By the time Paris came into view, it was still night time. The city looked amazing and beautiful even from such a height. The tall buildings lit up brightly in the night sky. Though not as blazing and shining as the cities back home, it was still amazing to see.
"Tourist."
"No," Erik replied to Elsie. "No." He repeated when she looked at him dejectedly.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Erik on this one." Charles said while watching as she pouted somewhat. They were in a new city for a night, surely they could at least explore some of the night life? Apparently not. With a short sigh she slouched in her chair and shut her eyes. Though she quickly braced herself when they landed roughly. A quiet apology was sent their way by Hank. Elsie peeled herself from the seat she was death gripping and looked around.
Picking up her pack she briskly shoved it into the overhead storage and walked down the aisle while pulling on her coat. She didn't know whether it was warm in the city, or cold, she didn't know what season was hanging about the surroundings so she wasn't taking any chances. For the sake of if it was winter, she'd need a coat to look like a normal person suffering in the chill. Considering it was sunny and warm back in America, the likelihood of it being the same here was likely, maybe? She didn't know! Realising thinking of the seasons was aching her head she turned and watched the others get off of the plane.
"We're going to need somewhere to stay for the night." Hank stated while suddenly appearing by her side. Elsie looked at him dumbly, they all knew that. "Somewhere close to our possible destination?"
"Central Paris then, huh?" Elsie smiled and clapped her hands together. Perhaps she could explore after all! She was all the more eager to get set off, with the speed she suddenly used to dart off into walking could have put even Peter to shame.
"Wait! You don't know...where you're going...seriously," Charles sighed defeated as she happily walked down a street. She was momentarily lost amongst a sea of people. Cities never slept, and Paris was no exception.
"It's okay," Logan said while Charles shot him an uncertain look. "She's there." Logan had kept an eye on their wandering companion. She had stopped to look up at a beautifully carved fountain. A central column had fish situated around it, these had water coming from their open mouths. And holding onto the column was a woman. It was so detailed it had instantly caught her attention. She had never seen something so simple, yet so wonderful.
"Elsie, can you not just walk off?" Charles asked while stopping by her side, she tilted her head to the side and looked at him. He couldn't help but feel like he was telling a child off. She didn't seem to care all that much. Side stepping beside him she nodded and stuffed her hands in her pockets as they all walked along the street. She couldn't help but twist and turn and look about herself though. Since being free, this was by far the coolest thing she had seen yet. Her moments of admiring weren't hers alone. Even Hank and Erik were looking about curiously too. It was only Logan and Charles who seemed to just walk along nonchalantly.
Soon though the group managed to find somewhere close by, and wasted little to no time in each settling down in their rooms. In truth, Elsie found this boring. Extremely boring. She didn't want to be shut away in a room, again. She wanted to go out and have a little bit of fun before the seriousness of tomorrow came. Jumping up from her bed, which she was spread eagled on, she pulled her boots back on and shuffled out of her room. Turning down the corridor she walked down the stairs, not having the patience to wait for the elevator, she soon turned into the foyer.
With a smile she walked over to the bar and jumped to sit on the stool. "Does everyone just drink alone?" She looked to Logan who seemed uninterested by his hotel room too.
"I feel like I need this after that journey." He commented while toasting the glass to her and then drinking from it slowly.
"It was a bit hit and miss wasn't it?"
Logan laughed dryly. "Just a bit." He leaned his head against his hand and looked to her. "What are you doing down here, as if I didn't already know?"
"If you already know then I don't need to answer." Elsie smirked and drummed her fingers on the bar.
Logan nodded. "Maybe, but you might want to explain it to him." He nodded in the direction of the elevator. Elsie's rather content disposition disappeared when she spotted Charles walking over to them. He didn't look too pleased.
"Hello!"
"What are you doing?" Charles asked with a frown. He had gone to see if she had settled into her room, only to receive silence. It didn't take him long to dwell on the subject. Considering how eager she was to get out into the city, of course she had left her room as soon as to explore her new surroundings. Luckily enough, here she was sitting in the bar chatting idly to Logan. He seemed to just be enjoying the silent surroundings of the bar. There were very few people down here, couples in booths, and business like people brooding over papers and with full wine bottles close at hand. Despite there being people around, the chatter was kept to a quiet murmur.
