Camille

Camille Roux
Portrayed By	Holly Valance
Gender	Female
Date of Birth	April 19th, 1984
Age	26
Zodiac Sign	Aries
Aliases	Cammy, Cecile D'Aques
Place of Birth	Orleans, France
Current Location	New York City, NY, USA
Occupation	Socialite/Professional Thief
Known Relatives	Bastien Roux (Father), Rosalie Roux (Mother), Matthieu Roux (Younger Brother), Etienne Roux (Youngest Brother)
Significant Other	None
Known Abilities	Phasing
First Appearance	All In The Wrist

Camille Roux is best known for being the child of a wealthy family, the 'princess' of a French dynastic family. Occasionally featured on the pages of tabloids in scandalous articles for her international flings, Cammy has since dropped off of the High Society radar for the most part. Having become addicted to the adreneline rush of stealing, her new life as a thief-for-hire gives her all the excitement she can handle, without the bother of photographers. When jobs are low, she is known to go adventure-seeking, traveling to exotic locales in search of potentially dangerous things to do.

History

The Roux family made their fortune back in the Middle Ages, during the Crusades, actually. A Knight who earned most of his fortune during the sacking of Constantinople. Kind of brings a new meaning to the word 'Old Money', doesn't it? We lived in Orleans, on an estate that my family's owned since, oh, a couple hundred years, at least. My parents, or more correctly, my private tutor, tried to pass on our family history to me, but I could have cared less then. I'm not really all that interested now, either. Our parents, I have two younger brothers, were more like absentee landlords than our Mother and Father. They were too busy with business, at least that's what they called it. It seemed to me like they spent more time attending galas and balls than to running any of Father's companies. Me? Oh, I spent my time terrorizing the estate's staff. I made myself into quite the little nuisance, little Queen Bitch that I was. I used to threaten the servants, tell them they'd get fired if they didn't do whatever humiliating thing I dreamed up for them. Of course, the house staff were visible, everyone could see them. There were certain lines I couldn't cross. When I was sent to school, however, was another matter. The drivers, see, /they/ had to be alone with me. I even got one arrested when he made me angry. I don't even remember what about, but I do remember him getting led away in handcuffs for 'indecency towards a minor'. I still feel kind of bad about that one… Not bad enough to come clean about it, of course.

We went to private schools from middle school on, after all, our parents may not have invested too much emotionally into us, but the rich are peculiar breed, I think. They'll spend money extravagantly simply because it is expected of them, because to not do so would be to be seen as below their actual station, and they certainly couldn't have that. We didn't attend the same schools, my brothers and I. They went to all-male, I went to an all-girls. It wasn't all that bad, we still met up with boys, naturally. Few things occupy a young teenager's mind as much as the opposite sex, no? Middle school and High school passed as much as anyone else's, I suppose, who is raised in the lap of wealth an luxury. The local tabloids sometimes had pictures of us, usually when we were doing something wrong. 'Princess of Orleans'. The tabloids dubbed me that until I finished college, when I finally stopped giving them fodder to sell their trash papers. 'Spoiled rich girl strikes again', you'd think people would have much more interesting things to read about than who I dated or what bars I drank at. C'est la vie, eh?

I got bored by the time I went to college. All rich people do, I think. When there's nothing you can't have, you start to want the very few things you can't. The first thing I wanted was to get out of France. Oh, I had traveled the world with my parents and brothers, of course, but only as a showpiece. It wouldn't do for dear, doting Mother and Father not to take the annual family vacation, mm? Excepting the Artic, I have been on all of the continents, and have at least flown over all of the major countries. I liked America the best. The Americans that were my own age were a little different, a bit more free, a bit more wild. Or maybe it was just Los Angeles that was like that. I had my pick of schools, my family's wealth assured that. My parents were more than happy to send me abroad, encouraged it, even. I think they were looking forward to getting rid of me. I chose Harvard. I didn't have the grades, but a healthy donation to 'further the education of the students' certainly ensured my seat over someone more deserving who wasn't born with a silver spoon in their mouth. I was walked through the application process by hand, hell, I can't even remember if I actually filled out any of the paperwork myself. I chose Communications as my major.

School bored me, as did most things in my life. The culture of the Americas soon grew rather shallow and stale, but I managed to at least pass my classes. Technically. I'm very sure that I should have failed at least a few classes, but the wealthy have always played by a different set of rules. We are afforded priveleges. Is it fair? Certainly not, but that is life. I coasted through classes, spending more of my attention at campus parties and moonlighting around the city at night than anything else. Still, it wasn't enough. I was so tired of things, tired of wealth, tired of school, even a little tired of travel. Then it happened. That sort of thing, you just don't forget. There I was, on the bed one night, a drunk frat boy wriggling around on top of me. I don't think he was even sober enough to figure out how to get into my clothes. It was awful. I kept hoping he'd pass out, or figure out how to work a zipper and get it over with, or if I could just slither out of the bed and hide in a crack in the floor. His breath was so terrible, I was sure I'd pass out. I kept thinking how nice it'd be if I could just melt into the sheets. Just be absorbed into the bed and disappear. What can I say? He was my boyfriend of the week and I didn't want to hurt his feelings. Everything is 'true love' when you're a teenager.

