Submission (#585) Approved

(Lumiora used with permission from Galaxy_Feathers)
The summer heat clung to Layer 3 like a thick blanket, the scent of grilled fruit skewers and ocean mist wafting through the cobbled streets of Blackpool’s coastal market. Crystalline sun-orbs floated lazily overhead—small, enchanted orbs that soaked up sunlight and released it later as a warm, gentle glow, but right now they only made the afternoon feel hotter.
Nestled between a shaved-ice cart and a bucket-toss booth was a rickety wooden stall that looked suspiciously like it had been slapped together in a single night. Its uneven sign swung slightly in the breeze, reading in bold, glittery lettering:
"KAIROS’ MIRACULOUS MIDSUMMER VISION GEAR!"
(Enhance Your Sight — Look Cooler Doing It!)
Kairos leaned on the counter, grinning like the sun was working for him. His blue-tinted scales glimmered beneath a makeshift umbrella, and a worn pair of cobalt-lensed shades sat cocked just above his eyes, giving him the air of a Tatsukoi with secrets. Which, of course, he was.
“Step right up!” he called, sweeping a claw across the rows of shining sunglasses displayed on velvet-lined planks. “Tired of squinting at the summer sun? Wish your eyes could pierce illusions? Spot lies? See fate itself?! Well, I can’t promise all that… but I can promise these will make you look absolutely unbeatable.”
A group of young Tatsukoi gathered curiously. “Do they really have enchantments?” one asked, wide-eyed.
Kairos gave a chuckle and winked. “Let’s just say these babies are blessed by the sun gods of style. Light-bending alchemy and mirror-sheen coating—perfect for detecting trickery, flirtation, or flying fruit at a carnival stand.”
They giggled and passed around a few pairs. The truth was: the glasses were all cheap frames, cobbled together from scraps, mirror pieces, dyed glass, and a little illusion magic that wore off after an hour. They didn’t hurt anyone… but they didn’t really do anything either.
Still, coins clinked, compliments flew, and Kairos’ pouch grew steadily heavier.
At one point, a parent Tatsukoi asked if the glasses were “actually warded for solar flare resistance.”
Kairos didn’t miss a beat. “Absolutely,” he replied smoothly. “Each one processed through Sunstrider-approved reflection filters. Nothing gets past these babies but compliments and vitamin D.”
It was by all accounts, a good day for business. Sure, one kid walked into a tree. Another claimed they were dizzy from the “truth-seeing mode.” Someone said their pair “made colors look weird.” But Kairos waved it all off with his usual charm, tossing in a “cooling charm sticker” (which was just a paper sigil painted with mint) and sending them on their merry way.
By late afternoon, Kairos had leaned back in a hammock strung behind the stall, feet propped up on a fruit crate, munching on a frozen skewer of candied starfruit. He flipped a coin into the air, caught it on his tongue, and chuckled to himself.
“Easy money,” he murmured, eyes half-lidded behind his own sham shades.
Of course, it was only a matter of time before someone noticed.
And her footsteps were always soft—but Kairos would know them anywhere.
Kairos was mid-bite into his second starfruit skewer, basking in the warm hum of his own cleverness, when a soft breeze brushed through the alleyway. It carried the faintest scents of dried herbs, lavender oil, and freshly turned earth—familiar, comforting.
He froze. Slowly lowered his snack. His sunglasses slipped down his snout just a bit.
“…oh no.”
From around the corner, past the squealing young Tatsukoi chasing soap bubbles and past the “half-off” sign flapping lazily on his stall, came Lumiora.
She moved like mist through sunbeams—quiet, purposeful, and far too graceful for the chaos of Blackpool’s midday market. Her soft white-and-pink fins shimmered in the heat like ripples across still water, and the tiny vials woven into her satchel chimed gently with every step.
Kairos scrambled upright, knocking over a stack of “new and improved” sunglasses that clattered like guilty bones across the table.
“Oh! Lumiora! What a surprise! Out and about? Looking radiant as ever, I must say—summer suits you—”
Her gaze swept over the display. Then to him. She didn’t scold. Didn’t raise her voice.
She just… blinked. Slowly. With an expression that was far more effective than anything dramatic.
“Kairos,” she said gently. “Are these… safe?”
He laughed, too loud. “Pfft, of course! Safety is always my top priority. Second to style, of course, but—uh—complementary priorities, really—”
Lumiora leaned down and picked up one of the glasses. Turned it over slowly in her hoof. The enchantment shimmered, fizzled… and flickered out like a bad candle.
She didn’t even look up.
“Kairos.”
He winced. “Okay, okay! They technically aren’t harmful. Just… you know. Slightly exaggerated in terms of function.”
“You’re selling enchanted eyewear,” she said softly, placing the pair down. “To children.”
He winced harder.
“And you told someone these could detect flirtation?”
“In my defense,” he mumbled, “that one did try to flirt with me after putting them on. So. Somewhat accurate.”
