A Little Experiment Required

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Touch anyone? That sounded wonderful, though this was definitely enough. Zoe even nodded and made certain to say so, thanking Dr. Campbell for even coming up with this. After all, he didn't have to do anything, so just being able to have something like this, a temporary preventative, was worlds better than where Zoe had been before then. She wanted to hug him or buy him a gift or something along those lines. A poem, she'd have to write him a very splendid poem. Maybe one showing her using his gift? Well, not like that, though she hoped he didn't notice her blushing.

Probably not, with everything else that was going on. Finger-wiggling and proof of the preventative working precisely as it should. Zoe couldn't believe that this was all actually happening. It felt like walking through some sort of waking dream, and she kept waiting to wake up and discover that she still couldn't touch anyone.

"It's alright," she said, her eyes shining, "still better than alright, actually," she took another deep breath, wanting to get up and dance around, "and no, you're technically not, as I'd love to have my girlfriend here about now, not that I wouldn't want to kiss you or --well, I wouldn't," she flushed, looking down, "but that's--- you're quite handsome and I do like you, just--I'm not--I don't--" she fumbled about, looking for something else to talk about.

"Do we only have that one vial? I should probably make sure the nurse's office has something too, right?" she asked. There, back on track, that should help. Dr. Campbell didn't seem like the type to keep teasing Zoe at any rate.

[Jason Campbell]

Of course, being able to touch only one person was already a lot for the girl. Touching whoever she wanted without having to worry about her ability from kicking in, it would be awesome but Jason was already giving her more than she had. And Jason ended up with a modest and grateful little lab rat. She was not complaining about how troublesome an injection was or how she’d wish to touch more people instead of simply one. She understood it had been a lot of work from the man, work he had not been paid for and didn’t have to do for her. Now, if she wanted more, she would have to look elsewhere. He was a doctor but his knowledge in mutations had its limits. A scientist might be a better choice, or one with better equipment, as he told her. The thought of tests conducted on metahumans did leave a bitter taste in his mouth but if it was a mutant doing it, it already seemed more appropriate.

He smiled as the girl discovered just what he gave her, the implications slowly sinking into her and making sense. He had no illusions as to the fact she would have preferred someone else here with her. He could not blame her, he wouldn’t have wanted of a thirtysomething next to him like that at her age. She talked of her girlfriend. He knew that girl, Devyn, was certainly the one she wanted this preventive for. But there would be other occasions for her to use it. Of course, he’ll have to warn Guy of the results of this day, so he would know of the latest developments. For now however, Jason’s smile grew wider at her obvious nervousness as she just said she didn’t want to kiss him, then trying to make it sound better. “It’s alright, Zoe, really. Let’s just say that I am too old for you and leave it there,” he told her. No need for her to turn red and further embarrass herself as she didn’t seem to get out of this one on her own. He honestly never thought of Zoe as anything else than a student and a patient. He would say to her that she was a beautiful young girl, or woman, but he never thought much of her, not in that way. He didn’t expect her to do otherwise.

He looked at the bottle he handed her. “You will have a few doses in it. But I will tell the nurse how to make more for you. Like this, you will not have to wait for me to come back here every time you need a new one,” he assured her. She would not be running out of it. “Unless you leave by the end of the year. You must be soon going to college, do you?” he asked. Hey, they were meant to stay here for a little while, might as well chat a bit. He knew he left town for college but perhaps she intended to stay here. It would be safer, he supposed, would have less questions raised. But it was her life, she could do whatever she wanted of it.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe couldn't help but sigh with relief as Dr. Campbell seemed to get it. She wasn't trying to be insulting she just, well, she actually just didn't care too much for men, if she was being quite frank about it. At least, she didn't care about men in that way. Still, she was willing to go along with Dr. Campbell's comment about age, since she figured that might be a part of it as well. It wasn't as if Zoe went clubbing and attempting to pick up older women on the weekends or anything.

