Enter Stage Right

[Cillian McWolfe]

The argument with his Father that set in motion his journey still hung heavy on his shoulders.  He could feel the duty and responsibility that he'd cast aside still clinging to his heels, trying to drag him back toward the path that he'd known his whole life.  Transparent fingers of doubt grasped at his soul looking to rip this flimsy dream asunder in their cold grasp.  But one thing his old life had given him was conviction and steadfastness.  He knew that he was a long ways away from fulfilling any of his lofty dreams, with barely more than a hastily painted wagon and some knick-knacks that were purchased with the little coin he had when he left, it would be a miracle to see him achieve anything but catching a cold.  

Still, it was more than many had, and he could survive with meager possessions.  He knew what he was signing up for.  And so it was that he got ready for battle with a new kind of armor.  Rather than shield and steel he carefully applied makeup to his face.  Instead of a sword, he checked his coat for balls and knives.  And finally instead of a platoon at his back he had but a grin to strike down his opposition, the depression, and sadness that plagued the world for as long as he'd been alive.  It was a blight upon all people, and he vowed to vanquish it and bring a smile to the faces of everyone.  His journey though daunting would start here, as a humble street performer.  

The Amazing Ardan stood atop his wagon, ready to make his grand entrance.  Arms spread wide he'd look over the street of the small town his grin firmly fixed in place.

"Come one come all!  The Amazing Ardan is here today and today only to perform for your pleasure and amusement.  Allow me to amaze and amuse you!  Bring your friends and bring your family.  For today only the Amazing Ardan is here in your village to perform at no cost but a moment of your time!"

With that he'd leap from his wagon, flipping and twisting in the air before landing on the ground with a flourish and a bow.  And thus the figurative curtains would rise. 

[Tina Bennet]

The road home was going to be a long one. Hands folded behind her head, Tina's trek back to Territory One was one of her own making. Her so-called sentence was up, she had a couple people she got along with, her team won their fair share of the exams, and now there was turmoil sending rumors and tremors throughout the land.

It was the perfect time for a journey. Besides, she had the gang back home, her brother, and her agenda - all of which were territories away. So it was, passing through the minor village, that she thought she would blink and it would be gone like any other.

Except for the man shouting atop a brightly painted wagon. It was humble, the sort of thing she was used to, but his attitude wasn't. High energy and calling for attention, he had hers for the moment as she slowed and eventually stopped.

"Huh." Her hands came down as he flipped from the small wagon with impressive skill. She caught herself grinning a little at the performance. It was the kind of thing she could sometimes catch at home - people having fun. Only this wasn't random bloodshed and beating someone's face in after a tumble out a bar's back entrance.

That did leave one question, however...

"And what kind of performance do you have for us?"

[Cillian McWolfe]

The blonde wasn't the only one to show interest. A few others stopped what they were doing to observe this anomaly in their small town, while others deducing it wasn't a threat continued on their way and their day. But he did not let it deter him, instead, he leaped on the question posed to him by the young lady.

"Magic and skill young lady."

He gave her a quick playful wink as he reached into his coat and pulled out a small red ball which he would begin to toss up into the air before catching it. He repeated this three times before he'd toss it high above his head, as the invisible fog of Qi stretched around him. The ball suddenly split into three balls which he would begin to juggle. The illusion of the second and third ball moving with the first to keep up his show.

"I can see that you are hard working people here, honest folk who keep their nose to the grindstone. Just trying to scrape out an honest living. It can be a lot to juggle, work, family, social commitments."

He switched to juggle the balls one handed as his left hand reached down to his hip to draw a small dagger.

"To say nothing of the news of war brewing on the horizon." He'd say as he shifted his fingers to spread the dagger into three. "It can be a lot to juggle." And with that, he'd toss the knives up into the air. One hand juggling balls while the other juggled the knives.

"I simply hope to amaze and amuse you, to give you some respite from the burden you place on yourself."

