Tao is filming for Hollywood's next big generic action flick, so when Pippa decides that she needs to bring Ruskin somewhere safe, Asmee is the very next person to come to mind.
Pippa loves Asmee--she is more her sister than her biological sister ever was or would be--but Pippa knows that Asmee can be more than a little abrasive. Especially to men she doesn't know. And she doesn't really know how to phrase that to this stranger who will undoubtedly be on the receiving end of her scrutiny.
"She has an extra room you can stay in. Take a nap in. Do whatever you need to do to shake it off," Pippa goes on. "And she can help keep you safe too." A pause. "She can be a little mean, sometimes? But it's because she's careful. It's not personal until it is personal, you know?"
Soon enough, Asmee is sitting across from this Ruskin fellow in her uncharacteristically cozy apartment, knee over bare knee with a fluffy house slipper hanging loosely from her toes. She considers him sharply as he sinks into her coral colored velvet couch, and as she sips from a double-walled glass mug of hibiscus tea.
She'd given him one as well, not offering him any other type of flavor. He will drink what he is given, or he will go without until she decides to take pity on him.
"There must be something in the air," she states abruptly, breaking the silence that has permeated since Pippa had had to run back out to finish her work. "Something that's gotten into her, and into me, to allow you to stay here."
Another sip. Then she sets the drink aside and leans forward, her chin propped up on the heel of her hand.
"What is it, exactly, that you are running from Ruskin? And will it follow you here?"
