“Wakey, wakey girls!” Howard cheerfully awoke the girls bright and early, before continuing melodramatically “We’re officially past the halfway point, with three contestants gone and three contestants left standing. It’s hard to think that in two short weeks, we’ll be down to only one winner, so seize the day! Make sure to start preparing for Saturday, but also preparing yourself for tomorrow’s midweek challenge. I wish you all the best of luck in whatever you decide to do.”

~~~

Dining Room

     As had become commonplace during Frankie’s stay, the girls had gathered together following Howard’s announcement to eat breakfast together. The mood was still slightly sour at the loss of yet another contestant, but after some coffee and some breakfast, the mood picked up a little bit.

     “Hey!” Annette said, “Do either of you want to come with me when I go walk Rocky? He’s been raring to leave this place ever since Howard put the lock on us.”

     “I’d love to,” Maya smiled, “I promised my Mom I would send her a souvenir when I got the chance.”

     “I think I’m going to stick around today actually,” Sable said bashfully, “I want to see if I can talk to Natasha for some advice on the upcoming challenge.”

     “You know, you seem to do that an awful lot,” Annette commented.

     “W-well,” Maya blushed, “You know the celebrity guests are here all week and clearly established assistants. Why wouldn’t I take advantage of if?”

     “Fair enough,” Annette said, holding up her hands in defeat.

     The girls finished their breakfasts before heading their separate ways.

~~~

Lobby

     “Alright? Ready to go?” Annette asked. She had already transformed herself into a slightly older appearance, with tanner skin, more wrinkles, brunette, shoulder length hair and a rather plain outfit that would not have looked out of place on a TV show production: a black shirt and blue jeans. She had changed up her disguise due to the previous episode having revealed her normal go-to disguise, and decided to roll with her original idea that she was going to look like a production assistant helping Rocky out by taking him out on a walk. Rocky himself was disguised as a little black Yorkshire Terrier.

     “One second,” Annette said, making sure that she had packed her purse with everything she might need, “I just need to get my disguise on.” Maya reached up, covering her face with her hand, before pulling it back, revealing that her one, large, blue eye had been replaced by two identical normal blue eyes, a nose filling out the new unused space on her face.

     “Wow!” Annette said, her voice having aged up slightly to match her older looking body, “You figured out how to do that without needing your magic glasses?”

     “Yep!” Maya was bursting with pride, “Plus, it makes for a really easy disguise… At least until this episode comes out anyways.”

