ishisstrength | IC CONTACT

[She steps towards the rising dough and cuts a piece of the fluffy concoction free. Her fingers roll it into a 4 inch ball before placing it on the cutting board that's already powdered with flour.]

Have you ever rolled out dough before?

[Justine steps behind Majima and moves him in front of the cutting board with the dough.] First you want to cover your hands with flour. That prevents the dough from sticking to your fingers. You want to touch the dough as little as possible as well, there are oils on her fingers that will flatten it when it cooks. [Her fingers intertwine with his as she covers them both in flour and then puts his fingers over the dough.]

First we're going to push out the edges like this. [Justine guides his palm against the dough so that it's a perfectly rough circle.] Now we use the rolling pin. [She lifts her chin to look up at Majima, enjoying the closeness of the act.] Make sense so far?

Never.

[ The dough looked so strangely soft and fluffy whenever he watched Justine handle her own baking, and though he'd watched with interest and even tried mixing or simple tasks, he'd been fairly sure he wouldn't have the same knack. (He was kind of tempted to poke the ball, actually.)

Now, he followed her instructions as best he could, first dipping into the flour, then in rolling out the dough. ]

Hmm, so ya can't overhandle it, huh? I'll try and give it a lighter touch.

[ So now their roles were reversed, and Majima had the distinct impression that Justine enjoyed this. The touching, the proximity... it was a different kind of intimacy. Maybe even vulnerability, which he would have shared with few others. He was tempted to kiss her, but resisted just this once. ]

How long did ya have to practice at this?

With bread? More than a few times. The first time- [She smiles down as the roller pushes into the dough.] -well, I got the dough stuck to the roller and what I made came out shaped a little bit like a frog. [It'd tasted fine but it hadn't risen properly nor has she rolled it well.]

Okay. Now you want to roll it evenly between sides to make sure it's coated in flour and even.

[Justine flips the dough over for him and spins it once to show him what she means.]

Think you got the hang of it? once it's about a half inch thick we can add the sauce and toppings.

Yeah, think so.

[ And indeed, Majima was a quick learner; that time he'd spent watching Justine hadn't been in vain, it seemed. The dough became steadily thinner, and though it wasn't completely even, it was pretty close. ]

It's hard to imagine that happenin' now. But I think I'd like to see one of those dough frogs. Bet they're pretty cute.

[ Kind of like Justine. But it was getting harder and harder not to think of how nice it'd be to sample the taste of pizza that didn't come out of a freezer for once. ]

So, about that sauce... for real pizza, you don't have to put on as much, right?

[Justine shakes her head and tries not to blush.]

It really wasn't.

[They were very creepy pieces of bread that happened to also look like large deformed frogs.]

That's right. A few table spoons should be enough. It's there to keep the dough from drying out while its in the oven. [She steps out from behind him and steps over to the sink to rinse the flour off her hands.] What do you want to put on the first pizza?

Well, cheese goes without sayin'. But since we just cooked the bacon, why not start with that first? And after that... your pick.

[ Majima retrieved the sauce and a spoon, starting to spread it out onto the pizza from the center like he'd seen others do. ]

We need some olive oil or anything?

Alright.

[Justine grabs the cheese and spreads it over the pizza when he's done spreading the sauce.]

And no, we'd only need that if we weren't using the sauce. [She continues to sprinkle the cheese until it's evenly spread and then nods to the bacon.] Would you like to do the honors?

[ It was strange. He enjoyed watching people work in general, from restaurant chefs to construction workers to practically anyone in between. He always had, and if pressed, he'd probably say that it was because he respected work. Closer to the truth, perhaps, was that Majima enjoyed watching people perform those skills that they had chosen to hone, whether out of love or duty.

Justine's skill might have been partially born from boredom or loneliness, but there was no skimming over the truth that was the deftness of her hands. And when she was finished, he leaned in swiftly to kiss her fingers before she could entirely pull them away.

With a small smile of his own, he started crumbling the bacon evenly over the pie, leaving a couple bigger pieces here and there. Variety was what made life (and pizza) interesting, after all. ]

The bacon stage is complete, ma'am.

[Justine begins to cut another piece of dough free while Majima covers their first pizza with bacon bits. She's thinking that this one should be green peppers and olives though a pizza with absolutely no meat seems strange, she thinks that the two flavors will work well together.]

