To be a Princess, Day 8 - Shopping Trip
Tenchi took another look around the dressing room at the mirrors surrounding him, the image reflected back was in fact him, but these clothes were definitely not him. "Well you should not have told them who you were!" He heard the words in his mind and he knew it was right, but if he had kept silent there was no telling what Ryoko might have done or what they might have done to her. Looking at his reflection again he noted that he did not look bad in these robes, but they just were not him.
"Hay slowpoke hurry up in there!" He heard her voice from outside the room and he knew that if he did not hurry then she would come in after him. Already they had been shopping for about three hours and have picked out a number of suits and things for him and a few dresses for her. But after this they were going to a dressmaker's shop that had been recommended to them by the hotel saying that it was the best place for the fanciest clothes, fit for a Queen.
Chuckling he pictured Ryoko as a Queen, in all her royal best, but underneath it all she just wanted to be wild and free. "Wild and free, what I wouldn't give to be that." Since finding out about the reporters and people following them since making his announcement he had thought of many things. Would he now have to act like a prince? And what about Ryoko? He had told her that he did not want a princess but now if they were to become more she would be forced to become what he said he did not want. Tenchi hung his head and sighed heavily. He did not even know what he wanted now.
"That's not entirely true." He heard from one side of his mind. "I know. I told Ryoko that she was special to me and I do love her. But is that enough?" He knew that she loved him and would do anything for him. It was the only explanation for her recent change in clothes. It had to be; otherwise she would have worn a very revealing bathing suit and not that one. A smile crossed his lips as he recalled vividly how her suit fit her in all the right places and gave hints as to what was beneath but showed very little.
"And what are you smiling at?" He jumped and turned around to see Ryoko's head poking through the door.
Acting on emotion rather than thought he traced a finger along her cheek, "Just thinking of you, is that ok?" His smile grew larger as she blushed, actually furiously blushed and seemed to be at a loss for words. He had very rarely seen the pirate at a loss for words and blushing this hard. Well, once when Zero had replaced her, but never before and very seldom since especially not from what he had said. Retracting his hand from her face he asked her in a very low voice, "do you mind if I change now?"
She nodded still at a loss for words and went back to a chair to sit and wait on him; her mind was in chaos with what had just happened. Since that night when he said she was something special to him and he called her an angel she had been wondering at what would happen next. And now that they were on a trip together and having spent the past several nights in his arms she did not think things could get better, but each day he seems to accept her more and more. It did not matter where they went to her as long as they were together.
As he exited he saw her sitting there, and he smiled again at how beautiful she appeared. Holding out his hand he helped her up and they proceeded to purchase some of the items that they had tried on. Before leaving he went back into a room and changed into a nice but comfortable suit, then he escorted her out of the store and back to their transport.
He had called it a limousine, but that was a gross understatement. The vehicle was black like one but instead of sitting there was room to stand and move about in the floating craft. It was easily twice as long as any limousine he had seen on Earth, not to mention it flew and you could stand in it were just a few of the major differences. From the back compartment there was a set of stairs that took them to an observation deck where they could stand and watch the city pass by as the driver took them wherever they wanted. The first trip had been to a fancy store to get a suit for him and a few things for her. The driver had said it would be best to go there first since they looked pretty ragged, and he also recommended a place to take her.
Ryo-Ohki had ridden along with them and had spent all this time in her cabbit form since the reporters nearby had been taking pictures of them. At first she was distressed over it but soon relaxed, especially with either Tenchi or Ryoko petting her. Next to carrots being petted was heaven, especially when they scratched that spot right under her chin. She was disappointed when Tenchi had asked her to stay in cabbit form at first, but he explained it saying that people would get the wrong idea and start spreading rumors and lies about her. He just did not say the rumors would be that he and Ryoko had already had a child. For some reason that thought still frightened him but he wan not sure why.
Upon entering the dressmaker's shop Tenchi was not impressed, as there were a few couches around a very few actual dresses. Those that he did see were not of the type that they wanted. Ryo-Ohki rested on his shoulder while Ryoko looked around and she did not seem that impressed either. "Hello there!" A bright and cheerful voice called to them. "Welcome to my shop. I have been expecting you, ah you must be Ryoko right?" A short woman all of half of Ryoko's size was standing beside a counter that came up to her head. She looked rather un-impressive and despite all of the strange aliens he had seen she looked like a normal human with white hair.
Ryoko looked at him and he just nodded, so she turned back to the woman. "Yes, um who told you..." She did not finish as the woman hoped forward and grabbed her arm.
"Come, come we have much to do." She started to follow the little woman, as did Tenchi before she turned to him pointing a finger at him. "You have to stay here. Women only past these doors."
