Open Hoping to Help

[Elliot Briar]

Open after Jessica posts with Lily

Elliot was glad he'd managed to find Lily, finding them a quiet spot near the Wild Patch to spread out on a patch of grass and enjoy the weather before it turned too hot. "Hey, mind if I do a rune reading for you? Technically, this is my Ancient Runes period," he said, pulling his rune bag from his backpack once they were comfortable. "Do you have any questions or concerns on your mind right now? Maybe about school ending or uh- Relationship stuff?" Elliot didn't want to poke in Lily's insecurities, but he knew she'd been lonely this year, possibly more than he was missing Alice. "Readings can really help with my anxiety, maybe they'll have some good advice," he offered sheepishly, fussing with the bag in his hands.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily was worried, initially, that when Elliot got his badge as the head boy he would have even less time for her. But since their talk, the one Alice had encouraged when she told Elliot how lonely she felt and how she felt like he'd left her behind, she'd noticed how he seemed to seek her out more. She was enjoying it, in th back of her mind she still worried what would happen after school ended. She was settled in beside him, thinking of knitting a little, when he spoke. She turned to him with a surprised glance.

She giggled softly. "Sure, alright." She turned to him, smiling as Penne crawled up onto her leg. She reached down, running her fingers lightly over the rats fur. She blinked, surprised he'd poked straight at her fears. She thought about it a moment. "Well, I just have to trust in you and Lars. My future after school is just... planning and trust." She mused softly, looking down to Penne. After several moments, she managed a quiet question. "Alright. Will anyone ever be serious about loving me?" She asked softly.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot jumped when Penne emerged from his bag, shaking his head as she began picking her way along the grass and onto Lily. He was just glad even more so he wasn't in class right now. It'd always been his biggest fear Penne would slip into a pocket or bag and get loose in Potions or something and cause some real havoc.

"So, feeling good about the bakery plan then?" he asked Lily with a small smile when she mentioned trust. He wasn't sure how he and Lars fit into it, but he was relieved at least to hear Lily wasn't as anxious about that as other things. Her actual question for the runes made him hesitate though, her wording making his stomach clench in sympathy. "Oh, right okay, let's see," he said, busying himself with his runes and class notes to avoid wanting to blurt out something about how she was loved, by him, or by her family. He got the feeling that wasn't what she meant, and besides, this was for the rune spread, not for him to comfort her.

"Okay, I think a basic Nordic Cross might work best here," he said, carefully drawing five runes for them and setting them in a cross so Lily could see. "First rune here, Eihwaz, is the general influences of your uh, love life. It symbolizes protection, wisdom, and trust, which I think could both be something you crave from your relationships and something you bring yourself. You have a lot of dependability and strength that you can draw from," he said, giving Lily a quick smile before looking back at the runes.

"Second rune is the obstacles you face, Mannaz. It represents interdependence and duty and responsibility. So you struggle finding someone you can really rely on and trusting other people can take care of things themselves or for you. Perhaps you need to reflect and realize you don't have to solve everyone's problems for them..." Elliot always thought runes and cards tended to be unerringly honest, but he was wary of saying anything that might upset Lily.

"The third one, Wunjo, represents your favourable influences in love. Which is good! Wunjo represents happiness, love, and friendship. You're already well loved by those around you, and you can take comfort in that. Wunjo also suggests prosperity and the fulfillment of your hopes, so that's very good," he said, glancing at Lily and hoping she was smiling.

"Next is the one I guess you're looking for, the likely outcome of your question. Uruz. New beginnings, change, and a wish coming to pass. That's great, Lily!" he said excitedly, relieved the runes were being nice. "This implies you'll be able to find and embrace new love as long as you can overcome your fear of relying on others. Which leads to your last rune here, Fehu, which is the long-term significance of this outcome. Fehu is the rune of wealth, which I guess implies you'll be happy and fulfilled with this future relationship. Or maybe you should keep an eye out for someone rich to fall in love with." Elliot laughed, content with the runes spread out before them. "I'd say that sounds pretty promising, right?"

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily smiled and nodded, she felt like a bakery would be perfect for her. She was a morning person, she loved to bake, she could only hope that others would like her baking as well. She smiled softly, letting Penne crawl up her arm. She scooted a little closer to Elliot, watching him lay out the runes. She had to admit she was feeling a little nervous about the answer.

The first rune was protection, wisdom, and trust. That made sense. She smiled back at Elliot, because he was right. The second rune was independence, duty, and responsibility. She sighed softly, looking away. He was right again, of course, but that didn't mean she liked it. She glanced back to him as he continued, smiling softly as he said she was well loved. She was tempted to lay her head on his shoulder, but resisted for now.

The next rune made her blush. A wish coming to pass? She hadn't let herself wish for anything since she'd broken up with Clifton. She hesitated a little. Her fear of relying on others? She was distracted as he read the last rune, giggling softly at his joke. She tucked her hair behind her ear, sighing. "I don't know, El, it sounds like a dream," She shook her head, tucking her legs beneath her as Penne crawled into her hair.

 

[Elliot Briar]

"It sounds like you getting the happiness you deserve," Elliot said, knocking his shoulder into Lily's affectionately. He knew his reading was probably pretty bias, there was no hiding he wanted Lily to be happy, especially if she was asking him questions like that out of the blue, but he had enough confidence in his ability reading runes to feel it was a sound one regardless. "It's not a guarantee or anything, but I'd take it as a pretty good sign," he added, leaning back on his elbows so he could relax again the grass a little. "Has- Has that sort of thing been bothering you?" Elliot asked after a beat. He'd been making an effort to spread he time out more evenly with his friends, especially Lily, after this year, but it was easy to miss that maybe she was hurting more than he'd realized while his own mind was still wrapped up in missing Alice.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily hesitated a little bit at his question, shifting and glancing. "I... I try not to let it," she countered softly, shaking her head. "I'm okay on my own. I am. I like me." She reached a hand up, gently running her finger along Penne's fur as the rat nestled against her neck. "It's just... difficult, I guess. I used to be a romantic, once. I believed in fairy tales and prince Charming and happily ever after," She smiled a little sadly. "It's hard to believe anymore," She added softly, letting out a gentle sigh. "But it's alright. I have a bakery I want to open. I can do that on my own." She glanced over, giving him a gentle smile. "And how are you, Mr. Head boy?" She asked, reaching out to brush his hair from his eyes.