^_^

“Palmerchin !!” 

Helios drew out the syllables of her best friend's nickname as she called out to her.

Mejiro Palmer slowed her pace, whipping around to see why Helios had called out to her so urgently. Helios was moving her hand erratically towards herself, signaling for Palmer to ‘Come here right now!’.  She obliged, staring at where Helios had begun to point.

Her pointer finger, the one she always pointed yellow, was pointing at an Umamusume running past. 

“Palmerchin, that girl has mogged me. Her aura and vibes are god tier. NO CAP!!”  Palmer furrowed her brows. What did she mean by that?? Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the deafening squeal Helios let out. 

“Helios can it!” Palmer grabbed her best friend by her shoulders and stared at her head on.

“I want to get her digits ! Palmerchin please !” The amber-eyed uma began to pout. Palmer sighed, knowing Helios wasn’t going to give this up.

“If anyone knows who that was, it’d be Digital-”

“SO TRUE. I HAVE TO GO FIND DIGITAN !!! PALMERCHIN YOU’RE THE GOAT!!”

Helios ran away quickly, leaving her dazed on the track. She quickly snapped out of it and  ran after her.

The bubblegum haired Uma was sitting at a shaded bench, pouring over pictures of her peers and scribbling down whatever came to mind. She swapped her gaze hungrily between the two, giggling to herself quietly. 

“DIGITAN !!!” Helios slammed her hands out in front of Agnes Digital, spooking the poor Uma.

“KYAAA! HELIOS ! NO NEED TO SCARE ME !” Digital quickly hid her reddening face with the photos still clutched in her left hand. 

“LOL ! Soz Digitan~ But it's mega important! “ Helios winked at the uma, making her more red.

“Ehehe… Hehe… Why do you come to me… is it perhaps over Ruby? Hehe…” Digital began to giggle to herself, looking at Helios with a loopy grin.

“Eh ?! No wayz !” Helios went red.

“Kyahhh !!! Then what is it ?!” Digital threw the photos onto the table, moving closer to Helios with a crazed grin.

“I need to get the tea on an Uma. I need her digits, like, RN or else I’ll be so over. You’re such a gigachad when it comes to socing with Umas. I’m, like, uber sure you’d clock her for me.” Helios pouted and Digital sat back down, tapping her pen to her lips before grinning madly.

“Deal. Tell me how this girl looked and I’ll get you a chance to speak. Kyehehe~ I’ll get the chance to play match maker.” Digital mumbled the last part under her breath which earned a brow raise from Helios.

“Nothing ! Nothing… Just tell me how she looked already !” She grinned.

Helios clapped her hands before sitting across from Digital.

“So here's the tea. She was mega tall, like, WEIIIII tall. She had that ‘Don’t fuck with me’ aura and totes had a couple piercings. And-”

Digital threw her hand up in front of Helios, palm fully facing her. Helios went quiet. 

“The Uma you’re looking for is Air Shakur. Kyehehe~” Digital’s grin only grew as she quickly scribbled something down.

“Air Shakur…”  Helios turned away, mumbling.

“Keyeheh~ You can find her here~ I know Shakur myself so I could- ehahaha- I could talk to her~” Digital slid her notebook across the table to Helios, an Umastagram and UmaTok username we scribbled messily one after the other. 

“O.M.G !! THANKSIES DIGIIITAAAAAAN~”  Helios squealed loudly, ripping out the page from Digital’s notebook before sprinting off.

Digital began to giggle maniacally to herself.

“Ships I’ve never even considered before ! Kyahaha ~ Hehe haha ehhehe ~ I must see this romance blossom~ Kyaha~ Ahahaaa~”

“You just need to get the right angle when you spin the stone.” Flins remarked, skipping the stone across the still ocean water. It bounced 7 times before sinking into the icy Nod-Krai sea.

You two had been out on the beach for a while now. Flins had offered to teach you how to skip stones but if you had to be honest, he seemed to be enjoying it more than you.

Skipping stones wasn’t your strong suit, and that was evident from the way your stone sunk after the first hop across the water’s surface.

You huffed and crossed your arms, visibly frustrated by your consistent failure.

“I don’t think it’s about the angle anymore, Kyryll. I'm just no good at this.” Your shoulders sunk as you spoke. This, however, did not go unnoticed by the beautiful fae beside you.

