Chapter 411: Flawless

Willow and Mina stood outside of the cabin trying to pitch the instant tent that Willow had brought. The thing was massive and cost her more than a thousand dollars, and while Willow's family was well off, they had put her on a tight budget. It was her 'punishment' for turning down the men who had come to court her, but Willow was a lot like Mina in that regard, she did not need a lot, although she understood it was good to have excess.

"Do you think we will be safe out here?" Olivia asked, unable to help because of her ankle, which Mina feared was more injured than she or Cylus had let on.

"There are no bears in this area and as long as we invert the zippers, no one will be able to get in once we are asleep." Mina had been the one to answer, because she knew Olivia was like her, afraid of being taken advantage of, but unlike her, Olivia had been untouched by the person who had drugged her.

Willow noticed the look of reservation on Olivia's face and she wondered if the woman had also experienced something as terrible as Mina had faced. She was not close enough with Olivia to ask, but she tossed a small canister of pepper spray toward the woman, telling her that she had other gadgets they could use on anyone who looked at them in a way that made them feel uncomfortable.

Olivia smiled at Willow, knowing that the woman was one hundred percent serious. She then looked back at Mina and was once again grateful to her. Without trying, Mina had pulled together a circle of people who protected and took care of one another, not because they had to, but because they wanted to.

There was Emma, who was not just a good friend to Olivia, but she was also a talented woman, who otherwise would not have been given motivation to pursue a career change. There was also Jay, who was open and honest; she too owed her newfound success to Mina, who had self admittedly pulled Jay in because she saw no reason not to. Now, Jay was one of the most requested stylists in Rouge; with full access to Cylus' Rogue designs to use at her discretion.

Mina owed them nothing, yet she constantly thought of them in all that she did. From what Olivia had learned from Willow, Mina was the same way in university. When she liked a person, she poured herself into them, making sure they were always okay, sometimes at the detriment to herself. It was like an obsession Mina had, to not be selfish; to put others first, and while Olivia loved Mina's selflessness, she also hated it.

When Mina had gotten slapped by Mary, Olivia had expected the woman to cut ties with her, and in fact it would have been easier for Olivia to face her if she did, but instead Mina pulled her in closer. Then, when the incident happened with Peter and Bastien, it was Mina's quick thinking that had led Cylus to the right place.

Curious, Olivia had asked Mina about why she called Jay back then, and Mina told her that after running the scenarios in her mind, Jay was the person who appeared most. It made the woman stand out as the best person to call. No one understood it then, and they still did not understand it now, but Olivia and Cylus were eternally grateful.

Last but not least, there was the altercation with Mary that had nearly caused Mina to be lost forever, but still, Mina stood by Olivia's side, reminding her that she was a victim too, while praising Jay for having fought with Mary on Olivia's behalf. The behavior made it hard to be around Mina without feeling like less of a person, and although they held her in high regard because of it, no one knew the amount of suffering Mina had gone through to become such a woman.

----

Willow sat across from Connor; her eyes bore into his, tension filling the room as the pair stared at one another. Sweat trickled down the faces of the spectators, everything was riding on Willow. It was the most intense game of poker anyone had ever seen and somehow, they had involved everyone around in their petty bet. The loser and all those of the same gender, would have to strip down to their underwear and take a lap around the cabin.

Only Willow was fully confident in her ability. Having spent most of her time in The Four Cities where the game was casually played at any gathering, she claimed to be highly skilled. Mina was panicked though, only one man had seen her in her underwear, two if she included the time that Zane accidentally walked in on her changing, and she was not eager for anyone else to join the pair.

Down to the last hand, Connor revealed something he called three of a kind, and Willow laughed mockingly. She splayed her cards on the table, revealing cards five through nine in diamonds. Connor slammed his fist on the wooden surface and palmed his face, it was obvious that he had lost, and Mina clapped in relief. She had never been so tense over a game in her life.

"Okay, shall we get this over with?" Connor said standing up. He strode over to Mina and slowly began to unbutton his top in front of her. Mina's face turned the darkest shade of red he thought humanly possible and she turned her back to him, then turned again, trying to find an area where there was not a half-naked man in her line of vision. Eventually Mina closed her eyes, and Connor laughed at her.

The women around began to jeer and whistle at the men, who were finally on the receiving end of embarrassment thanks to Willow. While Connor himself was not so bad, many of his friends were absolutely disgusting, and had it not been for sheer desperation for sponsorship, many of the female guests would not have come at all.

Willow looked around the room, enjoying the sight before her. She sat in her chair like a queen admiring her subjects. She drank in all the bodies that were now exposed and found them all average at best. Especially when compared to the tropical men of her favorite getaway. Rolling her eyes in disappointment, Willow caught sight of a sleek physique that pulled her eyes despite the fact that she did not want to look.

Oric's skin was flawless, and with his hair hanging loosely to his shoulders, he was a tempting sight. Willow did not know what had made the man grow his hair out, but she was not mad at it. She was, however, angry with herself for looking. His body was nothing like the soft pillow that she had once believed was perfect, and she knew he did not make that change for her.

Willow shrugged, picking up a drink and swallowing its contents whole. There was no use looking back on the past, but for her, the past felt like it recurred every day. Anytime she heard rumors about Oric she fled, hoping to erase the man from her life like a bad dream, but maybe he was right, maybe they just needed closure.