someone to stay, supernatural [ 1 ]

079. magic act

They approach a group on the sidewalk who are watching a guy perform card tricks.

"This isn't a trick, okay? I-I-I don't do tricks. This is a demonstration about demons and angels, love and lust, all that stuff mixed up in my head." The man says.

"What a douchebag." Dean mumbles.

"That's Jeb Dexter." Sam quietly informs.

"I don't even want to know how you know that." Dean says.

"He's famous -- kind of." Sam says.

"For what? Douchebaggery?" Dean asks.

"No matter how messed up it gets, don't touch me, okay? For your own safety." Jeb tells the small audience. He takes a deep inhale before exhaling. He shakes his head, violently convulsing. He grabs the cards in his hand and flings them, one landing on the window of the store next to him.

"Go back to Hell, demon!" He shouts. The one card sticks to the window. Jeb drags his hand over it on the window and it doesn't move. "Is this your card?" He asks and the audience claps.

"You've got to be kidding me. A fake demon possession?" Dean asks, walking off with Ophelia, the others following. "I can't believe people actually fall for that bullshit."

"It's not all bullshit." Sam says.

"What part of that was not a steaming pile of bullshit?" Dean questions.

"Okay, that was crap, but that's not all magicians. It takes skill." Sam says.

"Oh, right, right, I forgot. You were actually into this stuff, weren't you? I mean, you had-- you had a deck of cards and a wand." Dean says.

"A wand." Natalie snickers.

"Wait, you-- you had a wand and magic card tricks? Oh, that's adorable, Sammy." Larissa remarks.

"I was thirteen. It was a phase." Sam defends.

"It's never just a phase." Jacob argues.

"Just-- it bugs me. You know, playing at demons and-and magic, when the real thing will kill you bloody." Dean says.

"Well, it's not like they know that, Dean. Ignorance is bliss." Natalie says.

"Like a guy who drops dead of ten stab wounds without a single tera in his shirt?" Sam asks.

"That's what I'm talking about." Dean says.

+++

They're talking to the victim's assistant as she packs the stuff for the magic act.

"So did your boss have any enemies that you know of?" Dean asks.

"Vance had plenty of enemies." The woman states, starting to pull an endless string of handkerchiefs tied together.

"How so?" Sam asks.

"He would steal from other magicians. All the time." She says, Natalie's eyes widening as the handkerchiefs still go, the other end finally appearing.

"What would he steal?" Sam asks.

"Stage effects, closeup techniques, anything he could get his hands on." The assistant says.

"Is that enough to get him killed?" Dean asks.

"These guys take this stuff pretty seriously." The assistant says, moving a cloth and a white rabbit is under it. "There you are." She picks the rabbit up.

"Did you find anything weird in Vance's stuff? Well, weirder?" Dean asks.

"Matter of fact, I did." She puts the bunny in a bag and pulls out a tarot card.