The Magician, Live from the Orpheum, part one

There was chaos backstage. Costume pieces were flying, makeup brushes were scattered, people were talking back and forth and over each other, sidestepping props being moved into the wings as they headed back and forth. It was the sort of chaos associated with every stage production, everywhere, and the Magician’s productions were no exception. He moved through it all like a dock on a rough lake, a stable surface the rest of the cast could rely on to get back to solid ground.

He poked his head into the makeup room. “No, Marisol, we are not selling ‘The Magician’s Assistant’ sex dolls. Not in your likeness, nor anyone else’s.”
Robyn, closest to the door, turned and stood, and gave his makeup a final check, brushing some powder out of his salt-and-pepper goatee.
“But boss, we’d make a killing! Why not?”
“Thank you, Robyn. Mari, you absolutely know every reason why not-”
“Aww, fine-”
“Laurel, you double checked Robyn’s costume, right? No ‘accidental’ wardrobe malfunctions this time, there’s a film crew in the house tonight.”
“Stitched in with carpet thread, boss- Mari’ll slice her finger open before she pops that button-”
“Love you too, Laur!-”
“You wish, Mar!”

A stage hand tapped the Magician on the shoulder. “Sir- that reporter snuck backstage; Hitomi’s about to go wushu on the camera crew.”
“Thanks, Frank. Excuse me ladies,” The Magician strode down the hallway, rounded the corner.

“Kat- we’re live in three! Two! …”
“Hello Pat! I’m back stage of the hottest magic show on the west coast, with Hitomi, the hottest magician’s assistant from the East. Hitomi, could you tell me-”
“Excuse me, Miss Brown,” the Magician interrupted.
“It’s the man himself! Mr. Magician, would you have time for a quick interview?”
“I would absolutely love to after the show, Katlyn, but, do you see that giant, serrated disc over there? In exactly seven minutes and twenty seconds, it’s going to be dropped from the rafters through one of my assistants, slicing her into multiple parts.”
“That’s incredible!-”
“Yes, isn’t it? In twenty-seven seconds,  we need to tilt it, spin it, and swing it into a very precise position, and if you happen to be in the way at that time, well, I’m afraid I can’t guarantee I won’t get your pieces accidentally mixed up with hers.”
“This is Katlyn Brown, backstage with The Magician, signing off!” The reporter hurried off in the direction Hitomi pointed her, but the camera-man was already leading the way.

“Thanks, boss.”
“Thank you, Hitomi. Where’s Skye?”
“Down below, already in position.” She looked at the watch strapped to her clipboard. “Two minutes, everyone! Places!”

The Magician stepped around a curtain and down four steep steps, then, half crouched, ambled under the stage in the dim light to the skinny girl with blue hair, who was sitting on the platform, shining a red light on an open panel. He sat down beside her. “One last check, Skye?”

“Yeah, I wanted to make sure the timing sequence was right,” she fiddled with a dial.

“Well, don’t worry. You set it yourself.” He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Remember, you’re not nervous- you’re excited- it’s your first show! We’ve been rehearsing this for weeks, we know it forwards and backwards, and I’m here; I’ll make sure everything will go fine.”
“Thirty seconds!” Hitomi called out from above.

Skye looked at him, and slid the panel shut. “I’m just worried this one’s a little, well, over the top…”
The Magician smiled, “It’s not. It’s delightfully creative- the audience will love it.”
“Thanks… boss.” She gave him a quick hug.
“Lights in ten, everyone! Nine! Marisol!! Seven!-”

Marisol quickly slid across the floor on her butt, then tossed her robe aside as she climbed up onto the platform. “Heeeey! Orgy? I’m invited, right?” She wrapped her arms around both of them. Skye swatted her hand away from her butt.

The Magician laughed, and guided them both into place on either side of him. “Break a leg, both of you!”
”And… Go!” Hitomi shouted. The lights went off, the music changed, and the show began.

***

The lights came up first on the backdrop full of stars- a mountainous landscape in the back, as the sound of running water filled the air. Then the spotlights came up on the wide fountain, shaped like a margarita glass. Water ran down the sides to the smaller pool at the base, three feet below.