Lumiora exhaled through her nose. She wasn’t mad—she never really got mad. That’s what made it worse.
“I know you like the thrill, Kairos,” she said, her voice as calm as ever. “And I know you don’t mean to hurt anyone. But trickery doesn’t suit you as well as you think. You’re kinder than this.”
That hit harder than any thunderclap on the Summit of Storms.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “…It was just supposed to be for fun. Bit of extra coin. No one’s blind, no one’s burned.”
“No one’s safe either,” she said quietly, but not unkindly.
There was a long pause.
Kairos stared at his own reflection in the lenses of a cheap, half-melted pair of “Skyseer Specials.” They didn’t reflect much.
Finally, he sighed and slumped onto the counter. “You’re right.”
Lumiora blinked. “I am?”
He waved a claw. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get used to it.”
She gave the faintest smile.
He muttered, “…If I make real ones. Like, actually helpful lenses. Maybe you could enchant a few?”
She tilted her head. “If you ask nicely.”
Kairos groaned. “Can I bribe you with a fruit skewer?”
“No,” she said, but the twitch of a smile tugged at her lips again. “But I’ll help anyway. On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“You go apologize to everyone you sold the fake ones to.”
Kairos groaned louder. “You’re lucky you’re radiant.”
“And you’re lucky I’m patient.”
With a dramatic sigh and a muttered string of self-deprecating commentary, Kairos began packing away the sham lenses.
He paused, glancing at Lumiora as she began examining the frames with precise care.
“…You’re really something, you know?”
She looked up, puzzled. “Hm?”
“Nothing.” He cleared his throat and flipped his “SALE!” sign over to “CLOSED.” “Let’s go find some real lenses.”
The next day, the summer heat rolled in like honey—slow, sweet, and sticky. The market buzzed with energy as usual, but something was… different.
Kairos had a new stall.
Gone were the glittery “Mind-Reading Spectacles” and “Flirtation Detectors” from the day before. Instead, a simple, charming little stand sat beneath a pale blue canopy. A new sign read:
“Sun-Safe Shades — Guaranteed Clarity, Charm Optional.”
The sunglasses lined up on soft velvet cloth were sleek and actually well-crafted this time. Polished crystal lenses shimmered faintly with gentle enchantments—real ones. Nothing flashy, nothing fake. Just good, functional eyewear enchanted for protection and comfort in the harsh sun of Blackpool’s open plazas. And beside the stand? A humble basket labeled:
“Returns & Refunds — No Questions Asked.”
Kairos leaned lazily on the counter, idly turning one of the new pairs in his claws. There was a faint burn mark on the stall’s edge—remnants of where a faulty glamor spell had exploded yesterday.
“Biting your tongue yet?” came Lumiora’s voice, warm as the late morning air.
She approached with a satchel slung over her back and a small woven bag of shadeberries cradled in one hoof. A faint dusting of pollen clung to her fur—she must’ve come straight from gathering herbs again.
Kairos gave a lopsided grin. “Harder than you think. But hey—look at me. Legitimate businessman. Mostly.”
She glanced at the display. “They’re lovely.”
He shrugged, playing it cool, but his fins twitched a little with pride. “Functional, stylish, and not cursed. I’m evolving.”
Lumiora gave a small nod of approval, then added, “You apologized?”
“Even gave refunds,” he said with exaggerated exhaustion. “Do you know how much that hurt my soul? I nearly went bankrupt on pride alone.”
She smiled, setting the shadeberries down. “You’ll survive.”
Several Tatsukoi—mostly younger ones—started trickling back through the plaza. Some shyly dropped their faulty glasses in the returns basket, and Kairos cheerfully waved them over to try the new models. He even offered a few free pops of magical shade crystals to attach to the lenses. No tricks. Just smiles. Honest ones, even if his jokes were still sharp as ever.
Lumiora stood quietly nearby, watching. Not judging. Just… being there.
Eventually, as the crowd thinned, Kairos leaned over the counter toward her with a sly look. “So, what do I owe you for helping me turn over this slightly-less-dirty leaf?”
She tilted her head. “Your dignity. But I’m told there wasn’t much left anyway.”
“Oof.” He clutched his chest like he’d been mortally wounded. “Low blow, healer.”
She laughed softly. “A day off would be nice. Somewhere quiet. You could… bring lunch.”
Kairos blinked. Then blinked again.
“Wait—are you asking me to spend time with you, or is this some kind of reverse therapy?”
She just gave him one of her rare, sun-warm smiles. “You’re better company when you’re being honest, Kairos.”
His smirk softened. Just a bit. “Then I guess I’ll have to keep that up.”
The sun above the plaza cast long, warm rays across the stalls, dancing off the lenses of his new sunglasses like little glimmers of clarity. For once, Kairos didn’t feel the need to sell a fantasy.
The truth was working just fine, and the healer beside him? She made the whole summer shine brighter, at least to Kairos.

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