As the breeze swept through the upper ledge of the town, Amukelo sat quietly on the worn wooden bench, his arms resting on his knees, staring out across the rooftops and cobbled roads. Below, the town carried on with its late afternoon lull—vendors packing up stalls, children trailing home, and the sky slowly shifting toward a softer orange hue. For the first time that day, he was alone, breathing in the calm.
Behind him, the sound of hesitant footsteps approached, followed by a familiar, slightly breathless voice.
"He–hey, Amu," Pao said, trying to sound casual, but failing miserably.
Amukelo turned his head, surprised. "Oh, Pao? What are you doing here?"
"I… I just happened to walk by," she said, not meeting his gaze, her hands folded behind her back.
He blinked at her. His eyes narrowed in playful disbelief. "Pao," he said flatly, "has anyone ever told you just how bad you are at lying?"
Pao fidgeted and looked down, flustered. "I'm sorry…"
Amukelo sighed and leaned back on the bench, a faint smile curling at the edge of his mouth. "Don't be sorry. That's good. It's better than being bad at telling the truth."
She glanced up at him, unsure whether he was joking or not, and then let out a small nervous laugh.
"So?" he asked, his tone gentler now. "What's going on? Are you ready to tell me why you've been acting weird, and didn't talk to me, even though you promised me you would if something was bothering you?"
Pao's eyes dropped again, guilt flashing through them. "I'm sorry…"
He bit the inside of his cheek, immediately regretting how harsh that had come out. 'Ahhh... I didn't mean to say it like that...' He thought, dying inside.
He scratched the back of his neck and softened his voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I've just been… worried. You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"Yeah…" she murmured. "But this was different."
"Different how?" he asked.
Pao twisted her fingers together and then quietly said, "You know… today is your birthday."
Amukelo blinked, looking up at the sky as if the stars might confirm it. "Yeah," he finally said. "I guess it is."
He turned back to her, puzzled. "So? What about it?"
She looked at him, stunned. "Don't you care about this?"
Amukelo shrugged. "Well… ever since my mother died, I haven't celebrated my birthday at all. And even before that… when she was alive, she was sick for a long time, so it was a big thing in my life for quite some time noe. I just stopped paying attention to that kind of stuff."
Pao's lips parted slightly, her eyes softening. She opened her mouth to speak, but Amukelo beat her to it.
"So what does that have to do with you acting weird all this time? And why are you here now?"
Pao's cheeks flushed pink as she glanced sideways. "Well… I didn't know what to buy you, okay?" she muttered. "So I was worried about it. And I wanted to talk to you, but every time I tried, someone was always with you."
Amukelo's face fell flat. "Huh… You could've just asked."
"I didn't want to ruin the surprise!" she said defensively.
"I was seriously starting to think something was wrong with you," he said, eyebrows raised. "I even talked with Bral and the others about it."
"I know," she said, cringing slightly. "Bao gave me the entire speech already."
Amukelo leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees again, shaking his head with a chuckle. "So you've been sulking all week because you couldn't figure out what to get me for my birthday?"
"I wasn't sulking," Pao mumbled.
He turned and gave her a look.
"I was… uh… quietly brainstorming," she added, trying to sound dignified.
Amukelo laughed, short and warm. "Unbelievable."
Pao looked away quickly. "And for the record," she muttered, "you were impossible to approach. You were helping people nonstop—carrying barrels, moving crates, playing ball with kids…"
Amukelo tilted his head. "Wait—hold on. You didn't stalk me all day, did you?"
She flushed deeper and waved her hand awkwardly. "Don't say it like that! I was… I was just observing… discreetly."
"Discreetly? You were hiding behind stalls and crates."
Her jaw dropped. "You saw me!?"
"I'm not blind, Pao. I just didn't want to embarrass you." He grinned.
Pao groaned and covered her face. "Ugh… I thought I was being subtle!"
Amukelo leaned back, arms stretched across the bench, still smiling as he looked at her. "You're terrible at being subtle."
"I'm trying, okay?" she huffed, then sat beside him, arms crossed.
He glanced at her, eyes softening again. "Thanks though. For caring this much."
She peeked at him from under her arm. "Even if I don't have a gift for you right now?"
"Pao," he said, "you stressed about this for days, stalked me across town, and looked like you were going to explode from anxiety. If that's not a birthday gift, I don't know what is."
She exhaled, half-laughing and half-defeated. "You're the worst."
"And you're awful at lying."
She nudged him with her elbow. "Happy birthday, idiot."
He smirked. "Thanks, stalker."
Amukelo stood up from the bench and stretched out his arms. Pao followed suit, brushing off the light dust from her dress and straightening her posture with an impish grin.
"Well," Amukelo said, tilting his head toward her, "if you're here, I'm guessing you've got something planned, don't you?"
