"Oh, it bores me half to death," Declan said plainly. He smirked with a slight shrug.
He blew past her forced laugh, putting together that she probably wasn't interested in going into depth about what she believed was an illness. Besides, he already knew more about it than even she did. She probably wouldn't be able to give him any really useful information.
"Your parents need to loosen their grasp, if you'll forgive my bluntness." He bent down briefly, plucking a small flower with long, white petals. It was still partially closed from the night. "This is a river lily," he started, twirling it in his fingers.
"See, flowers are resilient. No matter where you look, you can always find one thriving. The thing is..." He closed his fist around the flower, squeezing it shut and reopening it to reveal the crumpled petals. "When you hold onto it too tightly, it wilts and sags. But..."
Declan first placed his finger against his lips, telling her that it was a secret. The elf waved his left hand over the flower, magically bringing it back to life and spread completely open. "When you free it, it can blossom into something incredible." He stepped closer to her, moving to tuck the flower behind her ear and looking her in the eyes. "River Lily."