Flins brought a crooked index finger to his lips as he thought carefully on how to help you. Perhaps he could find you the perfect stone ? No, that wouldn’t help… it’s not the stones you’re choosing. Perhaps he could re-explain the technique behind spinning the stone ? No, that may only end up making you feel worse.

You kicked a few pebbles in the sand before picking up another flat, circular stone.

Winding your arm back and holding the stone flat side up, you prepared your nth time at this that night. You let go of the stone, watching it hit the water’s surface, you were hopeful that maybe this time it’d give you three or maybe even four skips before sinking.

Plop. The stone didn’t even skip once.

You sank to the ground, sitting down on the cold, rocky sand. Flins made his way to you and sat down beside you, folding his long legs close to his chest.

“I’m still proud of you for trying, you know?” He gave you a soft smile, lemon-coloured eyes staring caringly into yours.

You pouted, opting to rest your head on his shoulder. 

“I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong- I’m doing everything you told me to do and I’m even finding stones with the right characteristics like you explained! But none of it’s helping. The stones still sink.” Flins listened as you ranted, slowly wrapping his arm around you. He wanted to help, he really did, but he just wasn’t sure how to. Unless…

“I could always guide you as you swing?” You quirked your brow at his suggestion.  How did he plan to do that? “What do you mean by that?”  You enquired, turning to look up at him again.

“Find yourself another stone, and I will explain what I mean after.” He replied, quick to stand up and dust off his coat.

You got to action, looking for a stone. After a few minutes of poking around the rocks that have washed up along the shore, you picked up one that you felt would be best for skipping. It was slightly triangular in shape, flat and smooth. Perfect.

Stone in hand, you made your way back to Flins who stood with you by the shore.

You prepared yourself to skip the stone like you had done dozens of times now. As you pulled back, to spin the stone, Flins’s gloved hand came to hold yours. 

“Careful, you’re not holding it right.” He whispered softly behind you, adjusting the stone carefully in your hand so that you were holding it according to his instructions.

“Now move this foot back a bit…” His foot gently nudged your own, making you move back slightly. 

“And don’t be shy to bend over just a bit when you let go~” Flins teased. You shot him a glare and he could only chuckle softly in response.

Following his instructions, you leaned forward a bit more after pulling your arm back. With a quick and powerful flick, the stone hit the water’s surface. Plop, plop, plop, plop, plop.

Five skims! The stone skipped five times over the water before sinking beneath the inky ocean water.

You let out an excited laugh before spinning on your heel to hug Flins tightly. 

“Thank you Kyryll! Thank you, thank you!” You squeezed the poor fae as tight as you could. After a moment, he hugged you back.

“I will always believe in you in times when you do not. Even when those times are skipping stones.” He murmured before kissing the top of your head.

Kyryll sighed quietly at his reflection in your mirror. 

Your dresser was decorated ornately with hundreds of little bottles filled with oils and perfumes, each covered in various gemstones. He thought they glistened quite nicely under the cold, Nod Krai sun.

He made note that when the weather got warmer and you dragged him out to Nasha Town, he'd buy a few more for you. 

Cecelia was your favourite scent. That he remembered.

Kyryll was yanked from his thoughts when your comb got stuck in his hair and you decided it was time to play tug of war.

“Do you ever condition your hair?” You huffed, moving to pick up one of the many colourful bottles littering your dresser.

You shook the bottle with vigour, coating your hand in a thin layer of oil. He wasn’t even offered a moment to respond as you opted to run your fingers through his hair, making sure to be gentle. 

He closed his eyes, savouring the moment.

You covered his hair in a gentle sheen of oil, making sure to pay careful attention to each knot you came across. Who knew a fae's hair could get so tangled so easily? Perhaps it was all the wind on his island that tousled and knotted it.

Soon, your old friend- the hair comb- came back into play and this time Kyryll wasn't flung backwards off of the stool.

He opened his luminous, lemon-coloured eyes for just a moment to peer at your reflection. You were adorable. Your brows were furrowed in such deep thought as you combed through each strand, each movement being carefully thought out.

Kyryll sighed, leaning further into your touch. 

Soon your comb was again discarded for a new bottle of hair treatment. Scalp oil.

You swore you watched him deflate in the mirror the moment your finger tips touched his scalp.  Each muscle and fibre in his body down to his very soul relaxed at the feeling. 

Was this peace?Surely it had to be, or at least something close to it, Kyryll thought to himself.