“Good morning girls~” The voice of Howard Weiss whispered into the finalists rooms at eight AM on the dot, still waking them up, but not as aggressively as the prior two days had been. Howard’s voice dripped with giddiness as he said, “It’s not required, but Drake’s punishment is going to happen on the roof in an hour. If you’d rather use the morning to sleep in after a day of rehearsal, be my guest. Just thought you ought to know…” Howard’s voice faded out, as the girls got up and dressed for another big day of rehearsals.

~~~

Rooftop

     The girls came up to the rooftop stage at nine to a significantly more lonely site. The only people mingling around up top today were Annette, Sable, Jill, Nora, and Rocky. Nora was kneeling down on the ground, letting Rocky lick her face excitedly. With each lick, the little shapeshifter caused Nora’s face to change slightly, sometimes changing the colors, maybe removing a feature or two, sometimes adding additional ones.

     “Girls!” Nora shouted out from the mouth on her forehead, “It’s gr-“ the rest of her sentence was muffled, as Rocky licked away the mouth, replacing it with a nose, causing Nora’s face to almost completely be dominated with noses. All of her noses crinkled at the same time, exhaling a large amount of air, as she rubbed Rocky’s head again, the canine like creature giving a little bark of approval.

     Annette laughed, “I think what Nora was trying to say is that it’s great that you could come.” Nora gave a thumbs up, as Rocky licked her face some more, gradually whittling her features down and making her face a flat expanse of purple colored skin.

     “Well yeah,” Kacie grinned, “As much as I love Drake… I’m definitely not going to miss him getting a little taste of what it’s like for us assistants each week.”

     Paxton nodded, “Yeah. You really had it lucky Jill. I’d much rather get a prize for winning than punish everyone else for losing.”

     “I can definitely see how it could get annoying to have all your progress just stopped just because you failed an arbitrary task,” Jill admitted, “Especially since you all had much harder midweek challenges than we ever had on that first season.”

     “Yeah,” Sable agreed, “And-“ She didn’t manage to finish her thought, as behind them, the curtain on the stage slowly rose up, drawing the girls’ attention. Rocky gave Nora one last lick, his tongue turning massive to cover her entire face in one go, turning it back to normal, albeit a little slimy with his drool.

     On stage, David and Howard stood, with Drake looking annoyed in between them. “Good morning girls!” Howard bellowed, “Do we have a special treat for you. For you see, after two years of punishing innocent assistants with his gimmicky transformation punishments, our own wonderful Drake Bordignon has found himself on the receiving end.”

     Drake rolled his eyes, “Howard, you know I didn’t make those calls.”

     “I know,” Howard grinned, “But it certainly is easy to pretend you did.”

     “In any case,” David stepped in before Drake could start bickering with Howard, “As the guest host while Drake’s predisposed,” David grinned, “It’s my pleasure to announce the winner of our first ever Rookie Exhibition. Would you all please give a round of applause to the Magnet Wizard himself, Nudd!”

     From offstage, Nudd walked out, wearing the same two-tone suit he had worn yesterday, minus the top hat. Nora went ballistic, earning a grin from Howard as she cheered things such as, “That’s my magician!’ and “Woo! You go Nudd!” Nudd, for his part, just gave a stiff wave at the audience, focusing mostly on where he was going.

     Nudd walked to center stage, shaking David and Howard’s hand nervously. “Sorry we don’t have a trophy or anything created for this,” David grinned, “However, I think having the honor of transforming one of the staples of the show is probably a reward enough.”

