He waited while the wager was weighed by those so affected, prepared to settle for coin if it was turned down.  Money held little value to him, though.  The loss or gain of material he could experience at a game table was trivial.  The<i>experience</i>, however, even such a simple thing as a willing kiss, that was more than worth his time under such circumstances.<br/><br/><i>Are you trying to make me jealous?</i><br/><br/>He pinned Ryland with a dubious stare.<br/><br/>“I highly doubt that as a possibility,” he replied.  Someone as free spirited and unattached as the prince?  Jealous?  The kingdom would fall into chaos.  “I just don’t intend to let you have all the fun while I remain miserable and unengaged.”<br/><br/>The game commenced, and while he’d never played it before, it was indeed easy enough to figure out.  He kept track of all the cards in his mind, and while he had plenty to drink, he didn’t imbibe nearly enough to dull him to the status of each.  When finally it was down to only Chelrev and himself, it was a narrow list to guess from.  Luck was on his side, and he guessed correctly.<br/><br/>There was a bit of tension from the other side of the table, and he could only guess that Mel was uncertain, and Chelrev unhappy.  But they had agreed to the bet, and it was, as Ryland had said, only a kiss.<br/><br/>He was respectful in that he didn’t take hold of the man, as he would a lover.  Kethaias did, however, place his hands on either side of that attractive face to hold it while he claimed his prize.<br/><br/>And sweet it was, the taste of drink on another’s tongue.  He’d been right about how nice Melrend’s mouth was, and he sampled it in unabashed delight.  Not that it was an unnecessarily long experience, because there was still the knowledge that those lips were not truly his to savour, only borrowed for the instant.<br/><br/>“The honour was mine,” he uttered politely, then moved to take his seat.<br/><br/>His gaze was pulled toward the prince then, and he hummed an affirmation.<br/><br/>“Your friend is a fine kisser,” he eventually admitted.  “But then you would have already known that.”<br/><br/>There was a part of him that wanted to admit more, but he doubted that Chelrev would’ve appreciated it, and poor Mel might have caught fire from embarrassment.  It was growing late, and too many drinks had been enjoyed, so he had to be more careful about how loose his tongue might get.<br/><br/>“I have to meet with your family in the morning,” he reminded Ryland.  “Perhaps this is a good time for me to call it a night, since it was on such a high note.  I think I can capably flag down a carriage and direct them to where I need to go, so feel free to stay with your friends.”