Canapés Diablotin

After breakfast, a large portion of their group made their way to the docks. Maya and Stella were off to the dungeon to gamble Stella’s transformations into hopefully a better state. Mira was searching for something that might enable her to bridge the gap between her and Caleb. Finally, the trio of Eliza, Amy and Caleb were off to go shopping on an unconventional date. However, what date could truly be called conventional since they got to the island?

This left Maddy alone with the chummy duo of Noemi and Lily, who were smiling at her while Noemi had her arm wrapped around Lily’s shoulder in a way that Maddy could only have imagined prior to yesterday.

There was a part of Maddy, not an insubstantial portion either, that was dreading this. Particularly after her…daliances this morning, the idea of helping one of the other girls with their date? It was twisting her stomach up in knots.

Maybe she could sabotage it? Give bad advice, make sure the date would fail? Make it so that, come her date, she’d shine in every way the other girls hadn’t? Maddy frowned even as she found herself unconsciously licking her lips and clenching her fists. No she couldn’t do that. No… inaccurate; she could, but she wouldn’t let herself.

Because as much as the Chef wished that this first crush of hers would see her and only her, and as much as she felt the strong urge to act on that feeling, there was something else she valued that, as she stared at Noemi and Lily’s smiling faces, she valued just as much.

Before coming to the island, the number of friends she had and kept in contact with could be counted on one hand, and rarely did those last long. Nina was the closest thing she had ever had to a best friend, and she had only met her since she started working at Meridian. Friends…people who weren’t just using her as a convenient backdrop, or worse a punching bag to boost themselves up, that was also a new experience for Maddy.

While these new feelings for Caleb and her desire to monopolize them held great weight in her heart, so did these new friends that she had made through the most arduous of circumstances. Friends that she knew she’d be stuck with for the rest of their lives. Any action she took wouldn't just be reflected here on the island but long after.

So she swallowed the knot in her throat where it settled in her stomach, and Maddy smiled at the other two. “So did you have any plans about where you wanted to talk?”

Noemi grinned brightly. “I thought we could make tea in the kitchen and just sit and chat in the dining room with cookies and tea.”
Chuckling, Lily turned towards the dining room to start talking, “You know we have a whole cafe for that?”

Noemi scratched her cheek. “Well, last time I was there, I smashed a table, so…the faun there might not like me. Also! Homemade tea and box cookies are perfect for girl talk!

Maddy moved quickly to catch up with the others and commented, “I could make us some fresh cookies you know?”

Frowning, Noemi shook her head. “But then you wouldn't be with us talking! This is girl talk time! It’s important that we are all present and accounted for to gush and give thoughts and opinions!” Noemi spoke passionately.

Maddy chuckled awkwardly, “Sorry, I don’t really know the rules to girl talk…I never did much of it before.”

Noemi’s confidence wavered a bit, “I’ve only done it with my mom and aunt’s. Sisters are still a bit too young to talk about that sort of thing.”

Lily spoke up brightly, “I don’t think the number of people matters so much as the connection Meri and I used to girl talk all the time before…before.” She paused and shook her head. “What’s important is that you’re having fun, and honestly, I really do appreciate all the help I can get.”

Reaching the dining room, Noemi managed to scrounge up a box of spice cookies and began to make a small pot of orange pekoe to go with conversation. The girls sat at one of the round tables for a cozier feel as Noemi began to serve tea and put some cookies on a little plate.

As they all sat, Noemi clapped her hands together. “Alright girls, it's time to help our friend and pal Lily create the perfect date to make Caleb fall head over heels for her all over again.”

Maddy raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Noemi, I don’t mean to be offensive, but I would think you’d be the type who wants Caleb to focus on you. You always talk about destiny and true love and all that so…” Maddy lost her steam towards the end but recollected herself, “Just, I didn’t expect you’d want Caleb falling ‘head over heels’ for anyone else”

Noemi gave a sage nod, “I can understand the confusion; I’ve made it no secret that I believe I am destined for Caleb and him for me. But I believe that’s true for all of us! I-” She paused and clutched her teacup before continuing, “I know maybe I come off as crazy sometimes, but I do earnestly think we’ve all been granted an amazing opportunity. Not many people can say that destined love was given to them, you know?”

“I grew up in a big family, and that’s important to me…the love and support you get is like nothing else, but I also understand that at times it can make you feel invisible. What I always wanted from romance was a man who saw me for who I was and still made me feel special and important, like the one person who saw me for me.” She downed her tea and grabbed a cookie to munch on it aggressively. “Caleb overlooked our past and is doing everything he can to just look at me and that means the world to me, and if…maybe I had my druthers, I wouldn't want to share the old camelista with anyone else, but that’s not what destiny had in store for me.”

She smiled at Lily and Maddy. “Now I have a bunch of sisters that get to share this experience with me.

Lily gave a wry grin. “Really? I always thought you were looking for ‘Prince Charming’.”

Noemi’s cheeks puffed up, “I’m not some damsel in distress, thank you! Caleb see’s me for me, the good and the bad! That’s what's important.

