Stolen Kisses Require an Accomplice (Gawain)

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Everything was almost ready, all the booths were set up, the prizes laid out and the food prepared, and so far it had all gone off without a hitch. Of course being the organizer of the whole shebang, Lottie had supervised the set-up of pretty much everything first, she didn’t trust anyone else not to mess it up, so her own booth was the last to be finished.

It was all going perfect! What better way to meet every eligible bachelor in all of Tintagel than putting herself front and centre of this whole thing, and snagging the most... ‘interesting’ booth around? Sure, it was possible that some princes might not want to pay for a kiss, or they might even have Giselle’s mentality about it, that they had to wait for their ‘true love’, but Lottie was hoping to prey on their generous nature, as well as their desire to help. It is all for a good cause, she would say, with innocent, hopeful eyes and a little pout. How could they resist? Okay, so maybe she would have to kiss a lot of sniveling little boys to find her man, but it would be worth it. She would kiss a hundred frogs to find her prince if she had to.

Just one final touch and she was ready. Attaching one end of the sign to the corner of her booth, she unrolled it and stretched it out, trying to make it reach the boy’s booth beside it, and at a bit of an angle. It didn’t quite reach. “Well gosh darnnit.” Now she was going to have to move the booth a smidgen.

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Entertainment in Trenale was most definitely not lacking Gawain had soon discovered and he had already taken part in many of the activities the town had to offer, not to mention all of it’s bars, and found it to be most entertaining. So when he heard about the Carnival he was more than happy to run along and see what that was all about, not that he needed much encouraging after one of the people he passed mentioned the ‘beer tent’. Well that would just have to be stop number one. The damn place wasn’t exactly sign posted however so he found himself wandering around all the other booths and attractions in search of his very own holy temple.

It was on his journey through the carnival that he came across a rather lovely young blonde attempting to put up a sign. He stood and admired the view for a bit, absolutely delighted with what he saw and at the angle he could see it at before saying, “D’ya need a hand there lass?”

He stepped in to her line of view and looked at the stall next to hers, contemplating a solution to the problem. Walking around to the side of it he pushed all his weight against the side of the booth causing it to move a couple of centimetres. He popped his head round the side and said, “How’s that?”

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Dropping the sign when a voice behind her startled her, causing her to jump, Lottie turned quickly to find a rather handsome, if not a bit rough and scruffy, man. She preferred clean cut men herself, as any self respecting prince would be, but she wasn’t going to refuse a little bit of help.

“That would be just so kind of you!” she exclaimed with her best southern belle trill, batting her lashes a bit for good measure. Bending over to retriever the end of the sign, she waited for him to move the wooden booth. It scootched a bit closer under his weight and she was able to effectively attach the sign. “That’s perfect!” the blonde exclaimed, standing back and brushing her hands together before turning to her helper. “My hero.”

Smiling brightly at the man, she heard the large clock tower bonging in the distance. “Oh gosh, it’s time to start! You must be running the men’s booth, are you? What was your name? Herman?” Already she was rushing around behind him and pushing him around the back of the one booth where it was open.”

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Well this wasn’t quite the appreciation he had been expecting but he was willing to take what was on offer from the lovely little blonde. Although he appreciated her haste into the box he was a little confused at her saying that he was running the men’s booth. That was a little odd. Then she was calling him Herman, and he started to come to the realisation that this was not in fact leading to anything entertaining. No one called Herman ever gets laid.

“Look, I think there’s been some kind of mistake,” he said turning to face her and holding his hands up. “I’m not…wait.”

He had moved all the way back so that he was almost leaning out of the booth and could see the writing on the sign. He grinned and stood up straight.

“Yes. Yes I am Herman, Prince Herman of the Hebrides, and I am here to be kissed,” he said placing his hands on his hips, “so how does this work exactly? And when do we kiss?”

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Lottie frowned when Herman stopped her and started to protest, saying she was making a mistake. Looking at him in confusion, she obediently waited for him to finish his sentence, which took a little longer than she felt necessary, especially since people could start lining up any time now.

“You’re not...” she prodded, raising her eyebrows as he leaned back strangely and seemed to ignore her for a minute. He had seemed so helpful a minute ago, and now he was just acting very odd. Maybe she had made a mistake and he wasn’t...

Prince Herman? Well, he certainly hadn’t signed up that way! Talk about luck! A bright smile suddenly vanquished all confusion from Lottie’s face. Already a prince, and he wasn’t even one of her customers!

Oh fiddlesticks, he wasn’t one of her customers...

“Well, we’re not ‘spose ta kiss,” she admitted reluctantly. “People are ‘spose ta line up and pay a dollar to kiss us, you in this booth and me in mine.” Lottie pointed past him to the other booth. Then a thought struck her and her whole face lit up again. “If you want, I could demonstrate!”

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This was so easy.

Although he wasn’t sure he really trusted someone’s judgement when they were more than willing to kiss someone called Herman. He supposed it was just his dashing good looks, his lovely smile and his winning personality. Oh yes, even lumbered with the name of Herman Gawain could still get a kiss from the ladies, and of course if he played his cards right he might just get a little more.