Soon Zoe was back to nodding though, as Dr. Campell's explanation continued. The nurses would have a few doses and, better yet, they would have the means to make more. Which meant that while Zoe should be cautious about using it, she didn't have to be extreme in its use. She started to grin at that, so much so that the question didn't even phase her all that much, even though her answer wouldn't be altogether pleasant.

"Actually, I'm to remain an Academy student for a while longer," she said, meeting his gaze. "I missed some key parts of the semester, so I need at least another semester or so here. I also have quite a bit of practice with my power to do," she flushed at that, looking down at the vial. It almost felt as though she'd found a way to work around that. felt like cheating. Should she mention that to Dr. Campbell? She fidgeted, wondering, debating, chewing her lip as the thoughts pinged around in her mind.

[Jason Campbell]

Jason understood Zoe didn't mean to insult him. The simple fact she tried to recover, only making it somewhat worse, proved it. The fact he understood didn’t mean he wanted her to continue. There was so much a man could accept about being too old, even if it was true, before it to hurt said man’s ego. It did come to Jason’s mind that, since she admitted having a girlfriend, the fact he was a man also played in the balance. But it was over and he’d prefer for the both of them to leave it behind.

Jason didn’t mean to keep this preventive a secret. He was no pharmaceutical company wishing to keep it his brand and not let anyone steal it. He did all of this only for Zoe, so she could have a sample of what a normal life could be like. Besides, giving it to the nurses of the school would allow Jason to focus on other matters. He might have grown a liking for his young patient he had others that needed his attention.

He nodded as she explained she shall remain a student for a little while longer. “Yes, of course,” he said as an automatism as she added she needed to work on her power more also. “Have you thought about college? Or will you be going back to England?” he asked. He frowned however as the girl started to fidget again. It was not the first time she acted as such around him and Jason started to understand it was due to her nerves. What made her so nervous when all they did was talk of school? “Is something wrong?” he asked her, It was worth asking, even though he was not entirely sure she would tell him. It might be because of her girlfriend. If Devyn was in her year, she must be graduating now, or so he assumed. He did notice his assumptions regarding the students of this academy had often been proven false but that never stopped him. Maybe she was just afraid what will happen during the next year.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

"I have," admitted Zoe, "though I'm not certain where. I need a school where I can focus on photography and all, and no," she smiled a little shyly, "I won't be going back to England. I, um, actually haven't been there in quite some time. My dad used to say that I was there just long enough to get an accent and a high tolerance for rain," she smiled at that. How long had it been since she'd spoken with him? Too long. Too long since she'd had contact with any of her family. It made her heart hurt to think about it.

As did the question that Dr. Campbell asked. Zoe sighed, figuring that if she should tell anyone, it should be him. "I, well, um, I sort of feel like this is, maybe cheating?" she looked up at him for a moment, fidgeting again, almost wanting to crawl back into herself. "I, well, most people work on their powers, but I've, um, found a way to, well, stop it from even happening," of course, most people didn't have a power that literally couldn't be turned off and stopped them from having regular physical contact, but Zoe didn't focus on those particular details. She had to hover around the other stuff.

She sighed, running her hand over the back of the neck. Cheating, it felt so much like cheating... and why did cheating make her think of Devyn? She really didn't want to analyze that, especially not considering that she was so close, so very close to possibly being, well, so very close to Devyn. Finally.

[Jason Campbell]

Talking of college with someone who was almost a stranger might be weird for Zoe. Talking of anything with someone who was almost a stranger must be. But Jason wanted to test his little concoction and that required Zoe’s presence. He preferred to try it on him first than her girlfriend. Sure he could not heal himself but he didn't want to risk something going wrong without him or medical staff around. Besides, it only seemed fair to test it on him first than take students as lab rats. The school would definitely not permit tolerate that.

“Photography, that’s interesting. Photojournalism or more the artistic kind?” he asked. He figured if he talked of things that interested, time would pass by faster for the girl. And Jason didn't mind much being explained the difference between two cameras or how important light was. He gave her a smile as she joked. He had the feeling she was a bit like him on that matter, that it did not come as easily as it was for others and not as funny as it was meant to be. In a way, he could relate with her.