Qi use 1/5

0 level: Smoke and Mirrors - The Amazing Ardan creates an almost invisible fog in a twenty-foot radius around him that allows him to create and manipulate images of anything within that radius. Such images are visual only and have no physical presence but can be used to make duplicates of things within the radius, make things vanish, or even to make images appear to move on their own. These illusions register as genuine to Qi sensory techniques and machines.

[Tina Bennet]

For a moment, her eyes had the glaze of one who was bored. War was on the horizon, yes, but these people had troubles and struggles that weren't her own. Honest living wasn't a living that lasted long; she knew that first hand. She let out a snerk at the comment, bu was distracted as he suddenly puled a knife. Her muscles tensed as she prepared for an attack, hand going to one of the marbles in her pouches, intending to charge it and flick the explosive right into his face, but instead the blade was added to his act and danced in the air alongside the brightly colored balls.

War hurt. It could be scary. You could die. She had died. But she had come back and was fine just the way she was, no matter what anyone else said.

"So what do you get out of it?" Her gaze went from ball, to blade, to his face before staying there to study his expression, perplexed. People who said they did things for free never meant it, either.

[Cillian McWolfe]

"The satisfaction of knowing that for a time I was able to make you forget your troubles."

A simple answer as he continued to juggle, shifting the way he threw the balls and knives so that they would cross between each other as he now juggled both ball and blade in both hands.

Qi use 2/5

0 level: Smoke and Mirrors - The Amazing Ardan creates an almost invisible fog in a twenty-foot radius around him that allows him to create and manipulate images of anything within that radius. Such images are visual only and have no physical presence but can be used to make duplicates of things within the radius, make things vanish, or even to make images appear to move on their own. These illusions register as genuine to Qi sensory techniques and machines.

[Tina Bennet]

"Yeah right." She scoffed and rolled her eyes, though that meant her focus went to the increasingly difficult performance instead.

"No on does something for nothing." Personal satisfaction? Maybe, but that was the weakest excuse for it that she'd ever seen.

"No one here believes that shit."

[Cillian McWolfe]

"They don't have to. Whether or not they or you believe it, I will leave this town and move to the next. And so on, without trying to con or use anyone. They can believe it after I leave."

He did not let it deter him from his show or affect his smile as he started to spin his body around in a circle while maintaining his juggling act. Rotating to face everyone in the crowd as he made his way around and around again!

Qi use 3/5

0 level: Smoke and Mirrors - The Amazing Ardan creates an almost invisible fog in a twenty-foot radius around him that allows him to create and manipulate images of anything within that radius. Such images are visual only and have no physical presence but can be used to make duplicates of things within the radius, make things vanish, or even to make images appear to move on their own. These illusions register as genuine to Qi sensory techniques and machines.

[Tina Bennet]

That....was not what she was expecting.

"All for free because you want to." Tina blinked, lips pursed as she watched him for a moment, her face still speaking of her disbelief. This was the kind of fairy tale crap that they fed to babies that were dumb enough to believe it. That, or what they'd hear is that the performer was dead in a ditch a couple of days later - if they ever heard about him or his death at all.

"Any town? Anywhere at all?"

[Cillian McWolfe]

"Wherever the road and wind take me."

He tossed the blades and balls up higher catching the blade deftly with his right hand, flicking his wrist so it balanced blade up in his palm as he "caught" the other blades by letting them hit the one blade balanced on his hand, merging with it once again, that part of the illusion over as he let the ball hit him on the head, transforming into a rainfall of balls falling around his feet.

Qi use 4/5

0 level: Smoke and Mirrors - The Amazing Ardan creates an almost invisible fog in a twenty-foot radius around him that allows him to create and manipulate images of anything within that radius. Such images are visual only and have no physical presence but can be used to make duplicates of things within the radius, make things vanish, or even to make images appear to move on their own. These illusions register as genuine to Qi sensory techniques and machines.

[Tina Bennet]

This, she had to see. Even her breath caught at the sight of the blades falling tip-first into his palm and vanishing. Not that she showed it or anything or was in denial about it. Her eyes lit up as the balls spilled forth, though it was too bad there weren't any rolling her way.

