Salade Eve

In the kitchen, several fauns were running around trying to “help” Maddy prepare for the picnic she had planned. If Maddy was honest, she needed three fewer of them than were currently in the kitchen, but the wooly dears were so eager to help that she didn’t feel right shooing them off. Lunch wasn’t that complicated an affair, but even if they were going to be outside, Maddy wanted to make sure the few things they had were tasty. So just the simple things: a marinated Steak Caprese sandwich, a watermelon salad, and some horchata. Well, they were simple in Maddy’s mind; it was only ten percent active cooking!

She had just finished folding a blanket into the basket when she heard things getting rowdy on the other side of the swinging door that separated the kitchen from the outside. Fearing the worst, Maddy quickly finished packaging everything and tossed the basket under her arm. Pushing the door open, she saw everyone sitting at one table, but everyone’s attention was on Maya. Lily was in the process of springing to her feet, and Maddy dramatically cleared her throat, causing eyes to refocus on her.

Feeling her face flush with the sudden attention, the chef’s voice shook slightly as she tried to sound even a fragment of authoritative, “W-What’s going on? You’re all m-making so much noise.”

Lily was about to open her mouth, but Stella jumped to her feet and cut her off, “We were all talking about what we were going to do today, you know, hanging, shooting the goss. Then Maya said she wanted to go to the Ante Table, and now everyone is reaching for their guns to shoot her down before she screws someone over.”

Maddy quickly checked under the table to verify that no one actually had a gun; unfortunately, in this place, she felt she couldn't be too sure. Seeing no literal firearms, she still felt she understood what Stella was saying, and unfortunately, she could picture too easily how the purple-haired lottery winner could change the mood like that.

Pushing past Stella, Lily locked eyes with Maya, “I thought you weren’t trying to screw people over, after yesterday, I thought…”

Caleb locked eyes with Maya, who looked extremely distressed by everyone’s reaction and was holding up her hands as if she was trying to create a barrier between everyone else and herself. The master exhaled. This place had him jumping at shadows, and he admitted he had assumed the worst when Maya had said that. He owed it to everyone to try and be a bit more levelheaded. “Guys, before we bite her head off, why don’t we give Maya a chance to explain?”

Still caught in a daze from people’s sudden reaction, Maya turned to Caleb, “Explain?”

Trying to push past his own unease, Caleb smiled, “Yeah, tell everyone what exactly you want to do at the Ante Table.”

Maya gave a confused expression as if what she was doing was self-evident, but at the prompting, looked over at everyone, “I wanted to play the game you get to do with Kalliope if you’re trying to upgrade a transformation.”

Maddy raised an eyebrow, “Whose transformation would you be upgrading?”

Maya’s expression warped to frustration, “Mine, I haven’t gotten anyone else’s permission to change their’s yet.”

A collective exhale of relief happened, but Amy looked over curiously, “So you’re not going to try and change people's transformations without permission?”

Looking straight down at her hands in her lap, Maya nodded, and the Oni pressed on, “Can you clarify why? Sorry, I don’t mean to doubt you, but I think you’re one of the most sabotage-prone people here, so I’m just a little surprised.”

“Sabotages are fun! They let you change things up and get ahead in the game, but…” Maya paused, “They’re temporary, right? So even if you do something you regret later, it’s not a big deal because it doesn’t last forever. Changing someone’s transformation? You’re changing how life is going to be for them beyond leaving here. I want to play all the games, but I don’t want to be hurting people to do it.”

Lily smiled hopefully, “So you do understand that, so if you understand, you should stop using sabotages too because they can hurt people too, right?”

Maya looked at Lily like she had just said the moon was made of cheese or inhabited by some strange man, “What? Yeah, people’s feelings get hurt when you play games sometimes, but it’s important to recognize it’s just a game. You shouldn’t take it so seriously.”

The plant girl bit her lip irritably, as Caleb frowned. There it was, that disconnect they just couldn’t seem to jump over with Maya. She was, overall, sweet and good-natured, if not a bit quirky. But she seemed utterly incapable of understanding why others were so nervous around the “game” aspect of this experience. Actually, no, if Caleb had to hazard a guess, it was less she was incapable and more unwilling. She had outright said, this game felt like the only fun she had had since her mom passed away, In some ways, it was a connection to her deceased mom. Caleb didn’t know the sort of person she was before coming here, but he could only imagine the depression that came with her situation.

He decided to be the one to push past, “Well, in that case, it’s fine, just…be careful. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you either. I’m sure none of us do.” Everyone nodded in various levels of agreement, even Lily after being elbowed by Stella.

Noemi leaned in, “If you just wanted to play games, we can always do that here, too. There’s a game room here, right? That way, no one has to be at risk.”

Maya’s eyes shone bright like a cat discovering a ball of tinfoil tucked away in a corner, “Really?! You’ll play with me?”

“I used to always play board games with my brothers and sister, so I don’t mind at all.” Noemi shrugged.

