Sauce Nantua

Breakfast was relatively uneventful, though Caleb noticed both a lack of Stella and a lack of Amy. Otherwise, the girls seemed to be divided into two groups, Maya and Mira at one corner while Eliza’s group composed of Maddy, Noemi, and Lily took the center. Caleb kept to the side drinking his morning coffee while pecking at a muffin. If his date made anything clear it was that factions had already formed, he didn’t want to seem like he was favoring one group over the other as that could cause things to escalate further.

Still, he kept an eye out and smiled whenever he noticed Maddy look his way. She seemed about as nervous about this date as he was, if not more so. He also noticed how Lily kept avoiding looking in his direction. Not that he blamed her, but she kept looking over at Mira and Maya’s table with a look he recognized that made him nervous. It was the look Lily always wore when she had decided she was on a mission.

Eliza was focused on the other girls and talking with them, keeping them engaged, which was very much like the professor to do. Noemi kept shooting him glances and then looking away, her look was determined and mixed with something else that Caleb couldn’t quite figure out. The other table, despite their attitude towards the situation they were in, seemed much more relaxed and was chatting amicably with each other. When Maya noticed him looking over she waved and he returned it, not wanting to be rude, and noticed that Lily’s face got even more intense. Shit.

Still, things had progressed without incident and Caleb hoped they would continue to do so as the groups began to disperse. Maddy true to her word was waiting for him by the entrance so he made his way over and gave her a smile, “So then to the kitchens then?”

Maddy avoided eye contact and responded in a hushed voice that he could barely make out, “Yeah, the one upstairs I think? I mean from what I could tell anyway, the fauns don’t talk obviously but that’s what they seemed to be saying…”

Caleb nodded, “That makes sense, there is a room up there for eating for when we’re out on dates so they must mean the kitchens attached to that. Makes sense since this is still your date.”

“Right! Yeah, that makes sense…um could you show me the way?” She looked up at Caleb tentatively.

Nodding Caleb led her in the direction of the date dining hall, glancing back at her every so often. She seemed so small. She was short, but more than that she tucked herself inward so much it made her seem like a small animal that was afraid it was going to be snatched up. It was kind of adorable, though Caleb felt maybe it was slightly inappropriate to view it as such.

When they got to the dining hall the fauns seemed to recognize why they were there and guided them past the intimate table that Caleb was getting used to using on his dates, toward the brass doors at the far end of the room. Leading them past they were now in a broad professional-looking kitchen, possessing a number of appliances that Caleb didn’t recognize as well as multiple sets of high-powered burners and a long table with dishware on it. Several Fauns seemed to be staring at Maddy as if awaiting orders. Caleb expected this to be overwhelming for the small woman so he was surprised when he looked over and saw her tightening her apron and then looking forward with a determined expression.

“Alright, first things first,” her voice was clear and sure of itself in a way that made Caleb doubt if he had ever actually heard her speak before, “time to take inventory, what do we have at our disposal.” She began to march through the kitchen and order the fauns as she looked through the various cabinets.

“Various options for plating, tweezers, stainless steel cookery, what about knives, let me see what we’re working with.” A faun saluted her and showed her to a block and she immediately grabbed the honing rod and began working her way through the blades, “They’re in good shape alright.” She made a long exhale and put her hands on the long table.

When she opened her eyes, the gleam in them was fierce, “Alright I need lamb shoulder, whatever citrus you have on hand and your spice rack. Whoever is in charge of dough, I need yogurt, self-raising flour, and sun-dried tomatoes. Let me see what produce we have and what kinds of vinegar we have at our disposal.”

Caleb watched as the fauns began to move around rapidly around her, bringing her things and responding to her orders. All of a sudden he started to feel very out of place and looked over to her, “Is there anything I can do to help with anything?”

She looked up, acknowledging his presence for the first time since they entered the kitchen, and gave him a big grin, “No, don’t worry. I appreciate your offering but unless you have experience on a line you’re likely to injure yourself and I don’t want that. Oh if you want…”

She tossed him a steel bowl and handed him flour, yogurt, and a tin of tomatoes. “Dump as much flour as yogurt into that bowl and add salt and the tomatoes, then knead the hell out of it until it becomes slightly reflective ok?”

