Jordan Witte had very rarely realized when he had made a mistake. Generally speaking, he drifted through life with a laidback attitude and smile on his face, gracing the world with his puppy-dog like enthusiasm and a far deeper insight into life than his appearance generally showed. However, as he checked his phone and noticed that this was the fifth text that had gone without a response over the past three days; he knew that he had done something, somehow, to piss off his girlfriend. Inquiry texts to the mutual friends also generally ended up fruitless. He was in the dog house. Jordan sighed and pocketed his phone.
The first thing he needed to tackle was what he had done, and how grievous an offence it had been to the feminine esthetic. The second was how he was going to rectify the error. Jordan bit his lip and squinted skyward. With Rei it could be anything; she was so volatile and passionate about every little thing, he could have smiled at the wrong moment and sent her off on some existential crisis about their future. Well, despite the radio silence, he was going to have to get a hold of one of the girls. He pulled his phone out of his pocket again and started scrolling through the names. Ami would be busy studying, and she may not even know what was going on; she was occasionally out of the loop, either by choice or because she was simply difficult to contact. Makoto might clue him in, but it was more likely that she'd be in protective-mommy-mode, and wouldn't, especially if it was something big. Minako was right under Makoto's name. Though she and Rei were the closest of all the girls, Minako often gave him handouts of information that was the mystery of Rei Hino. Even if he had done something major Minako would be his best ally hands down.
Jordan clicked on her name and waited for her to answer. Some poppy song he didn't recognize played instead of a phone ring, and he gritted his teeth despite himself. Finally, after a full nauseating thirty seconds, she answered. "What is it, Jordan?" she hissed. Her voice was soft and rushed, as if she had answered against her better judgment. This threw him a bit. Was she near Rei?
"Uh, hey Mina! Listen, I was wondering if you'd be able to give me a little insight as to why Rei's not answering me." There was a long pause and he heard rustling as if she'd shoved her phone in her pocket or clutched it against her chest. Finally she spoke again.
"Meet me at the park at seven o'clock. I'll give you the lowdown." She hung up abruptly, and Jordan pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it quizzically, as if it would give him an answer to this whole bewildering madness. Women.
At seven that evening, the sun was just starting to dip down low in the sky and a chill was starting to sneak into the air. Late summer bordering on fall always made him miss the East coast and the crispness that would refresh the hot summer air as it turned. Jordan sat on a park bench, swinging his feet idly and spreading his arms across the entire back of the bench, his head back staring at the clouds as they started to tinge towards pink. Minako popped into his field of vision suddenly, causing him to start. She was wearing a hat and a pair of sunglasses as if she was trying not to be noticed. That wasn't unusual for her, per se, but he still always found it a bit silly. She came around the side of the bench and plopped down next to him.
"You're in deep shit, dude," she said as a greeting.
"Hello to you too, Mina." He grinned despite himself. "So what'd I do this time?" he asked.
"Have you two argued recently?" Mina asked. She examined her nails as if she were trying to seem disinterested in the whole topic. This however was a leading question. Of course they had argued. Half the time, Jordan thought 90% of the relationship was arguing with Rei. Still, he would need to suss out an exact argument and see if he could pin down a specific comment.
"Well, yeah. But that's not unusual, and I thought we had made up afterward." Jordan began to drum his fingers on the bench between them. Mina made a soft snorting sound and pulled off her sunglasses. He was glad she hadn't done so earlier. Her blue eyes were dark with a quiet fury. It was a startling sight in someone so normally sunny.
"Did you, by any chance tell her she was turning into her mother?" She asked softly. The hand she had been examining her nails with clenched tightly. Oh. Shit.
"Um...well, you see…"
"Happen to forget an important fact there? I'd like to know how, exactly, you'd have been able to compare Rei to her mother seeing as you've. Never! Met! Her!" Mina punched him in the arm on her last three words for emphasis. He jumped back a bit and covered his head, in case she went for his face next. As it was his arm was sure to be bruised. "You're so stupid!"
"Yes. I am. But don't all women turn into their mothers?" Jordan asked from behind his crossed arms. He deserved the hard slap he received for that comment. At least now he knew. Minako stood up, shoving her sunglasses back on her face. Perhaps he didn't really have an ally this time around. He'd rarely seen Mina as furious as she was now, and the last time she'd been this angry Zach had played a particularly mean trick on Usagi, and made her cry. Shit. He must have made Rei cry, at least. Though, it was hard to imagine his furious hell beast of a girlfriend actually breaking down and crying.
