7184/Age of Despair: Interlude

Age of Despair: Interlude
Date of Scene:	09 April 2019
Location:	Watchtower
Synopsis:	While attempting to find out what is wrong with Superman, Willow encounters a possessed Nightmare Nurse, and discovers one of the enemies they have been fighting is known as Incubus!
Cast of Characters:	Superman, Willow Rosenberg
Tinyplot:	Age of Despair

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Superman has posed:
    For the last several days, the members of the Justice League and their allies have been trying to bring Superman out of his coma. Nothing seems to work. The two penetration marks in his neck were now gone, however, and that reveals that his body was trying to heal.

    Currently, Superman was under the solar lamps provided by STAR Labs, and everything was being done to try and figure out what was wrong with the Man of Steel. As it was, everything had been tried, everything but magic...

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Magic.

Short of John Constantine, and Pantheon (who Willow hadn't seen since that day, nor had any clue how to contact), Willow was your Girl Friday on that front. Not to mention, she had a whole bunch of personal reasons to be curious about the whys and wherefors as to Superman and his coma.

Given nothing else seemed to be budging the man, and she was one of the arcane contacts, she'd come, witch's bag in tow - along with her laptop, because, come on, it was still Willow - to give things a look see.

Superman has posed:
    As Willow drew close to the Man of Steel and his solar shroud, she could almost feel a shiver. As though a mystical presence was close, but just out of reach of her senses. Something that was shrouded in shadows, even though the room was bright from the solar lamps. It was a feeling, like someone walking over your grave.

    Suddenly, Superman groans, and moves, ever so slightly. His face takes on a look of struggle, as though he was fighting a battle somewhere else, perhaps within in his mind, or even on the astral plane. As it looked, it was a battle he was losing.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Ah, yes. That lingering dark presence - which didn't bode well. The thing was, Willow wasn't sure if it was a pall about the man, or a lingering link of her own to the woman who had put him into that state... or if somehow or other that hole their mystery 'cat' had spoken of still remained open and the Enchantress had stepped in. Worse, had she established before the hole was closed? That last one niggled almost as much as the fact of a possible remaining link of her own should have, despite John's efforts at de-possessing her.

None of it boded well.

Then again, it could also be a case of justifiable paranoia on Willow's part. After all, somehow the Enchantress had not only gotten to Superman, but waylaid him enough he was still in a coma - and, as she'd already posited to John, she didn't think this was the finale of things. This was a message. A game. Toying with them.

Luckily, Willow had just the thing for this occassion! Sage.

Yes. Willow actually pulls out a bundle of sage, and lights it, muttering incantations for warding and cleansing the area, smudges Superman's room.

Because Willow.

Superman has posed:
    As Willow prepares herself to cleanse the room, and begins her incantations, the room actually gets darker for a few seconds, strangely enough. Willow can feel the mystical emanations from somewhere let off for a second, and then a feminine form appears in the back of the room.

    Coughing, a woman wearing what could best be described as a Halloween costume, a "nurse" costume, steps out of the shadows. Beautiful, with dark hair, legs up to there, and dark, smoldering eyes look at WIllow with a curious expression.

    "My, my, my. Aren't you cute. I see that the Man of Steel himself has interesting allies helping him to survive. And you might you be, precious?" Nightmare Nurse smiles, and moves a little closer, peering at Willow with a curious expression.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
There's a children's fairy tale that references a dog with eyes as big as saucers.

That's about the size of Willows eyes right now - right round teacup saucer eyes that light upon their 'guest' with wariness.

"Oh. I don't think you're supposed to be here." Total understatement from the red-headed witch. "And John would give me disappointed looks for telling you my name." (John would be so proud of Willow remembering this vital little tidbit at this juncture, not that it's likely to help much in the long run, but still, he'd be proud).

"Why are you here?" The question isn't quite demanding as it should be given the Enchantress, and the troubles with Superman, and the fact that it never bodes well when an unknown entity steps out of the shadows and laughs at you. However. "How'd you get past the wards?"

Superman has posed:
    "Ha, ha, ha, ha." Nightmare Nurse leans forward and smiles. "Of course John would love a red head. I can feel him all over you, dear. So...wanton." Her smile turns into a smirk, as she moves even a bit closer. "Names, names, names. So proud would he be of you! Yes, he would. So proud." That last word said with emphasis.

    "Such a strong, unyielding tree you are, little one. I must say...with power." The woman closers her eyes, and inhales deeply. "Ah, yes. Power. I can feel it within you. The power for light or darkness. And something else." Her eyes find yours, and her eyes narrow slightly. "So. A question. I will give you one free answer. The rest come with a price, of course." She moves to stand by Superman's left side.

