THE MAGICIAN… Write about someone performing real magic or the illusion of it.
"I'm just saying, G, that being a magician suits you."
"Illusionist."
Sam shot his partner a confused look, "What?"
"I was an illusionist not a magician," Callen said slowly. "We've been over this."
"They're the same thing" Sam said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Are not."
"They both make you believe something inexplicable has happened when it's all sleight of hand."
"There's more to an illusionist than that," Callen informed him in an affronted tone.
"Explain then, I'm listening."
"One, an Illusionist is way cooler. Even the name sounds cool. Magician? Not cool."
Sam snorted his amusement but made motions for his partner to continue. At the very least, he'd get a laugh out of this.
"And two, an Illusionist has way more skills from making thinks float to disappearing acts."
"They're all variations of the same thing," Sam pointed out obnoxiously, a grin tugging at his mouth. "A magician can make a rabbit appear and saw people in half while doing card tricks."
"Bah," Callen said in disgust. "Illusionist rip offs."
"Even the card tricks?"
The face Callen pulled was more than enough to describe how he felt about card tricks. He must get some to pull out just to annoy him.
Sam actually laughed at that. It was so rare that his partner got this passionate about something and of course what got him fired up had to be about magic of all things.
"And what do you mean it 'suits me'?" Callen demanded.
Sam shrugged.
"It's just so...you," he explained in a tone that implied that it described everything perfectly.
Apparently not if Callen's frown was anything to go by.
"It's just that fooling people to see what you want them to see while doing something else is basically who you are," Sam elaborated.
"We're all like that," Callen protested. "It's our job."
"We don't live it like you do."
"What don't we live?" came Kensi's voice from behind them.
The two men turned to face her to see both her and Deeks. They must have returned from interrogation.
"I think we've interrupted a moment," Deeks loudly whispered in her ear.
That got him a glare and an eye roll from Sam and Callen respectively.
"How did Roberts go?" Callen asked, ignoring her question for the moment.
"Definitely not our guy. Got us a lead on who might be. He frequents magic acts."
"Illusionist shows," Callen stressed to two confused looks and snort.
"Uh, sure," Kensi acknowledged warily then continued, "We've got Eric and Nell running it now."
"Thought it would be better if we regrouped here," Deeks added.
"So, what don't we live like?" Kensi repeated curiously, looking between the two men.
"Like illusionists," Sam answered to an eye roll of Callen's this time.
"Is this about the show you put on earlier?" Deeks asked, amused. "We missed it because of Roberts."
"It was a cover not a show. "
"Details," Deeks said with a careless wave of a hand. "I wonder if Eric has any footage of it?"
"Oh, I hope so," Kensi said eagerly.
"He better not," Callen muttered.
"Aw, come on. You're meant to be really good," Kensi wheedled.
"He is," Sam confirmed.
"Because he lives like one?" Deeks guessed, understanding passing over his face as the earlier overhead statement clicked and he pit something back in his back pocket.
"Exactly."
"I don't."
"Callen lives like an illusionist?" Kensi asked, confused.
"It makes sense if you think about it," Deeks informed her.
Kensi frowned for a moment then nodded, "It actually makes sense."
"Not you too," Callen said in exasperation.
She was meant to be on his side when his partner decided to say something crazy.
"Sorry," she said apologetically. "But making things appear like they aren't and manipulating an audience? You to a tee."
"Then we're all illusionists. It's basically our job description," Callen argued.
"But dude, you're like the master of it," said Deeks.
Callen was about to make a strongly worded rebuttal when Eric skidded along the top of the stairs, grabbing their attention.
"Deeks, I found the video you were asking for-"
"Thanks, Eric. I'll see it later. Send it to me?" Deeks interrupted him and spoke quickly.
Callen gave him a suspicious look. He didn't...
Eric frowned in confusion.
"Uh, sure," he said. "Though I have it right here," he waved his tablet, "because your text sounded kind of urgent."
Deeks look nervous now as Callen gave him a look and folded his arms. Kensi and Sam were hiding their smiles behind their hands, unsuccessfully if he may add.
"Seriously, I'll see it later. Thank you," Deeks said through gritted teeth and me weird head motion towards Callen.
"Are you sure? It's not that lo-ohhhh," Eric said, eyes widening. Their technical operator gulped audibly and clutched the device close to him. "You know what? I'll just send it to you."
"Good idea."
"No, you won't."
"I want to see this too!"
Deeks, Callen and Kensi all said simultaneously.
Callen was really resisting the urge to just shoot them all. It would be worth training a while new team, wouldn't it?
"Did you guys see Callen's show?" Nell asked enthusiastically, popping out of Ops. "It's so good. Oh Callen! " She said brightly upon noticing him. "It really loved it when you made those glasses hover!"
Callen just glared at her.
"You watched it without me?" Eric asked her in an injured tone.
"Sorry, I thought you were watching it with these guys."
"Now I really want to see it," Kensi informed them all.
"It's not even that good," Callen protested.
"Maybe you should put on a show for us then," Deeks suggested.
"Really show us your skills," Kensi added in agreement.
Callen groaned and buried his head in his arms. Sam patted him mock-sympathetically on the shoulder.
"Now you have to do it, G," he told him.
"What a wonderful idea, Mr Hanna," said Hetty approvingly, appearing from somewhere. She should really be the one putting on a show. "I have just the outfit for it," she added and then scrunched up her nose. "Much better than that appalling polyester get-up you were zipped into."
"I rather liked the cake, " Callen said mildly, lifting his head up.
"No capes!"
The whole team snickered at that comment, none of them daring to voice the comparison they were all thinking of out loud.
"Mr Callen?" Hetty called over impatiently, poking her head around a wardrobe door. "Come."
Calen groaned and picked himself up from his seat.
"I hate you all," he mumbled as he walked past his grinning team.
"Go and get yourself suited up, G," Sam replied, voice filled with mirth.
That's it. Everyone else lost it at that comment.
Callen pouted and stomped over to Hetty like an unruly child.
He'd illusion them he thought childishly and then his mouth dropped at what Hetty was brandishing.
"Sequins, Hetty? No way!"