"Fix this." Minako said. She started stalking away and Jordan's panic started to bubble to the surface in earnest. He leapt off the bench and grabbed Minako's arm.
"Please, help me figure out what to do." He dropped Minako's arm and sighed. "I mean, I know I need to apologize, but clearly this can't be a simple I'm sorry."
"She likes Calla lilies and cherry blossoms, but good luck finding either of those at this time of year."
"No, I don't think flowers are good enough." He sighed. He thought hard for a few moments before an idea drifted to the surface. "What's Rei's favorite dessert?" Jordan's family had a long tradition of giving fancy desserts as a means of apology. But it was only Minako's comment about not finding flowers that sparked the memory. One time his aunt had made his grandmother so mad she had threatened to disinherit her. As an apology, his aunt had made a rose water flavored cake with sugared rose petals for his grandmother. The trick was, the dessert needed to match the severity of the wrongdoing. "Think she'd like cake?"
Minako gave him a quizzical look. "I suppose so," she said. "I mean she's always had a few bites of one if Mako ever made one."
"I have an idea. May I use your kitchen? My apartment doesn't really have a good oven, and I know Makoto will have insisted on it." Jordan whipped out his phone again and started making a shopping list. Minako frowned. He wasn't exactly on the acceptable people to be near Makoto list either at the moment, but maybe his sweet (literally) gesture would sway her. Heck, she might even help the poor soul. She took out her phone as well, and texted Makoto the whole story to see if she would lend her kitchen. After all, Minako barely set foot in the room. Makoto's initial response was ": ( ," which made Minako laugh. That response was quickly followed by an "okay fine : ( ."
Minako looked up to see Jacob waiting intensely. "She said okay, but she's not pleased. You may want to bring penance to her, too." Minako crossed her arms and looked out over the park. "So what do we do now?" Jordan threaded his arm through hers and started leading them away.
"We shop."
Fifteen minutes later, the two were happily browsing through a specialty baking supply store gathering any cherry blossom flavored ingredients they could find. Jordan was not by any means an expert baker, but he had enough experience that he felt confident that he would at least be able to make something tasty. The basket he had slung over his arm contained sakura essence, sakura liquor, and even a pinkish colored sakura sugar. Next, the cake flour and the baking powder, eggs, butter, a small box of caster sugar, and a small vial of red food coloring all went into the basket. Minako had even found red, pink and white sugar flowers that would accent the theme of the cake.
As they stood at the checkout, a sly smile began to creep into Jordan's features. Now that the plan was in action he could see the path that lay in front of him, and he couldn't wait to get started. Victory would be glorious. Rei would forgive him and hug him tightly as they ate forkfuls of cake from over each other's shoulders. Minako elbowed him hard, startling him from his reverie. "You're up, Romeo," she said. Jordan scrambled to put the items on the register shelf. He paid quickly, and the two were out of the store in a hurry.
The walk to the apartment had been brisk, with twilight starting to dance across the sky into night. Minako had remained quiet the whole time. It was unusual for her, but Jordan decided it was best he didn't push her into conversation if she wasn't forthcoming. He didn't want to stir the waters if he could avoid it. They reached the front walk and Minako surged ahead to unlock the front door. She ran up the stairs and dropped her bag in the kitchen, before going to look for Makoto. Jordan followed more slowly, and started unpacking the bags, placing the items strategically on the counter.
Minako found Makoto in the living room. She was flipping through recipe books while already wearing her apron. Minako leaned against the door frame, trying to keep from smiling. "Mako-chan," she said softly. "We're home. Jordan's unpacking the groceries now."
Makoto waved over her shoulder, as she was engrossed in a recipe. "I left aprons for you guys in the kitchen. Make sure he knows where the bowls and spoons are. Oh, the dishwasher too. I want this kitchen clean again. "
Minako smirked. "Mako-chan, you should be worrying about cake pans. I haven't the slightest clue where they are. You'll have to show him that at least." Makoto huffed and crossed her arms, turning to look at Minako full on.
