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]

[The idea of him having to hide away during the rest of his trip didn't sit well with her, but... well, she wasn't dumb, but this sort of thing was way out of her wheelhouse.]

Maybe we could find someone to fix it. You shouldn't have to give up on your touristy dreams of greasy American goodness!

[fuzzybluegecko]

[Kurt was surprised into laughter by the response.] Love the enthusiasm, but I'm not sure we could. Usually my, uh...host is the one who fixes it, and he's not on this trip. [He held the inducer up to examine it.] It's pretty high tech. I don't even know if an average techy type could fix it. You don't happen to know any computer repair super geniuses, do you?

[sleightadvantage]

[She thought about it for a second.] Well... I do, actually, but she's in prison right now. [It was a shame, because Aura Blackquill probably could fix it, and she kind of owed Trucy one for the whole hostage situation... She struggled to think of anyone else who might come close to that level of genius.] Maybe Athena would know something about it...

Need a more O_O icon

[fuzzybluegecko]

[The rest of what she said went right over his head.] Prison?

need more icons in general!

[sleightadvantage]

Huh? [Oh, right. Most normal people didn't know that many criminals.] Oh, well, my daddy's a lawyer, so we actually know a few people in prison. She didn't kill anyone, though!

The sad truth

[fuzzybluegecko]

O-oh... That's good. [It came out as more of a question than a statement. He was having trouble sifting through all of that.] Would it be rude of me to ask what she did do?

[sleightadvantage]

She took some people hostage. [She glanced aside, neglecting to mention that she was one of said people. When she looked back, she wore a small, rueful smile.] I'm not gonna pretend it wasn't serious. But, well, that's why she's in prison. It's just unfortunate because she is a tech genius.

[fuzzybluegecko]

['Yikes. Among other reasons.'] Ach, yeah. Really...unfortunate.

[He wasn't quite sure what else to say to that. That moment of hesitation he thought he caught could have indicated some closeness to this convict. Further questions might not have been welcome, and no matter what answers he got, they certainly wouldn't help his current situation. Deciding to err on the side of caution, he paused for what he hoped was a respectful length of time then said] So, you said someone else you know may be able to help?

[sleightadvantage]

[If she was fazed by the conversation or where it might lead, she displayed no signs other than that brief hesitation. When he switched topics, all that changed was the look of determination in her eyes.] My dad's coworker! She has a necklace that projects a sort of holographic computer! It goes on the fritz sometimes, so she must know some way to fix it.

[fuzzybluegecko]

Whoa! Sounds like she could be just what the doctor ordered! Do you know if she's busy tonight? [In his excitement, he sat up on his knees and leaned in close, forgetting for a moment the usual boundaries he kept up for other people's comfort. (It took a special disposition to be cool sharing your personal space with someone whose appearance was so unsettling.)]

[sleightadvantage]

[Fortunately for Kurt, Trucy (who was not overly concerned with personal space to begin with) had already come to the conclusion he was a good person when she saw his friendly, toothy grin. As far as she was concerned, his appearance was more interesting, a little shocking, and more than a little cool than it was unsettling.

Besides, if her instincts somehow proved wrong, impromptu magic shows weren't the only reason she kept throwing knives on her.]

Let's find out! [She hopped to her feet and made her way to the vanity, where she started rummaging through her bag. Moments later, she produced a cell phone and began typing.]

[fuzzybluegecko]

[Kurt eagerly followed, by now self-aware enough to keep a respectful distance, and more than self-aware enough to realize how remarkable it was that she let him get so close in the first place.]

[Along the way, some of his enthusiasm dwindled. By the time he came up beside her, his smile had faded.] Hey... You wouldn't happen to know her thoughts on fuzzy blue guys, huh?

[sleightadvantage]

[After sending the text, she looked up at him and hesitated. She'd love to say Athena was super open-minded (and she was!), but... Looking at him again, at the blue fur and the ears and the coincidentally demon-like tail, she was self-aware enough to know her own reaction was a bit... unorthodox. Her smile fell slightly.]

Um... well... no, but... [She gave it a moment of thought and seemingly came to a conclusion with renewed determination.] But I could say it's mine. For a new trick!

[fuzzybluegecko]

['Looks like I won't be making any more new friends tonight.' He gave her a rueful smile.] That could work. I can find a place to hide out while she's here.

[They were in a mostly empty theater. There had to be lots of shadowy spaces he could disappear into, Phantom of the Opera-syle.]

