“Gooooooooooood Morning Girls!” The voice of Howard Weiss echoed in the bedrooms of Kacie and Paxton, waking them up promptly at 8:00 AM and eliciting a few angry groans. “This is your morning wake-up call. It’s a lovely 95 degrees here in Henderson, Nevada, and the very first day of your last week of competition. I hope you two have a productive day full of magic. And just a friendly reminder to be courteous of the other guests, and if you need anything at all, please feel free to ring the bell posted in the front lobby!”
The girls, still clearly exhausted from their tough day of travel, opted to go back to sleep, the day slowly marching on without them for a bit longer.
~~~
The Weiss Hotel (The Previous Night)
To say that the five or so hour long drive from LA to Henderson, NV was a bit of a slog was a bit of an understatement, especially after the equally long plane ride from Dulles to LAX. But thankfully, Howard was in top form that night, helping keep all of the participants in the Limo engaged with enthralling stories from the last year or so of touring.
“-And then,” Howard was practically already in a chuckling fit, struggling to even reach the funny part of his story, “right as I throw the dagger at Nora, Rocky jumps up and catches it in his mouth like a stick.” The limousine is full of laughter, as Rocky’s head perks up a little bit from Annette’s lap at the mention of a stick, his black tongue lolling out of his canine mouth happily.
As her laughter died down, Annette smirked, playfully recounting, “I warned you that Rocky needed to have a day before the show to just play around and work off all his extra energy so he could concentrate.”
Howard chuckled, “Well I’m glad I didn’t, because when he walked back to me and put the dagger in my hand, the audience nearly melted from how adorable it was.”
Howard continued to share his stories the entire length of the limo ride, even managing to convince Martin to share a few of his own magical mishaps out in the field. Just as the girls were starting to get a little sick of it, the limo pulled up outside a massive skyscraper.
Howard grinned as he stood outside the golden revolving doors of his hotel, smiling and throwing out his arms as he said, “Welcome girls! To the historic Weiss Hotel”
The camera’s cut to a brief revolving aerial shot of the building. Just as with last year, the top of the nearly pure gold building stood high above the surrounding buildings, although many of those same buildings seemed to have grown slightly in the intervening year, with many still having active construction still going on to raise their heights. The billboard on the side of the building that had previously a picture of Howard advertising the hotel had been replaced with a massive banner of Howard, Annette, Sable, and Rocky. The three humans were shot from about chest height and smiling, Howard standing in the center of the banner, his hands wrapped around Sable and Annette’s shoulders, with Rocky’s canine head centered against the bottom of the banner looking directly up at him. Above their heads, the phrase, ‘Hotel of Choice for ANGA’s Season 2 Winners!’.
As the camera cut back to the group, it travelled cinematically through the revolving door, providing a sweeping shot of the massive lobby. The overhead lights shone brightly off the polished marble floors and giant golden columns of the entryway. As the camera scanned past the zen gardens of the Asia inspired lobby, it focused momentarily on the giant golden elevator that had become symbolic of the previous season, before turning back around and focusing on the group once more.
As they lined up in front of the Golden elevator, Howard grinned, “Now girls… I know you’re probably exhausted, but I’m afraid you’ll have to indulge one last favor from this old man before I can let you go to your rooms.” Kacie and Paxton visibly paled, as from his pocket, Howard produced a familiar looking black box and two hotel keys.
“You see,” Howard began, placing the key cards into the box and sealing it up, displaying it proudly in front of the girls, “When I was a young boy-“
Howard was interrupted, as Sable snatched the box out of Howard’s hands, walking over to the girls and effortlessly opening the box. “Don’t worry girls,” Sable smiled, rolling her eyes, “Howard’s not going to be locking anyone out of their rooms tonight.”
She handed Kacie and Paxton their key cards, explaining, “Howard wanted to give you a challenge to test to see if you had learned that ‘great assistants know when to help each other out’ and have one of you ask Annette or me for help. Unfortunately, it seems that he forgot he’s got two great assistants of his own who have already learned that lesson,” She smiled, winking at Howard.
Howard chuckled in response, grinning as he said, “And how do you know I didn’t plan exactly for this to happen,” He raised up one of his eyebrows playfully.
