do you believe [closed to brian]

[sempiternally]

It was one hell of a warm night outside on the Vegas strip in Nevada. His only reason being in the desert during probably the hottest month of the whole summer was due in part to seeing a concert. There was going to be a local band playing a home show and for two nights on the weekend only. While the group was touring around America on the bus, there weren’t going to be anymore stops closer to home.

So through a friend of a co-worker’s known relative, Kieran was able to score a ticket for himself to attend one night. He drove the freeway and prepared himself for an all Saturday night spent raging. He arrived early, wanting to first make sure and check into a hotel and maybe to go a casino and have some drinks before he caught the event. The show didn’t start until ten. He looked at the time. He had four more hours to kill.

With the sun not yet quite ready to disperse below the horizon of buildings, the sweltering heat came at Kieran from every direction. He thought it must at least be a little over a hundred degrees out here. And walking these conditions only made him feel the more miserable.

God, it was hot.

Kieran diverted off the strip and walking into the closest casino he could find, stepped foot inside the doors and enjoyed the cool air as it conditioned and refreshed his poor celtic born skin.

Comments

[barnumsheir]

The Pillar is one of the older casinos on the strip, but it's recent renovations have made it shine. It's no Bellagio, no Taj, no Luxor even but it's big and tall and beautiful in it's own way with a sort of old world Victorian charm. There's people to greet you in gold vests and women in professional skirts. The lobby elevator doors open and two teenagers, one dressed rather conservatively and the other wearing a DC comics shirt bolt out just in time for a man in a black shirt and tiger-tooth necklace to kiss a small child, hand her off to a tired looking assistant, and wave at the public.

It's a familiar face. He's got a billboard up above the Pillar. Brian Stone's new show "Hottest thing in Vegas". Featuring Stavien the band. Brian looks pale, beard a few days old but hair kept short and trimmed as people run up, rush up, knock folk over for autographs as he makes his way -

In Kierian's direction. With an entourage.

[sempiternally]

Never catching the name of the hotel when he entered the casino, indoors he could see now how flashy and in tip top shape the place was. Even the hosts and servers were dressed appropriately to match the expensive interior decorating. Kieran knew he wouldn’t be spending a night in one these rooms any time likely. In the back of the hotel were rows and rows of slot machines stacked next to another, each chiming the sound of coins to bring a player near.

Kieran saw a man rushing ahead in a hurry. He shifted his gaze and stared. He knew the man. Had seen his face on a billboard driving into the city advertising the famous magicians show.

No shit.

Tagging behind the magician was a gathering crowd of people with varying ages between their teens to adults. Most of them were women. And they were all headed towards Kieran’s way. Oh shit. He sidestepped back and away from the door to let the man and the mob pass through. What a poor bastard that magician.

[barnumsheir]

Brian stops, holding out his hands before he whirls toward - Kieran, "Folks. Something magical? Something mystical, something ridiculous - Here's a fella. Now, we've never met before?"

[sempiternally]

How shocked he was when Brian stood and appeared, and acknowledged his existence. “No, we haven’t.” Kieran remembered the billboard sign. “I already know who you are and what you can do, though.”

Smiling at the magician, he gazed over at the audience. They were all watching with the eyes of the deer in the headlights awe and intently stared at the two. Kieran felt he were center stage.

[barnumsheir]

Ha.

He raises a hand, "Well. If you're going to go to Vegas - you ought to at least play a slot machine. Here."

He reaches behind his ear, showing his hands to the camera before pulling out a quarter. Up close, the man reeks of whiskey barely concealed with cologne.

"First play's on me."

[sempiternally]

He was next to want to laugh out loud. Had Brian really pulled the coin from behind the ear trick, and not from Kieran’s ear but his own ear? Ha. Ha. Good trick.

“Cool, man, “he reached out for the quarter. The stench of whiskey perspiring off the magician came on strong and Kieran had a hard time keeping his poker face in front of the camera. “Thanks.”