Common Ground

[Blair Collins]

Blair poked her head in through the doorway. Yes, empty. She entered and took a random seat in the middle of the room. An assortment of artwork surrounded her.

Her eyes took in each brush stroke, each blend of colour, and the names that accompanied the pieces--none of which she recognized. The room smelled like paint and other things she could not put a name to.

But she did not come here to appreciate her schoolmates' artwork. The chatter of students seemed far away. She had to go to the back of the school to escape them. Stupid powers. Even now she could hear someone laughing in the cafeteria.

The girl sighed. Will she ever be free from the white noise? She tried to think of a calmer time since she had transfered to Bellefonte. Well, there was that one day...

She took her camera out of her backpack and scrolled through the pictures. The recent ones were from her assignment for the Photography Club. Though she would never hand in some of these pictures, she kept them nonetheless. She smiled--Lister was cute.

Distracted as she was, Blair almost did not hear footsteps approaching her. Shit. She turned off the camera and tried to look as normal as possible.

Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

In actuality, Zoe had been tucked away in the room connected to the art room; the dark room. She generally ended up spending far more time than was strictly good for her in there. It didn't help that she now had memories there, memories... not connected to photography, the sort that made you blush. She'd actually been using it for its purpose this time, and she smelled like it too.

The fumes from the dark room wafted about Zoe, and she was fairly certain that they had gotten caught up in her hair. She'd tied it up in the sloppy updo she normally used when working, and already bits of sweat had started to gather there. Her uniform stuck to her skin a bit too, and, really, Zoe was almost thinking more about a shower. She did want to look through her photographs one last time though, at this point checking for nearly the hundredth time that everything was in order for her upcoming show.

Instead, she found herself pausing as someone was flailing about. Zoe blinked, tilting her head, having just sort of recognized the girl. "Hello?" she tried, taking a few steps closer. She didn't want to get too close: the fumes could get to people. "I think I've seen you around in photography club. It's, ah... Blair, right?" Zoe smiled, hoping that she'd gotten the name right. She lifted up a hand, trying to tuck back some hair and wincing at the lank feeling of the strand between her fingers.

[Blair Collins]

She knew this girl--and not only from Photography Club. Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe was spoken of in a number of overheard conversations around the school. She was a college student who did volunteer work and had recently come out as homosexual. Her photography skills were quite acclaimed too. And for good reason--she had seen some of her work.

Blair jumped when the girl appeared seemingly from nowhere. Sure, she had heard footsteps but she had expected them to come in the way she did. But Zoe entered from a different door--right, the dark room. She had been told about it but forgot it existed. Hm... that reminded her that she needed to develop these pictures she took...

"Hm? Oh. Yeah." Oops. She must have zoned out for a while. She breathed in and smelled the chemicals from the dark room. Kind of soothing if it did not irritate her senses--another side-effect of her powers. She looked at the stranger.

She had also heard that Zoe could stun people just by touching them. Not knowing much about it, Blair found this kind of hard to believe. Maybe what she heard had been exaggerated--that often happened in high school and she was sure that Bellefonte Academy was no exception. Then the girl winced at touching her own hair. Heightened vision told Blair that those brown locks could use some conditioning. Whatever her powers were, she was still human anyway. She smiled.

"You must be Zoe--I've heard of you. You have a show coming up, right?"

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe didn't know Blair's power. In truth, she didn't know much about the girl at all, beyond the fact that she liked photography, and, well, that her name was Blair. Still, there were worse foundations to build upon: Zoe had essentially created a friendship with Quinn off a shakier foundation than that. Blair at least seemed to recognize her, so there was that too, had even heard of her even.

"Ah, yes," Zoe said, nodding. She gestured toward the dark room, "a, ah, well photography show. But that's fairly obvious, since we're both in photography club," Zoe let out a little laugh before nodding again. "I did several photos of the school directly after the fire and then during the whole restoration process. The school's going to let me show it in one of the rooms, open to the public..." Zoe trailed off, they both had to know that public opinion had gotten a bit rocky lately.

"What about you? Are you set on photography or are there other artistic things that interest you?" Zoe looked around for a moment. She thought she'd seen a camera or something...

[Blair Collins]

Ah, yes. The fire. It had been some time since it happened so talk about it had died down. Still, she heard people refer to it occasionally. So eventful, this school. The closest Blair had been to a real fire was when she and her friends went camping.

