Sleight of Hand - Sanders Sides

Chapter Five

Roman finished his final two shows without a hitch. His heart was thumping right out of his chest. It was times like these, Roman knew he made the right choice in his career.

The young man ran backstage, eager to see Patton. Roman didn't know what it was about this other man. Perhaps his happy attitude or his politeness. Whatever it was, Roman loved every bit of it.

As the magician opened the door to his dressing room, there sat the peppy boy, playing some sort of game on his phone. His head shot up when the door opened, but he smiled once he realized it was Roman. "How was the show?" Patton asked, pushing himself to his feet and moving closer to Roman.

"It was great! This audience was the best one of the night, a great way to end today." Roman concluded, letting Patton untie his cape.

"That's good to hear, Mr. Sparx!" Patton smiled, hanging Roman's cape on his clothing rack. Roman chuckled to himself. Patton cocked his head to the side, obviously not understanding. "What is it, Mr. Sparx?"

"Please Patton, call me Roman. No need to be formal." Roman laughed again. Patton's cheeks flustered red but he nodded with a smile. Roman unbuttoned his shirt and handed it to Patton to hang up. As he was hanging up his shirt, he paused, rubbing his hands together.

"Hey...Roman?" Patton blurted, catching the magician's attention. "I don't know if you heard about this, but since your tour is coming to a close, there is supposed to be a magic competition coming up here soon. I thought maybe you'd want to enter it?" Patton proposed. His assistant approached him slowly, they looked into each other's eyes. Patton's were bright while Roman's were sparky.

"I-" Roman stopped speaking when the door swung open. The two jumped, shifting their full attention to the door. There stood Logan, his clipboard nestled in his elbow.

"Are you ready for your backstage tour, Patton?" Logan asked. The young man nodded, striding towards the door, but turning back to Roman before leaving.

"Just think about the competition, Roman. I'll see you tomorrow." Patton finished as Logan shut the door. Roman ran a hand through his hair. This competition was another thing on his plate. But he wanted to do it. For Patton. The magician turned to his makeup table, seeing a sticky note on his mirror.

In Patton's handwriting read his number and smiley face. Roman found a smile melting on his face. He put the note down as he grabbed his personal shirt and put it on. After that, he took off his stage pants, hanging them next to his shirt. Finally, taking his personal pants and slipping them on. He filled his pockets with his personal items, finally guiding the note into his pocket.

Roman wandered out of his dressing room, heading towards the back door. Patton's words stayed in his mind. Roman never really did the magic career for the money or the fame; he did it for the love for performing.

The young man walked to the bus stop. He sat on the frozen metal seat, shivering at the cool breeze running through the area. Roman pulled out his phone, scrolling through his Instagram, seeing a picture of Virgil and Logan at dinner. He smiled gently, happy that his cousin was back in town.

The bus wheezed as it pulled up. The magician jerked his head up, watching some people get off the bus before hopping in it himself. After flashing his bus pass to the older driver, Roman took a seat in the back, closer to the heater.

He sunk into the stiff seat, closing his eyes for a brief second. The night bus always took longer to get back to his apartment. Roman was never sure why, but sometimes after performances he didn't mind it.

As the doors started to close and the bus rolled away, Roman heard footsteps coming closer and closer to him. The young man wedged his eyes open, catching the eyes of the man standing in front of him. This man had heterochromatic eyes; one brown, one a sickly yellow. He dawned a bowler hat and a deep tissue scar scaling down from his left ear to the tip of his lip, which was curled upward.

This man wore a long black cape with a black suit underneath it. He also had gloves on, the same hue as his oddly yellow eye. "May I sit there?" This man asked, gesturing to the seat right to Roman. The magician noticed the rest of the bus was pretty much empty, but not wanting to be rude, he bowed his head and watched him take a seat.

"Where are my manners?" The man huffed, turning to face Roman. "My name is Dillon. Dillon D. Ceit. A pleasure." Dillon said, sticking out his hand for a shake. Roman took to apprehensively.

"I'm Roman Sparx. Nice to meet you too." Roman greeted, feeling slightly nervous.

"Mr. Sparx!? Like...Mr. Sparx that just performed that FABULOUS show in the theater?" Dillon questioned. Roman felt his ego flair but he covered it up with a charming smile.

"Yes, that was me. Did you see it?"

"Of course! I LOVE supporting magicians like myself." Roman's eyes widened. That's why Dillon looked slightly familiar to him.

"So then, you're the Dillon D. Ceit?" Roman clarified. Dillon nodded, his smirk growing.

"Indeed. Hey, are you going to join the magic competition? I'd LOVE to see you there." Dillon purred.

"Are you entering it?"

"But of course! Why wouldn't I? Every good magician is. Plus, why pass up the opportunity to prove you are the best?" Roman thoughts flooded him. Was he really considering this? The bus came to a stop and Dillon stood up. He bowed to Roman as he left. "I look forward to seeing you again, Mr. Sparx." Dillon laughed as he stepped off the bus and slithered deep into the night.

As the bus rolled away, Roman was left with his swimming mind. He didn't want to do this in spite of Dillon, he wanted to do it for Patton. He wanted to spend time with him. Why not do that AND do what he loves for a living.

By the time he got off the bus, his mind was made up.