     “Well. Let’s go then!” Annette grinned, the two taking their first steps out into the world for the first time in nearly two weeks.

~~~

Natasha’s Room

     Sable knocked nervously on the door to Natsaha’s room. “It’s open!” she heard being shouted from within. Sable trepidatiously opened the door and walked inside.

     Natasha’s bedroom was significantly fancier than the rooms that the standard styled hotel rooms that the girls had (well, minus Annette’s large field for Rocky). The room had an open floor plan that led into a separate hallway that probably housed the bedroom and the bathroom, although this main room had three distinct parts with a dining area, a large living room space, and a fully stocked kitchen. The walls better matched the general gold aesthetic of the hotel, with fancier wallpaper and magic related pictures and props lining the walls. The furniture seemed to also have been made using a fancy dark red wood that complimented the room nicely.

     Sable walked over to where Natasha was resting on the couch. She was currently split in half at the waist, using her legs as a backrest while she lazed on the couch watching TV. She was wearing a red bathrobe that went much further than where her upper half ended, while her lower half was wearing a pair of black satin panties. When Sable entered her field of vision, she shifted her upper half slightly, grabbing the remote from the coffee table and saying, “Hello there. You’re Sable, right?”

     “Y-Yes,” Sable said nervously, awkwardly standing in the room.

     “Oh! Sorry,” Natasha sat more up, allowing for her lower half to get up off the couch and start sauntering their way towards the bedroom, “I wasn’t really expecting company today. Otherwise I would have dressed up more.”

     “I-it’s alright,” Sable said, “Can I sit down?” She gestured towards the unoccupied end of the couch.

     “Go right ahead,” Natasha waved her arm. Sable awkwardly sat down, slightly uncomfortable by the whole situation. “So, what did you come in for?” Natasha asked. Her legs having managed to put on a pair of rather skimpy black shorts and was making its way towards the kitchen, effortlessly reaching up and opening the fridge with her foot.

     Sable watched in fascination, the legs seeming to rummage around before stepping out from behind the fridge with a serving tray attached to its waist, two bottles of soda perfectly balanced on the tray. As it walked over, Natasha grabbed one of the bottles, and the pair of legs walked over to offer the bottle to Sable. “Thanks,” she mumbled, opening up the bottle and taking a sip, “You know… You’re pretty impressive at that.”

     “Thanks!” Natasha grinned, “I just adore being in pieces.” She took her own sip of soda, before grimacing and saying, “I just wish that Howard had actually bothered to cut me up yesterday. Seriously, he invites me onto his show, undresses me, and doesn’t even have the common courtesy to spice it up with some slicing or dicing.”

     “So, you do stuff like last night all the time?”

     “Well, not all the time. For the most part when I go naked, I go all in… but I know Howard was doing the best he could with a lousy situation.”

     “How did you get so confident with your body?” Sable asked, rather directly “Saturday was my first time performing fully as myself, and I’m pretty sure I nearly fainted.”

     “It comes with practice,” Natasha smiled warmly, “I’m pretty sure if you asked any of the big assistants nowadays, which knowing who’s been on this show, I’m sure you have, they were all exactly the same as you starting out. Even I was really nervous the first time I went out on stage, and I was performing with a prude who still used the large, classic styled boxes.” This didn’t seem to be the response that Sable had came in to hear, so Natasha changed tact, asking, “But why are you so unsure of yourself all of a sudden? I’ve been vaguely keeping tabs on how the competition’s been going, and you’ve seemed to be doing pretty well so far.”

     “Well,” Sable sighed, “it’s just… with Sinopia leaving… and the fact that I’m still really anxious about going on stage… being asked to create a magic trick where I’m supposed to be the sole center of attention is really freaking me out.”

     “What about last week though?” Natasha asked, “You were basically the center of attention then.”

     “Mostly at Trina’s insistence,” Sable explained, “In fact… that part of the show where she grabbed my breast to open me up? That was not we had originally planned on. I’m pretty sure she was hoping to get a big reaction out of me, which is why you can hear me gasping at that point. If I wasn’t thrown off the deep end by her, I’m not sure if I’d even be here right now.”

     “Well… did you like the deep end?” Natasha asked.

     “…Yes! Extremely,” Sable said excitedly, “It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever done! And it was on live TV! But,” Sable’s mood dropped a little more, “I don’t know if I can push myself over that edge again.”

     “Honey,” Natasha put her hand on Sable’s leg, “Listen to me.” Sable’s attention was purely on Natasha as she continued, “In this industry, there’s a large variety of people, each wanting and expecting different things out of what they want from a magic show. Howard’s one of the nice ones because he’ll let you choose how far into the pool you want to be chucked. If you’re uncomfortable going into the deep end, it’s perfectly okay to hang around in the shallow sections. But if you’re willing to take that risk, and tell Howard to help, then I’m certain you can give a performance your sister will be beyond proud of.”

     “…Thanks Natasha,” Sable smiled.

     “Now, get out of here!” Natasha said semi-jokingly, “I have a date with a local rookie I don’t want to be late for.”

~~~

Out on the Town

     Maya and Annette’s walk was rather uneventful, a few of the fans of the show actually managed to recognize Rocky and asked if they could take pictures with him (which Annette happily accepted, warning them not use flash unless they wanted Rocky to expand outwards and accidentally crush them). It was after the second one of these that two decided to avoid going to the dog park Annette had visited on that first day, and instead enjoy the day just walking around.

     Eventually, lunch came around, and it was by pure circumstance (or was it some unconscious yearning) that led the girls to ending up in front of the Parisian styled cafe that they had ended up at when the girls had morphed together. The mood in the cafe was significantly different from the first time they had been there, and Annette, fearing that the charade might come undone here, had Rocky transform into a small creature to hide in her pocket until they were done there.

     For starters, the cafe had set up a couple of signs, advertising on the fact that they had been featured on the show, a little blurb with Maya’s face on it claiming that it was her new favorite cafe (which she obviously had never said on the show, since she had been morphed together with Sinopia at the time). Two televisions had been set up, one inside the cafe and a smaller one outside the cafe, surrounded by a metal cage to discourage thieves, that were playing highlights from the girls various performances on the show, and some from season one. By the cash register where the girls had paid for their drinks, there were three tip cups, with a little sign that read, ‘Who do you think will win?’, each cup inscribed with the name of a remaining contestant, and a little doodle of their face, and all three at about equal amounts of tips.

