Tanith returned Gabe's sly look with one of complete befuddlement. "Then what were we doing playing poker?"
"How was Skulduggery winning?" Fletcher wanted to know, equally puzzled.
"Poker isn't all about hiding and lying," Skulduggery explained to him with a hint of amusement. "It's also part strategy, part trickery, and part luck. All of which I am excellent at." Fletcher and Valkyrie, in particular, were open books. Ghastly, Skulduggery might have found a challenge, if they hadn't known each other so well. And Tanith was much too honest to get far in a game like that, although she had won once or twice.
Go Fish, even though he'd just learned how to play properly, was also turning out to be a surprisingly strong suit for Skulduggery. Ironic, since the amount of luck it contained was almost double that of poker, and yet somehow it was supposed to be easier.
"I've always thought he's a bit of a psychopath," Valkyrie told Fletcher. "He can lie and honestly believe he's telling the truth. It's kind of creepy sometimes."
It was a good thing Valkyrie had called Skulduggery a psychopath before - purely as a joke - or his already considerable worry over China's intentions might have spilled over and clouded his judgment. As it was, Skulduggery's composure didn't change in the slightest.
Tanith grumbled quietly to herself, and then looked up again a moment later with her expression much more neutral. "At least you can catch other cheaters, I guess," she admitted, grudingly handing Gabe one of her cards. "Have you even had to go fishing yet?"
"I still don't see how drawing a card counts as fishing," said Skulduggery. "They are two very different activities."
Valkyrie glanced up at him. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"
no subject
"How was Skulduggery winning?" Fletcher wanted to know, equally puzzled.
"Poker isn't all about hiding and lying," Skulduggery explained to him with a hint of amusement. "It's also part strategy, part trickery, and part luck. All of which I am excellent at." Fletcher and Valkyrie, in particular, were open books. Ghastly, Skulduggery might have found a challenge, if they hadn't known each other so well. And Tanith was much too honest to get far in a game like that, although she had won once or twice.
Go Fish, even though he'd just learned how to play properly, was also turning out to be a surprisingly strong suit for Skulduggery. Ironic, since the amount of luck it contained was almost double that of poker, and yet somehow it was supposed to be easier.
"I've always thought he's a bit of a psychopath," Valkyrie told Fletcher. "He can lie and honestly believe he's telling the truth. It's kind of creepy sometimes."
It was a good thing Valkyrie had called Skulduggery a psychopath before - purely as a joke - or his already considerable worry over China's intentions might have spilled over and clouded his judgment. As it was, Skulduggery's composure didn't change in the slightest.
Tanith grumbled quietly to herself, and then looked up again a moment later with her expression much more neutral. "At least you can catch other cheaters, I guess," she admitted, grudingly handing Gabe one of her cards. "Have you even had to go fishing yet?"
"I still don't see how drawing a card counts as fishing," said Skulduggery. "They are two very different activities."
Valkyrie glanced up at him. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"It bothers me."