Rather than Howard’s loud boisterous morning calls, the girls were pleasantly awakened by the ringing of a bell, the smell of bacon wafting into Annette’s room (which true to David’s promise, was an exact replica of her room in the hotel). The pleasant voice of Amanda Angel echoed softly throughout the large room, saying, “Come on down for breakfast. When you’re ready, of course.” The two girls made quick work of getting ready, and within moments were using the magic doors of David’s castle to enter the dining room.

~~~

Dining Room

     The Dining Room was just as ostentatious as the first season, with the singular long table and floating candles setting the aura of magic well. The group of two famous magicians, three famous assistants, and three relatives were sitting close together near one end of the table, a large spread of breakfast food and fruit in front of them. Isabella was sitting on Amanda’s lap, occasionally being fed a spoonful of baby food from her resplendent mother. Her hair had grown out a bit longer since being born on the first season of ANGA, her lumpy body having gained a bit more definition.

     “Ah! Good morning girls!” Howard grinned, “How nice of you to join us all. We were just about to discuss what our plans for the day were.”

     “Well, obviously Ann and I will be helping Annette and Sable rehearse,” Lisa said.

     “Especially since the show is in three days,” Ann agreed.

     “And I was planning on taking Nora out to see the sights around Hollywood,” Howard put his hand around Nora’s shoulder, who was too busy wolfing down pancakes to notice.

     “Hm… An excellent idea,” David smiled, “Would you mind if Jill and I tagged along? It’s been ages since we’ve had a proper vacation, and even if it’s just walking around Hollywood, the fresh air will do us well.” Jill gave him a questioning look, but when he gave her a reassuring hand gesture, she went back to her food.

     “Sure!” Howard boasted, “The more the merrier!”

     The group ate breakfast, and just as everyone seemed to be about done, Howard stood up and cracked his knuckles, “Now, how about I handle Sable and Annette’s punishment, and we can be on our way?”

     “Not in front of Isabella,” Amanda said seriously, giving Howard the evil eye.

     “Ah yes, my apologies, Amanda,” Howard said, scratching his head “We can go do this out in the Foyer.”

~~~

Foyer

     “Alright girls,” Howard said, having them stand back to back to each other, wrapping a piece of fabric in an S shape between them, “I hope that you can take this shared punishment as a valuable lesson.”

     “And what would that lesson be?” Annette asked.

     “That if you’re going to design a midweek challenge, make sure that a clear winner can be decided,” Howard responded, grasping the edge of the fabric and pulling. The two girls began spinning at a breakneck speed, their heads becoming a blur, as the fabric unspooled even faster, seemingly drawing the girls closer and closer together. Just as it seemed the girls couldn’t spin any faster, the spinning drastically slowed down, the last of the fabric slipping away, revealing what Howard had done to the two of them.

     Annette and Sable were sharing the same body, although not the body of one of them. Instead, their bodies had merged together, averaging their appearance once again, minus the fact that Annette and Sable’s clearly separated heads were awkwardly struggling for space, on their only slightly broadened shoulders. From the looks of things, it appeared that control of their body was split straight down the middle, as Annette rubbed her half of her body, commenting, “Huh… Why does this feel… Oddly familiar?”

     From one of the doors on the upper floor of the foyer, David walked out, looking like a fully-blown tourist Dad. He had on a sun hat and sunglasses, a tacky Hawaiian shirt and board shorts, and socks with sandals. A wind up camera was hanging around his neck, and sunscreen applied extra thick on his nose. Behind him, Nora and Jill kept a respectable distance, both dressed in more appropriate summer clothes, with Jill in a green tank top and jean shorts, while Nora was wearing a white sundress, the stench of high powered sunscreen coming off her filling up the whole foyer.

     Howard laughed, “David! You cannot be seriously wearing that to just walk around Hollywood?”

     “Oh hush Howard,” David said, finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, “I’m wearing this just so that I don’t have to walk transformed around in the summer heat. That way when you inevitably cause a scene, I’ll have all of my reserves at the ready to calm you down.”

     “And how are you so certain that I’ll be the one that causes a scene?” Howard asked, waving the piece of fabric around his body, his appearance changing as he did so, his normally grayish hair lightening to a dark brown color, a thick beard appearing on his face, as his tall and lean figure gradually grew slightly more muscular.

