Magic shows are meant to have surprises, right?

[fuzzybluegecko]

[Los Angeles was everything Kurt Wagner could have hoped for and then some. True, most of the touristy stuff he had seen and celebrity sightings so far were spotted in the course of work (which in this case involved checking out a potential new student for the institute) so he couldn't exactly spend a lot of time drinking them in. But that didn't make it any less awesome. And now that the work was done, it was going to get even cooler!]

[The others didn't know what they were missing. How could anyone choose to spend the night at some famous restaurant or a traveling production of a play that was better on Broadway (practically in their own backyard!) when they could be here with him instead, watching a teenage magician who was already being billed as one of the best in the business?]

[That was fine. Kurt was having plenty of fun on his own. The magician more than lived up to the hype. And after a show that incredible, you can bet Kurt was going to jump at the chance to volunteer for her final trick of the evening. He probably didn't have much of a chance, given how...height challenged he was compared to the rest of the people clambering for attention around him. But what he lacked in height he made up for with enthusiasm! (And the judicious use of his seat as a step stool.)] Hier! Hier!

Comments

[sleightadvantage]

[Trucy giggled.] Don't worry, it happens to the best of us!

[poof!] It happens to me all the time! [came a voice from Kurt's other side. It was Mr. Hat, who had exited the stage at the end of Trucy's last trick and had now reappeared in a puff of smoke and a cacophony of mic feedback.]

Thank you, Mr. Hat. [Though still smiling, Trucy made a show of rubbing her ear at that one. She turned back to her special guest.] Anyway, Kurt. It's nice to meet you! Where are you from?

[fuzzybluegecko]

[Kurt jumped at Mr. Hat's miraculous re-appearance. 'I guess that must be how everyone else feels when I 'port...' The shock did nothing to dampen his smile though. He beamed at Mr. Hat as if the puppet was a person, delighted by the trick, until the magician snapped him back to attention.]

Aw man, you mean I can't pass for a local? [He made a conscious effort to heighten his accent to comedic effect, and gave an exaggerated pout. It paid off; a soft wave of laughter rolled through the audience, inspiring a nervous flutter in his gut. He flashed a toothy grin at the crowd, grateful for the dim lighting that hid the audience from his view. He may have had a natural tendency towards playing the class clown, but that didn't make it any less intimidating to have a large group of people focus their attention on him.] I'm an exchange student from Germany, by way of upstate New York.

[sleightadvantage]

[Trucy laughed along with the audience. She liked the way this guy worked!]

Wow, that's a long way on both counts! [Genuinely curious, she asked:] What brings you all the way out here?

[fuzzybluegecko]

We're kind of on a field trip. My friends thought a play would be a better way to spend the night. Obviously they were wrong. [He spread his arms wide to encompass the stage around them, covered in larger-than-life props.] This is the coolest!

[sleightadvantage]

I happen to agree with that assessment! [Mr. Hat declared, tilting his hat.]

[Trucy giggled and mirrored the gesture.] Well, I'm glad you decided to join us, Kurt! And just for that, I'll treat you to an extra special trick.

[fuzzybluegecko]

[He couldn't help giggling along. 'Mr. Hat' was quite a character...for a block of wood.]

Sweet! [Bowing with a flourish, he replied eagerly:] I'm at your command!

[sleightadvantage]

Alright! [The music went silent as drums beat an anticipatory preamble to the trick, and the colored lights above shone directly on them.] Now, Kurt... Have you ever wondered what it's like to disappear... only to reappear in a different location?

[fuzzybluegecko]

Ah ha ha... Who hasn't? [If his smile faltered a moment or his voice sounded a bit strained, surely it wasn't obvious enough for anyone who didn't know him to notice. Right?]

[sleightadvantage]

[Fortunately for Kurt, if Trucy noticed anything, she didn't let on, her smile remaining firmly in place.]

Well, tonight, you'll get to find out! Behold! [With a pop of confetti, a large, rectangular box appeared on the stage behind them.] My very own teleportation chamber!

