2495/Magic Card Tricks

Magic Card Tricks
Date of Scene:	20 June 2015
Location:	Slum Urbania
Synopsis:	In which Jimmy Wen makes your hard-earned money disappear!
Cast of Characters:	516, 606

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Ferham (516) has posed:
     The poorer section of Urbania somewhat reminded Ferham of a spot she'd been in not too long ago, in the Strait of Americas, or there abouts. Had it been Detroit? Somehow it looked like that but not quite as bad, somehow. There were quite a few rather rowdy and rough civilians out, she noticed--humans, really, to be more precise, not everyone was into the whole military thing. As she traipsed over the rooftops into the downtown area though she somehow questioned just how bad the place could get. Lots of drug dealing, pimps, and other assorted colorful things. As she descended to ground level however, heeled boots clicking against the pavement, she wondered if she might find who she was looking for down here, this would perhaps also give her some exposure to the kind of people living around here.

Jimmy Wen (606) has posed:
     The alleys hold quite a lot of interesting sights, some less acceptable than others. Whether or not it's what Ferham's actually looking for, there is, a few dozen feet away by the sound of it, a sizable gathering. It's not a roar or a block party by any means, but for an out-of-the way alley, there seems to be a goodly number of people assembled. At least seven different voices ring out. Rounding a corner, the men to whom the voices belong become visible, as does a flimsy folding table, a deck of cards, and Jimmy Wen. "Tough luck, man, tough luck. You wanna try again? You know you do--Red Queen's just another $20 away."

Ferham (516) has posed:
     Ferham had briefly considered disguising herself, at least so as to not alarm the various shady types that had been loitering around the area of the alley. Undoubtedly her armor with it's daring crimson and pink accents was hard to miss. Still, she carried herself casually, her wings folded neatly behind her as she stepped into the alley, patiently making her way to the back of the crowd around the betting table. She sauntered calmly, hand on her hip, trying to come off as natural and unconcerned with those around her as possible. Course it might be more difficult to not get attention than she figured, as not every robot had gams like her's.

Jimmy Wen (606) has posed:
     Jimmy is in his element here--he was running cons long before he was ever a wizard. Three-Card Monte is a classic, but as they say, there's a sucker born every minute, and even an antiquated hustle like this one can still take the odd rube in. It looks like he's just shuffling cards and using the occasional sleight of hand to try and trip up the marks. What he's really doing is walking a tightrope. Two of the onlookers in particular seem to bet more and win more often than the others--but only just. Through the whole thing, Jimmy's talking. Cracking stupid jokes, making small talk with the marks, doing anything he can to keep his mouth running and to keep eyes on him. His head turns from player to player, watching all of them for any cues to pack it up--of course through this, he detects Ferham, but his showy grin never fades.

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Mind if I try my luck, sir?" Ferham parts a few of the lowlifes on either side of her and stepped toward the betting tbale, boots clicking. Now more or less out in the open that female reploid would sort of be center of attention, one might think, even moreso than the slickster behind the table who'd been running the card game, making sure to stand just off to the side of it so she wasn't obscuring the entire view of Jimmy and his show. She'd wait till he was finished with whoever else first, of course, but now it was her turn. "What's the minimum bet? do you even cater to robots?" she leaned back a little, a hand on her hip with a wry smile on her features as she looked down. "I promise I won't cheat~" in a faux innocent tone.

Jimmy Wen (606) has posed:
     "Don't mind at all, pretty lady! Step right up, find the Red Queen and buy yourself something nice. Minimum bet's twenty dollars, anyone can play, and anyone can win! You gentlemen want to step aside and let our lovely new friend give it a shot?" Jimmy takes Ferham's offer in stride, it seems, weaving her into the play. He waves the bystanders aside--one of whom seems to have lost interest in the con after a losing streak. "That's right, that's right, thank you very much. Appreciate it, appreciate it! Now..." Jimmy shuffles his deck of cards and produces the Queen of Hearts. "Simple enough--find this gentle woman of good temper and win double your bet!" He shuffles the other two cards into the deck, setting the Queen down. "What'll it be, miss?"

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Red Queen, hmm?" Ferham purred just a little, looking about to see if Wen had a credit chip or the like around to authorize such a small transaction to, before she took a crack at the game. She didn't usually keep physical money on her, she would joke that purse straps tended to get in the way of her wings. She stepped closer to the table after the losers cleared out and stood there poised just off to the side of it, likely giving a nice view to anyone who stuck around to watch. While Ferham could have simply watched his movements to track where the card was, she decided not to give Wen too much trouble with this little game of his and simply picked at random--selecting the middle card. Most people usually took the direction of their dominant hand when given a choice of left or right, though Ferham tended to use her left for her whip and most things she seemed to be deliberately random this time.

