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

These are the anecdotes he didn't know he needed.

[fuzzybluegecko]

"Probably not," he replied at first, also dreamily. Well, it would have been dreamily if he wasn't fighting to contain his coughing at the same time, straining his voice and making his eyes water.

All of that struggling seemed to suddenly clear up, though, when he heard the rest of what she had to say. "They what?!" He swiveled his head, craning his neck in the direction she had indicated. "How... Wait, back up. You can't say stuff like that without giving a guy more details, man!"

[sleightadvantage]

"Oh, sorry!" As she frowned thoughtfully, she slid him her milk carton, which he would find more than half empty if he drank it. "Which part, the crime family or my panties?"

[fuzzybluegecko]

Though he was horrified on some level, he also couldn't help himself. "Let's go with everything. Was all of that stuff connected?"

[sleightadvantage]

She brightened, appearing very eager to tell the story. "Actually, the whole park is connected to that trial, even Mr. Eldoon's noodle stand! It's a really long story, but here's the gist: Polly defended the heir to the Kitaki gang, who was accused of murdering a doctor in this very park! But it wasn't him, and the panty thief's intervention in the whole thing blew the case wide open!" She gestured dramatically as she went on, "The case had it all: love, betrayal, and a man's curiosity about what's hiding in a magician's panties."

[fuzzybluegecko]

"Wow..." He boggled at her for a moment, taking all of that in. The Cliff's Notes version of the story was not enough to understand it all, but he suspected even the full story may still leave him feeling lost. "You really know how to sell a story. I have so many questions now."

[sleightadvantage]

She cocked her head to the side, a smile playing at her lips. "Is one of those questions 'Can I see them?'"

[fuzzybluegecko]

Look at that. Even with his inducer on, it's possible for Kurt to look a little blue around the gills. "No! No, none of the questions involve...those. Except maybe 'Did the guy who stole them go to jail?'"

[sleightadvantage]

"He was arrested on petty theft charges, but I don't think he did any time..." She appeared to be thinking it over for a moment, before her gaze slid back to Kurt again, her smile widening. "Are you sure you don't want to see them? I've got them right here!" She held up her closed hands, as if holding something tightly in them.

[fuzzybluegecko]

'That's all? For that?! How messed up are the laws here?' He could only hope that maybe she didn't mean what he thought she meant when she called them panties. Especially since she seemed so eager to show them to him.

Blushing furiously again, he shook his head emphatically and held up his hands in front of him as if warding off a threat. "I'm cool, thanks," he said, forcing a nervous, toothy grin.

[sleightadvantage]

"But you haven't seen what's inside them, yet!" Finger by finger, one of her hands opened smoothly to reveal...

...absolutely nothing. Gaping at it in shock, she turned to her other hand, which was similarly empty. "But they were right here... Wait a minute!" Suddenly she gasped and turned her wide eyes towards him. "Kurt! You're not a panty thief, too, are you!?"

[fuzzybluegecko]

She was not serious. He knew (or was pretty sure, at least) that she was not serious. But the subject matter was serious enough that he felt an emphatic denial was in order. "Nuh uh, no way!" he said, his voice cracking as he held up his hands to ward off the accusation. "That's totally not my style, man! Besides, Jean and Rogue and Kitty would kill me if they ever found out I disrespected a lady like that."

[sleightadvantage]

She stared at him in horror for a split second longer, before recollection suddenly dawned on her face. She snapped her fingers. "Oh, wait!" Smiling brightly, she turned to her side, keeping her eyes on him. "That's right. I put them in here!" She mimed opening a drawer, pulling something out, and then slamming it shut before turning back towards him. With one hand curled into a fist, she reached into it with the other and pulled in a swift, smooth motion. Suddenly, a pair of blue bloomers with pink hearts and frilly, pink trim unfurled before him.

"Ta-da! My magic panties."

[fuzzybluegecko]

Throughout the pantomime, Kurt watched her hands with a mix of unease and interest. He was more sure this was all part of an act now, though he still wasn't sure what, exactly, was about to come out of that 'drawer.' They may quickly draw some unwelcome attention from the parkgoers.

