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That evening, there were many enthusiasts of stage magic at the 7th Fortnight Milestone of the Illumios Troupe’s American Tour. Most of the audience members consisted of old-time fans of the Gramaryes who were interested in the foreign group because of Thalassa Gramarye joining them as part of some Magician Exchange. Now, a large number were also newfound Illumios fans, having found the Italian Magicians to be a delightful change of pace.
Needless to say, a good deal of them were now steadfast fans of both groups. However, at the same time, there were also quite a few skeptics in the building, not quite believing that any troupe could be nearly as good as the Gramaryes.
They also weren’t sure what to make of this idea that Thalassa had married one of the Illumios men. Some even said that she was pregnant & would soon bare the man’s child. Problem was that several fans were very manic about her & were resolutely denying that she would marry anyone who wasn’t a disciple of her father.
One of the reasons being, it was very likely that she would quit the Gramarye Troupe for good to join up with the Illumios in order to be with the father. If that were the case then she would leave America behind her & a large amount of Thalassa’s male fans would be left heartbroken. Amongst all the people, no one noticed the disgusting, fat man who wore a Steel Samurai T-Shirt under a jacket & a backward baseball cap. Nor did anyone think that he’d play any significant part in the lives of others & certainly NOT as the villain.
Drums rolled. Lights went low. The red curtains pulled back to reveal four figures shrouded in darkness before the spotlights flashed to show them. Thalassa stood near the center in a brand new stage outfit; one just for her to wear.
It was a double-breasted tailcoat the same shade of blue as her Gramarye Cape with the tails exaggerated & the sleeves leading down to her elbows. Underneath, she had on a white button-up dress shirt with sleeves specifically designed by Diana to have sheer ruffles that only just stuck out from under the cuffs of her tailcoat’s blue sleeves. It gave her a very graceful appearance.
She also wore a black, ruffle hem, hi-low skirt that would’ve looked like a mermaid tail had it been longer. Both her gloves & boots were white with the boots being folded down so that they were ankle high. The gloves were just the same as the boots with folds & silver teardrop buttons to keep them that way.
Her magenta neck scarf set off the colors nicely. On her head was her Gramarye top hat with a silver teardrop-shaped hatpin & an aquamarine inside. It had pinkish seashells on either side, creating a fan shape. Finally, hanging from her ears was a pair of teardrop-shaped aquamarine earrings.
At her sides were her husband, Helios, & her sister-in-law, Diana. On Helios’ other side was his elder brother, Hyperion. The show began without a hitch & continued magnificently. It wasn’t until the final act that something odd happened.
As is normal, Helios was quite the charming flirt with her throughout the entire production. All of her reactions had been genuine in their sincerity. Like now, he was before her & being very sweet. However, there was something odd about the situation. She just couldn’t put her finger on it.
Suddenly, in a shimmering flash of light appeared another Helios. ‘What are you planning, my love?’
The new Helios (Left Helios) seemed quite incensed by the situation. “How, dare you, è ruffiano! Unhand my beloved wife!”
The music became tense as the Helios (Right Helios) at her side turned to the other one, oddly following orders & stepping away from her. Or, perhaps, he was merely stepping towards the offending man. “That is a very good disguise you have there, Signore Sosia. However, there is something wrong with it. You are not nearly handsome enough to pull off this look.”
Laughter rang out through the audience at the semi-faux-arrogance laced through the man’s voice. It was all part of his act; while he actually did have a bit of an ego, he often overplayed it for the sake of comedy. This time was no different.
Left Helios became even angrier at this slight & wielded his Magician’s Staff in a manner similar to a fencing foil. “È figlio vile di un serpente! I will teach you to disrespect my Sirena! Avere a te!” With that he lunged forward to strike, but was unsuccessful as Right Helios proceeded to show his own prowess as a swordsmen by fighting back.
It was a duel between gentlemen, the likes of which normally seen in movies with plenty of blocking, dodging, parries, counters, hits, & misses. The audience was enthralled, unable to decide who to root for. Thalassa found herself to be one of the members of the audience, though one with a much better view than most.
