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The inside of Laying Odds looked vastly different than anything they had seen so far. Nova followed Raiden as he led them toward the entrance of the gambling joint. They strode past a bench with two harvesters smoking. Most of the men who had exited the drinking establishment gathered around the platform. A few looked their way. She kept her eyes on the floor. Raiden didn’t speak, but pushed past everyone with his huge duffle making him seem fatter than he was. There was a stunned, confused silence which hung on his shoulders, much like the pack. Arrow glowered at the people who punched his arm.
“Where are we going?” Arrow asked.
“The train won’t be here for a while. Delays.” Raiden opened the door to the bar. “If you want on the train, follow me.” The smell of sweat and liquor slapped her in the face. She grimaced but walked in.
Nova had no idea if she made the right decision following this stranger or not. So far, everything seemed to be okay. This was a lot of faith to place on a man with a spike in his earlobe.
“Is this safe?” Arrow asked as he pressed closer behind her. His hand settled on the small of her back. The room opened up into a massive cave. The walls were carved out of the rock on three sides. Items were mounted on the walls and only a handful of lights hung from silver tape attached to the craggy roof.
“You want a drink, Mortal Combat?” A short, beefy man behind a marble counter called to Raiden as they entered. He held up a bottle and shook it. Behind him a tattered American flag hung on a looped rope.
“I think I need one,” Raiden muttered more to himself then made straight for the man pouring amber liquid into a dirty cracked glass. Raiden picked up the glass then led them toward the far corner of the cavern. He hadn’t answered Arrow’s question, but Nova was sure he heard him. The room had only a smattering of men playing a box dice game. They lounged on the stone floor in pockets dotting the room. Some of their faces had a sinister mask under battery-powered bulbs in yellow plastic cages.
Where the rock wall and the floor met sat a low wooden coffee table. Raiden stopped and faced them. In this tucked away corner, they were under what might be holiday lights. They blinked red, then green. Raiden put his back to one of the walls as he slid his pack off his shoulders. He then threw the sack to the floor. The bag rolled. Before it stopped moving, he sat on top of the flat side. He flipped the long lapels of his coat around him. His yellow shirt, which peeked out from under his many layers, had a smiley face peeking out from the middle.
Arrow did the same thing with their duffle. He took the bag off, then plopped it on the dusty floor. He didn’t speak, but with a wave of his hand, he offered the makeshift chair to Nova. She daintily perched on the duffle then leaned her head against a sign that said, “no turn on red light.” Arrow sat cross-legged on the floor next to her.
Once they were seated, Nova expected more harvesters to appear in the bar, but the room stayed somewhat empty. Beyond her, tucked behind the bar, were three other doors. When some men entered the cave, they passed them before they headed across the room. Hearing the noise behind the first door, she figured the exit might take you to a busier area of men and women. With how boisterous the sounds were on the other side, she guessed it might be better to stay here where they were relatively secluded.
“I couldn’t ask before with all those guys on the platform, but now we have no one to overhear us. I want to know. Who are you?” Raiden demanded once they were seated.
“I appreciated that you waited until we were in a more private spot.” It would’ve been bad if someone overheard their conversation, and it would’ve been impossible for Arrow to pretend to know things with Raiden. If Raiden knew Arrow as well as she figured he did, then there would be no way for Arrow to fool him enough to get on the train. Arrow asked Raiden to get them on the next train. Now they must convince Raiden to do it and to not tell anyone that Arrow wasn’t himself. She hoped they were up to the task.
“This is the best place to talk. If you want to get on that next train, spill it. Who are you?”
Arrow momentarily stopped looking around. He faced Raiden’s pointed glare. Nova figured he wasn’t going to take a flippant answer. She wouldn’t accept a casual dismissal if she were in Raiden’s place.
“Is it that obvious?” She asked Raiden.
“It’s obvious to me,” Raiden replied as a few men shuffled by. He dropped his voice. “He might’ve been able to fake it with other guys, but not me. I’m the only one who’ll trek with him.”
Nova didn’t know if Arrow should tell him the truth or not. If they had more information on what type of person Raiden was, then they would know if they could trust him.
“Why are you the only one who will trek with me?” Arrow watched the colorful holiday lights. He looked relaxed and watching him made Nova feel at peace. Arrow lifted his hand. Gingerly, he touched the lights like they were precious gems.