Behind him, Annette smiled, shaking her head and mouthing to the girls, ‘He really didn’t.’
Sable rolled her eyes, turning back to the girls and giving the two of them a big hug, “Enjoy your night, girls. You’ve got a busy week ahead of you.” After a quick explanation of how the elevator system worked by taking you anywhere in the building you were thinking of, the girls found themselves preparing for bed in their new bedrooms.
Kacie’s bedroom looked almost like a library, with a large ornate bed and a sound system creating a strange juxtaposition in the room. Each of the massive bookshelves that lined the walls were filled to the brim with music an almost every type of format, including vinyls, cassettes, 8-tracks, mini-disc, and CDs. There were even a couple of strange objects that Kacie had not been expecting thrown into the mix, such as stones with intricate runic carvings, or small metal balls with golfball like dimples on them.
Kacie smiled, her thoughts of sleep disappeared as she placed her own DJ equipment down, rushing over to the first of the many shelves in her room to see what she had to work with now.
From the shelf, she pulled out a letter, which read, ‘For Kacie, You’ve found your voice, now let’s hear you sing!, -H”
Paxton’s room, in contrast, was much more plain, but seemed to have stunned the girl equally more as she stepped in. It more or less resembled her bedroom that had been briefly spotted in her audition video all the way back at the start of the season, with the only pieces of furniture present being a bed (which was significantly larger than her one at home, and had golden sheets on it) and a desk.
Instead of monotone gray walls though, her room was plastered form floor to ceiling with photographs. The photographs all of Paxton, usually with someone else in frame but not always, smiling and having a great time. There were a mix of stills from her time on camera, and some shots that had been taken off camera.
Paxton walked up to one of her walls, tears starting to well up slightly, as she pulled off one of the loose photographs. Underneath was a completely different one, showing yet another happy memory for Paxton to remember (It was a still taken from her rehearsal with Dahlia, Paxton smiling as she helped reattached Dahlia’s marble arm that had fallen off from her conjuration having dispelled). As she pulled more off, she couldn’t escape the positivity, her collection of photographs slowly piling up on her bed.
She smiled, tears still running down her face as her attention was drawn to her new desk. It was a white wood with golden accenting, and was clearly much larger than her one at home as well. Opening up the drawers, she found various sketch supplies laid out in immaculate order, another drawer filled with sketchpads and journals.
Among them, she pulled out a letter, which read, ‘For Paxton, To help you capture the moments that define you, -H’
~~~
Kacie’s Rehearsal
It was around one when Kacie walked into the practice room at the Weiss Hotel. Even knowing what to expect from last year, she was still shocked a little bit when the elevator dropped her off in a plain white paneled room. Martin smiled as he spotted her, “Ah! Good morning sleepyhead!” He laughed.
Kacie rolled her eyes, “Sorry Martin. Yesterday ended up taking a lot more out of me than I expected.”
“It’s perfectly fine,” Martin smiled, before giving her an inquisitive look, “I am shocked though… no Tetra for today?”
Kacie blushed, “Well… I’m still planning on using Tetra in the show,” she explained, “After all, she’s still a big part of my life… but I was thinking, since we’ve started so late anyways it’s be fine to get some practice time in without her.”
Martin nodded, “No. Makes perfect sense,” he grinned, “any luck on figuring out the playlist for the final performance?”
Kacie smiles, “A little bit… Although I’m hesitant to pick one of the songs… After all, you’re not the best at keeping in tune.”
“But I’m getting better,” Martin smiled, Kacie’s laugh causing him to laugh as well.
~~~
Paxton’s Rehearsal
“So… What do you think?” Paxton bit her lip, as she had told Martin exactly what she had hoped to accomplish.
Martin seemed genuinely impressed, “It’s certainly ambitious… I don’t think I’ve ever seen conjuration used that way before.”
“Do you think I have the reserves for it though?” Paxton asked, “I mean, it’s a lot of things to keep active all at once, even with focuses.”
Martin closes his eyes, thinking for a few moments before saying anything. “Well, I think it’s possible…” Paxton’s mood visibly brightened, “But we’re going to have to be really conservative with your magic use. I don’t want you going hyper realistic on things that are just supposed to be background elements, you know.”
