This is my late birthday gift for my best friend, @lauritanaomystery . Iâm sorry for it taking a long time on it and I hope you love it.
Laurel and Sisa belongs to @lauritanaomystery â
The rest of the characters belongs to MysteryBen27
Laurel felt nervous about what her boyfriend Lewis was doing. He knows itâs her birthday, hence why heâs covering her eyes as theyâre walking. She had gotten a call from him after her shift, saying that should come over at his mansion. Of course she would adore seeing her boyfriend, theyâve been together for years since high school. As she had driven all the way from the town to the deep woods where his mansion lies, she parked her car on the side, or what might be his driveway from the tire tracks on the rocky gravel. It wasnât long when she found him floating at the stairs, in his ghost form, smiling and excited for her to be here. Now where they are standing, Lewis leads Laurel up the stairs, carefully making sure she doesnât trip. âLewis, you donât have to cover my eyes if itâs a surprise.â She tells him. She wanted to take them off but itâs that feeling Lewis could just do it again. So itâll be better not to try that so time wouldnât be wasted.Â
Lewis wants it to be super special for her. âI knowâŠ.butâŠ.â He couldnât think of anything else after that but. âJust wait until you see what we planned.â At the top of the stairs, Lewis leans over to her side and opens the door.Â
âWe?â Laurel questions, now knowing that more than him have planned out this surprise.Â
As the doors open and Lewis takes his hands off of her eyes, Laurel gets a blast of her group of friends wearing party hats while all of them say, âSurprise!â Just in shock, Laurel had a loss of words, in a good way. All of her friends: Vivi, Arthur, Mystery, Jax, Galahad, and even Jax. Not to mention her best friend, Sisa, her loyal feline/illa.Â
Around the room, decorated with confetti, balloons, party hats, and much more. Laurel felt like she was going to faint, but luckily she keeps it strong and breathes in and out. âWow, you guys really did an amazing job at this setup!â Impressed, she goes around the room, getting a good look of what theyâve done. There was a banner on top that said, [Happy Birthday, Laurel], a lovely birthday cake with a picture of her as the icing. Itâs like a dream come true.Â
As she goes around, Vivi comes over and wraps her arms around her waist, giving her a gentle and warm hug from her blue sweater she wears. âYou are so welcome, Laurel.â She says with love and comfort. âIt took us a while to get those stringers up top.â
âWe were thinking about using Mystery and Galalad as our step stools butâŠ.â Arthur looks over at the two, Mystery in his dog form and Galalahd as his hamster, who both look back with a glare. They really didnât want to have dirt all over their clean furry back, even if Arthur couldnât reach the very top as he was standing on the two.Â
âI just did it myself since I could float.â Lewis adds on. He didnât know whose I idea was for using Mystery and Galahad but the two secret kitsunes will make sure that wonât happen again.Â
Sisa rolls her eyes, though sheâs lucky that as an illa, she can do more than what a kitsune can. âCome on you guys, we canât just stand here talking. Letâs get the partying going!â Transforming into her true form, she jumps her way over to Laurel, licking her head as she curls her body around her like a snake. âSo Laurel, what do you want to do first?â She asks.Â
Laurel didnât know where to start. In fact, she didnât know what to do. âI have no idea.â She says with honesty. âWhat do we have?âÂ
For the others, they smile with joy. They know exactly how much fun theyâre all going to have. âWell, letâs start with the gifts and then we can move onto the party games.â Sisa suggest before uncoiling her and leading her to a table full of gifts, perfectly wrapped up nicely.Â
âOh my, you guys really went all for it on these gifts.â Laurel says, amazed at how many presents there are. She didnât know what she even needed in the first place but her friends knew exactly what to get her.Â
âWell why donât you open them and see what you got?â Vivi encourages, grabbing the first gift from the stack, which could be hers, and gives it to Laurel.Â
