Open Hitting The Books

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot knew Lily had been fretting about her grades since last semester, so they’d decided starting a regular study session would be a great habit to get into. He already pretty meticulously organized his own notes and revisions, so it would be kinda nice to share it with someone else. He’d been making flashcards this semester to help relax, and thought he and Lily could make a game out of them if they wanted.

Tired of holing up in the common room, El had set up what he’d decided to call a study nest in the student lounge for a change of scenery, dragging some cushions and blankets into one of the corners with their books and notes. He’s also managed to keep track of Penne today, her seemingly content to snooze in his pocket till now, where she was beginning to poke her nose out curiously. Admittedly, he was pretty sure she’d only stuck around because he’d promised Lily would be here soon. But he’d take what he could get.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily had really enjoyed her study sessions with Etienne. They were helping to learn things outside of class. But they hadn't helped much with exams. So when El had offered a regular study session, she'd been eager to join. Studying alone wasn't any fun, maybe studying together would help her grades. She made her way up to the student lounge like El had told her. She quickly spotted the boy over in a comfortable looking nook. With a warm smile, she walked over. "Hey El," She greeted softly. She took a seat next to him and pulled her bag around. "Look, mama sent me the stuff I needed. I made snacks." She pulled a plastic tub from her bag and took the lid off to reveal six dirt cupcakes. "There's chocolate pudding in them." She informed him with a smile. She loved baking. And once she'd learned he liked gummy worms best, she'd found the best recipe that included them.

 

[Elliot Briar]

El straightened up when Lily arrived, shuffling some of the pillows so she could sit down. He perked up even more when he saw Lily had brought food, especially home made food. After the holidays, El had learnt Lily's baking was never something to turn down. Penne poked her head out curiously when Lily lifted the lid, and Elliot couldn't hold back a massive grin when he saw what Lily had made. "Gummy worms. I can't believe you actually did that," he said, absentmindedly relocating Penne back into his lap when she made a run for the cupcakes. "Maybe we can have one as a reward in a little bit, once we get the ball rolling," he said, nodding his head towards their books. They were here to study and Elliot wanted to try and stay on topic, as delicious as a cupcake break sounded right about now.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper was bored. Bored bored bored bored bored. He wanted to do something fun but couldn't find any of his friends around. What was the point of having so many friends if none of them were around to bother? Jasper had hoped to see Sierra or Maddy, as they were a lot of fun, but then Deepa may be there as well and she was a bore. As of now, he hadn't seen any of them. He decided to check the student lounge, as that seemed like a place where people hung out. Perhaps he could find some of his friends, or maybe even his cousin Rory. He was bored enough to even accept his other cousin Sophia, as she was fun to bug sometimes.

But as Jasper looked into the room, it wasn't a person that caught his attention. It was a blanket fort! In his opinion it wasn't a very good one, but it looked like a pretty sad attempt at one. He and his dad always made them when they were bored together, so Jasper was pretty much an expert. He headed over, only then noticing Lily with a boy. "Hey, if this is a blanket fort its a pretty bad one." He commented, glancing at the boy and then at Lily. Then his eyes fell on the cupcakes and he gasped, immediately dropping down to sit with them. "Did you make those, Lily? Can I have one? Please? Please? I'll teach you how to make a proper blanket fort for it." He said, then looked at her pleadingly, while his hand slowly edged closer to one of the cupcakes.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily smiled at Elliot's reaction. "Of course I did. You said they're your favorite. And these looked really yummy." She giggled at his suggestion. "That sounds-" She started, but was stopped by an unexpected appearance. She looked up, startled to see Jasper. She remembered their last meeting and blushed a little. "It's not a blanket fort. We're going to study. It's comfy," She scolded him gently. "Elliot, this is Jasper." She introduced the boys before turning back to Jasper. "Ah, you can have a cupcake." She handed him one before toying with the tub nervously. "Ah, J-jasper..." She looked down. "I- I'm sorry, ah, sorry I yelled. I..." She took a deep breath. "I-I'm t-terrified of, um, of heights... I was scared and, ah, and frustrated a-and I shouldn't, ah, shouldn't have, um," She looked down, biting her lip. She hated how bad she stuttered sometimes. Hopefully, he wouldn' stay mad at her. Even if she deserved it.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot looked up as another kid joined them, lifting a hand in greeting as Lily introduced them. He vaguely recognizing the boy as one of the Jaspers from their year, though they’d never really spoken in class before. It seemed Jasper and Lily had though, and Elliot couldn’t help but frown at the idea of Lily yelling at anyone. The frown deepened when Lily started stuttering. She only seemed to do that when she was nervous and he hadn’t heard her stutter in awhile, not since the dance maybe.
Seeming to sense Lily’s distress, Penne made another escape attempt from his pocket with renewed vigor. Elliot decided to let her go this time, watching the rat vault onto Lily’s leg to comfort her and focusing instead on Jasper, then their apparent lack-luster “fort” set up.
“Maybe you could help us uh, improve our fort defenses if you wanted to join us, Jasper. Studying and all that,” He motioned to the books, and, also importantly, the cupcakes Jasper was inching toward.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper was a bit surprised when Lily apologized to him. He had long forgotten about that moment outside, and he waved her off. "It's fine! Everyone has a bad day sometimes." He said, smiling. "Maybe I can help you get over that fear, I'm great at climbing trees and also at flying so I bet I can be a good teacher." He pondered it for a moment, and he would quite like to help Lily out, even if mostly for bragging rights. He was quickly distracted by the cupcake she gave him, and grinned. "Thanks!" He said, taking a big bite without hesitation. He ate a few bites quickly, seeming to enjoy it a lot. When he was nearly finished with the cupcake, there was chocolate around his mouth, though he didn't seem to notice. He grinned at her. "This is amazing! Good job making it." He said, already eyeing the rest of the cupcakes. He turned his head to the boy with them, frowning. "Why would you use a blanket fort for studying? They are for adventures and playing." He told them sagely. "I can help you make it better, but studying is boring." He glanced between them. "Are you sure you want to do that? It's a waste of a fort."

