If sleep could get ever deeper, they would have never heard the birds sing when morning came. Resting so deep from exhaustion always left the most cruelest of headaches. Not only to that, however, Charlot awoke further to a hand being ran through his hair. Hannah was there, nearly half worried, yet she smiled lovingly down at him as he turned over.

"Hannah,"

"Good morning, Charlie. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Like a detonated land mine." he responded while rubbing his head.

Hannah helped him to rise up in the bunk as he gave a deep groan. He took a look around this supposed tent, befuddled.

"And so, it was never a dream…" he uttered, finding the strength to sit up, outright studying this new place. The hours before it all felt like such a blur as he tried to recall. He remembered the tight emotion yet not so much what he saw, they were all so tired. There was something he did notice right away though, and that was the fact that the girls were nowhere to be seen. A paternal instinct kicked in and he stood, even at Hannah's conviction for him to stay still.

Only a moment later would his worries be calmed when something brown and gold seemed to dart into the tent. There was a slight startle but the couple both recognized her as the one hawk that stayed on their humble street, that would visit the court. Such a beauty… and she should not be flying after what went down previously. She landed almost harshly onto the wood table, with not two, but four fish in her talons. Her beak was open wide, in a pant. Charlot furrowed, so did Hannah, who both approached her, seeing her hard work finished.

"You silly girl, you should be resting," Charlot commented, and all the while he was admiring her now that she was literally so close. The hawk locked eyes on the couple as they closed in quite fascinated by this new truth.

With soft little nips, the hawk greeted their sleeves, quite glad to see them. Even knowing who she was, the alternate form she took on was such a lovely sight, they had to stop for a moment and admire. She bent her head a little when Charlot started to softly stroke the tips of the feathers on her neck and tilted her wing down for Hannah.

"Heavens, you gave us a small fright. You need to be ginger with yourself…" the Barber reassured her and her head ruffled up, blinking her deep amber brown eyes.

The hawk ruffled more before stepping aside, hopping down to the chair before unravelling her appearance as a girl again. This time there was no strain in front of the two.

"Good morning… Are you two doing all right?" Anya had to ask, stretching out after the change.

The Barber nodded, with a soft smile he still sat where he was. "Still in the process, but more than all right."

"I've brought breakfast." she then offered up the four fish she risked herself for in that cold, unpredictable outside world.

"That you had," Charlot spoke, ruffling some of his hair, the white streak revealing over the dark.

"Dearly, you did not need to… Suppose he does come back?" Hannah worried in a faint whisper.

"He shrunk away, Michelle said." Anya began to say. "What went down was something he did not expect…"

Charlot ironically felt a very uncomfortable twinge upon his left side where the entire arm had to be bandaged, and just then he remembered. "… what we all didn't expect," he uttered, lightly as he inspected it.

"Is it hurting you, sir?"

"A little numbed. Something I could be greatly thankful for." he answered, matter-of-fact.

"Could be?" Anya asked.

"Yes. Because… I thought we were seconds away from losing you both to that monster…"

"Oh, Charlot, I…" Anya ruefully shook her head as she took a small potion vial from a pouch. "… even after the lies, you almost gave your life for someone like me?"

"What nonsense is this? That a life can have more value than others?"

She took note of his recently rekindled self now that the all those spells were gone from him. He was short and to the point, however, warm and kind. Also it made her question her own logic.

"It was after I lied to you. We weren't strong enough to keep him at bay. Had the strike ended it all right there, the world would have been thrown into a darker place. A much darker place."

"Anya. It didn't." he reminded. "The world will always be ruthless. One must be ruthless in return to cope with it. A ruthlessness, a boldness is needed to survive, my dear. I have no regrets of throwing that stone. Although it was a rather sorry excuse… Naturally, I aimed for his head, not his back."

The ladies both smiled and chuckled. The form inside the vial was a bright green liquid as she poured into a teacup that was filled slight with Sarsaparilla, a common drink here that was commonly known as Root Beer in modern day. He furrowed down at it when the glass was pressed towards him, timidly.

"Wiggenweld. A healing potion." Anya added. "… While you drink that, I shall start on these~"

She took the four fish from the table to have the lot cooked.

"Oh very well~" he teased with an almost flirty shake of his head. "As a good lad should, I shall take my medicine…"

The potion nearly stung his throat with this faint earthiness sort of taste when he swallowed it. Upon that moment this fuzzy warm sensation began to flood from his very heart out to his limbs, mainly the magically induced strike. His skin would prickle and sting, at first, until it felt as if a warm wrap was just then draped over it. The sensation felt like a breath of fresh air to him and he drew in a fairly content sigh. He closed his eyes for a moment to relish it.

"Now, if only a drop of whiskey would prove that miraculous…"

Hannah did not let go of his hand, not even for a moment, as this bled on. Surely, she felt guilty for how she treated Anya earlier… however none of it could be helped at the time. No one could blame her for that and the Ghetto's reaction to the whole fiasco. As of this moment, there was a deep, horrid loss for them all. Returning there had to have a great deal of preparation, even though Charlot and Hannah were both safe. Charlot bore a very physical scar… and the story behind it now was even thicker than the girl's own story.

