Here's a little something that turned out longer than I expected, but I'm very pleased with it, hope you all like it too. The exact time that it takes place is a bit up for debate, but it is after my 'Ancient Legacy' story, but also before Bloodrayne666's 'Changes', give or take. Just for sake of continuity.
Some more notes before we get started. The version of Monalisa that I'm using is, and probably always will be, the one created by Bloodrayne666. She's a good friend with great stories, and we often work together with various ideas to bring you all some great reading.
Second, I want to thank my lovely wife for helping me with this story. It would probably have turned out completely different if not for her input and ideas. So thanks, honey. You're the best! ;)
Now, let's get on with the show!
Fond Memories
Opening the door to her and Tyroth's room, Sephie entered together with her close friend and honorary sister Monalisa, who was visiting Mutopia together with the turtles and master Splinter. Both were dressed in more casual clothes, rather than the set they wore when on patrol or training, however these clothes had many fresh stains of what used to be food.
"Ugh, can you believe those two?" Sephie complained, clearly very annoyed. "I mean, why would they even try to start a food fight?!"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Sephie." Monalisa answered, plucking a few pieces of what used to be a salad from her shoulder. "But it sure caught on quickly among the others."
"Can't really blame them, and it does seem like it's some kind of obligatory rule to retaliate with the same. The mess hall really is a mess now."
"Poor Louie, he looked totally devastated at the mess and all the ruined food. And Gramps, I've never seen him loose his temper before."
"Neither have I, and I never imagined that he could get that mad. One thing is for sure, Mikey and Percy won't be leaving the mess hall for a long time, not until they've cleaned up the mess they started."
"Serves them right." said Monalisa as she peeled off her tank top and looked at how dirty it had become. "I'm so going to have some stern words with my little brother when I get the chance. These were the only spare clothes I brought with me."
"We'll get them washed, don't worry." said Sephie as she too began removing her soiled clothes. "In the mean time, you can borrow some of mine. We're about the same size, so just have a look through my dresser and see if there's anything that you like."
"Thanks, Sephie."
Opening some drawers, Monalisa began looking for something to wear.
"It's actually a small miracle that only our clothes got as dirty as they did." she said. "I really can't believe that our hair survived the fight."
"I know, though I keep finding pieces of lettuce in mine." said Sephie. "As soon as we got some fresh clothes, I say we grab some towels and head to the public bath to wash up."
"Sounds like a great idea to me." Monalisa agreed with a smile.
But as she was rummaging through the dresser, she found something that she thought was out of place.
"Sephie, mind if I ask what this is?" she asked, making Sephie look over.
"Oh, that." Sephie said, seeing what Monalisa was holding. In a cardboard box was several larger pieces of emerald green satin fabric, together with a black belt, black heels and a smaller cardboard box. "It's just a little project of mine."
"A project? Now you've gotten me curious, Sephie."
Sephie picked up the box, looked at the content and sighed slightly as she sat down on the bed with a dreamy look on her face.
"It feels like such a long time ago, literally a whole life ago." she began as Monalisa sat down next to her. "Back when I was human, I had this dress that I really liked, and I wore it on a very special occasion, one that left me with a very dear memory."
"Can I ask what this 'special occasion' was? Was it your first date with Tyroth by any chance?"
"No, quite the opposite in fact, it was our last date, before we were mutated, but I will never forget it."
"Must have been a good one then." Monalisa said with a smile.
"You have no idea." Sephie responded, again with a very dreamy look and a smile on her face. "I guess I should tell you about it, since I've already said as much as I have."
"Only if you're okay with that, Sephie. I don't want to pry or anything, but I must admit that I am curious."
"It was years ago, and not that long before before our… 'deaths'." Sephie started.
Flashback
Looking over herself in the mirror, Elisabeth brushed through her hair an extra time and checked the little amount make-up that she had put on.
She was in Raymond's room, which she had moved into after a while, so that she could be closer to her boyfriend with how far apart they actually lived. Laying on the bed with a magazine was Raymond's younger sister, Jennifer, and she wasn't letting this pass her by.
"Come on, Lizzie. Just tell me already." Jennifer pleaded half hearted. "What are you and my brother going to do?"
