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An old, burned out theater building wasn't exactly the most welcoming sight to Chutora, as he happened upon the large, rusted doors and noticed that there wasn't a soul around.

"Anything is better than the night shift, at this point," he reminded himself, having to sure up his resolve before he so much as dared to rest a paw on the door handle.

The whole door shifted with just a slight tug, and a painful creeeeeak made his skin crawl, as Chutora slowly pulled it open. Flakes of aged red paint shook down to the ground and blew away in the gentle breezes of the early evening, and with such a desolate exterior, Chu was thrilled to see that there were lights turned on inside of the building; he was beginning to think the wanted ad was a hoax.

After all, magicians simply didn't draw the same crowd that they used to, unless they were in the midst of a series of shows in Las Vegas. The charm of the small town magician was lost thanks to the dawn of the internet, and all of the old tricks had been revealed and exposed time and time again.

Those days, without a truly magical act, it was almost impossible for a magician to stay in business.

Chu still had enough of an interest in the business that he was happy to at least answer the classified ad he saw in the newspaper. His body was exhausted from the rigors of the overnight shift, and with the promise of only moderate labor at normal, waking hours, the canine couldn't possibly ignore the opportunity.

He just wished that the theater was a little more popular.

"I...uhm. Hello?" he paused for a moment before calling out through the front of the lobby. A light flickered above his head, and there wasn't too much dust gathered on the counter of the ticket window, as if someone had been trying to keep it clean...but perhaps, they weren't trying all that hard. "Is anyone there?"

The lobby was fitted with all of the same soundproofing that Chu would have expected, causing his voice to stop dead at the double doors on the other side of the lobby. Dated carpet was soft under the sensitive pads of his paws, and certainly, the place was going to need a face lift if it was ever going to draw a profitable crowd, but Chu was already occupying his mind with ideas of how to improve the interior of the building, for the sake of his new boss.

It was a much happier thought than the one he was fighting to oppress: the idea that he'd been called to do something a lot more sinister than assist a magician. The theater simply carried a terrifying air to it when it was so empty, and through the small windows on the doors leading into the main auditorium, he could only see tiny lights on the floor, lighting a path to where the stage almost certainly rested.

His every survival instinct was telling him to walk right back out of the theater. He didn't want to get any closer to the doors, even as he took a few curious, cautious steps toward them.

WOOOOOMPF! A gust of air blasted Chu in the face as the doors flew wide open, and bright lights blinded him as the entire auditorium filled with such luminescence that it put a lightning strike to shame. Shielding his eyes and gasping in fear, Chu tried to stand his ground, but he was already starting to turn back toward the exit when the lights dimmed, little by little, until they reached a more appropriate level of intensity.

"Badideabadideabadidea" his words ran together so quickly that even he wasn't sure what he was saying to himself. He only knew that he was pacing for the front doors with shaking, panicked legs, sincerely wishing that he'd never so much as given this job an inkling of consideration.

His right footpaw was just over the threshold of the old, rusted doors when a voice finally tickled over the tip of his ears.

"Are you here for the assistant's position?"

The need for financial stability was a very real, and very powerful need. It was enough to freeze Chu in his tracks, as the blue pads of his footpaws came to a dead halt, and he turned to look back over his shoulder.

"Y-you...you're the magician?" he asked, as vibrant eyes of layered red turned to scan the source of the voice.

Short, slim and donning a plain robe of light gray that made them look even less intimidating was an old, tired looking feline. It was only by the tone of her voice that Chu was sure she was a female, though there was still a bit of a sparkle in the pits of her eyes, as if there were mischief she'd yet to unfurl upon the poor canine.

"Yes...that is what you kids are calling it these days, aren't you?" she asked him, as if she needed clarification for her own position. "I am indeed the magician. I'm sorry if the lights startled you; I was practicing my routine, and I find that an audience is truly dazzled when the room is dark, and then, illuminates on my command."

Letting out a long sigh of relief, and ignoring the chuckle that was offered to it, Chu nodded. "Ahhhh... right, because it's definitely you, and not just someone off stage with a switch attached to the wires in the building."

"That would be your job, if such were the case," the feline replied, "But it sounds to me like you aren't much of a believer."

"I wouldn't have signed up for the job if I didn't like magic," Chu explained. "I find it very entertaining, but...I know every trick in the book, ma'am. I don't think you'll be able to fool me anytime soon."

"So you don't believe?"

"Nope."

"Not even a little bit?"

Chu shrugged. "I'm afraid not."

"Then how did you plan to explain the rush of air that threw the doors open?"

"I..." Chu trailed off with a pawtip in the air, never quite able to make the point that rationalized the gesture in the first place. "Okay, so I don't know every trick in the book, but I know most of them."

An old, but kindly smile was quick to turn up into a wicked smirk as the cat brushed a few of the tired, gray tresses from in front of her sparkling emeralds. "Then you've only ever seen tricksters, my boy. You've never seen a real magician...though I'd be happy to show you just what real magic looks like."

Before Chu could protest the idea, or tell the older lady how ridiculous she sounded, she was already walking back into the auditorium. The lights were dimming once more, and though it was an impressive and mystifying sight, Chu quickly chalked it up to a third party messing with the lights, somewhere else in the building.

"Do your worst, miss," he replied, his voice bordering on arrogant as he began to follow her toward the stage.