Elsie drummed her fingers again and tentatively smiled. Turning in the stool she looked at him. "Sorry...just, I got bored."
"You were in your room for ten minutes." Charles said despairingly. How could someone get bored in such little time?
Elsie raised an eyebrow. "How the heck do you know how long I was in my room for?"
Charles deadpanned and rolled his eyes. Logan couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle. She called him out on it and he couldn't answer truthfully because either way, it made him look like some sort of stalker. "Look," Charles held his hands up and just got an expectant look sent his way. "...Fine..."
"Fine?" Elsie leaned forwards and smiled at him innocently. Charles groaned quietly and gestured a hand to the double doors. Even now people still walked through them and towards the reception desk. He cracked, he couldn't help it. Not when he was getting such a pleading look sent his way. Elsie let out a happy sound and clapped her hands together. She leaped off of the stool and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you! Thank you!" She exclaimed cheerily while taking to holding onto his arm and gently tugging him towards the door.
"Have fun, kids." Logan piped up with a smug smirk and toasted his half empty glass at them. Charles shot him a look while Elsie was too enthralled with the prospect of exploring to listen to him.
As soon as they were on the street, Elsie stopped pulling excitedly at his arm. Instead she linked her arm with his and smiled. "Oh come on, Charles. Stop looking so miserable...it is good to be out in the fresh air, is it not?" Elsie smiled and looked about the street. People sat outside bars, civilly conversing or drunkenly singing. Either way everyone seemed to look like they were having fun. She just wanted to have some fun. Being locked away was...so far from fun...and it was something she didn't wish to do with the rest of her evening. "You're not agoraphobic, are you?" Elsie asked while the pair walked into a square. All around them there were benches, a few smaller fountains and then one main one at the back end against the wall which seemed to surround the small space, which was actually bigger than it seemed.
"What?" Charles frowned at her. "No, why?"
"You seem tetchy." Elsie responded. Which was true, ever since leaving the hotel Charles had spent most of his time looking around worriedly with a frown. It was a thought that crossed her mind, so she thought she would ask him.
"I'm not tetchy," he replied while looking at her. Elsie raised an eyebrow at him and shook her head. She didn't believe him. He was way too upright for someone out on a casual walk. They hadn't even gone that far from the hotel. They were about fifteen minutes away, if that. It wasn't like they had gone halfway across the city.
"Not been out much, hm?"
"Could say that." Charles said honestly. Elsie looked at him curiously.
"Neither have I! Shall we enjoy this sudden freedom together?" Elsie smiled and rocked on her heels before sitting on the edge of one of the fountains.
Charles looked at her and nodded slowly. "Sorry."
"What for?"
He sent her a knowing look before sitting down by her side. Running a hand through his hair he turned and looked at her. "You've been shut away for so long. I should've naturally known that at the first chance you'd get, you would want out..."
Elsie just listened to him and slowly nodded while looking casually behind herself at the clear water of the fountain, before looking back at him. "I always want out."
"I know. I know, and I am sorry for even thinking you'd want to spend time in your room."
Elsie shrugged slowly and nudged her shoulder against his when he came to lean beside her. "I just...miss the night. Day? Not so much. The night was always my thing. I remember that the only time I was allowed to look out of a window without the fear of being spotted, was at night. My parents were paranoid that our house was always being watched. I mean...they did suddenly shut me away, neighbours did get suspicious, even more so when they no longer saw me...but, they allowed me small bouts of freedom. Being in the garden at night was one such thing. The sky always seemed so lonely, so blank and dark until the stars and moon came out. I like looking at the stars. How can a ball of gas be so captivating? And beautiful? Think of all they have seen! And yet...they burn out, and die, like everything else in the world...I don't know, I'm rambling, sorry. Just, I haven't seen it in so long." Elsie whispered distantly before shaking her head and smiling.
"I envy you being able to see things with such wonder and simplicity." Charles said while looking up at the sky. Narrowing his eyes he could understand why she found it all interesting. Yet it didn't quite captivate him like it did her.
