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

Current Location: Los Angeles

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Magic shows are meant to have surprises, right?

[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!

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Seriously? [It seemed...unlikely for him to have stumbled across possibly one of the only people in Los Angeles who could be cool with mutants within five minutes of meeting one and for that person to also have a friend who could unknowingly be one of the few mutants in the city. He was sure Logan would have said as much if he was there (after punishing Kurt for getting into that situation in the first place).]

[His pulse quickened as the potential consequences started to sink in. In the middle of royally screwing up and putting their trip at risk, he may have inadvertently stumbled across an unknown mutant. And said unknown mutant was not convinced by Trucy's attempts to cover for Kurt. He needed more info.]

[He began to pace, the tip of his tail flicking sharply from side to side.] Okay. Walk me through this. How do you know she hears emotions? Can you be you sure she's not just really perceptive?

I'm really perceptive. Athena's...

[She trailed off. Thinking about it now, she wasn't sure how much she should say. Details of Athena's history were readily available to anyone who knew where to look, but they were still very sensitive details. And even though she trusted Kurt despite just meeting him, it wasn't her story to tell.]

[She eventually sighed.]

...Just trust me. But Kurt... [His anxiety was palpable. She took a step forward and attempted to catch his gaze.] I promise, even if she knows something's up, I won't tell her about you. Okay?

[In response to her first statement, Kurt found himself thinking, 'No kidding.' Trucy seemingly had him pegged from the start. He still wasn't sure what he had done to give himself away, but it was hard to trick a trickster, right? And magicians were really up there when it came to those particular skills.]

[He waited for her to elaborate on her friend's gifts. Unfortunately, further details never came. Was she second-guessing her trust in him? Trying to protect Athena? It stung a little, but he couldn't blame her. She had already given him much more trust than he warranted after knowing him only a single night. She should be protective of her friend and wary of what something of this magnitude could do to her life.]

[Instead of treating him with completely valid suspicion, though, she interrupted his self-doubts with more concern on his behalf. He froze in his tracks, his eyes locked on hers.]

[She really was special.]

[Kurt found himself smiling softly back at her as some of the tension left his body.] Thanks, Trucy. Really. [He paused, hoping the full weight of his sincerity had carried.] Anyway, you don't have to tell me anything you're not comfortable with. I know you have to look out for your friend first. If she is a mutant and she's had her powers this long she may not even need any help from us.

[Trucy smiled, relieved to see some of that tension melt away. Before he could finish his next words, though, she was quickly shaking her head.]

No, that's not it at all! It's just... I don't really know if I can explain it. But she's really open about it! [A thoughtful frown crossed her features then, and soon the lightbulb went off.] Hey, now that your inducer's working, maybe you could meet her!

[Once again she surprised him, putting all of his self-doubts neatly to rest. He felt the weight of uncertainty lift from him, the corners of his mouth lifting with it.] Hey, yeah! That's a great idea!

[Then his smile fell into a frown, and he rubbed the back of his neck fretfully.] On second thought, maybe we shouldn't go racing into this just yet. I'm, uh...already in it deeper than I should be. [He gave Trucy an apologetic grin that showed a hint of fang.] I'm gonna be in trouble as it is if I have to explain tonight to anyone. I should probably talk to my host about your friend's situation before I tell her something I shouldn't. He's the one who always organizes these kinds of 'mutant outreach' deals.

Oh. [The disappointment was obvious in her deflated shoulders, but she promptly bounced back with a hopeful smile.] Well... You're in town for a while, right? Maybe we can set something up after you talk to him!

[He smiled at her, though this time it was a bit wan and still apologetic.] Yeah, we're here for a few more days. I just have to figure out the uh...safest way to explain everything to the Professor first. But I'm 100% committed to this! I won't let you down!

[His grin broadened, and he winked at her.] Besides, there's no way I can leave without seeing you again. You're supposed to make all my greasy Los Angeles fast food dreams come true, remember?

[Aw. A few more days wasn't long at all. There were so many things she still wanted to know, but she mostly just wanted to see more of Kurt himself. He was funny and weird in all the right ways! And he could swing her from the rafters!]

[Ignoring disappointment in favor of making the most of it, she laughed and winked back, head tilted teasingly.]

I hope you're ready for some real gut bombs, then! Oh, and some spice. I love a good spicy noodle! [Never mind that she often orders them too spicy...]

I am already there, man! [He laughed, delighted at the prospect of a food tour curated by a local, but more importantly, at the prospect of seeing said local again. Trucy Wright was definitely someone he wanted to get to know better.]

[He pulled out his phone and brought up the 'add contact' screen before he handed it over to her.] Here. Add yourself. I'll let you know when I can meet up again.

[She smiled innocently, though a hint of amusement seemed to lurk behind it.] Silly. I already gave you my number. [But she took the phone, anyway, and proceeded to switch to the camera app.]

You did? Where was I? [His pitch rose with excitement. Did she perform a magic trick on his phone?]

Yup! [Not quite that impressive, though. She smiled sweetly, chin balanced on the back of her hand, and took a selfie.] You were here the whole time. [She handed his phone back.] Check your pocket!