Old and typical, wood was beginning to warp and rot across the stage itself, to the point that the rotting had Chu concerned for his safety, and the bumps and bulges from aged wood were visible even from the entrance. No doubt, the stage was going to need plenty of work, but Chu wasn't too worried about how long it would take to fix.

He was more worried about if they would ever make the stage, slow as the kitten in front of him was walking.

"It's Aylana," she replied. The name felt old and archaic to Chu, but there was a certain level of beauty to it, even if he couldn't quite explain it. "And I'm looking forward to you being my new assistant, mister...?"

"You can call me Chutora," he suggested. "Or, just Chu. Everyone else does, anyway."

"Lovely. It's nice to meet you, Chu. Are you ready for your first bout of real magic? I think it'll help you settle in...a bit more properly as my assistant."

Aylana spoke with a haste that betrayed her slow gait, and more than anything, Chu was just eager to get to the stage and get to work.

He'd be just as quick to regret that enthusiasm, as he nodded. "By all means, Aylana."

The lights continued to dim at what felt like a calculated pace as Aylana approached the stage. From within the drooping fabric of her left arm, she pulled a wand with a star upon the end of it, and with the quickest of twirls, she spun it over her head.

Chu blinked with surprise as sparkling dust fell from the wand, and though he dismissed it as nothing more than glitter, at first, Aylana began to grow taller, as her posture straightened up under the robe. She turned to cast Chu a quick, playful wink, and as she did, he could clearly see the wrinkles fading from her face, and the flesh upon her muzzle growing tighter once again.

"You still aren't taking me seriously," she stated, even before Chu had a chance to deny it. "That's okay...you won't have much of a choice when I show you my first trick, and go figure; I need an assistant for it!"

Spinning on a heel and leaping up onto the damaged stage, Aylana planted her footpaws and stood upright before flicking her wand at Chu. His body went taut and stood upright like a pencil, while the polo shirt and black slacks he'd picked for what he thought was just an interview quickly slipped away from his body. Even through black fur and a myriad web of dark, orange stripes, Aylana could clearly see a timid blush upon Chu's muzzle, and she giggled as she flicked her wrist yet again, sending the confused canine up into the air above her.

"T-t-this doesn't really f-f-feel necessary!" Chu tried to call out in his panic, but Aylana was too focused on her magic to care about the plight of her assistant. She wanted him to know the error of his ways, and though it was clear that she was no ordinary street performer, Chu had no idea just how much magical energy she might have stored up inside. " HEY! Gimme back my clothes! Put me dooooooown!"

"You young men these days just don't have any manners...never saying please or thank you, even to an old lady," Aylana teased him. It was impossible to know if she was much older, and hiding her age with the spell, or if seniority was actually the ruse, but Chu was already convinced that she was, indeed, a real magician. He couldn't move a single muscle, and as he floated up in the air in front of the empty seats, he was barely able to stay conscious as fear choked the air right out of him. "What do you think, ladies and gentlemen, has he learned his lesson?!"

There was no audience to appeal to, leaving Chu that much more confused as he dangled above the stage. He was beginning to feel strings around his body, but as his head turned to inspect them, he could see right through them, offering him no comfort about how safe he was.

"No? Okay...I guess we'll move on to our next trick!"

Chu never even had a chance to protest the crowd that wasn't even there. He was already panting with fear, as he waited for what seemed like an inevitable drop.

Instead, he felt paws cradling him from each and every direction, as Aylana skillfully twirled her wand about, casting more of that bright, sparking dust into the air. Against the dim lights, paws and pawtips of amethyst came to life, and Chu could actually seem them approaching his body...

...And pressing in against his arm pits.

"W-what...what the hell?" he barked, though it was quickly followed by a chuckle, as the paws playfully rubbed in against his armpits. He still couldn't properly move his legs, but they bounced and shook involuntarily as pawtips began tickling and poking at his footpaws.

He was completely helpless to escape as the tickle torture began, and more hands descended from above him, coming to life without bodies or blood to feed them. Born of pure magic, they came to rest upon Chu's tummy, and moving as they pleased, they crawled right over the base of his abdomen, tickling and teasing every inch of his stomach as they ran.

It would have been a completely fascinating show to watch, if Chu's eyes weren't winced tightly shut. Tears of laughter began building up in the corners of his eyes as he shuddered and shook, barking up to the ceiling with a chorus of laughter.

"Now do you think you've learned your lesson?" Aylana asked as she watched from the stage, bouncing back and forth between her footpaws as she delicately handled her wand. She could easily summon even more paws if she wished, but Chu was already struggling to breathe as he sucked in air for each bout of laughter, knowing that it was quick to be followed by another round of tickling. "Or do I need to show you a different kind of magic?"

Luck was on Chu's side, though his sides were beginning to ache with the struggle of his laughter. "I...hehe...I'm sorry! Really!" he cried out, even as tears streamed down the side of his muzzle. No ticklish part of his body was left untouched when the ethereal paws finally settled down, but they still hovered dangerously close, keeping Chu on edge as he panted in an effort to catch his breath. "R-really...I...I m-mean it..."

Aylana tapped her chin with the wand and rolled her eyes thoughtfully. She had a feeling that Chu was sincere in his apology, but a wicked grin stayed across her muzzle as devious fangs twinkled in the dimming lights...until the room finally fell dark once again.

"Dunno...I'm not sure if you sound sincere, Chu..."

"B-but-

"No buts, kiddo. I just hope you can handle the grand finale..."