From the water rose two figures, a dark one on the left, a pale one on the right. Both Marisol and Skye were dressed in painted on latex, covering them like a swimsuit, from between their legs, up to their breasts, but leaving their bellies bare, Skye's in blue, Marisol's in dark red, then water droplets flung from their wet hair as they reached towards each other and spun in a dancing embrace, each slowly leaning back while holding the other's hand, until they finished rising and stood just on the surface of the water. They let go and stepped to the far edges of the fountain bowl, Skye now on the left, Mari on the right. From above, a giant disc descended between them, looking like the moon. It tilted backwards to lay flat on the surface of the fountain, then rose, water spilling over its edges. Beneath it, the point of a sword, followed by an arm, then a figure clad in white shirt and black pants- the Magician. The audience applauded as the disc continued to rise, tilting forwards again. The Magician floated gently above the water, right leg bent slightly, foot behind his calf, left toes pointed down, holding the sword with both hands straight up in front of him, absolutely dry. Skye and Marisol danced around him, and embraced him as he gently touched down to stand on the water's surface as well.

Both assistants stepped back, facing him to stand in profile with the audience, their upstage legs one step in front of their downstage legs. The Magician turned the sword, pointing it down, then turned his body to the left, extending the blade of the katana between Marisol's legs.

Slowly, he drew it upwards in a circular arc, the audience seeing the sword pass through the girl's dark-skinned body, through her belly, out her back, rising up, until it pointed straight upwards. He paused briefly for the applause, and then continued the arc of the blade to his right, as Skye looked up as if to kiss the edge of the sword. It passed downwards, between her breasts, through her belly, and out between her legs, as the Magician completed the arc to point the sword straight downwards again. Both assistants remained absolutely still as the Magician sheathed his sword and raised his left hand, high, palm open towards the audience- then he brought it down, hard, as if to slap a desk in front of him.

The lighting changed from silver to gold; water splashed outwards from the edges of the fountain as if he had struck it, nearly reaching the front row of the audience, while both Marisol and Skye fell towards him. The Magician arc his hands sideways, and they rose through the girls' bodies along the cuts he'd just made. Their downstage hands reached towards his chest, then grasped his arms close to his shoulders, and he twirled those two halves together in front of him while the other two slid behind his body.

There he stood as the light slowly shifted back to silver, his arms wrapped around a figure half Skye, half Marisol, the contrasting skin and costumes meeting in the middle. She closed her eyes and sighed happily in his embrace, and the audience erupted into applause. She and the Magician both dropped their arms to their sides, then slowly lifted them upwards to the sides, her darker left arm and lighter right arm sweeping low, his at shoulder level.

Then the applause grew even louder as, from behind him, a dark arm on the right and light arm left swept upwards high towards the sky, and a second figure, half Marisol, half Skye, leaned towards the right while the one in front crouched low and leaned to the left.

They turned to stand beside him again, and both embraced him, dancing around him, up and down, then dancing with each other as he stepped forwards, off the front edge of the fountain, and drifted down to the stage floor.

He turned and watched them dance together as the music picked up to a frenzied pace, then lifted his right hand, palm stretched out. The music stopped, the two figures stopped, mid-step, in a close embrace, smiling, facing each other, each with a foot between the other's legs, foreheads touching.

The Magician dropped his hand. From above, the disc, like the large disc of the moon, dropped again, slicing downwards vertically through the assistants in the same places the sword had cut. The light again turned from silver to gold, and the pieces of the girls fell beneath the water- then the lights went out.

They came back on quickly, a spotlight first highlighting the Magician, smiling, facing the audience; then another, highlighting the fountain, where, with the disc once again high above, Skye and Marisol stood, complete and restored, soaking wet, holding hands, and grinning widely.

The audience roared and cheered, leaping to their feet as all three performers took a bow, then the Magician helped the girls down from the fountain, and all three took another bow, together, while the applause continued, well after the Magician had stepped forwards and the curtains had swung closed behind him, in front of the girls and the fountain.

***

Skye, still beaming, practically skipped off the stage. Hitomi handed her and Marisol each a towel and a robe, and Marisol dashed away for the makeup room and a blow-dryer.

"The boss wants you running the effects on The Breaker Box- Frank kept missing his cues during the last run through, and Laurel's going to have a fit if she gets bruised again- she's got a date tonight."

"Great!" Skye nodded and started drying her hair so she wouldn't drip over the control board. If she was quick enough, she knew she'd be able to watch the end of the Magician's sleight-of-hand routine. The part with the rabbits made her laugh every time.

"Oh, and Skye," Hitomi said, smiling slightly but warmly, "You did very well out there." Skye brightened even further- Hitomi's compliment meant as much to her as the audience's applause. The Japanese woman put her hand on Skye's shoulder as they walked towards the booth. "Welcome, officially, to the team."