Traveling with Arrow might be difficult at times, but then again without him, she wouldn’t have managed to get this far. She had told him she wanted to get on the train to Bosstown. Arrow tried to make that happen. When she reviewed the trip, she realized she was the one who stated they should trust Joe and get off the other train. Arrow was behind her in everything she chose to do, so she could do no less for him. If he told Raiden about himself to find out who he was, then she would back him. At this point, she believed she could make it to Bosstown because of Arrow.
“Weaver said once I could never trek without him. He’s a dickhead like that. I knew something was up when he told me I could go.” Raiden shrugged. Arrow stopped looking at the lights. He probably didn’t like being called a dickhead, but he didn’t comment. “Weaver never used my name. He always calls me Mutt,” Raiden continued as he stretched out his legs. He crossed one giant booted ankle over the other.
“He calls you Mutt?” Nova asked. That seemed an odd name for a friend.
“Yeah, I hate it, so he loves to use it. Also, Weaver never used the word ‘please’ in his life. Let alone using it twice in one conversation. I didn’t think he even knew the word. So, who are you? You look like Weaver, you sound like him, but I’ve got the feeling we’ve never met.”
Arrow remained silent.
“Arrow had a head injury.” Nova hedged when Arrow didn’t speak. She didn’t want Arrow to sound weak. Also, telling the whole truth would only open up a whole host of other questions that neither of them had the answers to.
“Arrow’s your first name?” Raiden studied Arrow now. He leaned forward. “You know I once saw you sign something A. Yazzie, but I didn’t know.” Raiden looked like he chewed that over. After a few seconds, he smiled. Nova had the impression that overall Raiden was fairly easy going. Good. That’s what they needed.
“I’m not happy I’m a dickhead, but I’m happy I have a last name.” Arrow smiled at last. “My last name is Yazzie, Arrow Yazzie.” He glanced at her. “Did you hear that, Nova? I have a last name. It’s a start.” Raiden eyes got a tad bit bigger. “Raiden, we’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention my head injury. Please.” Arrow’s face took on a look of deep concentration. “I don’t know if we can trust you, but we’re taking a chance on you. All we want to do is get to Bosstown. We don’t want trouble.”
Raiden grinned. His teeth gleamed. “If you don’t want trouble, then that’s also not like Weaver. Weaver loved trouble, fighting, and gambling. Well, that and a lot of HOCs.”
“Why do you call me Weaver?”
The nickname was a topic Nova wanted to know about as well. She was glad he asked the question. She figured she would need to ask more about the man she traveled with. They would need to know about Arrow if they wanted to make it on this journey. He might have to pretend to be himself if he ran into other people who knew him. She didn’t know how long the trip to get to Bosstown would take, but she did know you couldn’t fool people indefinitely.
“You got the nickname because of the braid in your hair all the time.” Raiden looked to Nova. “Everyone calls him that. I don’t think anyone knows his name’s Arrow.”
“I’ll call him Weaver then.” Nova nodded.
“I don’t like it. It’s not my name,” Arrow protested. “They say, ‘The mark of a man.’ My name is part of my mark.”
Nova’s brow crinkled. “I’m not even going to begin to figure out what that means. I doubt anyone ever said that. Ever.” She could see Arrow about to protest again, so she put her hand up to stop him.
“That’s an ad for Old Spice.” Raiden cocked his head to the side. “He’s quoting soap?”
“It’s only for when we’re around harvesters.” Nova nodded to Arrow. Even with her reassurances, he moped about the name change.
“Fine, I’ll be Weaver the dickhead. And then would it make us blend in if I call you Mutt?” Arrow dropped his head into his hand. Arrow’s comment dripped with scorn.
“It’d be best.” Raiden grinned.
Arrow gave an exasperated sigh. After a minute, he took a more relaxed deep breath. “I don’t like the idea of being someone else.”
Raiden tilted his head like Arrow had spoken in Swahili. “It’s not you’re being someone you’re not. You’re going to be someone you are.” Raiden looked helplessly at her to explain that remark. Nope, couldn’t help him there.
“What would you have liked me to call you? Did you want me to call you Raiden? Is that what your friends call you?”
“I don’t really have a lot of friends.” Raiden shrugged like this didn’t matter but his tone suggested that Arrow had hit a major topic. “But if I did, I would want them to call me Raiden.”
“I hope one day you’ll let me call you Raiden, and we’ll be friends.” Arrow leaned next to Nova. He squeezed her hand briefly and stopped looking at Raiden. Instead, he inspected a faded “this way” sign.