"You know that I don't like the nicknames. Liz, Lizzie, Ellie and Betty are all lovely nicknames, but they are not mine. I would prefer if you used Elisabeth, it makes me much more comfortable." Elisabeth responded without looking away from her reflection.
"No promises. But seriously, what are the big plans for tonight?" Jennifer asked again, sitting up in bed.
"What makes you think that tonight is anything special? Raymond and I have gone on dates before, even after I 'moved in' here with you Ottosens."
"Yeah, but this time he's taking you to, like, the fanciest restaurant in town, and you're getting all dressed up, more so than I think I've ever seen before. That has to mean something!"
"I'm dressing up because it is a fancy restaurant. If my love have gone through the trouble of booking us a table there, then I'm not going to go in any of my everyday attires, I would look so out of place if I did. Besides, I've been wanting to use this dress ever since I bought it, and this is the perfect time."
"And you have no idea why? Raymond wouldn't do this just out of nowhere. I know my brother, and he's been acting pretty weird for a while now."
"Well, he has gotten a job, so I guess he wants to celebrate that together with me."
"You really think that's it? Come on, there has to be more to it!"
"Don't you have anything else to do, Jennie? Somewhere else preferably?"
"Hey this isn't really your room, so you can't tell me to leave."
"Well, it's not your room either, now is it?" Elisabeth said with a smirk.
"Fine. Whatever…" Jennifer groaned, falling onto her back. "But I just know that something's up."
"Keep telling yourself that, Jennie." Elisabeth chuckled.
Thirty minutes later, downstairs, Raymond was waiting together with his parents, and they weren't giving him much time to think about what was ahead of him.
He was wearing a dark grey tuxedo a with red shirt and black pants, as well as a pair of black shoes, and his mother could just not stop gushing over how he looked.
"Just look at you! Our little baby boy is all grown up and handsome!" she said, stroking his cheek with a proud mother's affection.
"Mom, please, you're gonna make me blush." Raymond said, gently removing her hand.
"Can't a mother be proud of her son? You look so elegant in those clothes, doesn't he, Richard?" Erica said, turning to her husband.
"He sure does." Richard agreed. "I bet he could get any girl he want dressed like this."
"Dad, you know I already have the girl I want." Raymond said, giving his father a half-stern look.
"I know, I'm just teasing you, son." Richard chuckled. "And Elisabeth is a might fine girl."
"That she is, and she's so full of life too. The two of you fit so well together." said Erica, then she heard something from the floor above and looked to the staircase. "And I think she's all ready now, I can hear her coming down."
And Erica was right, for only a little while later, Elisabeth descended from the upper floor, all ready for the date that was ahead of her. She wore an emerald green dress that reached past her knees, the bottom being wide, together with a pearl necklace, a black purse, black heels, thin stockings and a broad belt with a silver coloured belt buckle. Her hair hung loosely and she had a small amount of make-up that highlighted her eyes and red lips.
Raymond was dazzled and couldn't help but stare at his girlfriend, he had never seen her like that before, and while he thought that she was very beautiful normally, that could barely compare to how beautiful she looked now.
"Well, look at that. Our unofficial family member, pretty as a painting." Erica said, making Elisabeth blush.
"Is it good enough then?" she asked, hinting at a bit of insecurity.
"You look like a diamond, love." Raymond said, walking up to her, gently cupping her cheeks and kissing her forehead. "A beautiful, green diamond. If anything, the restaurant won't be good enough."
Elisabeth blushed and giggled at the compliment. She was about to say something, but lost her chain of thought when she heard a dog barking outside the house.
"There goes the neighbours' dog again." said Richard, looking to the windows. "That must mean that your ride is here, it never could ignore cars."
"Well, I guess that we should be going then." said Raymond, checking the time on his phone. But as he was to put it away, he struggled to find a good place to have it. "Suit pockets are rubbish." he complained.
"Let's put it in my purse, honey." Elisabeth suggested. "You won't need it at the restaurant anyway."
"Thanks, hun."