"Ok, um how long will you be?" He was slightly depressed that he couldn't follow, but he had something else on his mind.
"Oh well we have much to do, come back in about three hours I think." Ryoko looked at the little woman then at Tenchi. She did not want to be left alone for that long.
"Ok. I will be back then." He moved to Ryoko and gave her a kiss on the cheek whispering to her, "be good for them and I may have a surprise for you." As he moved away her face was lit up and she was almost floating again. Instead of saying a word she just nodded to him and left with the little woman. Tenchi went back to the transport and asked the driver to take him to a good jewelry store.
For Tenchi time seemed to pass too fast as he went from store to store trying to find what he wanted. And in the past two hours he had been to over fifteen stores, but none seemed to have what he wanted. He himself was unsure of it, but he said that he would know when he saw it. "OK, last one," he told himself as he had decided that this would be his last stop before going back, but just as he was about to leave something caught his eye. They had a display behind their counters with a few rings in it and a few small necklaces. It was the rings, well one in particular that got his attention.
The ring appeared to be three separate bands woven together like a tight braid, one of silver and one of gold mixed with a different metal that he had not seen before. However the cyan coloring of it reminded him of Ryoko's hair. Set on it were two small hearts with edges of what looked like diamonds and the hearts were made of what looked like rubies. Pointing to it he told the clerk, "Let me see that one." After it was handed to him the clerk rattled off about the types of metal it was made from, and he was surprised to hear that it was not really gold or silver. It was another metal that had the gold and silver imbued into it. The clerk said it could withstand a number of things but the only thing that Tenchi caught was that even Ryoko would not be able to break it. He was deep in thought as the clerk prattled on, "And for every thousand of these attempted only one is completed."
"I'll take it."
"Um, sir, this is a very expensive piece that..." Tenchi cut him off again saying that he would take it again. "But sir this is just one of a set."
"How many pieces are in the set?" His tone did not leave room for arguments and if he needed to he would buy every piece to the set just to have this one.
"Well there are three rings to the set." He handed them to Tenchi as he talked about them and it hit him as to why they were in a set. The one he had was an engagement ring and the other ring was a wedding ring. But the last one confused him for a moment, and then his mind screamed at him that it was a man's ring. Tenchi red-faced for a moment as he realized that he was picking out wedding rings and he didn't even know it.
Ryoko was having an interesting time as well. When Tenchi had left the little woman had taken to a small room where she was asked to remove her clothing, at first she did not want to but the lady told her that they had to get her measurements for the perfect dress. Grudgingly she did it as the little woman used a machine to scan her and get her precise measurements. "Well now that part is done, we need to work on the dress. While we do you need to relax."
She was handed a robe and taken to another room, this one had a large bath in the center of it. Floating in it were several different types of flower petals and a several tropical oils from the aroma. Leaning back into the water to relax she felt the water start moving. Jumping up she floated above it before realizing it was just water jets. Settling back into the water she found that the jets hit at several places along her back. Soon she was totally relaxed and just resting in the water.
She heard the woman's voice from behind her asking her questions like her favorite color, length of the dress and so on. Ryoko just answered her in a dream like state as she felt herself relaxing more and more. During her bath she was barely even conscious of the two women that had started washing her hair and working different fragrances into it. For the next few hours she was pampered by them as they felt only a select few should.
Knowing all too well that this was not heaven and it had to end sometime she tried not to get too relaxed. Unfortunately this ended long before she was ready for it to and she was slightly disappointed. Her attendants dried her off after she stepped out while the little woman told her that the dress would be ready in two hours and delivered to their hotel room. "Oh and by the way, that young man is back outside waiting for you." The woman winked at Ryoko and helped her get dressed again.
Ryoko's heart was pounding as she was escorted back to Tenchi. Even though she had been so relaxed earlier now she felt nervous. Stepping though the doorway into the front room again she saw him sitting there apparently lost in thought.
"Well Prince your lady is ready." The little woman called to him tearing him away from his thoughts.
When he looked up the sight that greeted him was beyond description to him, even though she was still in the same dress as before there was a difference. He had thought before that she was as beautiful as an angel was and now he was not sure if that was a good enough description. He stood and walked toward her almost falling over his own feet. "Wow!" it was the only utterance that he said that seemed to make any real sense to her. Even just that one word with the look on his face the way he clamored over his other words made her blush.
He took her by the hand and kissed it gently inhaling a sweet aroma that was not there just a few hours ago. Then taking her by the hand he escorted her out the door to their transport to take them to the hotel finally. Upon entering the transport he told her, "What ever they did, I like it." The two of them sat in the transport and rode in silence just holding each other's hand.