boxolawyers | Magic shows are meant to have surprises, right?

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.]

[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!

[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!

[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.

[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!

[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.]

[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...?

[When her entertainer's mask fell with the curtain, it revealed concern and, inexplicably, guilt waiting under the surface, ready to manifest if he should blame her. The apparent absence of disgust, fear, or horror stunned him into immobility. He couldn't even stop her gloved hand from making contact with his cheek, could only pull away from her touch after the damage was already done. He backed up a couple of steps, holding his hands out in front of him as if warding her off.]

No, no! It's fine. I'm fine. This is just... [He worried his lip with his teeth, unintentionally showing off a hint of fang. Then he forced an awkward, pained looking smile.] It's just a trick. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have used you that way. I've just...been working on that one a while and saw the opportunity, and I...uh, took it.

[He held his breath as he waited to see if she would buy it. He was blissfully unaware of the numerous, obvious tells he was probably giving off to anyone who knew how to look for them, including the irritated flicking of the spade at the tip of his tail.]

[Trucy cocked her head, surprised when her gloved finger met with what was very obviously not painted skin. Was it... velvet? As she was about to lean in for a closer look, a movement in her peripheral suddenly caught her attention, and she glanced down to see what looked like a... a devil tail? Flicking wildly back and forth?

Her gaze snapped back up.

Obviously this was a trick, like he said--and a really impressive one, if she stopped to think about it!--but something about his confession felt misaligned with his expression, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why.]

...Wow! [She donned a smile, snapping herself out of her momentary stupor. Though unsure how to feel about any of this, one thing she did know was that her stagehands were watching them; she could feel their curious gazes as they packed up her props. Linking her arm through Kurt's, she attempted to steer him towards her dressing room.] That's some trick! You have to let me guess how you did it!

[Kurt gawped at her, once again too stunned to react in time to prevent her from touching him. This time his very warm, very real, and very attached fur caressed her bare skin as she linked arms with him. Shivering, he almost shrank away from her touch. Only the fear that it would seem even more suspicious held him tight in her grip as she dragged him away from the stage, tense and awkward with his tail still swishing behind him with a life that would be difficult to replicate with a simple prop. Could she feel the difference of a digitigrade being's gait as he walked? Would someone as perceptive as a professional magician be willing to brush it off as the result of whatever strange props he had on his legs without investigating further? Could he be so lucky? 'Signs point to no.' He gave a nervous chuckle and leaned away from her, though he didn't break their contact yet.]

You're welcome to guess, but I won't promise to tell you if you're right or wrong. A magician never reveals his secrets, ja?

[He flashed her another broad smile, but this one was tight and didn't meet his eyes, which flitted away just as quickly as they landed on hers. He was starting to sweat. At least his fur hid any trace of the heat rising to his cheeks.]

Of course! I wouldn't have it any other way!

[Although she couldn't help but notice how he leaned away, his curious gait, or the tail swishing behind them like an anxious cat's, it was all filed away for later. After all, Trucy had accomplished some pretty unbelievable feats herself. His trick wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

No, she wasn't worried about that at all, just yet. Maybe working with a bunch of lawyers for so long was rubbing off on her, because her primary concern right now was motive.

She lead them through the backstage area, weaving through props and backdrops and greeting each stagehand with a smile, before she brought him to a door with her name centered over a bright, blue diamond. She opened the door and pulled him inside.]

Sehr gut... [he murmured. Some corner of his mind noticed that each person they passed received a genuine-looking smile from the magician. He might have appreciated the gesture more if he wasn't distracted by the number of them who smiled back at her, only to pin him with their shocked or scared looks immediately after. He struggled to plaster on his own friendly smile and wave, desperately trying to pretend this was all part of the act.]

[By the time they stood before the magician's dressing room door, emblazoned with the name Trucy Wright, his nerves were shot. He allowed himself to be dragged into the room without protest. The sound of the door shutting him off from all of those other people, and shutting him in with her, was both a blessing and a curse.]

[She released him as she turned to close the door, took a moment to compose herself as the latch clicked, and then whirled around to level a penetrating stare at him.]

Were you really just trying out a trick?

[The about face was so stark and sudden that he fell back a step with a squeak bubbling up in his throat. Once again he plastered a crooked smile on his face, while his eyes kept darting away from hers and his hands came up before his chest in a warding gesture. He was the picture of patently feigned innocence.] Of course! W-what else would I be doing?

[She eyed him carefully and found his body language lacking.]

I don't know, but it wouldn't be the first time someone tried something funny at one of my shows. [Any other time, she might have been excited by meeting another magician like this--she was, by nature, a trusting person who relied heavily on her instincts--but it seemed her recent encounter with one Mr. Retinz had left her doubting not only other people but also her own judgment.] Plus, you seem really nervous.

['This is not going as well as I hoped.' Kurt worried his lip with his teeth again, and his tense shoulders crept up toward his elf-like ears. When he responded, his voice held a note of pleading.] I never meant to cause any problems, I promise. I was just excited to participate. I didn't mean for things to get out of hand.

[All of which was technically true. Unfortunately, it could all be true while still leaving him plenty to be nervous about.]

[Her piercing gaze stayed trained on him for several moments longer, searching. He didn't seem like he was lying, exactly. Maybe he really was just nervous about performing, and she was letting her suspicion get the best of her...

Caught between guilt and uncertainty, her expression softened a little.]

...Okay. But... Let me know next time, alright? I love to collaborate, but if I don't know what's going on, it might ruin the magic for both of us.

[It couldn't be. Could it? Could she have really bought it? Barely daring to believe his luck, Kurt blinked owlishly at her before breaking into another wide grin.] Oh man, yeah, totally! Really sorry, it won't happen again. You have my word!

[Beaming, he flashed her two thumbs up and...]

[Wait... Next time?! She wasn't serious...was she? The grin glued to his face began to look a little pained.]

[That response earned a side glance, but she was determined to give him the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. She broke out into another smile.]

It is a really cool trick, though. That tail looks so real! [She knelt down to get a closer look.] How did you get it to move like that?!

Aheh... Trade secret. [His tail flicked forcefully as she came closer. He did his best to rein it in (sometimes it truly did seem to have a mind of its own), and was able to restrain it to a gentle, rhythmic sway. The movement was regular enough to be automated somehow, but flowed too smoothly to seem mechanical.]

[She tilted her head, mesmerized. Even some of the most impressive animatronics she'd seen didn't look this real! Mr. Hat couldn't hold a candle to it.]

[She looked up.] Can I touch it?

[The question made several different sections of his brain short out, and his tail whipped around sharply a few times.]

T-touch it? Uh...

[Clearly that had overstepped a boundary. Though disappointed, Trucy smiled in understanding, very aware of a magician's need to protect every part of their secrets. Before she could voice her sympathy, though, that tail caught her attention again...]

[The movement seemed almost involuntary, like it was in response to Kurt's emotional state. Kind of like a cat's. Actually, a lot like a cat's.]

[A very silly thought entered her head, and she eyed him suspiciously as she stood.]

Hey... you're not a yokai, are you?

[It seemed he may have claimed victory prematurely. Suddenly finding himself transfixed by her suspicious gaze again, Kurt leaned away from her. His tail, reinforcing its cat-like image, decided to curl itself around his leg defensively.]

Y-yokai? Was is das?

[Her gaze didn't let up.] A yokai. A Japanese demon?

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