     “Because you always do Howard!” David said, the two of them bickering with each other as they walked out the front door.

     “Wow,” Sable said, “Was David like that behind the scenes.”

     “Nope,” Jill said, sounding annoyed at how embarrassing David was behaving, “He only starts acting this way when Howard gets mentioned.”

     “We better go after them before they actually start causing a scene,” Nora said, equally as annoyed as Jill. Jill pulled out a pair of sunglasses, handing one of them to Nora as they chased after the two ‘world-class’ magicians.

~~~

An Hours Drive Later

     The limousine ride to Hollywood passed by rather uneventfully, as the worst thing Howard and David did was compete over who could point out the most famous landmarks and celebrity houses. The limo pulled over near the main strip, letting them out and driving off without a word.

     The group of four walked around, checking out such famous sites as the Hollywood Theatre, which was proudly displaying the posters for upcoming movies for when the all clear was finally given, among them being ‘‘The Realm Wars, Episode V’, an animated movie called ‘Sprites’, and, of course, the long awaited third movie in the ‘Bill & Ted’ franchise. As they walked down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Howard and David made sure to point out their stars, posing in front of them.

     Eventually though, the heat was starting to get to the four of them, but David and Howard were both insisted that they make one final stop before they got lunch. The two led them down a shady looking alleyway, to which Nora asked, “Um… Dad? Where are you taking us?”

     “Don’t worry Nora,” Howard grinned, “Where we’re going is perfectly safe. They mainly just use this to dissuade tourists.”

     “So won’t televising how wherever we’re going just encourage tourists to check it out?” Jill pointed out.

     “You’d think,” Howard agreed, “but tourists wouldn’t be able to find this place even if they had a map to it. No, this place only shows up if you’re deemed worthy.” David stopped the group in front of a brick wall, placing his hand into the wall as though it were made of putty, and seemingly reaching around for something. Eventually he found it, and part of the brick wall parted away like it was a door.

     Howard grinned, as they stepped in, “Well girls, this is where the magic happens!”

     The area they found themselves in didn’t make any sense. In many ways, it resembled a rather plain looking boardwalk, complete with a white-sand beach, various vendors and stalls, and a whole throng of people just milling about. What was weird about it, was the fact that all signs of the fact that they were inside some sort of building had disappeared, save for the fact that the sun had been replaced with a massive neon light that read, ‘Movie Magic Square’.

     The two girls turned around, as the brick wall they had walked through sealed itself closed, any signs of the former wall disappearing in a moment. “This Jill,” David gestured to the boardwalk, “is one of the few remaining magic wellsprings in the world.”

     “Wellspring?” Jill asked.

     “They’re like a magic hotspot,” David continued to explain, “A little pocket dimension of magic, so densely packed, that even a pureblooded non-human would be able to produce some effects.”

     “Where did it come from?” Nora asked in awe, looking up at the sign in the sky.

     “Well… Nobody’s really sure. I’m sure if Ophelia were here, she would claim its one of the unexplainable gifts of Mother Gaia,” David chuckled, “But from what scholars theorize, they were created by some very powerful magic users who fled from death during the first magic dark ages and never got around to breaking the enchantment.”

     “Wow.” Nora said, looking around, “But wait! How were they even rediscovered then?”

     “Like most major advancements in magic, pure luck really,” Howard chuckled, “Someone found it a while ago, and since then its become something of a magic hub for Hollywood.”

     “He’s right,” David grinned, “Many magicians hoping to become young upstarts will practice in here for years to build up reserves quickly by practicing beyond their ability. Of course, when they leave and realize that it takes actual strain to grow a muscle, they’ll usually then decide to just move in.”

     “Wait David,” Jill smiled, teasingly saying, “That sounds oddly specific.”

     “I’ll admit,” David said, holding his hands up, “I was young and stupid. I used to busk around here to get some experience.”

     “Wait! You used to busk!” Jill said, amazed.

     “Not only did he used to busk,” Howard grinned, “but he used to do so in my old spot!”

     “You busked too?!” Nora asked.

     “Really only when I wanted to test out the viability of a trick,” Howard responded, “It’s much easier to get the visuals exactly right in here.”

     “Why don’t we go check out the old spot?” David said, pulling out his wallet and handing Jill and Nora fifty bucks each. “This should be enough for you two to buy some food, and maybe a souvenir or two. Whatever you do though, do not order the house special.”

     “Why?” Nora asked.

     “Because it’s cooked with a magic laxative,” Howard whispered into Nora’s ear, practically giggling as he said, “David learned that lesson the hard way.”

     “Howard!” David shouted, chasing after him as he started jogging towards their destination.

