“Good Morning, Girls!” The chipper voice of David awoke Annette and Sable (who had at this point basically moved in, since she had been sleeping in Annette’s room with Rocky for almost a week now). “Come on down to the Dining Room! I have a special surprise for you both today!”

     Annette walked out into the grass field that composed Rocky’s half of the room, “Do you think that it’s going to be the other contestants?”

     “I don’t know,” Sable her excitement slightly more reserved, “After all, when David brought them back, he did it at the challenge introduction.”

     “Yeah, but when has Howard done anything even remotely close to how David ran the first season?” Annette retorted, lifting the furry ball of fluff that was Rocky into her arms, his form shifting into massive, adorably looking hedgehog.

     “Fair enough,” Sable grinned, the two walking out of the room, hopeful to see the friends they had made thus far again.

~~~

Dining Room

     They entered the Dining room, and their excitement only grew, as Howard had set up a small red curtain hiding part of the dining room from them. “Ah! Good morning girls!” He beamed, “With us being in the final week of competition, and you two about to be facing off for the last time, I thought it would only be appropriate to reward you for the hard work you two have done. So… I put together this!” Howard tugged on the curtain, the entire thing falling off its support bar in a single motion.

     Behind the curtain was a massive table, stuffed high with breakfast foods of all different varieties. Multiple plates of pancakes, waffles, french toast, eggs in every way, sausage, bacon, ham, biscuits and gravy, baked beans, toast, muffins. You name it, it was on the table. Already seated at the table were Lisa and Ann, who smiled at the girls, and Nora, who excitedly waved at seeing her friends. Howard continued his explanation, not noticing the fact that girls seemed to get less excited at the reveal, “Frankie told me about how you all liked her morning breakfast routine, and I thought that I’d chip in and join you two for breakfast!”

     Sable and Annette looked at each other, Annette eventually saying an unenthusiastic, “Um… Thanks?”

     “What’s wrong girls?” Howard said, sounding slightly worried, “Is there something wrong? Because if you spot something missing, I can have the cooks whip it up quickly.”

     “It’s not that…” Sable said politely “This is all really amazing! It’s just that…”

     “We thought that the surprise was going to be the other assistants returning today,” Annette finished for Sable’s politeness.

     “Oh Dear!” Howard said, looking nervous, “I’m afraid I have some rather bad news on that front… With Patricia and Elise busy with their work, and Sinopia and Maya making plans as well, the production team and I decided that we couldn’t just rip them out of their lives just for the sake of keeping you all company for the week.” Sable and Annette’s mood dropped significantly upon hearing this announcement, “B-but!” Howard said, hoping to lighten the mood a little bit and holding up his hands, “We will be flying them out for the big finale show and afterparty! And of course you girls are already well aware of the fact that you will be invited to the winning contestant’s first show, free of charge, so don’t worry and think that their eliminations were the last time you’ll ever see them again!”

     This seemed to placate their fears slightly, as they took seats on opposite ends of the table, Annette sitting next to Lisa, while Sable slipped between Nora and Ann. “Oh! Before I forget, Lisa, Ann and I discussed, and in order to keep the teams balanced, Annette will be with Lisa, and Sable will be with Ann. That way, there’s an Ann on both teams. Now. Without further ado, let’s dig in!”

~~~

Annette’s Rehearsal

     For the third time this competition, Annette was devoting a day of her rehearsal schedule to familiarizing her magician with Rocky (who had taken on a more standard canine form) and his unique abilities, “…And recently we discovered that he’s able to change his color. Just watch. Rocky! Green!” Rocky’s began to bubble, its color gradually shifting from black to a dark green and finally to the same shade of green as Lisa’s t-shirt.

     “Wow!” Lisa said, stroking Rocky’s fur, Rocky giving off a soft purr-like sound, “It really sounds like Rocky’s grown a lot since you two have joined the show.”

