Entertaining the Crowds

[ColossusCrusher]

(Open, feel free to join)

It had been two months since he had first left Gisela in search of adventure, and two days since his return, upon realizing that adventuring required large amounts of money. Amounts of money that he did not have at the moment. All he had left were a measly two hundred gold coins, and he needed more than that if he was going to have adventures. For now, Kurt was at the city's center, performing for the crowds, slowly coming to appreciate the job, no longer hating it as much as he had before. He spread his hands and put on a grin, preparing to start a new set for the masses.

"Welcome, welcome to the amazing display of illusion that lies before you! The impossible is fully possible here, and your eyes will be amazed at what you see. Take a small rest from your busy lives for some harmless entertainment! I promise that it will not be wasted in the slightest! Now, who wants to see a trick? Why don't we begin with something simple? I will simply disappear before your eyes! But keep your eyes open! Who knows where I'll reappear? Nobody, of course. But the first one to see me gets to participate in my next trick!" he shouted out to the crowd, bathing in their cheers as he began the act. With a thought - and a useless, extravagant flourish - he used some of his magical abilities to warp the flow of light around him, effectively turning him invisible for a few seconds. The crowd gasped - he had been right there, and now he was gone. He dashed over to the side of the stage and ducked down behind a table set up for the occasion. He felt the magic fade away as it ran out of time, and he waited.

"There! Over there Mommy! He's there!" cried out a young boy, no more than eight years old. He pointed at Kurt, who got out from under the table with a smile.

"We have a winner! Tell me, son, what's your name and how would you like to be my assistant for the next number?" he asked, walking over to the boy and kneeling in front of him, who was tugging at his mother's sleeve in an attempt to gain her approval. When she gave a happy nod he ran onto the stage, "Hi! I'm Storban and I'll be your assistant today!" What did you know? The kid was a natural showman. He had a future here. Kurt, on the other hand, just wanted to get out and explore.

"Here's the next trick! Storban is going to be at one end of the stage, and I will be at the other. On my mark he will charge at me and try to knock me down, but I won't be there any more. I'll be where he is now," said Kurt, making another flourish. Once the two of them were at their positions, he called out to the boy, "Now!"

Storben rushed at him with his arms held out forward in front of him. He was surprisingly fast for a kid his age, but Kurt was faster. When Storben was mere inches away from him, Kurt warped the fabric of space, shooting over to the other side of the stage in an instant. He forced himself to not hold his head - the sudden teleportation always affected him for a few moments, and the more he did it the worse it got. He held up his hands as the crowd applauded, before Storben ran into him, successfully this time. "See? I'm only human. Nothing strange here, just good, old fashioned smoke and mirrors." On cue a cloud of thick, cloying smoke emerged from his hands, covering him in an opaque mist. He gave Storben a pat on the head and gave the beaming boy a light push in the direction of his mother.

By the time the prevailing winds had blown away the smoke, Kurt was sitting in the chair beside the table with one leg crossed over the other. The applause was loud, as always, as he stood up and gave a bow. "And many thanks to my young assistant! Unfortunately, this set will take a brief intermission, and I regret that I must bore you now with the plea of all showmen for some coins - not even we illusionists can eat smoke and mirrors, of course."

He picked up the hat that was lying on the table and flourished it in front of him, slowly walking along the edge of the stage as townspeople decided whether or not he had been worth their money, as well as their time.

[Amber Eyes]

A small purple coin purse gently glided through the air towards a large stage in the center of the square. Its ties unfurled slowly as it made its way towards the magician's hat. A light-skinned hand nearly grasped the bag as it sailed just out of reach--again. Kyla's face hit the cobblestone street, mixing azure blood from her scrape with the dirt build up on the gray stone. The mystic pushed herself to her knees and once again set her bright blue eyes on her purse a few feet in front of her. She tensed her legs and made a leap towards the bag, finally grasping it with her fingertips. She fell hard, rolling a few times before holding her prize abover her head.

Several townspeople stopped and stared at the bloodied girl as she pulled herself to her feet and brushed some of the dirt off of her knee-length green dress.