The clash was a true marvel & it got her blood rushing with excitement as the two bantered with each other; both sounding exactly like her beloved husband. Then, the strangest thing happened… Diana leaped between the swashbuckling pair, her hands flying up to catch the two staffs, an enraged look on her face.
The two Helios backed away from the woman as she angrily roared at them. “Desist, you curs! Neither of you are my fratellino! Helios would never put my cara cognata into such a situation! Fighting over her like a soiled bambino! Furthermore...”
He is the very model of an Illumios Magician,
Left Helios: (Yes! Quite right! I agree! )
Right Helios: (Sorella is very wise! Surely she can tell who the real Helios is! )
Both Helios: (♪After all, he is the very model of an Illumios Magician! ♪)
Lyrically, he’s well-versed both in modern & classical information,
He knows the monarchs of stage magic & he quotes their tricks historical
From Flaming Coffin to Interlude, in order categorical;
He’s very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
He understands equations, both the simple & quadratical,
With his brilliant mind, he plans his tricks & is teeming with a lot o' news, infastidito per una rima
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse!
Hyperion had just about had enough of this. Crossing his arms & raising a brow at the singing ‘Diana,’ he stepped forward. “Don’t you think this has gone on long enough? I know how you love your dramatics, but you’re hamming up the stage caro fratellino...”
Diana made an over exaggeratedly surprised face. Still singing, the voice that came out of the beautiful young woman’s mouth shocked the audience. It was the voice of Helios, himself! The very man they were searching for! “Oh, dear! Oh, dear! It seems I have been caught!”
The look on the disguised man’s face was quite amusing. He had his hands on his cheeks in a similar fashion to the Scream painting. However, the imposter was quick to show that he was truly unfazed by this situation by shifting into a rather cocky pose. One hand on his hip while the other was fanned out over his chest as he smiled broadly, no doubt poking fun at the fact that he still held the impeccable resemblance of his elder sister. “Yet, despite this, mi caro fratello, the fact remains...”
I’m lyrically informed both in the modern & the classical,
I am still the very model of an Illumios Magician!
Both Helios: (♪Still the very model of an Illumios Magician! ♪)
Hyperion’s face seemed to wilt at the sound of the others. He dropped his face in his hands. “Oh, mio Dio in cielo, perché? Now, there’s three of them & one is dressed in drag!” The eldest of the Illumios siblings pulled his hands down over his face, dragging some of the skin along with them.
When he released the skin & it snapped back, he sighed heavily before turned to the audience with a deadpan expression. “I miei scutato, signore e signori, but I think that I’ll be needing a bit of the Family’s Vino Cotto later tonight…” (Vino Cotto: strong, red, cooked wine from Central Italy. Usually only family made as it can’t, legally, be sold.)
Helios, still looking like Diana, just laughed along with the audience members who knew enough about wine to get the joke. “Aw! Don’t be like that, Hyperion! I know you still love me. I’m just having fun being my usual sciocca auto! Ha ha ha!”
Helios twirls his magician’s staff, much like a baton as he dances. “Now, I best get back into something more comfortable! What do you say, signore e signori? Should I have mercy on your poor minds? I think I should!” As he does so, he slowly unweaves the light that he used to disguise himself as his sorella starting at his feet. All the while, he continued with his song.
I know our mythic history, the courting of Lupa Hikari & Soluce;
I can hypnotize with just my voice & a tuning of my lute,
My sleight of hand, while not as grand as our sorella’s quick-fingers,
I assure you that in dexterity, I am no amateur,
I can tell undoubted Robert Dowland from Banjo String & a Hōshi's Biwa playing,
I know the croaking chorus from The Frogs of Aristophanes!
Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore, infastidito per una rim
And whistle all the airs from that wonderful nonsense Pinafore.
Then I can write a sonnet in Babylonic cuneiform,
And tell you every detail of Merlin's uniform:
I’m lyrically informed both in the modern & the classical,
With a flourish of his short white Jaxon Top Hat with a light blue band & 'gold' feathers pinned to the side, Helios was back to his normal self. White, double-breasted, tailcoat with adjusted sleeves so that the cuffs were all the way to his upper biceps; underneath a light blue waistcoat & beneath that, a white, sleeveless dress shirt. Around his dress shirt’s collar was a bowtie with a pattern for the night sky & pinned to the knot was a gold, beveled, 6-pointed star pin with a diamond in the center.
