Triggering contents ahead:

The beach was lit with a few large campfires here and there and trillions of stars in the night sky above.
All native Chamoru came here with the best dress they have in their possessions. The unbridled wind was scattering the flames of the campfires around, blowing away the red coal flakes from the fire pit, like red fireflies flying into the darkness.

Few volunteers were in charge of the barbecue of the shrimp and lobsters caught during the low tide.
Muscles, clams, crabs, and one large marline caught during the annual sail boating for the festival- all were slowly being prepared above the hot coal.

An aroma of native ingredients was in the air.

The ambiance was lively and cheery. The young lads were playing native bongos, which were hand-made by them in leisure time in the offseason when the pearl farms pause production and are done with seeding the shells for next year's harvest.

With the loud cheers and rhythm of bongos, teenagers and older people were dancing in pairs on the sand. People were deep in friendly conversation in a few small circles who were either tired of dancing for so long or just didn't feel like dancing.

Arya was enjoying herself very much. She came back to where Jin was sitting with a small cup made of half of the coconut shell.

Arya recognized The contents of the cup. She downed almost four cups of it already. It's a kind of native liquor,  made from the fermented coconut flower with a type of seaweed.

It was hella strong. Even a hard hitter like herself also agreed that drinking that strong liquor is choosing violence.
Who the hell decided to offer it to Jin?

She just had a hilarious dancing duet with teenagers who have already laughed their hearts out with Arya's hilarious moves and the easy-going yet shamelessly infectious laughing.

She was already out of her element and decided to sit down for a while.

"You planning on having that?" Arya sat down beside Jin and indicated him towards the cup in his hand.

Jin offered his hand towards Arya without any word, and she gladly received the cup.
Arya took the liquor and drank without hesitation.

She wasn't drunk, not even close to it. But she felt a little tipsy and she liked it. Being a tiny lightheaded isn't bad after tiring long days.

She was in a white sundress with sunflowers painted on it.
She came here with her typical shirt and jeans with converse. But Mrs. Cadassi dragged her inside her house and shoved this dress in her hand to put on.
Very casual dress, not very appropriate for a festival, but definitely more pleasing than worn-out jeans and an oversized shirt.

Her converse had already been replaced by sandals made from coconut ropes.

She had a sun hat until the sun was down to the horizon, but now it has been replaced by the flower tiara she got while joining in the dance among the group of teenagers.

She tried to kick off the sandals from her feet and yawned, "I am hungry, are you hungry?"

"You want me to get you something to eat?" Jin asked.

"Please." Arya smiled, "My feet won't listen to me anymore."

Jin nodded a little and went away towards barbecue.

He returned with two plates in hands after ten minutes.

The place he left was occupied by a man.
The man wasn't native. Probably someone from the schooner came for water and supply the day before.

The natives didn't leave out anyone from the festival.

Arya and the man were conversing casually. Jin gave one plate to Arya,
"Here you go."

"Can you save me this for time being?" Arya smiled sweetly at Jin,
"Me and Eas gonna go for a walk."

Jin looked at the man.
The man was taller than him. He had black, coarse hair, light eyes with tanned skin.
Looked like he spends his time on the sea a lot.

"Hey, man!" The man named Eas nodded a little towards Jin.
Jin assumed he wasn't too much of a stranger, probably someone from Indonesia or Java by the look of his features.

Jin nodded a little and they both got up.
Jin sat down when they both left. He looked at the time, It was late and they have been in this for the whole evening.

Arya came back within a few minutes.

Jin looked at her.

"Forgot this." Arya waved her sun hat and smiled at him.

"Don't go too far." Jin nodded.

"Hey, Jin!" Arya beamed and came to his side, "How do I look?"

Jin looked at her with a slight frown on his brows.

"Why?"

Arya clicked her tongue, "tell me already. Do I look bad?"

"You never look bad."

Arya chuckled, "should I assume that you are complimenting me?"

"Don't you have to go?"

"Answer me and I will go."

"You look beautiful."

"Thanks." Arya again beamed and smiled, "did you see Eas?"

"Yes."

"Isn't he handsome?" Arya's eyes turned dreamy.

"Mnn."

"You coming?" The man called her from afar.

"Wish me luck," Arya whispered excitedly and waved him bye, and ran towards the direction she had set to before.

Jin put both the plate on the small table beside the campfire. The night was getting longer and chilly slowly.

"Master Kim?"

Jin looked to see Chamiyu coming in his direction.

"You are alone, where is Bunita?"

"Went for a walk," Jin replied looking at his watch.