"Alright, show me."

[Cillian McWolfe]

"You are welcome to follow me if you feel it is what your heart wants from you. Any of you are free to follow should you wish. The Amazing Ardan's show is open to all to enjoy and view."

He'd start to tap dance over the balls, his body swaying like he was going to trip and fall as each ball silently popped and vanished under foot, the illusion dispelled until only one ball remained, the real one.

"Though if you wish to learn the tricks of my trade you'll have to be able to perform yourself."

He gave another wink to the skeptical blonde. There were some chuckles and comments from the crowd, but no one else seemed to want to follow him around. Though at least the air about the show was positive, a nice distraction he believed one man said.

Ardan would take it. Just as he'd place his foot over the real ball, shifting it backward quickly to give it just enough lift to land on top of his foot which he would stretch outward before kicking up to give it more air, shifting his heel to hit the ball up again as he'd leap from leg to leg bouncing the ball on his knee.

Qi use 5/5

0 level: Smoke and Mirrors - The Amazing Ardan creates an almost invisible fog in a twenty-foot radius around him that allows him to create and manipulate images of anything within that radius. Such images are visual only and have no physical presence but can be used to make duplicates of things within the radius, make things vanish, or even to make images appear to move on their own. These illusions register as genuine to Qi sensory techniques and machines.

[Tina Bennet]

Did her heart want it? Maybe, maybe not, but it wasn't telling her anything else was pressing right now. Tina would shrug with a grin as he challenged her to bring something of her own to the table. She grinned at his wink as the trick continued, the final ball bouncing back and forth.

"Oh, that's not a problem." She wasn't a gremlin monkey child for nothing. There were a couple trees that she could use, a couple of wooden crates against a building if she wanted to perform off of that, and of course the wagon. She opted for the tree, a prop she knew well enough to walk over and hoisted herself up. She watched his show, now he could watch hers as she scaled to a few levels higher in the treetop, the branches beginning to sway beneath her. This time of year, the foliage wasn't nearly so thick - if it existed at all - so she could be seen balancing on the branch before taking a step forward and lunging into a cartwheel, wood creaking beneath the small blonde as she came upright and reached for three marbles.

Charging them until they glowed and launched them into the air, the small explosions erupting overhead with no debris to fall to the homes below. It was a lot like the ice Krane had challenged her to charge, bright but not enough to damage someone. Last thing she needed was someone complaining she owed them for an injury or something. Wusses.

[Cillian McWolfe]

Ardan continued to bounce the ball back and forth from leg to leg as he watched the young lady rise to the challenge. Climbing a tree wasn't much, but the acrobatics she showed was. It was graceful, coordinated, and spectacular spacial awareness. He was impressed.

"Well let's give a round of applause for the young lady, taking her first step into the world of altruistic performance!"

Ardan would be the first to clap, loudly as he continued to bounce the ball between his legs without missing a beat. And he wasn't the only one that would clap for her. Though his smile shone the brightest.

"And to think, you didn't ask anything of these people to bring them a little joy. Maybe it's not so hard to believe is it?"

[Tina Bennet]

Tina's eyes narrowed at the comment before the applause erupted, distracted for a moment by the appreciation she received. All of it without blowing something up or being told not to. Even still the ball kept going; he was better than she thought he would be for not stopping.

Honestly, it was weird. People didn't clap for her. They feared her, or learned to get out of her way.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered under her breath. Crouching on the branch, she used it to flip over and land on her feet.

"Maybe I didn't do it for them. You said I had to be able to perform." She made a face a at the idea of just giving someone something for nothing. She couldn't believe she let herself get duped like that. He was good.

[Cillian McWolfe]

"Not to follow and see if I am lying Darling. Only if you want to be part of the show."

Another knee slam into the ball would send it upward higher as he arched his back to balance the ball on his nose, slowly turning around as he bent himself over backward to look at her and the crowd.

"What's your name?"