Anyway, I kept focusing on just vanishing, of the floor opening up to swallow me. The next thing I knew I was falling, and I was on the floor. Under the bed. At first, I just kind of lie there, not really knowing what the hell just happened. Had I fallen off the bed or something? By the time I crawled out from under it, Boytoy was passed out face down on the sheets. That's kind of where it all started, that night. I kept wondering what had happened, and trying to make it happen again, of course. The first thing I ever intentionally put my hand through was a text book. I started figuring out how to activate it over the next few months, figured out I could go through desks, then walls, then floors… Whatever I wanted. I walked around campus on a permanent high for a while after that. The Princess and her Big, Bad Secret. Even I wasn't so stupid that I couldn't figure out the kind of trouble telling people about this ability would bring about. The first time I ever stole? Well, heh, there was an exam coming up, and I knew the answers were kept in my English professor's office. Walking through walls made it easy as pie. The rush, it was… addicting. I felt alive, /excited/ for the first time in who knew how long. God, I was breaking the law and it was just so /easy/.

Naturally, everyone was suspicious when I and three of my friends suddenly scored amazingly high on such a difficult test. But they couldn't prove it, how could they? It was the perfect crime. Ever since that moment I've been a, uh, what's the word? Klepto, I think. That sounds right. Of course I don't /need/ to steal, but it's exciting. The one thing in life that never gets old. And it's so easy, when you can do what I do. Hm hm… It's funny, the things life gives us. To end the eternal monotony of my life, I was given the ability to take what I wanted, when I wanted it. The transition from spoiled Diva to master thief was a slow process. All throughout my last year of college, and the two years since, I've gained greater and greater control over my gift. I should, as I use them often. Don't mistake me for some common criminal, though. Oh no, I'm far more discriminating. Sure, maybe at first. I robbed a few store safes. A bank once. But no longer. Artifacts, famous jewels, museum pieces, gold bars. That's my kind of prizes. Talents like mine shouldn't go to waste on something so trivial as money.

What was I talking about? Oh, yes. I eventually left college. My Father was going to offer me a trophy position at one of his pharmaceutical companies. I refused. I chose not to leave America, except on 'business', of course. My business isn't the kind I can talk about openly, naturally, and as far as the rest of the world is concerned, I live in New York City on a trust my parents set up. That's somewhat true, at least. What they don't know is that I supplement that trust with little commissioned 'excursions'. There's a lot of collectors in the world, and they pay a lot of money to obtain the unobtainable. Oh, I certainly acquire a piece for myself every now and then, for the thrill. Have I mentioned how alive I feel when I'm on a job? Haa, there's really nothing quite like it. I think I've found my drug, much better than any of that garbage I did in college. I never thought my life's career would be 'professional thief', but… I'm certainly glad that it is.

Ability

Camille's power, as she knows it, is simply to pass through objects. She isn't aware of the finer points of her ability, or their exact nature at this time, however. While true that she is able to 'pass through' virtually any known substance, at least any she has thus far encountered, it's done through manipulating her molecular makeup. At will, her molecules can begin to vibrate at incredible frequencies, the very atoms that make up her body are able to expand and contract. By so manipulating her body, she can change the way her body interacts with the objects, obstacles, and substances around her, essentially allowing her to pass through them. As long as two different objects are of different atomic makeup, she can choose which one to phase through, such as being able to pass through a wall without falling through the floor. The reaction is near-instaneous and responds immediately to her will, moving through her body with the speed of the electrical signals sent along her nervous system. Thus she can use it to avoid, for instance, a knife trying to stab her.

She is also able to affect objects which are carried by herself, as they are, for all practical purposes of her power, a part of 'her'. Thus, her clothes are not left behind when she is walking through walls, nor is anything in her hands. She is capable of extending this power to other organic beings, but her power is not significant enough to move a mass greater in volume than herself. As such, she could not take a person larger than herself with her through a wall, steel bars, or anything else, but she could manipulate the molecules of someone smaller than herself, such as a child. Attempting to take along things larger than herself would only result in a partial manipulation of their molecules, which may result in the unmanipulated part of them becoming stuck when they tried to pass through, likely causing injury. Her power merely expands the distance between molecules on such a small level that while they can pass through objects, she can not do damage at her current ability level with it. Taking along another person, or anything of substantial mass, such as a stack of gold bars, requires much greater concentration and physical contact at all times. Since this application of her ability requires more focus than normal, she can not be made to unwillingly 'drag' another with her.