“A dollar a kiss, oh surely you’re worth a lot more than that,” he said grinning down at her, “why I would pay a million dollars for a kiss from such a stunnin’ lassie.”

He wasn’t quite sure what ‘dollars’ were but he assumed they had to have some kind of worth, otherwise a person wouldn’t be trading kisses for it. Even if it wasn’t that great a worth, by saying a million it obviously enhanced it and so he still got his point across. “I think a demonstration though would be much appreciated however,” he said moving in a little closer to her, “do I get this one for free? Or do I have to get myself some of these dollars?”

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Oh gosh, he was good. Sure, it was the oldest line in the book, but somehow his accent made it sound fresh and charming. Giggling, Lottie blushed what she hoped was prettily as opposed to the splotchy, lipstick red that some people blushed that really did nothing to make them more alluring, as someone should in such a situation.

“Well I’m sure tha school would appreciate such a generous donation,” she replied, biting her lower lip and looking up at him as he loomed over her. Raising a hand to rest gently on his chest she was a bit disappointed to find that it wasn’t beating nearly as fast as hers, but then he hadn’t kissed her yet so she could forgive him for now. “This one’ll be on tha house, sugah,” she said, batting her eyelashes, her voice barely above a whisper. Leaning in a little closer herself, she suddenly pulled back with a another giggle. “But for starters, I’m spose ta be on tha other side.”

Giving Herman her most flirty look, she backed out of the booth and disappeared around the side of it. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Lottie held a hand to her heart. “Oh my stars...” she whispered to herself. Destiny be damned, she was going to find her prince today, and this kissing booth thing was just how she would do it. Not that she was counting her chickens before they hatched, but there was always the chance she may have already found him, but she would certainly check out all her prospects first.

Peeking around the front of the booth she smiled at him. “Ready for your first ‘customer’, Prince Herman?”

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Gawain panicked, internally of course, he never lost his cool on the outside…mostly, when she mentioned the school liking such a generous donation. The thing was, he didn’t actually have any money. Well he had plenty of money, he was a prince after all but he wasn’t sure of it’s worth here…he would need to look into that. Anyway, the situation was easily resolved when the bouncing little blonde announced that this one he could have for free. Which you know, was the way it was supposed to be, she should be paying him for such a damn fine kiss in the first place. And apparently she was…

He had been leaning in to the kiss as well when she had moved away from him, drawing out the moment. He grinned, oh he liked her style. She wanted to make it last, to tease and flirt, oh he had definitely stumbled across the right carnival attraction that was for sure. All he nodded now was a good beer, or a whisky, or an ale, or maybe a-oh she was talking.

Automatically he said, “Who?” before quickly adding, “Oh yes, Herman, that’s me. Why yes my bonnie lassie, I am more than ready for my first customer. And might I add, that the odds are in my favour, for my very first customer looks like a beautiful princess.”

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He was a bit of an odd one, seeming to forget his own name, but Lottie could look past that. It was amazing the strangeness that people could ignore when it came from someone handsome and charming. And rich. Being rich never hurt either.

Oh, but then he went and said it: he called her a princess. Well, he said she looked like one, but still! A princess! and a beautiful one at that! Lottie’s heart skipped a beat and she just barely kept herself from squealing aloud and possibly just throwing herself at him. But that was hardly the behaviour befitting a princess, so instead she batted her eyelashes and dropped into a curtsy. “Why thank you, my handsome prince,” she replied, cranking her flirt dial up to full.

Now she had said that this was a free one, but technically he was the one in the booth and she the customer, and she was supposed to be showing him how this all worked, so it would probably be best if she actually go through the entire motions. Unfortunately, her purse was stashed in her own booth, so she couldn’t just pull out her change purse and offer up a dollar. Fortunately, Lottie was a resourceful woman and never went anywhere without a bit of... security, so to speak. Spinning around the corner of the booth to stop right in front of it, she gave Prince Herman a look through her lashed before reaching into the bodice of her dress and producing a coin which she held up between them.

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He couldn’t help it. He was a hot blooded normal man and no one, not even the most fridged and uptight of men could resist watching her delve into that bodice and pulling out the coin. It was…wonderful and if possible his grin got even wider. Oh the wonders of feminine garments. He had a horrible idea that it would be different in this world, but he found that it simply became more fascinating. It wasn’t that the wenches in the inns back home were stingy with the flesh, really, one too many beers and they were baring all, it was simply that they didn’t know how to make it work. It wasn’t the showing too much, it was what was not showing, which let the imagination run wild, and no one’s imagination was as wild as Gawain’s. His eyes still lingered on her ‘bodice’ before he eventually tore his eyes away to look at the coin.

Gawain took the coin from her hand, leaning over the booth and said, “Ah, I see you wish to purchase a kiss.”

