[Deleted]

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Lost in the streets of New York

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@jules

"Howdy, NY-Cee."

A small, lopsided grin spread across Ari's face as she stepped out of the taxi, duffel bag strapped across her shoulder as she silently celebrated the fact that 'howdy' and 'NYC' rhymed. Of course, she wasn't greeting anyone in particular, simply having muttered the words quietly so as to not elicit the idea that she was an oddball--especially since it was her first day in New York.

Ah, New York. Even as Ari began walking to an aimless destination amidst the crowded streets of the city, she still had no idea why she bought a ticket to the Big Apple. Sure, it was to "broaden her horizons", but that was basically it. She had hopped on the plane with nothing but her essentials in a duffel bag, and instead of her never letting go of the goal, it was instead the goal strapping her down and never letting her change her mind.

No plans, no preparations. Ari Chandler simply dived down the deep blue.

Nevertheless, the smile stayed where it was. And it stayed still as she booked in a hotel and tossed her duffel bag on the bed, deciding right then and there that she was going to be in New York for at most two days. Many times had Ari scolded herself for always thinking things at the last minute, but many times had she also forgotten the self-reprimandings and continued to be the impromptuist, the improviser, the procrastinator. Now she was going to have to plan her act for today, and where to perform it, and at what time. 

Ah, the non-perks of being reckless.

30-minute intervals had always been her solution to abrupt time managements, and this was no exception. Hence, she began her planning at 10:32 AM, and searched for a good pitch at roughly 11:29, eventually using the remaining time to rehearse before leaving at 12 PM. Lunchtime always gave bigger foot traffic, and back in San Francisco her shows always began somewhere at 12 PM.

Hopefully, New York was the same--and as Ari stood in her chosen pitch and began smiling her show-woman's smile she wondered if people would recognize her from her crowd-forming acts in San Francisco. It would certainly help, if her illusions didn't already do so.

Snap.

Ari closed her eyes, visualizing a flurry of colors before opening them to see if it did work. And it did, her opening illusion always did. Strings of blue and white here, a mix of black and orange there, twisting and turning all around Ari as she grinned a lopsided grin.

Snap.

"Hear ye, hear ye, ladies and gents!" And with that, birds began to flutter out from her red jacket, as if they've been hiding there not a moment ago. "The name's Ari Chandler, and I've brought some dreams for y'all, for The City that Never Sleeps!"

[Deleted]

Although her working hours weren’t always perfectly regular, Jules was always guaranteed at least one full day a week which she could devote to her daughter. She liked to spread her writing work across the other days so they could spend the day blissfully free of responsibilities. Working from home ensured plenty of quality time together, but it just wasn’t the same as an entire, guilt-free trip out of the house.

Emily had been a little miserable this morning, which was putting a slight downer on the occasion, and Jules couldn’t quite figure out what the cause was. Maybe she was coming down with something, or maybe she hadn’t slept very well – although she refused to settle down for a nap. Jules finally decided that a change of scenery may very well surprise her one-year-old into her usual, joyful self so she picked her up, strapped her in with the not-exactly-ergonomic hip carrier that her mother had bought for her, and made her way out of the house with a bag full of snacks, wipes and nappies and a whole army of nursery rhymes flowing out of her mouth to cheer Em up.

Making it up as she went along, Jules ended up on the subway heading for Manhattan. Em was a pretty big fan of the subway and liked to gape openly at her fellow passengers as they travelled. She was especially fond of the attention she tended to receive from the more friendly travellers, and so Jules pretty much just sat her on her lap and left her to it. The change in mood was obvious.

They emerged into the heart of tourist central, which Em was apparently not in the mood for today. It was particularly busy and noisy – painting the most adorable scowl on Emily’s face.

“Aw c’mon grumps,” Jules soothed, making her way slowly down the street. “Last time we were here you saw Princess Elsa! Wasn’t that fun?”

Ironically, considering her powers, Jules wasn’t really a Frozen fan. Em was, however, thanks to the Nanny having a rather limited rotation of movies for the two of them to watch. Jules had lost count of the number of times she had come home to the sound of ‘Let it Go’ blasting throughout her flat.