Paxton nodded along. “And,” Martin said, “It might not be a bad idea to leave yourself transformed outside of rehearsals. After all, your reserves are going to need to build up that endurance if you’re going to maintain these things for the whole show.”
Paxton hugged Martin, “Thanks Martin,” She said, “Do you think people are going to like it?”
“I know they will, Paxton,” Martin returned her hug, the two breaking apart as they started working on opening stretches.
~~~
Dining Room
It was around six O’clock when both of the girls had finally became free enough to visit the dining room at the hotel. Just like last year, it seemed to remain a room filled with an endless amount of ornate dining tables. As the two went to sit down, Kacie stopped, helping pull out Paxton’s chair for her.
“Thanks!” Paxton smiled up at her fellow contestant. Currently, she was nothing more than her head attached from her neck directly to her hips, her belt acting as a makeshift necklace of sorts. She walked in front of her seat, awkwardly jumping back into it. Her head barely reached above the table cloth, and Kacie had to push in her chair for her.
“Don’t mention it,” Kacie grinned, taking her own seat across from her fellow competitor, “You know, I probably should be transforming myself too. After all, how else am I supposed to keep that magic reserves lead on you?”
Their light banter was cut short, as Sable and Annette emerged from the golden elevator. The two of them smiled as they spotted the duo, “We thought we might find you here,” Annette smiled, taking a seat at their table, Sable taking up the only other available seat.
“So,” Sable smiled, “How did your first day of rehearsals go?”
“Pretty good,” Kacie smiled, “at least on my end.”
“Same here,” Paxton confirmed.
“That’s great,” Sable smiled back, “Have you two already decided what you want?”
The girls ordered dinner, their orders magically appearing in front of them after they had verbalized what they wanted. As they ate (Paxton using magic to hover a fork and feed herself), Annette asked, “So… Have any questions you want to ask the previous winners?”
Kacie and Paxton looked at each other, before Kacie asked, “Annette… What was it like to shift from suddenly focusing on raising beasts to being a magician’s assistant?”
Annette smiled, “Well, it was certainly a pretty big leap,” she admitted, “I mean, ANGA’s really great for preparing you for the performance part of being an assistant, but I definitely felt like I was a fish flopping around for quite a bit during those first few months while I got used to a more focused training schedule and learned about the greater magic performance community as a whole.”
“Do you still get any down time?” Kacie asked.
“Oh,” Annette blushed, “Don’t worry. It’s not like the world suddenly moves at a million miles an hour when you become a proper assistant. There’s still regulations about how many hours a week you’re allowed to practice so that you can keep a good work/life balance.”
Paxton spoke up, addressing her question more so to Sable, “How was the transition for someone who didn’t have any performance experience before the show?”
Sable blushed, “W-Well… I don’t know if I’d be the best example of what that’s like… After all, most of the last year for me has been exclusively training.”
Annette smiled, “Sable, you’re a plenty good example. Just tell them about your first week. It more or less matched up with my first week.”
Sable sighed, but nodded, “So… That first week after the show ends, you’re probably going to be extremely lost. After all, Howard, or in your case Martin, has been doing this for a long time, so you’re probably going to find yourself suddenly having to adapt to a new style of rehearsal where you’re not the one in charge of everything. Real performances an rehearsals a lot more collaborative than ANGA, so you’re going to have to get used to working creatively together with Martin, as opposed to telling exactly how you want it to look, and him figuring out how to make it happen.”
Annette nodded, “And also, remember that Martin is there for you. If you have any questions about things, like as what a prop does or how an effect’s going to feel, he’ll be more than happy to help.”
Sable nods along as well, “Yeah. I was really worried I wasn’t fitting in well, but by vocalizing your concerns, you can help work through them. And now I absolutely love working with Ann and Howard.”
“He he, and we love working with you too!” Annette smiled, reaching over and hugging her fellow assistant.
The girls chatted for a bit longer, eventually finishing their meals and deciding that it was late enough to go to bed. They all climbed into the golden elevator, stopping right outside of Annette and Sable’s room (She had explained it at dinner, but Sable still preferred not sleeping alone whenever possible, so she would always share a room with Annette and Rocky on the road). Right before they left though, Kacie had one final question, “Do you have any idea what we’re going to do for the midweek challenge tomorrow?”
