He accepted the handkerchief back and took a deep breath, flicking the handkerchief forward towards Sah's face with one hand while he shifted the other back in a move that could have been smoother. He winced as he brought the handkerchief back towards his chest and reached up to catch it with his other hand again, pinching it between thumbs and forefingers. He turned it one direction and then reversed it, showing Sah that nothing was hidden in the folds of the cloth.
"However, it is an illusion." His words were solemn but stilted, as if he had read them somewhere but never actually spoken them aloud before. Nevertheless, he swirled the handkerchief over his hand and then pulled it away, a red stain slowly spreading over the fabric--
And as he did so a white rose unfolded in his grip. The flower was slightly crushed and there was blood in his palm and on his wrist from its thorns, but the flower had appeared by magic. Seemingly. Ish. He offered it solemnly to Sah for inspection, to prove that the flower was not magical, either. The other man's encouragement meant a great deal, though it did not entirely assuage the uncomfortable performance of the trick. "Was I successful?"
"However, it is an illusion." His words were solemn but stilted, as if he had read them somewhere but never actually spoken them aloud before. Nevertheless, he swirled the handkerchief over his hand and then pulled it away, a red stain slowly spreading over the fabric--
And as he did so a white rose unfolded in his grip. The flower was slightly crushed and there was blood in his palm and on his wrist from its thorns, but the flower had appeared by magic. Seemingly. Ish. He offered it solemnly to Sah for inspection, to prove that the flower was not magical, either. The other man's encouragement meant a great deal, though it did not entirely assuage the uncomfortable performance of the trick. "Was I successful?"