The flow of pedestrians seemed to slow suddenly, and Jules realised a crowd was forming around a nearby street performer. She watched Emily’s face – previously still sulking magnificently – as it lit up with unbridled wonder. Em clapped her hands happily and so Jules grabbed a spot in the curve of people who had gathered around the performance just as a flock of birds emerged suddenly from within a bright red jacket.

She lifted Em up onto her shoulders for the remainder of the performance, equally as enthralled as her daughter was. This clearly wasn’t just your standard slight-of-hand, parlour trick magic. These were full-blown illusions; colourful and creative as though they’d been plucked directly from your wildest dreams.

Once the performance drew to a close and the enthusiastic crowd began to move along, Jules set Em down on the pavement and handed her a few bills for tip money. Not needing to be asked twice, Emily made her way towards the performer – money held aloft, clutched in one small fist. She tapped the woman’s knee to grab her attention, waving the money in her face, with an enormous grin spread across her face. Jules watched from a close distance – happy that something had managed to cheer her daughter up. And that was an understatement!

@blackbirdfly | 593 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

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Lost in the streets of New York

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@jules

In accordance to the fairly cluttered progression of events called her life, Ari always started out small, so she began with the simplest thing she could think of: a ping pong ball, or at least, the illusion of one bouncing out of her fingers and into the limited space that the forming crowd had spared. It didn't make a sound--although if Ari knew she could, she would have made it do so, but it did create a few peculiar movements as it continued to bounce at unrealistic intervals, with some of the audience even making way as it passed by their direction and close by the toes of a 6-year old boy.

She faintly chuckled when the child knelt down to pick it up, but knowing that the ping pong ball was intangible, Ari opted to just make it follow the boy's hand so it did look like it was tangible. "It's really light..." the boy muttered, seemingly a bit disappointed. Ari managed a small smile, kneeling down in front of the kid. Raising her hand, she snapped her fingers, and as if on cue the ping pong ball began to glow a soft, but evident white.

"It's a different kind of light,"

Snap.

And with that, the smile turned into a grin as Ari twirled her pointer finger around the glowing ball before reaching a hand up high into the air. A barrage of glowing circles soon followed, hovering above her head (and hand) as they spun around high-speed, so instead it looked like one big radiant ring. Eventually, it slowed down, with the gleaming balls scattering toward different directions and close to various people, landing by the shoulders, their heads, their hands, like birds perching on respective branches.

Ari resisted the urge to chuckle--the fact that it had become bird-themed didn't exactly cross her mind.

Snap.

She could have said ka-boom as the balls exploded into various colors and intricate shapes, swiftly brushing around the crowd and doing little shows themselves before returning back to where it all began--Ari's hand, closing as the first act finished its course.

Afterwards began the applause, then the next act, and the next, until Ari found herself getting lost in the performance and wandering off track of what she had previously planned. It wasn't exactly a bad thing-- Ari had done it plenty of times before (or maybe all the time), but then again despite wanting to give her all every day she knew she'd have to save some ideas so she could remove repetitiveness on the next show.

Snap.

Her final illusion, a callback to the beginning of the performance, had birds flying down from out of nowhere, fluttering and brushing by the audience as they perched on Ari's outstretched hands. Frankly, she hadn't expected this much of an audience on her first day in New York, but it was a positive thing and Ari welcomed it. As she took a bow, and as the birds dematerialized back to her jacket, she could hear the clinking and clanking of coins resounding to her right, where she had placed her top hat so house the earnings.

Miraculously enough, no one had the guts to grab it and run.

Frankly, that wasn't the only thing that seemed different from her San Francisco routine--maybe it was the heavier foot traffic, or the slightly chaotic atmosphere

Or maybe it was the little girl tapping her on her knee with a few bills fisted on her small hands. It wasn't everyday that someone personally handed her tips, much less from a child who didn't seem older than two years.

"Hey, sunshine!" Kneeling down so she was at face level with the little girl, Ari couldn't help but chuckle. The kid was grinning widely as well, and one moment later Ari found herself exchanging an even bigger grin. Gently, she took the tip from the child and tucked it inside folded hands, a playful glint in her eyes. "Wanna know what I do with the money?"

