thecapitol | Step right this way, watch carefully [Open]

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Step right this way, watch carefully [Open]

Who| Kaito, open
What| A magic show!
Where| A park in the Capitol
When| After the latest arena
Warnings/Notes| N/A

Honestly, Kaito wasn't too happy about dying horribly in a space-themed lightning round of the worst reality TV show he'd ever had the misfortune to be a part of. But while sitting around moping might be tempting, it certainly wouldn't solve anything. The show, as they said, must go on.

Which was why he was in a park in the Capitol, dressed in a snappy tuxedo.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he announced, bowing deeply to the small crowd that had assembled around the weirdo from afar. "Thank you for attending! My name is Kaito Kuroba, and what I have for you tonight...."

He plucked a top hat from his collection of props and made a show of looking inside with a puzzled expression on his face. "What's this? It looks like I've been neglecting my spring cleaning." He began pulling items out of it -- colored scarves, cards, coins... and a floppy-eared white rabbit, which he placed gently into a little girl's arms. He patted her on the hand. "Look after this little one for me, will you, miss?"

The show was just beginning...

[Hecklers, volunteers from the audience, pestering him after the show, whatever, just let me know where you're going and let's roll with it.]

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The little girl was amazed at how effortlessly he pulled things from his hat. Her eyes were wide and for a moment she wondered why would the Capitol let him keep his magic?

When he handed her a rabbit though she snapped back into the moment with a squeak and a stiff nod.

"O-ok." She promised cradling the fluffy bundle like it was made of glass.

"Thanks; you're too kind," Kaito said, flashing her a dazzling smile. He stepped back up onto the stone wall he'd co-opted to serve as a stage, lightfooted and carefree.

"And now that that's taken care of, shall we heat things up a bit?" He produced a shallow pan, plucked the flower from his front pocket, and set it inside. With a snap of his fingers, he set the flower alight in a burst of flame, then covered the pan quickly with a lid to snuff out the blaze.

"One, two, and..." He lifted the lid. A snow-white dove burst out from inside the pan, accompanied by small explosion of confetti and ribbons. It swooped low into the crowd, landing on a woman's shoulder.

Sandy's eyes were wide as she drank in every movement and action. She tried to follow his hands but found herself too distracted by the items he held or the words he was speaking. When the dove burst from the pan she clapped carefully around the bunny who twitched it's nose at her and remained almost casually draped in her arms.

It had to be a trick, some kind of slight of hand like she'd seen people do with knives but how could he do that with an entire bird? And all those ribbons? Maybe the pan was special? But it honestly seemed like magic. Like he was some sharp dressed wizard who for whatever reason had gotten to keep his powers when he came to this world and instead of using them to fight back...he was using them to make people smile.

And it was working on her. Absolutely it was.

Kaito continued with the rest of the show in similar fashion. All in all, the performance was fairly short; he hadn't been here that long, after all, and some of the tricks he would have liked to do required careful training of animals, or assistants that knew what they were doing. He was, however, determined to end it with a bang.

"I'm afraid our time together is almost up," he said to the crowd with a solemn bow, hopping up on the lip of the small fountain behind him. "But allow me to leave you with a gift."

He produced a blood-red rose from thin air and tossed it over his shoulder, where it floated dreamily on the water's surface. The water darkened, as if taking on the color of the flower's petals, turning a rich and warm red -- the color of wine. And to anyone who tried to test it, that was exactly what it would taste like.

Amidst the applause and exclamations of surprise, Kaito would slip away quietly through the crowd into a smaller nearby sidestreet. It should be fairly easy in this place of unusual fashion for him to simply pass unnoticed. No one liked a magician who overstayed his welcome.

Sandy cheered and clapped as hard as anyone, especially when she realized the magician had vanished! It was really something to see in person even if she had witnessed mutations and magic and impossible things in the arena.

But...there was a problem now. A furry one in her arms which kept twitching it's nose and sniffing her like she might have food.

"Oh...wait. What do I do with you now?" She asked the rabbit who was unhelpful in his silence.

With a shrug she set off back towards her hover cycle. It was parked on the curb. She assumed that if she hung around long enough the magician would return...or maybe she had just gotten herself a free rabbit. Duck might get jealous though.

Leaning on her bike she bundled the rabbit up in her scarf to keep him warm. It was still chilly out in the Capitol streets after all and even with a fur coat the poor guy probably would rather be hibernating in a hat then waiting out here.

"Hay, pellets, and fresh greens," said Kaito, now dressed in warm winter clothing that helped him better blend into the crowd. He hadn't been expecting anyone to be hanging around after the show was over.

"That's what I feed him. Taking care of a rabbit isn't too hard."

She grinned brightly when he appeared and held the rabbit out to him.

"Well even if it's not that hard, I already have a duck to look after." She explained. "And I mean...I can barely look after myself around here."