"Move on, you act like you've never seen someone lose track of their finances before," She waved them on with her free hand as she searched the crowd. She spotted her bags across the square, piled neatly as a makeshift throne. Atop the baggage sat her own little prince, laughing hysterically at his mother's clumbsiness. She made her way through the crowd, her eyes never leaving those of the three-year-old. Several apologies were made as she parted the crowd to reach the small boy. When she was within reach she brushed his messy hair out of his eyes and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

"No more hovering Mommy's purse, Akiv. How are we supposed to make it back to Radasanth if you keep trying to give everything we have to a silly magician?" Akiv furrowed his brow and stared directly into her eyes, refusing to back down.

"He can't eat smoke Mamma." The mystic smiled and unwound the purse, pulling out three smooth coins and laying them gently in his small palm.

"Then take this to him, because little darling neither can we." Kyla picked up their three small bags and laid them over her shoulder before laceing her fingers through her sons and heading towards the stage. The large group that had surrounded the man had begun to dissipate and only a few people were standing nearby when the little boy reached his hero of the hour.

“That was cool.” The young child looked up at the magician in awe.

“Akiv,” His mother rolled her eyes, “Sei can sprout wings and speak directly into your mind and you are more interested in parlor tricks?”

“Gampa Sei can’t disappear.” Akiv looked up at her as though this were the most obvious logic in the world. A smile filled her face, something about the way he said Sei, more like Seeaay had always warmed her heart.

Kyla finally turned towards the magician, “Looks like you have a new biggest fan. We’re heading back to Radasanth tomorrow, will you be doing any more shows before then?”

[ColossusCrusher]

As the crowd dispersed into the lazy afternoon day Kurt took a look into his money hat and grimaced. Not many people had given him coins, but he had recognized many of them as repeat customers, as it were, and they had already given him money on other occasions. He needed to change the act somehow, but all he had were his abilities. In short, he needed to get out of here and do something, something else. Preferably out in the greater world. He emptied the coins into his coin pouch - it was on a chain, he was much to paranoid to use a string - and sat down in the chair beside the table. He stretched out and ran his hand through his hair as he began to think of how to alter the program. Luckily for him he was brought out of his reverie by a little boy who came up to give him a few coins.

"Why thank you. I always do my best to entertain people, and I'm happy that you liked my show," replied Kurt, tousling the boy's hair as he took the coins. A brief burst of smoke blew out from the hand that had taken them, and when the cloud cleared they were gone. Kurt shared a knowing wink with the boy, happy that he had pleased someone with his tricks. He didn't know why, but his mother then spoke to him - most of the time when little kids gave him coins their parents stayed barely in sight and hurried away once their child was safely in their arms. But this woman talked to him. But she couldn't have been more than twenty and she already had a small child? He wasn't one to judge, especially not in a world where some married at fourteen, but he had always thought that it was wiser to wait before having children. He shrugged mentally. To each their own.

He did, however, take mild offense to what she had said, "I assure you, miss, that these are no mere parlor tricks. They are magic. In fact, the smoke and mirrors are themselves smoke and mirrors," he smiled, standing up from the chair. He held up his hand as it began to turn black as smoke formed around it, "See? Nothing mechanical over there."

Radasanth. Maybe that was his ticket out of here. "Well, normally I would be doing a show in about fifteen minutes, but you've piqued my interest in taking a trip to Radasanth - in all honesty I just want to travel and go on adventures, and this just pays the bills. If you would let me come along, well, I guarantee that my next show will start earlier and be much more impressive. I do understand, of course, if you do not want me to come along, as I am a stranger." He spread his hands out and shrugged. Maybe he could finally follow his dreams.

[Duffy]

Duffy blinked.

He was almost sure he had missed it.

"I don't trust him," he said flatly, to which Ruby only rolled her eyes.

They had watched the magician's 'show' with keen interest, only to be let down by the somewhat lack lustre finale. It was a surprise, a nice one at that to stumble across street performers. Once, Duffy would have been jealous, but to see creativity spread out from the cities into the wilds and inspire those who would otherwise miss out made his chest warm and his lips beam into a smile.

