<div style="text-align: justify;">Mariya was somewhat relieved that Vitali hadn't said anything about her behavior. She didn't really want to lie to him, even though that was exactly what she was doing. But in her mind, it felt as though lying implicitly was less of a lie than to tell an outright lie. It was, of course, just a way she had of feeling less miserable and less like she was betraying her old friend.<br/><br/>Of course, she knew that both of them were at grave risk. Should she succeed, Vitali had only one very slim chance of not getting punished, and that would be proving he had no idea about what she was doing there. Should she fail, she would either be punished by her employers or the government of Soviet Union, depending on which form her failure would take. And neither of these options sounded good.<br/><br/>When Vitali jumped after being pinched, Mariya laughed and shook her head. "Very well. I will hold you to that promise". After this comment, she nodded at his suggestion. "The park sounds like a good idea. And it is a new place for me to get to know, and probably go to for some change of scenery when you are busy", she remarked, really interested in seeing the park.<br/><br/>Mariya hadn't thought of betting anything of value. Her idea was more of something like they did when they were children and raced each other or played some game. She had thought of betting something one would do for the other should they lose. <br/><br/>When Vitali said what he would want in case he would win, Mariya smiled at the face he made. "That is not a difficult one, and I can tell you right now". She made her best serious face, but the mischievous glint in her deep blue eyes made clear she wasn't being that serious. "I came here to get myself a heroic man to marry and never have to worry about working for a living again. How does that sound to you?", she asked at the end, turning her gaze to Vitali's and tilting her head a little to the side as she sometimes did when curious.</div>