Oscar has replayed this moment in his head many times, mostly before bed during times of great difficulty. Would he have been better off if he did not bother to capture Velmos? Impossible to tell, though Oscar often fantasized what it would have been like if he had not gotten a promotion within Rocket. His debt would have never been paid off, and his fortune would not have been reclaimed. His life would have been so much simpler.

Hindsight's 20/20 though. Oscar made the decisions he made, and likely he would have made the same choices a thousand times over if given the chance. He had to keep reminding himself that what he was witnessing was a mirage, an echo of the past shared between him and priam conrad. Right, this was when the two of them solidified their friendship. Would they have still become friends if Oscar had opted to not involve himself with capturing Velmos?

Oscar watched his dragapult chomp down on the alien general and spirit him away, scratching his head as he stood beside Priam. "I'm surprised we ended up at his capture first. All of the good bits happened beforehand, do you remember?"

Oscar's loose awareness of the dream faded as he looked upon his friend. Priam had always tried to hide his anxiety, but this time he could barely veil it behind a smile. Oscar melted at the man's tenacious attempt to remain confident, and he could not help but smile softly as well.

He grasped Priam by the shoulders, jostling lightly as he locked into eye contact. "Hey, it's like you always say: Everything's gonna fall into place. We did our part, it's out of our hands now. Let's enjoy the victory while it lasts."

He smoothly slid one of his arms across Priam's shoulders, dragging him along further away from the doctors and Velmos. "Let's get some breakfast or somethin', I'm fuckin' starving."

priam conrad

Oscar's dream seamlessly shifted, and he would barely even notice. At first he found his location strange, until he set his eyes upon what was undeniably a young Raziel Beckett. His fellow Rocket grunt was--was--

That bastard.

He was eating Oscar's sandwich! Oscar had spent 10.99 on that beauty, and even labeled it before putting it in the fridge. Had this man gone insane? Who just eats another man's sandwich? Oscar even thought they were getting along too, but now? No friend would ever eat a friend's sandwich without permission.

Oscar wanted to throttle him, but he just watched. He would probably be kicked out for attacking another grunt, especially over something as petty as food. Ugh, what a disaster. priam conrad would never eat his sandwich without permission, he was a true friend.

Wait where was he?

Oscar blinked, suddenly appearing somewhere within the sub. He could not precisely tell where, but it seemed vaguely familiar. Priam was back, and Razz was gone. Oscar's anger was unresolved, leaving him feeling a mix of disappointment and dread. Yet surely his spirits would rise again simply by being close to Priam. It was always better when Priam was around.

Yet Oscar could not shake the feeling of dread within him. No, not dread. Anxiety? It was an intense nausea, like getting off a rollercoaster right after eating a cheeseburger. Oscar looked to Priam, which somehow only made the rumbling discomfort in his stomach worse.

Every time he tried to say something, Oscar would dry heave as his body tried not to throw up. Yet he knew he could not hold back the tide for long, looking in every direction for a trashcan. There were none in sight, and as his eyes kept landing on Priam Oscar would find himself unable to control whatever was fighting its way out.

Oscar opened his mouth, "vomiting" a swarm of small vilvillions that began fluttering across the room. Oscar's expulsion lasted several prolonged seconds, until finally he felt emptied out. He coughed a few times, briefly watching as the beautiful insects glided in every direction. Oscar then looked to Priam, chuckling nervously as if this was a minor incursion.

"Sorry, I guess I was nervous."

priam conrad

Oscar's blissful ignorance rapidly dissolves as Priam grabbed his wrists. All at once he would feel what Priam felt, his eyes growing wider as the dots began to connect. How could he have been so blind? How long had Priam felt this way? More importantly, how did Oscar feel about it?

It was difficult to process such things so quickly, but time within the dream was a dilated mess. As Priam wracked for the right words to say, Oscar reflected on their time together. As Oscar shifted through his memories, he could only find positive interactions with Priam. Oscar had always considered him his closest friend, pretty much the only person in Rocket--no, all of Hoenn that got him. Their--connection seemed so obvious, and yet Oscar had not even considered it until this very moment.

As he looked into Priam's eyes, Oscar truly understood what Priam was going through. Oscar had always been scared to forge intimate relationships, because he did not think he deserved to love or be loved. Oscar could not say he loved Priam, but as he absorbed the very same anxiety that had plagued his past--for the first time Oscar felt he could actually be with someone.

Priam had dropped Oscar's wrists by now, but before answering his request Oscar would grab Priam by the hands. Oscar's face shifted between joy and anxiety, though most of all he wanted Priam to know that it was alright. Oscar saw him at last.

"I would really enjoy that."

priam conrad