Ari closed her eyes for a second, imagining the origami cranes she used to fold some paper bills into for one performance. It didn't take long for her folded palms to open, releasing the money-crane and letting it perch on the kid's shoulder for a while, until it eventually took off and disappeared in the sky.

"They love taking little trips to Craneville," she whispered, chuckling softly. As Ari talked, she noticed that despite the crowd already dissipating, one person seemed to stay behind. It wasn't quite difficult to spot her--the woman's blue hair stood out from the multitude.

Was she the child's mother? Of course, Ari didn't see any harm in inquiring. "Miss?" she called out, a smile still on her face. She was still kneeling by the little girl, so it was easy to point. "This little bundle of joy yours?"

[Deleted]

Jules watched as Emily stared with wide eyes at her new best-friend-in-the-entire-world. Em’s affections were fickle but strongly felt, and she could tell that her daughter was absolutely captivated by the performer’s little trick with the paper-bill crane. Em giggled delightedly and clapped her hands, spinning unsteadily on the spot as she turned her head to get a better look at the origami bird perched on her shoulder.

When it flew away, her face crumpled slightly, but something the performer said with a soft chuckle quickly kept any potential tears at bay. Em was still standing by the performer, apparently not too concerned about returning to Jules’ side just yet. The woman in the red jacket looked up, searching for and quickly meeting Jules’ gaze.

“She is, yes,” Jules said happily, coming closer now and joining her in kneeling beside Emily. “I have you to thank for all that joy right now, you’re a miracle worker! I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so mesmerised – what an awesome show. Do you always work here?”

Em had tottered off towards the top hat on the ground, peering in so enthusiastically that her entire head disappeared into it.

“Birdie!?”

Emily’s demand was a little muffled by the fabric of the top hat, but Jules could make out what she meant and she laughed fondly.

“Little devil’s trying to get her own private show out of you,” she remarked in amusement. “Watch out, that madam is a master of wrapping people around her finger.”

As if she’d overheard, Em looked up suddenly and dazzled the two of them with her best innocent smile. Who, me?

@blackbirdfly | 272 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

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Thinks Emily is the most adorable kid in the world.

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@jules

"Well, you've certainly created quite the charmer, what's her name?" Ari answered as she stood back up again, pointing her eyebrows at the little girl's direction. She stretched out a hand at the woman just in case she needed any help standing up, although it also served as an offered handshake on her part. "Mine's Ari Chandler, it's nice to meet you!"

At the woman's next remark, the illusionist laughed softly, placing her hands inside her pockets. "I just really want to make people smile, and what's better than that of a child's? Although, truth be told, I don't think I've ever seen a kid more enthusiastic than your little sunshine over there."

Ah, children. If there was something that Ari adored the most, it would be the impressive imagination that all kids have an affinity for. Back in San Francisco, whenever she summoned any of her surrealist illusions, the children seem to catch up more than the grown-ups do, and it always warmed Ari's heart whenever they beamed up their biggest smiles, like the illusions were all they needed for the day. For Ari, seeing the wonder in the little girl's eyes when she whipped up the paper crane wasn't ever going to be trumped by anything else.

At this point the little girl had teetered over to Ari's top hat, which was still standing a few inches away from her. Her whole head had already disappeared inside, and although Ari didn't manage to hear what the kid was saying she was pretty sure it still had something to do with the money-crane.

"Smart little lass, too." She remarked with a lopsided grin, quietly rummaging through her pockets to see if she could get piece of scratch paper to "origamize" into. Eventually, she managed to grab a square post-it note that she had originally planned to stick on her top hat, although the tape was ineffective now. Idly, she began to fold it in various places, her head occasionally looking back up at the woman as she began speaking again. "As for the last question...it's actually my first day here in New York. I'm originally based in San Francisco and kinda just, uh, flew here in the spur of the moment. To broaden my horizons. Recklessly. But what's life without a little adventure, right?"

It took a few more seconds before the small-ish piece of paper became an even smaller paper crane, eliciting an 'Aha!' expression from it's creator. Despite being immobile, this time it was tangible and although it was no bigger than a ping-pong ball Ari assumed it would be ideal for the little girl to carry around. "Well, she won't get a private show, at least for now," Ari couldn't help but laugh softly at the little girl's obliviously innocent smile. With a playful grin, she continued. "Buuuut, I've got something for her to remember me by. I mean, she can't possibly peer into everyone's top hats forever."