[The music swelled again as the audience oohed and ahhed.]

[fuzzybluegecko]

[Kurt 'ahhed' right along with them, whirling about in surprise to take advantage of the house's best view of the box itself. Unfortunately he had been facing away when the box suddenly appeared, but its unexplained presence in the space that was empty only moments before was impressive. Almost impressive enough to make him forget his slight unease over where the evening was heading now.]

['It's just a magic trick,' he told himself. 'A weirdly appropriate, coincidentally themed magic trick. It doesn't mean anything.' He forced a smile and turned back to the magician.] Neat. Can this thing take me to Disneyland?

[sleightadvantage]

Ha! [Then she paused, appearing to think about it for a second.] ...You know what? That's a great idea. Maybe someday, with a bigger teleportation chamber. [She grinned impishly at him.] What do you say? Another field trip to help me test it out some time?

[fuzzybluegecko]

[Now that he was over the initial surprise of the trick's theme, he was quickly beginning to relish it like a private joke. He flashed her a rakish grin, complete with two thumbs up.] I'm already there, man! [Then his grin turned sheepish, and he rubbed the back of his neck.] Ah, provided you can convince my teacher. He can be a bit of a spoil sport.

[sleightadvantage]

Well, we'll see what we can come up with when the time comes. [And she meant it, reminding herself to get Kurt's info after the show, since he was the one who gave her the idea in the first place. The wheels were already turning...] For now, if you'll follow Mr. Hat, we'll work on getting you from one side of the stage to the other, at the very least!

[She gently urged Kurt to the side and gestured toward the wooden man, who lifted his hat and beckoned him as best as his limbs would allow. From here, the track he was on could be seen, possibly ruining the illusion a little, but it was a sacrifice that had to be made with the level of technology Trucy could afford. Maybe one day, he could be fully autonomous, like Ponco!]

[fuzzybluegecko]

[Kurt was fully under the assumption that tonight was the last he would hear of the master magician's teleportation plans (she must share the stage with a ton of volunteers in a year, nothing he did tonight was going to distinguish him enough to earn any special treatment). That didn't dampen his excitement, though, as he gave her one last, overly enthusiastic thumbs up and hurried off after Mr. Hat. Sure, the puppet's track was visible from this angle, but it barely mattered. Being able to see the strings didn't make a puppeteer's skills with a marionette any less magical.]

[sleightadvantage]

To the teleportation chamber! [Mr. Hat turned with a flourish, as small firecrackers crackled about him. They were harmless pyrotechnics, though possibly bright and disorienting to someone unsuspecting. He led Kurt to the chamber, and Trucy turned her attention back to the audience.]

Now, this trick takes a lot of magic, so I'm gonna need everybody's help! You'll all say the magic words with me, right!? [The audience cheered their agreement.]

[fuzzybluegecko]

[Kurt couldn't help himself--he jumped, instincts honed in numerous battles not serving him quite so well here on a stage with harmless but shocking pyrotechnics (albeit small ones) going off near him. Covering his eyes a bit with his arm, he did his best to follow Mr. Hat, straining to hear his clunky movements underneath the roar of the crowd. When they finally reached their destination, he stared at the puppet for a beat, as if expecting him to give him his next instructions.]

[sleightadvantage]

[And he did!] Enter, please! [The door on the chamber creaked open.]

[fuzzybluegecko]

[With a nervous chuckle:] You don't have to tell me twice... [His heart was pounding, equal parts trepidation and excitement. Holding his breath, shoulders hunched slightly, Kurt walked into the 'teleportation' chamber.]

[sleightadvantage]

See you... on the other side! [With that, the door closed on Kurt, and Mr. Hat whirled around to delighted applause, gave a low bow, and retreated backstage.]

Alright, everyone! Remember, we need all the magic we can muster to make this work! Are you ready to say the magic words!? [Numerous whoops and 'yeah's filled the theatre, as Trucy raised her fingers for the countdown.] Okay, 3... 2... 1...

