A little morning air. (open)
... thinks that New York may just be a bit too sophisticated for this little, mid-west magic show.

Summer finished scanning the article in the morning paper and then flung it across her hotel room in irritation. God, she hated the press. If they ever bothered to get anything right, she'd just die of amazement. They hadn't even seen the damn show and they were already bashing it.

She sighed as she got to her feet and shucked the bathrobe she'd donned after her shower. All the travel time they were putting in for the show was beginning to get on her nerves. It made sense... you couldn't put down roots in one place and expect to keep a show like hers going. It counted on fresh audiences to amaze with variations of the same tricks. Stagnation was their biggest enemy. Still, it would be nice to not have a permanent case of jet lag.

It didn't help her mood that it was yuck-o-clock in the morning, either. A yawn reminded her of how little sleep she'd allowed herself, but that was the price to pay for a little freedom. If she didn't get up early and slip away on her own, Christopher would have her tied up all day with advertising, business, and whatever the heck else he did. He really didn't like that she'd started to question just what it was that he did to earn the rather large percentage of the profits from the show that he claimed for himself. Without her there wouldn't even be a show.

Summer muttered in annoyance to herself as she pulled on jeans, boots, and a t-shirt. A soft, leather messenger's bag that carried her important things was slung over one shoulder. After a second's pause, she stuffed the newspaper into it, too. What the hell? She could always do the crossword puzzle.

Practice made her silent as she slipped out of her room. Her manager slept in the next room over. Slept hard, too. The man was fond of his drink. There was probably another two hours at least before he'd be conscious, but better safe than sorry, right?

The sidewalks were already busy. That was one of the best things about big cities. She never had to worry about finding the whole place shut down for the night just as she was raring to go after a show. The first order of business was going to have to be breakfast. Judging by the scents she was picking up in the air, there was a cafe or something nearby. That would do nicely.

It was early yet and most of the other outdoor tables were empty as the waitress sat her down. She draped her bag over the back of her chair after fishing out a deck of playing cards. While she waited for her meal to arrive, she shuffled the cards in all sorts of elaborate ways. She just wasn't ready to face the newspaper again, yet. Instead, she watched people go by as her hands moved expertly over the cards.