~~~

Rehearsal

     “Oh come on girls,” Lisa said, rubbing her nose as Sable and Annette fell over once again, “Haven’t you two shared a body before? Why are struggling so hard now?”

     “Well,” Annette said, as the two awkwardly pushed themselves off the floor, “I’m sorry. I don’t have much experience being conjoined with another person!”

     “Look, my sisters and I do this all the time,” Sable said, “you’re just too stressed out trying to anticipate my movements. Just calm down and focusing on reacting to my moves instead.”

     The girls started up the routine again… and fell down once more, this time on their butt instead. Sable gave Annette a dirty look, to which she defended herself, saying, “Hey! I followed your lead that time!”

     “Alright,” Ann said, searching through the pile of props that David had in his rehearsal room, “I think it’s time we go with option B, Lisa.” She found what she was looking for, pulling out a large scythe.

    “What’s option-“ Sable didn’t get to finish her sentence, as with a single swipe of the scythe, Ann had chopped both heads off from their body. Their heads dropped to the floor unceremoniously, their body slumping forwards.

     “Ooh! Do you mind getting me too?” Lisa asked, pulling her hair out of the way from her neck.

     “Of course,” Ann said, cutting through Lisa’s neck with ease, and then awkwardly using the blade to chop her own head off too.

     Annette and Sable, who by this point had recovered from the shock of having a massive blade swung at them from out of nowhere, were trying to move their shared body, the body spasming as it took inputs from the two heads. “Hey! What’s going on!” Annette asked.

     “I just made it so that you both would have full control of the body,” Ann explained, putting the scythe away and tucking her head under her arm.

     “Mixing merged bodies with conjoinment makes things a little weird,” Lisa explained, having put her head on a stool as she maneuvered her body to help the merged body up, “because the body’s compounding an altered state, it tries to take the most logical approach in how control is divided up. Since your heads were attached, you’d logically have control of the body underneath your head, leading to how each of you had half control of it.”

     “But,” Ann continued explaining for her, “Because I cut off your heads, now you’re not really conjoined. Since the overall effect is just that your bodies were merged together, you now both have full control of your body.”

     Lisa had finally helped their merged body up to its feet, to which Sable asked, “Okay. But how does that help us?”

     “Well,” Lisa said, “This way we can run through the tricks, and as long as only one of you controls the body at a time, it’ll be like nothing’s really changed.”