"You would not trust him if divulged all his secrets and promised you gold, Duffy. Give him the benefit of the doubt, it certainly looks like ma-" Ruby paused mid sentence, her flummoxed expression clearly indicating that she had seen something quit unexpected.

Duffy nudged through the crowd as it swelled into them. The grumbling faces and dishevelled looking group muttered comments about the performance, and how they loathed having to go back to work. He re-appeared at Ruby's side, looking just as confused himself.

"Ruby...what is it?"

"Is that," she prodded a finger through the sea of bodies. "Is that Kyla?"

Duffy followed her extended digit, bouncing his vision from dirty face to ample bosom and on to one of the younger members of the Orlougnes family.

"Good lord,"

"It is, isn't it?" She sounded more than convinced, so much so Duffy wasn't sure if the question was rhetorical.

"Yes." He hazarded a guess, flinching slightly lest she punish his lack of etiquette. Relieved to find his genitals intact, he made to advance towards the friendly face and her brood.

"No," Ruby tapped him on the shoulder. "Don't interrupt, she might be here on the accord of Sei - or the Knights. Look", she prodded more convincingly, her red hair falling messily over her forehead with the movement. "She's talking to him - this can't be coincidence."

Duffy observed Kyla's exchange with the illusionist with a furtive glance that went from untethered to intrigued with a slow curl of his lips.

Gisela was not the place either members of the Tantalum troupe had guessed to find a friendly face. Though they were due north in Radasanth, they often visited the small towns to garner interest and to keep an eye out for budding artists and writers stuck in the rural heartland; there was always somebody looking for a road to fortune in the big city.

"Let's give them a moment..." Ruby whispered, clicking her fingers to activate the remnants of Wainwright's Heart she had embedded into the coif of her mithril breastplate. The sun caught the golden flower on her hip as she did so, and with a flash of light, her red hair and familiar, unmissable appearance faded into dull brown hazel shades. She did not want to give the game away so easily.

"Let's see what he does for his next trick..." she chuckled, and they stood talking about the weather to give the impression they weren't spying on the illusionist.

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla was taken back by the street performers offer. She had only mentioned going back to Radasanth in passing. She definitely did not expect the magician to ask to join her and her child. Two firm hands were placed on Akiv’s shoulders, reaffirming that the young boy was within an arm’s length of his mother. After all, they had just encountered this man on the street, and he was offering to join them on a trip to Corone’s capital. Then again, people had pre-conceived notions about her own adoptive father not preferring the company of women just because he never seemed to go out on a date. Assuming things based on first encounters could create high tensions all around.

“Mommy,” Akiv spoke, pointing away from the three of the, “it’s the Tantrum!”

Kyla followed her son’s finger, her eyes meeting with two familiar faces in the crowd. One of the faces belonged to one of the heads of the Ixian Knights, Duffy Bracken. The other face belonged to Duffy’s one-time flame and songstress Ruby Winchester. Though Kyla had had several interactions with the thief and actor, she had never really gotten to know Ruby. According to Kyla’s sisters, the red-haired noble seemed to at one time have a thing for Sei. She had hoped that such a crush had come to pass, as the older woman was now married and usually spent her time in Scara Brae, away from Ixian Castle.

Kyla’s grip on her child slipped ever so slightly as she looked at the Tantalum (or as Akiv called them, ‘The Tantrum’) members, and in that brief second, the child shot off like an arrow from a bow. The child darted past the people straight towards the acting duo that were trying to remain hidden in the crowd. There was no doubt that the child was already committing to allowing the man before Kyla come with them, and probably asking the former lovers if they wished to come as well. It had been a while since Duffy had come to the castle.

“Alright,” Kyla spoke to Kurt, her eyes never leaving her son (who at this point was mimicking the motions of the magician he had seen minutes earlier), “you can come with us. My name is Kyla, and that fireball over there is Akiv. I’m afraid we don’t have the pleasure of knowing your name, Mr….?”

