"So," Damon suddenly spoke, cutting through the silence. "Why women only?"
It was a question that had been gnawing at him since his arrival, and now was as good a moment to ask as any.
Ning Xiaoyu was quiet for a moment before answering.
"It wasn't like this at the beginning," she said. "When everything started, everyone was trying to survive, so it didn't matter. Male or female, all that mattered was the numbers. Anyone who could fight mattered."
She looked at the water.
"Then there was an incident," she said carefully. "In the early days. Some of the men decided that the rules had changed along with everything else." She paused for a split-second before continuing. "I wasn't there, I joined the group after it already happened, but I've heard that Aria dealt with it... leaving no prisoners."
Damon nodded.
He couldn't really blame them. He, of all people, knew better than anyone how quickly people changed, he had seen it first-hand in his best friend, whom he had to kill.
