[HSS] a bit more aggressive

[Olivia Chance]

"I don't mean to upset you. It's just...if it's a choice between being stuck back at my previous home and being trained to fight, I'd choose being trained to fight. And...the child soldier thing was the impression I got from another student. I guess it was...wrong?" She sighed.

"So confusing. All these mixed messages about a world I didn't even knew could exist, with people who have powers." Paralyzing...she knew her face looked impressed.

"Wow. That's actually pretty cool, especially if you don't use it on me. I really don't want to go back to that coma if I can help it." She chuckled.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

"It's not your fault," Zoe replied, tapping the nearest figurine. "I was just... here when SPECTRE attacked. You know," she looked up, "that organization that hated us... they really hated me in especial," she frowned at the memory, fighting back the image. Yes, whoever had told Olivia that they were training to fight had most definitely been wrong. Zoe shifted a little further down, though she was starting to think that she definitely didn't want to get a figurine. Maybe some jewelry?

"Well, um," she looked back, shuffling a bit. The other girl looked impressed at her power, which just made Zoe lower her head. "It's... it's pretty bad, actually. I can't shut it off. But, um, it's slow, so even if I touch you, it won't do anything. Not unless you let me hold on for a while..." then she could kill someone. Zoe swallowed and looked up, turning. "Um, I think I should probably look for jewelry? I'm hoping to get something for my girlfriend," she flushed. "It's our first Christmas together and all...

and there had to be a little jewelry kiosk somewhere. Zoe definitely didn't want to get something too expensive.... not least of all because she wasn't exactly overflowing with money.

[Olivia Chance]

SPECTRE?

"I have no idea who SPECTRE is, but I'll take your word for it that they were bad news. I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I can see you're upset just thinking about it." She sighed. Then the girl mentioned her powers and Olivia winced sympathetically.

"That sucks. Being unable to control your powers sucks no matter what. I blow up water pipes, freeze my drinks and explode snow. But not being able to touch anyone for very long? That would suck royally. Is there any light on the horizon for controlling them?" She heard the musing and she smiled.

"Aw. I can tell you like her and it's totally cute." She chuckled.

"Hope that's not out of line to say. Maybe I can help. Is she a tomboy or a girly kind of girl?"

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

No idea who SPECTRE is? Zoe shuddered, looking over. "You'll... have to ask someone else," she said, her voice shaky again. She bit her lip, but nodded and looked away. Yes, definitely ask someone else. She did nod as Olivia offered apologies, though she'd heard quite enough of them. The apologies turned into sympathy, another emotion that Zoe was use to seeing.

she actually smiled and shrugged. "It used to be, but I've gotten used to it," she explained. She started moving away, figuring the best way to find a jewelry kiosk was to actually move and go look for one. "I don't know if I'll ever control it; I think it's just... there," she took a breath and released it, nodding. "But there's a vaccine. I can, um, stab people and it prevents it. And I've an antidote... and my girlfriend is, um, resistant," she flushed at that, leaving it to Olivia's imagination to figure what that meant.

Zoe nearly bumped into someone, only to step back, practically knocking into Olivia as she did so. There were just so many people around. Though at least Olivia seemed on board with looking for the gift, and had suggestions. "Um, kind of both? She's tough and all, but very pretty... oh!" Zoe dug into her pockets, pulling out a phone and flipping through, till she got to a picture, which she tapped, "that's her: Alice."

[Olivia Chance]

She'd upset the girl. She just didn't know how the hell to fix that. Then she heard about the vaccine, and the girlfriend being resistant and she assumed that meant the other girl had some sort of power that meant she was resistant.

"That's good then." When she was shown the picture, her eyebrows couldn't help but arch.

"Wow. You're a lucky girl. And I don't even know her, so that's like...the least amount of lucky yet. Ummm...I mean...I'm sure it only gets luckier?" She slapped her forehead.

"Crap just ignore me. I'm not exactly an eloquent speaker if you get my meaning."

