Submission (#619) Approved

Prompt: “Quiet Between the Beats”
Word Count Goal: 500+ | Prompt: Summer Daze Music Festival – Tanzan’s Camp

There were two things Tanzan preferred over nearly anything else: solitude and study. Music festivals, by contrast, were a lot of things—loud, unpredictable, overcrowded, and worst of all, terribly inefficient for quiet reading time.

So naturally, he found himself at Summer Daze, knee-deep in glitter, bass drops, and laughing strangers.

Because Lumiora had mentioned—just once, in passing—that she’d always dreamed of celebrating her birthday at the legendary second-layer festival, she’d never asked him to go. Never even hinted. But he’d remembered.

And here he was.

Of course, Tanzan didn’t stay among the crowds longer than necessary. After escorting her to the opening ceremonies and making sure she had that dreamy, wide-eyed sparkle on her face, he’d quietly slipped away to set up camp at the edge of the grounds.

His tent was as far from the chaos as he could get without accidentally setting up in hostile territory. Nestled between two mossy boulders and shaded by tall, sun-dappled trees, Tanzan’s camp was the definition of practical comfort.

There were no streamers. No neon lights or pulsing speakers. Just a large canvas tent, his books organized in tidy crates along the back wall, a small enchanted lantern casting a steady, warm glow, and a perfectly arranged tea station—complete with his favorite travel kettle and a hand-written sign that read:

“Touch my tea and I will curse your next six dreams.”

Classic Tanzan.

To the casual onlooker, his camp would look more like a researcher’s outpost than a festival hub. A chalkboard leaned against a rock, covered in sketched diagrams of sound frequencies and magical resonance theories—because of course he’d find a way to study music even while avoiding it.

Still, for all his grumbles, there was a subtle warmth to the space. He’d even brought a second pillow. And a blanket that smelled faintly of lavender. And—though he would deny it if asked—a small cake from Lumiora’s favorite bakery, hidden under a cooling spell and tucked beside a book titled "Celestial Harmony: The Healing Magic of Song."

She hadn’t even asked. And yet here he was, making sure she’d have a space to escape to. A little quiet in the middle of the storm.

Later that evening, when Lumiora arrived—sweaty, smiling, cheeks flushed from dancing—he didn’t say a word about the noise. He just handed her tea, gently wiped a streak of glitter from her forehead, and let her curl up against his side as the distant music thumped in the background.

“I know this isn’t your thing,” she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder.

“It’s not,” he replied evenly, before brushing her fingers with his. “But you are.”

The words slipped from his mouth like they cost him nothing—but they hit her like a spell to the chest. Lumiora blinked once. Then twice. Her heart skipped a very ungraceful beat.
“…Oh,” she breathed, trying—and failing—not to grin.

She ducked her head immediately, tucking it against his arm in what could technically be mistaken for exhaustion. It wasn’t. It was panic. The good kind. The kind that made her stomach flutter and her fingertips tingle and her thoughts scatter like fireworks over the lake stage.

“Stars, Tanzan,” she mumbled into his sleeve, voice muffled, “you can’t just go around saying things like that.”

He raised a brow, but said nothing.

She peeked up at him, biting her lip. “It’s cheating. I’m supposed to be the romantic one, remember?”

Tanzan didn’t reply, but the tiniest smirk ghosted at the corner of his mouth. Victory. She hated how good that looked on him.

“Seriously,” she said, lightly swatting his chest with the back of her hand. “One line like that and I’m—”

She cut herself off before she could say something embarrassing like melting or ready to marry you here and now beneath these trees like a fairy tale idiot.

Instead, she scrunched up her nose and looked away, cheeks burning. “Never mind.”

“Finishing your sentence would be helpful,” he said calmly, sipping his tea.

“Finishing it would be dangerous,” she muttered. “For both of us.”

There was a beat of silence. A bird chirped somewhere overhead. Distant bass pulsed like a heartbeat beneath their quiet moment. Then she looked back at him, this time with a sly smile that belied the pink still blooming across her face. “You’ve been reading those sappy poetry books again, haven’t you?”

“I’m expanding my academic range,” he said with a straight face.

“You’re expanding your romantic range, you liar,” she teased, nudging his side. “And don’t think I don’t love it. Just… maybe give a girl a little warning next time before you drop a line like that. I almost ascended.”

“Duly noted,” Tanzan replied smoothly.

But even as they sat in their cozy camp, surrounded by the muffled sound of celebration, Lumiora could still feel her heartbeat quickening, her fingers brushing his again—and this time, she didn’t pull away.

Not because the moment was perfect, but because he was.
Even in a place he didn’t want to be… he still chose her.
And that? That was the most romantic thing of all.

Reward	Amount
Gold	10
Summer Daze Music Festival - Design and MYO Raffles (Raffle Ticket)	1