POLLY WANT A CLUE!

[The room nearly shook with the force of hundreds of voices shouting in unison. Above the stage, an explosion of poppers went off, releasing confetti and glitter. Though some might have assumed this was an act of misdirection, that was only partially true: most of it was just a flashy bit of fun while adding a layer of security against those who were a little more eagle-eyed. After all, a magician only ever showed what was meant to be seen, and what was meant to be seen now was that, in the blink of an eye, the chamber had somehow made its way to the other side of the stage.]

[fuzzybluegecko]

[The door closed behind him with a note of finality...but not before one last spark followed him in. It flashed in the dark, cramped space like a firefly and burst against the face of his inducer, a miniature, private fireworks show. He whirled around, facing in the direction of the stage, and held his breath.]

[The noise of the crowd outside was a dull roar. From inside, it was muffled enough for Kurt to hear underneath it the strained little whine that his inducer suddenly emitted.]

No. No no no... [Three-fingered hands fiddled furiously with the device, their unusual shape visible as darker shadows in the darkness. Outside the pyrotechnics and voices were quickly approaching their crescendo, and his level of panic rose with them.]

Not now!

[sleightadvantage]

[The trick was met with applause, but the best was yet to come. With eyes still on the audience, Trucy headed stage right, circled the chamber to prove there was no trickery surrounding it, and then stopped beside it to unlatch the door. After letting the suspense ripen for a moment, she flung the door open.]

Ladies and gentlemen: teleportation!

[fuzzybluegecko]

[His fingers continued to flutter around the inducer up until the moment that the final wave of applause faded. In the relative quiet that followed, he held his breath, his mind racing for some miraculous solution. Should he teleport from the situation for real? It may be expected from the audience's perspective, but the magician would know something was wrong. She may even get the police involved. He could not afford that kind of attention. With mere seconds to prepare, he fell into a course of action, hoping it would be just crazy enough to work--pretend it's all part of the show.]

[The word 'teleportation' was his cue. He leapt from the shadows of the box, into a backflip, and landed with a flourish beside the magician. He posed there with his arms spread wide and a brilliant smile gleaming against the fine, dark fur on his face. Then, before anyone has a chance to react, he gasped, and gawped comically at his own hands. He made a show of twisting and turning to take in his 'new' appearance.]

Wow! You're good.

[sleightadvantage]

[Trucy grinned brightly, as the audience gasped and cheered. She turned to thank her special guest... and then did a double-take.

Her gasp was quiet, but her wide eyes, faltering smile, and an involuntary half step back spoke to her shock. Each was minute enough to be imperceptible to the audience, except to those with the keenest eye... or, unfortunately, to the person standing right next to her.

She recovered quickly, or appeared to, turned back to the audience, and gestured at Kurt, to an even louder round of applause.]

Th-that ends tonight's performance! [She bowed.] Thank you all for coming out! And remember: dream of magic!

[fuzzybluegecko]

[His unusual ears were far too sensitive for his own good. Her soft gasp fell on them more heavily than the din of the audience did. He turned just in time to catch her half-step away from him. Heart sinking, he locked eyes with her in a silent plea and his grin turned sheepish.]

['Please, just give me a chance to lie my way out of this.']

[He breathed a deep sigh of relief when she turned away from him and back to the audience. At least she didn't immediately raise the alarm. Maybe he could still talk his way out of this.]

[The smile stayed plastered on his face, broad but stiff, as he took a theatrical bow and waited for the hammer curtain to fall.]

[sleightadvantage]

[Trucy's smile remained in place as the curtain fell and the audience shouted for an encore. Normally, she'd be more than happy to indulge them, but, at the moment, well...

The second they were hidden from view, her smile fell, and she whirled on Kurt in a panic.]

Are you okay?! W-what happened? [As she spoke, she reached a gloved had towards his face.] Did I...?