"Is that what you were working on in there? I don't know much about the fire--but I hope to understand a little when I go to the show. I think it's nice that the public will know--I'm sure they'll enjoy your work at least."

Other artistic interests? Well she certainly thought Lister was a work of art but she was sure that was not what Zoe meant. Her face flushed at the thought. "I like photography--they last longer. I don't know about how far I'll pursue it though. I only take photos for personal memories."

The older girl looked around and Blair instinctively placed her hands on her camera as if they could be hidden that way. She kept her grey eyes on Zoe. "Allow me a sneak peek at what's to come?"

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe looked behind her toward the dark room as Blair mentioned it. She shook her head, but waited, not wanting to interrupt. Instead it was a matter of smiling as Blair talked about the public enjoying her work at the least. That was always a good thing and something she hoped for after all, at least enough to nod slightly. Zoe again found herself holding her tongue as Blair flushed, however, wondering what that was about.

"Well, sometimes paintings can last," Zoe said, looking at some of the samples around the room. "I started with personal photos too, though it quickly became something more," as in she'd barely gotten through one roll of film before deciding that she wanted to try for something more artistic. Her early attempts hadn't been thrilling but, well, it look a lot of film to get to be an expert photographer.

Some of which was in that room developing. Zoe turned to it again as Blair returned to the subject. "Well, I was going to say: what's in there is actually just some work I've been doing. It's not quite tied to a project yet, but I might end up turning it in for school or putting a show together," Zoe smiled shyly. "I, ah, the photos for the show are already set up. It's just a matter of waiting. But I can show you those," she pointed back to the room, "if you want, that is."

[Blair Collins]

"Oh." Blair laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, I talk a lot sometimes. I just assumed you were working on..."

Listening to the elder girl talk was sort of interesting. She wondered if she would ever talk about her interests with that same confidence and passion. Maybe. She only got into photography after her manifestation. Her first days at Sir Henry Barnet Academy was spent fidgeting, her eyes shooting this way and that as they took in every detail and every change in it. Is was creepy, in short.

When she finally confessed this to her therapist, he recommended photography. Captured moments did not change much and Blair could take her time to absorb all the information she wanted. It soothed her. But she was ready to share that with anyone yet.

She looked at Zoe. She seemed so comfortable in her own skin. A wave of nostalgia washed over Blair. She used to be that girl--the one who knew what she wanted and was working towards it. Puberty was a real bitch.

But she said none of this. Instead, all that came out of her mouth was, "I would love to see it." She placed her camera carefully into her bag and stood, smiling for Zoe to lead the way.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe shrugged slightly at the mention of talking a lot. Everyone did that from time to time, even Zoe. It made sense too: the project was upcoming, was important, and surely would take a lot of work. Zoe just happened to have already gotten everything together for it by now. So it was a matter of moving ahead, working further. Though she did realize as the girl continued that there was some sort of accent. Not Zoe's almost too proper Londoner's British, but something of a similar flavor.

"Alright then!" Zoe said. She nodded and turned, waving for Blair to follow her as she went bright back into the room. She'd gotten enough fresh air anyway: time to enjoy the chemical filled red that existed within that room. Zoe opened the door for only a moment, looking back again before sliding in. She waited for Blair to enter before turning on the overhead light.

"Ta da!" she said, gesturing at the hanging photos. They mostly showed people, students, using their powers in various casual, everyday settings. "I took some of these during Move in Week, though quite a few of those were with the digital camera, since photography club was supposed to take commemorative photos." Zoe shrugged again. She knew that everyone did it, and at this point, she'd already taken thousands of them.

[Blair Collins]

Blair could not help but stare as her eyes caught every detail. Photos were hung about the room and the images they hold... they were strange--to her at least. She was just getting used to the idea of being a mutant, other powers still surprised her. But in the pictures, the students were using their powers in such a natural manner. This was their lifestyle, their norm. It was like something out of an X-Men movie. She did not know whether she was intimidated or excited.

"Wow," she breathed out. It never crossed her mind how many of them there were. And this was just one school! She knew in comparison that the mutant population was much smaller than the rest of the world but... they were still plenty. There were various powers on show but everyone worked together, interacting in harmony. Well, most of them--she saw some friendly fights here and there. She could not believe she was part of this community. Everyone seemed so in control of their abilities--she had a long way to go.