Shifting the weight of the basket in her arm, Maddy said, “I’m not really familiar with board games, but I wouldn’t mind playing.” She held up her hands, “Obviously not today, though!”

There were various murmurs of acquiescence, with the final holdout being Amy, who looked determinedly away. Lily gave the Oni a flat look while leaning in, “Not gonna join us all for a board game night?”

Looking more abashed than Caleb had ever seen her, Amy twirled a piece of hair, “I’m not…big on board games, or games for that matter…I’d rather be doing something…productive.”

Staring with sad saucer-like eyes, Maya pouted, “Oh, ok, that’s alright. If you don’t like them, we can’t **** you to play…”

Amy stared around the room, from Maya’s disappointment to the various expressions of disbelief on others, to Stella’s smug grin as she watched the Oni fret before closing her eyes, “I can try, I guess!”

“That's great! With everyone here, that’s seven players, oh, too bad, too many for Nemesis or Hit the Silk…but we could do Werewolf or Deception **** in Hong Kong! Oh, I can’t wait.”

Noemi, who had been picturing Monopoly and Clue, stared in bewilderment, “These words you’re saying are all board games?

Caleb chuckled slightly, “Maybe next free day we can schedule time to all play together, might be a nice way to relax and unwind after whatever bullshit Lucian has scheduled for us at the end of the week.” Not to mention, it might be a nice reminder when tensions were high that even while competing, they could still get along, but Caleb kept that part to himself.

Walking behind Maya, Stella clapped a hand on her shoulder, making the woman jump, “As for today, why don’t I accompany you on your trip to see Kalliope? Not planning on making any upgrades myself, but it sounds like a fun thing to watch.”

“Not a bad idea, that way you have someone in your corner while you play,” Amy said slightly, leaving out that it also meant if Maya was lying, it would be much more difficult to hide it in front of another person.

Maya looked over at Stella and smiled, bright-eyed. “Yeah, ok! That sounds more fun than going by myself.”

Caleb looked around, “So we got two going to the Ante Table, one resting at the hotel, and two going shopping. That just leaves you and me, Maddy. I’m ready for whatever you have planned.”

Maddy’s feet shuffled lightly, and she bunched her hands together, “O-oh yeah, well, no rush, there are still a few things to get ready. I c-can’t exactly go out looking like this.” She gestured to her pants, chef’s jacket, and apron.

“I mean, you can wear whatever you like. I think you look great.” Caleb gave her a reassuring smile.

Face glowing crimson, the chef avoided eye contact, “W-well, at the very least, there’s one other thing I need to prepare for today.” She swallowed and tried to sound determined, “I’m taking a bounty from the board…the one that has other people put Sabotages on me.”

A few expressions changed at the table; only Maya, who was beaming with delight, and Stella, who started making wolf whistle noises, were positive. Caleb stepped up, “Maddy, you don’t need to do that…”

Lily also crossed over in front of Maddy, “Maddy, if someone is making you do this…”

The blonde shook her head and tried not to falter, “N-no, I’m making this choice. I’m also choosing to use one of my transformation desserts while on this date. I-I started the round way behind, and I’m going to do my best.”

Caleb frowned, “Maddy, you don’t need to do anything you don’t want to for the sake of points.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to!” Maddy’s voice came out a little sharper than she meant, and her hand flew to her lips self-consciously before looking down and pushing forward, “I-I just mean…” The chef sighed, “Everyone is doing their best, and I also want to do my best. I didn’t tell you this to try and stop me, Caleb.” She used every ounce of willpower she had to stare him in the eye, “I told you so that you knew no matter how…weird things might get today, that it was my choice. I appreciate you looking out for me, I do. But…” She gave a small shrug, “I-I’m doing my best not to run away, so can you believe in me? At least a little.”

The words were like hitting a wall face-first. Caleb remembered how much Eliza’s lack of faith had hurt the chef. She was timid, shy, and had a hard time with attention, but it was also true that no matter what, since coming here, she had stuck to her guns. He, admittedly, still wanted to stop her, wanted to keep anyone from participating in the game as much as possible to keep Lucian from getting what he wanted.

A long exhale came from the master before he nodded, “Ok, Maddy, I believe in you.” He tried to give her a reassuring smile through his worry, “You do what you've got to do, and I’ll support you.”

The imp from the other side gave a whoop, “Yeah, Maddy, get it!”

Blushing furiously, the blonde tucked her chin in and avoided eye contact, “Um…I want to take care of this before I get changed. Mira said she’d meet me in the lobby, but I need two other people. Maya, Stella? Would you help me out?”

Maya pointed to herself before excitedly getting up to follow Maddy out of the dining hall. Stella also followed before ducking her head back in and staring at Caleb, “Dude, you better be so ready. She may seem like a wallflower, but those are the ones that are real freaks-”

“Stella!” Maddy shouted angrily from beyond the hallway. The imp just smirked as she darted back out.

