the Great Archive of Illusions!

Hey, if you say so. Either way, it looks nice on you, Suzette.

Heheh! Thank you.

There you are! I'm so glad I finally found you! What's the big idea, huh?!

To weave darkness and despair, as per usual. Why?

We're super behind schedule right now and the director's already on standby, for heaven's sake! Come on, we've gotta hurry!

But I don't know what you're talking abo...

Look, I'll go let the director know you're on your way okay? Just meet us in the Theta District! A.S.A.P!

What was all that about? Did you forget you had something to do?

No, I don't even know who that boy was!

He said to come to the Theta District, right? Let's go there and ask him what the deal is.

YOU'RE LATE!

Huh? Hold the phone here.

Who the heck is this girl? This ain't our lead actress!

Actress?

Excuse me?! I could ask you the very same question, peasant!

You don't recognize the faces of the best and brightest in the film makin' biz, doll? Geewhiz. Well, we make flicks. And right now we're shootin' our next monster movie 'bout a legend what's got origins in the far East. Looks like this lumphead of an assisstant thought you were our leadin' lady.

A case of mistaken identity. What are the chances? And what's all this stuff about a monster?

It's a wicked and malevolent being that smites all its enemies with disaster and disease!

Huh? That's literally what Suzette just said witchcraft was.

Ugh.

Who do you think is the expert on these things: me, Princess of the Netherworld, or these un-netherwordly normies?

......

More importantly, you say this is a film about Eastern magic stuff, yes? I demand to know the plot of this cinematic piece!

Heh, you've got moxie, kid. And that'll getcha far in showbiz, lemme tell ya. But it ain't worth me breakin' any NDA's over, so I ain't sayin' nothin'. Sorry this lil' spot o' confusion took up your time. You lot on set, get back to work! And right now that means findin' our actress.

She said what?! Well, tell her I don't give a damn! If there ain't no actress TODAY, there ain't no movie! So that lazy prima donna better...

Hold the phone here. Maybe, just maybe...we can make this work!

All right, girlie, looks like this is your prima donna shot at a big break! You up for replacin' our lead?

Aaabsolutely!

Seriously?!

How could I not accept? This is practically a historical reenactment I have the chance to participate in here!

Heh heh heh... And so the Princess of the Netherworld sheds her long-held title to take up the fabled mantle of Eastern Witch. Wait, no! I can have both! Yes! *devious giggling*

That's it, get movin' ladies! We're headin' to the airport to shoot right now. Move it!

*hearty evil cackles*

What have I gotten myself in to?

Get those cameras ready, people!

So what kind of character will Suzette be playing?

The Butterfly Warrior. A giant insect-woman covered in flamin' scales and whatnot in them Easterners' fairy tales.

I believe the legend of the Butterfly Warrior was specifically what inspired this robe, in fact.

Well, ain't that just perfect since, before she goes in to battle, the Butterfly Warrior always says some prayer mumbo jumbo things. What she wears when she's perform' that rite is what them special robes're supposed to be.

Yes, yes, I can see it in my Evil Eye. The image of a fair battlemaiden descending onto the battlefield in Crimson Flame...

That sounds pretty cool.

So, we're shootin' that prayer scene first. Ready?

What?! Now? I haven't even seen the script!

We ain't got time for that now! Just wing it, I don't really care.

What kind of direction is that?!

What am I supposed to do, Aldo?!

You'll be fine, Suzette! Break a leg!

This is all your fault, somehow! I'm gonna put such a curse on you later...

Ready? ACTION!

What? What?! How am I supposed to know how Eastern prayers go?

Uh...Buuubble, buuubble, toil and trooouble! Um...Kill my enemiiiiiies! Give them the fluuuuuu...

CUUUT! No, no, no! That ain't right! That ain't right at all!

ACK! Aldo, help me!

How? I don't know anything about acting. Uh, let's see...

If you don't think you can pull off pretending to be from the East, why don't you try just being yourself? The director probably chose you to fill the role because of something he saw in the real you. So use that.

What he said! Gimme some of that Princess Netherworld schtick ya had earlier or somethin', I dunno.

R-Really?

All right, Take Two! Aaaaaand... ACTION!

......

Allies of darkness, heed my call! Sow your abyssal seeds within my flesh and let them nourish the power of my cursed Evil Eye! Fill my soul with unending darkness and let it taint all that I am and will be!

So I become chaos incarnate! And so I shall be one with THE DARK!

Aaaaaand CUT!

D-Did I mess up again?

No. You were GREAT, kid! Maybe even award winnin' great, let me tell ya! Take couldn't've been better!

Wha, ?

I mean, the tone was kinda dark but that just made it work even better!

Hah! You should've expected nothing less from the Princess of the Netherworld, fool! Well, Aldo, was I not steeped in darkness and totally brilliant?

I had no idea what you were saying, but I think so! And most importantly you seemed like you were having fun saying it.

Heh heh heh! Exposure to the evil that lurks within me has been known to cause confusion in mere mortals, it's true.

It was actually kind of mesmerizing how the words practically flew right out of your mouth.

Well, they would considering I practice making up curses every morning I...

Huh?

I mean, something something my overflowing powers of darkness!

O-Okay.

We're on a roll here, baby! And we ain't stoppin' for nothin'! Next scene! The climax o' the whole thing: the Butterfly Warrior's battle scene!

Are you shooting that here too?