     “Yep! He’s been working so hard just so he can see me become a magician assistant,” Annette smiled, before suddenly turning very worried as she pointed out, “Oh my God! I’m so sorry LIsa!” Lisa looked confused, looking down at her arm, which she realized was beginning to turn the same shade of green as Rocky as she continued to rub him, “Rocky’s gotten better at changing his color, but’s been struggling a bit with letting it rub off. Please change her back Rocky!”

     Rocky nodded, sticking out his tongue (which matched the rest of his body) and licked Lisa’s hand, the pattern disappearing everywhere he licked until her arm was back to normal. “Ha ha! Good boy!” Lisa smiled, before looking at Annette and asking, “So, obviously we’re going to use Rocky as part of your individual trick, but do you know whether or not you want to use him for the final trick?”

     “Oh yeah!” Annette said, “I nearly forgot that the last trick is supposed to involve both Sable and me… I mean, I know that Rocky’s comfortable with her, but I imagine it would probably be better if it was just the two of us.” Rocky whined a little bit, to which Annette responded, “Don’t worry, boy. I’m sure we’ll come up with something that’ll make Sable jealous that she doesn’t get to perform with you.”

     “You two will also need to talk it out if you want to have the trick have some sort of narrative to it,” Lisa said, “It’s completely fine if you want to just go from one trick to another, but one of the goals of the Magician’s Dual is that both groups are on stage at all times with no curtain drops in between.”

     “That’s certainly going to make things complicated to figure out how they’ll fit,” Annette said, cracking her knuckles, “but I never back down from a challenge. So let’s get Rocky familiar with you giving him commands.”

~~~

Lobby

     Nora was lounging on one of the reclining chairs in the lobby, looking annoyed at the front door as she waited for her father to arrive after she had rang the button on the counter. The golden elevator doors opened up and Howard stepped out, asking, “What is it Nora? I came as soon as I could.”

     “Those reporters have been waiting outside since Friday and I really want to go outside and explore Las Vegas!” Nora whined, pointing at the doors. Outside, a variety of reporters from various news outlets were banging on the doors, demanding to be let in for the chance to interview Howard, Nora, or the remaining contestants, “Can you please make them leave so that I can leave without it becoming a national news story?”

     “My dear, I would love to,” Howard said, placing her hand on her head and ruffling her hair slightly, “Unfortunately I learned years ago that simply asking the press to leave will never truly solve the problem. They’ll just walk around the block and run after you once you’ve left.”

     “But don’t they understand that in trying to get a comment on my freedom, they’re ironically trapping me in here again?” Nora asked, giving the reporters the stink eye (not that they noticed in their frenzy for a news story).

     “Well, don’t worry about that, because I have something special saved up for you…” Howard paused dramatically, “How would you like to accompany the girls and me to this week’s midweek challenge? The place we’re going will have a lot of fun things to do, and I’m sure you’d even be able to explore the sites nearby when we’re not filming, maybe even while we’re filming if things go according to plan!”

     “Really?!” Nora asked, getting out of her chair in excitement.

     “Of course!” Howard said, “The days of Howard Weiss leaving his daughter alone, trapped in this hotel are over. I want to help you start spreading your wings… As long as I know it’s safe, of course.”

     “Thank you so much, Dad!” Nora said, giving Howard a hug, before breaking it apart, her face turning serious again, “N-not that you’re forgiven still… You still have a long way to go.”

     Howard chuckled, “Of course not. I’m just happy to see you smile again,” Howard smiled, crossing his eyes goofily, to which Nora responded by smiling and making her eyes look in opposite directions, the two sharing a laugh at the touching moment.

~~~

Sable’s Rehearsal

     “S-So… How do you want to go about doing rehearsal?” Sable asked nervously.

     “Well, you’ve been doing this show longer, what do you want to do for rehearsal? I’m rather flexible with anything,” Ann responded.

     “W-well…” Sable said, scratching her head, “I guess I’m not exactly sure what the structure of this Magician’s Duel is supposed to be. Do you mind explaining it?”

