Submission (#572) Approved

(Lumiora used with permission from GalaxyFeathers)
Kairos strutted through the summer market like he owned the place—which, depending on who you asked, wasn’t entirely untrue. His lean frame weaved between crowded stalls and sun-bleached awnings with the ease of someone who’d spent more time dodging vendors than browsing them. Bright flags flapped overhead, enchanted with spells that made them sparkle with glittering surf and fireworks illusions. Music drifted on the warm breeze, upbeat and crackling from soundstones.
His claw curled lazily around a makeshift list (more of a crumpled napkin with “Fruity drinks, flowers, snacks, chaos” scrawled on it). With a flick of his tail and a grin sharp enough to be illegal, he made his first stop—a juice vendor with a stack of chilled melon bottles sweating in the sun.
“Ahh, there he is!” the vendor greeted with a half-suspicious squint. “Here to actually buy something this time?”
Kairos leaned on the cart. “I’m deeply offended you’d say that. I always pay. Eventually.”
The vendor sighed, but passed over a sample of tropical nectar anyway. Kairos took a long sip, nodded with exaggerated wisdom, and dropped two gold pieces onto the counter—an actual purchase. Just enough to lull the vendor into a false sense of security before Kairos discreetly palmed three more sample flasks when their back was turned.
“Pleasure as always!” he called, disappearing before any arguments could start.
Next came the decorations. He found a stall full of enchanted sea-glass lanterns that glowed faintly like little stars. Perfect for nighttime ambience. He negotiated—read: talked in circles—until the seller was so confused, they accidentally offered him a bulk discount just to get him to leave. He bought one and quietly walked away with three.
As his satchel grew heavier, Kairos made his way to a flower stand bursting with bundles of color—sun lilies, wind-daisies, starbloom stems. He reached for a bundle of soft white blooms tinged with blue at the edges, ones he knew Lumiora used in her potions. He hesitated a second before gently tucking them into his bag.
“Special order?” the florist teased from behind the stall.
Kairos smirked, tossing them a coin. “Decor. Purely aesthetic. Definitely not for anyone in particular. Obviously.”
He moved fast after that, partly because he didn’t want to be caught blushing and partly because he’d just spotted an unattended crate of party sparklers and… well. No one was watching. Somewhere between “borrowing” a float shaped like a banana and tripping into a stand of fruit skewers (leaving behind a trail of sticky footprints and a flustered apology), Kairos found himself hauling a cart bursting with juice bottles, beach towels, enchanted lights, snacks, and a truly absurd amount of floating pool toys.
He rolled to a stop just outside the city gates, panting under the weight of his glorious chaos. The sun beat down on his back, and the scent of mango juice and roasted coconut clung to his fur. He wiped a paw across his brow, tail swishing behind him like a satisfied cat.
“Step one,” he muttered, cracking open a bottle of stolen melon fizz and sipping it with a sigh, “complete. Step two, make this party legendary.” Then, with the breeze at his back and a cart squeaking behind him, Kairos vanished down the forest path toward the hidden cove. The beach wouldn’t know what hit it.
The hidden cove wasn't listed on any maps—not the public ones, anyway. Kairos had found it ages ago during a particularly aggressive game of hide and seek while running from a guard. Tucked behind a curtain of dense tropical ferns and jagged rocks along the coast of Layer 3, it was the kind of place that stayed quiet unless you wanted it loud. Well, today, Kairos wanted it loud enough to shake the place.
He dragged the cart over the final ridge with a triumphant growl, then nearly fell flat on his face as the wheel caught a root. A juice bottle went rolling down into the sand and popped open with a fizz, spraying sugary nectar everywhere. Kairos groaned, but grinned through it, licking a bit off his claws.
“Alright, alright,” he said to himself, cracking his knuckles. “Time to turn this sleepy little corner of the Falls into the best beach bash Layer 3’s ever seen.”
He strung enchanted sea-glass lanterns between two driftwood poles, their shimmering glow already catching the sun like floating fireflies. A massive conch shell boombox was rigged with a music crystal he may or may not have “borrowed” from an abandoned mage dorm back in Aurelion—within minutes, jazzy, tropical beats spilled over the beach. He arranged towels in chaotic spirals, dug a makeshift cooler pit into the sand to chill drinks, and stacked fruit skewers into a precarious pyramid. When it came to decorating, Kairos leaned into maximalism. If it sparkled, shimmered, bounced, or inflated it had a place at this party.
By the time the sun was high and the ocean had warmed enough for the waves to invite instead of intimidate, the cove had transformed into a wonderland of mismatched umbrellas, beach games, and floating rings shaped like frogs and mango slices. He stood proudly in the center, hands on hips, tail swaying with satisfaction.
“Not bad for a thief with taste,” he said, just as a large inflatable crab broke free from its tether and started slowly drifting toward the sea. Kairos chased it down, cackling the entire way, then paused when he spotted a familiar silhouette walking down the path into the clearing. Lumiora.
She stepped through the trees like a soft breeze made flesh—graceful, calm, with a woven basket balanced on her back and that gentle, ever-thoughtful expression on her face. Her pastel flowers caught the light like stained glass, and she paused at the edge of the cove, one paw brushing a hanging lantern gently as it swayed beside her. Kairos froze.
Not because he wasn’t expecting her—he’d sent word (with a slightly chaotic note tied to a flower stem that read “Bring your healing paws and a sweet tooth”) but because every time she showed up, she somehow made the world quieter, even when music and crashing waves roared all around. She looked around slowly, taking in the chaos. Then she smiled.
