Hearing the quiet opening and closing of the door, Erik decided to just continue laying still and silent. Whoever it was, was now in his room. He could hear them shuffling about before finally stopping. Frowning and rolling over so he was no longer facing the wall, but rather the open space of the room, he looked about before looking down. "What are you doing on the floor?" Erik frowned and propped himself up onto his elbows.

"I have drawn the short straw, it seems." Liesel replied while opening her eyes. She just sat cross legged against the wall opposite the bed, with her eyes shut simply sitting and doing nothing.

"Meaning what?" Erik sat up and ran a hand through his bed ruffled hair. Straightening out the simple white t-shirt he ended up wearing to bed, he looked about before looking at the digital clock. "Liesel, it's barely nine! The one day that catching up on sleep could happen, has been taken away. So thank you, just means whatever reason that bought you here better be good." He flung his legs over the edge of the bed and rested his arms against his knees. Admittedly, he wasn't as annoyed as he initially sounded. He was already partially awake when she decided to come creeping in. Standing up, he stretched out the sleep from his limbs before walking over and sitting beside her. Picking imaginary dust off of the pyjama trousers he had been given, he looked to her. "Still waiting for an answer here."

"My room is next door to a giggling teenage girl." She never knew being next door to Raven could be a bad thing. Other than clearly when Angel was present and the two were gossiping and joking about. She had tried to go back to sleep when she returned to her room, only to fail because of the noise. The walls here were thinner than they seemed. That or Liesel had acute hearing.

"You were once like that, Liesel." Erik replied with a smirk. He had to admit he found her source of annoyance quite funny.

"Not giggly, I was not."

"No, you did have your moments though."

"Did not!" Liesel exclaimed and punched him on the arm. "Shut up!"

"The truth hurt? Am I ruining your public image by saying that you were once a giggly teenage girl too?" Erik rubbed his arm and swatted her smaller hand away from himself before she could strike again. "So you came creeping in here to get away from the noise pollution?"

"Pretty much, yes."

Leaning his head against the wall, Erik looked up to the ceiling. Sighing gently he tilted his head down to look at her. "How's that working for you?"

"Splendidly."

"Really?"

"Yes, your floor is really comfortable."

Rolling his eyes, he looked back to the ceiling. He couldn't help but wonder what everyone else who occupied this building was up to. Clearly people had been up for hours, those who worked here would've surely been up at the crack of dawn. Letting his thoughts slide, he nudged his shoulder against hers. Liesel's sharp green eyes came into focus and looked up at him. She had been staring into space until this sudden contact. "I take it everyone is up?"

"Truth be told the last time I went out only Charles was."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Erik muttered while shaking his head slowly. "What's he doing?"

"Reading the paper, why?"

"He's up early just to read a newspaper?" Erik's face turned to one of confusion. Who did that?

"I did joke about him guarding the fruit bowl."

"Yeah, somehow that doesn't surprise me." Erik said while pulling his knees to his chest and leaning his arms against his knees again.

"He said he was actually up early because of some meeting he's partially planning."

"Do tell." Erik shut his eyes. He was not surprised that whatever information she'd managed to find out she'd come and tell him. Though truth be told he did believe her about why she was really here, even now he could hear laughter from the rooms opposite.

"It is a briefing, I think."

"Haven't we had enough information given to last us a life time?"

"Apparently not." Liesel replied while reaching up slowly and poking him on the arm. Erik's eyes opened and he looked to her. "Did I wake you up?"

"No." He admitted while she looked dubious about that being the truth or not. "There's something else, what is it?"

"Talked before thinking again."

Erik groaned at this and hung his head. "Really?" He looked to the side as she sadly nodded. "Am I going to hear all about you being 'problematic' again?"

"They actually used that word?"

"In particular, yes. Along with temperamental." Liesel's face scrunched up at this. "Don't look like that, it's your own fault-"

"That everyone's an idiot, really? Do explain how that is my fault?"

"Stop having a holier than thou attitude. Only because you think that everyone is an idiot, as you say, does not mean you have to go around plainly saying that. Or rather make it obvious you think as such." Erik said while frowning and standing up. Truth be told the floor was starting to cause a numbness to appear. Why he even moved from the bed to down here, he didn't know but he was moving back. "Now, are you going or staying?" He sat back down and crossed his arms loosely.

Liesel frowned and thought about it before shrugging loosely. "Can I stay, please?"

"Well seems you asked so nicely, and your manners were not lacking this one time; yes, you can." Though truth be told, Erik did not recall a moment where she hadn't always been civil to him. He was perhaps the lone person who ever had constant manners from Liesel. He couldn't help but lightly smile at this, she surely picked and chose.

Jumping up from the floor, she shuffled over and sat beside him. "Would you really have kicked me out?"

Erik sent a look her way which caused her to look puzzled before deciding she couldn't quite tell if that look said yes, or no. "Hey," he said suddenly after a few moments of silence. "I said you could stay, that doesn't mean making yourself at home. If you want to go back to bed, go back to your own room." He frowned and merely got a hand waved at him to be silent. Liesel had clambered up and around him to lay down.