With this scenery? Nah, that's gonna be in Route 99. Let's go, people! Getta move on!

How is the scenery in Route 99 any more appropriate for an Eastern themed movie than here?

It ain't but we'll fix that in post production. For now we want damage! Destruction! Decay! Come on, ladies, keep it pushin'!

(Does this guy ever take a breather?)

Well? What's next?!

No time to explain. Let's just get to it!

Places, people!

Okay, Butterfly Warrior! This time I need you to wing it...in a fight!

Wait, a real fight? Not just pretend? Then is that a real monster?!

Don't sweat it, kid. It's just a battledroid with camouflage hologram on top.

So it IS a real fight! There's no way that's safe!

Safety second, realism first. That's what I learned in film school, anyway.

This one scene made finding an actress willing to play the part pretty difficult, to be honest.

Heh heh heh! No problem.

But what if you get hurt?

I won't. I'm feeling on top of my dark game today. More than usual, anyway. It must be the dark, witchy power in these Eastern robes taking hold of my soul!

I-If you're sure about this, then I guess I won't stop you, but...

Besides, this is my chance to live the Eastern Witch's dream, Aldo! When else am I gonna get to bring about the abyssal apocalypse, huh?!

Is that how the story of the Butterfly Warrior goes?

Who cares?! It's what I'm feeling so that's how it's going!

*sigh*

All right, my sinister lil' starlet, ready? Three...two...one... ACTION!

Hmph! It was hubris to think you could stand up to the Spirit Petals within me.

Wasn't the metaphor you used earlier seeds, not petals?

Look, the abyssal seeds sprouted into flowers, which died and dropped all their Spirit Petals, okay?!

I really can't keep up with what you're talking about.

Yes! A normie like you without the sight of a Cursed Eye just wouldn't get it. So, there!

D-Do you know what you've just done?

Huh? D-Did I do something wrong?

You...

Were we supposed to go easier on the robot or something?

But... You said to wing it in the fight so I-I, I just did what I would normally do and...

You...

You've bagged me that next Oscarzion, kid! That was the performance of a lifetime!

Whaaat?!

Not even the most seasoned of actresses coulda handled that fight the way you did! Ya got a bright future in actin' ahead o' ya, let me tell ya! Red carpet level bright! No! Not just actin'! TV! Radio! The whole nine yards! We're gonna make you a star!

Umm, I'm not really interested in...

Gimme your details! I know just the agency to put you in touch with. You'll be rich, famous AND successful!

Hello? Yeah, it's me and I'm busy right... Oh, fine, fine, I'm comin'.

Look, my previous lead just got here so I gotta run, but I'll be in touch. Ya got talent, kid. 100 percent.

I guess the cargo bus the original actress was on has finally arrived. Want to go say hi to her, Suzette? I'll bet she's curious to see who her stand-in was.

I would be remiss as a Princess if I didn't, so I suppose so. Let's go!

Guess we'll head back to Theta District, then.

And that's how this random kid off the street took your job.

No way! She's that actress everyone's been talking about lately!

Is she famous?

So famous that there isn't a soul in all of Elzion who doesn't know her!

I see. I'm so sorry to have inconvenienced you and the crew. But I'm glad everything worked out.

You wouldn't believe how well! Specially those action scenes, boy, they're a doozy! Ain't even gotta hire a stunt man no more. We're basin' all the combat CGI on the footage we got of her fightin'!

Really? You must have some impressive moves, miss.

M-Moves? Who, me?! Oh no no no, you're too kind, really!

Not at all. It takes a lot of skill to follow such detailed direction to the letter like you did.

O-Oh, well, I wasn't really given any direction. I just did what I always do, honestly.

Really? To be honest myself, I was really dreading taking on the role.

But thanks to you, the movie will see the theatres anyway. So thank you!

Heh heh heh! You're welcome!

Although the director did end up having to rewrite the script completely.

He did?

The Butterfly Warrior you gave us? I thought she suited a different kinda story. So I rewrote her to be an evil spirit who terrorizes humans by startin' fires. And she dies fightin' that battledroid, leavin' the humans to finally exist in peace.

So Suzette ended up being the villain?

That she did, son. That she did.

And now, goin' forward we're gonna have this new, darker Butterfly Warrior be the antihero of 'er own six-part television series!

B-But when are we gonna find the time to produce all that material?

We're gonna make it, startin' now! Getcha butts into gear, people!

You two sit tight and wait for the premiere. I'm makin' sure ya got front row seats for it!

I wonder where he gets all his energy from. I'm glad we helped him though.

Heh heh heh...

S-Suzette? You okay there?

I was the villain. All long. So much so that he had to rewrite the entire movie.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You did your best and that's all that matters. Anything after that is on them. Okay?

What are you talking about, Aldo?! The legend of the Butterfly Warrior is sacred. Meaning that I, Princess of the Netherworld, with the power of my Evil Eye, have rewritten the history of Eastern Witchcraft itself!

You're actually happy with this?!

I AM the new Butterfly Warrior! And occult history will remember my name!

But you were the bad guy in the end. Wouldn't it have been nicer to be on the side of good?

Heh heh heh! Why? As a villain I'm more like the mistress of darkness that I've always wanted to be?

O-Oh, okay... Well, if that's what you want. I can't argue with that.

And it looked like you were having fun filming the movie too. So I guess this turned out to be a happy ending for everyone.

That it did, Aldo. My transformation into a legendary witch being the happiest of all, mind you!