     Howard patted Nudd on the back, “And we’re sure it’ll be a fantastic transformation. And well, there’s no point delaying it any longer. Good luck Drake,” Howard roughly patted Drake on the back, the two World Class magicians exiting the stage, leaving the rather nervous looking Nudd and his soon to be victim on stage.

     Drake just sighed, “Well… No point in delaying the inevitable. What do you have planned for me Magnet Boy?”

     Drake’s comment seemed to trigger something in Nudd, his demeanor shifted from timid to the overly confident magician who had performed yesterday on stage, “Magnet Boy? That’s very daring for someone who’s about to have some advance magnetic magic done on them. Luckily, you’ve caught me in a good mood, address me by my proper title, and I shall go easy on you.”

     Drake rolled his eyes, “Look, can we just get this over with Nudd. I’ve got a very busy day scheduled.”

     This did not seem to calm Nudd down, instead doing the opposite, some electricity sparking out from his eyes, “Oh! Am I that much of a bother? Well then, I shall make this quick. Although, mark my words, you will regret your choice made today Drake.”

     Nudd took a step back, planting his feet square on the ground towards Drake raising up his fists and causing Drake to look genuinely nervous, “Uh… Nudd… You’re not going to hurt me. R-right?”

     Nudd remained silent. Around him, the ground seemed to spark with electricity, as his silver gloves started to glow the opposite color of the sleeve they were touching. His intense stare at Drake had not ended, smoke escaping from his nostrils as he took a deep breath, winding up a punch with his right hand, the blue glow around his fist only intensifying, causing Drake to look even more nervous.

     He made to try and move, but found his body frozen in place, most likely magically, as sparks started jumping away from Nudd’s feet, skipping on the stage like rocks on a lake before dissipating in the air. As Nudd suddenly started moving his fist forwards, Drake closed his eyes, accepting his fate. There was a bright flash, completely blinding the camera.

     As the video feed came back on, the shot shown was of Nudd dramatically extending his fist outwards, his knuckles inches from Drake’s chest. Drake slowly opened up one of his eyes, confused that after all that build up, it didn’t seem like anything had happened. He patted himself down, finding that he could move once again as Nudd stood back up from his extended position, adjusting his gloves. “W-What did you do?” Drake was very confused.

     Nudd grinned, happily boasting, “What I have done is sent brought a sledgehammer down upon your system, Drake. For you, much like many things of the Earth, the human body is itself a magnet, the various polar forces holding together to create a whole. As the Magnet Wizard, I have been granted the unique ability to harness these magnetic forces, and direct them to my choosing.” Drake looked confused, so Nudd continued, “What I have done, is sent a blast of magnet energy, so powerful, that it has scrambled the very core of your magnetic being. This fracture will continue along your body, slowly muddling the water between the positive and negative, and eventually, the bonds that hold you together will completely break.”

     Drake nodded his head, before saying, “Gotya… So what you’re saying is, you’re completely mental.”

     “Am I?” Nudd smiled, a thump accentuating his point. Drake looked down, shocked to see that his hand had completely fallen off from his body. He reached down, trying to reattach it, and finding that he could successfully reattach it to his wrist. However, it felt looser, twisting his wrist causing it to spin unnaturally further than it should have, and a light flick being all it took to cause it to fall to the ground again.

     The members of the audience gave Nudd a round of applause as he took a bow, Drake looking concerned as he reattached his hand once more.

