A GUEST IN WHITE (2)

Marshall raised a brow at Wyn's unusual attempt at small talk. "Yeah. It tastes like a soaked sponge that's falling apart."

As they passed the bushes, a humble corner adorned with red asters waved in greeting, the heavy flower heads bowing with the wind. The snow deity's gaze lingered on them before turning to Marshall with a peculiar look on his face.

"Don't touch them. I can't have both brothers causing misdeeds," the disciple warned.

"I was not planning to," Wyn replied, keeping a peaceful expression—not only that, but he even gave the disciple a subtle smile. 

Marshall looked away, chewing on his cheek. What was up with this shift in behavior? Had the snow deity always acted like this? Was he feeling guilty? For what? The cavern situation wasn't his fault.

They searched through the areas Marshall used to frequent as a child, but there was no sign of Muyang. Not behind the bakery, not in the cramped alleys.

The disciple no longer knew where the kids spent their time in this town. So the two were left to comb through the town square, checking behind countless corners in silence.

While Marshall was preoccupied with looking out for any armored men patrolling the area, Wyn asked a question or two, but none of those had received answers. However, a particular question reached the disciple loud and clear.

"How long are you planning to hide?"

Marshall almost bumped into a door that swung open in front of him at the last minute. His heart threw a cartwheel, but Wyn pulled him aside on time.

"I'm not hiding," Marshall replied curtly, pulling away from Wyn and picking up the pace. "I'm just—"

"Avoiding reality?" Wyn's voice was cool but piercing.

The disciple stopped, sharply turning to face the snow deity. "Avoiding?" His voice climbed volumes despite the efforts to keep calm. 

The snow deity's expression shifted slightly as he opened his mouth to respond, but a familiar giggle echoed from a nearby alley, interrupting them yet again.

Marshall whipped his head around, spotting a group of kids huddled together. Among them was Muyang, who froze upon seeing the disciple.

"There he is," Marshall muttered, striding towards the group.

The kids scattered in the blink of an eye, leaving the wide-eyed fox standing alone, holding something behind his back. Marshall quickly closed the distance.

"What are you doing?" he interrogated Muyang, furrowing his brow at all the dirt and grass stains covering the boy.

Muyang hesitated, his eyes widening further upon noticing his brother emerge from behind Marshall. "I... uh..." Muyang reluctantly revealed a large, intact squash, faltering under their scrutinizing gazes.

It took them a while to pull an explanation out of Muyang, but after hearing it all, Marshall's head was about to roll off his neck. Didn't Muyang promise not to cause trouble? But now what?

Apparently, the kids had carved three of the squashes, then went ahead and rolled two down a hill. And the last squash only survived because they hadn't yet decided what to do with it.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Marshall scolded him. "There's a war going on, food is scarce, and you're out here wasting vegetables? On top of that, you stole them from the person who lets you sleep inside her house!"

Muyang stood with his head hung low and eyes glued to the ground, not daring to speak back. He looked as if someone had flogged him.

Wyn stepped forward, putting hand on his brother's shoulder to lead him back to the garden. "Muyang, do you know what you have to do?"

The kid nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. "I will apologize," he mumbled.

Seeing the kid on the verge of tears, Marshall's anger evaporated within seconds, replaced by guilt. He winced, realizing he had sounded too much like Master Gi Shan. To think he had acted the exact way he swore to never be like...

"Alright, let's go," Marshall murmured, his voice softer as he gave the ashamed fennec fox a gentle pat on the back. "You're going to help Miss Evelyn in the garden until she says you're done. Does that sound fair to you?"

Muyang sniffled and nodded, clutching the squash tightly. "Yeah..."

When they returned to the garden, Miss Evelyn was already waiting with her arms crossed. Upon seeing the tearful kid, a glimpse of sympathetic amusement crossed her aged features, easing the tension.

"We have something to say," Marshall announced, nudging the boy forward.

Muyang stepped up, holding out the squash, but unable to look the elderly lady in the eye. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken the squashes. I don't know why I did it..."

The disciple gave the kid a subtle pat, signaling for him to continue. 

"...And I will help in the garden for as long as you say," Muyang promised.

Miss Evelyn took the lone squash from the boy's hands and patted his head with a forgiving smile. "I appreciate the apology, dear. And yes, you'll be helping me in the garden."

Muyang finally looked at her, and seeing the absence of anger, relaxed a little. 

"Come on, I'll show you what to do," Miss Evelyn urged him to follow.

As the two walked to the garden, Marshall couldn't help but scoff under his breath. The whole situation was a bit funny already. 

"At least he doesn't have to change into gardening clothes," the disciple commented, chuckling at the dirt stains on Muyang's clothes.

As usual, the humorous comment went over Wyn's head. Instead, Marshall could feel the icy gaze fixed on him.

He watched Miss Evelyn giving directions in the distance for a few moments before casting a quick glance at Wyn. "I know that I can't hide forever."

Marshall sighed, a smile crossing his face, "I wasn't going to stay for long in the first place, but I couldn't help it. The thought of leaving made me feel homesick, so I let myself get carried away with any tasks Miss Evelyn gave me."

He grinned at the irony of his stay. "Isn't it funny? To miss something that was never yours? This was never my home, yet I kept shamelessly hanging around."

Marshall watched Muyang get down on his knees and pull out the weeds under Miss Evelyn's supervision. Even though the boy was doing the work to repent, he looked eager to do a good job.

"Do you plan to take Muyang back to the tower?" the disciple questioned Wyn. "I think you should let him stay here. We've been around for a few days, and there have been no demons. It's definitely safe."

To his surprise, the snow deity was on the same page, "I agree. As long as Miss Evelyn allows it, I think it is for the best. Muyang deserves to have some normalcy in his life."

Marshall turned his head to look at Wyn. Their eyes met, but instead of the usual coolness, he received yet another smile.

Whenever the snow deity smiles, it was a sight was akin to watching the snow melt off a windowsill under an open window on a warm winter day. But why was it melting right now?

"Uh, the apple jam... I'll go check on it," Marshall excused himself, walking back to the house.