Poulet de Grain Americaine

Maddy was currently busying herself in the kitchen, preparing some food for after the challenge in a few days. Her thought was that if it was anything like the last one, maybe it would be nice to come back to a nice meal to help lift their spirits. To that end, she had broken down a chicken, a watermelon, and several habaneros. She also wanted a coleslaw with it, but prepping it too early would make it watery and wilted, and she didn’t want to lose that crunch.

As the fauns carried the broken-down chicken pieces to the smoker, the blonde stared at the empty counter and drummed her fingers against it. Maybe she could make a dessert? A gelato or some sort of pastry. Everyone loves sweets and wouldn’t that be nice to have after such a savory dish? She had her book of dessert ideas back in her room, but hadn’t thought to bring it with her. She’d just quickly run back and get it and come back.

She waved at the fauns who were helping her put things together, “Hey, I’m going to go grab something and then I’ll be right back, ok?” The fauns gave her a nod of acknowledgment, and Maddy turned to leave, but after a brief pause turned back, “Like right back, ok? Please don’t start…fooling around like last time, ok?” There was some light grumbling from the fauns before they acknowledged her, and she turned out of the kitchen, hanging up the apron on the hook by the entrance.

She was glad that, for all the horrible things about this place, it had a kitchen. Which meant when situations arose where she felt out of her depth and desperately wanted to hide, she could be productive instead! Think how happy everyone would be after a grueling challenge to come back to yummy food! That’s what she had to focus on right now; nothing else was important. Not to mention, she’d get to show off to Caleb all the different things she could make; he liked her cooking before, but she hadn’t had a real chance to wow him.

She blushed and smiled to herself. She could just imagine him, mouth full of food, talking about how good it is and how much he appreciated it. Then maybe he’d pull her aside and show her how much he appreciated it…

“We’re rivals then.”

The words echoed in her mind and stopped the blonde in her tracks. The chef still wasn’t entirely sure what Maya had meant by that. I mean, Maddy wasn’t dumb. Obviously, the other woman meant she had feelings for Caleb, too, but what did being rivals entail? Was Maya gonna start targeting her with sabotages? Was she going to actively try and make sure Caleb liked her more than her? Honestly, if the chef was being honest, the second possibility frightened her more. Maya was so pretty and fashionable, and Maddy…well, she was well aware of everything wrong with her.

She looked down at her clothes, marked with her recent cooking escapades, even after being as clean as possible. Her pear-shaped body, her round cheeks, and puffy arms. Yeah, if it came down to who looked better, Maya had her beat in every way… But she tried to remember how eagerly Caleb had taken use of her body on their date. She could arouse him, turn him on, she had proof of that. She just needed to find more ways to do that. Not that she had any idea who to ask about that now…

She came to her room and expected to find it empty. Everyone had separated after the scene that morning, and she thought she had seen Noemi leave towards the halls, so she was surprised to find Noemi there digging into the back of their closet. Maddy quietly shut the door and didn’t want to surprise Noemi by suddenly being behind her, so the blonde spoke up, “Hey, Noemi, looking for something?”

The Chilean woman briefly tore her head out of the closet and gave Maddy a big grin, “Oh, hey, no, just grabbing something. I stuck it in deep, so it got a bit stuck.” There was a sharp thwapping sound as something dislodged, and Noemi pulled out a metal bat. “There we go! Alright, I’ll see you later.” She turned to leave the room.

Maddy called out, “Oh, is there a batting cage? That’s a good way to relieve stress, my dad used to take me out sometimes after a hard day.”

Noemi paused, looked at the bat, confused, and then smiled, “Oh no, well yeah maybe there is a batting cage somewhere. I was just going to visit Mira. She’s still probably in her room, right?”

It took a second for Maddy’s mind to get there, but as the dots connected, she moved in front of Noemi, blocking the door, “Are you going to attack her?!”

“Attacking makes it sound like it’s out of nowhere, I warned the bitch.” Noemi’s face soured, “I’m just showing her what happens when you harm another member of the family.”

Reaching up, Maddy put her hands on Noemi’s, pushing her back, “No, you can’t do that! You can’t go around swinging bats at people!”

Noemi raised an eyebrow and made an expression like Maddy had just stated she couldn’t breathe, a mixture of irritation and confusion, “Why are you taking her side? You heard what she did! She has this coming, and maybe it will make her think twice.”

Maddy shook her head, “You know Lucian won’t let you get away with harming another contestant! Also, is Caleb going to be happy about you hurting her?”

“Caleb is pissed, too! You saw him this morning. Besides, not everything is about what Caleb wants. Sometimes it's about what’s right. And the bitch needs to pay. Honestly, I expected better from you. I can’t believe you’re defending her.” Noemi tried to push past Maddy and was surprised when, with a growl, Maddy lunged at her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and pushed the Chilean woman to the ground, sitting on top of her. The **** knocked the bat from Noemi’s hand and sent it clattering across the floor.

