Chapter Text
The funny thing about magic and magicians is that people focus on solely those two aspects. The magic or the magician. They often forget the one behind the curtain, the one who makes everything run smoothly while the showman is under the spotlight. But there cannot be one without the other. The magician is there to distract from what happens backstage. The person backstage is there to make sure that people are looking at the magician as closely as they can. Because the closer they look, the less they will actually see. And they never see me.
"Ladies and gentleman, we are the Four Horsemen! Thank you, and goodnight!"
Harper grins to herself as she hears Henley and Daniel recite their closing words. Like clockwork, she muses. She dials up the ending theme over the loudspeakers surrounding the theatre and dims the stage lights signifying to the audience that the show is over. Taking off her headset, she lowers herself from her "lookout" spot backstage, jumping off of the scrawny platform and landing on a strategically placed beanbag cushion.
Knowing that time is of the essence when it comes to magic shows, she quickly packs up her sound and lighting equipment, making sure not to leave behind the card that the Eye had given her. While normally she doesn't carry her card while out and about, Harper felt that tonights show was an exception. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to have a little luck on their side for tonight. After all, it's not every day that you get to be a part of the most sold out magic show in Las Vegas.
Having collected everything she had brought with her, Harper grabbed her cardigan off the busted light fixture that the maintenance crew still hadn't thrown out and headed for the back exit. She spotted the others at the end of the alley, having waited for her since she had more to lug around. Though she was loathe to admit it, she appreciated that they waited for her after the shows. It made her feel more a part of the act and not just the technician backstage.
"Hey there, Batgirl!" Merritt greeted her. He had taken to calling her that when after a particularly long show, Jack had asked her how she was never seen by the audience for the twentieth time and she had snapped, "Because I'm the fucking Batman!" and then then covered her head with her black sweater, looking suspiciously similar to the caped crusader. Merritt, having an unusual sense of humor, liked to remind her of that as often as he could.
"S'up Grandpa?" At least two can play that game.
"Nothing much Shortstack." Daniel intervened before the name game could escalate in any explicit name calling."So, how about italian?"
After they had been seated at the restaraunt, they began talking about how they should stump the audience at their next show. "Well, Harper and I were thinking that we could do something with that bubble trick you showed us yesterday." Henley began. "She can do that hologram projection into the bubble to make it look like I'm floating in it. You just need to make it large enough."
Daniel looked unconvinced. "No offense Harper, but I'd rather not rely on a computer generated image to highlight my show. But thanks anyway."
While Daniel was a very gifted illusionist and a great seducer of women (or so he claims) Harper got the feeling that he didn't like her very much. Maybe it was because he couldn't understand how someone could be content with being in the shadows all the time. Harper found it very convenient, especially when it came time to go grocery shopping. She'd seen how annoying a trail of fans was when you were trying to buy tampons, courtesy of Henley. From then on, she had done all the shopping.
"Well, I think it would be great. Stop being so cynical, you always are……." She lost track of the conversation once Henley and Daniel started at it.Choosing to instead focus on the large portion of shrimp fettecini alfredo that had just been placed in front of her, she dug in, suddenly realizing how hungry she actually was.
She hadn't meant to fall asleep at the restaurant table, but the next thing she knew, she was being carried towards the silver car that always seemed to be parked wherever they needed it. S'just like magic…,She thought to herself as her eyelids grew heavy once more and she let herself drift away in dreams filled with empty bank vaults and blank playing cards.