“You’d call me by my first name?” Raiden kept scrutinizing Arrow like he had sprouted wings. “That’s fucked up.”
“Fucked up? I never knew him any other way.” Above Nova, a few of the lights swung. They’d changed colors from red and green to blue and white.
“I like to fight and gamble? Is that what’s so different about me?” Arrow spoke more to the sign then to them.
“I have to admit we trekked together for years, but I guess, I didn’t know much about you. Gambling and fighting are all I’ve ever seen you do. Well, and tell people to fuck off.”
“What about family or friends?” Arrow eyes widened. It broke Nova’s heart to see him get excited. She could already tell if Arrow lived the harvester lifestyle, a family probably wasn’t in the picture.
“I didn’t even know you had a family. You told me once that your dad died when you were young. And you’ve no friends other than me, sort of. For all the years we’ve been together, all I’ve ever seen you do is gamble for money. I don’t know what you wanted all that money for exactly. You never spent the HOCs anywhere. You only accumulated it.”
“I wanted money?” Arrow’s Adam’s apple bobbed. She held his hand tighter.
“When you needed more money, like if you lost a bet, then we’d go to the surface and get fleam to sell.” Raiden didn’t seem to notice that Arrow was upset. “You’d often drag me on impossible expeditions I was sure we were going to die on, but we always lived. I never understood your devotion to the almighty HOC. Once your money was in order again then it was back to gambling or picking a fight or sleeping.” Raiden paused. “We never talked much.”
“What about my sister? Did I talk about Dawn?” Arrow had that hopeful note back in his voice. Nova winced.
“I didn’t know you had a sister.”
Arrow let go of her and dropped his head into his hands. Nova stroked his shoulder. Watching Arrow find out about himself was like witnessing a train wreck. She wanted to look away but she couldn’t.
“What about a girlfriend or wife?” Nova couldn’t help but ask. She was scared of the answer. Maybe Arrow gathered up money for a woman. Arrow’s head snapped up. Maybe he wanted to know if someone might love him or miss him. Nova wanted to know that.
“Weaver can’t have sex, so what would he need a woman for? It’s not like he’d talk to a woman, which would mean he’d have to be nice. He isn’t a nice person. Weaver’s a terrible person.”
Arrow and she exchanged looks. Did he say that Arrow couldn’t have sex? What did that mean?
“He what?” Nova sputtered. The more she listened to Raiden, the more she got a strange image painted of the man she was with. It sounded like they talked about two entirely different people. The man she met in the locked room chatted with her, could have sex, and was okay with a woman. More than okay, he was romantic, sweet, and downright sexy. He wasn’t a terrible person. Actually, her Arrow was a little dopey, but he was kind and helpful.
Plus, he had a sister, didn’t he? Arrow claimed he could see through her eyes. If he didn’t have a sister, then that opened up a host of new questions. Who was the woman he saw when he meditated?
“I’m sorry, but you’re a terrible person.” Raiden scratched at his blond ponytail. “Or you were a terrible person before. I don’t know what to say. Fuck, you’ve been gone for a few years. I didn’t think you’d come back. You got sick after that last dangerous run we had. That’s when you got frost bite. You lost toes, and I don’t know what else you got. I mean, snowballs, you were decent enough to carry me for miles, but I always figured you saved my ass because I was the only one who’d willingly trek with you. I guessed you’d never forgive me for my screw up.” Raiden looked at Nova with an apologetic shrug. “I’m no good in a blizzard. I get lost easy, even in good weather. Sure, Weaver saved my butt before, but that last one turned him off to going through Adam’s tundra with me again. Yeah, I didn’t think he’d come back, and he’s a terrible person most of the time.” Raiden punched his bag. “Snowballs.”
“Not all that. I mean go back to the sex.” Nova didn’t even want to go into all the other thing’s he had told them. That was a lot of information to digest. The first thing she wanted to know about was the sex.
“The sex? Oh, you know, Arrow can’t get his dick hard. His down below doesn’t stand up and—” Raiden stared at the bag between his legs. He squirmed. “Women are pointless is all I’m saying. No need to tell you.”