     “Yep!” Ann said, “Now, let’s start with the final trick first, since we’re going to have to run through that twice for the both of you.”

~~~

Movie Magic Square

     Howard and David walked to where both of them had previously busked before, passing by many would be magicians along the way. Many of them didn’t have a particularly large audience, nor were they doing anything particularly impressive to justify their hanging around in the wellspring. Mostly the usual tricks, someone transforming themselves into an animate statue; or the man lying down on a bed of nails, the tips just breaking past his skin; or a headless man playing a muppaphone (a xylophone composed of five human heads that would say ‘ouch’ when hit with a mallet at different pitches).

     No, what interested Howard and David was closer to the end of the pier, where large crowds would typically gather to watch the more extravagant magicians hoping to make a name for themselves, or just testing out a theoretical trick for an act. A man with a large two tone afro was impressing a small crowd of people, grabbing either end and splitting himself in two, each copy reforming with a single toned afro. “Eh. I’ve seen the waitresses at Sonny’s split themselves into eight clones,” one of the audience members commented.

     Next to him, a man seemed to be practicing some sort of ancient ritual, having drawn a circle with strange symbols in salt on the pier. With some words spoken in an ancient forgotten tongue, the salt circle began to glow bright green, and slowly a beast with a giant octopus for a head began to rise. The beast looked around, clearly confused at where he was, before using its massive finger to smudge the summoning circle, sinking back into the pier before vanishing completely. The slightly larger audience politely clapped. “You know, sometimes I feel bad for the beasts that some of these weirdos seem to drag out,” A female audience member whispered to her friend.

    “Yeah. I know I wouldn’t want to be summoned as part of some weirdo’s attempt to flex on others.”

     After passing by some more equally as impressive acts of magic, they eventually reached the edge of the pier, where a short stage was typically set up for the magicians that had started to get a bit of a following. On stage, there was someone who had looked like someone had tried to cross a beach bro with a magician. He was muscular, had darkly tanned skin, blond hair, and was wearing a tuxedo jacket with the sleeves ripped off to show off his muscles. Unlike most of the other busking magicians, he was working with a red-headed assistant, having just turned her into a glass of pink lemonade and was slowly sipping her as he chatted with the first row of the audience.

     “I’m always so amazed at how little this place has changed every time I come here,” David said.

     “You’re telling me?” Howard laughed, “You do know I’ve been around quite a bit longer than you David?”

     On stage, the magician had reappeared his assistant, she appeared as an animated tattoo on his massive body, the magician making a huge scene of having her dance the hula like a tattoo from a cartoon. While the tattoo was dancing, the magician sunk his thumb and index fingers into his arm, pulling out a pink orb, the tattoo suddenly becoming inanimate. He explained that the orb was a physical manifestation of his assistant’s consciousness, and that he only gave it a physical form for the audience’s sake.

     “You know, if it wasn’t for the fact that he looks like he was trying out to be a pro wrestler, this kid wouldn’t be half bad,” Howard commented.

     “Yeah, he’s got a good sense of working the audience.

     The magician then asked around in the crowd for a volunteer. A confident looking man who couldn’t have been much younger than twenty five stepped up. The magician warned him that he was going to put his assistants consciousness into his body, and that it would lead to his own consciousness being suppressed for the duration of the trick. The volunteer, who David and Howard could tell was a magician himself and had slightly more than average magic reserves, agreed to it, a wicked grin on his face, which Howard guessed was because he was going to try and mess up the trick somehow.

     The buff magician pushed the orb into his forehead, and his body seemed to convulse for a moment, before his posture suddenly righted and took on a feminine stance. In a girly voice, she asked him why it took so long for him to return her consciousness. The magician held up some cards for the audience to see, explaining that he had had his assistant memorize them before the show, and that only the two of them knew the order to prove it was really her. Amazingly the volunteer repeated them exactly, eliciting claps from the audience.

     “A full consciousness injection and suppression,” Howard grinned, “very interesting.”

     “I wonder though if he’s got real chops,” David rubbed his chin.

     “Well, why don’t we go ask him?” Howard grinned.

     The audience was thinning out, as the magician restored the volunteer (who looked confused about what had just happened), and returned his assistant back to normal. So, David and Howard took the opportunity to go up and meet him. “Hello there,” David smiled, “Very impressive stuff there…”

     “Oh, I’m still working on the stage name,” he smiled right back, “could you two gentlemen excuse me for a second?” The magician walked over to his assistant, grabbing the hat of change that he had left out, and giving her the hat, “Thank you so much for helping me out Ruby, here’s your cut of the earnings.”

     “Leon, the ISAG only requires that you provide me with a reasonable cut of the earnings, not the whole pot,” the red-headed assistant responded as though this were a common occurrence.

     “Ruby, I told you the last time you worked with me,” he smiled, “I’m not in it for the money. Maybe in a few years when I’ve actually made a name for myself. But for right now, I can handle giving a bit extra.”