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily looked down at Penne as the rat scurried onto her lap. She smiled and rubbed her ears. She blushed as Jasper said he could help her. "O-oh, that's a-alright," She smiled at the boy. "I won't be getting, um, getting on a broom again anytime soon," She spoke decisively. She listened as Jasper insulted the fort again. "It's for comfort," She chided him gently. "And we're studying, not playing. There are no more cupcakes unless you study with us," She told him, placing the tub back in her bag. "We're at school to learn. Adventure is a good thing, of course, but it's not why we're here." She glanced to Elliot and smiled. She wasn't really sure why she did, but she didn't feel right just speaking to Jasper. "El, what subject did you want to start with?" She asked him, still petting the rat in her lap.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot glanced between Lily and Jasper as Jasper barreled his way through the conversation. He knew Lily wanted to study, exams had been worrying her too much and he wanted to help her, but he didn't want Jasper to get the impression they were boring. "I'm not the best at forts-"he shrugged, rubbing absent-mindedly at his own mouth. He didn't want to mention the chocolate to Jasper outright but maybe he'd notice.. "-this one could definitely use some improvement. Uh, what do you suggest then, Jasper?"Elliot motioned to the pillows around them hopefully. There was no reason Jasper couldn't direct some renovations and they get some revision done.
Turning back to Lily, Elliot did a quick mental run through of his notes. "We could start with Potions,"he said, picking through their books. Jasper was in Potions with them this semester, so maybe he could absorb some of the info just by being in the room with they studied, before he got too bored perhaps.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper was a bit disappointed to hear Lily say she wasn't likely to get on a broom again anytime soon. That meant he couldn't show off how good a teacher he was. But he quickly shrugged it off. He sighed as Lily said it was for comfort, and not for playing in. How boring. He was considering leaving them to their boring studying until Lily offered him more cupcakes if he studied with them. "You can learn from adventures." He argued, grinning. "Way more than you can from a boring old book." He was distracted by the rat in Lily's lap. "Is that yours, Lily?" He asked her, conveniently ignoring her question at the other boy. But then he perked up as the other boy, Elliot, asked him for suggestions. Jasper grinned and turned to him, immediately gesturing wildly with his arms. "It should be much bigger, and you should use chairs to hold up the blankets and cover the floor with pillows. You should have plenty of snacks, and corners you can hide in so you can jump out at people unexpectedly." He paused. "And lights. Do you suppose we could borrow some floating candles from the great hall?" He pondered this for a moment, then was distracted again when the boy mentioned Potions. "I'm great at potions." He said automatically. "My granddad has a potions lab in his basement. It's awesome." He didn't mention he hadn't ever actually been allowed there, as that seemed irrelevant. He still knew it was awesome. "So it's basically in my blood."

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily smiled at Jasper's insistence. "Perhaps, but you're more likely to survive if you open a book," She teased him. She rubbed Penne's ears gently as Jasper asked about her. "No, this is Penne, and she's Elliot's. Though she doesn't act like it," She teased her other friend, picking the rat up and gently placing her on her shoulder. Penne immediately hid in Lily's hair, snuggling against her neck. She listened as the boys discussed forts and then moved back to potions. "Let's make a game of it," She suggested to the two. "Elliot has all the flashcards. He can quiz you and I, Jasper, and whoever gets the most answers right gets to decide what treat I make for tomorrow's study session!" She thought it seemed like a good idea.