     “I absolutely love this!” Maya said to the four armed barista who was simultaneously helping cash her out, and preparing another drink.

     “Thanks!” The barista smiled, “the boss really got into the whole ANGA fever when business started picking up. Now our small cafe’s one of the biggest destination in Henderson for the hard core ANGA crowd.”

     “Huh!” Maya said, taking her drink and putting her change into the Maya cup, “that’s pretty cool!”

     The girls had elected to sit outside, where they could freely watch the people walking around Henderson and just enjoy the slight cool breeze that had came to town. Over at a nearby table, a centauress (who had been helped by a staff member by placing two chairs in such a way that she could sort of lay her horse body along them) and a short (well, in comparison to the girl he was with) man were chatting about the whole thing. “I really don’t see how you can be rooting for Maya,” the centauress said, “Sable’s clearly going to win, since she’s the one working the hardest. And with her sister leaving and not holding her back any longer, I’m sure she’s going to win it all!”

     “I’m just really in shock that you’re not voting for Maya!” the man said, “After all, she’s basically the champion for all hemi- and non-humans! I would think you’d be the first to want to root for her!”

     “*psh* Just because I’m a hemihuman doesn’t mean that I have to root for Maya,” the centauress sounded slightly insulted.

     “But think about what that would mean for magic as a whole! Maya! The first non-human assistant to one of the all time greatest magicians!” The man waved his hand about as he said this, “If she won, it would shake the magic world to its core!”

     “I’m not so sure,” another woman said, sitting down at the table, carrying a coffee tray in one hand and her head under the crook of her free arm. She put her head and the drinks on the table, saying, “I heard that a ton of magicians are already on the lookout for some talented non-human assistants because Maya has already proven they can be just as competent as human ones.”

     “Yeah, but I’m sure they’re just trend-seekers,” the man pouted.

     “Besides, we all know Annette’s going to win,” The girl held up her drink to her head, taking a few sips, “Rocky is way too cute to not win!”

     Annette and Maya, overhearing most of this conversation, turned to each other. “Wow… I guess ANGA really is a much bigger deal to some people than I thought,” Maya said, a little put off by what the man had been talking about.

      “Yeah,” Annette said, equally as put off by how openly they seemed to talk about the girls, not as people, but as characters on a show, “but the barista did warn us that this was the hub for a lot of the super fans-“

     Annette’s words were cut off, by a person in the cafe shouting out, “Guys! Check out the livestream! Annette and Maya are out exploring the town!”