Elsie scoffed. "It ain't hard, wanna know the secret?" She pushed away from the fountain and turned and looked at him. "Stop overlooking things. Life is simple, you make your own problems, and trouble. It's these which cause spanners to appear in the works of your life. Take a day as it comes. It isn't hard." Elsie said while rocking on her heels.
He looked at her interestedly. "Even through it all..." Elsie turned her attention back to him. "Even through everything, you are so casual. How?"
"Because if I pondered and dwelt on every wrong which was dealt to me, I would be constantly depressed, if not suicidal. Life...life can be so amazing, if you let things go...it's hard, I am struggling, but I am seeing the good in things around me. Even now, even with what we're having to undertake. There is still good to see, if you squint." Elsie said while doing so and laughing over herself.
"You're being silly."
"And you're being too serious." Elsie waved a hand at him and crossed her arms behind her back.
"One of us has to be the serious one."
She snorted, "I think Hank's serious enough for the two of us." She chuckled, honestly even now he was still stern and serious. "Maybe if he got a girlfriend he'd chill out a bit?" She muttered thoughtfully while looking around as if someone would magically appear.
Charles laughed and stood up slowly. Putting his hands on her shoulders he turned her away from peering at everyone that passed them by. "No matchmaking!" She pouted while a smile appeared on his face. "You know Hank...he really wouldn't appreciate it. Not even the efforts it would most likely undertake."
"But what if she was a totally adorable little science whiz like him? Wouldn't that be cute? Two little geniuses together!"
"Where do you propose to find this girl, hm?" Charles smirked and moved away from her.
Elsie turned on her heels and watched him go. Running forwards she snatched up his hand and swung it with her own. "Yeah, you're right, totally wouldn't be appreciated."
"You just realised the impossibility of your task and have given up, haven't you?"
"Nothing is impossible. You out of all people should know this." Elsie smiled up at him while wrapping her other arm around his and leaning against his shoulder.
Charles managed to get his arm free and place it around her shoulders. "Where's all this optimism suddenly come from?"
She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm an optimistic person."
"Since when?!" Charles laughed and suffered a glare to be sent up at him. He had always remembered her being quite sceptical, and pessimistic at times.
"Since now?" She tentatively replied.
"It's a new thing you're trying out, huh? Let me know how that goes for you, love."
"I'll keep you informed daily." Elsie said seriously like him only to much like him, burst out laughing.
"Come on," he stopped and looked down at her. "I think we have had enough freedom for now."
"Yeah," Elsie looked around and noticed a fall in people milling about. "It does seem to be getting late. We do have a busy day tomorrow...and all that..." She mused while looking up at him.
It became silent then. All that could really be heard was the distant sounds of the city which didn't seem to penetrate this far out of the centre, and the quiet sounds of lapping water from the fountains around them. He simply smiled, gave a nod and turned on his heels to lead the way back.
Elsie tilted her head to the side and watched him go from the corner of her eyes. Tapping her foot on the ground she sighed and walked briskly after him. "Hey!" She exclaimed out and waited for him to stop and turn and look at her.
Only when he did he was suddenly bombarded by her arms being flung around his neck and him being tugged down slightly to her level. Sweeping her hands over his shoulders she gently placed them in the back of his hair before pressing her lips against his tentatively, almost as if she thought he would push her away from such an action. The opposite in fact happened. He wrapped his arms around her waist and even gently lifted her up. It was something which caused a rather childish giggle to come from her before she tightened her grip on his shoulders, just so she wouldn't suddenly tumble if he placed her back down.
"Did you just kiss me?" Charles asked while looking up at her, Elsie took to wrapping her arms back over his shoulders while he continued to hold her, and avoid putting her back down on solid ground.
"Yes I did. Is that a bad thing?" Elsie smirked and let out a quiet surprised noise when she was placed back down.
"I don't know." Charles mused while tucking some of her hair behind her ears. She had a slowly growing smile appearing on her face. "Can you do it again?" He smirked while she leaned up and did so with ease. She kept her hands placed against his chest while his hands came to rest on her hips. Much like their very first kiss, where they used the same words, just in reverse, it was innocent, yet had just enough longing in it to project their dormant feelings across.
----
(Edited: 24/June/2019)
(Reedited: 10/Dec/2021)