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe nodded, smiling slightly with relief. Yes, it was definitely a good thing; she didn't have nearly enough of those in her life. Though now that she thought about it, things had been getting progressively better for her of late. The fact that she was wearing clothing she hadn't brought with her when she'd fled her home while standing in a store buying a gift for her girlfriend with something like real money proved that.

SO yes, maybe she was a lucky girl. Though hearing Olivia repeat it did make Zoe look over. She felt her lips twitching a little. "Don't worry," she insisted, waving a hand, "I'm not very, um, eloquent either," she flushed, realizing that the um could have sounded like she'd done it on purpose.

They still hadn't made any progress toward a gift, so Zoe looked around again, frowning. "Do you see a jewelry kiosk anywhere? I was thinking I could maybe get her something small...?" she looked over at Olivia, as if hoping the other girl would agree with the idea.

[Olivia Chance]

She breathed a sigh of relief when the other girl forgave her awkwardness. That's all she needed was for her social problems to ruin any chance of actually being social. Then the girl mentioned the jewellery and Olivia looked around.

"There's one over there. So she goes to Bellefonte I'm assuming. If you know what her powers are, that might give you ideas of what she might enjoy getting as a gift." That's when she saw a small stand beside the bigger one. The small table had mostly droplet or teardrop themed jewellery. She wasn't really the jewellery type, but she walked closer and looked at them. A smile made its way onto her face without her realizing. Smiling didn't happen all that often with Olivia. Or it hadn't before she'd come to Bellefonte. There was a necklace with a small little corked bottle hanging from it like a pendant.

"Aren't you cute...I bet you're filled with water too, aren'tcha?" She picked it up and looked at it. Then she looked at the price tag. Then she looked in her wallet.

"And I have enough!" She grinned excitedly. It was only a very simple piece, but it meant she'd have a little bit of her element close to her. Then she realized she wasn't alone and turned to the other girl.

"Oops. Did you find anything yet?"

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Ah, so there was a stand! Zoe hadn't quite been able to make it out through all the people and her nerves. Olivia had, and they were both definitely going to head over that way. "Oh, I definitely know what her powers are..." said Zoe, trailing off as she watched Olivia get distracted. The shy girl stood there and watched, smiling and amused, while her new companion walked around and picked through the jewelry.

It took Zoe a few seconds to realize that she should be looking too, and she started browsing the selection. She was thinking that maybe something with a bit of rustic charm, maybe something that showed off Alice's skin tone? Zoe chewed her lip, thumbing through a collection of larger stones, all tied up with pretty leather.

Olivia's voice caught Zoe's attention and she looked up, looking slightly abashed. "I don't know? Not yet? I'm still looking around. I was thinking maybe a choker?" she looked at the various bits of leather. "What did you get?" she asked, looking back to Olivia. "I saw you getting excited," she pointed at where Olivia had been standing when the squealing had started. "So it must be good."

[Olivia Chance]

"It's a small corked bottle with water in it. I know that sounds lame, but it's really cool for me. Maybe having a little bit of water near me will help me calm down. Maybe stop me from bursting pipes. Plus, it's a stretchy sort of plastic bottle, so it won't shatter if I accidentally freeze it." She smiled.

"I don't usually wear jewellery. Just practical stuff. This is kind of...both." She shrugged.

"Is she the kind of person to like something with bone incorporated or would that make her freak?"

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe nodded as Olivia explained, nodded and leaned over, trying to see if she could get a look at the item or if Olivia had stashed it away somewhere. "It certainly sounds like it could be quite useful for you," she stated. She was tempted to ask if she could see it, but, well, she had her own purchase to worry about.

"Ah, well, I don't think she would," admitted Zoe, looking around. She picked up a choker made mostly of a solid band of leather with a turquoise stone in the middle. Zoe lifted it, looking closely at it, turning it in her hand and studying it closely. "Does this look pretty?" she wondered, before looking around, still chewing her lip. "Maybe I should be looking at bracelets..."

At least everything had been marked down. Though Zoe could also see other shoppers hovering about near the edges, practically circling the kiosk like vultures around a dying animal. It made the already nervous girl all the more nervous, and she found her mind locking up at the mere thought of making a decision.