[sleightadvantage]

[She smiled sadly, hating that he had to hide. She almost suggested going with the magician act he tried to pull before, but if she could tell something was off, there was no question that Athena would be able to hear his nervousness. Though she hated to admit it, hiding was probably his best option.]

[She glanced down at her phone.]

That's if she even texts me back. Come on, Athena!

[fuzzybluegecko]

Yeah, Athena! You can't possibly have something better to do on a weekend! [He grinned as if that moment of melancholy had never happened.]

[sleightadvantage]

[She chuckled at that, even though it was possible Athena might be on a case right now. As far as she knew, there weren't any active investigations at the Wright Anything Agency, but that could always change at a moment's notice. All she could do was wait and see and hope that Athena answered sooner rather than later. At some point, Daddy would start to wonder why she wasn't home, yet...]

[She thumbed through a few of the notifications she'd gotten during the show but, seeing nothing important, soon set the phone aside to wait for a text from Athena. She smiled at Kurt then, tight-lipped, as if trying to hold something back, and bounced on the balls of her feet.]

[fuzzybluegecko]

[As they fell into an anticipatory silence, Kurt's gaze started to wander. It wasn't every day one got invited into a celebrity's dressing room. The identity of this particular celebrity made the whole situation a thousand times cooler. Her dressing room was everything he could ever want out of a magician's space. Every inch was covered in the tools of her trade, from props to costumes to flowers. There was even an adorable white rabbit caged up in a corner of the room.]

[She would have to excuse him while he nerded out a bit. By the time she caught his eye again, he was wearing a decidedly goofy grin, which only widened as he smiled back at her.]

[sleightadvantage]

[As he looked around, she was afforded the opportunity to study his features again, this time in a little more detail. There seemed to be a slight curve to his back that she hadn't noticed before, or... maybe he just had bad posture? But would the hologram have hidden something like that?]

[Her gaze then traveled down his torso, over his legs, and finally settled at his feet, which were more unusual than she initially realized. There certainly looked to be only two toes on each foot, and it seemed like he was standing on them, but maybe not quite on his tip-toes. While she hated to keep comparing him to an animal, she couldn't help but think of Bullets' back legs. And then that tail, just idly swishing there, back and forth...]

[He really did look like something Jinxie would call a yokai.]

[She noticed him looking at her just in time to snap her gaze back up and reinforce her smile.]

[fuzzybluegecko]

[Fortunately for Trucy, Kurt managed to miss her staring. Blissfully unaware that his unusual anatomy had captured her attention, he held her gaze for a moment before letting his eyes travel to her phone. If this co-worker didn't come through, he was going to have to face Logan sooner rather than later.]

[sleightadvantage]

[The silence lingered a few moments longer, until it (and her curiosity) started to get the best of her. A few more bounces on her feet, and the dam finally burst.]

...Okay, so! I don't want to be rude, but I have a lot of questions. Is it okay to ask!?

[fuzzybluegecko]

[The sudden explosion of curiosity surprised him more than it should have, given the circumstances. Kurt averted his gaze at first, hiding a wave of self-consciousness behind a more sheepish grin. Of course she was going to ask. He probably would too, if he was in her shoes.]

[He forced himself to meet her eyes and strengthen his smile.] Yeah, sure. I'll answer them the best I can. Um, there may be some questions I'm not allowed to answer though. My whole, uh...exchange program situation is kind of top secret.

[sleightadvantage]

[Well, that just made her curiosity burn more. It was a difficult thing to tamp down on, even when she could see it made him self-conscious. She nodded on instinct, though whether she'd be able to keep herself from getting carried away remained to be seen.]

Alright, well... First of all, how did this happen?

[fuzzybluegecko]

[She had no way of knowing how complicated (not to mention uncomfortable) that answer was. No way of knowing that the only clues he'd been able to glean about his origins pointed to shadowy possibilities straight out of a horror novel. He couldn't stop the complicated tangle of anger and regret that flashed across his features, but he could cover it up quickly with a smile that looked almost normal.]

Genetics. I've been this way...as long as I can remember. You know how every once in a while two regular tigers will produce a cub with white stripes?

[sleightadvantage]

[The answer was surprisingly mundane. Trucy had expected some sort of origin story along the lines of being bitten by a radioactive kitten or a two-toed or something. Still, it was obviously difficult for Kurt to talk about, so she made an effort to dial back on the intensity a little.]

[At least white tigers were something she was familiar with. You couldn't be raised in the magic world without knowing about the famous white tigers!]

You mean... like a mutation.