Then we put it in the oven. [She steps over to the oven and sets it to 350.] I forgot to pre-heat but this will be tricky anyway.

The way to get the crusty crispy is to put the pizza directly on the oven grate. We'll need to be careful so we don't drop anything. [She looks back at Majima and her smile widens.] What is it? You look like you're thinking about something.

I was just thinking how cool you look.

[ C... cool...? The compliment seemed completely genuine, however, from the way he was watching her handle the ingredients. There was a sort of quiet affection to it, more subdued than usual. ]

Never saw myself in a million years, making pizza in a kitchen like this.

...Thanks, Justine.

[A light musical laugh escapes from Justine's lips before she can stop it. She doesn't laugh often and while it's short, it's honest.]

Thank you. I don't think I've ever been called cool before.

[It's more of a compliment because Justine knows that he means it.]

I'm more than happy to do anything with you.

I like being around you.

[ Majima smiled a bit mischievously. ]

No? It's true, though.

[ While the oven heated up, surely there was some time for a chat. He turned, looking out the window at the evening stars showing themselves outside. ]

When I was back in Reims, we had a star chart app on all the phones. I forgot a lot of 'em, but I still remember where the Cygnus constellation was. That's the swan flying around without any feet.

[Justine steps around the counter to take a better look at the stars.]

No feet? [She doesn't know a lot about the constellations. There is the little dipper and the big dipper but she's never tried to pick them out in the sky. Justine had grown up in a city with too much light pollution to see the stares.]

I've been told that there are stories to go with each constellation. Do you know why it had no feet?

Hmm... they fell off?

[ There was a gleam in his eye that strongly suggested he was joking. ]

See, it's that bunch of stars there. Those are the two wings, and there's its head. My best guess? People think swans, and all they look for is long, graceful necks and wings. But if ya ever do look at a real one, its feet are there -- plain as day.

[ Which meant that the Cygnus constellation was likely more of a statement on human nature than anything to do with real-life birds. ]

As for the story behind it, there're a couple of different ones, I think. One of them is Orpheus got turned into a swan after he died.

[Her lips curve into a warm smile at the truly awful joke. Justine loves it but she lets it pass and focuses on the collection of stars that are supposed to look like a swan.]

Do you know what I love about swans? They look graceful above the water but beneath it their legs are kicking frantically to stay afloat. [She steps next to Majima and leans against his side. It's very obvious that she likes swans, even if she doesn't know a lot about the legends behind the constellations.]

Is it supposed to be Orpheus?

Really? That's what I always liked about them, too.

[ Majima slipped an arm around her waist, hand wrapped loosely about hers. ]

That's right. Then they put him up in the stars, next to his harp.

[ His index finger stroked lightly over the back of her hand as he tilted his face toward her. There was another story about Orpheus that was better-known, no doubt. ]

Say, Justine. You ever play that game where ya make up constellations?

[Her head rests against his shoulder and the heat of his body sinks into her side as she stares up at the stars. It's a peaceful moment and Justine loves every second of it. It's moments like this that make life worth its heartaches.]

That's kind of them.

[Whoever it is who put people in the stars.]

Make them up? [Her lips press into a thin frown before she shakes her head.] No. I haven't.

[She stares at him and waits for Majima to elaborate on this game.]

There's not much to it. You pick some stars and decide what they're supposed to be. That's how they got made in the first place, right?

[ He pointed to a little cluster of stars, even as he balanced her weight against his frame. ]

See that group there? I think it looks like a cat. There's its tail, and its back...

[ (Of course, it did appear to have only one ear.) ]

Yes. I do believe that's how it's done.

[Justine continues leans in, following the direction that Majima indicates. It takes her spotting the tail to see the rest of the cat and while it's a flimsy comparison, she can see the figure shaping the more she stars at the twinkling stars.] I see it though it's ear seems to small on one side. [Which is a nice way of saying nonexistent.]

What would you call that one there? It looks like a whale or fish of some kind don't you think?

[She looks up at Majima just as the oven buzzes softly, letting them know it's preheated.]

Aww, he probably just lost it in a fight. It's tough on the street for a tomcat.

[ And that particular smile of his suggested that Majima might feel akin to such an animal, in point of fact. Hell, they had character, didn't they? He looked up to where Justine was pointing. ]

That's a good one. Hmmm... let's say whale.

[ But for now? Time to get back to the siren call of that oven, and finish up dinner. ]

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and wrap!