Paxton nodded nervously, “Yeah. Any hints so that we can prepare ourselves?”
Annette and Sable smiled knowingly at each other, Annette cryptically saying, “I wouldn’t worry about it too much girls…” before getting the two of them walked out of the golden elevator, leaving the finalists to stew on their words.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
& Question Corner &
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Paxton and Kacie: “Well you both came full circle again. Welcome back to LA, Sweethearts, I'm really proud of you, also I have little secret you will love to hear, but for now enjoy your time and get some rest, after the emotional departure from DC and the rather long flight to LA. Hope you enjoy the stay at Howard's Hotel, you are walking on historical Ground there.
Ask Annette and Sable, they will tell you about it, also don't forget to pet Rocky, he is such a good boy. That said still be careful, he likes to eat Annette too.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)
Paxton: "It's so amazing to be here Andrea! Watching last year, I never imagined I would get the opportunity to stay here, least of all have my own room made just for me- And getting to meet Annette and Sable was so wonderful- And Rocky is so cute and fluffy- It’s all so- So-“ Paxton was clearly flustered with excitement, “I just- I never thought I could get this far! Thank you so much for believing in me Andrea,” Paxton blushed, “I don’t think I would have made it without your help! Whatever secret you have planned, I’m sure it’s going to be amazing!”
Kacie: Kacie grinned, “Ooh! A secret? Is it possibly that you’re going to make a surprise appearance later in the week? I’m just kidding, Paxton and I are already excited to meet up with you again! I mean, would it really be finals week without everyone coming back for one last party?
To Howard: “Howard, my dear, hope you are enjoying your official week of Hosting on ANGA, love how you got Drake there, really amazing and sweet. Also it is a wonderful Idea to let the girls stay at your Hotel and not the Wellspring. A really nice change of scenery and also quite a step back to where you started last Season, Hope you give the girls a similar riddle like you did back then, I can't wait to meet up with you at the Party later this week.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)
Howard: Howard grinned, “My dear, it’s only my first day hosting, and I’m already having an absolute blast! It’s a shame that my little puzzle game was defeated so handedly, but you know Sable was right, those two have really been through enough that I think they’re well aware of the lesson I was trying to teach.
I’m looking forwards to meeting up with you again later in the week! I really hope you enjoy the room I’ve got lined up for you,
To Martin: “I know we had our differences and I wasn't too kind to you, but I wish you good luck and hope you get your World-Class License with one of the two girls. Also I'm looking forward to see you at the end of the week. Now don't tell the girls, but I have a really good thing to tell you.
Julia, Dawn and by extension Dahlia, will be working with me during their three months time in Europe. I couldn't bear it that they didn't get a Magician, or in my case Magicienne, to help them get better and being able to really perform on stage together. So I called them straight away and asked them if they where interested to use their three months as a kind of internship of mine. They where super baffled and you can guess it Julia was crying, of happiness of course. I will help them get their own Magic Reserves up and make sure Dahlia can relax a bit. Maybe they will one day become part of an bigger group, or even join you after a year.
Speaking of which, I also have another thing to say, I got my international license, I have been busy after you left for the UK and being bound to bed made me tackle that.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)
Martin: The smile on Martin’s face was practically a mile wide, “Well, you certainly work quickly Andrea! Dawn and Julia have been eliminated less than a day and you’ve already snagged them up before anyone’s been able to give them an offer.”
Martin laughs, “I’m just teasing you, of course. I’m certain you’ll be an excellent teacher for Dawn and Julia. They’re very lucky to have someone so experienced help them navigate this new chapter of their lives. And don’t worry, my lips are sealed,” Martin made a zipper motion with his hand, “I’m certain that Kacie and Paxton will be absolutely ecstatic when you tell them the new.”
“Also, congratulations on getting your International license! You must have really been working hard, since last I recall, you only had three National licenses, and you need ten to get your International one. I imagine you made use of the EMU’s fast-tracking program to get them. In any case, that’s an amazing accomplishment, and you should be extremely proud! Especially given what you’ve been going through over the past few weeks! We’ll definitely have to celebrate the next time I see you!”
