Blood and shadows (a Rogue love story)

Dress shopping

The picture is of all the different dresses Ruby tries on!
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The five walked into a dress shop where they were greeted by a lady in her mid twenty's. She had brown hair that came down to the middle of her back and light blue eyes. She had a large smile on her face as she greeted them into her shop.

"Hello there how may I help you?" She asked Ruby.

"Well you see I'm going to a ball in a day and I need a dress." The woman laughed slightly.

"Then you have come to the right place. I will make you the most beautiful woman at that ball. They won't be able to take their eyes of you. So tell me do you have a preferred dress colour?"

"No not really. I have never been dress shopping before so I have no idea."

"A pretty girl like you has never been to a ball before? That should be a crime. Now let's see, you have many good features. Your eyes are stunning and your white hair is wonderful too. I think that maybe we will try purple, blue, silver, black and red. We'll see now it goes, come with me, we need to get you the right size dress."

Sting sat on the lounge just outside the changing rooms. Frosch and Lector were beside him and Rogue was stood up next to him. Sting rested his head on his hands. They had been in the shop for hours now and the woman that greeted then was still explaining all about the dresses. Her and Ruby were in the changing room because she was getting measured. The woman kept coming in and out of the changing room but there was no sign of Ruby.

"I thought we were going to get to see her in loads of nice dresses." Said Sting moodily.

"We will. It's just that this woman seems to enjoy what she does."

"Yeah she enjoys it a but too much if you ask me." The door to the changing room then opened and out stepped Ruby. She wore a blue strapless dress that sparked. On her face she had a blue mark that went around her eyes making the red eyes stand out against the blue.

"So what do you guys think?" She asked then.

"I think you look great." Said Sting standing up.

"Really? I'm not so sure about the colour. I don't like the deep blue colour." The woman that owned the shop came running back with another dress in her arms. She looked at Ruby up and down.

"Not blue then, but I have a purple one for you to try here." She said ushering Ruby back into the changing rooms. The woman then left and a few minutes later Ruby came out wearing the dress. The dress was two different shades of purple and white. It had thin neck straps and puffy shoulder pads that hung off her shoulder. The base of the dress was very large and the look on Ruby's face said she hated it.

"Purple looks good on you too." Said Sting.

"The colour isn't the problem it's the dress itself. I feel like a stupid bloated fish in this thing. I can hardly move too." Ruby said glancing at Rogue. He hadn't said a word about anything she had tried on so far. The woman came back with three dresses in hand this time.

"It doesn't look quite right does it. Alright I've got some more that I'm sure will look good on you." A few minutes later Ruby stepped out of the changing room black dress that was shaped very much like the other one. This one had grey lace down the middle of Ruby's stomach and black fabric in an 'X' shape across her upper chest.

"That's the best so far." Said Rogue speaking up for the first time. Ruby's heart did a little skip of joy at his words, but she would not let it show.

"Yeah but honestly I think this woman is trying to kill me."

"What? Why?" Said Sting getting ready to punch her out.

"She is making me where a corset, I can barely breath."

"Then take it off." Said Rogue starting to worry about her health.

"She said I can't. Everyone at this ball will apparently be wearing one. You can't go to a ball without one on, that's what she is telling me anyway. Why people would but themselves though this though I'll never understand." 

"Are you done showing them dear?" Called the woman's voice from inside the changing room. 

"Yeah I'm coming." She said walking back into the changing room. She placed on the black dress and went out to face the guys again. The black dress clung to her figure tightly and came down to her knees. She wore long black gloves that came to her upper arms.

"Wow you look amazing Ruby." Said Sting.

"It really does look good on you." Said Lector.

"Fro thinks so too."

"Yeah this is my favourite I think but I still have two to try on. I kind of want this to be over with now. I'm mega bored." She walked back into the changing rooms and came out a few minutes later wearing a beautiful silver dress that came down to the floor. It sparkled as the sunlight caught it. The two dragon slayer found themselves blushing at the sight. "I'm guessing you guys like this one the most then." She said as they both nodded still staring at her. To them she looked nothing short of a goddess. "Alright we'll I don't think she is going to let me leave without trying the last one on so I'll be back in a minute." When she was inside she unzipped the dress and let it fall to the floor, revealing her pants and her black corset. The woman began to prepare the next dress for her. Ruby wasn't really body conscious, as long as no one came near her when she was undressed she was okay.

"So tell me dear which one of the two out there do you like?" She asked Ruby out of the blue. Ruby's face heated up.

"L-like? N-neither of course, they're just my friends." The woman raised her eyebrows at her.

"I don't believe that. You are a very beautiful girl in the company of two very good looking men, there has to be one which you prefer."

"There is not."

"A girl in denial just proves my theory. Just me sweetheart I have spent a very long time denying my feelings. Now the man I love is married to another woman with two wonderful children and I am alone. I regret not telling him how I felt everyday."

"You think that might happen with me?"

"It could do."

"I won't regret it because I don't like either of them."

"You deny it so strongly. It makes me wonder if there was another." Ruby's eyes became sad as she looked at the floor. "There is huh? Listen if the guy left you then their is no need to shut yourself up from love. If he did leave you then he doesn't deserve you." Ruby's eyes became tearful and a single tear poured down my cheek.

"But he didn't leave me. He died protecting me." The woman's eyes widened and she pulled Ruby into a hug. Ruby stopped crying from complete shock, a complete stranger was just hugging her. She didn't know what to do, was she meant to hug her back? In the end she just stayed completely still and took in the woman's warmth. It was like the warmth she felt when she was a child, falling asleep under her mother large, warm feathery wing. Safe from all harm.

"Sweetheart that's dreadful. I can understand why you are hesitant." The woman let go of her and places her hands on her shoulders. "But if a guy gave his life to save you then I would say he really did love you. Then a guy like that would not want you to spend the rest of your life alone. Stop shutting everyone out of your heart, tell that guy you like him and see how things go. You know he might just be able to mend your broken heart..."