“Is it a side effect of my gift?” Arrow pondered out loud then looked to Nova. “You said gifts have side effects. Maybe if I use my gift a lot, I can’t have sex.” Arrow glanced around the room. His eyes bounced over the smattering of people. She could almost see him trying to do the math in his head. He started counting on his fingers. Arrow looked like he tried to add up all the times he’d watched the strings.
Nova stopped the frantic movement of his hands. Her fingers squeezed his.
“You’re not gifted as far as I know. Are you gifted? Do you have a sister?” Raiden looked at both her and Arrow. “Is that why you left to join The Originals? I thought they took you in because you had Native American blood is all. We’d heard that Mother was looking for The Great American Indian, whatever that meant. I was surprised they took you even with your missing toes and being sick. I heard The Originals only accept the best of the best. Pure blood and healthy, like Noah’s Ark. I never knew exactly if you’d joined them, but if you were gifted, then that’s why they let you in.”
“What’s The Originals?” Arrow asked.
Nova wanted Raiden to go back to the sex topic. Before she could cut in, Raiden’s head snapped up. His eyes darkened.
“Snowballs, it’s Ash Winsor.” The name hissed from Raiden’s mouth. All easygoing man dissolved. What was left was marble.
Nova swiveled her head around to follow Raiden’s line of sight. From her vantage point, she saw three men come in the entrance. The door slammed. The three men swayed like they’d been drinking. They laughed as they walked. One man yelled something to the bartender and drinks were poured.
Furiously, Raiden whispered to Arrow, “Remember to call me Mutt. Follow my lead.” He leaned closer to them. “That’s Ash Winsor in the middle. Don’t forget you like to gamble. You’re a terrible person. Be a dickhead, got that?”
Before Arrow could respond, the three men who entered, spotted them. They forced a direct line to Arrow as if singling him out. They stepped over harvesters on the floor as if they had their sights set on them. As they got nearer, Nova studied the one in the middle. She wished there was more than hung Christmas strands. The dim lightbulbs did little in letting her see the new comers well.
As the men got closer, Nova could tell the man in the middle was about the same height as Raiden and Arrow. He was the one Raiden called Ash Winsor. Other than his height, Nova noted that Winsor had a sharp nose, chin, and round smoky-silver eyes. His hair was short, black, and slicked back on his head. The coat he wore made it impossible to tell if he was fat or thin. The jacket that hung loosely on his body was covered in multiple types of fur. The hood of the jacket had so much fur on the sides that his head appeared small on his massive shoulders.
The other two men with Winsor loomed above the harvester. They both towered over Arrow. Winsor’s two buddies made Ash and Raiden look like children. One was a hefty black man with a similar coat and an enormous carved walking stick. His skin tone matched Winsor’s exactly. They could be related. The other man had pale creamy white skin with shoulder-length ink-black hair. His washed-out complexion made him look like he was tired of carrying the pack on his sturdy shoulders. Both men were fierce looking, but it was evident the man in the middle was calling all the shots.
“I thought I saw a huge pile of polar bear shit, then I realized it was you, Mutt,” Ash called to Raiden as soon as he stood in front of the wooden table. He spoke casually but he glared at Raiden. Nova had no idea why.
As Winsor handed his pack to the pale man next to him, Nova decided he had a handsome face except it was hard to tell with the scowl across his features. No one looked at Nova as she studied the new add-ons to the room. That was fine by her. For once her eyes hadn’t stolen anyone’s attention. She might’ve been passed over because of the bad lighting.
“Gee, Winsor.” Raiden made a point to use the man’s name probably for Arrow’s benefit. “I heard an avalanche crushed you. I’m sorry it didn’t.” Raiden hopped to his feet. He crossed his arms over his chest then stepped in front of Arrow. The pale man glared at Raiden and moved closer to Ash.
Winsor smirked. “This fucking argy-bargy with you is as much fun as playing leapfrog with a male elk. Jog off.” Winsor crossed his arms to copy Raiden’s stance. Raiden glanced at her. She wondered if he was silently telling her to not draw attention to herself.
“Go play on the train tracks. We’re busy.” Raiden took a menacing step forward. The dark-haired man next to Winsor did the same thing. It caused Nova to lean away from the two of them. She scooted as close to the wall as she could get.
Arrow got up from his seat to stand in front of her. She leaned around him. Raiden and Winsor stood toe to toe.
“How much semen do you have to drink to be this stupid? I said jog off.” Winsor’s eyes looked like they were trying to rip Raiden apart. The silver flashed like steel.
