My Life In A Fantasy, Women-Dominated World-Chapter 59: Code word

"Well, Jaq, what did you decide about the mission? In or out?"

"I... I am still not sure, Clay. It’s not a joke to fight against a tier 2 labyrinth." Jaq shook her head.

Hearing that, Claire looked into my eyes, scoffing lightly as if saying ’even Jaq is worried to go, and you think I will take you?’

But I didn’t lose my hope, refocusing back onto the conversation.

"It’s not us against the whole labyrinth, Jaq. You are overexaggerating it." Eva reasoned, "We are just a team taking a mission in that city."

"Indeed. There are many teams like us." Lia added.

"Yes, I am in too." Katie nodded.

Jaq looked at her friends with betrayal, as if they had stabbed her in the back with their words.

"Ugh... all for money, take it from my account. I can loan you guys." she grumbled.

"50k Sols please." Lia instantly asked.

"20k for me." Katie added, and before Eva could shamelessly chime with her demand, Jaq stomped in irritation.

"Shut the fuck up! I ain’t lending you nothing! You guys don’t even return the money!"

"Well you offered it yourself." Lia shrugged.

I chuckled at their amazing group dynamics, laughing as Jaq grumbled in annoyance and the rest teased her mercilessly.

And it went that way until Claire chimed in with her suggestion, that she had spent a whole minute thinking.

Everyone quietened down when she spoke, her voice coming out mellow and effortless as smoke trailed out of her lips.

"Jaq, I already told you that no one is forcing you, right? I am not blaming you, forcing you, or even suggesting you to join the mission. It’s okay if you want to skip it."

She took a brief pause, and smiled, "But we are taking it."

"Yep, I wanted to go to Gammora for so long. I miss the casinos~" Katie grinned.

"Casinos..." Eva said to herself in a low voice, her eyes darkening when she spoke the words, as if she hated it to her core.

Was she a gambler?

She lost it big?

Jaq, who was subjected to these words, and such subtle emotional blackmail, simply looked at the others with twitching eyelids.

"I hate you guys." She grumbled, "Always manipulating me into accepting your deadass plans. Fuckin–"

She paused herself from cursing out.

"It’s your fault for being such an attention seeker and always acting different by going in the opposite direction of us. And then you blame us for dragging you back on track." Katie shot back.

"Yep, ungrateful." – Lia.

"Pot calling kettle black." – Eva.

"Fuck off. And also, talking about pot, you got some?" Jaq asked Eva excitedly.

*COUGH COUGH*

The moment the pot was mentioned, Claire wheezed on her smoke, coughing violently as she glared at Jaqueline.

If looks could kill, Jaq would have been dead 9 times by now.

And acting as if I was retarded or stupid, Claire pointed at me with her eyes and clenched her teeth.

I could see her act, and clearly understand that she was warning Jaq not to mention about the pot to me.

But did she really think I was too dumb to understand her gestures, especially when they weren’t even too difficult or subtle... at all.

"Ahem, I meant a pot of tea." Jaq cleared her throat while wiping some beads of invisible sweat, "All the talk about pot and kettle made me thirsty. Do you have some?"

"No." Claire shook her head, acting as if nothing had happened.

And if that wasn’t enough, they took it as an unworded cue and began discussing it with the same codeword.

"Ah tea, I have some but it needs to be poured and cooked, and served. I am too lazy to do it." Eva yawned.

"It’s literally morning right now... You guys are crazy..." Lia facepalmed.

"I can serve." Katie chimed in happily.

"Nah you rol– your serving sucks. You spill it and it doesn’t taste authentic enough." Jaq clicked her tongue and patted Katie’s head, before retreating it when Katie swung back.

"Claire could’ve done it but she... well, I will do it." Jaq thumped her chest with a righteous smirk, "But if I am serving then I will be sipping it first."

"Second." Eva instantly added.

"Third." Claire didn’t spare any chance either, quickly taking the next best.

"Thi– Fuck, fourth." Katie grumbled.

"Oh well, fifth." Lia didn’t seem too bothered by it, as she was a little reluctant about it anyway.

Wow.

Even I wasn’t this shameless to casually discuss it like this, and without even trying to cook up a better codeword.

"Sixth?" I added with a chuckle, "I wanna drink tea too."

If they think I am dumb anyway, why not play along?

"Uhh..." Eva froze, looking at me with wide eyes. She was acting as if I said something way out of their expectations, and it was worthy of a heart attack or something.

"The tea leaves of this tea are very bad actually, Aaron." Eva tried to explain, "It’s dried and grown in hilly regions, and there is a small problem that it is grown near toxic plants and only high levelled people can take it."

I was wheezing in my mind, watching Eva’s panic as she tried to explain to me why I shouldn’t join their circle of weed.

The rest didn’t look too excited either, with Claire giving death glares to any woman that met their eyes with her.

She looked beyond furious, though what was she expecting when she was going along with the same excuse as them?

Hell, she even nabbed the 3rd spot.

I shook my head, meeting my eyes with Claire’s.

"But I want to try it at least. I am sure a few sips will not be too harmful."

"No. This time they said the toxins in the leaves are especially high. It’s too strong." Eva denied.

"For real? Extra strong?"

For a few moments, I could imagine Jaq drooling as she said that, before she got back her bearings and sighed dramatically.

"Then we cannot take a risk! I will bring you more and better tea later, Aaron!" Jaq smiled brightly.

I scoffed, still staring into Claire’s eyes who was sitting against the bed silently.

"Do you even know what we are talking about?" Claire smirked.