"There sure are a lot of them--us," she quickly corrected. Her eyes started to sting--effin' great. She kept her back turned to the older girl. "Is there a certain theme to it? Other than the move-in thingy, I mean."

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe had no idea that Blair was a recent arrival. She did know that she, meaning Zoe, had to look like someone who'd been around the school for quite some time. Generally nineteen year old girls had their power for some time, as opposed to Zoe's poorly trained year. It was all too easy for Zoe to remember that year ago, when she had arrived and felt so horribly out of place. It had taken the year to gain her confidence back... to grow into someone who could show another girl a room filled with pictures depicting the best parts of this strange new world.

"Yes, it's always quite fascinating, isn't it?" Zoe said, nodding. "I just love catching people when they're utilizing their powers. it seems all the more impressive when you can showcase the beauty of it," she pointed at the series, nodding a few times. "So I guess that's sort of my theme. I like contrasts, really. And capturing moments that need to exist forever. One of my friend is absolutely brilliant at catching people in the raw, making them feel relaxed. I'm just great about getting people to pose for me," she pointed at several, where people who even looked shy willingly showed their powers off for her: including a rather cute looking young girl who had to be eleven and happened to be holding a little ball of fire in her hand.

[Blair Collins]

"Things never happen the same way twice," Blair quoted, smiling. "C. S. Lewis. I think that is why we need some moments to last forever--they might never happen again." She sighed and walked about the room. "What you said about contrasts... I definitely see that. It's amazing that what most people consider odd, we experience as a norm."

The girl pulled out a stool from under a table and sat down. Stuffing her hands into her pockets, her eyes swept the room again. "What about the powers which are less obvious?" She licked her lips. "Say, I don't know, if one is to take a photo of me, for example, they would not see much--I only have  eightened senses." She shrugged. "How would you photograph someone like that?"

That was a little depressing, she realized. She should start thinking before saying such things. Well, better move on to the next questions then. The last thing she wanted was to make Zoe feel uncomfortable. "My next questions are less somber, I promise. I keep telling myself to think these things through--never happens." She laughed sheepishly. "Who is this friend? And forgive if I am wrong but are you English?"

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe had to nod at the quote, certainly appreciating not only the words but the person behind them as well. Always intriguing to hear another British voice. She was glad that someone else got what she was doing too: all too often she felt like she was struggling to explain her process to people who at least were somewhat interested. Zoe shifted to lean against a table while Blair got out a stool.

The question had Zoe nodding. "Sometimes it's a little trickier to get some," she said, before turning, "like, you couldn't even see mine that way. Or my girlfriend's, for that matter," Zoe reached up to tuck some hair behind her ear. "Sometimes it's a matter of being creative.." she pointed toward one that showed Riley playing guitar.

So if Blair had though the question depressing, she'd been off, at least for Zoe. She looked over at the other girl, blinking. "It's fine, really. I just thought you were... oh, well, yes? To being British. I was born in London and stuck around just long enough to pick up the accent. Yours seems sort of similar... Australian, maybe?" Zoe smiled and shrugged, then seemed to realize: "Oh, and my friend's name is Ezra. He's quite sweet. You'd love to meet him, I'm sure."

[Blair Collins]

"Australian--spot on." Blair smiled. "A descendant of British criminals." That came out of nowhere but she was kind of used to blurting out random information like that. She searched her mind as the new name rang a bell. "Ezra... Cooper, right? Ooh, he is cute." She grinned playfully. "Bullseye again--I would definitely love to meet him."

Sure, he was older than her but age never stopped Blair from appreciating the beauty that is Johnny Depp. Heck, even her current crush was a year younger than her. On that note, she realized she should clarify something before rumours spread. "I am not interested in him in that way, just so you know." She shrugged. She already had someone else in mind and heart. "I just got here. I do not really know anyone."

Blair looked at the gestured photograph. Ah, yes, Zoe's tomboy girlfriend. Speaking of contrasts, Riley Forester had a punk-rock look going on, what with her short slick back hair and clothing choice. Zoe on the other hand looked petite in her pretty face and girlish attitude. "You two look cute together," she complimented. "Kind of like spaghetti and meatballs." She laughed. "And yes, I suppose vocal mimicry and paralysis are not things one usually caught on camera. That was... a good answer."