Pao's grin widened as she clasped her hands behind her back. "Maybe I don't have a gift yet, technically… but I researched one." She said it like someone proudly presenting a finished school project.
Amukelo raised an eyebrow. "Researched?"
She nodded with unmistakable satisfaction. "I've spent the last few days here searching for something meaningful. And I found it. But…" she leaned forward slightly with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "we have to go there together."
He looked at her with both curiosity and fondness. "I have no idea what you've come up with, but after all this effort? It'd be a crime to decline."
Pao beamed and clapped her hands once. "Then let's go!"
As they strolled down the narrow stone paths of the town, the noises of the late afternoon buzzed around them: merchants closing stalls, laughter from nearby alleys. The cobbled road curved slightly, offering them glimpses of different buildings with little wooden signs swinging in the breeze.
Amukelo glanced sideways at her, amused. "Ha… I still can't believe you couldn't just approach me when strangers were around. You… might actually be more socially awkward than me."
Pao flushed and gave him a half-glare. "Stop it…"
But a moment later, she asked more seriously, her voice quieter, "Is that… bad?"
Amukelo looked at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. "No. It's adorable."
Pao blushed again, this time smiling down at her feet. "I still hate how easily you say things like that…"
He grinned. "And I love how easily you react to them."
Eventually, they arrived at a slightly crooked building at the end of one of the quieter streets. A faded wooden sign hung above the entrance: "Meritus' Magical Curiosities." The windows were lined with old scrolls, glowing crystals, and trinkets that clicked and whirred on their own.
Amukelo stopped in front of it, looking at the shop with squinted eyes. "Wait a second. This is a magic shop."
Pao nodded cheerfully.
His brow lowered. "Hey… are you planning to buy a gift for me, or for yourself?"
She gave him an overly dramatic offended look. "Excuse me! I am a giver, thank you very much. I just wanted to give you something… magical." She gave him a cheesy grin.
Amukelo sighed, rubbing his face. "Of course. I should've expected nothing else."
They pushed the door open. A tiny bell above the door gave a soft ring, and the smell of incense and aged parchment wrapped around them. The shop was warm and filled with the faint hum of enchanted items stacked in shelves or sealed behind glass.
Behind the counter, an old mage sat reading a book with glowing ink. He glanced up through thin round glasses perched on a long nose and raised a brow. "Ah, you're back. Is it time?"
Pao stepped forward and nodded. "Yes. Can we do it now?"
The man closed his book and stood with a slow but practiced motion. "Well, alright. If you want it done inside, I suppose now's as good a time as any. Just… don't touch anything while I prepare."
Amukelo gave Pao a puzzled look. "What's going on?"
She just smiled and tugged him gently to the center of the room. "You'll see."
The old mage shuffled to a table and picked up a delicate silver necklace. It had a small pendant, perfectly round, with a faint shimmer inside. Then he reached for his staff, which was gnarled and topped with a stone that pulsed gently.
"Stand beside each other," he said, "and don't move. Try not to blink either."
Pao looked up at Amukelo and said softly, "Stand straight and look at the staff. And don't ruin the picture by scowling."
"I don't scowl," Amukelo muttered.
She giggled. "You do."
They stood close, side by side. Amukelo's posture was stiff, still unsure of what was about to happen. Pao turned slightly and smiled brightly, gripping his arm gently.
The mage raised his staff and held the pendant beneath it. "Alright," he murmured, "I will count to three."
Amukelo instinctively straightened.
"One…"
"Two—"
Before the mage got further, Pao leaned in a bit more and smiled even wider, her grip on Amukelo's arm tightening as a bright glow erupted from the staff, bathing them in soft golden light.
A warm pulse echoed through the room, and then it faded.
"Done," the mage said with a tired huff, placing the necklace gently on the counter.
Amukelo blinked and relaxed. "That was… surprisingly gentle. What did you just do?"
The mage gave him a half-smile. "Take a look."
Amukelo stepped forward, picked up the necklace, and opened the small round pendant.
His breath hitched.
Inside, preserved in an enchanted shimmer, was a perfectly frozen moment: Pao, clinging to his arm with her brightest smile, looking as if the whole world belonged to her in that single heartbeat. And him—mouth slightly parted, caught in the middle of surprise and wonder, a rare softness in his eyes.
Amukelo stared at it for a long while, lips slowly curving into a gentle smile.
He closed the pendant carefully and held it to his chest. "Thank you…" he whispered.
Then, softer still, "I wish… I had something like this with my mom."
Pao looked at him, her earlier nervousness replaced with quiet warmth. "I knew exactly what you would like."
Amukelo gave her a side glance and chuckled faintly. "You're really bad at lying. But you're really good at gifts."
She smiled shyly, her cheeks coloring just a little.