Requiem

61

So, he was basically surrounded by a load of people who would much rather it if he wasn't present. Between mutants who didn't even know who he was, to those who did and stayed clear, to those he had called friends and lovers, Erik was basically on his own; which was fine, he could deal with being on his own. It wasn't like he had much company for the long dragging years, was it? The only person he ever saw was a smug guard who'd bring him food and drink before walking off with a self-assured attitude, like he was untouchable, well, Peter had made it rather clear that was not possible. 

The mere thought of the silver haired teen caused Erik to shift and open his eyes. He was simply sitting motionless, admittedly partially meditating, ignoring all the noise around him, and focussing on nothing; he'd seen Liesel do it a few times and wondered if it worked. It oddly did. Though he found his mind wandered, and it wandered onto the topic of a possible son. Lifting his head he slowly looked to the corridor which led to that room, with all its files and notes, and her. 

Uncrossing his legs at the ankles, Erik pushed himself to stand. Slowly he walked back towards that room, "How did you do it?" He asked, Charles and her were talking until he reappeared. 

"For pity's sake! You still don't listen, do you?"

Erik smirked and shrugged. "I'm afraid not."

Liesel hung her head in her hands and just muttered something under her breath before gesturing a hand at him. He clearly wasn't going to go away. She got it. She knew when he was annoyed at being shut out; even more so if someone got the attention he thought he so rightly deserved. Liesel didn't even want to dwell on the topic of Erik maybe being jealous of Charles. Out of the two she could tolerate him more at the moment, and that was the truth. "How did I do what?" She questioned while watching as he sat back down beside Charles and leaned forwards against the table. 

"How did you succeed where we both failed?" Erik asked, Charles let out a noise of discomfort. He shot him a look, "It's the truth, get over it." 

Liesel smiled, "Do you want to know my secret, is that it? So that when the time comes for you to attempt to build another Brotherhood, it won't fall apart? Pfft, as if..."

"No, I'm genuinely curious. Out of all people to amass the many, I didn't think it would be you." Liesel bristled at Erik's words and shot him a look. If looks could kill, he'd be on the floor right now. Her eyes brightly lit up, which caused Erik to raise an eyebrow. At least she was no longer looking at him with something akin to agony. He could take her anger. Her anger was so less than his own that it was easy to deal with. He'd dealt with it in the past. He could deal with it in the future. 

"Free will. Don't project on them a false sense of superiority. Don't make them feel like Gods. They're mortal, except those with ridiculous healing abilities; but even they need to be grounded somehow. Nothing lasts forever, even if you so pathetically wish to believe in that. It's a lie. Don't feed them a lie. The truth is usually the best way to get someone to trust you and like you. So I tell them the truth. I tell them that I have saved them and that I want nothing of them in return. I tell them I'll take them somewhere safe, somewhere no one knows even exists and they can live in peace with others like themselves. I tell them if they don't have control to find someone who can help, because I can't be everything to everyone. I can't be a saviour, a friend, a teacher, a guardian, an adoptive sister, mother, leader...I can only be me, and this is me," Liesel said honestly while gesturing to the stacked room around her. Both Charles and Erik looked at her with rather clear and honest expressions. What she said was the truth. They could hear it in her tone. She believed in what she was saying, and what she was saying was clearly true because everyone here seemed so at peace. "I'm an itty bitty lil spider in a web of endless information." Liesel said while pinching and forefinger and thumb together until there was only a small space in between them. "The best part is this is just one room of many. This is one vast web which links to another."