Jimmy Wen (606) has posed:
     There's unfortunately no credit chip or NFC reader nearby--the hexing effect'd fry it. However, there is an old cash register. "Credit transfer? No problem at all, gorgeous. Little street thaumaturgy can take care of that. Enter your bet on the register and hold the chip to it." Once that's done, Wen keeps his eyes on Ferham and shuffles the cards around in a standard spread. It'd be a little tricky for a beginner, but not /overly/ so. It's juuust within the realm of believability. He eventually stops, holding his hands flat against the table. "Good pick, good pick, right for the middle. Let's see what Fortune has in store for you, miss..." He flips over the chosen card, revealing the Jack of Diamonds. "Oh, too bad, too bad, Jack's in the house."

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Huh," Ferham stood up again after she tapped a gloved finger down in front of her choice, raising an eyebrow, but her voice and expression soon return to something coy and soothing. "Ohh, looks like the Red Queen hasn't shown her face yet, can I get another go?" she kept that arched thin brow down at Wen, her smile becoming just a bit more predatory. Now she was going to actually put some effort into it, it would seem, though she didn't let that on just a bit yet. Time to predict within a %99.9 probability what the card was going to be, her posture becoming just a bit more confident with that hand on her hip, leaning off to one side and putting her weight on one leg.

Jimmy Wen (606) has posed:
     "Course you can, course you can! Taking all bets, all day, that's me. Line 'em up and take another shot, folks! Anyone can play, anyone can win. Just give your charming host a bit to wet his whistle, huh? It's hot enough to fry an egg out here." This elicits a chuckle or two from his accomplices, and a smile from the unsuspecting mark who still hasn't wised up to the con. Jimmy shuffles all of the cards back into the deck and takes a water bottle full of red liquid out of a duffel bag.

     Making a potion is easy. It's so easy, in fact, that a lot of wizards pass it off as kid stuff. The thing is, if you're better at thaumaturgy than evocation, you can make a brew with a hell of a punch and have it ready whenever you need it. There's value in that--no wizard likes to be caught with his pants down, and Jimmy knows when someone's reaching for his belt. That smile on Ferham's face is nothing but trouble. Maybe he likes that. But he can be trouble, too.

         EARLIER TODAY

     You need eight ingredients to make a potion. A liquid base, one ingredient for each of the five senses, one to engage the mind, and one to engage the spirit. Because it's a type of thaumaturgy, you also need preparation. That means a space to throw around his will, a few movements, a few symbolic links (covered with the whole 'ingredients' bit) and a power source--that'd be him. He's good like that.

     He's got the ritual space covered, of course. Nice little Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate in the basement. Alchemy's a big part of Chinese mystical tradition, both internal and external, so he'd really be doing his teacher a disservice if he didn't at least pay it lip service. The vessel here is an old pot on a hot stove, filled with blue gatorade as a base.

     It's going to be a potion of visibility, a potion which makes /him/ undoubtedly the most important thing in the room. Great for stealth! For visibility, he's going to need a few things. First, he starts the ritual movements... some dated dancing from a bygone era. For Sight, a disco ball dangles above the pot, shining its multitudinous rays into the Gatorade.

     Nothing's hotter than a lit match, so Touch is thusly represented. It sizzles as he drops it into the mix. Grapefruit, the most annoyingly present of all fruit flavors, steps up to bat for Taste. The unmistakable aroma of Turpentine for smell. A fake gold medal bearing the number 1 for Spirit--when you're the winner, all eyes are on you. For Mind, a picture of the most visible man in the free world: the President of the United States. Sound needs a representative too.

     As Jimmy continues to pour his Will into the mixture, he turns the record player on and adds the final ingredient: Sound.

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0xVLGssnwU

     NOW

     Jimmy throws the empty container aside and grins. "Who's ready to play?"

Ferham (516) has posed:
     The strange red liquid that Jimmy takes a hit off of isn't lost on Ferham, a little tendril of worry slipping into her gut. That is, her gut feeling, though she did have a little something in her chest to take care of that process. While she had been attempting to perfectly track the card this time as he shuffled, there was something odd--those green eyes of hers were brought back up to Jimmy and those sunglasses, thus distracting her from what he was doing with the cards themselves. Blinking a little, she tore her gaze back to the cards, trying to recall just what movements he'd been making to try and find that particular card. She gnawed her red lower lip for just a moment as there was some uncertainty there now, but she was still quite sure she had the right one.

     "Alright, the Red Queen is... on the right," she finally composed herself and uttered gently, her deep feminine voice coming out like a purr, that of a winner?

