TICKLING A SNOWMAN

"Marshall, wake up," a deep voice snapped him out of the abyss. "You should eat something."

"Huh?" he opened his eyes, rubbing his face with an irked mutter.

Marshall's body felt heavy and a nasty headache was splitting his skull into two. It took a while for him to come to senses, but when he did, the room was shrouded in blue, dusky tones.

"What?!" he abruptly sat up, worsening the throbbing. "Why are you waking me up only now?!"

The sun had set, bringing the day to an end. Marshall stared at the window, stunned. They were supposed to go to Gi Gaia's cavern, but it was clearly too late for that now.

"Has your shoulder healed?" Wyn asked without answering Marshall's question.

"Probably," the disciple muttered as he flipped the duvet away and swung his legs off the bed to get a proper look outside. As he pushed himself up, the wound on the shoulder throbbed, but he didn't bother to change his answer to Wyn's question.

Sun Hayden followed him to the window. "We decided to let you sleep today and head to the cavern tomorrow."

"Why would you decide this without me?" Marshall looked around the room, his gaze flitting between everyone's faces. He was trying not to get mad over something so small, but couldn't hide the glare that slipped out.

Gi Elysia walked up to the window, meanwhile Wyn remained standing by the bed with his hands clasped behind his back.

"You were out cold. How could we wake you?" she reasoned, gesturing with her hands meekly. "Besides, it's not like the Eastern Mountains will run away."

Marshall stared at Gi Elysia, then to Sun Hayden and Wyn. Everyone seemed to agree, however, it didn't make him feel any less frustrated. But since his wound hadn't fully healed yet, he was forced to agree.

"Alright," he relented, rubbing the back of his neck. "But don't do it again. We don't have all the time in the world. Eventually, the officials will figure out where we're hiding, so we better move fast."

"Yeah, yeah," Sun Hayden tugged him away from the stained glass. "Can we go eat now? The food will get cold!"

As they made their way downstairs to the dining area, Marshall glanced at Gi Elysia, catching onto an underlying sense of discomfort in her posture.

"Did you visit the herb shop today too?" he asked, striking up a conversation.

"I did," she gave an awkward nod. "I bought chamomile tea this time, you should try it."

"Mm, I'm not a big fan of tea," he murmured. Gi Elysia had managed to convert Sun Hayden into a tea enthusiast, but when it came to Marshall... simply put, he preferred water over grass flavored liquids.

Wyn interjected, "Chamomile tea is used to treat insomnia. It would be good for you."

Gi Elysia nodded, but her eyes darted away for a moment. "It's also soothing... helps calm the nerves."

The disciple noted the brief hesitation and the way her fingers twitched slightly. "Did anything interesting happen at the herb shop?"

"Uh, no," she said quickly, avoiding his gaze. "Just the usual."

Marshall raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. The dining table, set with steamed buns, fresh vegetables, and a fragrant soup, became the center of their attention.

Sun Hayden eagerly grabbed a bowl, filling it to the brim before sitting down, too occupied with the soup to talk about anything. While they ate, Gi Elysia's eyes occasionally darted to Wyn, as if seeking his approval. Something was definitely going on. 

Once the plates were empty and as they began cleaning up, he joined Gi Elysia to help wash the dishes.

"Say, is there something bothering you?" he asked, his question toned down by splashes of water.

"What made you think that?" Gi Elysia let out a short chuckle, fully focused on scrubbing a plate.

"Just a hunch."

"Well..." she put the plate away with a hesitant movement, then turned to Marshall. "Young Lord—no, Chioni Wyn keeps watching me. I don't think he trusts me."

The disciple glanced at Wyn, who was in the dining area, gathering more dishes that needed to be washed with a deeply focused expression. It looked like he was 'watching' the dishes as well. 

"Ah, believe me, it's nothing personal. That's just his face," Marshall said, unable to stop an amused grin from surfacing. "It took me a while to gain his trust too. We even got in a few disagreements because of that."

Gi Elysia pressed her lips together in doubt, "I'd rather not argue with one of the heirs." She sighed. "It would been easier if I could read his expression, but it barely changes. How am I supposed to know what he's thinking?"

"Pay attention to his eyebrows," Marshall advised. "Wyn's eyes can be quite expressive too."

"And very piercing," Gi Elysia commented. 

The disciple nodded, chuckling as he scrubbed another plate.

Wyn approached and set the dishes on the counter, subtly glancing between the two. Marshall wiped the water off his hands, leaning against the counter as he faced the snow deity.

"Hey, Wyn," Marshall flashed a cheeky smirk, about to irritate him on purpose. "Do you know what happens if you tickle a snowman?"

For a moment, it looked like Wyn tried to guess, but then realized it wasn't a riddle and asked, "What happens?"

"We'll have to find out!" Marshall exclaimed, his hand shooting out to tickle the snow deity's side.

Wyn's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't immediately step away. For a split second, there was a flicker of curiosity in his gaze, but it quickly disappeared behind his attempts to suppress a laugh.

Sun Hayden, noticing the playful exchange, rushed over from the other side of the kitchen, "Wait, I never expected Chioni Wyn to be ticklish!"

But before Sun Hayden could reach Wyn, an icy gust of frost flicked everyone out of his personal space. Marshall jumped back, hands raised in surrender as snowflakes scattered across the floor, the icy smoke dissipating into the air.

Wyn straightened, regaining his composure with a cool, measured look. His eyes were fixed on Marshall, narrowing slightly in a warning, conveying the message clearly 'do not dare to try it again'.

"Alright, alright, I'm done," Marshall said with a grin, his breath visible in the freshly-chilled air. "No more tickling the snowman."

Sun Hayden rubbed his hands together, whining, "I didn't even do anything yet..." He shot Wyn a sly snicker. "But your expression was funny. We should do it again later!"

With an unimpressed sigh, Wyn went to carry over the last batch. Once his back was turned, Gi Elysia finally let out a quiet chuckle, easing up a little.

"See?" Marshall nudged her lightly, still in high spirits after getting a reaction out of the snow deity. "Wyn might appear overly serious and composed, but he's still just a human."

Gi Elysia tilted her head, musing, "It looks like you're close. I've never seen Chioni Wyn relax in all my years of living in the tower."

"Would you believe me if I told you that he even jokes sometimes?" Marshall asked, raising an eyebrow in high spirits.

"I would not," Gi Elysia laughed, tapping her finger on the edge of the sink. "He doesn't seem like the type to joke around."

Marshall shrugged, "Eh, people change around other people."

She nodded thoughtfully. A moment of comfortable silence passed before she spoke again, "I think I want to change too. To leave my life at the Chastity Tower behind and start new, you know? To be just Elysia, nothing more."

"Sure, I can start calling you Just Elysia instead of Gi Elysia, if that helps," Marshall quipped, pulling out another laugh from her.

The chuckling was interrupted as Wyn set down the last dishes with a sharp clatter.

Marshall jumped slightly, turning to the snow deity with a puzzled look. Wyn's face remained stoic, but a faint, displeased frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. His posture seemed stiffer than usual too, and his eyes held a hint of something hard and unyielding.

The disciple returned to washing the dishes in silence, ceasing the jokes. The tickling had clearly ruffled Wyn more than he had anticipated, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for trampling over Wyn's patience.