BITTER CONSEQUENCES (2)

"I know," Marshall's tone sounded a bit more casual than intended.

The disagreeing frown in Wyn's brows eased slightly. "There is only one official carrying a whip, Custodian Darius. He must be held accountable, or others might suffer the same fate."

"But we can't do anything about that at the moment, can we?" the disciple noted. "So let's not waste energy on it."

Mei Lihua hummed in agreement. "You should report that official to the powerholders when you get back."

Marshall lowered his head in a half-hearted nod. The news of his arrest hadn't reached Chara Town yet, and he didn't want to get into the whole deal of how one of the powerholders supposedly framed him. Especially not while he still hadn't received the explanation from Wyn.

"Hey, Mei-Mei," he moved on from the depressing topic, "what's on the tray? I'm starving."

"Stop calling me that. How many times do I have to remind you that I'm older than you?" Mei Lihua tousled his hair in an affectionately aggressive way.

She then picked a peach from the tray and shoved it into his mouth. "That's the the last one. And I'm giving it to you, who didn't bother to visit me after returning from Liangdu!"

"I was going to," Marshall protested between bites. "But see? Life brought me back to the infirmary anyway."

"Yeah, and you arrived half-alive again. How about next time you come here out of free will, huh?" Mei Lihua chided him, looking for the next thing to shove down his throat.

Her gaze settled on the bowl Wyn had brought. "Did you make this?" she asked the snow deity.

Wyn gave a small nod. "It is a mixture for stabilizing the spiritual flow. The physician gave me permission to use your herbs. I apologize if I overstepped."

Mei Lihua shook her head energetically. "Not at all! My mom's the boss, I just collect the herbs! If she said it's fine, then you're good."

"You hardly collect anything," Marshall commented impishly.

She shot him a playful glare. "Hush, you. I'm the best herb collector in Chara Town."

Mei Lihua turned her attention back to Wyn. "So you have medical knowledge? Where did you learn how to make this?"

"My mother had a background in medicine," Wyn revealed. "I learned a few things from her."

"Ah, I see! She must have been a good teacher. The mixture smells exactly as it should. But... I never got your name," Mei Lihua mentioned, getting familiar.

"Wyn," he politely bowed his head. "How may I call you?"

"I'm Mei Lihua, but just Lihua is fine," she returned the bow with a coy smile.

Marshall watched this back and forth in confusion. "Are you two flirting right in front of me?"

Wyn sent him in a disagreeing, tight-lipped look. 

"Hey, Marsh, why don't you drink this?" Mei Lihua handed him the bowl to distract him. A sly smirk crept across her lips as he accepted the bowl.

"You smiling like that is making me suspicious..." he murmured, taking a sip.

Marshall's face twisted in disgust, his lips pressed tight as he fought the urge to spit it out. He swallowed it and stuck his tongue out to escape the bitterness. Even the air tasted sweeter after the assault of his taste buds.

"Why is it so bitter?! Do I have to drink it all?"

Mei Lihua laughed, her concern forgotten as she enjoyed the sight of Marshall's reaction. "If you think that's bad, you should have seen the remedies my mom used to make. You'd have run away screaming."

Wyn laughed subtly, then cleared his throat. "Mei Lihua is right, this mixture is not the worst there is."

Mei Lihua nodded, nudging Marshall. "Hear that? Stop making faces and drink it. You're not a child anymore."

"Oh, how harsh the world can be..." Marshall pulled out the theatrics, wiping an imaginary tear. "It's always 'stop this' and 'stop that', but never 'do you need a hug?' Woe is me!"

Without missing a beat, Mei Lihua asked, "You want a hug?"

Marshall stuck his tongue out again. "Not from you anyway."

"Oh, really?" she feigned hurt. "Then who would you prefer? Wyn, perhaps?"

The sudden attention on him seemed to catch the snow deity off-guard. Marshall switched targets, snickering at Wyn's expression.

"Haha, why not?" Marshall's voice filled with mischief. "Snowmen are supposed to be friendly. I wouldn't mind a hug from one." 

Wyn's eyes narrowed at the repeating joke.

Marshall chuckled. "Oh, come on, I'm just teasing. No need to freeze up, eh?"

"Focus on getting on your feet," Wyn dryly remarked. "There is plenty to discuss aside your condition."

The disciple slumped. "Aw. Can't you play along at least once?"

Wyn ignored him, glancing at Mei Lihua. "He needs rest and continuous monitoring of his spiritual flow. I have some additional herbs that might help accelerate the healing process. I will prepare them."

"Sounds good," Mei Lihua agreed.

"First of all, I haven't even finished this bitter thing," Marshall held up the bowl, scowling slightly. "What do you mean, you'll make another one?"

Mei Lihua smirked knowingly. "I'll give you a sweet treat if you finish it all."

"...What treats are we talking about?" the disciple squinted, considering the offer.

"Honey cookies."

A long sigh followed. "Fine. Consider me bribed."