Can anyone grasp how insane that would sound? As though the lot of them were not insane enough! That curses were just as wide spread as disease and famine was. This quick catch meal for their given circumstance felt like a fresh breeze to them, after such a vigorous day. A victorious one, to boot. They all once believed they would lose each other in an all manner of ways, horrific and terrific, all the same… It was all an accomplishment though! What was left there to be uptight about…? Observing the couple later that day as they took it to rest themselves; the whole manner he held when he doted upon Hannah so naturally, inching in for a peck on the cheek or the lips every now and again as any protective male would for his lovian, cheered Anya up so much despite how tired she was. They had rested and eaten and were in the process of healing.

"Oh, what a sod would do for a classic La Prosa right about now," she overheard in a joking manner, persay. Hannah had this warm little laugh, as though things were back as they should be…

Cleverly, this was nothing new for them compared to the common life of a Tramp, no less. Because as soon as he ate, a small portion as it was, no less, Charlot was already up with more pep than the rest of them as though this was just some walk in the park. Hannah was following suit, although with less vigor after all the unnatural scares she had.

"It isn't a wise thing to stay in one place for too long. To keep the dastardly snake guessing, we best get a move on~" Charlot suggested to the ladies, taking initiative.

"Who are you and what have you done with the Barber…?" Shelly joked.

"Barber's only an occupation, my lady. Just as you once said, perhaps we need the Old Tramp back?" he smiled, mischieviously at them as he tied and looped some line that once held the tiny tent together on the outside.

The girl's hearts promptly lifted, hearing that previously shy voice hold an ounce of danger within it; it was quite the thrill for Hannah to hear that spark again.

"And I once thought the wars had taken that out of you," she stated with pride.

"Oh, and can pigs fly?" he scoffed. "As if that would be enough to break me."

After all, there was just as much hope of ever returning to the Ghetto as much as the light those eyes held. The morning outside was so purely beautiful, that it was truly a shock from the reality of the night before. At once when he got his jacket on, the three caught his eye as they were getting themselves ready… A sense of pride rose within him, close in tune with the love he had, as he fixed himself upright as they were coming his way, as though he were leader. Michelle and Anya both tightened their aprons and hair ribbons as though to appear ordinary. Yet they were anything but…

The woman joined him, each linking arms with Anya being allowed by Shelly to take the Sire's left… It was just like that first dusk when Anya first walked into that little court. Hannah took his right with Shelly taking her right, finally. Right then, they were sure they were ready…

"Are you so sure about this, Charlie?" Hannah asked him.

The Ghetto was left in a very bad place since the Fate…

"I am. Certainly, I am, Hannah." he replied with confidence. "We've run away so often in our young lives, there will come a time when things must be faced - Head on. If it were not for you ladies, I would have never have found myself again…"

"Same that you vouched for us, despite that…" Anya humbled herself.

"What shall we do…? Simply enough, Anya and I are responsible of your running away~" Shelly reasoned.

"With that considered, I only plead that the two of you remain close…" Charlot told the two witches as they continued to walk with care.

Shelly kept looking around for any signs of their enemy before Hannah was choosing her own words carefully.

"Everyone has been left in a very bad way~ The Jeakels especially…"

"Then we must return," he encouraged with more natural gusto. "By all means - Save for a plan…" the gentleman remained thoughtful. He set his eyes forward as did the rest of them as they came to the side of the dirt road, all together finally.

"Anya and I, I believe we should not be seen with you two." Shelly reminded.

"At least not now," Anya added to that.

"Of course, for now," Charlot thought aloud, whilst holding this harshness in his eyes as he was brewing up a plan. "No matter, if all else fails, Hannah and I will depart to Osterlich with you…"

"You would do that?" Anya gasped.

"Let us not be silly! Of course we would…" Hannah spoke up. "After all you risked for us, you two could have been killed… Whatever I thought before was wrong. There might be a way to convince the Jeakels…"

"The Jeakels…" Charlot began to remember further back. "That was what I was missing…"

"What is it?"

"Mary. Mary was there, wasn't she? You," he then glanced at Shelly. "… you and Mary were there, with me, in the kitchen…"

"She saw it all happen…" Anya said. "That was why she was speechless."

Seeing Charlot furrow at her with concern, she continued to explain. "After Hannah came and got me from the milkers, and before I flew away… Mary was the only one who refused to speak. She was pale and haunted… It was clear that she had seen something. That something that happened to you, sir…"

"Damn bloody obvious, isn't it…?" the Barber whispered under his breath in mere disbelief.

"She was there, she saw it all…" Shelly soon spoke, greatly grieved. "You picked up a plum, and it all went to chaos…"

"Did I dare harm either of you?"

"No, but you looked as though your whole world was gone… It was horrifying, heartbreaking to see you like that. Gladly, you didn't seek for anything in the room. You only ran away, shocking everyone… You were different to them and it frightened them."

"Mr. Jeakel was livid…"

"It seems we all are expecting quite the greeting party," Charlot said after taking a deep breath. "First, Hannah and I will go and calm this storm a mite… I am certain they'd think me mad at first, since my brains were very scrambled beforehand. You, my dears, must remain in your common guises… You cannot be seen."

"The spell we had over the town before… I think it's gone… There's no turning back now." Shelly reminded Anya.

"Indeed not." Charlot's voice shivered a little.