Clutching her teacup, Maddy gave a small smile, “I get that…yeah, it makes sense to me.”

Noemi made a big show of her hands pointing to Lily, “But this isn’t about me! It’s about Lily and her big day tomorrow! Do you have any plans yet?”

Lily sipped her tea and shook her head. “It’s…complicated. You’d think that having a background like Caleb and I do would make it easier…but I don’t just want to fall into old patterns. Not to mention, neither of us is the person that we were when we originally dated. And on top of that…Im still not completely over everything that happened.” Looking down, she paused. “I don’t just mean the stuff with Amy; I’ve more or less made peace with that, but…my own life has been such a mess the last few years. I’ve spent a big portion not being me either. So to go from that to try and be myself…one on one with Caleb?” She finished her tea and sighed.

Hesitating, Maddy eventually spoke up, “Maybe it’s not the ‘sexiest’ option, but maybe you could work with Caleb on some of those issues? I’m sure he’d be happy to listen and to help.”

Noemi eagerly nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah! Dates are supposed to be about the relationship; if you need help being yourself to be happy, I’m sure Caleb would understand and want to help.”

Lily grimaced. “Some date, ‘Caleb, please help me get over my baggage? Most of it doesn’t even involve you.’” The plant girl sighed

Chuckling, Maddy shrugged. “Maybe he’d prefer drama that isn’t focused on him for once?”

“Moreover,” Noemi picked up, “He cares about you; do you think he’d be happy to hear that you’re struggling like this alone? You’re gonna be the mother of his future children; there's no way he’d leave you high and dry like that.” She reached over and patted Lily’s shoulder.

Maddy smiled; she was happy to see whatever peace these two had come to was more than skin deep. It really felt like the two had each other's back. So many late nights, Maddy would spend lying in bed wondering what life might be like after the show was over, and if it was like this with a bunch of ‘sisters,’ as Noemi put it, maybe that wouldn't be so bad?

Noemi moved to refill her cup with tea only to find the teapot dribbling out the tiny dregs of an empty container. “Oops, looks like we need more tea. I’ll be right back!” She took the teapot and went to head into the kitchen, leaving Maddy and Lily alone.

Maddy grinned broadly. “I’m glad that you and Noemi seem to have made up, honestly…I’ll admit I was a little surprised that you two were getting along so well after your talk today.

“Oh yeah, no for sure,” Lily admitted, “I was aiming for a begrudging truce more than anything, but she’s really actually quite nice when you talk with her. Her transformations gave her a rough deal, but I think…she’s handling it pretty gracefully, all things considered.”

Laughing, Maddy smiled, “Yeah, I guess the big thing I didn’t expect was you to now be on this big family train too. I figured with your past experience…”

“Hmm? What’s that?” Lily spoke up in a way that was oddly disconnected, which made Maddy a little nervous, like she was standing above a landmine.

“Well…after you told me what your parents were like, I wouldn’t think you’d be in a rush to start a family. I thought you’d be like…very cautious and planning and maybe even against the idea altogether? But that was just my assumption, sorry,” Maddy said preemptively in defense.

The plantowoman chuckled and waved it off while lifting her cup of tea, “No, I get it, family stuff-family…parents…you know- hmm?” She paused; even as she was smiling, her body had started to tremble, tears flowing down from her eyes in stark disconnect from the expression on her face. “What?”

Maddy froze; the sight was so off-putting. “Lily? Is something wrong?”

Lily reached up to touch her tears. “Wrong? What-What could be wrong? I want a big happy family- happy family…lots of kids…big happy… family.” Suddenly the expression shifted in her gaze, and the off-putting disconnect of joy and sadness faded to static anger. “Where…is Noemi?”

Her voice was strained, tight and full of an emotion that Maddy couldn’t recognize. “S-S-She went to get more tea, remember?”

“Of course she fucking did-when I-” She was cut off by the clattering of a fallen teapot as Noemi, who had just been making her way back, made a desperate lunge to grab at Lily’s shoulders

“Lily, are you ok? Everything is fine, right?” Her voice was rushed, full of concern but something else; she was out of breath too, like she had run over as soon as she saw the signs of Lily freaking out.

Lily blinked, the strange rage that had been visible fading back away as a calmness washed over her features. “Oh yeah, everything is fine. Sorry for worrying you?”

Maddy blinked; from her perspective, everything was far from fine. A Sabotage? No, she knew the one in Noemi’s possession, and none of her transformations let her do something like this. So was it just a mood swing? Someone else getting involved? She stared at Noemi. “She seemed really upset. Do you know what’s going on?”

“Um probably just the pressure of everything getting to her. Let me take her back to her room so she can relax. Sorry to cut this short. It was fun” She lifted Lily up to support her on her shoulder before leading her off away, leading Maddy staring from behind confused. All the while, Stella's miniature imp stared at Noemi with scrutiny

She looked down at the discarded mess of the teapot on the ground and wordlessly moved to get the mop and broom. She knew, realistically, she didn’t have to do this. Any messes left around the hotel would be cleaned by the fauns. But there were two things that kept her from leaving it. One, years as a hospitality worker made her unable to leave a mess like that on the floor unattended without cleaning it up. Two, it gave her something to do with her hands as she processed whatever the hell had just happened.