[ColossusCrusher]

"Stoller. Kurt Stoller. Thank you so very much for letting me come - I've started feeling a bit trapped in this place, and a change of scenery will do me good," replied Kurt. "I wonder who those two are, Akiv seems to know them, so I'd assume that you do too. They haven't been watching us this entire time, have they, without even introducing themselves? That's quite rude." He waved the couple over, indicating that he too was aware of their presence. He wondered if there was some history between the two groups, but he obviously couldn't know anything for sure regarding that. He shrugged mentally and said, "Now, I do believe that I promised little Akiv a spectacular show, so if you'll excuse me, I have a crowd to win."

He stepped back with a smile and raised his voice so he could project it through the square, "Hello, hello! Welcome to a fantastic show of illusion! We are coming back from a brief intermission for the grand finale! I'm Kurt, and I'll be your entertainer for the next while or so. You've seen me vanish, move around in the blink of an eye and even have smoke tricks, but you haven't seen everything!" His right arm moved up, the index finger standing straight up, while his left hand pointed downwards near his hip and back towards his stage. "I have here a device that will astound and amaze you, and the best thing is that anyone can use them!" He reached into the bag near the table and fished out a small vial filled with a black substance, holding it up in front of the assembling crowd.

"This here is a vial filled with the same smoke I use in the show. Just smash it against something and you'll create a thick cloud of smoke, useful for all situations, whether you're hiding from your parents who want to take you to school or trying to escape an angry spouse in the dead of night, this is for you! Now, who wants a demonstration? Oh, you do? Alright then, let's see what happens," he said, winking to the crowd, some of whom had laughed at his latter example. He spun his arm and flung the vial down onto the ground. Instantly a large plume of smoke obscured him, making the center of the stage impossible to see. When the wind blew it away a minute later, he was gone.

Kurt reappeared sitting on the table. He waved to the cheering crowd, "If you want one, it can be yours for just ten gold pieces - it's an absolute steal, and you can't get them anywhere else! Now, for my next trick I'll need a volunteer. You! You seem eager," he said, pointing at a young blond woman about his age who had been clapping, but suddenly began to blush as he came over and brought her onto the stage, "What's your name?" he asked. "L-Lucille," she stammered out nervously, fidgeting on the stage, while Kurt retrieved his next set of props.

"Don't be worried Lucille, all I need is for you to put this sheet over me, count to three and then pull it off. Then count to ten and smash another vial in front of me. Easy, right?" his grin seemed to help put the girl at ease a little bit, and she nodded and threw the sheet over him. Three. Two. One. Kurt closed his eyes and focused on becoming invisible for a prolonged period of time, letting nothing else enter his mind. The crowd gasped as the sheet came off and he was gone. Sweat beaded on his brow as he began to feel the strain from the outside stimuli. The noise. It was disrupting his concentration. But he couldn't fail. Not now. He was so close. He wasn't going to make it. There was too much going on. Crash. He lost control just as the cloud of smoke formed around him, and he took a deep breath of relief before stepping out of the cloud, spreading out his arms to the crowd's applause.

He bowed. "Thank you Lucille! You've been a great assistant," he said as she returned to the crowd. "Now, who wants to see a real whammer?" The crowd roared, "What's that? I can't hear you." They roared again. "Oh, all right. Here we go. Hang on to your lunch, people, this is going to get loud." He stepped back and took a deep breath as he entered a state of pure focus on the task he was about to perform. He had never done what he was about to do, and it was possible that it would backfire horribly.

Blink. He was to the right of the stage. Smoke. A puff of smoke burst from his hands. Blink. To the left. Smoke. Blink. Above the stage. Smoke as he landed on the table in a crouch. Blink. Into the chair. Smoke. Blink in succession trailing smoke, staying in the air. Feeling exhausted from the blinks. Persevere for the big one. Blink. Center stage. Discharge smoke plume with hands up in diagonals. Applause. Bow. Bow again. Shooting pain in stomach from blinks. Curse self for being an idiot. Grin anyway and ignore it. More applause. Memo to self: get better at blinking. Stand up and walk around with hat. Lots of donations, excellent. Thank audience. "Thank you, thank you so much for your time! I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as I did! I'll see you soon!" Once they disperse except for Kyra, Akiv and the other two, collapse into chair. Kurt blinked as he left his focused state, and he remained in the chair, catching his breath.

[Duffy]

“I love inquisitive children,” Ruby mumbled, right before she waved at Kyla and her young one. “They spoil all my fun.”