The birthday girl looks down at her gift, as if it was a small rectangular box. She wanted to shake it, but there is that chance it could be fragile inside. She rips the wrapping paper slowly until what was inside was finally revealed to everyone else. Itâs a jewelry box from a popular store that Laurel loves to go to on some days. âViviâŠ.you shouldnât have.â Laurel is stunned and when she opens that box, she lets out gasps with her eyes beaming with joy. Itâs a necklace with a golden chain and a sun as the decorative. It was beautiful enough for her to grab it and wear it around her neck along with her other necklaces sheâs wearing. âThank you so much!â She lunges at Vivi, giving her a big hug.Â
Vivi knew sheâll enjoy the necklace when she and Lewis went shopping for her. âWell, it was Lewisâs suggestionâŠand mine too since I agreed.âÂ
They couldnât tell by his face, but Lewis is blushing hard. Heâs proud of himself for picking out that gift for Vivi to buy for Laurel. In fact, he canât wait until Laurel opens his gift for her. âHere, let me get mine.â He grabs his from the stack, a gift thatâs twice as big as Viviâs and a little heavier.Â
âThanks, Lew.â Laurel smiles as she doesnât waste any time unwrapping the gift. Inside was a cardboard box. Laurel didnât understand it so she looks up at Lewis with confusion.Â
âOpen the box.â Lewis says with encouragement and excitement. Opening the box, it reveals this heart shaped picture frame, made out of pure gold, with the picture of herself and all of her friends in it, the ones who are at the party. She remembered this photo, it was when they were having a sleepover at Viviâs place. Jax had been the one who took the picture but quickly got himself in it so he wouldnât be the only one left out. It was a beautiful picture and with that golden heart around it makes it even better. âWellâŠ..how is it?â If Lewis could land on the ground, his feet would be hopping softly.
Laurelâs eyes tear up with joy as she places the box on the ground gently, with the picture inside, and lunges at Lewis with an incredible hug. âItâs perfect!â Her voice shouts with extreme happiness and Lewis is relieved he made the right choice for his gift for his girlfriend. âThank you! Thank you! Thank you!â She repeatedly says.
Arthur, stunned by how much gold there was, had to be concerned. âHow much money did that cost?â He asks as Vivi slaps the back of his head gently with a scoff. Turning towards her, he says, âWhat?â In a tone as if he didnât do anything wrong.Â
All Vivi does is sighs and says, âDonât ever say that when theyâre having these kinds of moments together.â She does have a point in which Arthur regretfully realizes.Â
âRightâŠ..â He goes silent and lets the couple enjoy the hugging some more.Â
After the hug, Laurel looks back at the rest of her friends with smiles on their faces. She looks back at the cake, knowing how tasty it looks, and figures that she could do the other gifts another time. âLetâs have some cake, shall we?â The others cheer and Mystery licks his lips. As more than anyone else in the room, Mystery has been a fan of cake. Even as a kitsune, heâs never had cake before and it was Vivi who let him have a taste before they even knew his real form. Since then, he had been caught trying to eat a piece from the cake before anyone else. A real habit the kitsune has. But Vivi wonât blame him, she had been that way too. But tonight, that will not happen.Â
âWell in that case, let Mystery go last before he devours the entire thing.â Vivi jokes and Mystery lets out an annoyed huff.Â
The dog rolls his eyes at her and the hamster just chuckles, knowing how true that is. Mystery didnât seem too pleased with the hamster laughing at the joke. âOh come on, itâs true though!â Galahad defends himself.Â
âI would like it if you were more sympathetic to me, Galahad.â Mystery tells him.Â
âWeâll see.â Galahad leaves a big grin on his face before Arthur picks him up from the ground. âTo be honest though, you did laugh at me when I accidently fell on my face when I was trying out my new legs.âÂ
Mystery wishes that he had a good reason, but he had none. âI mean, it was funny.â Mystery will admit and Galahad sighs in a good way. And so the group circles around the table with the cake and Lewis was in charge of cutting it. Heâs perfect at making symmetrical lines and equal cuts. Then again, heâll have to make smaller pieces for Mystery, Galahad, Sisa and Jax, if he can eat cake at all. Laurel is the first to get her slice since itâs her birthday.Â