"Are you enjoying the party, master Kim?"

"It's nice." Jin nodded.

"I wanted to ask you one thing if you don't mind." Chamiyu was a bit hesitant.

Jin didn't answer, just looked at Chamiyu with assurance.

"Ms. Akaishi, who is she?"

"Why?"

"I don't know." Chamiyu was a little hesitant, "I am not sure."

"About What?"

"It's just..." Chamiyu scratched the back of his head, "It's just a hunch you can say...I feel like I know her?"

"You met her before?"

"I am not sure." Chamiyu again was hesitant, "But something about her seems oddly familiar."

"That's a queer speculation," Jin commented calmly.

Chamiyu laughed lightly, "I know. Maybe I am a bit paranoid since Mr. and Mrs. Kim's passing."

Jin nodded.

"And it's still not clear from where she learned Chamorro."

Jin frowned a little. It wasn't like that he didn't think about it either.

The most vivid question was eating his mind since the day he met Arya again months back. But he knew he has been deliberately avoiding his mind and this question which is totally unlike him.

There have been odds. Odds so big and with so big question marks that he acknowledged that he was just pushing the obvious back.

He needed to question.

He needed to ask Namjoon, or better, the cheif.

The question is, will they be honest with him?

"Would you mind a drink?" Chamiyu offered him a coconut shell.

Jin looked at the shell for a few seconds and took that from his hand.

"To your return." Chamiyu toasted and drank up the liquid.

Jin stared at the liquid inside the coconut cup and looked towards the dancing groups in front of him.
Few females were now singing with a teenager playing a local flute made of a local reed that grows in the tiny sweet water lake in the mountain.

The people dancing along were now slowly dancing with the mild tempo of the song and the melody of the songs.

Eas and Arya were dancing.
Better call it swaying slowly with the song.
Arya was smiling. When did they come back from the walk?
They were sure having a good time.

Jin averted his gaze and brought back his stares on the cup in his hand.

"Go on, bottoms up." Chamiyu encouraged Jin.

Jin drank up the intense liquid in one go and closed his eyes to endure the harsh burning Sensation down his throat.

"More?"

Jin extended the cup in his hand towards Chamiyu without further words.

Chamiyu refilled the cup again.
Jin again lazily looked around his surroundings.

He saw Arya coming back from the beach leaving Eas behind.

Her face was a bit red.
Jin wondered why. Embarrassed? Or shy?

He took a small sip of the drink and again frowned at the ragged taste of the alcohol.

Eas said something from her behind. Jin didn't hear it for the distance.
Arya stilled for a few seconds, but she didn't look back. Rather her face turned even redder and she headed straight towards Jin.

She stood in front of Jin and frowned at him. When she spoke, her voice was already harsh and Infuriated,
"Why are you drinking this shit?"

Jin looked at her.

She grabbed the cup and emptied the remaining liquid down her throat and threw away the cup in the campfire.

"What are you looking at?" She barked towards Chamiyu, "Why did you let him drink?"

"I...I..." chamiyu was lost at his words in front of Arya's fuming stares.

"Don't you know he can't handle his liquor?" Arya again yelled, "What kind of mate are you?"

"I didn't know." Chamiyu defended himself, "he left when he was six!"

Arya thumped down beside Jin and mumbled, "Damn bastard. That fucker..."

"Language please!" Jin scolded her mildly.

Arya looked at him with frustration, she was about to say something but was interrupted by the approaching figure of Eas, "Why did you leave, babe?"

"Don't call me that." Arya snapped.

"Come on! Let's dance." Eas grabbed her wrist.

"No thanks," Arya said drily.

"Come on! You loved it when we danced a while ago! It will be fun." Eas this time tugged in her hands.

"I said, No." Arya freed her hands from his grip, "you better go before I punch you."

"Come on! I just asked you to come with me to my schooner tonight. For a friendly fun night. Think you can have a better offer from anybody here?" He was a little pissed off this time.

A fire erupted in Arya's eyes but before she could say something, Chamiyu interjected, pushing him away from her, "whoa whoa, man! Calm down. Watch what you say!"

"Don't meddle, man!" Eas pushed Chamiyu back, "What is my fault here, hmm? Did you see how she practically threw herself over me these past hours? Don't you think I know what these types of girls are?"

"Careful." Chamiyu was cold this time, "I am sorry to say this, but we'd appreciate it if you could leave for tonight. You are disrespecting and embarrassing us."

"Hey!" Eas pushed Chamiyu this time harder that he stumbled backward, both Jin's and Arya's hands reached to support Chamiyu so that he doesn't fall on his back.