~~~

Paxton’s Rehearsal

     “No… I don’t think that should go there…” Paxton said, dispelling the conjuration and moving the focus a few inches to the left. She focused, and once again, the structure formed, creating a backdrop on the stage.

     “Paxton,” Martin laughed from his position in the back row of bleachers on the rooftop stage. They had been up there basically since right after Drake had left the stage, trying to work out the best places to put the various set pieces Paxton was planning on conjuring. “You’ve been on that single piece for almost five minutes now, I’m telling you, the audience isn’t even going to notice if the backdrop is a couple of centimeters off.”

     “But I’ll notice,” Paxton said, “And it’s important to me Martin.”

     “I know, Paxton,” Martin shouted back at her, “but you also must remember, there’s only so much time we have to rehearse together, and things aren’t bound to always go perfect on the day of the performance. Sometimes you just have to accept that there may be some errors and move forwards.”

     Paxton looked at the backdrop, sighing, “You’re right, Martin. As usual,” She grinned, pulling out the next focus and getting to work placing it at its mark..

~~~

Lunch Break

     Paxton and Kacie arrived in the dining room right just in the nick of time, as it seemed that Nora, Nudd, Annette, and Sable were also getting lunch at the same time. Kacie was normal, but Paxton had her head reversed, Kacie being kind enough to assist her around perform her rehearsal. As soon as Nora spotted them, she started waving her hand, shouting, “Hey! Come eat with us!”

     After moving two tables together and ordering their food, the food appeared in record time, allowing the girls to take small bites of their meals in between when they were talking.

     “So,” Nora smiled, addressing Paxton and Kacie “I meant to greet you two properly this morning, but it seems that Rocky was still super excited that I was back.”

     Annette nodded her head, “Oh trust me Nora. You would not believe the tempter tantrum Howard and I had to deal with from him when you left. He really seems to love you.”

     “Probably because he missed all the extra snacks I was feeding him,” Nora giggled, before turning back to the two girls, “And because I never got to give you two a proper introduction, this handsome fellow to my left is my new magician, Nudd.”

     Nudd sheepishly, raised his hand, “H-Hello.”

     Nora continued to rave about her new magician, “We met at a gig in Arizona, and let me tell you, if you thought we did on stage yesterday was impressive, you should have seen the sorts of things he was doing to the poor defenseless women in the audience,” she giggled, Nudd just looking straight ahead into his food in embarrassment. “Anyways, we got to talking after our set, and he gave me his phone number. We texted for a bit, and after a couple of months, Nudd finally had his first real assistant,” She smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him. Nudd gave her a small smile in return, leaning into the hug.

     Nora continued to regale them with tales from their various small time venues, mostly for the benefit of Annette and Sable, but the finalists also had a genuinely good time. Eventually though, the conversation had shifted, and Annette was able to ask, “So Nudd, any particular reasons why you’ve themed your show around magnets?”

     Nudd visibly bristled, but another hug from Nora calmed him down, “N-Not really,” Nudd admitted, “It’s mostly just a fun gimmick. I mean, could you name another magician whose show revolves around magnets?”

     “Nope!” Nora smiled, her grip tightening around him once again, “That’s why you’re the best Magnet Wizard out there~”

     Just as they were finishing up their lunch, who should walk in but a very frazzled looking Paige clopping along, leading a Drake who looked significantly worse for wear. This was mostly due to the fact that he was hopping around on just one leg, his remaining arm missing his hand.

     “Ah man,” Paxton said, as Paige helped Drake sit down at a table, pulling his chair out for him and scooting it in when he was situated, “I feel almost bad for him…”

     “I feel more bad for Paige,” Kacie admitted, “I mean, she already has to basically deal with Drake 24/7, but now she also has to help him walk around and keep track of his parts.”

     “Well, she’ll only have to deal with it for a few more hours,” Nudd said, “He should be able to completely reconstruct himself without falling apart before nightfall.”

     As the girls finished up, their lunch, Kacie branched off to rehearsals, Paxton sticking around to discuss Nudd’s routine a little more.

     “You know, you seem very different from how you act on stage,” Paxton pointed out.

     Nudd bristled, as Nora smiled, covering for him, “Nudd really likes to play the big showman on stage. Like the effect he did on Drake? He could have just as easily just touched Drake and achieved the same results.”

     “Y-Yeah,” Nudd admitted, “I’ve found it helps cut down on the laughing a bit.”

     “Well, I think your show was great,” Paxton smiles, Nudd nodded in return, his mind still clearly elsewhere.

    After a few more minutes of chatting, Paxton found herself heading back to her bedroom, to continue prepping for Saturday.

~~~

Kacie’s Rehearsal

     “S-So… What do you think?” Kacie asked, biting her lip as Martin took off the pair of headphones.

     “I think it’s amazing,” Martin smiled, “and you wrote that by yourself?”

     Kacie nodded. “Y-Yeah… It was partially inspired by my time on the show,” Kacie blushed, “A-and everyone who’s helped me even get this far.”

     “And you’re going to play it as part of our act?” Martin smiled.

     “W-Well… I was thinking… since we already did it last week, that maybe it would be interesting if I sung it?”

     Martin grinned, “Well, I don’t see much of a reason to say no. This is your big show, after all.”

     The rest of the rehearsal went smoothly, with Kacie and Martin working through the various spots they were going to have to hit in the music.

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

& Question Corner &

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

To Annette and Sable: “If nothing comes in my way, I plan on flying in on Friday since I'm technically bound by my job, need to talk to my planer, maybe he lets me off the hook earlier. But if not I will still arrive at Friday. So we can have that light cutting and I really want to cuddle Rocky. I just hope he doesn't eat me up like he does with you Annette, tough I love to see Roxy too.

Hope Howard stays that calm and well behaved, if not I see that Ann is getting him really hard. That said, I'm looking forward to see you and meet up with you for real, after my rather limited talk to you.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Annette: Annette grinned, “Don’t worry Andrea, Rocky’s a very good boy. He knows not to transform or eat anyone unless they request it… or when he’s really familiar with you, but he doesn’t know you so we should be fine.

 But yeah, I’m looking forwards to talking with you on Friday too! It’ll be nice to not have to worry about a big performance, although I’m sure we’re all going to be worrying anyways for Paxton and Kacie.”

 Sable: Sable smiles, laughing a little as she says, “Well, we could maybe even make a little show out of it. I’m sure Kacie and Paxton would appreciate the opportunity to see you perform again. Of course, if you’d rather just do it in the practice room with just the two of us, I’m perfectly fine with that too. And don’t worry, Ann’s not the only one around here who knows how to take care of Howard when he’s acting up,” Sable grins, giving a little wink to the camera.