"He's serious about this?" Makoto asked. Minako nodded. "Do you think Rei'll fall for it?" Minako shrugged.
"I think she doesn't actually want to be mad at him. If he prostrates himself properly she'll let him apologize," she said. "But lord knows he needs a little guidance. I can only offer so much help in this department."
Makoto frowned. "But he's such a stupid boy. I don't want to aid and abet if this is just going to piss her off worse. Now we're all party to the crime if it doesn't go off as planned."
"It will," Minako said. "Even if Rei doesn't appreciate the cake itself, she'll appreciate the gesture. It'll work out fine. She's just playing at being mad anyway. Besides, it's fun to watch him squirm." A crash came from the kitchen followed by a soft swear. Makoto sighed as she placed an old, withered index card she used as a bookmark in a recipe and snapped the book shut.
"Let's go fight fires," Makoto said as she stood up and went into the kitchen. Minako followed, anxious to see what chaos Jordan had already caused.
In the kitchen, Jordan had managed to open, then drop the box of cake flour which caused the flour to erupt out of the top of the box, so that he was dusted in a fine layer of flour, as well as the counter and some of the floor. In his rush to catch the box, he had knocked over all the special ingredients, but luckily hadn't broken any of the bottles. Instead, he had simply made a mess. Makoto shook her head as she surveyed her previously pristine kitchen. She whipped a towel from over her shoulder and began to wipe up the spilled flour. Minako slapped Jordan on the back and on the arms to shake the flour off his shirt. Already this was turning out better than expected. She knew that if he showed up at Rei's place covered in flour and bearing gifts, it might go better than even he expected. "Let's not worry too much about cleaning up entirely, and just get started!" she said.
Makoto was already under the island digging out the bowls and she gently shoved Jordan out of the way so she could get out the whisks and wooden spoons. "Do you actually have a recipe in mind?" she asked. Jordan shook his head.
"I was thinking of a basic vanilla that I could enhance with the flavor of the cherry blossoms, but if you've any other ideas, I am definitely open to them," he said. He toyed with the bottle of sakura essence. "I just want it to be special."
Makoto tapped her index finger against her cheek as she thought. While she had been waiting for them to arrive, she'd been specifically looking for a recipe to tailor to Jordan's needs. Most of her books were relatively simple, country style recipes. However, in one of her mother's old, worn books she had seen a recipe for a violet cake, and it seemed like it would be easily adaptable to the cause. "Hold that thought," she said, and back pedaled into the living room, where all the books were strewn over the coffee table. She found it immediately; the pages were yellowed, and had her mother's neat handwritten notes over the margins. Makoto picked it up gingerly and brought it back into the kitchen. "No touchy," she said. She turned the pages slowly until she found the recipe again. "Take a look, and see what you think." She propped the book up against the flour canister. Jordan and Minako leaned in to get a closer look at the recipe, while Makoto stood behind them, her arms crossed over her chest.
They read through the recipe, which seemed simple enough. It was a light cake, which used just enough butter to be moist, but not dense. The floral element was pretty significant. Jordan nodded his head. "Seems doable," he said.
"Great!" Makoto shoved a bowl in front of him. "Get to it!"
Jordan squinted at the recipe, reading first through the ingredients, then the directions. "I need a flour sifter," he said, looking through the supplies Makoto had set on the counter. "And two round cake pans."
"What temp does the oven need to be?" Minako asked. Generally, she was a bit of a disaster in the kitchen, but she could be helpful enough to turn the oven on. She first checked that there was nothing in the oven, then turned it on to preheat at the temperature that Jordan had told her. Meanwhile, Makoto was crouched down in the cabinet next to the oven, where she kept all her cake pans. She found her two best round pans and pulled them out, handing them to Minako who set them next to Jordan.
Jordan had started to measure the ingredients. First the flour, then the sugar, and baking powder and soda, salt, vanilla and had set his eggs aside at hand. He hadn't yet broken into the special ingredients, as he would need to do a little mental computation with the extract and liqueur amounts versus what the violet water would have been. Makoto finally unearthed her flour sifter and set it next to him. Then she and Minako stood near him and watched as he began to assemble the cake. Makoto was impressed that he knew his way around making a batter and even with how efficient he was with a whisk. She had definitely underestimated him as a kitchen ally. Now she would have to enlist his help more often, especially around the holidays. Finally he came to the part where the sakura came in. Jordan looked to Makoto, after opening the liqueur and extract. He passed the containers to her and let her inspect them. Makoto sniffed them and swirled the contents around before handing them back.