Approaching the little girl, Ari knelt down again and showed her the post-it paper crane, gently taking her top hat as well. Unlike her other hats, today didn't have its top ripped out so she didn't have to pick up the tips from the floor. "Plus, little sunshine here just gave me an idea for tomorrow's performance. So maybe that'll be the...not-so-private-but-still-for-little-sunshine show, yeah?"

[Deleted]

A proud, affectionate beam spread across Jules’ face. “Her name’s Emily. Or Em, if you like. My mom never shortens it,” Jules added, rolling her eyes. “And hi Ari,” she said with a grin, accepting the helping hand as she rose to her feet. “I’m Jules. Nice to meet you too! Do you charge double for babysitting services?” she added with a laugh.

She was only half-joking.

Ari’s fondness for children – people in general, too, but definitely children – was practically written on her face. Like any mother, Jules was always particularly happy to have her child singled out in some kind of exceptional way, as though Emily was anything but your average toddler.

“She’s certainly pretty free and enthusiastic with her love,” Jules laughed. “And she’s growing up in a world surrounded by all these fantastic abilities, but still seems to find wonder in it all. I even have my own lame magic trick,” she confessed, sprinkling a few snowflakes from her fingers in demonstration. “Although she’s not so impressed with that any more.”

Jules watched as Ari’s fingers worked deftly with the small post-it note she’d plucked from her pocket, keeping up the conversation simultaneously. “Awesome! I love an adventure myself,” Jules announced happily. “Gotta check out that coastline some time. I’m originally from Arizona but I never made the trip out to the Pacific. I probably will next time my folks demand a visit,” she explained, grinning. “First day, huh? How exciting! Are you planning to stay for long?”

Eventually Ari’s work was complete, and a cute little paper crane stood proudly in her hand. Jules held her breath as the illusionist held it out for Em, whose grabby hands instantly reached for it. Fortunately, Emily was a little gentler than usual with her new gift and the crane remained intact.

“Another performance tomorrow? What time? Sign us up!”

If it was around the same time, Jules could probably squeeze it in. Em would probably never forgive her if she didn’t, anyway.

@blackbirdfly | 334 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

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Thinks Emily is the most adorable kid in the world.

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@jules

Emily and Jules—Ari almost screamed eureka. “Now that’s just cool!” she remarked, almost a bit too enthusiastically. Soon realizing that her reaction might be a bit confusing, Ari explained gently. “I’m not really sure if you know about them, but I grew up reading lots of books. Some of them were written by Jules Verne, and there’s plenty of poems by Emily Dickinson. Jules Verne’s a guy, but you know, I just find it awesome that I’m talking to a Jules and an Emily right now.” It was almost a bit of a ramble, but eh, Ari had always been a motormouth. She just hoped it wasn’t extreme enough to drive away the person she was talking to.

When Jules inquired about babysitting services, Ari threw back her head and laughed. "My performances can be synonymous with babysitting, so there’s no doubled charge." she answered, her shoulders motioning a shrug. "At least, I like to think so. I do admit that a few kids have cried on occasion, but it’s mostly because they’re afraid of butterflies or puppies or clouds...” Slowly her voice lowered down into a mutter, a sheepish grin on her face.

That was a bad business advertisement.

They continued to converse, Ari suggesting they sit in a nearby bench while Jules showed off her own ability, which was apparently something that had to do with ice. Surely, snowflakes weren’t the only thing the blue-haired lady can do? “Dude, snowflakes are never lame.” Ari assured with her usual lopsided smile. “I mean, they all have unique patterns and all of them are never the same. Just like people, you know.”

Ari looked back at Jules, having not exactly taken a clear look at her a few moments ago. Sure, the woman's hair stood out of the crowd, but New York was a big place and Ari liked to take note of people's faces just in case they'd meet again. It didn't exactly cross her mind how young Jules looked, and as she took a quick glance at Emily, Ari wondered how younger Jules had been when she conceived the kid. Of course, she didn't want to ask considering they've only just met, so she kept her mouth shut.