Jimmy Wen (606) has posed:
     Whatever Jimmy's hands are doing, it's inconsequential. He's just... here. So very, very, here. His smile seems like it's the essence of confidence, his sunglasses seem to reflect the entire world. His every word seems to have weight to it, the smell of his mid-tempo cologne seems like the memory of an old friend. He is /supposed/ to be here. A momentary distraction is all that's needed.

     "Pretty lady says it's on the right! What about you three gentlemen? What'll it be, what'll it be? Choices, choices, decisions, decisions! Spoiled for choice, am I right, or am I right?" The two guys in on the con and the one remaining mark make their choices. "Middle, left, and left? Well, how about that, we have two winners! Sorry for your luck, lady and gentleman!" Jimmy reaches into a locked box and pays out the two guys in on the con.

     The mark appears to have finally caught wise. "Hey, hold on a minute."

     "Now, now, let's not be a poor sport, huh? I understand it's frustrating to lose, but you're not totally out of luck."

     "This game is bullshit. I want my money back, or I'm calling the cops."

     "Unfortunately, we've got to pack up right now, but I am prepared to offer you a fabulous consolation prize. Feast your eyes, sir, on this lovely little piece of electronics--ap, ap, I said /this/ one." He grins at his joke, and produces a box depicting a car stereo, continuing to talk and gesticulate. "One, read it, one, brand new stereo for the automobile in your life, free of charge, as a goodwill gesture and thank-you for your business today."

     The verbal juke completely throws the mark off, possibly working in tandem with the potion. Without even opening the box, he takes it and grumbles, walking off. Jimmy watches him leave, as do the remaining two 'players.'

Ferham (516) has posed:
     Ferham frowned a little, unsure of how she had gotten that wrong, her expression sort of a mixture of surprise and disappointment, there's even a ghost of what might have been a pout on her lips. "What the...?" she stepped back, allowing the wizard to begin packing up his stuff, and waited till the men had departed. "That was something you did earlier, right? when you drank that stuff?" Ferham sidled closer to the asian magician and raising a brow at him, perhaps having failed at determining the winning card but not at all the evidence she had seen.

     "Are these two men with you, hmm? I don't mind losing the money, but I'd hate it if you were exposed as being some kind of griffter, or the like, Mr. Wen," a black polymer clawed glove soon reached over to cup the asian man's cheek, turning those aviators toward her, or trying to.

Jimmy Wen (606) has posed:
     There's something a bit strange going on. Before the two other men leave, Jimmy is careful to give them their cut--and it comes entirely from the register. /His/ on the other hand, comes entirely from a little lockbox. He pockets the bills after counting them satisfiedly. "And thank /you/ gentlemen for your cooperation. Don't spend it all in one place!"

     Once they're gone, he responds to Ferham's inquiries. "I'd hate that, too. Maybe there's some kind of arrangement we can come to, Ferham?" He smiles at her behind those aviators, a lopsided, confident thing. "Oh, and... go ahead and check your credit chit. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." The moment she does, she'll find that the money never left the device in the first place.

Ferham (516) has posed:
     Pausing for a moment, Ferham blinked and both brows lifted. "Oh, I see--you were snaring me as part of your ploy, how kind of you," she wouldn't menace him physically that much, removing her gloved hand from his cheek and stepping back to give him more personal space. "Well I had been looking for you for a few things, but I suppose we could come to some form of agreement," she nodded a little with a smile. "Is this your day job? Somehow I'd think someone with your... skills could put them to better use elsewhere," he of course knew that Fer was something of a covert agent type at times, and she had brought him strange objects to appraise at times. It was elementary to presume she sometimes knicked impressively rare or arcane things.

     "That is if you'd be willing to go above these card tricks, I know danger isn't for everyone," she smiled a little, teasing him. She was leaving out that she'd just seen him at Yoda's arrival the other day, of course.

Jimmy Wen (606) has posed:
     "Well, I've gotta have spending money somehow. White Council money is nice, but it doesn't pay the bills, y'know?" He almost seems... disappointed by the end of that brief physical contact. "At least, it doesn't suit my expensive tastes." He grins, and gestures to his blazer. "I was an urban entrepeneur for years--way before I ever became a wizard. It's only natural I should keep up, but..."

     "What can I say? Danger just seems to find me." He shoves his hands in his pockets and smirks at the robot.

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Well, if you'd like to get into something more high profile, let me know, I almost feel bad for you having to ply your trade on the streets here as a card dealer," she was using mainly neutral language, not wanting to say anything incriminating lest they were being recorded, perhaps. "Very charming, though I don't usually consider myself dangerous," she stepped closer to him, her face hovering mere inches from his. "Unless you want me to be," she kept herself there for a few moments, before finally stepping back, her tone and demeanor becoming suddenly business-like again.

     "Well, I left you with my new number, so you can let me know what you think," she nodded, before giving him a little wink and would turn to scoot.