To Howard, Annette, Rocky, and Sable: “A wonderful performance, its good to see you on ANGA again. Of course I enjoyed your full live show at our celebration very much. I see poor Drake isn't very happy, I think you did a number on him last season. I hope you don't mind my family and I reserving your Presidential suite for the final performance.” -Jacob Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)
Annette: “Thanks Jake! I was definitely an honor to perform for you all! And Rocky had an absolutely great time playing around in your fields. Didn’t you, Rocky?” Annette lifted Rocky up by his front paws, the little ball of fluff almost resembling a yellow eyed ewok, as he gave a cute little inhuman noise and smiled.
Sable: “I’m glad to be back on ANGA, Jake. This last year has been really transformative for me, and Howard has been way too kind to my family. Seriously, when we’re not touring, he stops by practically every weekend and babysits while Sin and I get the chores done. Of course, my sisters love him. Even San and Sia have grown to love their ‘Uncle Howie’ as Shi calls him. And I think Howard also appreciates the opportunity to be a Dad again in some ways.”
Sable blushes, “Enough of me rambling though, it was great to see Genie and you all again! And I’m looking forwards to talking with you all later in the week!”
Howard: Howard chuckles heartily, “It’s good to be back, Jake! I’ve forgotten how wonderful being on this program truly was.
Of course, we had an excellent time performing for you and your guests in Mageria. We’d be absolutely delighted to come back any year you’d have us.
And obviously, I’ve already had you penciled in for the Presidential Suite for the last few months now. After all, with a family of your size, you could use the extra space,” Howard grins, “And obviously, the room is completely complementary… Which is to say, the ANGA production team is paying for it,” Howard chuckled.
To Paxton: “Great job getting to the finals, I knew you could do it! All of our family is coming to Howard's hotel for the big finale. Have fun and do your best. I'll see you in a week! I'll talk to Martin and see if we can arrange a trip to Mageria for you if you win.
Hugs to you” -James Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)
Paxton: Paxton blushes, “Thanks James… For believing in me… and for everything else this season…” Paxton’s blush deepens, “I-… I’m looking forwards to seeing you again~. And win or lose… I’m really glad I could meet you~” Paxton blows a kiss to the camera, before scurrying off quickly, her blush somehow finding an even deeper color to turn.
To Kacie and Paxton: “Well done both of you! We're coming to the finals, so we'll be able to see each other again. When they visited here, I got to play with Rocky, such a nice and affectionate creature he is. It was like he was home for the first time in a long time, but only for a visit. I'm sure he'll take to you both.” -Genie Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)
Kacie: “Thanks Genie! I’d say we could do that Jam session, if it wasn’t for the fact that I’m probably going to be absolutely swamped with preparing for Saturday,” Kacie grins. “I’ve not had much time to play around with Rocky, but he definitely seems like a cutie pie.”
Paxton: Paxton smiles, “It’s good to know that Rocky’s as adorable off screen as he is on screen. And I’m looking forwards to seeing you again too, Genie!”
To Howard: “I hope Morgana's confession concerning that incident last year didn't cause you too much worry, She has been coming a long way since then under our guidance, and really meant it when she said she regretted the incident.” -Genie Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)
Howard: “It’s perfectly okay dear. I appreciated the gesture, but to be honest, it had mostly slipped my mind by this point. I’m afraid I’m not sure if it’s my understanding nature, or potentially just general senility.
In any case, I’m glad that you’ve been helping her out. And even though I had already forgiven her, the apology shows real personal growth.”
To Martin: “It has been amazing watching the girls grow, and now the final week is on. Wow! As you know I've been rooting for Paxton to win, and if she does, I wonder if you can do a show here in Mageria? I know Dad would love for you to come. Anyway I need to go. Give her a hug from me and have fun at the rehearsals.
And yes, wish Kacie luck too.” -James Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)
Martin: Martin smiles knowingly, “Now James, I’m afraid I must remain impartial when it comes to matters of my assistants. I love them both equally after all, and if I could, I would make both of them my assistants in a heartbeat.
So, I can’t promise anything conditional like heading to Mageria if Paxton wins… That being said, my agent is currently scouting out locations for my first tour after ANGA is over. I’m sure that he could easily be convinced to add Mageria as a stop after talking a bit with Jake,” Martin smiles his trademark smile.
“And don’t worry, I’ll let both the girls you’re sending them your support,” Martin winks.