“There’s only one thing that stops me from breaking you in half.” Raiden snapped his teeth together. “I don’t want two of you around. Beat it, coal-eater.”
Nova prayed Raiden wouldn't leave. Both men appeared to hold their ground. She glanced at Arrow’s back while the two harvesters stared eye to eye. Winsor’s shadow hovered.
Arrow took a step to the side to stand directly in front of her. He must be trying to guard her, but she didn’t think she needed protection. These men were fully focused on each other. She wasn’t scared. The mini gathering acted like no one else was around.
“I think that stupid spike through your ear is fucking with your hearing.”
A muscle in the side of Raiden’s cheek ticked. “Eat a dick, you mother-fucking—”
“Down, Mutt.” Arrow’s voice was a low growl. He stepped between the two men. He didn’t sound anything like the man she knew.
With his graceful movement, his action forced Winsor and his shadow to move back. Raiden had to do the same thing. A few men entered the bar joking and calling to the dice players, but because of the tension Nova had the feeling the room was hushed. She glanced at the man with the walking stick, but he leaned against the wall. He didn’t seem to notice the conflict. Maybe Raiden and Winsor fought so much that it’d become an ordinary occurrence.
“It’s a good thing blond hair isn’t contagious.” Winsor relaxed his shoulders. The dark-haired shadow shrugged and leaned away. No one seemed to think there was anything wrong with Arrow. That was a good thing.
“Mutt and I have business to talk over.” Arrow glared. “Say what you’ve gotta say, then fuck off.”
The “fuck off” part was terrific. She wanted to congratulate Arrow on remembering.
“Now, now, Weaver. You shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds you,” Winsor replied. “Muzzle your dog. This is no time to wag off. Do you want to play now or later? I say we play now while it’s new fallen snow around here.”
Nova had no idea what was going on. So far, she had kept up with some of the harvester terms, but this was beyond her knowledge.
“Train will be here soon,” Raiden interrupted.
“I’m going to pull that ponytail off your head and shove it in your laughing gear.” Winsor turned away from Raiden and faced Arrow again. “What’d you say, Weaver? Are you in?”
Arrow was silent. Crap-cans, she couldn’t help him. In for what?
“Weaver isn’t interested in the games. We’ve got shit to discuss,” Raiden snapped.
Nova would have to remember to thank him for coming to the rescue. The pale man ruffled against the wall.
“All you’ve got coming out of your mouth is shit, Mutt.” Winsor didn’t even bother looking at Raiden this time.
“It’s a trek to a strip mall. It’s glacial.” Arrow nodded like he meant it. Well done.
Winsor looked skeptical, then he laughed. His chuckle was a light sound. The tone didn’t fit with Nova’s assessment of his character.
“Tosh, Mutt. When has Weaver ever turned down the game to talk to you? This is a lot of new ice and we got time. No one’s betting the ivories. I’ll set it up. You can talk on the train. Stop snowing me. It’s game time.” With that, Winsor turned to trot happily toward the door that led into what Nova figured had more harvesters on the other side. More people entered the cave. They passed the three of them to go in that direction.
Nova stared wide-eyed, lost on what happened. As Winsor and the two men with him started yelling to some other harvesters about a game, they passed the threshold and out of their sight.
“Snowballs,” Raiden muttered to himself as he sat back down on his bag. He drew out a multicolored cube from a side pocket. The square was small and fit easily in his hands. He kept turning the sides of the cube this way and that way. When he shuffled the cube, turning the sides, it caused the colors on all the squares to change.
Arrow sat next to Raiden, then she joined them. She waited for Raiden to explain what happened. He kept playing with the cube.
“Are you going to tell us what’s happening?” She spoke when it seemed Raiden wasn’t going to explain.
Raiden glanced up. He held out the cube on his palm. “It’s a puzzle I found on the surface. You have to make the sides all one color by turning them and—”
“Not that! I don’t give a damn about that. What was that guy Winsor talking about? What game? What’s fresh ice or fresh snow or whatever?”
“Yeah, he uses fucked up terms. You get used to it after a while.”
“Why don’t you get along with Winsor? Do you hate him? Does his friend hate you too? You know, the tall one with the black hair?” Arrow asked.
Those were stupid questions. Who cared why they didn’t like each other? The upcoming game was vastly more important than Winsor and Mutt’s war.
