At this point Oliver didn’t even see the point of staying at the castle. The longer he stayed, the more he thought about the prince and how he was gone. The world seemed dull without him and the only thing he could bring himself to do was get his jobs done as quick as could, but even that was becoming hard. Currently, he was huddled up by his window, sitting in the little outcropping with his knees to his chest. His head rested against the window and his small frame looked even smaller compared to the big window.
Shiroka finally reached the door, and he gently knocked on it with the back of one gloved hand. "Oliver?" he called, not so loud as to be shouting but loud enough that it could be considered raising his voice. He didn't want to startle anyone, as this section of the castle was always one of the quietest ones. It was as if the other inhabitants of the castle had ghosted away from the area, as they had before with several other spots that held a sad sort of significance
Olive slightly tilted his head towards the door, knowing exactly what was about to happen. He wrapped his arms around his stomach protectively, “C-Come in…” His voice was soft and quietly, barely able to be heard from the other side of the door. He wasn’t in the mood eat. He never was.
While others may have had issues hearing Olive, Shiroka heard him just fine. Slowly, he pushed open the door quietly out of habit, the tray shifting from both hands to just one. He looked over at Olive before averting his gaze, thinking the other might not like being stared at. "I…I brought you some food," he said, soft-spoken as always. He wasn't sure if Olive even knew who he was, though he wasn't about to ask something like that
Oliver’s eyes flicked to the tray, then to Shiroka then back to the window. His arms tightened around his stomach, “I-I’m not hungry…” The thought of food made his stomach twist uncomfortably nowadays. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate yet he didn’t care. He didn’t want to put up much of a fight with this man and hoped he’d leave quickly. Even the look of him scared him slightly but he didn’t show it, keeping his face blank.
Shiroka took a few tentative steps towards Oliver, his footsteps near silent on the hard floor. "Are you sure? It's not much, but I made sure to get one of the pastries they made this morning," he said, growing just a little closer before stopping a safe three or so feet away from him. "If you don't want it now, I can leave it here. There's milk and strawberries, too, and I could bring you some tea," he offered softly
Oliver shook his head a little, "It'll go to waste here," He curled more up into the corner, biting his lip, "Someone else needs it more then me…" He didn't put up much more of a fight then that and he honestly coulnd't be bothered to protest further.
"There is no such thing as a waste of food for someone like you. A waste of food is a king gorging himself on a feast alone, a far cry from a pastry and strawberries," Shiroka said softly. He sat down on the floor cross-legged, the tray still in his hands. "What if I ate a piece with you? That way it would certainly not be wasted," he offered
Oliver thought it over for a few moments. He didn’t want to eat but knew Shiroka probably wouldn’t leave until he ate at least a little. He nodded slightly, “Okay… just a little, then…”
Shiroka seemed to perk at that, a small smile crossing his face. For someone always so heavily-armored and intimidating, he really looked more like a puppy at this point. "Which would you like first, the pastry or the strawberries?" he asked
Oliver frowned a little at the plate. He knew he couldn’t eat the pastry without getting sick, “Strawberries… please.” He turned his body more so he was facing Shiroka but didn’t move more then that.
Shiroka took the small plate the strawberries were on, plucking one for himself from the dish before handing it to Oliver. "Here," he said gently, sweetly, kind without being pitying
Oliver chewed on the inside of his cheek and slowly took the plate from Shiroka. He sat it on his lap and stared at it for a few moments before slowly, taking a small bite from one of the strawberries.
Shiroka glanced up at Oliver briefly just to make sure he was eating before taking a small bite out of his own. He had already had a pastry when they were first made, so he wasn't particularly hungry at the moment
Oliver got through about three strawberries before he gave in. He hadn’t been hungry in the beginning but now he felt full and didn’t want to eat anymore. The thought made him sick and he gently placed the plate away from him.
There had only been about five strawberries on the plate that Shiroka had given Oliver, so when he looked up and saw that Oliver had managed three he counted that as a small victory. "Would you like some milk to help wash it down?" he asked, offering the cup to him from where he was sitting on the floor
A small part of Oliver wanted to take a least a small sip of the drink and he looked ready to reach out and take the cup but he shook his head instead, “No thank you,”
"Are you sure? It's not good to keep from drinking something, but if you prefer I'd be happy to get you some water instead," Shiroka offered, finishing nibbling his strawberry before setting the top aside on the tray
“I-I had some water earlier, I’m okay.” A lie, and if Shiroka asked anybody he worked with he’d easily find that out. Oliver swallowed a lump in his throat and chewed on the inside of his cheek again.
Shiroka heard the way the other stammered, and with lips pursed he rose to his feet before handing him the cup. “Half the glass. Please?” he asked, trying to be just a little more firm
"Half?" Oliver looked from the cup to Shiroka then back to the cup, shifting a little in his seat, "I… I can't do half." The cup shook slightly in his hand.
“Then maybe a few sips? How about a quarter? Would that be easier?” Shiroka asked gently, looking up at Oliver through dark lashes that only added to the unintentional puppy dog eyes he was giving the other
Oliver chewed on his lip before nodding just a little. He’d try for a quarter. He lofted the cup, still slightly hesitant and took a small sip.
Shiroka looked away briefly in case Oliver felt uncomfortable with someone staring at him. He was just grateful that the other was drinking something, even if it wasn’t much
It took a couple minutes but Oliver managed to drink maybe a little more then a quarter of the milk. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of, what had been one of the princes old shirts before handing the cup back.
