Chapter 17

The late morning spent in the bath house was not disappointing. Though, much like hanging out at a warm public swimming pool with attendants, which none of the hamato brothers had ever done. New York public pools are not welcoming to giant mutant turtles.

The attendants were kind of nice to have when trying to clean the hard-to-reach spots on one's shell. And in all truth, there is very little that is better than having your shell thoroughly scrubbed. Kind of like having your back scratched and light massage, for a human…I imagine.

Everyone ventured to the tailor's clean and refreshed and smelling of the Labdanum, rose, and cinnamon used to scent the bath house soaps.

The tailor's was high end, for a generally small town. The array of fabrics from cottons to hemps to silks in so many shades of colors. Some of the cloth had been fashioned into a base design already giving the Men a visual of what the styles were and how they might fit, as nothing was fully premade.

Each with their own attendant, the group tried on different styles. Mike got stuck with almost every pin put in the fabric simply because he would not stand still. His attendant was quickly losing patients. Raphael's clothes would have to have most adjustment simply so the fabric would lay nicely over his muscled body and not be torn with each movement. The others had little trouble for the most part. Donatello's pants would need to be made longer because of his height.

"Will they be able to have this done by tomorrow? It seems like very short notice." Leo asked.

"Oh, of course we will." His attendant assured. "We have a whole team that will work through the night if we must."

"Through the night?" Mikey asked as he squirmed under another pin prick. "You know I'm not a pin cushion, right?" he said to his attendant.

The attendant gave Michelangelo an annoyed look before trying to place another pin only to stick Michelangelo again.

"It is no bother." The head tailor assured. "We are glad to do what needs to be done."

"You are paid well enough to do so." Tonyee stated as he shifted his weight having held his position too long.

It was then that Donatello noticed his bride-to-be walking hurriedly down the road with her satchel and a basket in hand.

Sudden concern, that little Tesla might be in need, rose in him. "I have to go." He stated as he began taking the clothes to be tailored off.

"But sir!" The attendant protested.

Donatello gave him little mind as he pulled his pants on with out even bothering with a dressing room.

"Don, what's going on?" Leo asked as his brother was trying to pull his shirt on and around his shell as he walked out the door.

Leo excused himself and hurried to the door, getting stuck with pins the whole way, Then smiled to himself as he saw Donatello catch up to Min.

"Guess he just wanted to talk to Min." He then turned to Donatello's stunned attendant. "Do you have enough to go on?"

The attendant shrugged. "I suppose."

"Min!" Don had called after her.

The woman didn't even try to slow her quick pace. "If you are going to assist me, you best hurry."

"What is going on?" Don Jogged up to her as he adjusted his shirt.

"Issabelle is in labor."

"oh…" Donatello slowed.

Min stopped then to give him a confused look.

"No offence but if this is like the other delivery…"

"No. Issabelle is expecting her third and is overdue."

"So, they want this baby?"

Min gave a small smile. "Most assuredly." With that she was at her quick pace again.

"You sure deliver a lot of babies for an apothecary." Don stated as he hurried along beside her.

"Apothecary is only part of what I do. I do believe I told you that."

She very well may have. He had taken in so much in the last couple of days that small detail may have slipped his mind. But either way he was thrilled to be apart of a birth that was going to have a lot less fear and uncertainty around it. And going by the family that had filled the small kitchen of the little house fear and uncertainty was far from anyone's minds. It must have been the expectant couple's entire extended family there all but the mother's mother. She was in the bed room walking in circles with her daughter.

Min washed her hands at the water basin followed by Don. "I will check her…"

"I will get everything set up. And the raspberry tea started." He anticipated.

She gave him a quick nod then went to Isabelle. "Alright, Isabelle, lets see how long we have."

Lyra stomped into the garden where her sisters busied themselves picking fruit and vegetables and fresh herbs alongside servants. With a humf, she sat her self down on a bench.

Rayen puffed on a joint as she gave her sister a side long glance. "Still pouting?"

Lyra looked up at her. "Why aren't you?"

After placing an apple in her gathering bag she took her joint from her mouth and offered it to Lyra.

Lyra rolled her eyes. "You don't always have to avoid your injustices you know."

Raya shrugged and put her joint back between her lips. "Don't always have to run head long into them either. Soon you all will be married and we will all be leaving here anyway. Why make a fuss?"

"Are you serious?!" Lyra guffawed.

"Ah! Look look" Emry suddenly squealed with excitement. As she cupped something from the ground into her hands. As her sisters gathered around. Slowly she spread out her fingers to show a small blue butterfly.

Its movements were slow and sluggish. It was dying. But lord was the little creature beautiful.