She picks out the corner piece of the cake and puts it on a plate. Picking up her fork she walks over to the side and enjoys her cake while the rest gets their slice. After this, sheâll go back and open the rest of the presents. But after that, what else is there to do?Â
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The party was almost over once the night became very late and everyone started to become tired, especially for Arthur since heâs becoming more of a heavy sleeper since heâs stayed up almost every night for the past week. Galahad will take him home soon once he passes out. Laurel was sitting on the stairs with Lewis, talking about their plans for their next date tomorrow night. The birthday girl was thinking about going on vacation, somewhere up north or even to a different country like England or France. Lewis liked the idea too, as someone who has wanted to go there but never has. They had their money saved up for it and were excited that they could go soon. As they chatted about it, Vivi came up to them. âThere you two are, Iâve been looking for you.â She said, a little bit exhausted. The mansion is quite huge so it is almost impossible to find them.Â
âHey Vivi, is something wrong?â Laurel speaks up as she gets up from the stairs.Â
Vivi shakes her head and replies, âNo, Iâm just here to tell you that yourâŠummmâŠ.â Vivi had a hard time trying to say it, but it wasnât like she was afraid. Vivi couldnât keep a straight face as if she was trying not to laugh. âYourâŠ.ride is here.â She finally gets it out.Â
Laurel didnât plan any rides nor was expecting any. âWhat ride?â She questions. Was she going home early and who was taking her? Lewis looked surprised too since he didnât know about this either.
âIâll show you.â Vivi happily and willingly leads them to the back of the mansion, through the dining room where there should be doors that lead to the backyard. As they open the door, the two find themselves in a nice surprise when they find Mystery, in his kitsune form, with a bow tie around his neck and a saddle on his back. âThis is your ride.âÂ
The birthday girl was speechless, same for the ghost. Mystery and Vivi had planned to take them for a ride in the woods, a nice little walk and back to the house in one piece. Although it was Viviâs idea, Mystery hadnât thought of a gift before tonight and this was his only way to show Laurel his loyalty and friendship. âIâŠâŠdonât know what to say.â She chuckles at the end.Â
Lewis wasnât sure if this was a good idea, but from how confident the kitsune looked, Mystery knew what he was doing. âDonât say a thing at all, Laurel. Just hop on.â The kitsune smiles and lowers himself to let the couple on his back.Â
The birthday girl carefully hops onto his back and Lewis got on right behind her. Now sitting on Mysteryâs back, he stands right back up and moves around a little to make sure they can hold onto him safely. âJust keep them safe, Mystery. I donât want anything terrible to happen to them.â Vivi tells Mystery.Â
The kitsune says, âWhat about me? Donât you want something terrible to not happen to me too?â Heâs a bit concerned when Vivi cares more about them rather than him, and heâs been with her longer than them.
âI care about you. I just think youâre more powerful to handle anything in these woods. Plus, youâll be able to run back with them riding you still.â She explains, giving Mystery a gentle pat on the nose as he doesnât even flinch just a little.Â
It does give him some confidence that heâll be able to watch and protect them as he gives them a peaceful ride. âWell, then I should get going then.â Mystery turns around and walks straight for an open trail into the deep woods. Laurel and Lewis give their waves towards Vivi until neither of them can see each other anymore. Now with the adventure starting, the couple explores their surroundings while they keep going on with their conversation.Â
âWhich country should we start our vacation in?â Lewis asks. Thatâs one of the parts they couldnât figure out, along with what to do there and what to do first as they get there. Planning things isnât an easy obstacle for them to overcome. With arguments, questions, and even disadvantages to the activities they could do there, it may not be the dream they could look for.
