Sebastian knows exactly what went wrong. When he separated and mixed them in, the frigid egg whites broke the batter. In his haste, he didn’t look to see if the mixture had curdled before he put the cake in the oven. Fingers could be pointed to a chain of errors that were not his own, but Sebastian knows for certain that he will be bearing the brunt of the blame for this one. A few months ago, he would have been worried senseless. But as those weary months passed, they made him numb to the unreasonable nature of this kitchen’s leadership.

Polard’s aggressive footsteps approach. Sebastian closes his eyes as he prepares himself for whatever is about to come next. But then he hears a brief grunt. Sebastian opens his eyes just in time to see Polard slip on the slick floor, barely catching himself using the kitchen counter.

"Somebody get the mop and clean these floors!" Polard yells.

There is a twinge of embarrassment in his voice. Sebastian can feel Polard’s attention desperately shift to the nearest distraction. There is a moment of silence as Sebastian and Polard both stare down at the broken cake. Delphine slides over gently with a bowl of icing.

"The icing is ready." She says.

"Thank you." Sebastian takes the bowl.

The whole kitchen comes to a standstill as Polard falls uncharacteristically silent. Delphine slowly steps away.

"Alright, I’m just gonna…" Sebastian mumbles as he picks up a wide metal spatula and begins removing the cake from the pan. Polard watches silently as Sebastian carefully removes the browned exterior layer from each side to reveal the cake’s interior. This sponge cake is not very spongey. Delphine walks away faster.

"Well, that’s not good. Is it, Sebastian?" Polard asks.

"It’s not good, chef." He responds as he stares off into the distance.

"So, what went wrong here, Sebastian?"

As aggravating as Polard’s guessing games are, it’s usually best to just go along with them. However, Sebastian is burnt out and he knows that this wasn’t his fault.

"The fridge temperature was changed—" He starts.

"Your process was incorrect! You should have prepared the egg whites before anything else! Maybe leaving them out while you prepared the rest would have given them time to warm up! You need to know these things if you want to survive in this industry!" Polard rattles off.

It’s a load of unreasonable, micromanagerial nonsense. The entire crew knows this. Sebastian nods along, hoping that agreeing will bring the tirade to an end.

"This isn’t Mare Crisium, Sebastian. It’s a cutthroat world down here. Your family’s reputation won’t protect you whenever you decide to screw up like this."

Polard’s rant takes an unnecessarily personal turn. Even he knows that he’s gone too far. He physically steps back before doing so with his tone.

"Chef Kimmo. Make the sponge cake again. And make it properly. Rupert, send a few servers around to apologize for our delay. Bring our remaining guests a complimentary Riesling to pair with the cake." Polard orders.

He turns his attention to the rest of the staff. With a snide sarcasm he announces: "Everyone will be staying late tonight. You have the illustrious Chef Sebastian Moreno to thank for that."

Sebastian can feel a room full of glares hit him all at once. His soul shrinks inward. Aboard his imaginary ship, Sebastian feels less like a deckhand and more like a useless barnacle. The shift doesn’t go as late as everyone feared. The entire staff clears out before eleven thirty. Amongst the last ones out are Sebastian and Delphine. They silently pack away their uniforms and gather their belongings at their lockers. Delphine shuts the door of her locker, then closes her eyes. She sighs loudly, then inhales deep. She then takes one long exhale—releasing an entire day’s weight in one dramatic breath. Her posture relaxes into a natural bend. Sebastian watches her routine with the occasional glance. He’s seen her perform this ritual after countless shifts. It never gets old. There’s something cathartic about watching someone truly release themselves. She stands quietly for a moment before finally saying:

"Fuck."

Sebastian laughs. "Yup."

"That was fucking brutal." She says. Delphine’s voice has changed into something more relaxed and natural. Her code switch comes off with the uniform.

"Yeah." He sighs.

"You could probably report him for that."

"It’s not the worst I’ve heard. Besides, I couldn’t afford an attorney."

"You think it would reach the court?" Delphine raises her eyebrows.

Sebastian sighs again. "You know Polard."

"Yeah… he would. You still thinking about finding a new job?" Delphine says as she closes her locker.

Sebastian closes his locker and turns around. "And leave The Mare? Come on. This place is perfect! What’s there not to love?"

"What’s there not to a-Mare?" Delphine says with a big grin.

The terrible pun is cheesy enough to loosen Sebastian from his internal griping.

He smiles for the first time all night. "Uh huh. Let’s get out of here."