Champions of Illusion!

[Circe]

"...Yeah, birds have bird brains," she'd been called the latter for a couple of years. Not worth dwelling upon for long.


Circe puffs up with a air of pride to her, "Colatura di alici," she says to Kray. "Classic Italian fermented fish sauce. Condiment for many dishes, I grew up on it. Still use in some pastas."

Shame it was hard to find, though fermenting her own anchovies wasn't too hard.


Sven had a great way to describe Contracts without doing so. "Deception is a great descriptor Devon," she agrees with him on that. "Misdirection, get the rube, uh, audience looking," she empahsizes by pointing at her eyes with her left hand. Then pointing to the right whilst holding up a coin in her right hand to the left, crossing her arms, "Whilst you do something the other direction. Where the flair is going on is where they ain't doing shit. Or vice versa if they're really good."


When Mina reveals a surprise of the buffet, she looks from her to Kray, going back and forth a few times. Then laughs, "Oh ho ho ho, I think they're going to earn a tip to balance out." Gristlegrinder plus all-eat buffet pretty much guarantees eventual banning. And then the little boats go by. Causing her to giggle. "Why do I feel a little like the giant monster about to eat the boat from those Japanese movies?"


Then looks to Kray with a smarmy grin, "Think we're going to clear off a fleet tonight?"

[Kray]

The giant chuckles as Sven speaks on magic. "Oh. But all magic even the stuff that looks really is based around something all to real as well. The cards for example, are quite real. And it's that added dash of the real that makes any deception all the better." Because you know there is a way to do, rules that govern it. Even if those rules are unknown or not understood. Scratching as the side of his jaw as he walks. "Uh. When? I can't be quite sure. Was there a moment it left your awareness?" To pull off any kind of switch, fake or inserting it unseen the object of deception did need to be out of sight even if innocuously. "Oh. But yes it is quite the thing to fill your head with the possibilities." A great deal of why he enjoyed magic shows, talented folk performing stunts he could not that he did not know how to do, but he could try and work them out.

Looking back down to Mina when she speaks to him again, the ogre is doing nothing but looking down at the moment as quite the norm for him when addressing shorter companions. "Oh. yes very impressive, it was a good show you found." And a ratchet up of the elemental by his reckoning she had more then delivered on what she had said she would do.

Once they arrive at the restaurant anyone sitting on the wrong side of the ogre will indeed find that the boats of food coming past him are rather well none existent as he heavily loads up his plate. Turning to Circe as she giggles terrible teeth full of several somethings that get chewed down before he speaks, which does allow a few boats to go past. "Uh. I pay good money for good food. They won't go wanting on my account." Because why risk getting banned from a good food place when money can solve that problem. "Ha. We? Try me, between we could try for an armada." All you can eat was indeed a dangerous proposition regardless of how good the money was at the end of it all.

[Svelte Sven]

Sven clicked his tongue at Mina's question, not immediately sure of his answer. "That's a good question." It took him a few seconds before he managed to respond further. "I'm not saying that I don't believe in... things beyond the mundane." He said diplomatically. "But I am also conscious of the fact that most 'magicians' are essentially tricksters. And that's not an insult." He nodded slightly to himself. "There is an art to convincing people that they are seeing something other than what is actually happening. And I enjoy picking up new tricks where I can." The thin man looked back at Mina, not entirely sure if he had actually answered her question.

It seemed that everyone was curious on his opinion on magic and sleight of hand. He made a face towards Kray. "Yes, yes, some of the component pieces are as they appear... but you don't always know that for sure, do you?" Sven was tapping a rhythm on his leg as they walked, apparently needing it to focus his thoughts. "What if the card is marked? What if they're swapped at the last second? The art of legerdemain is convincing others to look where they shouldn't, or to overlook what seems obvious." He pointed towards Circe. "Exactly right. 'Magic' is a test of false expectations and confidence games."

'Con artist' wasn't a dirty word, to Sven. There really was an art to it. He didn't seem to notice when they had gotten to the restaurant until they had already found their seats. "Anyway... that's just my two cents." He mumbled before staring intently at the various 'boats', trying to find one he might like to pick at and hoping to downplay how impassioned he had just been.

[Circe]

Circe has to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at Sven's diplomatic support of the supernatural. That would be like some mundy trying to convince the Lost that the fae exist. "Indeed Devon," she agrees with him on the art of the con that is stage magic. "Like the Star Wars-esque lightning shows. Pure technology spectacle mixed with nostalgia," she pipes in on the matter of example, "But to do so safely in front of a crowd? That is a masterful act of engineering and stagecraft."


She'd known a few card sharps in her day, and there was one very impressive trick they'd neglected. "It also speaks to the skill of the card sharp. I've heard of folks that can just count the cards. They know how they were arranged at the start. And trained themselves to be perceptive enough to follow the shifts of the shuffle. More chance of failure than marks, but validates the magic when it is revealed the cards are unmarked."


There'd also been a rumor of a woman that could tell her cards by perfume enhanced scents on the cards. She doubted that one as is sounded way too difficult and unreliable. "And I'd say we've many examples of them in our area. Especially if you go East and a little south through the Majove," figuring everyone would get the reference to Vegas.


Circe looks up at Kray with a flat look, but her ears betray her as they are bouncing in amusement to fellow fae eyes. "Dude, I have seen you crush a half dozen whole pizzas. I do not doubt this sushi fleet is in grave danger of being stripped down to scandalously little," not quite a pun, but close. "I won't see we'd be gourmet aces, because that is for planes. Not sure what it is for ships."

[Mina]

“It is fun to think about, to try and pick the whole thing apart. But it’s also fun to just enjoy the illusion of it all.” At least to her. Let the mundane have their own illusions and tricks.

A single nod, “Glad I was able to deliver. I had been a bit worried, as from the things I had seen online it looked like it could be just flashy, unimpressive things. But they were quite impressive.” So it had been a relief.

The Elemental manages to grab a few pieces and orders a few things off the menu as well.

Nodding to Sven, “I get it, they are, after all, performing magic tricks and using illusion to pull them off. I don’t think it is an insult at all.” A shake of her head this time. “I just wonder how long it takes to actually learn some of those tricks? Like the card tricks, I understand can be a slight of hand. It’s just fascinating to me that people can learn to do those things!” taking a bite of her sushi, “And you say picking up new tricks, can you do some of those card tricks?!” mismatched eyes widen.

She listens as Circe mentions card counting, which she thought was illegal, but she didn’t really know.

The joke about the boats being in danger got a chuckle out of her as she continued to enjoy her sushi.

We've reached the 30 day mark, so going to close the scene. Thank you all for joining, it was fun!!