As the sky darkened completely, Xigbar waits on top of his tent, sitting comfortably on the edge of the post facing the crowds. He has these shows down to routine now. Watching the crowds for anything interesting he tries to think back to when he was ever afraid for a show. No matter how hard he tried, he could never think of a time like that. Maybe nervous to try a new trick, but never afraid. As his tent starts to fill, he chuckles to himself. Not one of them noticed where he was sitting. Tonight will be easy. Jumping down from his post, he lands on both feet and takes a deep breath. "Here goes..." Kicking off the ground, he flips upside down and walks through the curtains. A few gasps can be heard as he enters, and people fumble to find their seats. He continues walking between them. "Sorry I'm late guys, it's been a weird couple of days round here..." Stopping above his stage, still upside down, Xigbar turns to face them. "What's wrong? You should see yer faces right now." The crowd of people whisper to each other, each trying to determine how in the world he is standing on nothing, especially while upside down. Flipping back around, he stands normally on his stage waving his hands apologetically. "Those were strings right? Invisible platforms above our heads or something... You Circus people aren't too slick are you?" This voice comes from a middle aged man seated front and center. Obviously eager to be a buzz-kill. Good for him though, because Xigbar thoroughly enjoys people like him. The Escape Artist smirks at the man and replies, "Yeh sorry bout that... I promise I won't use any more parlor tricks on ya. You came here to see me possibly die right?" He raises his arms to invite them to get excited. They oblige with a cheer.
Turning away from their cheers, he rolls a sealed crate on stage. Taking an axe off the hooks behind him he turns back to the crowd and leans on the crate. "You people are fuckin' sadists, ya know that, right?" At this, the crowd laughs. There's something freeing about having an 18+ show. It means you're free to say whatever you want. That... and taking souls from children is just wrong. At least in Xigbar's opinion. "In this crate is a fresh shipment of handcuffs ordered from Radiant Garden's own locksmith company. I didn't open it yet cause that'd be cheating."
"How do we know it's not open yet?" That same man chimes in from the front row. "How about you come and check, smart ass? Come on up here and demonstrate how smart ya are fer the good people down there." Xigbar motions for the man to come on stage and check the box. The man makes his rounds, touching the box and trying to find any areas that are weak or suspicious. He nods and goes back to his seat when he's finished. "Satisfied, bucko? Aaaaanyway. Keep me company while I open this crate up." Xigbar speaks while twirling the axe in his hand. He stops and points to a woman in the second row. "Why don't you tell me about your dream vacation, hon." She looks at him kind of flustered. Xigbar begins to swing at the box with regular intervals as he waits to hear her story. After some time she starts to share her dream, "I would love to go out with my boyfriend and my dog to the woods, and we would go hiking together at a far off place. It would be perfect weather too, and maybe we would bring a picnic bas-" Interrupting her story with a large downward swing, and a pained yell, he looks at the crowd. The axe is planted firmly into the box, dangerously close to his wrist, and yet... his hand is gone. The people in the crowd can't help but stand up a little in their seats to get a closer look. "Oh no. No don't stop yer story. I promise I'm still listening. It's just that uh... my hands run away from me sometimes... You have really soft hair by the way." The woman looks at her shoulder and shrieks at what she finds. His hand is laying neat gently on her shoulder. It disappears as quickly as it came. Ignoring the crowd's reaction he opens up the box and begins to close the handcuffs tightly on his wrists, tossing the keys into the crowd. He steps off to the side and wheels a giant tank of water with a curtain around it onto the stage. "Here's what ya came for, right?" Holding up his wrists that now have five handcuffs on them, he announces, "I will now jump into that tank behind me, and mister sass-bucket over here," Xigbar points to the man who had questioned him before, "...He will turn the latch for me 'cause it seems like he knows what he's doin'..." The man stands up and smiles coming onto the stage eagerly awaiting his duty. Xigbar climbs into the tank after taking a deep breath. After the hatch is shut tightly, he waits a few seconds as per routine. Building suspense is key. This whole process would be so much easier if he had an assistant. His mind goes back to the poster he had found in that alley. No. He had to stay focused. Slipping his knee behind the cuffs he begins to pry them all off. The right amount of pressure on a certain area of the handcuffs are able to snap them off. It's not an easy job, but doing this for more than ten years would make one an expert. Also, doing this under water is a whole other feat in itself. The longer he spent in the tank, the more thoughts came rushing back to his mind. He did have an assistant... That's what that poster was about... This is why yer stuck here. This is why ya stay a little longer under the water each show ya perform. Yer jus' waitin' for the day when your lungs give out... His thoughts were making him sick. Focusing his power on the man in the front row seat that had helped him in the tank, he uses the power he has left to switch places with him. In an instant, Xigbar appears in the man's seat, watching the silhouette of this man in the tank, flailing about behind the curtain. The crowd is still anxiously waiting for something to happen, unaware of the trick that was just performed. Slapping a drenched hand onto the person next to him, Xigbar says loudly, "Hey... uh shouldn't someone help him out?" people gasp in both awe and horror as Xigbar jumps onto the stage and pulls the curtain aside, revealing the panicking know-it-all. He smirks and laughs, a bit devilishly as he opens the latch and pulls the poor man out. He falls onto the stage coughing and sputtering. Despite the quite illegal act that had just occurred, the crowd doesn't seem to care. They all stand up and cheer, clapping until their hands are sore. They all had no idea what just happened, and they were completely entertained by the unknown. Xigbar smiles wide and bows with both arms extended. As his rings start to glow, everyone in the room stops clapping, slowly but surely. Their faces fall, and they turn to leave. They exit the tent, as if nothing ever happened. And that is the worst of it. Why be a performer, if no one will ever remember the show?