“I am not defending her! You don’t think I’m angry!?” Hot tears were in Maddy’s eyes at this point, her face hot and red, “She used me! Lied to me! All to-to…” Maddy bit her lip in frustration as all the feelings she had been suppressing since this morning boiled over, “But we can’t just go around hurting each other! We can’t! It’s that insane logic that led to this bullshit in the first place.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do then?!” Noemi tried to lunge forward, “We can’t let this go, or what's to stop her from doing it again?!”

Maddy grabbed Noemi’s shoulders and pushed her to the ground, “I’m not saying we shouldn’t find a way to punish her, but assaulting her isn’t the answer!”

The two held eye contact for a long beat before Noemi sighed, “Fine, but if she steps another toe out of line, I don’t care what you say. She’s getting a visit from Sergeant Tungsten.”

Maddy blinked, “Who is-”

“The bat, I named him.” Noemi glanced over to where it had landed on the floor

The blonde couldn't help the chuckle from coming forward, even as she tried to suppress it as she stepped off of Noemi’s prone form, “Oh, no, we’re already losing our minds.”

Noemi rose up and reached over to grab the bat, “Speak for yourself, I am the most sane one here.”

Maddy gave the other woman a withering stare before smiling, “Do you want to help me make Gelato?”

Noemi raised an eyebrow, “I don’t know what that is.”

“It’s like ice cream but thicker, chef’s helpers get an early taste too.” Maddy smiled encouragingly.

This seemed persuasive enough for Noemi, “Well, alright, if you need help. Older sisters need to help out.”

Maddy chuckled and went to her bedside table to retrieve her journal, relieved at least that one disaster had been averted.

Lily led Caleb through the alleyways of Restaurant Island, and the master was beginning to appreciate that the scale of the place was much larger than he had originally suspected. He had now been here several times, and each time ended up at a different part of the island with unfamiliar shops and decor. Lily eventually stopped in front of a place with a wooden sign, the script on it was flowing and arched over the image of a piano, reading “Jelly Roll”.

Waving him over, Lily opened the door, “Come on, I think you’ll enjoy this.”

Caleb raised an eyebrow and moved to close his umbrella as he walked through the doorway. Inside, the space was dimly lit, and the walls were dark and warm wood tones with embedded lighting in the walls. The floor was a dark wood grain, and the tables were made of welded metal with padded chairs of the same material. The space was two-tiered, with the upper area having tables and the lower area giving way to a small stage with velvet blue curtains and a small band of fauns playing light ambient jazz that filled the space.

A faun dressed in a vest and coat-tailed suit walked over to take Caleb’s umbrella as he took in the atmosphere, looking around. Finally, he looked over to Lily, who was looking at him expectantly from behind, “This place is incredible, how’d you find it?”

The plant woman chuckled and made her way to the table, “Maya spotted it actually, she helped me look around for places to have our date.” Lily sat down and motioned for Caleb to join her, “Sort of cocktail lounge meets jazz club, though I checked they do have food.” She looked Caleb in the eye, “You used to talk about listening to Jazz with your dad, wishing you were more into it. I thought it might be relaxing after a…trying week.”

“Honestly?” Caleb sat down. “This is perfect, thank you, Lily.”

She smiled over at him as a faun came over with menus, which they grabbed and looked over. “It’s kind of weird seeing a menu without prices attached.”

Caleb gave a light chuckle, “Yeah, though, considering the requirements for being here? I’d say the price is high enough.”

Lily gave him a soft smile, “Well then, we may as well live it up while we can.”

The faun came back to take their order, Caleb getting a turkey club and a Trinidad sour, while Lily got a caprese sandwich and an Elderflower spritz. As the gentle jazz filled the air, their drinks were delivered first, and Caleb leaned back in his chair.

“So what made you go for this? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love this perfect place after a long week, I can feel the stress melting away.” Caleb took a sip of his drink, “But…now don’t take this the wrong way. You hate relaxing.”

Lilly gave a tiny scowl and puffed up her cheeks, “Hate relaxing? Jeeze, tell me what you really think.” Her expression softened, “No, you’re right, honestly, I had a bunch of plans in my head, I wanted to make an impression, but ultimately, with some help, figured maybe…maybe the best thing to do was to take it a bit easy and catch up.” She stirred her drink idly, “I used to know you so well, now? Now the person I knew is the shadow behind you; I don’t really know who Caleb Ward is anymore. Just who he was. If we’re gonna give it a go with starting fresh, might as well start there.”

Smiling gently, Caleb reached out and took Lily’s hands, “To be fair, the Caleb Ward who you knew is still there, just caked in the mud of some extra trauma.”

Lily gave his hand a squeeze and chuckled, “No, I mean yes, but no…you’re different. You always were so sure of yourself, so quick to take action…Now I see the doubt in your eyes. You act, but it’s out of desperation now; you’re afraid that if you don’t do anything, you won’t act at all.”