    Looking "mock shocked" the woman says, "Wards? Perhaps two questions then? Oh yes. I am not here to harm. I was...summoned, although I do not know by who. Strange." Nurse looks at Willow, and shakes her head. "It was not you. Power though. I can taste her. She was here. The Enchantress."

    Was that the answer? It was hard to say. Confusing to say the least. Grimacing slightly, the Nurse says, "Ah yes, back to your first question. You see, I am here to stop you from helping him. Or was it to help you help him? I am unsure." Her eyes turn black suddenly, with a dark, cloudy mist ebbing out of them. Her voice changes, and sounds like grinding gears. "I am here to take you to my master. Please come willingly. You remember your promise, of course? Power given. Power accepted." Her eyes clear, and she gets a panicked look on her face. "Help me Sorceress!" Then they go black again. "Come with me, and I will show you power undreamt of!"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow makes a scrunched up face and utters, "Ew. He stinks of cigarettes and booze, and he's like.. ancient. Like older than Giles... oh." Because right there, right *there* is where if this entity knows anything about the who and whats of the mystical world, Willow has just said way too much. "I don't like you."

And she likes the woman even less when it's clear she knows who Willow is, because there are only so many unyielding trees in the lore of the world, and fewer, still, people in Willow's sphere with that specific name.

The rest, Willow really isn't sure what to make of. Information both freely given, and with a cost - because even Willow knows she won't let it go at just that, regardless of how ill-advised bartering with this one might be. Even known John was not only going to give her a verbal flaying later, and require yet another session of 'oust the entity from my apprentice' with the girl... Because ultimately, information was what they all needed. Everything else had been tried with Superman, and the longer he was in a coma, the more dangerous the situation was in the outside world.

"I don't think we summoned you." Not an admission of the Enchantress bit - but then again, this one didn't likely need affirmation that the Enchantress was involved. "But why don't you want me to help him? I mean, if you're not here to harm him." Which was a great assumption on Willows part.

Until.

"Oh." That there has her stopped cold in her tracks, because John had done his finger wiggling in her direction and declared her absolved or clean or whatever it was.. and there they were back again at that whole 'come with me' business. Which, as it happens, Willow *should* be kicking a fuss over, and running off yelling for help. "Wait, that was you?"

Superman has posed:
    "You did not summon us." The Nurse says, with a cackle. "I do not want to help you. Although, this form, she struggles so against me. She wants to help. It is her reqason for being, it seems. Something about an oath to Apollo and to Panacea all those many eons ago. Boring." Her eyes bore into Willow, as she moves slowly around Superman's bed.

    "Ah." Her eyes narrow again, as Willow hits something dead on. "I am not here to harm him. I want this to continue. The longer it goes, the stronger...oh, you are so smart, little tree. Not bad." The woman laughs, and shakes her head. "Another free answer given. That makes three. A magic number."

    "Was what me? The temptress? Ha! You met my sister little one. She was nothing compared to my majesty. I was there as well. I want her back, siblings re-united!" The voice becomes masculine. "You are getting closer and closer. You see, now, a little bit more." Her fingers glide along Superman's arm, making him shiver, and cry out.

    "Superman is a means to an end. Deals were made, and contracts signed! The End is Nigh, and all's you have to do, is turn away, and let him suffer. Time is as time is."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
This is all a riddle within a riddle within a conundrum..

"So, you want him like this so that you have time to enact a plan to trap her?" Willow's brow furrows as she ponders that, especially the implications of it all. "Okay.. So, here's a question for you, and I guess it kinda comes with an offer.." Yeah, John is never letting her out of his sight again if he hears about this. "But what happens if you get her back with you? I mean, if I help you get her back."

For the moment igoring the whole 'let him suffer' bit, because her brain is still back on the possibility of ridding the rest of them of the problem of the Enchantress. Slightly short-sighted, but not yet an irrevocable decision made.

Superman has posed:
    The Nurse leans forward, listening to Willow's words and her offer. "Ah. If she comes back, well, we are one again. Unbeatable. Together. Unstoppable." The creature inhabiting the Nightmare Nurse fades for a second, and it was obvious the mind inside the body was struggling to resume control.

    "The Universe will be better off! We will be such benevolent caretakers." The woman struggles again, and the creature possessing her was obviously trying to maintain control. "You just have to join us, and our power is your power. You could do anything." She turns slightly to look down at Superman, her long fingernails reaching towards Superman.

    "And you could fix him. Cure him of what ails him. That Apokalyptian malady that Granny has him under." A smile, and a look back to Willow. "Well?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow bites at her lower lip, because this was a dilemma of epic proportions.

On the one hand, she could refuse to help this one (and by proxy the Enchantress, but that's a bit further down the line, and Willow is just naive enough and foolish enough to believe she can delay that inevitability and/or get help solving it) and they could all try to help Superman knowing that they have *two* entities working against them - likely pairing up to do so, and, if this one was correct, they'd be unbeatable...

