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Chapter Eleven
What Happens in Kissing Town Stays in Kissing Town
They had stuck together at first, but Sark soon became bored with the Rabbit Race she found so amusing. He had left her with the admonition to keep her ears open for possible ride opportunities to the castle and with the promise to meet in an hour and a half at the lobby of the casino. Mostly concentrating on encouraging her rabbit on she had absently leaned up and kissed his cheek. He, in turn, gave her hand a quick squeeze before he wandered off.
Eventually tiring of the Rabbit Race she tried a few more game with remarkably good luck. She also spent some time simply wandering around the casino looking at all the games; including, amusingly, high-stakes ‘Slap Jack’ and ‘Happy Families’, a game that resembled ‘Old Maid’, and she observed the gamblers. Normal people mingled unconcerned with dwarves and fairies, the former requiring boosters for seated games and the latter’s wings causing a bit of trouble to get around them, but all in all a very happy and festival atmosphere.
Once the hour and a half was nearly up she made her way to the front to cash in her chips and find Sark. She was rather please with the amount she had won and wanted to see how Sark had made out, not that they were competing or anything.
Near the cashing windows she spotted Sark talking with a matronly woman. Several young girls hovered around the older woman and Sark, giggling and whispering with each other while shooting glances at Sark. Smiling to herself she walked up to Sark and tucked her arm through his. “Here you are.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek.
He turned a smirk, cleverly concealed as a smile, on her. “Hello luv,” He kissed her cheek in turn, “I was just talking with Mrs. Ramley here.”
“Hi I’m Sydney.” She brightly smiled and inwardly laughed at the disgruntled looks on the girls faces.
Mrs. Ramley’s frowning features smoothed out slightly at Sydney’s arrival, “I was just talking with your young man here.”
“Fiancé.” Sark interrupted and turned a doting look on Sydney. She managed a rapturous look back and contained her laughter.
Mrs. Ramley was smiling now and the girls were definitely pouting and shooting Sydney poisonous looks. “Your fiancé was telling me you were looking for a ride to King Wendell’s castle.”
“That’s right. We’re so looking forward to seeing it.” She gushed.
Mrs. Ramley dabbed at her eye with a handkerchief, “For your honeymoon then. I expect you’ll be getting married this evening then.”
“Yes,” Sark smoothly lied, “I was hoping to win enough to buy Sydney the perfect ring.”
She ducked her head into Sark’s shoulder hoping the older woman would think she was being shy not that she was about to bust out laughing. Oh, we’re having too much fun.
Mrs. Ramley beamed at them, “In fact me and my girls are headed to the castle to tomorrow morning at first light. You’re more than welcome to join us.”
“Really? Thank you so much.” Sydney profusely thanked her.
Mrs. Ramley gave the directions on how to find them tomorrow morning, by the fountain near the pink butcher shop, before departing with her sullen girls.
“Fiancé?” She arched an eyebrow at him.
He shrugged, “I thought she’d be more inclined to give us a ride if we were engaged and those girls were making me nervous. They had a bit of a predator edge to them.”
Laughing she pulled them over to the cash out window, “Mr. Sark afraid of a few teenage girls. And now,” she triumphantly exclaimed, “you have to buy me a ring.”
After exchanging their chips for paper bills and coins she was disappointed to find that Sark had won more than her. He claimed it was due to his highly honed skills that he cleaned up at the high-stakes ‘Slap Jack’ game.
Walking arm in arm out of the casino she again reminded him that she need a ring. “And I want to do some shopping.”
“Shopping?” He wrinkled his nose cutely.
“Can you imagine what they’d have for sale here?” She waved her hand encompassing the whole world.
“We’ll need to turn in early tonight if we want to get up at first light. We should have dinner first, then see about your ring and any shopping if we have time.”
She conceded to his sensible plan and they went in search of a restaurant. After asking around for the best restaurant in town they ended up at ‘The Way to the Heart’. It was an exclusive restaurant but after slipping a few bills to the maitre d’ they were promptly seated at a cozy, candle-lit booth.
The entire restaurant was dim and held a romantic air, unsurprisingly. They easily conversed over dinner, covering a wide range of topics. Sark even told her a few bit of personal information about her mother with the unspoken agreement that she wouldn’t be telling what she learned to anybody else.
Dinner finished and the sun beginning its nightly descent they went in search of a jeweler.
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