He leaned in a little closer and said barely above a whisper, “And what kind of kiss would you like lass? Perhaps just a peck on the cheek, it’s so chaste and gentle.”

Closing the gap he did so, kissing her gently on the cheek.

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Lottie felt a sense of triumph as her little show had definitely had the desired effect. She knew a lot of women who would look down on such an act, would call it tawdry, but she was very much of the belief that if God had seen fit to endow her so, then why shouldn’t she use her God given gifts to her advantage? Surely he wouldn’t have blessed her with such beauty if he didn’t expect her to use it.

Giving up the coin, she put her hands on the small counter between them. “That I would,” she replied, holding her ground when he leaned in again. His voice was like velvet, not like the crass southern boys back home, and even his words felt like foreplay. She barely had time to close her eyes before the kiss was over: a mere kiss on the cheek.

Opening her eyes, she pulled back just enough to look at him. “Why that was hardly worth a quarter,” she said with a playful air of scolding. “I expect ta get my money’s worth, so how about you try again?”

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Grinning at her as she chastised him for such a kiss he quickly changed it to a look of mock concern, “Oh I’m sorry my lady, it’s my first day today, perhaps we could try again and maybe this time I’ll get it right. No extra cost of course. How could I charge a lady when my last kiss has left her so unsatisfied.”

The grin now back in place, Gawain leaned in one more, this time a raising a hand to the side of her face, gently caressing it. He didn’t have the smoothest of hands, he knew this, he had done far too much swordplay (an actual sword before anyone‘s mind drops down to the gutter…although he has done plenty of that as well) for them to be soft, but somehow…the ladies didn’t seem to mind. If anything, they liked it more, it was more…manly.

He was heading for her lips this time, showing his full intention to capture them, when once again he veered to her other cheek and kissed her there. Grinning he said, “Better?”

It always worked better in three’s. You tease them twice and then on the third one…you could claim your prize.

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“Well, I suppose I can forgive you this once, since it is your first day,” Lottie replied with mock reluctance. Inside her heart was just a hammerin’. He really had a way with words, among many other things she was sure. His touch only seemed to prove it. His hand was rough but his touch was gentle, and she was just about ready to melt into a Lottie shaped pool by the time he leaned in again. Her blue eyes fluttering closed, she puckered her lips slightly, just waiting for him to close that last breath of distance...

That was when she felt his lips brush her other cheek. Her eyes snapped open again. She was of half a mind to get cross at him, the way he was just playing with her, but that grin... how could she be angry with him while he was grinning at her like that. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep the corners of her lips from twitching, begging to smile back.

“You know darn well that ain’t no different,” she replied. He was really enjoying this, getting under her skin, constantly surprising her. Well, two could play at that game. “Lemme show you how it’s done,” she said, the words barely past her lips before she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him toward her and crushing her lips to his with all the fire she could muster. And boy, could she muster.

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Oh he was absolutely loving this, teasing her, building her up and knocking her back down again. He could see it happening in her face, the anticipation the want as he leaned in to kiss her and the utter devastation when he didn’t kiss her the way she wanted. Well, she didn’t need to wait any longer, this time he would really go for it, she was already chastising him and once again he was going to assure her that this time she would get what she wanted, and this time she really would.

However before the Scotsman could act on his plan, the little blonde had already jumped all the stages and was now pulling him forwards and kissing him fiercely. Well you didn’t need to tell Gawain twice and just as quickly he was wrapping his arms around her and holding her to him just that little bit longer. Yes, this had been the kind of woman he had been looking for, one that new exactly how to surprise him…a surprise of the good variety, not of the, ‘it might be yours’ variety. Not that that had ever happened but sometimes he worried about it.

Pulling away he grinned at her and said, “…now you have to admit that was well worth a dollar…”

Still holding her he added, “You know practice makes perfect, we should probably do that again…maybe a little more…in depth.”

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After only the briefest moment of surprise Herman was returning the kiss, pulling Lottie as close as he could with the half wall of the booth between them. Moving her arms up to wrap around his neck, she was up on her tiptoes kissing him for all she was worth, and that was definitely more than a dollar. After a long, hot, wonderful moment he pulled away and she was left practically panting.

Wow. That was about the only word she could come up with for a moment, and even that she couldn’t voice. Not moving her arms, she looked up at him and smiled a bit dazedly back. Was that it? Was that the “you’ll just know” moment? How was she supposed to know if that was “true love’s kiss” or not? It had sure felt good, really good, but what other criteria was there? Damn, she should have asked Giselle or Cinderella to be more specific about the whole thing.

She would just have to think about that later, because he was talking again and she had to be witty and winning and keep his attention. “I think you should be payin’ me after that,” she managed to say, not sounding too... dreamy? She couldn’t even think of the right word to describe how she was feeling right now. One thing was for sure: she certainly wasn’t going to refuse a second round.

“Well, it is still early, and it ain’t like anybody’s linin’ up yet...” she said, trying to sound more thoughtful than eager. “Besides, ain’t it our duty to make sure nobody leaves her unsatisfied?”