Geralt placed the joker back on top of the deck, cut it one-handed again, then chuckled quietly at Ivory's comment. [color=crimson]"What can I say, it compliments me too well."[/color] he held his arms out at his sides to indicate his current outfit as an example. Besides his obvious statement, black was the trade color of the Magician. It would be criminal to try and pass off wearing any other color, not to mention his complexion.

At Akane's comment, he turned toward her and cocked his head to the side, suppressing his laughter this time, [color=crimson]"Of course I can! They don't teach sleight of hand in Magician School for nothing."[/color] At this, he began to cut the deck in one hand again, once, twice, three times, then he brought his other hand over and began manipulating the cards into a serious of shapes. First one card flashed by, flipped over, and was gone again before another revealed itself. He twisted them through his fingers for several seconds, then performed another spring flourish, then a death roll, before dropping the deck onto the table and fanning all of the cards out, face up, for the table to see.

He then leaned forward, arms crossed and elbows on the table, smiling. [color=crimson]"Still, it's nothing compared to that trick you just did,"[/color] he nodded toward the top of her head, [color=crimson]"Where did you learn that little number, hm?"[/color]

Cora's eyes had followed Geralt's hands as fast as they could. but still she missed some of his finer movements. His hands and fingers were like lighting over the backs of the cards, he was truly amazing. She glanced at Akane while it was all unfolding, her mouth slightly open in astonishment.

Seeing her friend made her remember the first time she had seen her dance. That had certainly looked like "magic" to her then, and it still did now. She closed her mouth and smiled to herself at the thought; the people in her troupe were definitely one-of-a-kind.

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Illyana's smile remained as she looked up at Lucien while he shared these apologetic words with her. She couldn't help it, Lucien had a comforting presence for her. Even when she was flustered, he always seemed to know what to say to help her calm down. 

Although she slightly resisted the hat-rub, she chuckled quietly as Lucien performed it. It had been a long time since he had done this to her, and it reminded her of the old days for a moment. She glanced over at the drawing on his desk, and her smile widened a bit.

She had been distracted when Lucien started to speak again, but her usual stoic expression quickly returned. [color=598527]"Hmmm..."[/color] she hummed while pondering his proposition, [color=598527]"Having his performance last is the best option, its the longest and has the most pizzazz."[/color] there was a brief pause as she placed a curled finger against her chin. 

Lucien was right, avoiding contact between Ivory and Geralt was the best option for a smooth performance. Though Ivory had great self-control, she was the most vocal about her negative feelings toward the Magician. Illyana was sure that teaching them the choreography necessary for a smooth transition would be the hardest among all of the other pairs. Ivory wasn't even comfortable breathing the same air as Geralt, let alone giving up the stage to him.

But she knew that Ivory's would be best. She was already going after Akane and before the Acrobatic section before, and lately had been performing last. In terms of the transition itself, she was the most capable in case Geralt suggested something ostentatious, which he was likely to do. On top of that, the shows were currently aligned from shortest to longest, so having Ivory into Geralt made the most sense in terms of scheduling as well.

[color=598527]"You're right...their pairing is the most risky, but unfortunately for Ivory, it makes the most sense. I think she'll understand, we just have to hope that they both reel it in a little for the sake of the show."[/color] Illyana trusted Ivory, but she had a bit of a temper and was more than willing to share it with the rest of the world, and Geralt had shown a particular way of bringing that temper out in her. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it for whatever reason. If they could both practice and perform it in silence together, Illyana was sure it would be a hit.