diff --git a/src/apps/epic/tests/integrated/test_views.py b/src/apps/epic/tests/integrated/test_views.py
index 70f7987..ae481de 100644
--- a/src/apps/epic/tests/integrated/test_views.py
+++ b/src/apps/epic/tests/integrated/test_views.py
@@ -4270,6 +4270,25 @@ class PickSeaUnifiedFeltTest(TestCase):
         [sea] = parsed.cssselect("#id_pick_sea_btn")
         self.assertIn("hex-phase-btn--out", sea.get("class", ""))
 
+    def test_sea_felt_leaves_sky_btn_lit_and_swaps_cleanly(self):
+        """Symmetric with Sky Select (which leaves the sea btn lit while the sky
+        felt is up): opening the Sea Select felt must NOT grey the burger Sky
+        sub-btn — it stays .active so a revisited Sea Select keeps the completed
+        sky one click away (user-spec 2026-06-08). openSea therefore disables
+        ONLY id_text_btn (not id_sky_btn). And because both felts are z-5 siblings
+        that otherwise STACK (sea paints over sky; neither open path drops the
+        other's open-class), clicking the lit sky btn must SWAP felts: openSea
+        closes the sky felt + openSky closes the sea felt (both expose their close
+        on window). Regression guard for the symmetry + clean-swap fix."""
+        content = self.client.get(self.url).content.decode()
+        # openSea disables only the Text btn now — the old 2-btn list is gone.
+        self.assertIn("['id_text_btn']", content)
+        self.assertNotIn("'id_text_btn', 'id_sky_btn'", content)
+        # Clean felt-swap wiring both ways (sea exposes + sky calls it; sky
+        # exposes + sea calls it).
+        self.assertIn("window.closeSeaFelt", content)
+        self.assertIn("window.closeSkyFelt", content)
+
     def test_sea_btn_and_glow_bindings_defer_past_parse_time(self):
         """room.html includes _sea_overlay.html (~line 77) BEFORE _burger.html
         (~line 167, which holds #id_burger_btn + #id_sea_btn). So the overlay's
diff --git a/src/static_src/scss/_burger.scss b/src/static_src/scss/_burger.scss
index e879fcc..6bb52a3 100644
--- a/src/static_src/scss/_burger.scss
+++ b/src/static_src/scss/_burger.scss
@@ -191,13 +191,14 @@
 #id_sea_btn.glow-handoff {
     color: rgba(var(--priId), 1);
     border-color: rgba(var(--priId), 1);
-    animation: glow-handoff-pulse 1.8s infinite;
+    animation: glow-handoff-pulse 3.2s infinite;
 }
 
-// Quick ease-IN to the bright peak over the first ~22% of the cycle, then a slow
-// ease-OUT fade back to the dim trough across the remaining ~78%. The per-segment
-// timing fns set the in/out asymmetry; the lopsided keystop split makes the swell
-// feel snappy and the decay linger.
+// Quick ease-IN to the bright peak over the first ~12.5% of the cycle (~0.4s),
+// then a slow ease-OUT fade back to the dim trough across the remaining ~87.5%
+// (~2.8s — roughly twice the earlier decay; user asked for a longer linger). The
+// per-segment timing fns set the in/out asymmetry; the lopsided keystop split
+// keeps the swell snappy while the fade lingers.
 @keyframes glow-handoff-pulse {
     0% {
         box-shadow:
@@ -205,7 +206,7 @@
             0 0 0.7rem 0.1rem rgba(var(--ninUser), 0.12);
         animation-timing-function: ease-in;
     }
-    22% {
+    12% {
         box-shadow:
             0 0 0.6rem 0.15rem rgba(var(--ninUser), 0.95),
             0 0 1.4rem 0.4rem rgba(var(--ninUser), 0.55);
diff --git a/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sea_overlay.html b/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sea_overlay.html
index cb173c9..05c4249 100644
--- a/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sea_overlay.html
+++ b/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sea_overlay.html
@@ -449,13 +449,18 @@ via epic:sea_save. `?seat` threads the CARTE-selected seat onto the action URLs.
   }
   hidden.addEventListener('change', sync);
 
