#flashback .

It felt scarily like deja vu as he wandered into Link's dorm, a box of fudge that he'd made to pass out to everyone as holiday gifts in his hand. This time he could absolutely insist that he had not made this just to soften the blow of having a difficult talk -- seriously. He promised. That didn't mean he wasn't coming over with the intent of once again having a conversation he knew very much that Link probably would not like to have. But he had a goal. He needed to focus on himself. He needed to figure himself out as a person outside of whatever situational entanglements he had. No Link. No Monty. He could do that. Honestly, he'd had the goal the moment he'd came back from summer break, and yeah he'd let this go on for … about four months now, and he shouldn't have done that. He knew that… But it was better late than never, right?

"Hi!" Ollie greeted, as cheerfully as he possibly good as he bounced into Link's room, "I brought you an early-early Christmas gift. Pre-Finals gift. Whatever you want it to be…" He said, putting the box of fudge down onto his desk and going to sit down on the edge of the bed, letting a silence hang in the air that clearly said he wasn't actually here to deliver baked goods, but that he had something he was here for. "Hey… uh, could we talk?" Ollie reached up awkwardly rubbing at his brow, before he gave a huff hard enough to blow out his bangs continuing on before he lost his nerve, and not letting Link respond. "I mean… I'm sure you can figure out what I'm here to talk about, but I really want to like … explain myself."

If he was being honest 18 felt a lot like 17, but Ollie had felt like he was about 25 since he was 15 years old so maybe that was why. After a debate in the group chat about where to have his party Ollie had suggested the Rainbow Road because... Well, he wanted to go to a gay club. He'd said that if any of his straight friends were too uncomfortable to go they probably shouldn't be friends in the first place. Greer had been the one to step in and instead suggest Hex Nightclub instead, because they were more likely to be able to get drinks there at least. It was a compelling enough argument to get Ollie to agree, which was how he was sitting in the private booth that Greer had been the one to pay for, drinking some stupid expensive bottle service booze. He hadn't needed any of this, honestly. He would have been fine sitting at the bar with a cheap margarita. but he did appreciate it. It was probably just the bougie rich person shit he was going to have to get used to now that he was going to Ogden, he guessed. So, that was where he sat, legs pulled up onto the seat next to him crossed delicately at the ankles while he rested from the past two hours spent on the dance floor. His eyes watched the figure who was, in fact, lingering by the bar over the rim of his glass, head tilting to the side slightly in curious interest.

He didn't know Link all that well, to be honest. They'd had a few casual conversations over the past few months. To Ollie they always seemed to reside somewhere between cute and clearly a massive fucking asshole, but Greer had suggested that maybe he get to know them, that she thought they'd get along. He was hesitant to believe her after the pathetic excuse of a relationship that had dwindled into nothing between him and Alethea. However, Link was pretty cute. Ollie ran his tongue across his teeth as he considered ... Yeah, fuck it. It was his birthday he could make bad decisions if he wanted to.

Ollie placed his hand on top of his head to hold the bedazzled birthday tiara he was wearing on, as he climbed from the booth and bounced over to the bar. "Hey!" He greeted lightly as he slid up next to Link's side, chin tilted against their shoulder as he smiled up brightly at them. "Not to interrupt all the fun you seem like you're having over here being so cool and disengaged, but do you want to come outside and smoke with me?"

@andrc | 𝒻𝓁𝒶𝓈𝒽𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 .

"meu preclaro príncipe, o véu da discrição é finito, e a imprensa, perspicaz como o vento, é capaz de desvendar segredos mesmo na mais densa escuridão", não pôde evitar a preocupação que trespassou seus olhos cerúleos ao observar a aflição do nobre príncipe. com um tom marcado pela compaixão, dirigiu-lhe as palavras impregnadas de um desejo genuíno de ajuda. comunicou com ponderação. "no entanto, em nossa alcova real, há recursos naturais que, com habilidade e sabedoria, podem ser empregados em seu benefício. se assim o desejar, teria o prazer de auxiliá-lo com a sabedoria das ervas, uma benção que minha mãe me legou." cada sílaba foi entoada com a segurança de quem possuía conhecimento e experiência no assunto, oferecendo uma luz no caminho do príncipe. nos salões silenciosos do castelo, a rainha emilia preparava com esmero uma infusão reconfortante. as ervas aromáticas dançavam em sua mão com a graciosidade de uma sinfonia, enquanto a chaleira cantarolava sua canção de vapor. cada gesto era meticulosamente calculado, como se ela estivesse tecendo um feitiço de alívio. então, diante do fogaréu crepitante, ela verteu a água quente com uma elegância que poderia rivalizar com as mais finas coreografias da corte. o vapor perfumado dançava no ar, levando consigo a promessa de alívio para o jovem que lhe ocupava os pensamentos. "que esta infusão traga a suavidade de um alento fresco para os seus pulmões, e que o calor acolhedor abrace cada parte de seu ser", murmurou emilia, suas palavras uma prece silenciosa ao destino. "que cada gole seja uma bênção de alívio e restauração." assim, a rainha aguardou, seu olhar fixo na xícara, como se sua vontade pudesse guiar as ervas a cumprir seu propósito. "por vezes, a sabedoria ancestral supera os mais refinados tratados modernos. as ervas têm o poder de curar e aliviar males que muitas vezes escapam ao escrutínio da ciência contemporânea", prosseguiu emilia, com uma expressão serena, transmitindo confiança em sua proposta. "se assim lhe aprouver, poderíamos iniciar um tratamento que, com o tempo, pode propiciar uma melhora significativa."