162 An Outing (6)

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Iris kept laughing through gritted teeth, holding the giant snake like she was holding onto a bomb. Although the handler had said that it was safe and fun, she didn't really believe it.

Not anymore, anyway. It seemed fun at the onset, but the moment the giant python was placed around her neck, her interested evaporated. The moment the vertical pupils looked at Iris, she saw herself as a hand-sized fennec caught in the jaws of the snake, paralyzed by its venom and unable to move.

"What's with your face? Weren't you the one who wanted a photo?" Kyro asked, and she refocused on him, trying not to think about the giant snake around her neck.

It didn't work. She could feel the python's weight on her shoulders, its dry skin, and the way its muscles worked under the surface. 'This was a horrible idea!'

There was a click of the camera, and Iris blinked, refocusing. "That wasn't fair!" she immediately stated, raising her hand with the python's head up. "Do it again!"

As she said that, there was another click, and Kyro smiled at her. "I think this one is fine, you can run away now."

Iris was dubious, but she didn't really wish to spend another moment with the predator around her shoulders. The sooner she freed herself from it, the better.

The handler helped her take it off, and she breathed a sigh of relief once she got away. Her hands shook a little, but she hid it by crossing them over her chest.

"Show it to me," she ordered, and Kyro brought his phone over.

In it, Iris saw herself looking quite majestic. She was dressed simple, and a giant python lay on her bare shoulders. Her expression was thunderous, with eyes narrowed and ice cold, while she held the snake's neck before herself. As if on command, the python had raised its head a little, looking straight at the camera with a mesmerizing gaze.

For a moment, Iris just stared at it, wondering how it could have ended up like that. She had clearly been trying to smile! "It's all your fault!" she declared angrily, slapping Kyro on the hand.

He almost dropped his phone from surprise. "I can't help it if you're too scared to smile." He then shrugged in a helpless manner, as if he was an innocent in this. "It's just your inner snake charmer coming out."

"Thanks," she muttered and looked around. There were still many reptiles in this house, but she was no longer interested in them. Instead, she took Kyro's hand, as had become the norm during their adventures through the pet show, and pointed at the door far in the distance.

His reply was a small nod while he pocketed his phone, and she led them out into the open air once more. After the humid atmosphere with a hundred or so people squeezed into the small area inside, Iris felt like they'd escaped hell.

Outside, she saw that the sun was no longer high in the sky, and she looked around in surprise. How long had they spent walking around the grounds? She was certain that it was around midday when they arrived at the show.

"What's the time?" she asked, and Kyro took out his phone once more.

"Eight fifteen." He said it as if there was nothing wrong, but then did a double-take as if just realizing what he'd said. "When did it get so late?"

Iris pointed at the sun that was hidden behind the buildings in the distance. "I thought something was off."

Kyro followed her finger and nodded, then looked down at his phone again. "I guess the place is about to close."

A quick look around told them that the crowds had actually thinned out a lot, and many tents had been closed up. Only the most popular ones were still working, like the reptile exhibition which had a scheduled show at 7.30 pm. and so kept its audience for awhile longer.

Without needing to speak, the two of them turned in the direction of the exit. While walking to the car, Iris suddenly realized that she was quite hungry. After a whole day of excited running about, she could use a good meal to finish the day.

"What are we going to do about dinner?" she asked, turning to glance at Kyro.

His brows furrowed for a moment, then he looked around. There were a number of diners around them, clearly situated near the outdoor venue to catch the people who came for shows.

"Any of them catch your fancy?"

Iris saw that many were full, so she just kept on going, looking for something less crowded. It would be annoying if they had to wait some half an hour for a seat.

In the next street, there was an interesting place with the name 'Sunflower Garden' that hid its inner venue. Or well, hid may be too strong a word. The windows were simply buried under a sea of blooms. They were of all colors of the rainbow and gave the old house a charming air. Iris couldn't help but be intrigued what hid behind the flower-covered facade.

Kyro noticed her interest. "You want to go there?"

"It's pretty," Iris answered with a shrug. If he had a better suggestion, she was all ears. Otherwise, why not there?

After a moment's consideration, Kyro agreed and led them to the small house. The burgundy door was the only thing not covered in flowers, and Kyro pushed it open.

From his side, Iris noticed that it opened easily even though it looked ancient, and they stepped inside. The main color of the place was light brown and the lamps shed a somewhat muted light, but it wasn't what caught her attention. Her eyes instantly focused on the tables, and how they were all strangely small, made for two people.

Around a third of them were empty, so Kyro led them to one that was more out of the way, and Iris looked up to see the painting on the wall to her right. It was of a woman on a swing and a man laughing nearby, clearly having just pushed her higher.

Iris looked around and saw that this wasn't the only wall painting like that. All the walls were covered in couples standing at the beach before a setting sun, laughing on a bench in a park, dancing in a ball, or even a more suggestive one where they were about to kiss in a movie theater while watching a romantic movie.

Gulping down her unease, Iris glanced at Kyro. Was he going to blame her for choosing the wrong place? But he wasn't looking at her. Instead, with a frown, he stared at the tables around them.

Puzzled by what could have caught his attention, Iris also looked over.

All the tables were taken up by two people: one man and one woman. They were mostly teenagers and young adults, and their eating habits… Iris could see at least two pairs sharing spaghetti so their lips touched, and three more were feeding each other something.

'I have sinned!'

Iris cried tears of blood as her heart slowly shriveled up. This was clearly a place overrun with couples, so how could she have brought Kyro here?! Did she have a death wish?!