Grabbing his jacket, Raymond led his beautiful date to the taxi. It was still warm enough that he didn't need it, but it could get colder as the evening progressed, so he brought it along for Elisabeth's sake rather than his own.
Around twenty minutes later, the taxi pulled up next to the restaurant in question, The Velveteen Rose, and as the couple left the taxi, Raymond gave the driver a couple of bills from his pocket and told him to keep the tip, which the driver thanked him for and wished them both a pleasant evening before driving away.
The restaurant was beautifully decorated with red details, roses and soft warm lights, and as the couple were led to their table, Elisabeth could feel that several of the other guests where looking at her, which made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Don't worry, love." Raymond whispered softly. "They're just stunned by how pretty you are."
The blush hadn't fully left her face by the time that they reached their table, but once they started to look through the menus, she was able to let go of the surroundings and focus on why they were there.
They began with some garlic toasts for starters, just enough to wet their appetites a little before the main course.
Feeling more at ease, they both started talking and soon promptly forgot about everyone around them.
"I must say, Elisabeth, you really look gorgeous, and the pearls really completes it." Raymond said. "I didn't know you had any, truth be told."
"These were a gift to me by my grand aunt, on mom's side of the family, before she passed away. I would probably never buy pearls myself, but since I had these, I might as well use them."
"Well, as I said, they look great on you. Speaking of family, I spoke to your brother Joshua over the phone earlier today when you were in the shower. Seems like your dad's been up to his old tricks at his office again."
"For real? I swear, my dad is more childish than even my youngest siblings." Elisabeth moaned. "I still remember when he told us how he hid plastic cockroaches and spiders all over the floor that he works on. It's a wonder that he can get away with it all."
"He's skilled, I'll admit that. And at the very least it's not boring at his work." Raymond said with a smile.
"No, I guess you're right." Elisabeth chuckled. "So, what did he do this time?"
"From what Joshua told me, someone has apparently been taking stuff from his cubicle when he's not there, so he baked some cookies that he left in his cubicle, and after a while, someone stole some of them. Not long after, he heard someone starting to yell and soon saw the thief running to the water dispenser. Turns out, he had flavoured these cookies with Tabasco."
"For real?!" Elisabeth exclaimed and started laughing loud enough to cause others to look at the couple. But she didn't care, any remaining tension had been washed away. She was enjoying herself, without feeling out of place, and she was with the person she loved the most.
The main course was served shortly after, file Mignon with vegetable spread and mushroom-wine sauce. But halfway through the main, Elisabeth noticed that Raymond had tensed up and was trying to discreetly search for something in his jacket, which he had hung over the back of his chair.
"What's the matter, Raymond?" she asked, which caused him to tense up even more.
"Um… I, eh… I can't find my phone." he said, his voice betraying that he was very nervous and worried, almost panicked.
"Honey, we put it in my purse. 'Suit pockets are rubbish', remember?"
"Oh, right, we did. I had forgotten that." yet Raymond didn't seemed relieved. "But seems that I've lost my wallet instead. Can't find that either."
"That's not good."
"No, it ain't. I'm going to go and ask the head waiter if they've found it. Be back in a few minutes."
True to his words, Raymond returned a few minutes later, but he looked if possible even more distraught than when he had left.
"They hadn't found it, but they would keep an eye out for it." he sighed as he sat down. With nothing else they could do, they simply kept eating, trying to enjoy the date all the same.
But as they finished the main course, Raymond couldn't keep his mind off the incident.
"This wasn't how this was supposed to turn out."
"It's not your fault, hun, it was an accident." Elisabeth said softly, placing her hand on his. "It's been a wonderful date so far, and I can pay for this, so you don't have to worry about that."
"But that's not how it was meant to be." he said, a few tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
"It's okay, I don't mind if it didn't go as planned, it's the thought that counts, and you put a lot of thought, and heart, into this, and I'm very happy for that." she said soothingly.
"Elisabeth… I…" Raymond began, but he was interrupted when their waiter arrived with the desserts.
"The couple's desserts, our speciality, red velvet cake." he said as he served the plates to the duo.
While Elisabeth eyed her piece of cake, feeling her sweet tooth ache just a little from how delicious it looked, Raymond's eyes widened in shock when he saw that there was a small red box on his plate as well, obscured from Elisabeth's view by the cake.
