<div class="floatleft">(http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/callmecapone/Setting%20and%20RP/c35e5c8d72d34eb82d71873cb47124bf.jpg)</div><strong>Name:  Antonio Cabrello (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=266077.msg13129139#msg13129139)</strong><br/><br/><strong>CLIENT</strong><br/><br/><strong>Situation:</strong>Preparing for a new kind of performance<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Semele, Velen, Vibeke<br/><br/><strong>Content Warning:</strong><em>Preamble</em><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><hr/><hr/><br/>The illusion caught Antonio off guard at first. He watched as Semele's attire shifted, each fiber within her dress seeming to loosen and restitch into a whole new royal ensemble. His eyes followed the shifting threads down towards the carpet, which also began its change to a more regal environment. He paused in his steps, watching as the walls of the One-Night Bride shifted and changed before his eyes. Just what sort of magic was held in this place? Even within the Bazaar that would make it one surprisingly wondrous and awe-inspiring location.<br/><br/>"Good show, chap!" Grumrump suddenly bellowed as the group continued forward without him. "Such wonderful trickery!" The plump benefactor gave the Groom a clap on the shoulder, one that seemed to be received with curt politeness. After a moment's hesitation and thought -- and suddenly noticing the tail upon the man now accompanying Semele -- he realized that it wasn't magic of the Bride itself. Antonio sighed, falling back into place with the rest of the group. Such trickery and illusions always felt unfair to him. It would explain the sudden disappearance of the man's pet dragon as well. Just visions projected before everyone's eyes to make them believe something wondrous was happening.<br/><br/>It hit Antonio's pride a bit, as it made so many of his tricks seem mundane in comparison. Antonio's pride also drove a bit of anger within his chest. A mental trick was little more than a visual lie. The skill and craftsmanship wasn't there. Sure, he didn't know much about actual magic, but performing music with your real hands, singing, dancing and strumming all at the same time, ensuring every member of the audience felt spoken to... not to mention the real danger of juggling blades, or the ingenuity of working the juggling of candles and firecrackers to create a rather explosive performance. Real risk! Magic required mental concentration, but physical performance required so much more out of the performer, including the very real risk of failure.<br/><br/>Now it was a competition. No matter what illusions Velen was going to provide, Antonio needed to make sure his craft was memorable. For Grumrump, for his benefactor's courtesan, for Semele, for Vibeke, and for Velen to remember how he was bested by a mere mortal man.<br/><br/>As they stepped out into the Oasis Antonio had to stop and stare in wonder once more. Velen's illusion fell away, allowing him to drink in the absolute splendor of the place. He had fallen slightly behind, simply looking up at how high the walls went, the clear starry sky above, and gazing into the seemingly luminescent waters. A bright-blue hue gave Antonio his own glow, and just the feel of the scene brought a smile across his face.<br/><br/>"Getting cold feet, Antonio?" Grumrump called, a jovial smile across his face. Antonio chuckled as he jogged towards the group, Vibeke standing herself in a position where her own performance would be visible. Opening his satchel, Antonio began to reach for his balls as the party made themselves comfortable in the shadows of a grotto. He couldn't help but chuckle as Semele requested his benefactor be silent, to which Grumrump grumbled a bit about how performers love to know their work is being enjoyed. Looking down Antonio's hand paused, seeing Vibeke's expression questioning if he was prepared.<br/><br/>He smirked.<br/><br/><strong>"What fun is just juggling some balls?"</strong>Antonio asked loudly, still facing Vibeke's eyes though calling for the audience to hear. He held up a finger to indicate a moment and stepped closer to the audience. He withdrew two of the juggling balls, tossing one to Grumrump's courtesan and another to Semele.<br/><br/><strong>"I will start with four,"</strong>he began, lifting the same number of fingers on his hand.<strong>"I expect my dear partner will not be getting down to immediate business, so wait until she has placed me into her mouth before tossing the fifth towards me."</strong>He pointed to the younger courtesan, who seemed to blush. Grumrump giggled, his big belly causing her (and her bosom) to bounce slightly as she leaned against him.<strong>"Be careful to aim for me and not Vibeke or the pool."</strong>He winked before turning to Semele.<strong>"Then, once I have achieved the desired hardened state, you may toss the sixth ball in. Then..."</strong><br/><br/>Antonio reached for another satchel resting against the small of his back. From there he withdrew what looked to be six wax candlesticks of different colors, though without a visible wick.<strong>"These are firecrackers,"</strong>he commented.<strong>"It is very important you toss them to me in a specific order."</strong>He then stepped towards a small table before each of them, typically for holding drinks. He placed them down, starting with blue, purple, green, yellow, orange, and red, all from right-to-left.<strong>"When I call for you to light one, you will grab the one furthest to the right, twist the top off -- the end currently pointing away from you -- and then toss it to me once I've tossed a ball towards you. Again, aim for me, not Vibeke or the pool."</strong>He gave another wink, and Grumrump chuckled again. He began to say something, then paused, his gaze shifting towards Semele beside. Instead, the plump man simply grinned at her, then at Antonio before letting those fat fingers grope his courtesan.<br/><br/>The performer then jogged backwards once again towards Vibeke, getting into position. With haste he had the four remaining balls in his hands, feet standing slightly apart as the pool illuminated the both of them. Rather than casting them in shadow, it seemed to only make them glow more visibly.<br/><br/><strong>"Ready when you are,"</strong>he said, eyes up to the sky as he began to toss each of the balls into the air.