     “No problem,” Ann smiled, “So, the general format originated from when performing was a lot less regulated. Back then, a magician who used the stage name Zastro had found out that a friend of his was performing at a local theater, and he had the bright idea of crashing his performance. He sat in the audience until right after the introduction, and then barged on stage claiming that he was a rival magician and that he demanded a duel to prove which of the two was better. His friend, realizing what was going on, agreed, saying that they would use the audience to determine who the winner was, and that they each would do their best trick. If I remember the story correctly, Zastro did some sort of levitation trick, while his friend did a missmade.

     After his friend had performed, Zastro revealed their ruse, and how they were both actually good friends, and then as a bonus, the two of them melted their assistants and mixed them together into one to signify their strong bond. That’s why the format is doing a single trick each, followed by a group trick. The format’s not really used that much nowadays, but since Howard’s an old school magician, I’m not that shock that he would choose something complex like that for the last challenge.”

     “Huh,” Sable said, “so the goal isn’t to one up each other?”

     “Yep!” Ann smiled, “It’s to help show that the magicians have their differences, but ultimately are able to show that they’re stronger working together.”

     “Alright,” Sable said confidently “Then let’s get straight to it then! I want to make sure that we can make a trick that will impress Ann!”

     “Okay?” Ann responded, confused.

     “I meant Ann and Rocky,” Sable said, her nervousness returning, “not you… Since you’ll be helping me perform it and all…” Ann laughed a little, but then the two set to work on figuring out what they were going to perform.

~~~

Annette’s Bedroom

     “Hey Sable!” Annette called back as she entered her bedroom.

     “Hey Ann! At rehearsal I realized that this is going to get super confusing to call both Ann and you ‘Ann’.” Sable said.

     “Well, you could always just call me by my real name,” Annette pointed out. When Sable gave her a confused look, Annette sighed, “Annette.”

     “Oh yeah…” Sable idly rubbed her hand through Rocky’s fur, “Would you mind if I called you something else. Like do you have a short middle name?”

     “Well… My middle name is Bertha,” Annette reluctantly said.

     “Wait! What’s your last name?” Sable asked.

     “…Calhoun,” Annette said quietly.

     “So your initials are ABC?” Sable laughed.

     “Yes,” Annette said, becoming uncharacteristically embarrassed, blushing as she continued “My parents thought it would be cute.”

     “Well, would you mind if I called you Bert?” Sable asked, “That way there won’t be any confusion.”

     “I mean, I’d rather you just call me by my actual name… But if you’ll find it more easier, I guess I can deal with it for a week,” Annette acquiesced.

     “Thank you so much Ann- Oops! I mean Bert,” Sable said.

     “Now… Since I told you mine, what’s your middle and last names?” Ann asked.

     “Well, no-one in our family really has a middle name, our last name- Oh wait, let whisper it to you,” Sable whispered her name into Annette’s ear, the picture lightly flickering as she did so.

     “Wow, that really is a lovely last name," Annette said.

     “Yep. It’s really annoying about the curse on it though,” Sable said.

     “Oh yeah. I think I vaguely remember Saffron saying something about that last year,” Annette said.

     The two proceeded to use the rest of the night to work out how they wanted the narrative of their magician’s duel to, deciding to save planning the final trick for later.

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

& Question Corner &

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

     “Maya, as I've said with the previous eliminated contestants: the elimination was not you underperforming, so much as the standard is so high between the competition that picking someone to leave is a tough and uncomfortable call. It's more luck than a lack or overabundance of ability.

     But honestly, maybe winning wasn't the best option for you: now, with Mono-I, you have an active part in championing the cause of non- and hemi-humans in magic. You won't just be an inspiration for those who want to get into magic, you'll be providing resources and opportunities for many other people to find their own way into the field. And I can't think of a better person to be in that position than you.” -@@WanderTones

    Thank you so much Penny! Obviously I’m not sad (okay, I’m a little sad) about losing, since Drake showed us how close the votes were. Plus, Sable and Annette have been doing an amazing job, and I’m sure they’ll be able to give off an awesome final performance without me.