Soon, the topic transferred to their respective hometowns. Arizona, huh. She hadn’t ever been to there, but then again Ari had only ever traveled to New York and Los Angeles. “You definitely should,” she proudly agreed, thinking back to San Francisco’s own amazing landmarks. “I’ll be staying here for at most...two days, I guess? Today and tomorrow, then I’m taking the next flight home.” Truth be told, had her first New York performance not been successful, Ari wouldn’t have had enough money for the next day and she would have been forced to go home afterwards. Thankfully, though, what happened was the opposite.

She watched as Em took the crane, chuckling a bit at the quickness of the little girl’s hands. “Apparently, a good way to boost a kid’s imagination is to give ‘em something immobile,” she blurted a bit randomly, “Aka, toys. I think it has something to do with their minds automatically thinking that it’s alive and all.”

Ari pondered Jules’ last question for a bit. She had wanted to experiment with other time ranges but considering how much she had earned this lunch, it probably wouldn’t hurt to do it again. It wasn’t like she’d be staying long, anyways. “12 o’clock, tops,” she answered with a grin, placing the top hat on her head. It wasn’t an over-the-top one, as Ari had specifically chosen something that would truly match with her. “It’ll probably last a good hour or so, I’m thinking of making the most out of the last day.”

[Deleted]

Ari’s sudden burst of excitement was definitely a bit of a surprise (although not totally unexpected, considering Ari’s general enthusiasm) but she rushed quickly to explain herself to a slightly wide-eyed Jules. “You know, that’s funny; I’d have never made that connection before.” Jules chuckled. “I know some Verne.” She wobbled her hand, indicating her rather shaky knowledge of the author. “My Jules is short for Julia though – which I’m guessing isn’t quite the same for him! Studied Dickinson back in college – she was cool.”

The fact that Ari’s mind had gone straight to literature was intriguing, and impressive. The girl seemed well-educated and yet here she was performing on city streets. Not that there was anything inherently wrong with being a street performer, it just seemed a rather unconventional career choice for somebody who casually referred to Emily Dickinson and Jules Verne in conversation with strangers. Jules liked it.

“Alright, that’s a sweet deal,” Jules laughed. Her laugh got a little louder as Ari admitting bringing children to tears with her act. “Kids are weird. Why would you ever be scared of puppies? Although – hey – I’ve seen Emily cry because I wouldn’t let her eat the leftover eggshells from making breakfast one morning. Sometimes there’s just no good reason.” She smiled fondly.

Jules was amused by Ari’s comparison of people to snowflakes. It was a rather romantic way of looking at things, a view that very optimistic people tended to hold of the world. Jules wasn’t exactly a pessimist, but Ari’s comment put an entertained smile on her face nonetheless.

“Woah, short vacation,” Jules commented. “I guess San Francisco would miss you if you were gone too long, am I right?” She assumed that this was Ari’s main line of work. For some people, the illusionist’s performances must be a welcome part of their everyday, or maybe just weekly, routine. Who was New York to steal her away for too long?

She listened interestedly to Ari as she displayed further hints of her wide reading. “You sure seem to know a lot about everything,” she said with a playful smile. “That makes sense. I’d rather give Em something for her to play with and figure out than dump her in front of the TV, you know? Plus the apartment’s small and there’s only so many kids’ shows a girl can take.”

Jules took a second to admire the top hat on Ari’s head. “A whole hour? That’s awesome, I can totally make time for that. You hear that, Em? We can come back tomorrow, wouldn’t that be cool?”

Em looked up from her post-it crane, giggling happily.

@blackbirdfly | 439 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

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Thinks Emily is the most adorable kid in the world.

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@jules

”Now, now, leftover eggshells?” Ari turned to look at Emily, crouching a bit down so she was at face level with the kid. ”That’s a whole new level of amusing, kiddo. Keep it up.”

Of course, it was half a joke, because sometimes being eccentric wasn’t a complete plus one. But Ari always found the time to try and encourage the young ones to be different, because heck if everyone was the same shade of color. Now, that would be just boring. A craving for leftover eggshells? That was definitely something yellow in a shade of blue.

Or whichever colors seem to contrast.