"It'll be sweet, but light. I doubt it'll taste like cherries, but more floral," she said.
"That's what I'm hoping for. Spoon?" Jordan at least wanted to taste it before he added it to the batter. Minako dug a spoon out from the drawer and handed it to him. Jordan poured a small bit of the liqueur out and gave it a taste. It didn't burn straight away, and had a light, floral flavor. Next, he tried the extract. It didn't have the bitter flavor that vanilla extract usually did, but it did have a powerful flavor. Jordan nodded. "So, more liqueur and a bit of the extract? 70/30?" he asked.
Makoto pursed her lips. "Mmm, I'd probably think more 80/20. The liqueur smells like it is less potent, but brings in a sweetness."
"Alright, then." Jordan poured out the extract and the liqueur to the designated quantities to equal what would have been the violet water. He added it to the batter and stirred. The liqueur and extract had looked a bit pink, but when added to the batter did not affect the color over all. He frowned and added two drops of the red food coloring, leading to very faint, light pink color. Perfect. While Jordan had been making the batter, Makoto and Minako had greased and floured his baking pans, with Makoto showing Minako how to do it best. Now, Jordan poured the batter into the pans, and scraped the bowl to make sure to get it all out. He handed the spatula to Minako who took a lick. Jordan quirked an eyebrow at her.
"It's sweet, but not too. Rei'll like it," Minako said. Makoto ran her finger along the spatula and stuck it in her mouth.
"It's floral, but not punch you in the face flowery. I rather like it. Subtle." That said, she swept the pans off the counter and placed them in the optimal spot in the oven. She set the timer and swung around to face the other two. "Now. Icing." Makoto placed her hands on her hips and for the first time that evening, felt she was going to bat for the right team. Jordan's precision and care really showed her how serious he was about this, and now she was on board. "Are you thinking cream cheese or buttercream or whipped cream?"
Jordan set the small jar of sakura flavored sugar in front of her. "Whatever we make, I wanted to use this." The sugar in the jar was pinkish and looked like glitter more than sugar. He stared at it and wondered what the best icing would even be for a cake like this.
Minako, who had found a Martha Stewart magazine and was flipping through it, while she waited for the two to do something more interesting said, "What about meringue?" She had found a page that displayed macaroons, and though they weren't even remotely the same thing, she had made the connection between the two. Makoto smiled.
"Mina, that's actually a fantastic idea," she said. A meringue icing was something that Makoto knew by heart, and the icing would be thick enough, yet light enough to complement the cake. It could also take a bit of abuse from an amateur icer. Makoto took the cover off the stand mixer, and started putting the ingredients for a meringue into the bowl. Unfortunately, this meant using all of the sakura sugar.
"You had a stand mixer, and let me beat that cake batter by hand?" Jordan asked. He stared at the offending machine wistfully as he massaged his sore hand.
Makoto was non-pulsed. "Mmm, yes. What is it they say? The secret ingredient is love? The real secret ingredients are hard work and pain." She turned on the mixer to get the icing started while she boiled a pan of water to dissolve the sugar more thoroughly.
"Or blood, sweat and tears. Though, I feel like those desserts tend to feel tortured even if they are the most lovely to look at," Minako said as she flipped more pages. She looked up at Jordan, and a sly smile spread across her face. "Of course, you must like that idea. Torture, I mean. After all you're dating Rei."
Jordan scrunched his face up. "Oh you're real funny, Mina," he said. "Just because you manage to breeze through life without pissing Rei off all the time, doesn't mean everyone can."
"That's not true at all," Minako replied. "I piss Rei off constantly. The difference is we both know I do it on purpose, and it's never anything big enough to really go anywhere. You just blunder through your relationship like a rhino in a glass shop."
"Mina, I'm not sure…" Makoto sighed and trailed off. There was little point in correcting Minako's foible; she'd retain it anyway. "Jordan, it's true that Rei can be difficult. It's also true that you're not the most cautious person ever. If you wanted my advice, I'd suggest thinking before you open your mouth more often." Makoto snagged the little vial of food coloring that Jordan had been playing with. "Pink," she muttered and added a few drops to the icing as it whipped.