“I don’t hate him or his friends. In fact, Morgan-Roth is okay.” Raiden set his cube down. “Ash and I are just sort of weirdly competitive. I don’t know what the deal is. I thought maybe it’s because people whisper that he’s a Fletcher. Around here anyone who can call themselves a Fletcher think they get to run the place. He’s got Stone with him too. Stone is that the tall anemic-looking guy. So, since he’s got Stone, Ash can be a real snow squall.” Raiden picked up the colorful cube again.
Nova wanted to scream that this was a useless conversation. To her surprise, she kept her temper.
“Do Winsor and I get along?” A strange look came into Arrow’s eyes like he knew something he wasn’t telling them.
“You gamble together. You always gamble when you’re on the same train or when you meet up at Laying Odds. That’s why there was no way I would be able to talk him out of it. I didn’t think he’d be here, or I would’ve hidden you in one of the private rooms in back. There are quarters behind the bar. If you can find someone who has a key to a room, we could’ve gone in there.”
“We’d need a key. That sounds about right.” Arrow nodded at Nova. She almost laughed. Almost.
“You could’ve hidden us?” Nova bit back some not nice comments she wanted to make. “That’s how this crap always goes for me.”
Arrow reached out to hold her hand. His warm palm immediately quelled her temper.
“I’m not a slush-head.” Raiden looked indignant. “It would’ve caused questions. People would’ve wanted to know why we needed the room. I didn’t want to raise suspicion. I got to be careful, too. I could be tied to the tracks for bringing in outsiders. Besides, I didn’t know exactly who you were. I thought our talking to more people wouldn’t be a great idea. People might’ve figured out you weren’t Weaver, and,” he pointed at Nova, “you look like a vampire.”
Nova had to admit he may have thought this through. “What’s a vampire?”
“A vampire is an immortal human who drinks people’s blood,” Arrow answered while he traced, “packaged ice” on one of the signs with his other hand.
“You remember what a vampire is, but not fleam? What kind of head injury did you get?” Raiden shook his head at him.
Arrow opened his mouth, and then closed it again.
“We’re not going into it,” Nova announced. “Tell us about the game Winsor wants Arrow to play or gamble. That’s what’s important.”
“It’s a simple game. You won’t have to talk, which is good.”
“Got it.” Arrow stopped touching the sign. He leaned over to whisper in her ear giving her goose bumps. “Sounds easy, angel. I can shut my face hole.”
“He doesn’t talk. What does he do?” She refrained from leaning into his warm mouth.
“Ash will place Weaver and two other guys in the middle of the room on a bench. You undo your pants. Ash gets some hot women or men to dance naked in front of you. It gets dirty. As soon as the music starts, the betting begins. It’s entertainment for the people watching, and the betting is usually decent for you and Ash. Since Weaver can’t get hard, he always wins. For Ash, Weaver is his sure thing. You see, whoever gets hard first watching the sexy dancers loses. The game is you’ve got to hold out, but you have to watch.”
“What do you mean get hard? Like my...?” Arrow trailed off.
“Your dick stands up, or in your case, your dick doesn’t stand up.” Raiden looked at her like she should explain more, but she was reeling. What the hell type of game was that?
“I never get hard? Never? Never?” Arrow sounded confused. Nova was both confused as well as appalled. This wasn’t a game; this was madness. No more would she ever think she was zany. From now on, the harvesters were truly out of their minds.
“Yeah, you’ve never been able to get it up in all the years I’ve known you. I don’t know how Ash knows that, but he knows, so he places his bets accordingly. You must’ve told him once. I know it too, but no one else.”
“Is that it? That’s the whole game?” Nova asked.
“Never?” Arrow sputtered.
“Most of the time people always fall for it and bet Weaver will lose.” Raiden shrugged. “You and Ash always sucker people to make money. In Ash-lingo, he’s telling you there are a lot of new harvesters on this train. That’s what he means by fresh ice. When he says fresh snow, he means new money’s rolling in. You typically act super into the girls, or the guys, then Ash places the bet like he’s a fool who doesn’t know any better. No one else knows about the penis thing because it’s a touchy subject. Anyway, it works for the two of you because Ash makes the bets. You split the money. You always play.”
Raiden fumbled with his cube again. He looked like he was done with the topic. Nova swallowed.
“Never ever?” Arrow gulped.
“Who the hell came up with such a disturbing and disgusting game?” Nova asked Raiden after she digested all that information.
Raiden looked up. “Weaver did.”