Ari shook her head softly at Jules’ next remark. ”Born and raised there, but it’s more like the other way around—I’ll miss San Francisco if I’m gone too long.” She displayed a wide grin afterwards, raising her arms wide up, ”But it’s not like New York’s un-cool and all, because dude, it really is. I could get lost in here forever and not care at all. You guys have definitely landed in a jackpot.”

The ramble went a bit longer than expected, but as always Ari didn’t seem to notice until she was finished, by which point she found herself listening to Jules in turn. ”Ah, nah, I actually don’t,” she responded quietly to the blue-haired woman’s remark about her knowledge of everything. Ari was a high-school dropout, so she knew to herself that she definitely didn’t know a lot. Instead, she nodded as Jules continued to talk. ”Balance is always fun to work with, makes management so much easier. TV shows here, toys there, maybe feed them broccoli while they’re distracted.” she added, chuckling softly and low-key shivering at the thought of broccoli.

”Seems Em is up for it!” she remarked, returning a lopsided grin to the little girl’s giggle. The kid was truly an unintentional charmer. ”Well, then, I’ll probably have to head off now. I’ll definitely look forward to you guys tomorrow, yeah?”

[Deleted]

Jules threw Ari a playful scowl. “Don’t encourage her – it wouldn’t surprise me if eggshells turned out to be the gateway to something super weird. Actually, you know what? I bet if I did actually let her eat them she’d just spit them out and sulk with me for letting her eat eggshells.”

When Jules’ mum had been trying to fill her with maternal wisdom, one thing that had particularly stood out was the, ‘You are going to have the weirdest arguments ever’ piece of advice. It was true – even though Emily only had a handful of words at her disposal, Jules still found herself arguing with the tiny human over whatever latest nonsense she happened to decide was very important at that moment in time. She could have sworn Em just decided to be difficult sometimes because it made her laugh. Admittedly, it made Jules laugh too.

“New York is pretty cool,” Jules agreed, casting her eyes up and down their surroundings. It wasn’t often that she actually took the time to admire New York and remember what it was that had drawn her in in the first place. Such a different world to the one she’d grown up in. “Not perfect, sure, but there’s always something going on. I like the adventure of it all. Who knows how long I’ll stick around, but I’m definitely not planning on moving away any time soon.”

Maybe once Em was older they’d move out to somewhere more sensible. Maybe by the beach somewhere – Jules had always fantasised about living by the sea as a child.

The other woman’s modesty was so genuine that it actually surprised Jules a little. She clearly didn’t think much of her own academic prowess. Jules wasn’t one to judge for that, however. There were more important things in life than book smarts. She pulled a face while Ari gave a gentle shudder at the thought of broccoli. “That’s just child abuse!” she teased.

“Absolutely! 12 o’clock!” Jules scooped Em up, popping her back into place at her hip. “We’re going to go in search of snacks. I’ll make sure she looks after your present.”

The post-it crane was still being held remarkably gently by the toddler. If it survived the journey back home, it would probably end up proudly displayed somewhere for Jules to admire. She’d enjoyed her time talking to the young street performer and was definitely looking forward to what Ari had in store for them tomorrow. Hopefully Em could contain her excitement until then.

@blackbirdfly | 421 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

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Day 2

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@jules

Ari lifted up her top hat, giving one last grin at the mother and daughter before taking a hopefully-graceful bow. She was careful not to bump into anyone as she walked backwards a few steps before turning fully around, the still-busy image of New York City greeting her almost a bit surprisingly. She wasn't used to it. She still isn't. She probably won't. Yesterday it had been the familiar cityscape of San Francisco. Today, she saw instead the reminder that she did truly board that plane.

Not that she felt negative about her recklessness, because she definitely didn't. It still honestly felt exciting to perform tomorrow despite it being the last day. Plus, she had earned two new friends in the form of Julia and Emily Barlow, so it was definitely more than enough for her to think of her New York trip as productive and fruitful.

Jumping down on the thankfully-soft bed, Ari set her top hat on the bedside and began to close her eyes. She didn't bother thinking about what she was going to have for dinner--that would have to wait, besides, there were still a few more hours left before the clock struck six.

For now, all there was was sleep.

