Finding the apartment Ollas and Gransen shared wasn’t hard, despite Eunny never having seen it before. Gransen had no shame or sense of oversharing the whereabouts of the apartment he shared with the professor. She’d heard enough “Don’t be such a prude, Eunny,” and “He’s not my advisor, Eunny,” and “We’re both Adept levels, Eunny,” to no longer have a second thought about said living arrangements.
She paused outside the door, eyeing the brass nameplate marking it as O. Nevin and G. Mast. This might be another mistake. There was an obvious discomfort that existed between her and Ollas, even if it mostly lived beneath the surface of their long, casual friendship. Her being here, half-baked proposition in mind, had a good chance of making everything even more fraught.
But he was talking about dropping out of this special class. A collab with Professor Rai, which was a rare opportunity for younger faculty like Ollas, according to Zhenya. Her friend could get intense and hyperbolic about her work, but the only plant nerd Eunny knew to rival Zhen was Ollas. Which was probably why they were friends. And this was all Eunny’s fault.
She had a plan, and if it was too uncomfortable for him, he could always say no.
Eunny rapped on the door.
“Hang on.” Shuffling steps preceded the door opening. “Sorry, takes me—” Ollas broke off as his eyes snapped to her and went wide with recognition. Wariness.
Eunny froze mid-greeting, her brain stuttering to a halt. Ollas stood shirtless in the doorway, leaning on a cane. His torso and one arm were covered in enough bandages to almost replace a shirt. Almost. Fair skin dusted with freckles peeked out around the medical wraps. A hint of abs. Definition of shoulder and chest when he tensed at the sight of her, as if gathering to flee.
“Hell-o. Oh. Hi.” Eunny realized she was staring, gaze roving over Ollas like he was a piece of meat despite being clad in bandages. He wasn’t what one would call bulky, but she’d known he was fit from his ranger work with the Sentinels and being a garden gnome for the university. Still, this was… unexpected.
Ollas flushed.
Get a grip, Eun, what is wrong with you? No ogling your friend who is bruised and bloodied and slow to heal because of you. Eunny forced her mouth closed, lips pressed together in a tight smile. She renewed her small wave. “Sorry to make you get up.” She gestured toward his crutch. “Got a moment?”
“Sure, of course,” Ollas said faintly. Everything about him looked faint, come to think of it, and Eunny’s guilty conscience couldn’t decide if she hoped it was due to his recent blood loss or not. Otherwise, he was dismayed at her mere presence, which wasn’t encouraging.
Eunny walked into the front room. It served triple duty as an entryway, small kitchen, and dining area, with a short hallway off to the side. A lounge along one wall had been converted into a bed, presumably to save Ollas a few more steps as he recovered. The sight caused a fresh wave of guilt to squirm around her insides, but it also imparted a shot of resolve.
Ollas lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, dragging his green Sentinels’ cloak on for more cover as Eunny grabbed a chair. “Were you looking for Gransen? He went down?—”
“No, I’ll deal with the gremlin later,” Eunny muttered, and sat, fighting the urge to jiggle her leg. “Ollas. I’m really sorry about what happened. The shop’s been a mess for— If I hadn’t just been standing around like a fucking knob, you wouldn’t have?—”
“Eunny, it isn’t your fault.”
“It is!” Eunny plowed on before he could protest again. “I heard about the special course you have this term, and that you’re worried about it.”
“Who—” Ollas started to ask, then grimaced. “Zhenya.”
“She can’t help herself. You know how she is about classes, you can’t stop her.” Eunny scoffed, but there was a lightheartedness to the sound. A smile cracked Ollas’s lips in response. “Since it’s my fault your position with the— Shush, it is! Listen, you can’t lose it because of my café crashing down on you. So, I’m offering to help.”
“Help?” Ollas said.
“With whatever you needed two arms and legs for,” Eunny said.
“I can’t ask— I appreciate it, truly, I do. But I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Ollas mumbled. “I’ll have the students to assist with the heavy lifting.”
“I’m offering. Insisting, adamantly. And if it was as simple as having them carry your stuff around during class, you wouldn’t have worried about this to Zhenya.” She gave him a mock stern look. “I’m not pretending to know anything about plants, but I’m guessing you work a lot more than just during class hours.”
Ollas remained quiet, his gaze dropping to the edges of the blanket covering his bed.
Eunny sighed. “Can you tell me a bit more about the class? Graduate work?”
“A mix of Initiate Fours and Adept levels,” Ollas said. “The Restorers are funding a grant so we can try to improve the main plants used in bioremediation efforts. Study cycles of growth and how adjustments at various stages can affect the plants. We’re hoping to improve the seed stock being used in Rhell’s new containment wards.”
“Seeing as one of my best friends in the whole world is up there fighting the good fight, I’m on board with this plan,” Eunny said.
Six years had passed since the unofficial war with Eylle had been declared over, yet the poison corrupting Rhell, the Valley’s northern neighbor, remained strong as ever. Anything that helped keep Dae safe had Eunny’s fervent approval. Though Dae and her lover, Ezzyn Sor’vahl, had seen recent successes in containing the poison, a true cure still remained out of reach.
“You’re more on the growing end?” she asked.
He nodded. “Professor Rai’s side will handle end-use with the plants and spell applications.”
He explained how the plants being used for restoration efforts were finicky. The elective aimed to hybridize fast-growing plants with slower types that boasted robust ice and heat resistance. The school had received seeds from several Radiant Isles strains, along with more amendments to try, all to design and grow a new cultivar. In one academic term.