(It hasn't occurred to Willow that this one could be lying about that particular plot point yet).

OR... she could help get the two of them back together.. or lie about that bit herself, giving them all time to work against both the Enchantress, and.. gosh, her sister? Her.. something something that didn't bode well... AND have the power to heal Superman.

Again, it hasnt' occured to Willow that this one might be lying, though it should be noted, that Willow isn't questioning the fact of the power it would leave herself with. Odd, given that if she has the potential for that power, she shouldn't need *this* to access it, right? Right?

Alas, there's a certain self-limiting mechanism that Willow hasn't confronted and beaten yet, leaving the girl to absolutely, and terrifyingly, open to such offers as this as a means to garner her full power.

"I'm listening.."

Superman has posed:
    "Of course you are. You see? That wasn't so hard." The seductive creature that was the Nightmare Nurse slinks forward. "You see, power is an act in and of itself. All you have to do, is take my hand..." She moves her right hand forward, her left behind her back, still on Superman's arm.

    That was when the unexpected happened. Nightmare Nurse's eyes balloon into big, giant saucers, and she screams in pain. Looking back to her hand, it was now in Superman's, and he was crushing it with all his might!

    Screaming, the black nimbus of energy around Nightmare Nurse's eyes fades slightly, as the demon inhabiting her struggles with the pain. Superman's eyes are open, bloodshot, and in incredible pain. He looks at Willow and says, "No. Don't...expel...her...now..." And with that, Superman falls into unconsciousness once more. However, he wasn't releasing the Nurse's hand.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Well, if that wasn't just a tiny bit contradictory - expel her, but don't release her hand so I can do so..

At least that was the first cranky thought that hits her brain over the whole matter - but it is enough at this juncture to at least jar Willow out of what she was contemplating. If only because the action startles her into reflexive reaction, her mouth already forming the incantations necessary to expel their little visitor.

Whether or not it works is a whole other matter.

Superman has posed:
    Now that was a scream of frustration if she ever heard one. The Nightmare Nurse's voice was a loud shriek as Willow's magic takes hold, and expels the creature from the Nurse, painfully. The being was not ready for this betrayal, so it works remarkably well. The last vestiages of the Incubus were gone, black smoke disappearing in a whisper.

    Kneeling on the ground with a crushed left hand, tears rolling ddown her face, the Nightmare Nurse looks up at Willow. "I...am...impressed...little...witch." She says, in obvious pain with a flat hand. Struggling to get up, she fails, and just decides to lie there, out of breath.

    In the meantime, Superman was back in his coma, once more struggling to breathe.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Oh gosh." Willow might just win awards for her skill at understatment. "That looks like it hurts."

And for the moment, she's fairly certain that the entity is gone, but there's still an actual body here, which she's not exactly sure how to deal with, other than.. well, Willow holds up her hands, balled into fists, "I know how to hit people, I'm warning you. So you better not try anything funny."

Only when the woman doesn't continue to struggle against Superman's grasp, and further, lies there, Willow relents enough to come forward (still cautiously) and kneel down beside her. "You're hurt. Uhm. Oh dear. I don't know if I can make him let go." Though the most sure way to find that out is to try and pry his fingers free of the woman's hand. "And just who are you anyway. And what was that?"

That being the Incubus, of course.

Superman has posed:
    A strange laugh emanates from the woman who was laying on the ground, obviously exhausted. Her mini-skirt and white shirt drenched in perspirataion, and revealing too much. "It seems John chose well. First time for everything." The woman struggles to sit up, leaning herself back against Superman's bed as Willow kneels over her.

    Opening her eyes finally, the Nightmare Nurse looks on Willow, possibly for the first time. Holding up her right hand, she mutters a few words, and Superman's grasp lets go of her hand. Wincing in pain, she shakes her left hand, and holds it in her right.

    "No need to get him to let go. He was...protecting you. Fascinating. Even near death, he was protecting you. Why...?" Nightmare Nurse trails off, and takes a deep breath. "I am Nightmare Nurse." A pause. "I know, it sounds terribly ferocious. That. Incubus. That was the Enchantress's brother. I think. The memories are vague. I cannot believe he took me for a fool..." She trails off.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow gives a cautious little smile, still trying to piece things together. "Wait. So, that was him, trying to get me to help her?" At least she thinks that might be the case, though she's still nor 100% convinced that this one here isn't still a threat.

"I'm not sure John would really call it choosing me?" Though he had formally solidified their relationship now, so she might be right at that.

A nod towards the once again comatose Superman. "And I'm not sure why he was protecting me. We never met. I'm just sorta trying to help the rest of them." Who, as it happens, she thinks they might want to meet Nightmare Nurse. "We should probably get your hand looked at."

That might be a start.