To Paxton and Kacie: “Well, not tooting my own horn, here, but I guess they where talking about me and my rather aggressive scolding from last season, when they talked about canceling the Midweek Challenge for the last week. I gave Howard a run for his money back then.

I'm excited to see you girls, also I'm probably flying in on Friday, so you might stumble into me, but I will not interfere with your rehearsals. Also, one little thing I want to let you know, I got my international license during the last few weeks.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Paxton: Paxton smiles, “He he. I immediately thought of you when Howard was talking about that Andrea. I forgot that you had made some comments last season. They must have really like the impression you gave to feature you on as one of the special guests. Of course, with how awesome you’ve been all season, I think they made the right call,” Paxton blushes. “Oh. And congratulations on getting your international ranked license! Do you think you’re going to go for a World Class like Martin? I’ve heard the requirements for it are absolutely insane, but if there was anyone besides Martin I could see earning one, it would totally be you!”

 “Anyways, see you on Friday! We should meet up after rehearsal is over to chat! Or maybe it would better to catch up at the afterparty? I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” Paxton smiles.

 Kacie: Kacie opens her mouth in amazement, “Oh my God! Congratulations Andrea! Seriously, earning your international license so quickly! That’s insane! We absolutely need to do something to celebrate! Maybe- Okay, it’s probably not a good idea to go crazy on the Friday right before probably the most important show of my life. But we definitely need to do shots or something at the afterparty! I’m sure the eliminated contestants are going to be there, so maybe Rachel will have a good recommendation for something we could do. If that was the surprise you were talking about, then that’s really cool!

To Martin: “Sorry for just now returning to your comment, yes I took advantage of the EMU fast track system, since my Austrian and German licenses are the hardest to get in Europe, I basically got waved through in the other member states of the EU. Means I got my seven other nationals within 10 days, but I had a little choke point, when I had to get the French one, they are a bit more stubborn, but in the end, it worked out.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Martin: “No worries Andrea, again, it’s what I assumed happened. It’s good to know that my assumptions were correct. And yes, from what I remember, the proctor for the French National License exam is particularly picky and obnoxious about really random aspects of the test. I’m glad that you managed to work through it though.”

To Drake: “Oh my, so sorry Darling. Hope you have fun with the change that is happening to you, but as I told during my week, I would never do anything to the girls, that I'm not willing to do myself. Anyway, I'm looking forwards to seeing you at the Final. Also I'm probably flying in on Friday, pretty sure Paige already told you so. Want to catch up with Annette and Sable too.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Drake: Paige is holding Drake’s head in her lap, looking nervously at the camera. His mouth, having separated from his body, responds from her outstretched hand. “Well, I can definitely see how the punishment system may be annoying for the contestants growth during the week… I’ll see what I can do about reworking the midweek challenge system next year…

 Anyways. Yeah, Howard’s already got your room all set up for the weekend. I’m sure the girls will appreciate seeing you again.” Drake’s nose fell off, Paige quickly scurrying to hold it in her hand. Drake’s voice came out nasally, “Anyways, I’m going to go relax until Nudd’s magic wears off… See you Friday.” Paige got up, walking Drake’s head back to his room.

To Howard: “I love the show your Daughter put up, quite the violent compression at the end. Yet, I see you are super proud of her and her boyfriend. It's a pleasure to see your child grow up and get into your footsteps, isn't it?

Well, that is something I probably won't experience, but enough of that.

I heard you kept a close eye on me, after I started my career, is that right?” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Howard: Howard stops midway through reading your question, “Boyfriend?!… Oh ho ho ho ho… Andrea, you must be sorely mistaken my dear. Nora’s not dating Nudd. Please. Nudd? With my daughter? While I admire his talents, I’m afraid she’s much too good for him. He’s lacking that sort of… Chutzpah that Nora’s looking for. No. I’m afraid they’re just your standard, friendly magician/assistant duo,” he chuckles.

 “Now then, to answer your questions. Firstly, Yes. I have been following your career closely,” Howard grins, “After all, how could I not when you came in with such a demanding presence in your first year alone?” Howard chuckles, “And might I just say, I’ve yet to have been disappointed in that decision.”

 “As for Nora, It absolutely thrills me to see her enter the world of magic… although I must admit it’s a little painful for me sometimes. She just reminds me so much of Elana…” Howard gets a little teary-eyed, “O- On the last day of her contract, I offered her a more permanent position… but unfortunately she turned me down… I won’t pretend it didn’t sting a little… It almost felt like I was losing Elana all over again. But when I see her on stage with Nudd, I-…” Howard sighs, “I can see that it was definitely the right move. She needs to be free to spread her wings, and far be it from me to hold her back. I can already sense that she has World Class material in her blood, and that’s not just because she’s my daughter and I think the world of her,” Howard laughed.