Jordan bit his lip as he mulled over the things the girls had said. Yes, Mina had been teasing him, but there was a certain truth to her words-Makoto's as well. Perhaps he wasn't as observant as he could have been. And it probably was true that he had no filter. Whatever popped into his head did tend to go straight out his mouth. Rei was much more used to retrospection and propriety than he was. Maybe he should start working on mentally editing before he spoke. It just might reduce some of the arguments they had.
The buzzer rang and shook him from his reverie. Makoto had been standing next to the oven and, after sliding her oven gloves onto her hands, tested the cakes. The needle came out clean. "Looks like they're done, Jord," she said. She pulled them out of the oven and pulled off her glove, touching the cake lightly to see if it sprung back at her touch. He'd done a good job with the batter. Now all they needed to do was wait for it to cool.
Mina broke out the wine glasses, and a nice bottle of a blended red. Waiting would go by a lot faster if they had something to dull the monotony of waiting for cakes to cool. She poured the three glasses and paused. "Should we toast or something?" she asked.
"To what?" Makoto had started to load the dishwasher with all the used dishes, so she could keep her kitchen in some sort of semblance of clean. Really, aside from the flour incident, Jordan hadn't made that big of a mess, but if she didn't get on top of it early, the pile of dishes would soon be quite large. Small things like measuring devices added up pretty quickly. She loaded the last dish for now and closed the door.
Jordan took one of the glasses and held it up. "To friendship, teamwork, luck and Rei," he said.
"Here, here!" Minako said, and clinked her glass with his. "And to wine!" Makoto rolled her eyes, but picked up a glass and touched it with both of theirs nonetheless.
The cake took a good hour to cool, and by the time it had, the three had killed the entire bottle of wine. Makoto was a bit pink in the face, and very touchy-feely. She kept leaning over and telling Jordan how much she hoped that this plan would work. Minako was giggly, finding every little thing absolutely hilarious. Jordan was warm, and happy. It was as if he'd gotten his hands on that one special golden "Harry Potter" potion and nothing could go wrong.
Makoto brought out the meringue icing again, and handed Jordan an icing knife. Jordan was admittedly, a bit unsteady as he iced the cake, but he didn't pick up any crumbs, and it was a lovely, glossy color. Makoto cleaned up some of the rough spots, and Mina was allowed to decorate as she chose, which actually wasn't as bad as they'd thought. She was judicious with her placement of the sugar flowers, and the end result, with a few extra gum-paste buds that Makoto had on hand from a previous project, actually turned out quite pretty. Jordan turned the cake around a few times, looking at it from different angles. They'd done a pretty good job, if he didn't say so himself. Rei would like it, he was sure.
"It's lovely," Mina said. She squeezed herself between Jordan and the counter, and wrapped her arm around his waist to give him a hug. Makoto squeezed him around the shoulders.
"I know it's 1'oclock," she started, "But, I think we should take it to her tonight. Cakes are best fresh." Makoto pulled away from the cuddle pile and pulled out one of the cake boxes she had above the stove. She'd already put the cake on her best cake plate and now with its proper dressing, it was a thing of beauty.
As soon as Makoto had mentioned going over, Minako had whipped out her phone. Rei was probably already still up studying, but even if she wasn't Minako was going to wake her up. The phone rang twice, before Rei answered.
"REI!" Minako squealed. "Rei, we are coming over. Jordan has something for you. No, I know you're mad. I don't care. This is awesome. We are going to be there in like ten minutes. What? No, I'm NOT drunk. Wha? Shut up, Rei. We're coming over." Mina violently pressed the end call button and shoved her phone in her jeans pocket. "Rei said no," she said.
"Pfft," Makoto said. "Girl doesn't know what's good for her. I did not help make an awesome confection for some bitter girl who's too stubborn to see what a precious baby Jordan is. We're going." Makoto turned and grabbed some forks out of the drawer. "And we're going to eat this thing. I have to know." She opened the box and put the four forks on each side of the square, trying to keep them under the cake plate. Minako had already pounded down the stairs, and managed to get her coat half on. She was struggling to get her flats on at the same time, and ended up in a pile at the bottom of the stairs. Jordan laughed and pulled her up.