"I could be one of the last ones of the season." Emry stated. "most of this kind are gone by now."

"What kind is it?" Rayen asked as she gently touched its delicate wings.

"Umm…" Emery looked up as she thought for a moment. "I believe it is celestrina…. Ogasawaraensis."

Lyra frowned down at the now still creature knowing full well she would never remember its name.

"We shall call her Celest." Rayen stated before kneeling down by the roots of the apple tree where she began to dig a small hole with her fingers. "All things come to an end Lyra. Some sooner and some later. I always new we wouldn't be able to be guards forever. As badly as I wanted to be. Sometimes we have to enjoy dreams while we have them and later lay them to rest. Besides, Leo asked me if my ability to swing a sword was impeded and gladly sparred with you."

Emry layed the butterfly in the small hole and Rayen pushed dirt over it.

She then stood and looked at her upset sister. "I don't think he is just looking for brood mares and cooks. I think if you marry one of them we might be able to pick up our swords again."

Lyra considered this for a moment then looked back at her sister.

Rayen offered her the joint again.

"Taaaaake it. You know you need to caaaaalm." Emery smiled mischiefly.

Maybe Rayen was right. Maybe now wasn't the time to fight against all the injustice of the world.

"Fiiiine." Lyra stated as she took the joint and took a small hit that threw her into a coughing fit.

Emery laughed as she took the joint and took a small hit herself before handing it back to Rayen.

It was early afternoon by the time the group of men, minus Donatello, had finally made their way back to the keep, passing around a bag of salted nuts around they had gotten from the market. No one actually handing Mikey the bag as it was quickly learned it was best not to give him control of the food if you hoped to get anymore of it.

But that was fine. He knew where he could sneak off to, to find something tasty, and someone pretty to get it from to boot. And sneak off he did… followed by his escort.

"umm… sir? Where are we going and why are we sneaking about?" Mikey's escort, Devon, asked as they peered around a corner to make sure the coast was clear.

Mikey looked up at Devon, as he was a particularly tall Comodo dragan, "Because it's fun. And I want to surprise Emery."

"Why?" Devon asked as they hurried down the hall.

Michelangelo sighed. "Because its fun. You do have fun once in a while, don't you?"

"Yes. But not by usually sneaking around." Devon stated as he peered around another corner with Mikey.

"We are trying to sneak up on emery. But it won's work if you don't stop talking." Mikey slipped out around the corner then started for the entrance to one of the gardens.

Devon did not follow. "That seems rather devious." The comodo dragon stated.

"What?" Mike turned to look at his escort. "Devious?"

"Yes. To sneak up on a woman seams devious."

"Well, when you say it like that…" Michelangelo frowned. "It's like when you sneak up on a sibling just to surprise them. Only not a sibling… all in good fun. you know? You've snuck up on a sibling before haven't you?"

"No."

"Really?" Michelangelo gave Devon a surprised look.

"I don't have any siblings." Devon stated.

"…Oh." Mikey frowned. "Well…it's just in good fun. Silly stuff."

He gave Devon a sideways glance as he went back to sneaking out into the garden. Frowning, Mikey looked around, she wasn't here. Man, he wanted some peaches or something.

It was then he noticed Esra, Celest, and Saundra standing an arched bridge over a small pond, that was surrounded by fluffing cat tails and covered in water lilies, their flowers long since spent. It wasn't until he had gotten half way across the bridge that he saw their nanny sitting in the grass working on some stitching. He was glad the little girls were not playing by the water alone. Though being turtles they were probably good swimmers.

"Hey." He addressed the girls as they threw bits of fried fish into the water. "What you guys doing?"

Esra smiled up at Mikey, "We are feeding Jeffwey."

The other two nodded as they threw some more fish pieces into the water. "He isn't big enough to take down a ship yet." Celest informed.

"Oh." Mike and Devon looked over the edge of the bridge and watched something in the water shift and move in a rippley, snaky like motion. Mike and Devon then looked at each other simultaneously and telepathically decided it was just a fish. Because there was no way in hell it was a lusca…right? At least that's how Michelangelo would have explained it. "Ooook, well, have you guys seen the queen of the plants? Is Emery out in the gardens."

"ummm.." Esra thought out loud.

"The vegetable garden." Saundra said. "Mom told her to get vegetables for the party tomorrow."

"Cool thanks, guys. Good luck with Jeffrey." Mikey waved good bye to the children, then followed Devon to the vegetable garden.

Once in the vegetable garden it was not hard to find the girls, as their giggling filled the garden. The smell of weed permeating the air gave a clear hint as to why.