-----------

The next day, Ari surprised herself by arriving on her pitch place on time. 12 o'clock, just like yesterday, only today it wasn't going to last for thirty minutes. She had prepared for her next performance all night over a pack of fast-food fish and fries, and now she felt pretty prepared and excited for it.

Setting her top hat down by her side, Ari took a deep breath and watched the busy life of the city pass by. Even now, three years after she first began her street performances, Ari still had small anxiety butterflies in her stomach. Not enough to hinder her, of course, but enough to give small delays here and there that she had to remind herself every time that she was ready.

One, two, three. Go!

A white sheet of paper seemed to fold itself out from beneath Ari, making the ground around her seem like a crumpled piece of paper. "Salutations to the busy Big Apple!" she exclaimed, and a few heads turned her way as they noticed what strange thing was happening to the floor. Soon, the piece of paper began to rip itself into smaller, individual pieces, each flying up amd doing their own individual motions as a paper show began to commence.

[Deleted]

Jules’ time-keeping skills were a work in progress. She’d come a long way in mastering adulthood and could now sustain herself with more than just instant noodles and no longer considered waking up before noon as an achievement. Arriving on time, however, was an art she was very much yet to master. In fact, she could barely even be considered a student. Jules just tended to leave the house when she was ready and hope for the best.

As such, unlike Ari, Jules did not return to that spot in time to catch the very beginning of her performance. However, she wasn’t actually running too far behind schedule. They rounded the corner just in time to see what appeared to be several small pieces of paper rising up into the air.

Emily was clutching the post-it crane that Ari had made for her the day before, continuing to amaze Jules who had expected her to accidentally destroy it long before this point. She was also wearing a bright yellow floppy hat that was just a little too big for her head but which she’d decided she loved with all her heart and couldn’t bear to be apart from. At least she’d be easy to spot in a crowd.

They drew closer to watch the performance. Emily tottered her way to the front of the modest crowd of spectators that had begun to gather and Jules did her best to follow without actively elbowing anybody out the way. Another little girl, slightly older than Em and significantly more sure-footed, was beside her – staring at the paper show with the same mesmerised wonder that had been on Em’s face yesterday. Today, Emily was giggling non-stop with overwhelming, uncontainable mirth.

The girl’s mother (Jules assumed) nudged her and nodded towards the two of them.

“They’re the perfect audience,” she commented with a smile. “We passed by on the bus yesterday. When I saw she was back today I just had to stop. Groceries be damned!”

Jules laughed softly, keeping her eyes fixed on the show. “Just you wait – you’ll have that look on your face soon enough!”

Em was waving her post-it crane around over her head, joyfully participating from the sidelines. Her new friend glared a little enviously at the crane for a moment, but was quickly distracted once more by the magic of Ari’s illusions. They were magnificent.

@blackbirdfly | 397 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

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Last day!

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@jules

So far, so good.

Not forgetting who she was subtly dedicating the performance to, Ari scanned the crowd for a familiar little girl. It wasn't like the crowd was thick--they weren't much and thankfully it wasn't a detriment to the continuous foot traffic--so spotting Em and Jules wasn't going to be difficult. Especially with the mother's iconic blue hair.

Besides, she wanted Em to be there when she summons the paper cranes.

It wasn't long before a bright yellow hat--crazily the only one in the crowd--caught her eye. A lopsided grin curved up Ari's lips when she saw the familiar face underneath, her little hands still clutching the post-it crane Ari had created yesterday. The illusionist waved a hand at Em, a silent hi! passing on before she returned full-focus to her illusions. Looking around some more, she realized that Em and Jules weren't the only returning audiences--she could spot a mother and child, plus the geeky high-schooler who jumped far too excitedly yesterday, as well as a few others who most definitely passed by on her first performance.

Well, this is unexpected.

Ari abruptly knelt down, touching the floor and dragging with her the flurry of ripped papers that had been flying around for quite some time now. When she stood back up again, fist high up in the air, a flock of paper cranes flew out from the ground, all in various colors and sizes and leaving behind a trail of strange stardust. It almost looked like the toys hanging atop a baby's crib. And Ari intended it to be so.