[In it, he'd find the business card of one Trucy◇Wright, Professional Magician and Accountant of the Wright Anything Agency. (She'd had to step down from CEO when her dad insisted she put more effort into school...) It had a business number and email address on the front, but written in pen on the back was another number with the word 'cell' and a doodle of Trucy's smiling face scribbled beside it.]

[He barely hesitated long enough to accept his phone before eagerly fumbling through his pockets. When his fingers finally found cardstock, he pulled the little card out. A delighted grin spread across his face as he devoured its contents, which consisted of every form of contact he could have ever needed and a really adorable doodle of the magician.]

Ah, a token of our first meeting! I shall cherish it always! [he pronounced dramatically, clutching the card to his chest.]

You'd better! [she tutted, wagging her finger.] I don't give my personal number to just anybody, you know.

[He may or may not have noticed that, at some point since returning to the dressing room, his inducer had been surreptitiously slipped back onto his wrist.]

I don't blame you. [His laughter was light, but when he tucked the card away in his pocket after adding her to his phone, he did it with an excess of care. She didn't have to tell him what a big deal it was.]

[That done, he shot off a quick text--'Hallo from your friendly neighborhood crawler' with an abundance of high five emojis--to put his number in her phone. In the process his gaze glossed right over the inducer on his wrist, his brain not even registering its presence.] There. It's official now. We've transcended 'strangers' status into 'mutual phone contacts' territory.

[At the sound of her text going off (which sounded like some sort of show sound effect), she magicked her cell phone from somewhere within her cape, glanced at it, and grinned, quickly texting back a hello of her own, along with: why crawler??]

[The phone then disappeared from whence it came, and she vigorously nodded her agreement.] That's a big step! Some day, we might even call each other!

Edited 2020-12-23 07:13 (UTC)

Whoa now, let's not get crazy! What's wrong with texting like normal people? [He gave her a cheeky grin as he retrieved his phone. Then he read her response and typed out a quick reply. 'short for Nightcrawler. it's kind of my nickname.']

[Something occurred to him as he was shutting off the screen again.]

Oh hey, I just realized I never got my inducer back from you!

That's true. It'll be a sad day when I use a phone to actually call someone. [Phone in hand again, she tapped out another text (sounds like a superhero name 😉) and spoke without looking up.]

Are you sure about that?

['haha that would be a pretty cool superhero name, huh?']

[He looked up when he finished typing, shooting her a quizzical look though she didn't see it.]

Vas? [It was only then that he noticed the inducer was already wrapped around his wrist. At which point he jumped up and down a few times, crowing:] Oh no way! That's so cool! How did you--? I didn't feel a thing!

[He beamed at her, showing off his fangs.] You're incredible, you know that?

[She didn't answer that last text, putting her phone away with a little smile before continuing their spoken conversation.]

Well, I don't have a magic show for nothing! [She giggled, rocking back on her heels. It wasn't often she got genuine praise from someone her age who wasn't already a close friend or a big fan. Then again, most of the people who fell outside of those categories were classmates, and they were big jerks. This was a nice change of pace!] I do like the sound of that, though: [she made an sweeping gesture in the air, as if reading her name in lights] 'the Incredible Trucy Wright'!

[Taking his cue from her, Kurt tucked his phone into his pocket, too.]

It definitely has a ring to it! [He looked at his inducer again, still silently marveling over her skill, but in doing so he caught a glimpse of the time. Which was, unfortunately, much later than he should have been out. His smile fell.] Geez. I didn't realize how late it was. I should probably get back to the hotel soon. [He gave her an apologetic frown, though he perked up quickly as something else occurred to him.] If you want, I could stay a few more minutes to meet your friend. We don't have to talk about the mutant thing yet. [He shrugged, his grin turning a bit wry.] It might be better if the person she hears that from isn't a complete stranger.

[She looked about to agree wholeheartedly... until she remembered the time. Her expression settled into an apologetic smile.] Much as I'd like to... my dad's gonna start calling if I'm not home soon. [She leaned in, whispering as if said man could hear:] He gets a pass on calling since he's old and also my dad.

[Leaning away, she folded her arms and went on:] Besides, Athena would wonder who you are and why you're here, and that'd just open a whole other can of worms, because even if she couldn't tell if I was lying, I'm sure she'd be able to tell if you were, and then we'd have to go through a whole night of interrogation!

I hate to admit it, but you've got a point. Guess we'd better wrap this up before we anger our respective old dudes. [He flashed a cheeky grin. It took some effort; he really wasn't ready for this night filled with magic to end just yet.]

[Her smile required that same bit of effort. She wasn't ready for the night to end, either. Alas...]

[Without warning, she launched at him with open arms.]

Whoa! [He caught her on pure instinct, stumbling back a few steps as she knocked into him with all the momentum such a small body could build up. Then he froze that way, wrapped in her arms and staring at the wall beyond in blank panic. His hands were still touching her upper back, as if they stuck to her at the moment of impact and couldn't be freed. His brain seemed to have stalled, refusing to process what was happening and what it might mean, let alone how he should react. What was a teen boy supposed to do when a wonderful girl he just met threw herself at him?!]

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