Nicholas jumped in surprise. He hadn't even touched the guy! "Ah, damn it. You caught me!" Seeing Xander with his cards, he momentarily thought he might be challenged to a game, before seeing it land in the tree. An observer most likely would have seen two peas in a pod, arrogance and more arrogance. But Nicholas only saw an idiot with an inflated ego, and himself, a pillar of cunning and wisdom.
Still, the thief couldn't help but feel a bit deflated from his failure. "This guy thinks he's so cool with his stupid cards!", he grumbled to himself. The most frustrating part had to be not having anything else to say or do. It was pretty much clear that Xander had asserted himself here, so he just walked on behind, silent for the time being. He'd get him back when the opportunity arose. "Still, I mustn't lose sight of the goal".
A while later, bored with the walking, he asked "So, Xander, let's figure out our plan. What'll we do once we get there? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love improvisation, but I figure we're probably gonna need to have this coordinated, you know? Or are you just gonna do some magic with those fancy cards of yours?"