He frowned, at first not understanding why she felt like cheating. “How so?” he asked. He didn’t realize she meant with the preventive. He was more wondering if she cheated on her girlfriend or thought about it or something. He had to admit that he also wondered if she felt like cheating because she was spending time with him. Who could say? Clearly not Jason. If he didn't understand teenage girls when he was their age, he could understand them even less now.

He was finally reassured when she explained what she meant by cheating. He even let out a sigh of relief. So, it was just that. “It doesn’t prevent you from working on your power. I’d be very happy for you is you find a way to control it, but it doesn’t seem very fair to deprive you of any physical contact until then,” he told her. Perhaps it was the doctor in him that was so good at using a tone that just made everything he said so logical you couldn’t argue with it. Well, almost not argue with it. Jason didn’t tell her but he also feared she might never be able to control her ability to paralyze people. Of course, he was not her trainer, perhaps they would find a way. He hoped so, for her sake. “Don’t think of it as a way to achieve your goal without working for it. It’s like for the antidote. One day you might have a better control over your power, until then you can have that,” he said, pointing at the vial.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

"The more artistic kind," offered Zoe, smiling a little. Photography she could talk about for hours without having to think too hard about it. That happened to be one of the few things in Zoe's life that was rock solid. Even now, she could still take photographs and not worry about it. Nothing mutant there. she didn't even have to worry about touching people.

Or about cheating her way around touching people. Dr.Campbell asked, and Zoe explained as best she could, before lapsing into another embarrassed silence. No, no she certainly hadn't thought about cheating on Devyn; she couldn't possibly do that. No, she'd been quite focused on what they did now, as Dr. Campbell figured out quite quickly.

Good for now... "Um, like," she couldn't help but flush at this, "um, maybe like Dumbo's feather? though I guess this isn't quite like that, since I obviously can't do it without the feather," she sighed, reaching up to run her hands through her hair. She couldn't even make an analogy without stumbling over herself. She sighed, wondering for a moment if her power even had control or an off-switch. Something told her that the closest she'd get was what Dr. Campbell had cooked up.

"I still...' she began, fidgeting. "It's just---what if there was some way that people could---get something like this for their powers and--' she sighed, feeling like she'd fumbled this whole thing and that she'd just wound up in a bigger, more confused mess than when she'd started.

[Jason Campbell]

Jason nodded as she talked of photography. He even got a smile from her and no matter how small it was he still considered it a victory. “Portraits or landscape? Is that how you say it, my knowledge in photography is rather limited,” he asked thus encouraging her to talk some more. Hey, he’d prefer it too. It would be best if she talked, even if it was of something he knew very little, than to have him try to keep up a conversation that would actually end up more like a monologue.

When she mentioned Dumbo, Jason needed some time to get the reference. Sure, he knew of the Disney character but it had been a long time since he watched any animated movie. And, to be honest, he didn't expect someone of her age to know of Dumbo. “It doesn’t mean you will never be able to control your power and touch people at will without paralysing them. It’s here to help you but it’s not a crutch for you to rest on for the rest of your life. You will still have to work on your ability,” he reiterated. Again, he didn’t tell her how he believed she might never be able to touch someone without whatever formula he cooked up for her.

He then understood what her concern was about. Cheating with some miracle potion that would prevent them from working on their powers. Or, why not, stop their ability from showing up at all. “I believe it will require far greater knowledge and a much better equipment than I could ever possess. And a few dozen people working on that 24/7,” he pointed out. Oh, he didn't say such a thing would not happen someday. But there was no comparison between what he did and this situation totally coming out of a X-Men movie.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

"Bit of both," mumbled Zoe, referring to the photography. She really should just be focusing on that, thinking about it and less about how she felt like a horrible person for simply trying to find a solution to the whole mutant power thing. the thought that she might never control it was so very real; Zoe knew it; it sounded like Dr. Campbell knew it. Wasn't it like that for some people? Stuck with their mutations? Dr. Campbell sounded like this wasn't some kind of big first step, wasn't some work toward a cure or anything. A stop-gap measure, wasn't that what they called it? something that would work for the time being? Zoe took another shuddering breath.