His suit pants were just as immaculate & white, but were made of a flexible material that allowed him to move freely without having to worry about rips. On his feet were a pair of dark brown leather boots; comfortable, but fancy with a buckle on the ankles & soles that allowed for running. They only reached up to his upper calves before folding down like one might expect on a buccaneer’s footwear.
I am the very model of an Illumios Magician!
Both Helios: (♪He is the very model of an Illumios Magician! ♪)
Helios walked over to his wife, a smile on his face, short ponytail at the nape of his neck needing a bit of a brush. The two other ‘Helios’ merely made way for him without question. With a theatrical sweeping motion, he removed his hat, revealing the two feather-like locks of dark chocolate hair that stood up at the center of his forehead much like the crest of a bird, & bowed at the waist before her, one foot in front of the other & his other arm behind his back, holding his gold magician’s staff.
Then, straightening back up, he placed his hat back on top of his head, once more flattening his feather-like crest, then, held out his hand in request. “Might I ask for this dance, mia bella Sirena?”
Thalassa wasn’t really surprised by her husband’s question, but she still felt her heart melt at the warmth in his molten amber eyes. The clear adoration he held for her, how he showed her how much he loved her with everything he did. Every day that she was with him she could feel herself falling deeper. She often wondered if this was that elusive treasure known as True Love or just a growing love that simply existed.
Either way, she felt herself smiling at him & she gladly placed her hand in his. Her husband pulled her close & they began to dance a fusion of Tango & Swing together; the two upbeat forms of expression melding to create a wonderfully sensual, yet energetic rhythm.
In fact, when I can perform Asrah Levitation while reciting my own balladry,
When I can tell by call alone a sparrow from a mockingbird in the midst of mimicry,
When such tricks as Origami & Chinese linking rings I find delight in,
And when I know precisely what is meant by the "Chen Lee Water Suspension,"
When I've learnt how to echo my voice without a tool to increase its resonance,
When I know more of music science than most audio technicians–
In short, when I've a smattering of performance strategy– infastidito per una rima
In the midst of one particularly dizzying twirl, Thalassa had a rush of mischief flood through her &, quick as a whip, she used her finely-tuned sleight-of-hand to switch their hats. Now, she wore his white Jaxon while atop Helios’ Dark Chocolate locks, was her own blue top hat. She heard him chuckle at her unscripted show of silliness; how she loved his laugh. They both had wide grins on their faces as they continued their dance.
You'll say a better Illumios Magician has never sat a gee.
For my entertainment knowledge, though I'm lively & adventure-savvy,
Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century;
But still, in matters lyrical, both modern & classical information,
I am the very model of an Illumios Magician!
Both Helios: (♪Yes, he is the very model of an Illumios Magician! ♪)
At the end of the song, Helios had his wife in a classic Tango dip-step, one of her legs was draped over his hip as his arm held her up behind her back. Her bell-like giggles rang in his ears, making his chest flutter. Even through the sweat on his brow, he was more exhilarated than ever before.
Flashing her a bright smile, Helios swung her up so that they were both standing straight. He could hear the audience start to laugh, obviously spotting the mix up in their head-gear by then.
Noticing how her top hat was far too small for his fat head & that his feathered Jaxon was large enough that the brim just started covering her eyes, he removed the blue hat from him & presented it to his beloved wife. “For you, mia subdola piccola Sirena.”
Seeing his fratello rolling his eyes at their cutesy behavior, Helios felt bad for excluding him. "Oh, don't give me that look, caro fratello. Just because I'M a model for an Illumios Magician, that doesn't mean that miei meravigliosi fratelli are not JUST as spettacolare!” Walking over, the youngest of the trio placed a hand on the light orange-clad shoulder of his brother’s own tailcoat. The deep sky-blue of his neck tie was patterned with the barest hint of clouds. Aside from that & the light orange Jaxon top hat with a deep sky-blue band with a gold sun hatpin with a garnet, everything else about the eldest Illumios’ stage costume was nearly identical to Helios’; except that Hyperion’s tailcoat had sleeves that went all the way down to his wrist, like a proper tailcoat should, cufflinks & all. He also had no waistcoat seeing as the tailcoat was fully buttoned.