The music was already stopped. The people were looking at them, few of them were courageous enough to come closer for a better understanding of the situation.

"You started gawking over me, getting all excited when I offered you company and smiling suggestively the whole time- do you think I am stupid?" Eas was infuriated, god knows how much he drank.
"Don't pretend all innocent that you don't want me. You are all the same as others. Whore!"

Arya's palms instantly formed a fist. Her clenched jaws were trembling in fury. Her eyes were on fire. She would have already killed the man at any other time.
But Jin knew exactly why she wasn't doing anything.

She promised Jin on the first day, the first rules- no fights with strangers no matter what.

Helping Chamiyu get back his balance, Jin slowly got up and stood in front of Eas.

Eas was taller than him by a few inches.
Their physique wasn't quite different.

But what made them different was the cold aura exuding from the shorter one that almost silenced the whole crowd around them and prevented them to say anything or even making a mere sound.

"Apologize." His voice was calm.

"I didn't say anything wrong." Eas was arrogant, "That slut..."

The sound of the slap was so sudden, unexpected yet so anticipated that it felt like suddenly the wind also stopped blowing in the open beach.

Eas was on the ground.
His eyes were wide. His right palm creasing the hurt cheek that just had a collision with an iron-clad hand a few seconds ago.

"Get up." Jin's voice was calm.

Eas got up on his feet in fury and plunged towards Jin.

Jin casually avoided his hand, grabbed it, and twisted his hand behind his back and one kick behind his knees again made him down on his knees on the sand.

He let go of his hand.

He was groaning in pain now, he looked at Arya in disgust and fire in his eyes and cursed, "Bitch..."

The second slap was even harder on his face that he had to cover the face with both his palm in pain.

"Get up." Jin's voice still had no trace of emotions, only cold orders.

Eas got up on his feet again and punched Jin.

But again, Jin was quicker in reflex. It was easy to avoid his attack by just stepping a little to the side and grabbing him by the collar from behind, Jin brought him back in his place.

One uppercut and one hook were enough to smash his nose and bleed through it.
The taller man almost whined in pain and touching his nose, he stared at his blood bringing the hand in front of his eyes and his eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of blood on his fingers.

"Motherfucker!" He cursed colorfully and gritted his teeth, "What are you, that bitch's boyfriend? You assigned your whore girlfriend to seduce strangers now?"

"You don't need to know who am I. But you are probably someone from somewhere in the jungle of Borneo who doesn't know how to respect women." Jin was still calm, "Apologize."

"Son of a bitch!" He again stepped forward.

The third slap was so hard that the sound of cracking of the skin was heard clearly.

His cheek turned bloody instantly and he looked like he was still processing what just happened.
Blood came trickling down from the corner of his lips. He has been cut somewhere inside his mouth.
He spat out blood on the sand he was now lying.

"Get up."

He tried to get up on his knees, but a kick followed on his chest making him fall again.

He tried to grab a stick from the campfire.
Jin casually stepped on his wrist and didn't move his leg from there.

"Bloody moron." Eas gurgled with blood in his mouth.

Jin sat down on one knee and threw his final punch right on his face.

"Get up."

This time, he couldn't even move to get up.

Jin stared at him for a few cold seconds and then he got up and looked around, "someone please take him to the hospital."

Few boys came in front and Jin carried himself back to where Arya was seated.

"Showoff." Arya rolled her eyes and mumbled.

Jin sat beside her and look at her,
"Are you ok?"

"Ok?" Arya scoffed, "If you are asking how do I feel about being called a whore by someone I chose to go with- then I feel wonderful!"

Jin's hand gently reached Arya's and patted it slowly, "I am sorry."

"For what?" Arya looked pissed off.

"For making you promise not to get in a fight."

"It was kinda cool though." Arya chuckled, "the feeling of being the damsel in distress, and the prince charming being there, doing all hero and stuff! Wonderful story."

Sensing the sarcasm in her voice, Jin nodded again, "I am sorry."

Arya got up, "forget it. I need liquor."

When Arya got back, she was tipsy. But her face flushed red again when she saw an empty liquor cup in Jin's hand once again.

"Chamiyu!" Her yelling made Chamiyu come running towards her,
"Yes, Bunita?"

"Why is he drinking again?"

"I don't know! I didn't give him any!"

Arya cursed and said, "we'll leave now. Help me take him home."

"But he is sober. He just had two cups." Chamiyu frowned, "look at him. Completely normal."

Arya rolled her eyes,
"Believe me, he is far from it."