-  // ── Open / close the felt (DRAW SEA ⇄ gear NVM nav). On open: disable the
-  // burger Text + Sky sub-btns. The sea btn is NOT activated here — it's the
-  // post-completion reopen affordance (see the cascade + the reopen binding).
+  // ── Open / close the felt (DRAW SEA ⇄ gear NVM nav). On open: disable ONLY the
+  // burger Text sub-btn (its swipe machine would drive into a scroll-locked
+  // reelhouse). The SKY sub-btn is left .active (lit) — symmetric with Sky Select,
+  // which leaves the sea btn lit while the sky felt is up (user-spec 2026-06-08):
+  // both completed phases stay one click apart. The sea btn itself is NOT
+  // activated here — it's the post-completion reopen affordance (see the cascade
+  // + the reopen binding). Clicking the lit sky btn from here SWAPS felts cleanly
+  // (openSea/openSky close each other — see openSea below).
   var _disabledBtns = [];
   function _disablePhaseBtns() {
     _disabledBtns = [];
-    ['id_text_btn', 'id_sky_btn'].forEach(function (id) {
+    ['id_text_btn'].forEach(function (id) {
       var b = document.getElementById(id);
       if (b && b.classList.contains('active')) { b.classList.remove('active'); _disabledBtns.push(b); }
     });
@@ -465,6 +470,13 @@ via epic:sea_save. `?seat` threads the CARTE-selected seat onto the action URLs.
     _disabledBtns = [];
   }
   function openSea() {
+    // Clean SWAP, not a double-open: if the sky felt is up (its lit sea btn was
+    // just clicked) close it first — both felts are z-5 siblings that otherwise
+    // stack (sea paints over sky), and neither open path drops the other's
+    // open-class on its own. Mirrored by openSky closing the sea felt.
+    if (document.documentElement.classList.contains('sky-open') && window.closeSkyFelt) {
+      window.closeSkyFelt();
+    }
     document.documentElement.classList.add('sea-open');
     document.documentElement.classList.add('sea-entered');
     _disablePhaseBtns();
@@ -476,6 +488,7 @@ via epic:sea_save. `?seat` threads the CARTE-selected seat onto the action URLs.
     if (window.RoomViews && window.RoomViews.syncGear) window.RoomViews.syncGear();
   }
   window.openSeaFelt = openSea;
+  window.closeSeaFelt = closeSea;
   var pickSeaBtn = document.getElementById('id_pick_sea_btn');
   if (pickSeaBtn) pickSeaBtn.addEventListener('click', openSea);
 
diff --git a/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sky_overlay.html b/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sky_overlay.html
index 5b9d822..ad63dd8 100644
--- a/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sky_overlay.html
+++ b/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sky_overlay.html
@@ -184,6 +184,13 @@
   }
 
   function openSky() {
+    // Clean SWAP, not a double-open: if the sea felt is up (its lit sky btn was
+    // just clicked) close it first. Both felts are z-5 siblings that otherwise
+    // stack; neither open path drops the other's open-class on its own. Mirrored
+    // by openSea closing the sky felt (user-spec 2026-06-08).
+    if (document.documentElement.classList.contains('sea-open') && window.closeSeaFelt) {
+      window.closeSeaFelt();
+    }
     document.documentElement.classList.add('sky-open');
     _disableTextBtn();
     // Re-sync the room gear to the sky NVM pane (room-views.js owns the gear
@@ -624,6 +631,9 @@
   // Exposed so the burger fan's #id_sky_btn (active once the sky is saved) can
   // reopen the saved wheel. burger-btn.js calls window.openSkyFelt().
   window.openSkyFelt = openSky;
+  // Exposed so openSea can close the sky felt for a clean felt-swap when a user
+  // clicks the lit sky btn from inside the sea felt (user-spec 2026-06-08).
+  window.closeSkyFelt = closeSky;
 
   // ── Restore persisted form data + prime a saved (confirmed) wheel ───────────
   // Pre-save the wheel draw is deferred to openSky (form shows alone). Once the