"You didn't get woke up by giggling girls."

"No, I got woke up by someone sneaking into my room."

"That sounds so wrong. People could twist that and misconstrue it so easily."

"But it's the truth, Liesel." Erik smirked and watched as she suddenly looked quite flustered and awkward. "That's what you did. What, does the truth not settle well with you?"

"Shut up!" She rather childishly grabbed a hold of a pillow and hit him over the back of the head with it. "You're so annoying. And also, what? You said I didn't wake you up, you liar!"

"Okay, okay, whatever just let the matter go." Erik said while looking over his shoulder at her. "You just...make yourself at home there." He said while standing up and turning to the door.

"Where are you going?"

Smiling he turned and looked at her while still backtracking to the door. "Missing me already, Liesel?"

"Stop it! Never did I think you'd twist something so innocent into something so...so..."

"So what, Liesel?" Erik asked while waiting to see if she'd answer. She never did. She instead irritably groaned and buried her head under the pillows. "Good morning to you too, Liesel." Opening the door he stepped out and leaned against the door frame. "Breakfast, I presume you've had yours but some of us haven't." And with that he left after shutting the door quietly. Moving down the corridor he sent a light frown in the direction of the rather girlish laughing and shook his head. Even at nine-whatever in the morning, it was too early for that. No wonder poor Liesel had sought refuge elsewhere. Running a hand through his hair again, he turned into the living space and looked about. "Still here."

Charles looked up and smiled. "Good morning." He said politely while lowering his cup, which was in mid-motion. Erik sighed and moved over to try and find something to eat. He couldn't help but notice how routine-like Charles sounded. Like he had to say the same thing a few times to different people and his tone had just turned monotonous.

Sitting down with the aptly dubbed rainwater coffee, Erik simply looked to the man sitting opposite. "What is it?" He decided to just ask. Charles was sitting looking both thoughtful, confused and apprehensive. "If this is about anything Liesel's gone and spouted, just ignore her." Erik drunk some of the coffee and winced, it really was quite awful. No amount of sugar was going to make this better to drink.

Charles raised an eyebrow and looked at him curiously. "Do you ignore her often?"

"Hardly ever." Not seriously, that is. Jokingly, yes, now and again. But he had never flat out ignored her, or anything she had said.

"Then I feel inclined to ignore that suggestion."

"Why?" Erik asked genuinely interested to the answer.

Charles smiled, "Because I have a feeling the reaction to it wouldn't be good."

"But she has said something which has caused you to think." Erik pointed a finger at him before adding two more sugars into this supposed coffee.

"It doesn't matter." Charles replied and got a raised eyebrow in return from over the cup. Erik didn't believe him, of course he didn't believe him. Rolling his eyes, Charles fidgeted in his seat before entwining his hands in his lap. "She is right about one thing."

"Enlighten me." He after all had no idea what they spoke about previously. This was all new to him.

"There is no easy way to say to someone they're here to fight."

"And that pains you somewhat, it seems." Erik stated, Charles's expression did dwindle, his eyes dimmed and he looked downwards. "You've just got to reaffirm that this problem can truly only be solved by us. That yes, there is no easy way around it. The truth is sometimes hurtful, but for the greater good it needs to be said." Erik drunk more of the coffee before thinking of calling it quits. It was getting worse the more he went on. Looking to the side when there were sounds of footsteps, both sent a smile in Darwin's direction. "Word of advice, stay away from the coffee." Erik said while watching as he tried to find something to eat. "You know, considering we're like special guests, as such, you'd think they'd get some decent stuff in."

"They do have some decent stuff." Darwin's voice caused both of them to look his way. He leaned against the counter and held up a bottle of wine.

"Bit too early for that, I think." Charles smiled at the bottle which was still held aloft.

"Perhaps not too early, after this apparent meeting. You might need that drink then, Charles. Until then, I'm going back to my room." Erik moved over to the counter and leaned across it to put his cup in the sink before moving back to the corridor. Reaching his room, he simply walked in and shut the door behind himself. Moving over to the bed he reached down and shook Liesel by the shoulder. "Wake up." Somehow in the short space of leaving her and returning she'd managed to nod off to sleep.

Grumbling and shooting a tired glare his way, she sat up. "What?"

"You've got an hour to get ready for this meeting. Now, I don't think you're going to be able to get ready in here, are you?"

"Why'd you got to sound so mean for?" Liesel whined and slouched her way out of the bed. She even stood slightly hunched and half asleep. Whining some more she shot a look over her shoulder. "Why are you pushing me around for?" She questioned sounding somewhat miserable. She was sleeping peacefully until he reappeared, and what with his hands on her shoulders pushing her gently to the door...it was too much, any good mood was being leeched.

"You're not the only one who needs to get ready." He said while leaning down and opening the door before giving her shoulder a gentle pat before nudging her out and shutting the door behind her. Even as he stood there he heard another grumble from her before she moved off.

----

Edited: 10/June/2019

Reedited: 17/August/2021