An unlucky bet

Willa looked in the mirror, tilting her head. The best outfits always seemed to be monochrome, in her mind. Blacks, whites, the occasional grey... She did like this one, a faux-leather skirt with a slightly cropped top. With the con coming up, she wanted to look her best. After all, it was for her last season on Arrow...

"Looking good."

Willa turned, recognising the voice of Caity Lotz. They hadn't really been co-stars for a while, but they still technically shared an on-screen universe, and back when they had been on the same show they'd struck up a friendship.

Similar senses of humour, similar ideas of fun... It was hard not to enjoy Caity's company, even if she didn't knock before bursting into changing rooms.

"Hey Caity," Willa said. "How's your outfit-shopping going?"

Caity made a considerably less pleased face.

"Got a few suggestions handed to me," she said. "All kinda suck. Come see."

Willa glanced back at her mirror, then headed out of the fitting room. The little area they were in was private, at any rate, no worry of being interrupted.

She followed Caity the short distance to her curtained-off booth, several outfits hung up. All had obviously gone unworn, with one thrown rather scornfully to the floor. Some kind of... honestly Willa wasn't sure, it looked like an unholy mix of a ballgown and rocker fashion. Quite why it had ever been made was beyond her, let alone why it had been suggested.

"Ouch," Willa whispered, surveying the options. "Definitely go for something else."

"Believe me, will do," Caity said. "How, how's filming going for you?"

"Pretty good," Willa said. "Meant to have one more script than I do, but beyond that... Shot of an email, just waiting to hear back."

"Yeah, know the feeling," Caity said. "One behind here too. Get the feeling they're not quite coordinating all four shows properly. Hey, feel like a wager?"

Willa chuckled. Caity always seemed to enjoy a touch of risk; it was part of what had drawn them to each other.

"On what?" Willa said.

"Who gets their script first," Caity said. "You get yours, you win. I get mine, I win."

"You're on," Willa said. She glanced around, then smirked. "I win, you have to wear that to the con."

She gestured to the particularly ugly... thing screwed up on the floor. Caity raised her eyebrows.

"You'd better be offering something good for if I win," Caity said.

"Same stakes?" Willa said. "You pick what I wear. Anything you want, that thing, something worse, your choice."

There was a pause. Then, after a moment, Caity smirked and extended a hand.

"Accepted," Caity said. "May the best woman win."

Willa took her hand, and shook.

Willa sighed and waited, resigned. She'd gotten the picture a few days ago from Caity, her latest Legends script captioned 'read it and weep.' To add insult to injury, Willa had gotten her own just a couple of hours later. So close... Which led to her waiting in her hotel room. She'd be heading out to the con soon, and Caity had promised to come up with her chosen dress for Willa. She was kinda dreading it.

Then again, she'd accepted the bet, and she'd have insisted Caity go through with it if she lost, so...

They'd had decent stakes before, though admittedly never anything quite so public. Not that Willa had ever backed out of a forfeit. Even if a dare to run down a hotel hallway and back to her room in her underwear had ended up with Caity locking her out of her room for an hour; Willa had gotten her back eventually.

There was a knock at her door. Willa swallowed, stood, and walked over to open it. Unsurprisingly Caity was stood just outside, hanger in hand.

"For you," Caity said, handing it over.

Just a hanger in hand. Willa blinked, as Caity walked inside past her.

"What's this?" Willa said.

"Your outfit for the con," Caity said. "Don't tell me you forgot our little wager."

Willa turned the empty hanger over in her hands, staring, confused.

"How am I supposed to wear a hanger?" Willa said.

"You're not, you're supposed to wear what's on the hanger," Caity said. "Surprised you never learnt that."

"But there's nothing on..."

The penny dropped. Willa's eyes widened, turning back to face her friend and dropping the hanger in shock.

"You can't be serious," Willa said.

"What?" Caity said. "Pretty sure you said, to quote, if I won you'd wear 'anything I want.'"

"Yeah, but... I meant like a dress. Like you would have," Willa said.

"You didn't say that," Caity said playfully.

"Cait, I am not going to the con naked!"

"Fine," Caity said. She sighed. "Keep your shoes on if you must."

"That's not what I meant!" Willa said, voice getting high.

"Don't tell me you're chickening out," Caity said.