"It's so nice that you guys are rallying for me. I really appreciate it," he said. He pulled Minako's coat off her one arm and held it out for her to slip into it. "I dunno if you're doing this more for me or for Rei, but thank you, really."
"Caaaaake." Mina said. The gratitude was not truly lost on her however. She'd pull it out again at some future time when Jordan would least expect it. As far as she was concerned, if they managed to convince Rei, Jordan owed her. Big time.
Makoto made it down stairs and handed the box to Jordan, while she put her shoes on. "I actually agree with Minako. I want some damn cake."
"Well, we best be going, then," Jordan said. The little party trouped out the door and started down the street. Rei's apartment was several blocks away, but as they were already a bit tipsy, the walk didn't feel too long. Besides, the wine and glowing masterpiece they were transporting was more than enough to make them merry. They chatted and plotted about what Jordan was going to say as they went. Minako suggested total supplication, in a very dramatic style, while Makoto thought it would be more fitting if he simply stated that he was sorry and wanted to make up for what he had said. Jordan listened to their ideas, but ultimately, he already had a plan.
Rei was outside waiting for them when they arrived, grinning, to her place. She, however was scowling as she stood on the porch. It had been a long day at university and the last thing she wanted right now was to deal with whatever harebrained idea Jordan had cooked up for apology. She tapped her foot as they tripped up the drive, arm in arm. Normally the image would have made her laugh, but today she just wanted to go to bed.
"Why are you guys here?" she asked. She uncrossed her arms and came down the last few steps of the porch. "Minako, I told you I didn't want—"
"Rei." Jordan held out the cake box. Rei stopped yelling at Minako and peeked in the window of the box. She was a bit surprised to see a cake, despite the fact that he was carrying a cake box. She could tell it wasn't bakery quality, so that must have meant that he hadn't directly swindled Makoto into making it for him. "I'm sorry. I know I have a hard time not saying exactly what's on my mind, especially when I'm frustrated," he paused and Rei let go of her vice grip on Minako's arm. "I don't always mean to say what I am thinking. And, there are even times when I don't even know what I'm saying at all. Some things are false, others are tactless. I'm truly sorry I hurt you. I know cake probably won't solve our problems. But I hope it can at least help ease some of the pain. I really did make most of it myself."
Rei took the cake box out of Jordan's hands, and opened the lid so she could get a better look. Then, she looked up into his face, making sure he wasn't messing with her. "You made me a cake. As an apology."
"I just…Flowers weren't a big enough gesture," he said. "But, the cake is cherry blossom flavored. I know you told me that you really missed hanami this year, and especially the trees around the shrine. I hope I could bring you just a little bit of home. And, I love you. I wanted to do something special for you." He looked around the complex. People were starting to watch from their windows, or, at least the few people who were already up, or Rei had woken up when she was yelling at Minako. "Um, can we finish this inside?"
Rei looked back to the door of the building. She looked at Minako and Makoto. Makoto had her hands shoved in her pockets, but she had a huge grin on her face. Minako was giving her a big thumbs up. Rei closed her eyes and sighed. If those two were behind him, perhaps she should listen to what he had to say."Yeah, come on, Jordan." Rei turned, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she started to lead him into the building. Jordan broke into a huge smile and started to follow her. He paused and mouthed a silent thank you to the two girls.
"Aw!" Minako said, disappointed. Rei turned around and gave her a very pointed look. "But we wanted cake!" Jordan leaned out the door as Rei started up the stairs.
"Don't worry, I'll save you some!" he said, and then closed the door. Mina sighed.
"Well, Mako-chan, we've done it. Saved another poor sap from ruining her life," she said. Makoto nodded, grabbed the back collar of Minako's jacket and started leading her back to their own apartment.
"I'm happy for them," she said. "I didn't think he could do it, but if Jordan can melt her defenses like that, he's gotta be good for her."
Minako nodded. "I honestly think he is. When I met him in the park tonight, and saw how desperate he was, I could tell just how much he loves her. It's a lot. Like A LOT a lot."
"Good," Makoto said. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence for the rest of the walk home, each thinking about the part they had played and wondering when they'd get their turn.