     “If you say so,” Ruby rolled her eyes, stuffing the hat impossibly into her outfit, before walking backstage.

     “I’m sorry gentlemen,” Leon said, walking back to Howard and David, “What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

     “Two things,” Howard said directly, “Number 1: What’s with the look? Number 2: Is this all wellspring puff, or do you have some chops out in the real world?”

     Leon laughed, “Alright. Straight to the point. To answer number 1, this is a transformation. Helps draw the attention of the ladies, and this way I don’t have to worry out about people I know recognizing me here. As for number 2… I guess I’d say I’m better than the average rookie that uses this place to train, but I don’t really know. Probably about 50/50 in terms of fluff and actual muscle.”

     Howard and David looked at each other, both coming to the same conclusion. “You looking to get signed to an agent, kid?” David asked.

     Leon laughed, “Depends on who’s asking me to sign up.”

     “Ooh. Picky,” Howard commented.

     “A little bit,” Leon confirmed, “I’m sure it’s everyone’s dream to get signed up with one of the all time greats, but you know the higher up you go, the more you have to deal with compromising your vision for others.”

     “Ain’t that the truth,” Howard laughed.

     “Well, if you ever do find yourself begin interested in signing up, give this one a call,” David said, producing a business card from out of nowhere. “She’s one of the best.”

     “And here’s mine,” Howard produced his own, “I think you got the stuff kid. Could be rather interesting to see how you turn out. Although… You might want to tone down the look a bit.”

     “I’ll keep that in mind,” Leon said, pocketing the business cards, as Howard and David made their way back across the pier to grab some lunch.

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

& Question Corner &

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

     To Sable: “I guess I'll start off small at my shop and grow from there. Now I just need an assistant.” -Rei

     Yeah! There’s the Rei I know! If you’re looking for an assistant, I’m sure the ISAG would consider lending you asked really nicely. Or maybe, since you’re going to take it slow, Ron can work as your assistant part-time (Assuming Greg isn’t working her too hard)!

     To Sable and Annette: “I am rather impressed with you two today! It is a shame that you both have to share the same punishment which I thought is unfair. That was a drastic improvement from your previous acts, mostly for how you managed to find unique ways to flatten yourselves.” -Rei

     Sable: Thank you so much Rei! And yeah, that was rather uncharacteristically unfair of Howard.

     Annette: Yeah, usually when Howard’s tricks aren’t too harsh, but I really think that this one went over the line a little bit. Even if he said it was to ‘teach us a lesson’.

     To Sable and Annette: “I will admit, I was surprised with what you two girls just came up with. I do suggest you keep up with that mindset as you kept me guessing. As for magic wars, it was a bit more friendlier than what you mentioned. At least in my time. Though I am capable of very destructive magic. I just chose not to use it.” -Izzy

     Annette: Why thank you Izzy. I’ll try my best to keep things interesting for the finale.

     Sable: So will I. And Izzy, if you know that sort of destructive promise, you need to promise me that you’re not going to use it or teach it to any of my sisters if I’m going to take you in. I’m really excited to have you join us, but I can’t put them in that sort of danger.

     To Sable and Annette: “Amazing twists on this the act of flattening, I really enjoyed both ways. Wish you two the best and good luck. Also you two would make a great team to, maybe you will create a show of your own like my favourites Penny and Jean.

     Also I'm so impressed that you had such unique twists on that trick. I would be never able to accomplish that.” -Andrea

     Sable: Aw, thanks Andrea!

     Annette: Yes, thanks Andrea! Although I’m not sure about the show angle...

     Sable: Why not? I could be the faceless one, and you can be the one who does all the talking!

     Annette: True, but then what would Rocky do?

     Sable: He can be the cute one, obviously! Every good act needs an adorable mascot to draw in the mass market.

     Annette: But then what would stop the producers from just giving Rocky his own show without either of us?

     Sable: Hm… Maybe you have a point. *laughs*

     To Howard: “I'm am really disappointed in your way of punishing both for mastering the challange such a unique way. It takes determination, bravery and trust in your own skills to pull off such an amazing deed, both in their own way. I mean turning yourself into confetti or becoming a flat rubber chicken like figure? If I would get asked to do that, I would be only shaking my head. It is really mean of you to punish both for exceeding the tasks goal.

    I might not be a retired great magician, I mastered other things though, but that is just selfish Howard. Leave both Girl be as they are. They deserve a relaxing time, knowing they did well, instead of knowing they will be turned into something.” -Andrea

    And this my dear, is the unfortunate reality that occurs when the production studio mandates that you must have a magical punishment transformation every week. I agree with practically everything that you’ve said, both Sable and Annette did an absolutely amazing job and really proved their creativity within such a limited amount of times.

     David and I both agreed that it would be unfair to either girl to crown a winner, when they both did so well, but since we were not allowed to simply not have a transformation, we acted out that little bit to create the justification, and the rest was as you saw.

     I understand that my decision to agree to the studio demands might mean you think less of me, Andrea, however with the ending in sight for these two wonderful girls, it would have been much worse if I had disagreed and they cancelled the show over something so petty.