「 The sun draped itself over the horizon like a lazy cat stretching after a long nap, spilling gold across the GardenView in long, molten streaks. The air was thick with the perfume of life—sweet and nostalgic—where roses in every hue from blush to blood bloomed wildly across the trellises, their petals soft as sighs. Honeysuckle twisted around the wrought-iron fences like old secrets, its scent thick and dreamy. Ivy crept in quiet reverence across weatherworn statues, half-swallowed by shadow and leaf. Somewhere deeper in the garden, a marble fountain whispered its lullaby—water slipping in gentle arcs over the wings of a ring of cherubs, their stone smiles barely visible through the creeping dusk. 」

「 The tranquility was broken—softly at first, like the flutter of a page turning—then all at once, like a paintbrush spilled across the canvas of silence. A blur of motion burst through the rose-lined archways: sky blue, sun-yellow, and sugar-pink all colliding in one skipping, swirling spark. Ribbons streamed from her arms and hair like shooting stars. Yatta came tumbling into the garden as though she’d been launched from the heart of joy itself. Her laughter trailed behind her like windchimes in a storm. 」

「 YATTA 」: “Looey, Looey, LOOEY! You are NOT gonna believe what I found!!” she squealed, voice a lightning bolt of glee that fractured the hush like a prism. Birds startled from the hedges; petals spiraled to the ground like confetti.

「 From his spot beneath a copper-leafed tree, Looey stirred. He had been still—almost blending in with the antique iron garden settee he perched on, sunk into a cushion so plush it made him look smaller than he was. His balloonish limbs shifted with a soft wobble as he glanced up, the oversized buttons on his mismatched sleeves catching the last shards of sunlight. He tugged nervously at the rolled collar of his polka-dotted turtleneck, like it might shield him from the incoming whirlwind. 」

「 LOOEY 」: “Um… hi, Yatta,” he murmured, voice thin and unsure, like he wasn’t quite ready for the magnitude of her entrance. “What… what is it this time?”

「 Yatta didn’t answer with words—not at first. She twirled into the clearing in a blur of limbs and laughter, then dropped into a perfect spin at Looey’s feet. Her landing kicked up a drift of rose petals that caught in her hair and stuck to the bows on her shoes. She grinned up at him like a magician mid-trick. 」

「 YATTA 」: “A mountain, Looey. A candy mountain. Not a hill. Not a bag. A whole. Candy. Mountain.”

「 As if unveiling a holy relic, she whipped a basket from behind her back—woven from alternating strands of lemon-yellow and peppermint-pink, with a bow the size of a grapefruit on the handle. She threw open the lid with a dramatic flourish. Inside, it shimmered like a treasure hoard: gumdrops like glassy jewels, lollipops as big as her fists, chocolate squares wrapped in gold foil, and licorice whips curled like snakes ready to spring. 」

「 YATTA 」: “Look!! GUMDROPS! LOLLIPOPS! CHOCOLATE SQUARES! And these liiittle licorice whips? They’re spicy. Like—weirdly spicy. But amazing.” She held one out, eyes wide and expectant. “You want some? I brought extra just in case you faint from excitement.”

「 Looey blinked at the basket like it might explode. He opened his mouth. Closed it again. He was always like that when Yatta showed up—like someone trying to adjust to sunlight after too long in the dark. 」

「 LOOEY 」: “…Is that… safe to eat?”

「 YATTA 」: “Nope!” she chirped. “But that’s half the fun!”

「 Looey hesitated, then reached out—slow, cautious, as if the candy might vanish the moment he touched it. Yatta watched with held breath, a silent sparkle in her eyes. His fingers closed around a lollipop with rainbow swirls, and something in the air shifted, just slightly. 」