Brisa scooted closer, sticking her head around Roscoe's shoulder for a closer look at the cards he held.
"This is ridiculous," Roscoe burst out.
"Don't," the woman warned.
Roscoe ignored her, facing Brisa. "Do you want to learn to play?"
Brisa studied him, taking his measure before her gaze drifted to the others. Wordlessly, she nodded.
"That's what I thought." Roscoe reached to swipe the untidy stack of cards waiting face up in the middle.
His hand had just touched one when Warin slammed his hand down. Roscoe tugged, but the cards didn't budge.
"What are you doing?" Warin asked through gritted teeth.
"I could ask you the same thing."
"You know the rules. No touching the pile until the game is over." Warin's eyes were narrowed into threatening slits.
"She will learn better by doing," Roscoe informed him, giving another tug.
"You only want to do this because you're losing."
Roscoe let out a guffaw. "Since when is Lion Clan able to see through cards?"
Warin bared his teeth. "I don't need to see through them. I simply need to read your face to know your hand sucks."
Roscoe gave him a kind smile. "If you were any type of player, you'd know there's no such thing as a losing hand. Only shitty players."
Warin's huff held scorn. "You—"
Roscoe tilted his chin. "What? Afraid to admit I'm right?"
Lion started to lunge forward only to be brought up short as Brisa stuck her head between the two. She peered down at the cards from a distance of only inches.
"I see now. This game is a dominance display. I didn't realize humans had those too. Does the winner get to kill the other?"
The woman from Rain made a small sound as her eyes danced with suppressed humor.
Warin gave the woman a pained look. "Really, Emersyn?"
Emersyn shrugged in apology. "It was funny."
Taking advantage of Warin's distraction, Roscoe yanked the cards out from under his hand. He threw his cards on top before reaching over and grabbing Ghost's to add to the rest.
Emersyn didn't try to stop Roscoe as he reached for hers next. Roscoe added them to his growing pile before watching Warin with an anticipatory look.
"You can keep yours if you want, but the rest of us are getting a new hand."
Warin made a disgusted expression as he flung his cards at Roscoe's face. "Fucking Western Wind clan. You're all dishonest, sneaky assholes."
Ghost leaned his chin on his hand, smirking. "You know what they say—if you're not cheating, you're not trying."
Eva arched an eyebrow at them. Why, oh why, did she have to have friends who thought nothing of providing bad examples of human behavior to impressionable Tenrin?
As if the flock needed any other reason to distrust the Trateri. Yet, here Ghost and Roscoe were showing her the most deceitful sides of themselves.
Jason patted Eva's shoulder with a sympathetic look. "I'll leave you to sort this out."
