Continued from here: [x] @askjhookâ
âNah. Not apple. If I wanted Apple, I would have asked her. Youâre the one I heard had a keen eye for this game. Come on and join us. If we lose, you can blame me, and I will say Alistair cheated.â He winked playfully at both of them, obviously not serious. âNow the question is are we playing normal rules or wonderland rules?â
Nora looked down at her shoes, her discomfort slowly becoming apparent. âI donât know who has been telling you about my abilities, but Iâm afraid they were greatly exaggerating. I canât help you against Alistair.â She muttered, lifting her head when the blond stepped closer and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
âDonât be so down on yourself, Nora. Thereâs no way youâd do anything but improve his dreadfully poor chances of beating me.â He joked with a glance at James to communicate he wasnât actually insulting the pirate. He then offered a small smile that grew momentarily when the girl returned it.
âI appreciate your vote of confidence, but again I must decline. I hope you understand, Alistair...â She was already pulling away from him and turning to go again as she spoke, âIâm sorry James, I really canât help you...âÂ