“We cannot help it if we were not conspicuous enough Ruby.” Duffy shrugged a half-hearted attempt at appeasing the red headed mistress’s irritation. He knew better than to fan the flames, but he was no good at quelling the embers.

They approached the wizard and Kyla in a friendly manner, well-timed steps and eager smiles covering their mutual annoyance at having been spotted. Kyla waved briefly and then turned away to chuckle at the magician as he slumped exhausted into his chair after another theatrical performance with a plucky and simple looking assistant he had no doubt planted in the crowd.

“We are going on a jaunt to Radasanth, if you’d care to join us?” Kyla said flatly over her shoulder.

The crowd by now had more or less dispersed, its curiosity lost to the turn of time, its mass scattered to the four winds. Between clucks and coos, Ruby considered the offer. She had expected trouble from the ragged appearance and flashy theatrics of Kyla’s new companion, but up close he seemed pleasant enough.

“Merry meet,” Duffy said, his only words carrying a hollow promise of civility with them. "I'm Duffy."

“We are in fact headed that way ourselves Kyla, it would be splendid to travel with you and…” she minced her words carefully, looking the man over as she did so, “your companion on the northern road.”

Duffy remained silent and ever watchful. He did not trust the illusion mage one little bit, and not because he was better with the young ones than he was. He did not trust magicians, wizards or sorcerers, and less still, he did not trust the sorts of people who used their magic to try and catch a date. He smiled as they continued on their way, the thought of Sei enacting various painful tortures on the man if he tried anything untoward warming his cold heart over to the idea of a brief detour.

“My name is Ruby Winchester sir,” she glanced warmly at the gentlemen but made quick amendments to her plans to extend her hand for him to shake. She was wearing her best white gloves, and did not want to spoil them. “It is a pleasure to accompany you, and most prudent to thank you for your kindness and friendship towards Kyla.”

She turned to the Orlougne and observed the woman’s stark simple features which possessed a beauty and wisdom that belief her youth. Like all of the mystics of the Orlougne legacy, Kyla was a powerful and enigmatic creature, bereft of many things people too for granted, but gifted with something else entirely – providence, power, wisdom, heart.

“How have you been Kyla? It has been a long time since we visited the castle, longer still since I left Emma on the shores of Corone after our return from Raiaera.” Ruby spoke in earnest, her red hair and her dress flowing like molten lava in the radiance of the sun.

[Amber Eyes]

"I'm fine, Ruby," Kyla spoke with a grace that seemed to rival the Scara Brae noble woman, as if the two were in some sort of competition, "Emma still talks about her stay with you like it was one of the best times of her life. Which, I guess for somebody as young as she is, it was." The girl shifted her eyes towards Kurt, who seemed to be a bit exhausted from the last stunt that he had just pulled off. Akiv seemed to come to the man's rescue, running over to him and giving him the once over to make sure he was alright.

Kyla's gaze shifted over to Duffy, who seemed to be glaring daggers at the street performer. The girl grinned, imagining that the rouge had developed a tinge of jealousy over Kurt's display. After all, Duffy was a street performer of sorts as well, but more well known in Scara Brae circles, not bigger countries such as Corone. There was no doubt that after his tricks today, that Kurt would become a house hold name, at least for a few weeks.

"In fact, I think Emma would like to see you again. She'll probably be really surprised to see that I've brought the two of you back along with me this time. As for Duffy, I think I heard Sei mention something to him about a new recruit of some sort. Dan Lathg--" Kyla paused for a moment, trying to remember how to pronounce the newest incarcerated inmate of Ixian Castles name, "Oh, he's known as the Rotslayer, or the Slayer of Rot, or something like that. I think he was some sort of powerful warrior or something. Maybe you'll know him when you see him."

The mother than turned to her child, walking over to the innocent boy. Akiv continued to stare at Kurt before turning back towards his mom. "He's tired," Akiv said plainly before huffing and puffing to emulate the magician. This brought a smile across Kyla's face, though her attentions were still focused on the weary magician.

"Are you alright, Mister Stroller? Do you think you can make it back to wherever you are staying tonight?"