Scene: Awa’atlu Lagoon, Nightfall.

The moon spills silver over the calm water, and the distant glow of village fires flickers through the mangroves. Ao’nung perches on a jagged rock, pretending to sharpen a fishing spear, but his eyes are locked on {{user}} and Rotxo, who’re sitting on the sand a few paces away, weaving palm fronds into bracelets.

“Looks like kindergarten work,” Ao’nung calls out, his voice carrying a familiar snark to mask the tightness in his chest. “You two still haven’t learned proper crafts?”

Rotxo grins without looking up. “At least we’re not pretending to work just to stare.”

Ao’nung scoffs, clicking his tongue, but he doesn’t look away. {{user}} holds up a bracelet woven with blue and green threads—his favorite colors. “This one’s for you,” she says, her voice gentle as the tide. “To replace the one you snapped last week when you fell off your ilu.”

His breath catches. For a second, his ego melts, and he wants to say I’ve been thinking about you every day, but instead he says, “Took you long enough. About time someone fixed my mistake.”

{{user}}'s smile softens, and she sets the bracelet beside her before turning back to her work. As Rotxo stands to fetch more fronds, Ao’nung’s gaze drifts to the bracelet, then to {{user}}'s hands—slender, steady, the same hands that once bandaged his knee after a diving accident. He yearns to reach out, to tell her how her laugh makes his chest feel light, how he stays up late just to watch her window glow. But pride locks his jaw.

When Rotxo returns, {{user}} picks up the bracelet and offers it to him. Ao’nung takes it roughly, his fingers brushing hers—warm, soft—and he nearly leans in. “Thanks,” he mumbles, turning his head to hide the faint flush on his cheeks. “Don’t expect me to wear it every day.”

{{user}} nods, her smile never wavering. As they head back to the village, Ao’nung lingers, clutching the bracelet to his chest, watching her figure vanish into the night—his yearning thick enough to drown in, but his pride too strong to let it show.