To Nudd and Nora: “What can I say, I love that play with the power of magnets and you two are amazing. Nora, you made your Dad super proud and happy, and I'm happy to see you flourish and bloom in your own way. That said, Nudd, I love how you use Magnets for that, yet, I am a strong believer in the laws of physic, despite me being a pretty powerful Magicienne myself. Despite that, I love that unique and exotic twist you made it into.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Nudd: Nudd fidgets around in his chair, scratching and picking at his street clothes like someone forced into an fancy outfit for a dinner party.

 Nora: Nora place her hand on Nudd’s lap, his fidgeting stopping almost instantly. “Thanks Andrea! Nudd and I have been working super hard ever since Dad asked us if we wanted to appear on ANGA. I’m really excited that we were able to win!” She turns to smile at Nudd.

 Nudd: Nudd seems entrapped in Nora’s eyes, his apprehensions melting away as he sits more comfortably in his seat. He takes a deep breath before looking at the camera, with an unending confidence, Nora now watching him with the same level of awe and inspiration. “Sorry to hear that you would continue to believe in lies when the signs of magnets magical properties are everywhere. Of course, I recognize there are simply some people who I will never be able to convince. So, the least I can offer is a good time, and an interesting show.”

 Nora: All the while as Nudd spoke dramatically, Nora had been edging a little closer just outside of his peripheral vision. As he finished up, she leaped into action, planting a little kiss on his cheek and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Her eyes still filled with the same twinkle as before, “Mmm~… I love it when you start talking about magnets like that~… It’s so… Attractive~”

 Nudd: Nudd’s cheek begin to blush. Strangely enough the blush on his left cheek being an unnatural blue as opposed to his normal, red right blush. His words have much less bravado to them, but there is an element of something else as he tells her, “N-Not now Nora~… You’re Dad’s still in the other room.”

 Nora: “We’re going to have to tell him eventually, Nudd~” She responds right back, “I’m sure he’d give his blessing. He really seems to like you~”

 Nudd: “Oh sure. Let me just walk up to him and ask one of the most famous magicians in the world, ‘Excuse me sir, I really love your daughter. Would it be okay if we start dating publicly?’. A dork like me? I’m sure it’d go over just great.”

 Nora: “Well, I think you’re absolutely adorkable,” she plants another kiss against his cheek, “and I’m sure Dad will understand. After all, he fell in love with Mom at first sight. If anyone would be rooting for us, I’m sure it’s him~”

 Nudd: “I just-… I just need a little more time, Nora,” Nudd sighed, “If we can make a name for ourselves first… Then I’m sure Howard will have no objections to us going out.”

 Nora: Nora seemed a little saddened by his response, before giving him another kiss on the cheek, “Okay. But for the record, I still think we should tell him.”

To Paxton: “I would be honored to have you transform me for a while, I can transform you too of course, but I'll leave that up to you. Anyway I'm glad you're practicing more with Martin, Howard promised us a tour of Vegas, I know dad will take the offer. Maybe we'll run into each other after your rehearsal.

Hugs and Kisses till then.” -James Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)

 Paxton: Paxton blush bright red, “I- Y-Yeah… I’d be down to have you transform me… And I’m sure that there’ll be plenty of time to chat after rehearsals~ Hugs and kisses to you too James~”

To Howard: “I believe you are correct sir, so I propose we correct that oversight from last year, and will be happy, take a tour of Vegas with you, and David as well if he wishes to come.” -Jacob Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)

 Howard: Howard grins, “Oh, I’m pretty sure David’s sick to death of going on my amazing tour of Vegas, but I’m sure he’d make an exception for you Jake. I’ll run it by him, see you soon!”

To Martin: “I quite understand sir, you need to take care of the girls so they both get the best chance possible. Still I intend to slip down to the bar for a nightcap, if we should happen to meet, we can chat a bit.” -Jacob Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)

 Martin: Martin grins, “Well, I’m sure I can swing by for something light. If not just to calm my nerves for Saturday.”

To Kacie: “Well I am still learning on the bagpipes and I play a beautiful Amazing Grace... Just kidding, I'm actually terrible on those, but both James and David play, but they promised dad not to torture anybody while they're there so you won't get to hear them. lol” -Genie Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)

 Kacie: Kacie raises her eyebrows, “Wow, that’s a pretty interesting choice of instrument to learn. I think the only time I’ve ever met a bagpipe player in real life was at my Aunt’s wedding. It’s certainly an… interesting instrument.”