     I’m really excited to work with Mono-I, but also terrified at the same time. I know you have confidence in my ability to help pave the way for other nonhumans to enter magic, but I’m sure I still have a lot to learn about prop making, and want to make sure that I can help deliver the best possible product to start training. Hopefully we’ll be able to get my product line out in a year or two, and then who knows how the magic community will be shaped by then?

     To Sable: “I guess I was a bit too harsh since I might be way too used to doing the things you just did. Argh, I think I'm projecting my desire to be a magician again with a cute assistant again with maybe being a host for season 3. I admit it, I want to be a magician again ever since seeing your sister live and all but I keep telling myself that simply breaking myself apart is no good. I'm so sorry Sable, you did good with nitpicks from me but I don't think I'm at my best. I just don't find some of the stuff you did that impressive personally but after rewatching, I will admit that you did really well in a practical sense. I really need to reevaluate my ability to be a balance between a strict mentor and a lenient one.” -Rei

     Wow! You want to be a magician again? That’s pretty exciting! I’m sure that if you really wanted to get back in to performance magic, David or Howard would probably help you out in brining you up to speed with all of the registrations that have been added since you retired. I’m curious what your plan for your head shop would be though…

     Also, don’t feel bad that you primarily enjoy detachment magic. There are a ton of magicians out there who only specialize in one type of trick and manage to pull in a massive crowd every time. There’s as much merit to a simple sawing someone in half as there is to doing something crazily complex.

     To Annette: “After rewatching your performance, I think I see it but I was so mesmerized by the others with their stories that my mind went blank the more I thought about yours. Now you did not do bad, I was confused at some parts.” -Rei

     Ah. No worries Rei! If you were confused, you were confused. I’m just glad that you enjoyed it.

     To Bernice: “I'll try and talked to the heads. I managed to reduced the numbers since some are okay to not be picked. I eliminated the snooty ones. And the rest read your comment but I'll work something out. After a long day, I manage to have the list reduce to 10 heads as requested. Just be aware that these heads can be clever.” -Rei

     Alright, I’ll send that list of heads to the Ad Agency then, and they should probably get into contact with you within the next couple of days to arrange for pick-up, travel, and payment for their hard work. I hope that the heads have a fun time!

     To Sable, Maya, and Annette: “Perhaps my judgement is flawed as well as I am not an expert in performance magic. I am more for using magic to gain knowledge, combat, restoration, having a healthy lifestyle, and for family matters. Though in my own eyes, you did well as performers but not too well for my taste in magic. I hope you three understood what I mean. That is not to say you did badly, Rei and I concluded that I have poor judgement in magic acts.” -Izzy

     Sable: Well, as Rei said, you were thrust forwards in time from pre-humanity. I imagine that there wasn’t much of a need for performance based magic back in the day.

     Maya: Yeah. I came to the same conclusion.

     Annette: Same.

     To Sable: “From that previous comment, I will affirm that if I were to teach you magic, it will not be just for performances. The things I will teach you will dwell into nature, your very soul, and perhaps your future. Some positives includes losing wrinkles, reduce weight gain, high self esteem, prevents gray hair, character development, and the lists goes on.” -Izzy

     Ooh! I can’t wait! I'm sure my sisters are excited to learn how to do all that stuff too!

     To Howard: “I have good news on that front my friend, due to recent developments I shall be able to attend my daughter's premier and afterparty. I believe your invitation has already arrived, so we should be able to meet during the afterparty, and discuss thing if you wish.” -Jacob Schutter.

     Ah! How very exciting! My invitation has indeed arrived, and I’d be happy to RSVP. I would absolutely love to meet up and talk shop with you. I’m certain that there’s much you could teach me, and I hope that there is some things I might be able to teach you.

     Of course, I made sure to send your daughter extra tickets so that she could invite anyone she wanted attend the finale of the season and my first show when the winner has been decided with her. I would be honored to provide you a proper, full tour of the hotel if you were to come to those.