Chapter 413: Toyed

Willow found herself unable to enjoy the spectacle she had started. Although the men around her were nice to look at, she had often travelled to a country where modesty was optional, and if she wanted to see a topless man, all she had to do was visit the beach. However, it was nice to lend a hand as relief to the other women who were finally on the winning end.

When Connor had first suggested the bet, he did so with Mina, who flatly refused, and probably would have slapped him had her blatant and indignant refusal not been so comical that it elicited a loud round of laughter. Realizing that her old acquaintance had been paying Mina close attention, while Oric had taken a step back, Willow decided to show them what it meant to be toyed with.

Willow may have been born and partially raised in Pan, but when she moved to The Four Cities, she quickly adapted to her surroundings, and the gambling culture with it. She was no professional level poker player, but she was good enough to know she could win against someone who probably picked up the game by chance and she was right. Connor had so many tells that she had almost believed it to be part of his strategy, but when he revealed a lesser hand as if it were gold, Willow knew that she had not overestimated her ability.

Sadly, unlike what Willow believed; it was not fun seeing some of the very people who treated her like a pariah embarrass themselves. At first, the idea had put a smile on her face, but now that she was living in the moment, the excitement had faded. Cold, Willow decided to go back inside for something warm to drink, while the rest of the spectators chose to follow the men and make sure they upheld their end of the bargain.

Some women, who like Willow were too cold to stay outdoors, followed her inside, and one of them suggested making tea for those who had braved the cold. Seeing no need to be cruel, Willow added that they should also prepare tea for the men, who would probably need it more.

----

Willow was in her room gathering the things that Olivia and Mina had put together for their outdoor sleeping experience. The women had yet to return from wherever Cylus had taken them, and she assumed that they were still being scolded for not leaving the moment the first shirt came off. She found herself wondering who could have told Cylus what was going on, because she had not seen anyone leave, but she pushed the thought to the back of her mind as a coincidence.

Willow was about to pull the quilt off the bed when someone barged in with such force that it made her jump. She was not afraid though. In The Four Cities, women were not expected to be soft and kind, and were fully encouraged to actively protect themselves in any situation. Self-defense had even been implemented into her high school's physical education requirements, which was why Willow was not as afraid of men as Mina, or Olivia who had moved to Pan before high school.

Willow quickly maneuvered her body in a way that allowed her full mobility, while also pulling her pepper spray out of her back pocket. She aimed it at the person's face before her shoulder relaxed and she rolled her eyes. Oric was taken aback by Willow's performance, but he was pissed enough to ignore it for a later time.

"Where are my clothes?" He growled. It was only then that Willow noticed he was only wearing an undershirt, socks and boxers.

"Didn't you pack any?" she asked sarcastically. "How would I know where your things are."

"My room key was in my pants pocket, and my pants are gone." Willow let out a small chuckle. She had nothing to do with Oric's clothing going missing, but she was still tickled by it.

"There are much more entertaining things for me to focus on. Stealing your clothes, while hilarious, is not one of them." Oric glared at Willow, not believing her words at all.

"Then one of your new little friends must have done it. Help me find them." Willow rolled her eyes. It was likely that one of the women around took Oric's clothing, but not on her orders, and not to help her. The person probably just wanted to force Oric into sleeping with them.

"It's more probable that one of the women you've been sleeping with wants to leave you with no place to go." Willow continued to fold the quilt she had pulled off the bed, while Oric stood in the doorway, likely freezing. He probably had not even had any of the tea prepared, because she could tell he was suppressing the urge to shiver.

"No one would be that stupid," Oric spat.

"And yet, here you are." Willow offered Oric a charming smile and turned to face him. "This room will be empty tonight. You are free to sleep here if you want, but you'll have to give me a second to get my things." Oric's eyes turned to slits.

"Are you doing that on purpose?" he asked, sensitive about the woman's constant use of the shortest unit of time measurement in his presence.

"Mr. Lamar," Willow said, trying to put a firm and hard line between herself and her accuser. "I have already explained that I had nothing to do with your missing clothing or room key. I have offered you all the help I am willing to lend, and in a few seconds, I will be out of your way." Oric grunted in frustration and left the room, slamming the door behind him, while Willow snickered at the childish performance.

----

Vanya did not know how to use the information she had overheard against Mina, but she knew that she would need to be careful using it. Composing herself, she knocked on the slightly open door, and Cylus came to answer, not wanting to allow just anyone in.

"I overreacted," Vanya said. "I had time to think, and it looked like something was wrong. I was just embarrassed."

"It's fine," Mina called out from inside. "I know what it looked like, but Cylus was only trying to help.

"Are you okay now?" Vanya asked, still standing outside of the doors, because Cylus blocked her way.

"I will be." Mina paused, wanting to lay down and sleep, but fully aware that she was occupying Cylus' bed. She stood to leave, and Olivia stood up with her, wincing as her foot touched the ground. Mina caught sight of the reaction, but Cylus was still talking to Vanya, and missed it. He asked his girlfriend to wait for him in her room, and she agreed, looking as though she were genuinely sorry.

"Olivia," Mina said as if she were trying to coax a child. "What is really wrong with your ankle?"

"Nothing," she replied, but she responded so quickly that it made both people in the room more suspicious.

"Suffering as penance won't take away the guilt." Cylus looked at his cousin, not having to ask what Mina was referring to, because he knew how Olivia had felt.

"It's not that," Olivia lied. "I just don't want to seem weak." Mina could understand that aspect, but Olivia was weak, just like her, and she knew that, also like her, Olivia saw nothing wrong with it.

"Getting help is not weak, making excuses is," Cylus offered, and his cousin hung her head.

"Let's not ruin the night any further," Mina cut in. "Willow is probably waiting for us." It was not that Mina did not agree with Cylus, because she did. She just did not like how similar he sounded to Sadie, who Mina found herself missing daily.