However, due to it's very nature, her power comes with limitations. Only one substance can be passed through at a time. The substance can be made of any number of elements, as long as it is one continous being or object. Both a man and the knife he is wielding can be rendered harmless to Camille, but not two men with knives, assuming they had different types of knives. If she becomes insubstantial to one object, all identical objects, for better or for worse, can not touch her. In the above example of a man with a knife, she would not be able to avoid the second man, but may be intangible to his knife, if it is identical to the first weapon. This is due to her molecules being out of phase with the exact makeup and frequency of that particular object. A better example is if both the wall and floor are made of the same type of marble, wood, or stone. If she wishes to pass through the wall, she will also fall through the floor. She has zero control over gravity, and cannot use her power in any way to 'soften' a blow from falling. Thus, if she chooses to sink through the floor, and goes through several such floors without landing and halting her fall on each level, the likely result will be broken legs, or worse. Should, for any reason, her power cease to work or be canceled while she is passing through an object, her molecular structure will immediately attempt to regain it's normal state, resulting in them replacing those already present, effectively 'sticking' herself in a wall, the earth, or another object. She also isn't able to phase through light, so things such as motion detectors and infrared laser sensors can still detect her passing.

• Rapid Escape/Entrance - Being able to run, sink, or otherwise pass through solid objects allows Camille to escape from many situations that would otherwise be impossible. She can run through walls, sink through floors, or even run through another person in order to make a quick getaway. She gains no speed, and is still slowed by any weight she carries, but the tactical advantage she gains by being able to simply go through, rather than around, obstacles is immense.

• Trap - Because she's able to manipulate another's molecular structure up to her own body's volume, Cammy is capable of trapping another person, or parts of them, within an object if given the chance. Even those larger than herself are susceptible to this, as she only needs to manipulate part of them, such as their legs to stick them into the floor from the waist down. It does require concentration, however, and because she must bring them to the same frequency her body is operating at, she is vulnerable as the victim is able to touch her during this time, even if it only takes a handful of seconds to pull off.

• Pass Through - Walls, floors, and physical security devices aren't the only things Cammy can pass through. When attacked by another person, or projectile, Camille is able to activate her ability at the speed of thought in order to avoid the damage that would come from the blow. She must be aware of the attack in order to dodge it, so it cannot be used if she is struck from behind without knowing her attacker is there, or if her vision is impaired, such as by lack of light, to the point where she could not possibly detect anything that was incoming. However, as long as she is aware of the attacker, and there is only one, she can render herself immune to almost all mundane means of harm.

• Protect Another - Camille is not able to bring larger people than herself through solid objects, but she is able to make certain parts of them intangible. Thus, she could make the torso and head of a taller person than herself immune to gunfire, but would have to leave part of him vulnerable. For people of equal or lesser size than herself, she can render them intangible to anything she herself is impervious to.

Timeline

• October 7th, 2009 - Camille returns from a trip abroad, landing at JFK airport where she finds some unwanted company expecting her. She finds more aid than expected in the no-nonsense disposition of Sarissa Belmont and escapes without a scratch

• April 15th, 2010 - Camille enters the Belmont estate on a commission job, but finds herself discovered as one of the Belmont clan are already at home! After what is perhaps the most civil discussion ever for a burglar, she flips her mark in order to pay back Sarissa for an old debt.

Quotes

• ENGLISH:

"Dammeet."
"I do nawt zuppoze zhou would beleeve I am zimply de maid, mm?"
"Dat ees why zo many have de low opeenion of de Americawnz, what with all de gunz."

• FRENCH:

"<Oh, thank the Lord you speak a human language! Hm? Me?>"
"<But don't you worry, it's like your appendix: you'll never even miss it. Surely you have insurance for your most precious belongings, do you not?>"
"<Why don't we just forget it, hmm? We'll call it squarsies and I'll just mosey on out the door, with no need to involve the authorities.>"
"<Naturally, selling client information isn't exactly good for business, Mister…? But then, I wasn't exactly paid for my silence.>"

Trivia

• When in need of assistance, Camille often pretends to be more helpless than she really is, playing the stereotypical confused tourist.
• Camille hates all manner of bugs, but moreso has a distaste for lizards and other, similar reptiles.
• Though she is the eldest child, she actually stands to inherit the least of her family's fortune.
• Though her family name and wealth garauntee's her place among the American higher society, Camille is actually thought of as an embarassment by her family.
• Her favorite food is New York Cheescake. Least favorite are peas.
• Though an original creation, when making Camille I took inspiration from The Flash, Catwoman, Kitty Pryde, and Christie from DoA (the movie, not the videogame).