“Th-thank you,” said Hewlitt.
“Stop talking and deal,” said Morredeth.
The next two hours passed very quickly until the arrival of the Hudlar nurse with the announcement that the evening meal was about to be served.
“If you wish to continue with your conversation and group activity,” it said, “you may eat together at the table outside the nurses’ station; otherwise the meal must be delivered to your individual beds. Well?”
Horrantor, Bowab, and Morredeth said “the table” in unison, and Hewlitt said the same a moment later.
“Are you sure, Patient Hewlitt?” asked the nurse. “You have limited other-species’ social experience, and seeing some of them at table for the first time may be psychologically disquieting. Or have you dined with off-wonders before now?”
“Well, no,” he replied, “but I don’t want to interrupt our conversation. I’m sure it will be all right, Nurse.”
“The trick,” said Horrantor, “is to look at nobody’s platter but your own.”
But when the trays arrived he could not help sneaking a glance at the others’ platters, and decided that their food looked unappetizing but not revolting. It was the sight of Horrantor pushing enormous quantities of cooked vegetation-it had at least six times the body mass of an Earth-human and no doubt needed generous helpings-into an opening that he had not suspected was a mouth that he found most disconcerting. Morredeth was an herbivore also, and made a lot of noise while demolishing a selection of crisp, uncooked, and unidentifiable vegetables. He could not tell what Bowab was eating, although it had a strange, spicy smell, and he noticed that none of them was looking at his platter.
Was it simple good manners, he wondered, or was the sight of his synthetic steak and mushrooms having an even worse effect on them?
As soon as they were finished the other three returned their trays to the delivery float, so Hewlitt did the same. He did not know whether this was to save time and effort for the nursing staff or to clear the table quickly for another game. Either way he thought it was a good idea.
While Bowab, the overall winner of the previous game, was dealing he said, “You people are really devious and nasty and vicious as players. I wouldn’t call those last three games going easy on me. It isn’t fair. I’ve lost half of my toothpicks already.”
“Think of it as the involuntary payment of tuition fees,” said Bowab. “Besides, scremman isn’t a fair game, it is you who are fair game.”
A furry centaur who makes jokes, Hewlitt thought. He laughed politely and said, “It is a most unfair game, so far as I am concerned, because winning depends not only on a player’s capacity for misdirection, concealment, and bluff, but on the accurate reading of an opponent’s expression. Under all that Kelgian and Duthan fur I don’t even know if there are expressions to read, and Horrantor’s head skin is about as expressive as Hudlar hide. Until I came to this place I spoke to off-worlders only by communicator. You people are so completely strange to me that I wouldn’t know a revealing expression if I saw one.”
“Since coming here,” said Bowab, “we have seen you studying the library’s physiological classification system used to describe and identify Federation citizens, which includes basic information on their sociopsychological behavior. During the last game you were quick to discover my true discard pile. Either you are being too modest, Patient Hewlitt, or you are not as ignorant as you are leading us to believe.”
“In which case,” said Horrantor, joining in, “you have learned that there is a psychological extension to scremman which operates during the breaks between play. You are indeed progressing well.”
“And should I also learn,” said Hewlitt, “not to be disarmed by compliments?”
“Of course,” said Bowab.
He laughed again and said, “Then if I admit to ignorance on any subject, it would not weaken my position because the admission would be treated as a possible misdirection aimed at concealing a strength. But what do you do with a person like Morredeth? Surely it must be at a disadvantage because it cannot tell a lie?”