The Unveiling (D'Shar Men 2)

"I suppose I wouldn't," she whispered, more to herself than him. When she saw him dressed down and laid back like this it was all too easy to forget who he truly was. They walked over to the kitchen, washed their hands, and moved to stand beside the island.

"So." She turned her body to face him. "What do you like on your pizza?"

"Everything. What about you?"

"Anything except onions. How about cheese, pepperoni, green peppers, and mushroom?"

"I'm good with that."

"Good, we'll chop the veggies up first." She turned away, took out a bag of pepperoni, a carton of mushrooms, and a green pepper. Ripping off the packaging she tossed the plastic into the garbage can, ran the produce under a stream of water from the sink and walked to the counter. A wooden cutting board and a plastic one sat at the end of the counter.

"I'll chop the mushrooms, and you can chop the green pepper."

Rivka grabbed the wooden board, leaving him the plastic. They both pulled a knife from the butcher's block and set to work.

"Have you always liked cooking?" he asked.

"Yes. It’s a way to keep my hands and my mind engaged without being taxing. The ceremonies take a lot out of me, and this helps refuel me."

"I understand that. I use television that way."

"Really?" She paused in chopping to peer across the counter at him.

"Yeah. Mars introduced me to a couple shows I liked, and I keep up with them."

"What do you watch?"

"I like sci-fi and supernatural stuff, Fringe, Haven."

"Ooh, those are both good shows."

"Do you like that sort of thing?"

"I do. I'm fascinated by mystic and science and where those two lines cross. I know it seems cliché, but there's a lot even I don't know."

"Will it make me sound shallow if I say I've never thought about it much?"

"No, considering you were under The Purge I doubt you were thinking deep thoughts about much of anything."

"It's true. I never realized what I was getting into. My Sensei warned me, but I was too stubborn, thought I knew it all."

"We all do at that age. I did." She chuckled.

"You?"

"Oh yeah. Being a Star Maiden always came natural to me. I had a real knack for it. I let it go to my head. Conjured up some folks I wasn't really ready to handle and had to call in my mentor to help me put them back."

"So you've always been a rebel?"

"I'm not a rebel."

"Uh huh."

"I’m not. I just have a clear vision of what I want and I go for it."

He smirked but remained quiet as they returned to their chopping. Once they were finished, they placed the pieces in bowls.

"I let you off easy with the dough. I made it ahead of time because it takes thirty minutes to rise."