I waited for a bit, puttering around with small tricks and encouraging the audience to partake of the snacks and drinks available for order. It was just one of those things to keep the beancounters happy in their offices. They likes it when people spent money.

Of course, I had other preferences. "I think it's time for my helper to come back," I called out, beckoning her to return. I didn't know who was going to come with her and the chain looped through her body, but that was why I was a firm believer in not having plans, but rather ideas.

She didn't disappoint, bringing a middle aged man with her, one dressed in swimtrunks and had a glorious black beard that apparently stole all the hair off his head. I could work with that. "Hey!" I said with a wide smile as they walked up to the stage. I saw that the crotch of my red-haired assistant was very visible now, and that she didn't care.

"Hey." the man shook my hand. "I brought her back for you."

"Excellent!" I clapped my hands as part of my routine. "Now, I have to ask, did you want to help me for a couple minutes? I might need a spare pare of hands."

He glanced down at his. "You aren't gonna take mine?" he asked, honestly worried.

I laughed. The audience laughed. "No!" I assured him, "just in the metaphorical sense. Not the literal one. First thing though, is that I have to remove the chain from her," I gestured at the metal links in his hand. He passed them over and I looked at them with a deepening frown. No, not because they were wet from saliva and other fluids.

"Shit," I swore. "I can't find the trick link I use to put the ends together. And I can't spend the time to manually check each one," I announced.

"What are you going to do?" the man fed me a nice setup without need to be prodded into it.

"Well, I do have an option or two," I gave him and the audience a knowing look. "You see, the second most requested thing that this lovely lady have done to her is something of a classic, and I think I can make this work." I searched my pockets, not finding but rather conjuring. "Here," I said as I produced a long and thin razor from my back pocket. I slid it into one of the links in the chain between my assistant's legs, then I pulled on the chain from the top.

The chain and razor rose up and then stopped, caught against her pubes. "Ah, a lack of leverage," I lamented. "Truly, even a magician such as I cannot fully overcome physics." I could, but that wouldn't be entertaining at this point. "Sir," I turned to the bearded man, "would you mind helping me?"

"Sure. How?"

"Well," I said for his benefit and our watchers, "I need you to hold this lovely woman down so that when I pull up," I indicated the chain in hand and the blade at her loins, "she won't go up with it."

He nodded. "Makes sense," he said as he rounded around behind her and held her down with a firm grip on her shoulders. And well away from the blade. "Ready?"

I nodded in turn and yanked on the chain. The links rose through her, but the blade was still not going into her. Her eyes were wide as she felt it press against her skin, but did not break it, and a slight 'eep' could be heard if one listened closely. "Try again," I said, and the bearded man set himself with a bit more enthusiasm.

I made a show of setting myself, and with the three of us side-on to the audience, I gave the chain another strong pull.

The razor slid into the woman, eliciting a louder sound of appreciation. The rubber swimsuit slip apart as the blade cut into her, sticking out the front and back. "There we go!" I said with a grin. "Just had to get past the first part!" I pulled again, the blade rose up into her belly, chain dangling out her open hips. Her face was getting red, and I didn't stop, pulling again, this time not stopping until the blade rested against her ribs. "You OK back there?" I asked as I checked the man on the other side of her.

"I'm good," he said as he checked his position.

"Excellent! Because as I cut the chain out of her, she's not going to be able to support herself that well," I said as I let go of the chain for a moment and lifted her audience-facing leg up sideways, enough to perform a split that started at her stomach. Thankfully the inside of her body was covered in unblemished skin. Not that sort of show. I put her leg back down. "Ready? I think we can do this with one more go."

"Yeah!"

I wrapped the chain around my hand and met my helper's eyes. She didn't expect this. And now she wanted it. I pulled with a dramatic yell and the blade flew up through her, cutting her chest in half followed by her neck, then the blade twisted as the chain passed through her neck and out her mouth, the length of it clearly passing through the back of her head in the process.

"TAH-DAH!" I yelled as I threw the chain away behind me and out of reach of anyone in the audience. The man holding her in place found himself stumbling a little and he pulled when he should have pushed, causing the woman to go in two separate ways! "You asked for a cutting-in-half, and so I provide!" I announced as I took one of her halves from the bearded man and pulled her away from herself.

She gaped like a fish, but I didn't care as I made more distance between the half in my grip and the other half. I walked over to a nice full-length mirror as the audience applauded my little spectacle.

I reached the mirror and carefully set her against in, the inside half against the cool surface. "Thank you!" I said with a bow. "Just hold on a moment," I said to the poor man holding half a woman. "Of course, I can't really do a show with only half an assistant, so I should fix that." I tapped my half of my assistant on the side of her head. "Hey, get up," I said loud enough for all to hear.

She waved her arm around, then found purchase against the mirror. She pushed against it, getting away from the reflective surface. Except her reflection came with her, and I mentally made a note to do better next time when I wasn't running on so much momentum. She pulled her arm out of the mirror, then leveraged her waist out, allowing her to pop free. "Ahhh!" she sighed blissfully as she checked over herself. "That was fun! Can I do it again?" she asked with pleading eyes.

I looked over at the other man with his half of my one-and-a-half assistants. "That can be arranged!" I called out as beckoned him over. He did, carefully cradling his half of the assistant. "Just put her on the mirror," I instructed him, hoping he was paying attention when I did my thing.

He was, and he did, carefully setting her down on the mirror, insides against the reflective surface. "Your turn!" I announced as I woke that half up.

And like the red-haired woman beside me, the one on the mirror pulled herself up off the mirror until there were now two of her on the stage, leading to another round of applause from the audience.

"Thank you! Thank you!" I basked for a moment before turning to the man whose name I never bothered to ask about or learn. "Listen, you've been such a good sport," I took one of my helpers by the wrist and spun her at him. "And I only need one lovely lady up here on stage. So take this one," she sailed into him with a smile, "and enjoy your night. Don't worry about her," I waved him off the stage, encouraging him to take his reward, "I'm sure she'll like whatever you do."

"Bye!" the lovely red-haired woman on the stage also waved her twin away. "Enjoy!" She turned to me. "Hey," she said as she ran a finger from her pussy up to her neck, no once leaving her skin. "My clothes are ripped. What are we going to do about that?"

"I can think of a couple things," I said with a smirk. "But let's save that for the next act."