Closed The New Normal

[Elliot Briar]

It was funny how quickly the three of them had fallen into a routine. Elliot supposed it was just a hold over from all them living in the same house at school for six or seven years, but it still amused him. Breakfast time had quickly become one of Elliot's favourites. Between Alice's job at the ministry, Lily's classes, and Elliot's own job at Ollivander's breakfast was the most reliable time to see everyone, even if Elliot was only half awake most of the time.

Tiredly, he shuffled into the kitchen, slumping against one of the counters and allowing himself a few extra moments to close his eyes before committing to actually waking up. He didn't have to work until later this afternoon, but he at least wanted to see Alice off before she left. "Something smells good," he murmured, rubbing vaguely at his eye with his knuckles before blinking blearily. While Elliot hadn't really been planning to leave home any time soon, at least not until things with his dad had gotten so strained last year, he definitely couldn't deny the perks of living with people who could actually cook. Growing up living with his mum always made his dad's particularly hands off approach to meals all the more jarring, so Elliot wasn't going to complain about having something different.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily had been pleased at first when Elliot and Alice had agreed to get an apartment with her. It had sounded like such a good idea at first. Lily loved Elliot, and she loved Alice, but living together with them just seemed... lonely. It wasn't that they treated her any differently, really. She wasn't sure what it was, so she kept it to herself. She did like living with them. It was a relief to have more time with the two of them. In a way.

Lily was, as ever, a bit of a morning person, and had taken on the role of making breakfast. She was usually the first one up. She'd chosen a soft blue sundress, and had the blinds all open. She looked up as Elliot appeared and smiled softly. "Well, that would be my cooking, silly," she teased him, pulling the muffins from the oven. "Though I suppose it could be considered baking," she mused, setting them on the counter. "Did you sleep well?" She asked, smiling at her best friend.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice was still getting used to not living at home with her parents. She guessed their house had to be awfully quiet now all of them had moved out. Rose living with her friend, Phoebe with her partner, and Diana on her own. Alice was glad she didn't live alone, especially as she got to see Elliot every day. It was nice to have Lily around too, though Alice had never spent much one on one time with the younger girl before this living arrangement. As Alice headed to the kitchen for breakfast, she was happy to see both Lily and Elliot there. "Good morning!" She said brightly, leaning over to kiss Elliot briefly. Then she noticed the muffins and grinned. "Oh, you're an angel." She told Lily, though she quickly pulled her hand back as she felt how hot the muffins were. "I can't believe you wake up early enough for all this, I would live on cereal in the mornings on my own." She said with a shake of her head and a slight smile.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot hummed in agreement when Lily responded, eyes still mostly closed. Definitely an improvement on cold toast and baked beans at his dad's place every day. He'd been nodding in response to Lily's question when Alice joined them, smiling into the kiss, trying to follow her lips as she pulled away to investigate the muffins in the kitchen. Elliot trailed after her, hooking his arms around her shoulders and trying not to yawn in her ear. "'S good, I was getting withdrawals after school ended," he said, giving Lily a fond smile over Alice's head before stretching. "You guys need to leave in a hurry today?" He asked, pulling out he wand to idly flick the coffee pot on before tucking it behind his ear so he could resume lounging on Alice. Elliot had mostly gotten the girl's schedules down by memory now, but even after years of morning classes, he'd yet to really succeed at being a morning person and his brain wasn't working yet.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily giggled, turning her eyes away and letting them cuddle without her watching. "Oh, its nothing, really. I've always been a morning person," she told them, moving about the kitchen to clean up her mess. She shook her head at Elliot's question. "I'm off today, but I might go to the library later. I actually have a lunch with Clifton today," she told them casually, blushing a bit. She put away the last of the dishes and turned, smiling gently. "Oh, Elliot. Penne was in my hair again this morning." She laughed lightly. Penne had always found her way into Lily's hair, and she for one never knew how the rat was always getting out.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice smiled fondly as she felt Elliot put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him slightly as she made a second attempt to grab a muffin. This one had cooled down more, and Alice took a moment to enjoy the scent of freshly baked muffin. "I should leave soon." She said apologetically. "I want to start a bit earlier to get my paperwork in by lunch." She said before taking a small bite of the muffin. She sighed softly. "Lily, this is amazing. Once you have your own bakery, I'll just be living there, okay?" She joked lightly. Lily said she was going to the library and having lunch with Clifton. Alice couldn't help exchanging a look with Elliot as LIly said she would meet up with Clifton, her eyebrows slightly raised. "Oh, fun." She said, trying to sound casual and not curious. As Lily mentioned finding Penne in her hair, Alice frowned. "That's weird, I could've sworn I saw him in your room." She said to Elliot, frowning a bit. "How did he get out?"

 

[Elliot Briar]

[pretend this didn't take me over a month ]

Elliot mumbled in agreement with Lily's statement about being a morning person. He'd never quite been able to manage it himself, even when he had hellishly early Quidditch practices before class. He was pretty sure he'd only been able to get up early these days because he knew he wouldn't get a chance to see the girls before they left for the day otherwise. He dug his wand out from his pocket, loosely flicking it so the dishes could get started cleaning themselves in the sink for them, figuring it was the least he could do, especially if Alice had to get going soon. "I could drop your lunch off if you want," he said quietly to her, mostly into her hair before glancing up at the mention of Clifton. "Oh, uh. Say him to him for us, yeah?" Elliot offered weakly before shaking his head at hearing Penne was up to no good again. "She likes to stress me out on purpose I think," he said with a sigh. "If you can just put her back in her cage when she does that, maybe she'll stop," he said, stepping back a bit to stretch, finally waking up now that he'd been upright for a bit. "I've been thinking about taking her to work with me but I think I'd die if she wandered off in the shop and ate a wand box or something," he said, shaking his head grimly.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily's smile almost faded as Elliot and Alice seemed to be getting ready to leave. She kept it firm on her face, though, not wanting them to see how lonely she was feeling. She laughed lightly at Alice's words. "I'll keep a little section just for you two," She promised, thinking it would be nice to have little homey booths with lots of pillows. "I will," She told them, though she was still unsure how the lunch would even go.

Lily chuckled as they talked about Penne. "Has that ever worked?" She asked Elliot. "Maybe we should get her a bigger cage," she mused, thinking about it as she moved to the fridge for a glass of milk. "Is anyone else thirsty?" She asked, looking back to the two of them. "And Emmet might turn her into a nice button or something," She teased Elliot gently, turning to get into the fridge. "I'll make dinner tonight. What do you two think of lasagna?"

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice couldn't help grinning as Elliot suggested dropping off her lunch. She nodded happily, leaning closer to Elliot. "I'd like that." She told him. She watched Lily curiously, hoping she would tell them a bit more about this meeting with Clifton. But she didn't, which Alice understood. Alice chuckled softly. "I think your rat is just adventurous." She told him. "But maybe that's a good idea." She added when Elliot suggested Lily put her back in the cage. She laughed again at the mental image of Penne eating a wand box. "Doesn't have always have a bowtruckle with him? I suspect he'd be nicer to Penne than to Elliot." She joked lightly. "Lasagna sounds great!" Alice added then as Lily suggested making it for dinner. "But then dinner is on me tomorrow, okay? You do it way too often." She said firmly. Then she glanced at the clock and groaned. "I really have to go now. Lily, enjoy your lunch. Elliot, I'll see you?" She asked him hopefully. "If you can't make it, it's fine too." She added, kissing his cheek before finally letting go of him and grabbing her coat.