The Acrobat and the Magician

Chapter 2

When only I was left, I slipped behind the building to find Magi, sullenly sitting on the ground.
    "Go away", he said, and when he looked up, I saw a raging fire in his eyes. "Oh, it's you", he said. "What do you want?"
    "You were amazing! I know the rest of the town may not think that way, but I wanted you to know that I do."
    For once, Magi seemed speechless. Then, he said, "What do you really want?"
    "I want to learn how to do everything", I said succinctly.
    Magi laughed, and I thought he was laughing at me until he said, "Not a subtle approach, but I'll teach you. It won't be easy for you, though." Magi was so candid when he promised me this, and I knew I could trust him. I also realized that he wasn't haughty from his accomplishments, and would teach me thoroughly, even though I was a beginner.
    My lessons began the next day, with Magi teaching me how to roll properly in a showy manner. He was not terse- he explained everything carefully. Slowly, I learned Magi's tricks. I watched every one of his shows (along with the rude man), and examined every one of his tricks. I watched every shuffle of his cards and every flip carefully. When Magi had taught me as much as he knew, we began to develop more and more tricks, and these required two people to perform. Perhaps this was when Magi and I first fell in love, but we didn't know for certain that we were in love until the first show that I performed in.