"And we also found your wallet, sir." the waiter said, handing Raymond his wallet before he could find his voice.
"That's great! Then this turned out good anyway, right, hun?" Elisabeth said.
"Yeah, I suppose it did." Raymond said, quickly checking his wallet so that all was still there. "Thank you."
"My pleasure, sir." the waiter said with a small bow, during which he slipped Raymond a small note. "I hope the rest of your evening is pleasant."
As the waiter left to attend his other duties, Raymond decided to check the note he had been given, while Elisabeth began eating her cake.
'Hey kid. It's me, your cab driver. You managed to drop some stuff in my cab when you left. Hope it all got back to you in time.
And good luck.'
Tucking away the note, Raymond sighed in relief, happy that the night had been saved, and picked up the small box, which caused Elisabeth to take notice of it.
"What's that, Raymond?"
"Just… a little something that I got for you."
"Aww, you didn't have to." she gushed.
"But I wanted to." he responded, holding the box in his hand with a strong grip. "And you probably think that I'm crazy for spending my money on it, especially now, but my heart told me it was the right thing to do."
"Raymond? What are you up to?" she asked. Something was going on, she had gathered that much, but the answer eluded her, at least for the moment.
Raymond stood up and walked over to her side, her heart beating hard as her mind was racing through what she was seeing, then he got down on one knee while presenting the box to her, and her heart almost skipped a beat. Was he going to...?
"Elisabeth, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" he asked, opening the box to reveal a gold ring.
Elisabeth gasped and covered her mouth with her hands as she stared at the ring, feeling like her heart couldn't decide if it was going to stop or burst out of her chest. All around them, people had noticed the scene and had gone silent as they watched the young couple.
Tears began to fall down Elisabeth's cheeks, and Raymond started to worry that she would say no. But then she got the widest and happiest smile he had ever seen.
"Yes! Yes of course I will!" she almost yelled, and Raymond burst into tears himself as he placed the ring around her finger. Applauds filled the restaurant together with a few cheers of congratulations, and Elisabeth leaned forward to share a passionate kiss with her beloved boyfriend.
No, not boyfriend, not any longer. Now, he was her fiancé, her husband to be, and she couldn't have been happier.
End flashback
A few tears rolled down Sephie's cheeks as she finished telling Monalisa the story, who had one in the corner of her eye as well. Thinking of that particular moment always made Sephie cry, but it was tears of happiness, though with a hint of sadness due to how their lives were irreversibly changed.
"Wow… I didn't think it would be that special." said Monalisa.
"It was one of the happiest moments in my life. After that, well…" Sephie continued. "It didn't take long before Tyroth found out that his boss was corrupt and turned him in to the police, which cost him his job as the place was closed down. We still had a decent amount of money saved, so we decided to try our luck in Chicago instead, and for a while, we did pretty good, even if we only could get the odd small jobs for shorter periods. But after a couple of months, Overlord's goon found us and, well, you know that story."
"I do, just as well as you know mine. But then all these things in the box…"
"Are things that I've been trying to gather for quite a while. I want to recreate the outfit I wore on that date, down to the accessories, and surprise Tyroth with it one day."
"So that's your project, huh? I bet he will love it."
"I sure hope so."
"Don't worry, Sephie, I'm sure he will. One hundred percent." Monalisa said, putting her hand on Sephie's shoulder and looking her in the eyes with a warm smile.
"Thanks, Mona." Sephie said, smiling back.
"So, what's in the smaller box?"
"The accessories. Here, I'll show you." Sephie said, opening the smaller box and revealing its contents. A black purse, a pearl necklace, thin stockings, a silver coloured belt buckle and a small red box.
"Sephie, that small box, is it?"
The gecko didn't answer, she simply picked up the small box and opened it. Inside, were two gold rings.
"Our engagement rings." Sephie said with a sad voice. "We had them with us when we first came here, but we can't wear them any longer, not properly at least."
"No?"
"No. Look." Sephie held out her hand. "Unlike you, Mona, I only have four digits on each hand, I'm missing the ring finger, and Tyroth's hands are too large for his ring to fit, even though he still has all his fingers."
