Chương 118: Chapter 119: Suspension Chair

The days after that passed a bit too slowly. His schedule was set: going to Albert's for exercise in the morning, then working at the circus during the day. Sometimes he'd even return to Albert's for dinner. He continued with his 'market research' and practiced his routines with the rest of the crew. They were still a little wary of him, but it didn't show on their faces as much. They too were making an effort. To prepare for feeding people during their slums performance, they did a trial run on Saturday.

They invited only people through word-of-mouth, and told only the people in the area. The message spread like wildfire, and when the day came, a massive group arrived for food. Later that night, the Mayor had already commented on their actions, and it was a major story in the newspapers.

"What the Legerdemain is doing is marvellous, and I'm very glad I could be a part of this great endeavour. I encourage all citizens to look up to charity work, and spread good in your own unique way." With that message, they received a 'permit' to continue doing as they were. They weren't allocated any Riak, manpower or other meaningful support. The people of the slums were overjoyed that the Mayor was personally involved in helping them, and Evel decided to just leave it at that.

In the end, people were getting fed. The next day, it was already time for their performance in Upper-Ichoris. As usual, Evel ensured everything was going well before making his way into the secret room. The Mayor was there, albeit silent. Vito was there, all alone this time, also silent. The Jade family was there, bickering. The family head, Erik, complained non stop of his brother who lived elsewhere.

The way Evel understood it, Eric was far overshadowed by his older sibling who was making great strides in the world while he felt trapped inside the small city. The Malaya family was complaining. They sounded anxious when talking about their son, Toma, but otherwise angry. Unlike the Jade family, the Malaya family's sphere of influence was limited within Ichoris City, so they were only considered a minor family.

Either way, they had great aspirations to go further, but a poor affinity or bad ability from their son could ruin their dreams. Moe was there bragging to another merchant. He talked about how the woman loved him at a 'nearby institution,' and how he would soon break out as a star. Others were praising the Mayor for his kind and generous plans to revamp the slums and get it sorted for the people. Even Zephyr was there, casually speaking to Erden.

It was the first time the Prachar duo appeared since they'd originally shown up for the first Upper-Ichoris performance. He was planning to talk to them about their offer, but they made it a lot easier now. Doesn't that mean I have the upper hand in negotiation? He listened closely.

"So this is the 'AND' gate. It results in true if both sides are on. It's the same basic principle used in many Energy contraptions too, but with electricity it's basically exclusively dealing with these gates instead of only sometimes. This one's the NAND, and…" Erden went on and on about the gates, and Zephyr occasionally chimed in. It was fairly interesting, so Evel enjoyed the conversation, and even learned a thing or two. It was much more fun than the constant nagging of the Jade family.

Their topic of discussion bounced around until it finally landed on the circus. Clara was mid-show with her acrobatics.

"You think she'd be interested in joining Prachar?" Zephyr asked. Evel almost stood out of his seat.

"Probably not," Erden replied.

"Really?" Zephyr sounded surprised. Evel was a little surprised too. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"She went from a shit life to a great life, and all her friends are probably there. Unless she's still unsatisfied with her life, you'll have to offer a lot."

"Of course we'd hire her friends too. They're a capable bunch." Erden paused.

"Yeah, that'd probably work." Evel narrowed his eyes at the button of their room. He'd already planned to negotiate with Prachar, but now he needed to! He couldn't let them poach his best workers! By the time it was his time to perform, he hadn't accrued any information worth credits. Oh, well. He firmly placed the top hat on his head and made his way out of the room.

After doing some light stretches, he left his office, walking straight to the changing rooms and ignoring the strange looks from the security members. Yuna was already waiting for him, holding the mask he'd forgotten.

"Three minutes. The stage is ready."

"Are you happy with your pay?" He asked directly. Yuna blinked.

"What?"

"Are you and the others happy with your pay?"

"V-very. That's one of the main things people love about working here."

