Memento Mori

07

Laying the paper down on the dining table, Erik leaned forwards and read over the lists on either side with a frown on his face. Listening to the footsteps walking through the living room and towards him, Erik just looked up and away from the written print and to the side when a pair of arms appeared around his shoulders. 

Liesel rested her chin against him and smiled. She flicked her head slightly to move her damp hair out of her face. She had struggled but succeeded in having a bath. It was an ordeal, but she managed nonetheless. "Any luck?" She asked while looking down at the paper. Between self-help adverts, items for sale, and listings, Liesel wasn't surprised Erik was struggling, he looked unhappily at the paper as she reappeared downstairs. She had stood near the stairs for a moment and just looked at him. He was leaning against his palm, his other hand holding a pen to circle something if it was of interest; one leg was tapping away steadily, his foot making the slightest of sounds seems he still had his boots on. He was irritated, Liesel could see it. She didn't quite know how to cheer him up, so she did the best thing she could think of and hug him from behind.

He placed the pen down and reached up and placed his hands against her forearms. Liesel smiled at him, happy to see that her action had relaxed him somewhat, she could feel his shoulders weren't so hunched up anymore. Even the steady tapping of his foot had ceased, he looked at her. "Teaching assistant?" Erik asked, not being at all serious. There was a light spark in his eyes and a smirk on his face, this option amused him as much as it amused her. Liesel laughed and buried her face against his shoulder, Erik smiled and shook his head. It was the reaction he was expecting really. It was one job listing of a few which were a definite no go.

"Be fair, you are a good teacher." Liesel's voice came out muffled as she spoke, still leaning against him. She eventually looked up and was greeted by the disbelieving look on Erik's face. He didn't look like he believed her. When she was a kid and struggling at school, he was always the one who helped her. He taught her how to spell correctly, and even how to do her multiplications. He genuinely helped with most of her homework, but he was mostly at his best when it came to helping her with her powers. He was calm, kind and very explanative of what he believed she could do with them.

"Not school children." He stated, raising an eyebrow, he watched her go into her thoughts for a moment before her eyes brightened and she looked at him with a smile again. Him and children? No. He didn't think he had the patience, Charles was the one who wanted to teach, not him.

"You weren't being serious anyway, so don't look like that!" She laughed while poking a finger to his cheek. "Well, I suppose...hm, what are kids even taught these days? Is evolution still being neglected?"

"How am I meant to know?" Erik asked while she took to humming in thought and rocking slightly. Only because she was still holding him, he ended up moving with the motion too. With a sigh, he tightened his hold on her arms slightly, she sighed and stopped moving. Uncrossing her arms, she simply brushed a hand through his hair before kissing his temple. "Something will appear."

"Woah, check out that optimism!" Liesel said, "You're basically knocking me over with all this positivity." She said sarcastically because honestly, Erik didn't sound all too positive. He was never one for giving up, but it seemed right at this point in time, he was going to give up on this. Nothing was catching his eye, he just looked up at her as she patted his shoulders gently.

After the doctors, and after eating in that homely diner café, they had gone off to walk around the small town that they would now be calling home. There were the essential shops: bakery, grocers, convenience, chemist, the usual. But then tucked in between these places were also clothes shops, a garage, the school, church and the local police station. Despite actually looking like quite a small town, it was actually bigger than it looked. The spacing of the place made it seem larger, things took a minute or so to walk between. Yet it was nice, the people were sceptical, just like Erik said, but they didn't openly show any displeasure to them. Some even dared to strike up passing civil conversations with them.