Lily sat back down, lifting a cup of cold tea to her lips and frowning, her eyes shifting to Caleb, “Are you really ok with this?”

The Master just sat back down and sighed, Noemi leaning over and nuzzling into his shoulder, “No, I’m not. But the moment I start ordering you girls around and acting like I’m the guy in charge, you should organize a coup.”

“Already on it.” Amy said across the table jokingly, “What sort of Vizier would I be if I were plotting to overthrow you?”

Caleb lifted a piece of cereal and tossed it halfheartedly at the Oni, “I believe you’re missing a parrot.”

The oni smirked, “Would have been funnier if those were fruit loops you were tossing.”

“He’s a toucan!” Noemi said, sounding almost offended by the mix-up of avians.

Lily set her cup down, “You’d figure we’d be stocked up on Trix given the nature of the season.”

Caleb leaned back, “Or cinnamon toast crunch, those kids were always gaslighting someone.”

“I’m half surprised there hasn’t been a season themed around cereal mascots,” Amy said laconically.

“Well, that’s because obviously Tony the tiger would win.” Everyone’s gaze turned to Noemi, who flushed bright red, “I mean…you know, “

Lily smirked, “I do not know, please enlighten us, Noemi!”

“Can’t say I’m not curious now, too,” Caleb joked, leading to Noemi pouting and crossing her arms

“Forget it!” She dived her face into her soggy bowl of cereal as the others laughed, enjoying the moment of levity distracting them from their concerns.

In the lobby, Mira was pacing in front of the scoreboard that doubled as the bounty board. As Maddy approached, she noted that the Bengali woman looked more antsy than she had ever seen her before, looking distracted. Far from the laser-focused determination that normally consumed her body language. As she approached with Stella and Maya, she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Is everything ok?”

Mira opened and shut her mouth a few times before pinching her lips shut and answering, “Eliza and I had a slight disagreement this morning, it’s…affecting me more than I would have expected.”

“Oh,” Maddy was unsure how much to pry in this circumstance. She knew Mira had been taking care of Eliza as she emotionally recovered from the previous round; she wondered if it had something to do with that. She gauged Mira’s body language; was she irritated? Restless? It was hard to tell through the clearly guarded nature that the other woman put up. Even thrown off balance, the older woman was doing what she could to keep from being ****.

So instead of pressing, she said simply, “Y-you know if you need someone to talk to, I’m willing to listen.”

Mira’s eyes refocused on the chef, and the agent simply nodded, “I’ll keep it in mind, but right now we should focus our attention on you. It’s your day to capitalize on uncontested access to Caleb, so let’s not let any distractions get in your way.”

Stella was up against the board, flicking through the options, “So, whatcha working with Mads? You mentioned the sabotage one, but are you sure you don’t want a body or some hot orgasm denial?”

Looking aghast, Maddy positively bristled as she waved her hands in front of her, “No, no, no, nothing like that. I can’t imagine anyone wanting any of those things!”

Stella stuck her tongue out facetiously, “Well, good news for me, I suppose, looks like they’ll still be around by my go.”

Maddy crossed her arms, “You’re welcome to them!”

Maya looked over the bounties, “I don’t think anyone is going to claim the last one either, it seems pretty difficult.”

Clearing her throat, “Why don’t we stay on task? Madeline, go ahead and take the bounty.”

Nodding tentatively, Maddy walked up to the board and placed her hand on the relevant bounty:

Bounty: Hat Trick: receive three random sabotage cards. You must convince three different people to use one of them on you within 3 hours. 2VP and 3 BP per Sabotage used, but Sabotages not used at the end cost you full value

Immediately, three silver cards appeared in the chef's hands, and she looked them over warily. All of the effects were…a lot; her misgivings must have read on her face because Mira raised an eyebrow.

“If you can’t do any of them, we can pass them by; you’ll just have to pay for them at the end of the time limit.” The agent said plainly.

Maddy shook her head quietly and handed a card to each of the other women present, her face bright crimson.

Stella whistled, reading over the one in her hands, “Oh boy, Mads, you’re more daring than I thought. I was joking with Caleb earlier, but I’m thinking I might be onto something.”

Maddy just took a step back, “Just…j-just do it, please.”

Exchanging glances, Maya, Mira, and Stella all invoked their sabotages at the same time causing Maddy to glow faintly for a moment as they took effect.

SABOTAGE! Sweat it out!: Target contestant becomes more prone to sweating when warm or nervous for the next 12 hours. In addition their sweat will have a mild aphrodisiac effect.

SABOTAGE! Separation Anxiety!: Target contestant will find themselves growing increasingly antsy unless in contact with another person for the next 12 hours. The calming effect is enhanced the more skin is touching.

SABOTAGE! Mood Contagion: Target Contestant will have their ability to receive and spread emotions enhanced for the next 12 hours. For the purpose of this sabotage, arousal is considered an emotion. Don’t tell Walter Cannon

Bounty Complete, Reward: 6 VP, 9 BP