Emily looked at the board.
Then at Grim.
Then at the board again.
"That's not fair."
**"It's strategy."**
Kira: "When did you build on the south corridor?"
**"An hour ago."**
"How did we not see it?"
**"You were arguing about South Port."**
Maya looked at the board with the expression of someone recalculating everything she had believed about the game.
"You won while we fought."
**"Yes."**
"Deliberately?"
**"I observed that the group's attention was focused on the conflicts between bearers and I used the low-observation turns to position myself."**
Three seconds of silence.
Raven analyzed with genuine surprise and fascination.
"That's exactly what I would do."
**"I know. I learned by watching you."**
Raven looked at him.
Then she burst out laughing.
---
The laughter spread around the table.