"Okay." Evel grabbed the mask from her hands and walked down the long corridor. He stepped onto the launch platform and listened to Rora's voice reverberating through the walls.

"Give it up for Clara!" A polite round of cheers.

"Next up…" She riled them up.

"You've seen him once. You've seen him twice. And you still. Couldn't. Get. Enough!" Excited cheers.

"The mysterious. The unfathomable. The Otherworldly. He who knows before the befall…" Clack. The spring released and the stage doors snapped open. His body got launched upward, catapulting him into the blinding lights. He scanned the audience from left to right. With the lights in his face, he couldn't make out their expressions, but the room was absolutely buzzing with excitement. From behind his mask, Evel smiled. This was why he'd chosen Agent over the other Banners.

He swept in his cloak and took a deep, low bow.

"The Oracle Hand!" Pure silence. Instead, every person's eyes were glued to his every movement. They had no idea what was coming. Beside him was a single wooden chair from previous performances facing sideways.

"For this trick, he needs an audience member." A few hands randomly shot up. Evel took out a deck of cards and threw them in the air. As they fell, he reached out and snagged one out of the air. The jack of clubs.

"Could the person sitting at 11C please come to the stage?" Rora politely asked. In the seat was a young woman with a wide face. She nervously got up and scaled the stairs as every eye dug into her. Evel motioned for her to sit on the chair, and she nervously complied. She sat facing the crowd, her right arm around the backrest of the chair. A few murmurs spread amongst the crowd. He took out a small pocket watch, carrying it by the tip of the chain and showed it to the girl. Then, he showed it to the crowd.

He walked up to the girl and put the pendulum in front of her eyes.

"For the next few seconds, try to keep your eyes open for as long as you can," Rora told her. The pocketwatch swayed. Her eyes remained focused. Left, right. Left, right. Left, right. First, her shoulders sagged. Then, her face drooped. Finally, her eyes closed. A wave of murmurs spread out, accompanied by a few gasps. He stepped to the side, allowing the audience to see her body slumped around the chair's backrest. With a wave of his hand, he reached down and grabbed her leg and lightly pulled it up.

Instead of pulling her out of the chair, her entire body rotated somehow with the pull as if she were a clockhand, and the chair's head was the clock's center. He raised her higher and higher. The gasps grew louder, and the murmurs increased. Until finally, she was parallel with the ground, with the chair's backrest, and Evel's arm being the only things keeping her from floating. Evel let go, taking a full step back. The murmurs exploded.

"What?"

"... she's floating…"

"How…"

"... girl…"

"... chair…" On the stage was a young woman, asleep. Her arm was hugged around the back of a chair, and the rest of her body was floating parallel with the floor. It was as if she was completely weightless. Evel swept in his cloak and hit a low bow.

"Suspension Chair!" The huge round of applause came from the crowd. A few cheers were even mixed in, rare for an event in Upper Ichoris. Evel stretched his neck as he walked back into the changeroom. The trick was a new one he'd recently invented—the first major one since he started the Ichoris Legerdemain— and the audience looked like they approved. The trick was simple: When he threw the cards, it was never random. The girl was a worker who'd prepared extensively for her role.

She 'fell asleep' from the watch, and wore a harness below her clothes that attached from her shoulder and arm around the chair. The harness kept her up; combined with a bit of core strength to remain absolutely still, it looked as though she was fully floating.

"How was the reaction?" He asked. He had the closest view, but Yuna had the experience and knew what to look out for to make judgements. One person could only do so much, and having someone specialized in each task was tremendously helpful in improvement.

"It was good," she nodded.

"Really good. With your disappearance followed by…"

"Below average performance?"

"Y-yes, the excitement from the earliest performances was beginning to wane. I think that excitement has returned."

"That's good. I suppose it's time to clean up, then."

"Some VIPs insist on talking to you… Should I send them away?"

"VIPs?"

"A white-haired lady from Prachar and the fat merchant guy named Moe. They both insist they need to see you, but I can…"

"No, that's alright. I'll go see them now."