"Why not carry them in chains around your necks? That way you could at least have them with you."
"I've thought about it, but I'm afraid that we'll lose them, since we are very active on our missions. No, I'd rather keep them in this box, where I can look at them whenever I want to, rather than risking loosing them forever."
Monalisa nodded in understanding. Such precious items and memories had to be preserved. Looking back at all the material Sephie had gathered, a thought crossed Monalisa's mind.
"Hey, Sephie? Have you gotten everything you need for the dress?"
"Actually, yeah, I do. Found the last piece of fabric just the other day."
"And you were going to remake the dress on your own?"
"No, I was going to ask Tania to help me. She's far better at making clothes than I'll ever be."
"Well, I think I've got an idea. I did my own ninja clothes, so I know my way around making clothes. So how about that I help you too?" Monalisa said, causing Sephie to turn to her with wide eyes.
"For real? You would do that?" Sephie asked surprised.
"Of course I would! You're my best friend, after all! My honorary sister!"
"Oh, Mona! Thank you so much!" Sephie cheered, throwing her arms around the Lizard Lady. "You don't know how much this means to me!"
"I think I can guess." Monalisa chuckled.
"Ohmygod!" Sephie exclaimed all of a sudden.
"What? What is it?"
"I just remembered! Our anniversary is less than a week away! I overheard Tyroth asking Louie to make us something special!"
"Then that's even better! If we can get this done in time, you will have the perfect dress to wear and the perfect anniversary gift for your Dragon!"
"I can't believe that this is turning out so good! This will be more than perfect!"
Later that day, after the two lizard had spent some time in the bath, they got dressed and went to see Tania the Panda, and she practically cheered at the idea the girls presented to her.
Over the next few days, they spent any time they could, working together on recreating the dress for Sephie. Hours were spent cutting, sewing, measuring and more, but little by little, the three girls got closer to finishing the project that Sephie had spent years preparing for, and her heart was fluttering at the very thought of it.
A few days later…
"Where are you taking me, Mona? What's going on?" Tyroth asked as Monalisa led him through Mutopia by the hand.
"You'll see soon, Tyroth. You're going to like it, that's all I can say."
"I'll take your word for it, but I'm still confused about this."
After a little while, the two were standing outside the door to the room that Monalisa and Raphael were borrowing, and that made Tyroth even more confused.
"There's a surprise waiting for you in there." Monalisa explained.
Scratching his head, Tyroth walked up and opened the door, and what he saw inside took his breath away.
Standing in there was Sephie, her hair hanging loosely, wearing a small amount of make-up and dressed in a knee-length emerald green dress with a wide bottom, which allowed much freedom for her tail. She also wore thin stockings, black heels, a pearl necklace, a broad belt with a silver coloured belt buckle and a black purse.
"Hi, honey." she said with a voice soft as silk and sweet as honey. "Do you like what you see?"
Tyroth tried to answer, but he couldn't find his voice, he just stared at her with big eyes, finally forcing himself to focus enough to nod.
"Left you speechless, have I?" Sephie giggled as she walked up to her lover. "Do you recognise my outfit?"
"How could I ever forget." Tyroth said, letting the fingers of one hand gently run through Sephie's reddish brown locks and stroked her cheek. "You wore that very same kind of outfit several years ago, to this very day, in fact. The day that I proposed to you."
"I never doubted that you would remember that night." Sephie said, giving Tyroth a kiss. "The memory of that night will stay with me until the end of my days."
"Mine as well, my beloved, mine as well." Tyroth said softly, embracing his mate.
As the two lovers stood close together in the room, Monalisa watched from outside with a wide smile and a few tears in her eyes. Wiping them away, she quickly and quietly left so that the couple could be alone with their memories before they would continue with the rest of their anniversary celebrations.
And that's the end of this story, hope you all liked the sweet moments in it. :)
Again, a great thanks to my wife for her ideas and input, I really appreciate it all.
Well, that's all from me for this time. We'll see what else I got in store at some point shortly, or so. Whenever I'm done with something else.
See you then. :)