“I think I can manage at least that much,” Caleb smiled and she returned the expression before returning to working with the fauns. Who was this woman and what had she done with the demure wallflower that he had been walking with minutes earlier? He dumped the yogurt and flour in and then added a pinch of salt before adding the tomatoes and began working the dough with his hands, suddenly thankful for the extra muscle his transformation had given him.

As he kneaded the dough he was able to watch as Maddy took control over the kitchen and began to work what appeared to be a large chunk of meat and began assaulting it with spices and skewering it before mounting it on what appeared to be some sort of vertical flaming contraption with the aid of one of the fauns. She then seemed to be preparing some sort of sauce and some sort of pickle almost simultaneously as she tasted brine and sauce side by side. She then crossed the room and looked into his bowl and smiled.

“Looks good!” She smiled before taking the bowl from his hands and divvying it up. She got a pan rip-roaring hot and then stretched out one of the divided balls of dough as thin as she could before tossing it into the pan.

Caleb just watched in awe as she flipped the flatbread in the pan and managed to get out, “You’re like a completely different person when you’re in the kitchen.”

Maddy raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean? Is it a bad thing?”

“No, it’s just outside whenever I’ve seen you you’ve been shy and sweet and very cute, but seeing you take charge in the kitchen…” He paused searching for the words, “The confidence and control you have are very attractive.”

The chef found her face heating up and she turned away to focus on the flatbreads, “In the kitchen, things make sense. There’s rules about what needs to be done when and how it needs to get done. I like that a lot. When I’m dealing with other people it feels a lot more messy. I can’t tell what they’re thinking and most of the time I’m sure it’s bad so it makes me nervous.”

Caleb considered that and nodded, “I can sort of understand that, One of the things that bothers me most in voice work is not knowing what a client wants. When they just tell me what the script is without any direction. It makes you feel kind of at a loss”

Maddy nodded, prepping another flatbread for the pan, “Yeah, I just..I’ve spent a lot of my life feeling like the only two people who liked what I was doing were my mom and dad. Then I started working in the kitchen and even when I was getting yelled at, I was getting told how to do better. It was so much easier.”

“Well, I can tell you one thing, at the very least.” Caleb said with a grin.

Maddy looked over her shoulder at him, “What’s that?”

“I liked the shy girl who was cleaning dishes with a smile on her face and I like the girl who takes charge in the kitchen. They’re both great. So no matter what you’re doing you can be sure of that.” Caleb shot her a toothy smile and her face flushed.

“Y-y-you can’t just say things like that! I’ll get distracted!” She managed to get out as she flipped the flatbread in the pan and Caleb laughed.

Back in the main part of the hotel, Maya was heading back to her room when she heard footsteps behind her. Angry, aggressive footsteps. She turned to see Lily marching at her, her face hot with anger while pointing an accusatory finger.

Maya stopped moving and as soon as Lily was within a few feet she began to let out a vitriolic growl, “You, I know what you did to Eliza the other night. You may think this is all fun and games but people’s lives are at stake and I’m not going to stand around and let you get away with it.”

The gambler kept her face even, “So that’s how it is huh? You wait until Maddy is not around and then show your true colours?”

Face still contorted in rage, the flower girl lowered her hand, “What are you even talking about?”

“Accosting me like this. I thought your group's whole thing was not giving in to the competition. But it’s not like that for you is it? It’s just the team you’ve decided to play on. You like them more than you like me and you’re fully willing to go after me as long as you don’t have to worry about the impression of the others. That’s why you waited for Maddy to be on her date and why you didn’t do this at breakfast where the others could see.” Maya clenched her fists in her jacket pocket as she felt acid rise in her throat.

“Why should I have to play nice when you’ve gone ahead and declared war already? Maybe the others want to pretend you’re not a threat but I won’t let you get away with this stuff. Stay away from Maddy and Eliza alright? If you don’t I’ll make sure you pay.” As if to emphasize, Lily raised her fist and shook it at Maya.