"I just--never mind," she said, shaking her head. Dr. Campbell certainly didn't need to know Zoe's feelings regarding the massive, unpayable debt she owed to society, and how that debt just kept growing and growing. All for a girl who would likely never have children, couldn't touch people, and wanted to do nothing but produce art. Obviously worth the effort in saving.

"Um, I could, um, maybe take your photograph sometime?" offered Zoe, hoping to return the conversation to that safe realm. She also couldn't help but feel like it was at least working toward repaying him for what he'd done for her, if only with a miniscule bit.

[Jason Campbell]

Jason could see that his attempts to start a conversation led to nothing. As much as Zoe tried, she was now only thinking about this whole cheating thing. He was not seeing it that way and was sad that she would when only a moment ago she was so thrilled at the thought she could have physical contact with someone. He grabbed her wrists, forcing her to keep her hand on top of his other one. He knew he’d get a reaction from her. She wasn’t able to touch people for a long enough period of time, unless mere minutes were long for you, not to react. “I can’t have this work on you. I can’t make you able to touch everyone you meet simply with an injection. I can however allow you to hold one person for a short period of time. Just take this opportunity and don’t feel bad about it. Those who judge you probably can touch people without problem, they don’t know how it feels to be unable to,” he told her.

He knew he had done something great for her. A part of him was a little hurt she might have scruples using something that took hours of research and testing out of him but it was not the main issue here. She would never be like the others, he cannot find a way to entirely stop her power and never tried to find one. He only tried to find a way to make it less hard on her.

He gave her a little smile as she tried to bring the conversation back on photography. “That might be a waste of film, I don’t think I’m very photogenic,” he replied but he still kept his smile on. She was trying, he had to give her that. “What would you like to photograph, if you could?”

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe listened, actually listened, as Dr. Campbell continued. She looked at him, her eyes showing that her ears took in every word the kind doctor said. She understood, or at least understood what he wanted to say to her, wanted her to hear. Who was really judging her, anyway? Besides herself, of course, and she always seemed to be the strictest judge of all. She swallowed, nodded, tried to accept it, tried to not feel like a cheater. Some part of her told her that this was less cheating and more finding an alternative route. Besides, there had been work in this, testing, a whole process that she really shouldn't discard just because of imaginary fears... right?

Zoe just had to hope she never really had to use it.

"Everyone says that," said Zoe, laughing lightly at Dr. Campbell's protests. "the trick is to get someone to warm up. Everyone's actually photogenic if you let them relax and be themselves. We're all people, all living in a moment, and it's really the photographer's job to just capture those moments for people to see," she paused, then flushed, looking away. "And, um, I usually photograph people, um, doing their, uh, daily activities and the like," she squirmed again, flushing, feeling embarrassed for even bringing this up. Maybe she should be asking if enough time had passed for her to leave...

[Jason Campbell]

If anyone dared to say she was cheating, he would like her to send them his way. Who were they to think that? Were they jealous because they didn’t have that chance? Jason managed to find a way to trick her power for a short period of time. He doubted he could achieve that with everyone, but that didn’t give them a reason to treat her like that. And if it got to Zoe’s head to make her judge herself just as badly if not worse, well he would have those thoughts get out of her head. For this, at least. It was not like Jason found the cure to mutation. She would still paralyze people, she could still do it to the person who had a shot, after a period of time. Speaking of which, he looked at his watch, see how long it had been already.

“I wish you don’t feel that way towards it. You’re the one who asked for my help and I’m giving it to you. Just... try it first, with someone else, someone you want to spend time with, and see how it goes. Then you can decide whether you want to use it or not,” he told her. Not to add that he wanted to make sure there were no nasty side-effects. Usually, tests went through a long process. He worked fast, went straight on from rats to himself without checking if they developed any terrible disease over time or if it caused their offspring to grow green hair or whatever. He doubted it would cause that but real tests would have required that of him.