[Olivia Chance]

The other girl looked curious about the necklace, so Olivia lifted it up to show it off.



"I know it will be useful. But it's cute too!" When the other girl mentioned bracelets, Olivia looked at what she was looking at.

"That's pretty. Go with your gut instinct though, seriously. Chances are, if she likes you as much as you obviously like her, the present won't matter all that much. It's corny to say it's the thought that counts, but..." She shrugged.

"There's no denying that it fits certain situations."

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe looked at the necklace as Olivia pulled it out. She reached up and lightly took it in one hand, tilting it slightly so the light got it. "it does look cute!" she agreed, practically squeeing herself. She smiled and nodded, also agreeing with the bit about it being useful. Of course, that made her wonder if she should be looking for something that would also be useful for Alice.

Go with the gut, that had Zoe laughing, raising a hand up to her mouth to cover it, as though she could stuff the laugh back into her throat. She swallowed, gesturing, and turning to look at Olivia, "Sorry, it's just that, well, that's exactly what Alice would say," she said, sighing, "and she'll also likely like whatever I get. She'll be quite stiff about it but..." Zoe chewed her lip and then sighed, "I really wanted to get her something she'd actually like," she looked back at the choker, then noticed that there just happened to be a very similar bracelet. Zoe picked them both up, frowning as she looked at them.

"Um," she looked over at Olivia again, the lip chewing having started up once more, "which is more romantic?" she held them both up. "Or should I get both? There is a sale... or is that too much..." Zoe fidgeted, already looking around to see if there was something else she should be buying instead.

[Olivia Chance]

When Olivia heard the laugh, she couldn't help but smile herself. Especially after hearing that explanation.

"Well, guess I'm the voice of reason here. And to think if I hadn't blown up a fountain, you never would've had my expert advice." She grinned, tossing her hair over her shoulder for good measure. She was having fun. When it was between the bracelet and the necklace or both, Olivia shrugged.

"In my opinion, you should only get one. More than one gift might make her feel like she owes you something, and that makes it lose the feeling of a present. Think of any habits she might have. If she wears a watch. If she twirls that watch around. If she does anything with her wrists really. Does she ever wear a necklace? Necklaces can be a more permanent sort of thing but they can also get in the way." She shrugged.

"If you think she'd like it, don't doubt yourself. Even if I'm totally awkward, I like to pride myself on the fact that at least I'm confident in my awkwardness. Maybe you should take a page from my book."

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe laughed a little, also realizing what Olivia said: yes, it was odd that the girl who'd exploded a fountain would now be the voice of reason. Though Olivia would find that happened more often than not, especially around Kalispell and Bellefonte. Zoe could only smile her thanks to the other girl, smile and listen as Olivia continued.

"That does make sense," she agreed softly as Olivia finished. Only one, which would probably be for the best, as Alice knew that Zoe wasn't exactly overflowing with money. She'd probably give her girlfriend a photo-poem anyway, so it only made sense to pull back on the spending gift. She thought for a moment as Olivia continued.

The bit about doubt had Zoe laughing softly again. "You would not believe how often I've heard that," she admitted, turning her shimmering eyes to the other girl. "I'm actually much better now, thanks to everyone," and Zoe finding her own strength, she supposed. You had to if you got shot and went through everything else Zoe had. She looked down, nodding. "I'll get the bracelet," she decided, setting the necklace down, "hand-holding is, um, sort of a thing with us?" she offered, smiling sheepishly at Olivia. She also began reaching down, digging for one of the pre-paid money cards they'd given her. "Is there anything you needed help looking for?" Zoe asked, looking back to Olivia. "I do feel like I should pay you back somehow..."

[Olivia Chance]

"Why would you need to pay me back somehow? I had fun. And I don't exactly have many people to talk to yet. Just talk to me around school sometimes and we'll call it even." She smiled. Then she took out the cards she'd been given and went up to the counter to pay for her necklace.

"Besides, if I hadn't tagged along, I never would've found this piece. It was fun shopping and having someone to talk to for a change."