“Wow, alright. Seeing as you’re willing to go full incredible hulk on me why don’t I clue you in on a few things?” Maya felt her face grow hot and knots forming in her stomach, “One, maybe I said I’d play the game but I also offered to be friends, I consistently have been genial and kind with you so maybe consider that before treating me like some villain.” She swallowed, “Secondly, you act like you’re better than me when you’re going behind your group's back, what about Noemi? Isn’t she part of your team too? Or is it only people Lily likes that matter?”

She reached into her pocket, “Third? You may want to actually use your head if you’re planning on pulling shit like this.” She pulled out the silver sabotage card and held it up so that Lily could clearly see it all while shooting her a look that showed how unamused she was with Lily’s theatrics.

“Because Lily, I didn’t do jack shit to Eliza, I haven’t used my Sabotage yet. And before you start slinging mud at Mira, outside of her date which she spent the whole day with Caleb, she’s been with me and we haven’t gone back to the Sabotage shop.” She stared Lily down

The vtuber for her part felt her fists shaking at her sides, “That proves nothing! Maybe Mira didn’t do it but you could have used your sabotage and gone back out while she was on her date!”

Rolling her eyes, Maya raised her hand and said “Points,” she pushed her hand out as her current BP and VP totals flashed in front of Lily, “Satisfied? Sorry, I’m not the easy villain you want me to be. Sorry that I’m actually choosing to enjoy myself instead of suffering. Sorry that I’m not part of your clique of perfectly well-behaved girls.” She felt hot tears in her eyes and wiped them away.

Lily stamped her foot, “Like you have any room to talk! You can stop playing the victim when you stop threatening other people!”

“Oh yeah? Like you’ll behave when someone actually starts having feelings for Caleb. Tell me how are you going to deal with Maddy after today?”

Lily scoffed, “It’s fine, she has to do what she has to do, I can recognize that…”

“No, what if she doesn’t just do what she has to do though? What if she starts having genuine feelings for Caleb, for your ex hmmm? What if he starts liking her back? What if you walk into the breakfast hall tomorrow and see them cuddling up to each other? What about Eliza? You gonna be their friends then?” Maya felt her stomach in her throat as she spat the words out.

“Shut up, you don’t know me, you don’t know anything about me. Fuck off.” It was all that Lily could do to keep herself from lunging at the other woman.

Maya took a step forward, putting her sabotage away and then throwing her arms wide, “What if he falls for me, maybe the reason he cheated on you was because you were the proble-” She didn’t even get the words fully out before she was tackled to the ground.

Lily and Maya had both grabbed each others hair and were wrestling tumbling on the ground when an annoyed voice interrupted them, “That’s enough of that…cat fights are good for ratings but any actual damage will annoy the viewers.”

Lucian had appeared in a burst of flames and slapped his stick against the wall and both girls were flung into it, latched to the wall like insects on fly paper. Both made muffled sounds of frustration finding their ability to talk suspended.

The demon leaned in between the two, “Keep it up, rivalry and hate are good for ratings, but keep in mind physical **** is banned on the island. If I catch it happening again, I will be **** to use my authority as host to lay out some punishments.” His eyelids lowered as he gave them each an unamused glare, “Do we have an understanding?”

There were more muffled sounds as each woman looked at the other, fire in their eyes before turning to Lucian and nodding.

Lucian smiled, “Good,” and tapped his stick against his hand causing both women to fall to the ground and catch their breath, “Now find ways to channel that anger productively. Or at the least sexily. Lesbian hatefucks are trending right now…”

Lily glared at the host and turned to leave, “Shut up, the last thing I want to do right now.”

Maya turned on her heel, “Something we can agree on then.” Lucian shrugged and vanished into flames.

Maya went down the hall and slammed the door to her room, she felt the bile still high in her stomach. Her transformation wasn’t going to let her let this go. She clutched the Sabotage in her pocket. Good. She finally had a plan for what to do.

On the stairs, Noemi poked her head up from beneath the rafters, shaking at what she had just seen transpire. What did this mean? What if Lily found out it had been her who had used the Sabotage on Eliza? What if Maya found out? She needed protection, at least to guarantee she made it safely to her date at the end of the week. She knew what she had to do.