The girls sat in a circle. Giggling as Rayen held a carrot to her face to lengthen her nose while making a silly impersonation of someone she knew, but mike did not. Upon noticing Michelangelo she put the carrot down so fast she broke it. This brought out roles of laughter from Emry and Layra.

"Its not funny! I broke my carrot!" Rayen whined.

"It is never good to break your carrot." Mikey stated as he sat down next to Rayen and Emery.

Rayen snorted a laugh. "I would imagine that could be a problem for a man."

Mikey chuckled and nodded enthusiastically. "For sure, babe."

"Good thing you're not one." Lyra giggled.

"Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone. I might get kicked out of the guard."

"Too Late!" Lyra laughed. Her upset at the situation obviously completely gone for the moment.

Rayen stood and took a bow. "Mayhem, destruction, and firing. At your service day or night."

Mike felt he had definitely come in to the middle of something he knew nothing about. But didn't fret about it. Especially since Emry had handed him the joint. He smiled a "thank you" and took a long toke off it, which ended with him in a bit of a coughing fit.

Forgetting propriety Lyra slapped him on the back. "Careful it's strong."

"Pshsh, Lyra's a light weight." Rayen stated.

"She already threw up." Emery laughed.

Lyra's eye's opened wide with surprise. "Why would you tell him that?!" she looked at Michelangelo red cheeked hand gripping his shoulder. "You didn't hear that. Ok? I am a woman and women don't throw up." She laughed.

"oh of coarse not." He chuckled at the woman that had seemed rather stoic, and well boring in his opinion, up until now.

"My lady." Devon reached out gently lifting Lyra's hand from Michelangelo's shoulder.

"Oh! My apologies, Mr. Hamato. I would hate to run you off with a lacking of propriety." Lyra scoffed. The other two laughed.

"Darling, you can touch me anytime you want. I won't stop you." He took another toke as the joint was passed to him. "I ain't married yet."

"Oh dear lord." Rayen rolled her eyes. "Must be nice to be a man."

"I have no reason to complain yet." Mike passed the joint to Emery after Lyra waved it by. "But I can think of a few good reasons to be a woman.

"Like what?" Lyra asked.

"Dresses." Emery answered with a grin as she stood and did a quick spin, causing her skirt to flow out ward in flowing ripples. She lost her balance and landed with thud practically on top of her twin. Giggling as she righted herself. "…and singing."

"Men sing." Lyra stated.

"And I don't like dresses." Rayen said.

"But they look nice." Mikey said as he gave Emery a bright smile. "Especially the flowy ones."

She blushed and smiled back as the other two women continued to list what they didn't like about being women.

"I like being feminine." Emry stated. "and I don't know why you two hate it so much. I like pretty jewelry, and smelling like flowers, I like wearing makeup for parties, and I like dancing with a man. I like feeling delicate and soft. And I like how some men appreciate the work that goes into being that way." She gave Mike a small smile.

Lyra and Rayen had stopped talking at Emry's outburst, and gave her their hazy attention.

"And I like how you two are strong and fighters, and and… not as soft. I like that you guys are a different type of feminine than me. But I still like all that is me. And you two shouldn't be so…. Against softness just cause it isn't your thing. I know it is cause it is hard to feel like you have a place. But it still kind of hurts when you tear down everything I love about who I am.

Layla and Rayen blinked at their sister. Mikey grabbed a carrot from the forgotten baskets and took a crunchy bite as he watched this drama unfold.

The women all looked at Mikey for a moment as he crunched.

"We are trying to have moment. Do you mind?" Lyra stated matter of factly.

Mike swallowed his bite. "Sorry."

Rayen tried to stifle her laugh at Lyra's seriousness over a carrot. But failed and snorted. Which sent Emery into a contagious laughing fit.

She was like sunshine. Michelangelo decided. You could bask in her smile. The way her cheeks filled with her laughter and her eyes crinkled at the side. And the sound of her laugh. He wanted to hear more of it.

He tilted his head as if in deep thought, "So, Emry, I have a question. what kind of tree has hands?"

Emery looked at him for a moment as thought on the question. Then shaking her head said, "I have never heard of a tree with hands."

"Really? You've never heard of a palm tree?" He said with a cheeky grin.

"Oh God." Emery, and the others, laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"That was bad. Rayen giggled.

"I've got so many more." Mikey informed.

"oh, no." Lyra groaned in mock worry.

Michelangelo spent the rest of the afternoon, High as a kite, doing everything he could think of to make them laugh, Especially Emry.

I want to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Life has been crazy busy. And sorry again for typos. I see new ones every time I reread the story, unfortunately. Hope you are still enjoying it anyway. And Mikey is the hardest for me to wright. I adore him but do not understand him in the least. So he is a challenge. Thank you for reading, and for your reviews.