This bit of self deprecation brought to you by low self esteem. Still she was smiling as she gave the rabbit a parting pet.

Wesker doesn't typically spend much time in the park as a rule, both in general and particular. The sun, especially this time of year, flashing off all the snow, is hard on his eyes even through the dark, protective lenses of his glasses.

But the chill wind could be soothing, his skin as ever warm with unnatural heat, and he did like the chess tables. The opponents he found often left much to be desired, but occasionally, just occasionally....

And it made him think of Eva. The only person he'd encountered in this time in the Capitol that he might have honestly said was close to him.

Was something close to an equal. Close, if not quite.

He did so enjoy their games.

Today he made for the boards and found his way blocked. Noisy, chittering children and their indulgent minders, the makeshift stage and slim, boisterous man on it.

Lip curling, he moved to go around, passing closer to the stage as he did so.

SURPRISE

Just as Wesker passed over near the stage, Kaito thrust a bouquet out in front of himself in an exaggerated version of a fencer's thrust. Confetti, streamers, and balloons flew everywhere -- followed closely by a small flock of white doves.

That was the splash zone, bro. Or, you know. Whatever they called it during magic shows.

His inhuman speed might have been enough, but he wasn't, most unfortunately, in the arena. Here, in the Capitol, was still tempered by whatever device they used to keep them under their thumb, and even though he still had his reflexes, all those years of training that had come before there wasn't much he do about the glitter and balloons.

He ducked, but the rainbow colored shower clouded over him, sticking to his pale hair and dark coat in shining flakes. The crowd cheered and laughed, and he turned to glare at the performer, looking every bit like a drenched cat.

All teeth and claws and ill temperment.

Kaito winked at Wesker and held out his free hand as if all had gone as planned and he really had meant to glitterbomb this random grumpy dude. If Wesker was quick enough, he might catch the little glint of apology in his eye -- although it was pretty funny.

But the show was winding to a close, anyway. Kaito gave the crowd a flourish and a bow before making his exit. He hopped over the lip of the fountain and waved, walking lightly across the surface of the water before vanishing into a side street.

He'd catch up with Wesker after he was a little less conspicuous.

His lip curled, teeth flashed sharp and white, but Wesker didn't follow. As satisfying as it might have been to put the fear of a god into the sprite, he did have appearances to keep.

He turned his black stare on the lingering members of the crowd - who found quicker ways to disperse - then shook his head and brushed at his coat. Tongue pressed hard to the roof of his mouth as he started to walk away.

Venus didn't get to where she was in Hollywood without a healthy respect for craft and showmanship, and when she sees another Tribute in the park pulling rabbits from his sleeve and tossing coins to eager children, her curiosity is piqued. She takes her hot cider and stands around the edge of the crowd, the drink warming her hands through her gloves and her parka pulled up around her flushed, snow-kissed face.

She stays for the whole show, even after the sun has started to go down and the less dedicated fans have splintered off to get out of the burgeoning winter cold. By the time she approaches Kaito, her cider's gone lukewarm at best.

"That was really something. Am I going to get the usual talk about magician's honor if I ask you how you did the thing with the doves?" He's young, and she wonders if this is what it looked like when her agent first saw her, because she can envision a future in this rolling out in front of him like a red carpet.

If it weren't here, in Panem. Less a red carpet than a conveyor belt into an infernal machine.

"Magician's honor? Funny way to put it, but nah. It's just that most of the times when people ask, they don't really want to know," said Kaito. One of the doves remained perched on his shoulder. He petted it fondly and hopped off the lip of the fountain where he'd been standing.

"What about you miss? Do you want to spoil the illusion?"

He hadn't been looking for the show, exactly. He'd simply been wandering the area, trying to get used to the idea of the place, when he'd happened upon it. A smile had twitched to his lips and he had watched it, until it came to an end and he felt compelled to step up to the boy.

"And this is called magic?" he asked, smiling. "How very interesting."

Gary waits until the end of the show to actually approach this most interesting performer, but he's not silent about his appreciation while the show was still going. He laughs and whoops and claps at the most impressive tricks, gets a little glitter in his hair from standing too close to the stage. Gary is the ideal target for this; there's nothing he loves more than a good act with a good audience, and Kaito has managed to produce both.

He waves the magician down while he's packing up, immediately after the rest of the crowd begins to disperse. No patience, this child. "Hey! Hey!" Gary's eyes are wide with excitement, still somewhat spellbound by the whole thing. "Who gave you this job? Where did you learn it?"

That might not be the first thing Gary would say to any passing performer, but this is the Capitol, and he's watched enough television since he died in the last Arena to recognize that this guy was a Tribute. So obviously this is some kind of job that the Capitol is offering, right? Gary wants in on this.

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Step right this way, watch carefully [Open]

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