Erik heaves a sigh and lets himself lean against her a little, allowing himself that small bit of contact. "I've lived a long and varied life, it's true. And much of it was good. But a lot of it, especially when I was younger, was very painful. As I'm sure you can imagine, I went through a lot of teasing and taunting, both at school and at home. Because of the way I looked, because of my odd interests. Because I was so very different from the other children.
I suppose I never quite grew out of that feeling of being something too hideous and strange to love."