His lingering nervousness vanished in a laugh that was slightly too loud, possibly attracting some attention of his own. The panties she had just produced for him were ridiculous and oversized and somehow...fitting. "Hey, you didn't say they were magic panties. I may have made an exception to my no-panty-stealing rule if I knew that." He threw in a cheeky grin and a wink for good measure, now fully in on the joke.

[sleightadvantage]

Delighted by his reaction, she grinned. "Good thing I keep them locked up extra tight now! Cookie?" She produced what appeared to be a chocolate chip variety after a second of rifling through the panties and held it out to him.

My icons T_T

[fuzzybluegecko]

"Er, I'm gonna have to pass on the panty cookies, thanks." He waved his hands defensively in front of him, even as he laughed warmly.

same T-T

[sleightadvantage]

"Aw..." Her disappointment quickly turned thoughtful, though. "You're right," she said, brightening again. With a flick of her wrists, the cookie--and the panties from whence it came--vanished. "Wouldn't wanna spoil that dessert you're definitely getting me!" Besides, it'd been a while since Daddy kindly requested that she shelve the panties; she couldn't remember the last time she'd whipped up a fresh batch of cookies!

[fuzzybluegecko]

"Good point," Kurt replied, blissfully unaware of the stale fate he so narrowly avoided. "I'm sure you have a multitude of options in mind, and I'm planning to leave room for them all!"

[sleightadvantage]

"Good!" With an affirmative nod, her gaze skimmed over their half-eaten meal. "Speaking of leaving room, maybe we should box the rest of this. There are still so many places I have to show you!"

[fuzzybluegecko]

"Can't fulfill all of my greasy Los Angeles fast food dreams by sitting here!" He got to his feet and started gathering up the trash and bowls. The curry udon he handled gingerly, as if afraid the lukewarm liquid might somehow burn his skin if it sloshed over the side of the bowl. (Not an unreasonable concern, he thought, when he could still feel the sting of it on his tongue.)

As his gaze drifted over to the noodle stand and its sour-faced owner, his movements slowed. "Do you, uh...want to grab some lids for these while I finish up?" he asked, doing his best to hide his wariness behind a slightly forced smile.

[sleightadvantage]

"Okay!" If she noticed his wariness, it went unremarked, as she bounded back towards the noodle stand.

She returned minutes later with two lids, a bag, and a word of advice, which she delivered with her best sour face and gruff voice. "Mr. Eldoon says, 'Don't try any funny business or you'll never see again!" I asked if he meant see me again," she added thoughtfully, "but he was really insistent that he meant what he said."

[fuzzybluegecko]

The fur on the back of Kurt's neck bristled. Swallowing hard, he dared a glance at the noodle cart, only to find himself trapped by Mr. Eldoon's stern glare boring into his oh-so-tender, vulnerable eyes. Forcing a pained smile, Kurt waved awkwardly at him before tearing his gaze away, returning his attention to Trucy.

"I-it's a good thing I have only the noblest intentions then, huh? Ha ha..."

[sleightadvantage]

"That's what I told him!" she said as she snapped the lids onto their bowls and stacked them carefully in the bag. "Besides, even if you managed to fool me, Athena will know for sure if you're hiding something!"

And, as if that were a perfectly normal, not at all stress-inducing comment to make, she linked her arm through Kurt's and smiled up at him. "So. Tacos or burgers next?"

[fuzzybluegecko]

After a statement like that, Kurt found it extremely difficult to give such a crucial question the kind of careful deliberation it deserved. "Uhh... Lady's choice?" His answering smile as she pulled him closer did little to hide how tense his muscles were. Even if he had nothing to hide, the idea of facing off against a human lie detector would not be an inviting prospect. And Kurt had more than his fair share of secrets to keep.

[sleightadvantage]

"Tacos it is, then!" She pulled him back towards the entrance of the park, making no mention of his taut muscles or nervous smile. She was confident he was a perfect gentleman, and his mutant status was likely to be revealed to Athena when they told her the news about her own, anyway. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing to worry about. "Ooh, I can show you the Kitaki house on the way!"

[fuzzybluegecko]

It took him a moment to remember who the Kitakis were in that jumbled up series of events she had told him about, but the realization did nothing to ease his anxiety. "The crime family?" His voice cracked a little on the words. "Ehh... Somehow I doubt they're looking to boost tourism to their home."