Caleb let out a long breath, “Ooh…wow, ok.”

Lily winced at his expression, “Sorry if I’m being rude, that’s just how it seems.”

Shaking his head, Caleb lifted it to look her in the eyes, “No, you’re absolutely right. Just think, getting clocked like that, it hit harder than I expected. Occupational hazard of someone knowing you, I guess.” He took a drink of his sour and closed his eyes, focusing entirely on the astringent notes of the drink before moving to speak again, “Ever since I got mugged and then got stuck indoors, I feel…trapped all the time. I tried to convince myself that I was fine with it, but…Mira, of all people, pointed out how much I was deluding myself. Before, you’re right, I’d reach out, act, whatever, because I was sure of myself. God, I had an ego that I had no right to. Now? I’m afraid of being trapped again, that I’ll let a moment go by and regret it later, or be worse off than I was before.”

The faun arrived with their food, and Caleb looked to Lily, “You’re different too, you know?”

“Being cheated on has an effect on people, Caleb.” Lily’s voice was serious, and then she reached over and pushed his shoulder, “Sorry, just…yeah, couldn’t resist.” She looked at him over her glass as she took a drink, “Tell me, Mr. Ward, how have I changed?”

“You used to be shy, more reserved, I guess?” Caleb frowned, “For better or worse, you were always the type who, if something was bothering them, you kept your mouth shut.”

“Haha, well yeah, VTubing has something to do with that. When you’re entertaining a group of people and your talking and reactions are all they have to go off of, you can’t exactly afford to be a wallflower. And not to bring it up again, but…I didn’t want to be hurt again, so I kind of resolved not to let things slide anymore.” Lily looked to the side towards the band as the pianist’s hands deftly moved over the keys.

“I…” Caleb paused, “I don’t think I can ever really make it up to you, can I? The pain of that happening is always going to be there. We can’t pretend it’s not….I realized that with Noemi this week. Pretending doesn’t make it any easier.”

Lily looked over, taken aback, “Caleb…” she paused, “No, you’re right, it’s not going to go away. Seeing you actually trying helps. I do want to try and make things work. Maybe if it weren’t for this competition, I wouldn’t, but maybe…maybe it can be more than a cruel twist of fate. Maybe we can make happier memories to replace the bad ones. I’m willing to try.” She reached out and touched his cheek and made him look at her.

He reached up and took her hand in his, “Me too, it’s…honestly, I’m happy to have a chance to make things right with you. You deserved better,” He turned his face and kissed her hand as she slowly withdrew it.

Blushing intensely, Lily lifted her sandwich, “We should eat! Eating is important,” and rammed the sandwich into her face, more than bit it.

They took some time to eat and time to reminisce, talking about pretty much anything and everything other than the Harem hotel or what had happened since they got here. As Lily was explaining winning her VTuber model in a raffle, Caleb’s ears perked up, and he asked, “Oh, that’s right! I wanted to ask, how did you get wrapped up in that? I thought you had plans to go into pharmaceuticals like your parents.”

The smile on Lily’s face faltered, and her expression darkened, “That’s…I have no interest in that anymore.”

Caleb raised an eyebrow, but seeing how her mood had shifted, chose his words carefully, “Is it ok if I ask why? You don’t need to share if you don’t want to.”

Sighing heavily, Lily set down the remainder of her sandwich and leaned on her hand, looking down into the Jazz pit, her mind flashing back to the image of her sister looking down at her from her desk, seared into her mind.

“I mean, without me being around, you really wouldn’t BE anything right? So this is pretty much calling it even. Seriously, I’m surprised you’re acting like this.”

After a long pause, she finally opened her mouth, “I had just moved back home, and Merry stole my essay for her Master’s application. When I found out, I confronted her and she told me that since I was always relying on her, it was only fair…After everything that had happened to me, I couldn’t let it slide. So I reported it. Then the school contacted my parents, and they-” Her jaw clenched and her tone shifted as tears formed in her eyes, “They had the gall to yell at me for sabotaging Merry’s success, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I left.”

“Lily…” Caleb reached out, and the plant woman shook her head.

“I just…it was like the universe was telling me that it was wrong to want anything for myself, so I decided to leave and just…find something. I couch surfed for a while. Got the gas station job, started vtubing, ended up here.” She grabbed a napkin and wiped away the tears.

Caleb swallowed. He knew how often Lily’s parents favored her sister, but hadn’t ever thought of something like this happening. He got up and walked over, and then knelt down and wrapped his arms around the plant woman.

“Caleb!” Lily yelped in surprise.

“They were wrong…you need to know that. They were wrong, and you didn’t deserve that.”

Lily looked up over Caleb's shoulder, and her eyes, recently dabbed dry, swelled with tears as she began to sob against him.