     Annette and Maya looked nervously towards each other, the two making some silent nods to grab their coffees and leave before the patrons saw through their disguises.

~~~

Hidden Room

     Annette and Maya had returned home safely, and the rest of the day seemed to pass as one long uneventful mess. That was, of course, until it was time for the girls to go to Nora’s room yet again, this time with Drake’s blessing.

     Nora greeted them at the door ecstatically, her room slightly cleaner, but still a little bit of a pig sty. Thankfully she at least had the courtesy to clean a chair and her couch, which she invited the three girls to sit on. “So, you’ll have to excuse me if I’m a bit direct,” Nora explained, “But what are all of your names?”

     “Annette.”

     “Mayaki, but you can call me Maya.”

     “S-Sable,” Sable said sheepishly.

     “Great! You all know my name of course, Nora Weiss. Again, I’m really sorry if I’m being too direct. It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to talk to someone who isn’t D or Dad! So! What do you want to know?”

     “Wait! Dad!” Annette asked, “Is Howard your father?!”

     “Yep!” Nora smiled, “Has been for the past… twenty odd years?”

     “But, Howard Weiss doesn’t have any children,” Maya said, “At least, as far as I’d heard.” The other two assistants agreed with her.

     “Well! I’m definitely his daughter!” Nora grinned.

     “S-so that woman in the photo with Howard that looks just like you-“

     “Yep! That’s my Mom! I didn’t really know her much, but Dad told me she was the loveliest lady he had ever met!” The girls didn’t really have much room to argue on this point, as the woman in the wedding gown was very beautiful.

     “So Nora. Is there any reason why you’re cooped up in a hidden room in Howard’s hotel?” Annette asked, “after all, it took us a long time to find you.”

     “Yeah,” Nora said, her mood souring for the first time since the girls had met her, “It’s because Dad doesn’t really want anyone to know I exist.”

      The three girls stared in stunned silence at this revelation, before Maya spoke up, “But why would Howard want to do that?”

      “I don’t know!” Nora shrugged, “I’ve asked him multiple times, but the only answer he’s ever given me is that its for my own protection,” Sable tensed up at hearing these words, and even more so as Nora continued, “It’s why he also doesn’t want me to practice magic. Anytime I ask he says that its too dangerous, and to stay away.”

     “But that’s not fair!” Sable said, practically yelling, “What gives Howard the right to think that that’s appropriate! I’m going to go wake the bastard up and give him a piece of my mind!” Sable got up off the couch, heading for the door.

      “Wait!” Nora said, intercepting Sable’s pathway to the door and blocking her, “You can’t let Dad know that I’ve been talking with you all! I don’t want you three to get in trouble! I just want someone to vent to!” Sable stood quiet as Nora continued, “Plus! I know Dad. The only reason he’s keeping me locked up is because he thinks I can’t fend for myself! If I can just show him that I know a little bit of magic, and that I can do it, I’m certain he’ll start seeing things my way!” Nora clenched her hands into a fist, looking at them as she said, “I know that I’m going to be a great assistant one day!”

      Sable looked at Nora, pain in her eyes as she said, “Nora… I know what you’re feeling. I’ve been there before. Trust me…” Sable looked, not being able to bear maintaining eye contact with Nora, “it doesn’t end well-”

     “But I won’t know until I try!” Nora said resolutely. Sable looked up finally, the hints of tears on her face, but she accepted Nora’s words, returning to the couch and sitting quietly.

     “So… despite the fact that your Dad doesn’t want you practicing magic, you can still do some?” Maya asked.

     “Oh yeah!” Nora grinned, “Dad doesn’t really talk much about Mom, but she apparently was an amazing magic user too, and I remember from homeschooling that two magic users always end up with a kid who’s even better at magic than they are! Just watch!” Nora stood up, walking to a wall and pushing her hand in, the wall parting almost like water as she easily walked through it, then back out. “One of the first things I mastered was phasing through walls! Dad doesn’t like me exploring the hotel, but this way if someone spots me, they just think it was their mind playing tricks on them!”

     “I must say,” Annette grinned, “being able to go through walls isn’t all that impressive, but with all the magical protections around this place, you must really have a lot of magic potential.”

     “Thanks!” Nora grinned, “It’d be a lot easier to practice this sort of stuff if Dad hadn’t destroyed all his old props.”

     “Ah. So all the broken props in that room were Howard’s?” Maya asked.

     “Yep! He never explained to me why he broke them though,” Nora shrugged.

      A clock on the nearby mantle chimed 11 pm. “Drat! That’s all the time that weird man said he could let us talk.”

     “You mean Drake?” Annette asked.

     “If that’s the guy who always wears khakis and a button down, then yes,” Nora said, “He explained to me about the contest my Dad’s apparently throwing, and how he’d make sure not to tell him until I’m ready. Would you three be willing to come back and talk to me on Wednesday?”

     “Of course,” Maya said, “Although some of us might not look like we do now.”

     “That’s okay! I’m just so thankful to have company again!” Nora smiled.

~~~

Annette’s Room

     The girls had made it back to their room safely, but just as she was about to go to bed, she heard a knock on her door. She opened it up, and found Sable, wearing a pair of black pajamas with unicorns on them and holding a pillow in her hand. She looked extremely nervous as she asked, “W-would you mind if I slept in your room tonight? Without Sin here… My room’s too quiet.”

     Annette just smiled, “Of course you can sleep here, but I got to warn you, Rocky’s a bit of a cuddler.”

     “That’s okay,” Sable smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

& Question Corner &

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     To Sinopia: “As someone with low magic reserves, you've been incredible in this season of ANGA. You've managed to hold your own for three full weeks, proving that it's technique, not raw power, that makes for a successful career in magic. I hope that even with this elimination, you don't give up on improving your skills or stop working hard to become a talented assistant. And congrats on the new house! It'll take a lot of responsibility to maintain, but I don't think you have any reason to fear that: you've demonstrated that you can handle much more stress than home ownership.” -@@WanderTones

     *Sniff* Thank you so much Penny! For the kind words, and for everything really, especially for helping Sable out of her shell!

     I’m going to keep working hard and keep improving, so that I can help support all my sisters in our brand new house. I’m already making my plans on how I’m going to do sneak them out so that Dad will never be able to find us. And when Sable wins, we’ll get Saffron to come along and do an amazing performance with us! Just you wait!