Regardless of many beliefs, Maddy wasn’t naive. She might not be clever like Maya, intelligent like Amy or Stella, or calculating like Mira and Eliza, but she had spent enough time around people at a distance and people-watching to be able to read when things didn’t make sense. And what had just happened? Made no sense- the rapid-cycling emotion wasn’t something that Maddy had ever seen when rooming with Lily and her time rooming with Noemi didn’t expose her to anything that might soothe someone like that.

Then there was always magic to consider. The whole place threw that curveball into the mix and there were so many possible angles. A Sabotage? Something from Lucian or Reyna? Those Devil deals? Maddy didn’t know how they even really worked…Maybe someone had upgraded a transformation without telling anyone? She sighed as she picked the teapot off the now-cleaned floor and put it on the table. She had no answers, only new worries.

Well, there was no reason to stick around in the kitchen so Maddy began to make her way to the front entrance when she noticed the hallway path seemed a bit longer and darker than normal, then along the walls, leaning against them she saw her. Casually posed, leaning against the wall was Andrea, who smiled at Maddy.

Her delicate lips opened. “Ah, just the girl I was looking for.”

Maddy felt her fight-or-flight response kick in and without saying anything sped up her walk to try and run past the Devil when she felt a firm grasp on her throat before her whole body was swung and she made impact against the wall behind her, being held aloft in the devils firm grip. The blonde tried to scream but as she tried found that she no longer had a mouth to do so. Her eyes, panicked and searching for an exit, finally focused on a tiny green orb glowing violently in Andrea’s free hand.

“Sorry, I’m afraid your cooperation is not optional at this point. While I know its more traditional for the Villain to wait until the penultimate hour to start putting their plans into motion, I’ve always felt sooner rather than later is better. You understand?” The devil smiled as her thumb brushed Maddy’s cheek. “I will do you the service of a villainous monologue, after all.” Her eyes darted at the camera. “The audience will enjoy that, and you’ll not remember it”

She shrugged. “If it airs at all. Darling Luciano will never see it. After the kerfuffle in there with the girls, I’m sure he’s turned to another pov; why focus on little old you cleaning, eh? God, this entertainment business is aggravating. And those that run them need to be put in their place a bit”

Seeing the panicked expression in Maddy’s eyes, Andrea laughed. “No, I’m not raising a fight against them.” Andrea’s expression turned dark as her eyes looked past Maddy at something far away. “I’ve already looked in the face of power beyond fathoming and know that nothing good comes from striking it head-on.” Her fingers twisted slightly on Maddy’s neck, causing the blonde to flinch for fear that the tension keeping her spine attached would be severed by careless accident.

“No, I can’t fight them directly, but I can ensure my interests are maintained. Because of all the things I could look past and overlook, they did the one thing I could never forgive.” Andrea’s lip curled into a grimace, and her eyes narrowed. “They fucked with what is mine. That boy, his soul, his essence, his everything, is mine to do with as I please, and they walked in and tried to impose their will to snuff it out.”

She then leaned in as her fingertips moved up to grasp Maddy’s cheeks. “And that’s why I’ve picked you for this. You who have the same eyes as me.” Inches apart, the vibrant emerald of Andrea’s eyes reflected in the milky jade of the chef’s. “I see the way you stare at the master, the way your skin pricks when others touch him, claim him for themselves. You who bear that most delicious sin, your covetous nature at your core.”

“This is a fraction of my soul.” Andrea rose the orb in her fingers. “And that sin is what this will bind to, my soul to yours. My eyes in yours, so that you enact my will when it is needed most. Fear not, I will not make you harm anyone or violate your precious notions of consent.” The fallen angel's lips widened in a smile. “Hah, I knew it would be enough; your soul's resistance relaxed the moment you knew.” Seeing the wide-eyed, panicked confusion of Maddy’s expression, Andrea smirked. “That’s right, I won’t fuck with what’s yours”

She lifted the orb and pressed it against Maddy’s chest. “Now, I won’t mince words; the joining of two souls can be quite traumatic. Which is why I can ensure that when you wake, all of this will be perceived as a bad dream. You won’t even know I’m there.” She pushed the orb slightly into Maddy’s chest whose body immediately began to writhe, “So without further ado…”

The hallway filled with the sounds of silent screaming, the kicking of limbs, and the sparks of black and green energy for all of a moment. For Maddy, though, every moment was agony, something beyond physical pain as she felt something beyond her force its way in and fill her essence.

Then, quiet, Andrea let Maddy drop to the ground and smiled disarmingly at the blonde. “Go off then, to her room and let her rest; the poor girl has already been through so much today."

Maddy’s returned, mouth split into the same satisfied grin as her vibrant green eyes opened. “Of course, She’ll never know we’re here”

And Maddy made her way to her room.

Authors Note: HEY guys, I know my schedule isn't always the most consistent but I wanted to give a heads up that I will be travelling without access to a way to write for the next week or so so expect the next chapter around 10/24! Just how the travel lines up