Ginseng + Yew (人蔘 + ᚔ) [NBxNB healer x necromancer xianxia adventure]

28 - What's your relationship, exactly?

"A... I'm sorry, I'm not sure what that means."

"Like me." The necromancer's words were almost incomprehensible, sieved between clenched teeth. "Like a pot everyone pisses in. I can feel it... the weight of hundreds of other bastards' sins crammed into-"

"Pang Yau." Sou Yuet's green-black eyes came into view.

"Sorry..."

"That's not what I'm asking for. But this woman is suffering right here, right now." The monk squeezed the necromancer's big hands. "I'll try to talk to her."

The scapegoat turned her flat brown eyes to the monk as they smiled pleasantly at her. "Hello, madam. Do you speak Common Tongue?"

Her bruised lips cracked again as she tried to speak, so Sou Yuet offered her some more water. She turned her face away.

"Please."

Still, she stubbornly closed her eyes and refused to even look at the water gourd.

"I'm sorry, Pang Yau, but do you think you might know why she's doing this?"

The necromancer's jaw clicked. "Guilt."

"As in, she thinks she must have done something wrong to deserve being treated this way, so she's going to continue to allow herself to be punished?"

"... Yes."

Sou Yuet's brow crinkled. "What if she did do something wrong?"

"Are ye saying it's right, what they've done to her?"

The monk seemed to be chewing their own tongue.

"Do ye think what was done to me was right? Or what was done to you?"

"What are you talking about? Nothing was done to me. No one ever hit me or forced me to take their... sins?"

"Even yer parents?"

"My parents just ignored me," Sou Yuet explained cheerfully. "As far as I remember."

"And that's not passing their sins on to ye?"

"... Is it?"

"I'm asking you, ye damn mo- Oi! Come back!"

The woman had begun to try to quietly slip away, but at the necromancer's shout, Sunny pounced before her. She recoiled in fear.

Sou Yuet hopped lightly overhead to reach Sunny's side. "It's okay, she won't hurt you. I'm Yì Fēng." They pointed to themselves. "Yì Fēng . What's your name?"

Sou Yuet's peaceful little smile seemed to calm the woman somewhat, although she was still reluctant to speak. She was offered the water again, and this time, she finally took it, at first sipping distractedly while her eyes darted between the three strange figures around her, and then more easily as it seemed that no one was going to attack her.

"Ye got a name?" the necromancer tried again. "Name?"

The woman stared at her, wide-eyed, for a moment, then shook her head.

"Not surprising."

"What do you mean, Pang Yau?" Sou Yuet asked, thoughtfully rubbing the leaf of a stunted olive tree next to them between their fingers.

"What's the point of a cesspit having a name? People like us... things like us... have no need for names." Her eyes turned to the monk, her voice soft. "Did yer parents ever give ye a name, Ah Yuet?"

"It's alright, Si fu gave me a name." Sou Yuet offered the woman a little bread that they had saved from their lunch. "And he's the only one that matters, right?"