From the way he spoke and what he'd already told her, that sort of answer was what she expected. Mostly, anyway; a near-loss was fine, but the line about assistance made her eyebrows raise, then furrow in thought. One wasn't supposed to receive any help in chess, after all. It was a one-on-one game; that was the point.

So, she thought, he probably meant something more than just a board game.

"If you always win, why do you play?" Her eyes, that unusual amber-yellow, drifted from the man's completely ordinary face to the ornate chess set, then back. "It doesn't seem like it would be very interesting, after a while."