“Kairos… did you do all of this?” she asked, voice warm and amused.
He scratched the back of his neck, pretending to be very focused on adjusting the nearest towel pile. “I mean… define ‘all.’ I may have coordinated. Possibly orchestrated. Allegedly acquired a few supplies.”
Her eyes flicked to the party sparklers jammed into the sand like glittering stakes. “Legally?”
“Define ‘legal.’”
Lumiora laughed softly, and that sound alone made every wild effort worth it. She stepped forward, placing her basket on one of the blankets. Inside were carefully packed containers of honey-glazed fruits, herbal teas chilled with frostleaf, and hand-stitched cloth napkins that smelled faintly of lavender.
“You thought of everything,” she said, settling beside him.
Kairos glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Not everything. You’re here. That’s what makes it perfect.” Lumiora blinked, tilting her head, but before she could question it, a beach ball rolled between them, demanding immediate attention.
And with that, the party officially began. A few other Tatsukoi trickled in, some invited, some stumbling onto the music and staying for the juice. Games erupted. Someone started a dance-off near the driftwood log. Sparklers lit up even in daylight. Sand flew, laughter echoed, and at the center of it all stood Kairos, in the surf, arms crossed and a sly smile pulling at the corners of his face. This was his kind of day: a little sunburn, a lot of sugar, and a few secrets no one would ask too many questions about. Lumiora was still smiling, sipping her herbal tea, watching the waves. He didn’t say it out loud, but this was for her.
The sun dipped low on the horizon, turning the waves to molten gold and painting the sky in hues of citrus and blush. The music had quieted to a mellow hum—Kairos had swapped the conch boombox’s energy crystal for something softer, less pulse-pounding and more sway-inducing. Only a few guests remained now, lounging lazily on blankets, bellies full of fruit and laughter, eyelids drooping from too much sun and not enough restraint.
Kairos sat near the shoreline, his legs stretched out, a half-melted coconut slushie tucked in the sand beside him. His usually fluffed hair was damp and windswept, a few stray flower petals clinging to his fins. There was sand in his fur, a jelly ring stuck around his wrist, and a not-so-subtle sunburn blooming across his shoulders. But he was smiling as he stared out at the horizon. Footsteps padded softly across the sand.
“Mind if I join you?” Lumiora’s voice came from behind, gentle as ever.
He didn’t even look. “You’re basically the guest of honor, Lumi. You get honorary seating rights for life.”
She settled beside him, her basket now empty, her flowers glowing faintly in the last light of day. A sea-glass bead had gotten tangled in her hair from one of the lanterns, but she didn’t seem to notice—or mind. She simply folded her legs beneath her, let the cool water lap at her toes, and watched the sun melt into the sea with the quiet patience of someone who knew how to listen to the world. For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then she said softly, “You put a lot of effort into today. For your friends.”
Kairos gave a noncommittal shrug, watching a crab crawl over a half-buried melon rind nearby. “Yeah, well. They needed it. Everyone’s been so tightly wound lately, climbing up and down the Falls, chasing dreams, carrying scars. Thought they deserved one good day.”
She tilted her head. “And what about you? Did you need this?”
He smirked. “What, a beach party with snacks and near-death kiteboarding? Obviously.”
She laughed under her breath—just a puff of air and a warm little sound—but it made his heart do something stupid in his chest.
“Still,” she said after a pause, “you didn’t have to do all this alone.”
Kairos blinked. “Didn’t really want to ask anyone. Felt like... I needed to get my paws dirty for it to feel right. Like it meant something.”
She was quiet for a moment, the wind playing with the beads of her mane.
Then, gently: “It did mean something. You gave people peace. That’s a kind of healing, too.”
He didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t. Instead, he pulled a stray flower out of the sand and twirled it between his fingers.
“I think,” she continued, “you helped more than you realize.”
Kairos looked over at her—really looked this time. Her eyes, soft and bright, were fixed on the sky, watching stars blink slowly into view one by one. He wanted to tell her how much it meant to him that she’d come. That she’d brought those teas, and her soft voice, and that presence of hers that made even rowdy beach chaos feel like something sacred. But instead, he handed her the flower.
“Here. For your collection. Or, y’know. Your mane.” She blinked, surprised, then smiled gently and accepted it, tucking it behind her ear without another word.
The last of the guests began to gather their things and wave their goodbyes. Someone shouted a “Thanks, Kairos!” before vanishing over the ridge. The beach slowly returned to stillness, the waves lapping in a rhythm as steady as breath.
“Think you’ll throw another one?” Lumiora asked quietly.
He leaned back on his elbows, sighing contentedly. “Maybe. If the tide’s right. And if you’ll come.”
“I’ll bring the tea,” she promised.
“Then it’s a deal.”
As the stars took full claim of the sky above them, the two of them remained in their little pocket of calm—no plans, no masks, just soft conversation and the scent of sea-salt and vanilla drifting on the wind. Kairos, the mischievous heartbreaker of Layer 3, let his usual bravado slip just a bit, feeling something warm settle in his chest that had nothing to do with sunburn.
Maybe it wasn’t love. Not yet. But it was something close. Under the shimmer of moonlight and sea glass, that was enough for now.

Reward	Amount
Gold	5
Summer Daze Music Festival - Design and MYO Raffles (Raffle Ticket)	1