He smiled as she talked with passion about photography. That was a nice thing to see, when she was only a ball of nerves the rest of the time. “I guess I’m just not used of people wanted to take pictures of me,” he replied. She said she took photographs of people doing their daily activities. “When I work, for example? Not like it would be hard, you’d actually find it more difficult to find a moment when I don’t,” he added. Suddenly, her nerves kicked in again. “Don’t be embarrassed. It’s a beautiful passion,” he assured her. Looks like he would not know her any different way than this. Oh well.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe blinked, looking back up at Dr. Campbell as he continued. Try it, see what happened; she nodded, taking another deep breath. She could do that, surely, right? It really wasn't cheating any more then applying burn creme to people who dealt with a pyrokinetic, right? Or something along those lines. Zoe took another shuddering breath, closing her eyes for a moment. Thankfully, she could delve into photography, divert the flow of the conversation to something that didn't make her feel like collapsing in on herself.

"Everyone should have pictures taken," said Zoe, nodding. "Well, if they want, I mean. It's, um, about capturing moments and stuff, and yeah, I can, um, do it while you work," she flushed again, squirming. "I just---I don't --- I'm sorry, I guess," she finally mumbled, looking down. Finding the right words to say always felt like such a chore to Zoe; she just didn't know what to say or how to properly say it. She swallowed, adjusting her position again.

"I'm actually quite good," she said, smiling shyly and looking up at Dr. Campbell, "at taking pictures. I usually write poetry on them, and people seem to really like them. I've even done a few shows," another shy smile, and her eyes flicked away for a moment. "um, not that, I, uh, want to rush you or anything, but, um, have we waited long enough? I'm sure you're really busy and all..." And Zoe already felt like she'd wasted enough of Dr. Campbell's precious time as it was.

[Jason Campbell]

At this point, Jason was not entirely certain he convinced Zoe to try the preventive but he hoped she would. She couldn’t be scared and nervous about what might happen all the time. She earned the right to live a normal life every now and then, like anybody else. Jason could tell it wouldn’t happen a lot for her. She should also learn to control her nerves but that was something he couldn’t help her with.

He would have thought photography would help her cheer up a bit and talk without the nerves getting in the way but it would seem even her passion could not break through it. He pressed her hand in a reassuring gesture as she mumbled an apology. “If there is something you want to share with someone, you should just say it. Then, if they don’t like what they hear, apologize. Better that than regret not talking,” he told her. A little voice in his head pointed out he was a hypocrite to tell her that, since he normally kept everything to himself. But he did because of personal reasons, not because he feared he didn't have the right words or because his nerves were taking the best of him. Still, he was a hypocrite, he supposed.

She had a shy smile as she talked, as if she wasn’t sure if she should take pride in her accomplishments. “That is impressive. I’d say you found your mode of expression,” he replied. Her best one better not be communication otherwise he felt really sorry for her. He looked at the time as she asked if the experiment was over. “I was hoping to wait until the effects started to wear off but if you are busy, I won’t keep you any longer,” he commented. He was not entirely certain how long it would last but he considered it great that the effects of the preventive were still kicking.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

"Um," Zoe hesitated for a moment, then, she had to smile and laugh a little at the near irony here: "I don't, um, it's just---if I said something that hurt you, then I"d rather have not said it at all. I don't mind stuff I didn't say, stuff that doesn't hurt people, that doesn't, um, make things sad or awkward; I mind the stuff that does. I do talk, I mean, I am now," She fidgeted again, looking away. "I just--I don't know," she shook her head, feeling like she'd just fumbled the whole thing again.

That feeling did not go away as Dr. Campbell further explained that they were waiting to see if the effects wore off. Of course: that made almost too much sense. Zoe nodded at that, glad to hear that he cared that much. "No, I don't---if we should wait, then we should do... that," she paused for a moment, then fidgeted. "Um, if you'd like, I could, uh, maybe write a poem or something? It would probably take my mind off things and, um, I---it's just a suggestion."

Of course Zoe nearly swallowed the last few words, looking down at her feet. She'd practically brought them together now, rubbing her shoes against one another as if trying to further scrunch up and become still more unnoticeable.