Laurel didnât know what place they would go. Still, itâs a hard decision and time isnât unlimited. âHonestly, I have no clue.â She says with a bit of frustration. âIâve been looking at some of the places and almost all of them look so creative and astonishing to explore.â Silence crept up behind them once the two didnât talk more about the plans. Laurel looks up ahead at the trail and begins to notice how dark itâs becoming, besides the light coming from Lewisâs burning hair. Worried, she leans her head to Mystery who doesnât seem afraid nor lost. âCan you see well?âÂ
The kitsune scoffs positively. âI can. Like Vivi said, itâs my job to keep you two protected at all cost. So I have to thank her for giving me that night vision potion before.â Vivi had tons of tricks up her sleeve, including ones where Mystery had helped her be a test subject for harmless potions like the night vision.Â
âThatâs good. Hopefully it doesnât wear off.â Lewis said, wrapping his arms around Laurel, to give her even more protection in case something jumps out at the three.Â
âIt shouldnât, or I donât think it should until we get back.â Mystery tells them, now going a bit quicker on the trail. âBut hey, I can still get us back if thatâs the case.â
âReally?â Laurel asks, not that sheâs doubting Mysteryâs skills. âHow so?â
âI can smell the cake all the way over here so I know exactly where to go. And my senses do alert all of my surroundings from trees and living things that could attack us.â Seems like Mystery has this all figured out. All he hopes is that scent doesnât disappear on him. So Mystery walks on the trail, his tails swishing around as some accidentally hit Lewisâs back. The ghost doesnât mind as long as he focuses more on his girlfriend who yawns and stretches her arms.Â
âTired, hun?â Lewis said as he kept her close.Â
âMaybe. I donât know if itâll be a good idea to fall asleep at the moment.â Yet she still felt like she could, like how Arthur could pass out any night during his work.
âLetâs just head back home then.â Patting Mysteryâs furry side, he gets the kitsuneâs attention. âCan you take us back home?âÂ
Mystery nods his head and turns around and uses that scent of the left out cake to get him back to the mansion. âWeâll be there in a couple of minutes. So hold tight, Laurel.â He means by not going right to sleep just yet. She didnât know if it was the cake or how long she had stayed up, but sleep was getting the best out of her. As her eyes felt heavy, she can only feel the arms of the ghost holding onto her as their ride tries to take them back safely home. Then, her eyes rested and leaned back on Lewisâs chest. The sound of the golden heartbeat, beating on her left ear in its relaxing and rhythmic pattern that relaxes her body into the state of slumber. âSheâs asleep already, huh?â Mystery shouldâve known it would be this quick.
âYeah, sheâll rest on my bed once we get back.â Lewis says as he brushes the side of her cheek. For once, heâll have to carry her to his bed.Â
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As minutes pass by, Vivi becomes more worried by the second. She didnât hear any of the howls nor any screams coming from the woods and yet they still havenât arrived. She was this close to going into those woods to find her friends and guardian. Finally, she could see Mystery with the two on his back still coming back. âPhew, I was getting worried there for a second.â As she gets closer, Vivi can see Laurel resting on the kitsuneâs back with Lewis holding her. âWow, that walk really wore her out?â Something she never gets to see from her best friend.Â
âYepâŠ.Iâm gonna let her sleep on my bed tonight. You guys should go back home to sleep too.â Lewis tells them as Mystery lowers himself again to let Lewis off of his back with Laurel in his arms.Â
âWeâll do that. Arthur and Galahad had just left and Sisa is now resting in the living room.â Vivi looks back at Mystery whoâs all worn out too. âReady to go, fur ball?â She pets Mysteryâs fluffy head as he smiles and licks her face. âIâll take that as a yes.â Mystery transforms into his dog self again with the saddle slipping off of him but the bowtie still attached to him. âHave a goodnight you two and tell Laurel I said happy birthday.âÂ
âI will.â Lewis promises. Vivi and Mystery leave his backyard through the side, where her car is parked out front. Lewis takes Laurel inside through the dining room back doors and back into the main hallway. From there, he floats all the way upstairs and into his master bedroom. Gently, he lays Laurel on one side of the bed and moves to the other side before getting all cuddly with her. With a kiss, he whispers, âI hope this was the best birthday ever.â He knows he wonât get a response out of her as sheâs sleeping, but maybe he can tell her in the morning once the two will wake up. So he rests and sleeps, with his glowing eyes going dark and his body as close as to herâs, the ghost rests. This really has been a great birthday for her and sheâll remember it as her best memories throughout her life.Â