Somehow Em must have infected other kids with her enthusiasm, because now they were flocking over at the very front of the almost-crowd. It made Ari unexpectedly laugh, causing her illusions to make a minor flicker. Oops, gotta cover this up, Ari thought, still keeping it up with a lopsided smile as she decided to make the paper cranes exit in a flicker-y motion.

"Now, is anyone ready for the paper boats?" she announced loud and clear as the ground seemed to spew out fountains of water, slowly rising up the pavement to make way for the next paper trick.

---

Aside from the unintentional flicker, the show went smoothly until the end. Ari had honestly never done an hour-long show before, and man was it quite exhausting! She hadn't really taken note of how much energy her illusions took but her performance today definitely told her. The clink of coins and some audible cheers were ringing around her, but all Ari wanted to do right at that moment was sit.

Why'd she plan an hour-long show again?

Ari vaguely remembered the answer being: fun. But she never realized that fun could be so tiring.

Despite that, she was still smiling and laughing, because hey, every second was freaking worth it. As the crowd slowly dissipated, Ari's eyes scanned for the large floppy hat and the blue-dyed hair.

"Hey, you came!" she grinned as she approached the two--it wasn't really difficult spotting both. "I do hope it went well for an hour-long show. Didn't exactly know how I managed to decide that one."

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Before Jules knew it, the spectacle was over. She couldn’t believe one woman could single-handedly entertain a crowd on the streets of New York so energetically and so – seemingly – effortlessly for an entire hour. A crowd that included several youngsters who, even at the best of times, were usually unable to sit still for more than five minutes. Jules collected her yellow-hatted child, who was looking ready to be nice and chilled for the rest of the afternoon. She could almost see the impending nap settling into Emily’s eyes.

As Ari came over, Jules couldn’t help but spot a similar look in Ari’s eyes. Maybe the two needed to have some kind of group nap.

“Of course we came!” she said with a grin, while Em waved her post-it crane gleefully at Ari. “You were fantastic, everybody seemed to really enjoy it. The lady next to me postponed her grocery shop just so she could watch you today,” she added, sounding oddly proud as though she herself had had any part in attracting the crowd.

“Such a bummer you aren’t staying any longer, Em just adores you. Guess we really gotta make our west coast trip some time, huh?” Jules remarked to the floppy hat. Oh, and the child buried somewhere underneath it.

She looked back up at the performer. “You look in dire need of a coffee, gal! That must have been exhausting! I guess you’ll sleep well on the plane, at least.”

@blackbirdfly | 244 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

|| Status
We could have them exchange numbers and afterwards part ways? Or we could extend it some more of you want?

|| Tags
@jules

As mother and daughter approached closer, Ari couldn't keep the lopsided smile off her face, spotting yesterday's gift still tucked in Em's cluthes. "Aw, the paper crane survived!" she remarked laughingly, giving Em a miniature wave. She was no expert at babies, but she knew they had the attention span of a peanut and sometimes toys never lasted long. Looking back up at Jules, the young illusionist chuckled. "Thank you! I honestly wouldn't have come up with the paper-show concept had it not been for you two."

The news of a grocery-postponing lady seemed to have caught Ari off guard, the illusionist giving a double take at the remark and seemingly more flustered than she should be. "S-she did? Wow..." it certainly was a surprise to her that someone would stop their day's plans just to see the show. "That's honestly really encouraging! Maybe this won't be the last time I see New York, after all. I mean, yeah, I agree it's a bummer but I can assure I'll be returning."

Jules' mention of a trip to the west coast lit up Ari's eyes, "I'd be glad if you did! Heck, we should exchange numbers in case you are in need of a tour guide, what do you say?" Miraculously, she managed to stifle a yawn, instead opting to crack her neck. "Aaand yes, plane seats are surprisingly comfortable...if I could I'd prefer to live forever in plane seats."

For a moment, Ari paused, remembering the times when she did use to sleep on a plane seat--except it had been a discarded one lying around in the alleys of San Francisco. It was an amusing coincidence now that she thought of it, but quickly shoved down her head. Instead, she focused on diggin through her pockets to see if she had any pen and paper. "I don't suppose you'd bring a pen to a spectacle...?"

Aha.

Sometimes her red jacket's pockets surprised her. Gingerly, she wrote down her phone number in case Jules would want it.