Ruby Shimmer (re-write)

CHAPTER TWENTY

"Now, we really must get you bathed and dressed or you shall be late to your own welcome dinner."

At such an unexpectedly quick shift in both her voice and even her entire demeanor, I ended up gulping heavily from slight nerves before her words finally registered in my mind.

"Um...my welcome dinner?" I asked, immediately feeling confused.

However, instead of acknowledging my concerns, the blonde-haired young woman stayed totally silent as she headed over to me at a rapid pace. And once she was standing in front of me, she swiftly grabbed my wrist and began to gently, yet firmly pull me towards what I now suspected of being a private bathroom, due to the sounds I had heard and Ava telling me something about "preparing my bath". And indeed, once inside, I found what was definitely a bathroom and there was in fact a heated bath already waiting for me in a large white porcelain clawfoot tub.

I stood there in awe for several seconds, only to be brought out of it when I suddenly felt a cold drift on my shoulders.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing, you freaking psycho?"

I had screamed out at the top of my lungs like that because I had just realized that Ava had not only stepped closer to me, but she had even begun stripping me of my pajamas. And without my permission at that!

"Is there something wrong, young miss?" Ava herself questioned simply, sounding as if what she was doing was completely understandable and had no idea why I was fighting against it.

"Damn right there's something wrong!" I continued to shout at her as I sharply slapped away her hands before roughly yanking the half-unbuttoned top back over my shoulders, feeling extremely shocked and incredibly self-conscious.

"If you are concerned about anything specific, please know that you are free to ask me any and all questions you might have. I promise that I shall do my very best to answer them and ease your worries as much as possible."

Somewhat taken aback at her answer to my push back, as well as still being stunned about her earlier actions, I was unable to say a word at first. And along with all that, my thoughts were moving way too fast as my brain continued trying desperately to make sense of how much my life had changed in less than a day. So when I was eventually able to find my voice, it was once again in a dazed tone that ended up being far too soft and meek for my liking.

"Well, I guess the first thing that comes to mind is that there is a private bathroom in this suite. I kind of expected that I would just continue bathing in the public bathhouse like I did before."

"I can understand your confusion about that, young miss. And I do apologize for the mixup. But, having a private bathroom, as well as being allowed to stay in this particular suite, is solid evidence that you have officially proven yourself as a powerful asset to the future of the League of Gem Warriors. So, in response to this, you have been provided access to certain privileges."

"Re...Really? I guess that makes sense when you put it that way. Sorry about snapping at you like that. I'm just a little lost about all that has happened to me in such a short time." I apologized as her words sunk in slowly.

"Think nothing of it, young miss. Have I answered all your questions to your satisfaction? Or do you still have others?"

"Well, to be honest, I am a little surprised that Lord Davenport, I mean, Uncle Phineas, would go through the trouble of actually arranging something like a welcome dinner for someone he just met hours before."

"I'm afraid that is only partially correct. Indeed, Lord Davenport would not do such a thing under normal circumstances. However, your particular situation is quite unusual. Now that he knows who you really are, he is rather excited and truly wishes the best for you. Because of that, he wanted to give you the rare chance to meet with a few important people within the League in a more casual and relaxed setting, instead of overwhelming you with anything too formal."

"Oh..." I mused thoughtfully before tentatively turning back around to face her properly, all while feeling both a little lost about hearing such a thing about my brand new-found relative and incredibly grateful for the exact same reason.

That was when I once more met her strong looking amber eyes with my own jade green ones, while Ava herself merely continued to watch me with a look of total calm and succeeded in making me highly uncomfortable in the process.

And when she finally noticed my own gaze, she immediately changed her face into a whole new look, this one built around mild concern.

"Is there something else bothering you, young miss? You still seem troubled."

"It's just...Look, I'm still really shocked and upset about you just casually undressing me like you did without my say-so. I'm still willing to take a bath, of course, but can you...do you think you can at least leave the room before I do? I'm already feeling uneasy and I don't really feel all that comfortable with having to get undressed in front of someone I barely know, let alone actually bathe."

She took a few seconds to think about my request, but when she finally gave me an answer, it was unfortunately not what I was hoping to hear.

"No offense meant, young miss. And I do apologize for your discomfort. However, as you are greatly important to the League and its goals, I have been ordered by the entire High Counsel to stay by your side at all times and never leave your side, all to protect you from any threats or dangers."

Despite the fact that I knew she really meant no offense by saying so, hearing this new information in my already frazzled state ended up causing my anxiety to reach critical levels. This quickly sent me over my limit and resulted in me getting incredibly annoyed about her giving me such a convenient sounding excuse.

"What was it you said a moment ago?" I demanded of her in a sharp tone. "That you were just a "humble servant"? So how, pray tell, do you plan to "protect me"?"

Giving me a sly smirk, Ava swiftly began to undress herself before my very eyes, which was immediately followed by me squealing in surprise while covering my eyes in disbelief.

"What the hell are you doing now? I told you I'm not comfortable with that kind of thing!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs, keeping my eyesight blocked while desperately trying to ignore the sound of rustling fabric.

"There is no need to be so upset, young miss. I assure you it is not what you think. The uniform I wear is merely a cover story, so that I may remain close to my charges without drawing unnecessary attention to myself. Just take a look. I can promise you with zero hesitation that everything is perfectly fine."

Even though I remained unsure, I was a bit intrigued by the confident tone in Ava's voice as she spoke. I could practically hear the smirk that I was sure was tugging at her lips. And because of this, I reluctantly lowered my hands, only to be left at a total loss for words.

Ava's new outfit consisted of a skin tight leather body suit that stopped at her upper thighs and perfectly hugged her petite, yet muscular form, as well as having a silver colored belt around her waist that drew the eye to her model-esque hourglass figure. She also had a curious-looking gold band wrapped around her left bicep that appeared to have been crafted into the shape of a dragon with a jade charm set at the end of its tail.

However, the most surprising thing of all was the leather holster on her right calf that contained a large and obviously deadly hunting knife.

She gave new meaning to the term "dressed to kill".