Truly, Helios loved his siblings. They were just some of those who made him the person he was. “You two are as much models for any aspiring Magician as I; Illumios or otherwise! Goodness knows, I couldn't have pulled this gem of a trick off without our sorella, the Mistress of Marionettes! Take a bow, Diana!"
This drew a smile from both his brother & his wife as all three of them inclined their heads towards the banisters far above the stage. At that exact moment, he released the light surrounding the two other Helios, revealing their true forms; life-sized marionettes. Both dressed as him, they were wooden with cylindrical heads & beady eyes, their mouths a simple disk of wood, but they still moved like real humans thanks to their mistress.
The astonished gasps of the audience were only increased by the simply masterful entrance of his sister.
Diana, with all her acrobatic skills, swan-dived from above, performing graceful spins, summersaults, & jack-knifes with the help of her two marionettes’ strings. She had always been tremendously dexterous; her talent with strings, ropes, & the like unmistakable. Now, she had honed her skills to the point that she didn’t even tangle those threads that she commanded.
With great ease, her puppets caught her by the waist, placing her on the ground & with the subtlest tugs of her fingers they both stepped away & took a bow before disappearing up into the ceiling. Many in the audience likely thought that there were other puppeteers still up there, but the truth was that their sorella was still the only one in full control of the marionettes.
Her signature color was violet. She also wore a tailcoat, though, the tails were more exaggerated then her brothers & it was left sleeveless. She wore a short, white, button-up dress shirt with a collar underneath & a simple navy cravat with silver constellations for the pattern. The cravat was nothing too frilly like that frightening German Prosecutor, Von Karma wore; just a little something nice. Pinned to it was a sterling silver brooch in the shape of a crescent moon. It created a full circle despite the crescent & in the portion that would be hollow was a, relatively, flattened milky white moonstone.
She also had a scalloped black skirt with black, spandex shorts hidden beneath & see-through, white leggings along with knee-high dark brown buccaneer boots with a nice one-inch heel. Her Jaxon top hat was as violet as her tailcoat with a navy band & a single, curved ‘silver’ feather tucked beneath the band. The final bit of clothing she wore were a specialized pair of gloves. They were white & had multiple different rings on them. Attached to these rings were a forest of nearly invisible strings, made more so by her own modest skill in Light Manipulation. These were her Marionette Mistress Gloves.
Now on the ground, she stepped forward removing the gloves & allowed them to rise up into the ceiling as they always did.
She removed her Jaxon hat, revealing her milk chocolate French braid with a crest like her fratelli only the two feather-like protrusions were blond, unlike the rest of her hair, & were angled so that they framed one of her dazzling, hazel-green eyes between the spiked locks of platinum hair. Sweeping her torso down into an elegant bow, one foot forward, it showed that her braid was held together by a navy ribbon when the tail of it fell over her shoulder.
Returning to an upright position, Diana smiled out at the audience. “I hope that you all enjoyed our show tonight, signore e signori. Mi fratellino & I worked very hard on it. We especially wanted it to be a surprise to sorella Thalassa & Hyperion as they’ve both been working much too hard lately.”
The eldest Illumios sibling snorted, a little put off by the impromptu performance, though silently touched by his fratellino & sorellina’s consideration as shown by the very real smile on his face.
Helios rolled his eyes. “Ah, Hyperion. Ever the tsundere… By-the-way, you forgot your birthday… Again… Therefore, we were forced to prepare your party in secret… AGAIN!! As such…” He pulled out a noisemaker & blew it, making it unfurl into his brother’s face, who couldn’t keep the smile from his lips as he realized that it was, indeed, his birthday!
Helios just smirked broadly before completing his sentence. “Buon compleanno!”
Laughter once more filled the room. Turning to the audience, Helios waved. “Buona notte a tutti! Be safe on your ways home & sweet dreams!” With that, the curtains fell & the show had ended.