The Only Exception

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe actually giggled a bit as Alice teased her about being upfront. "Well, you're the one who keeps telling me that I need to be more assertive," Zoe pointed out. "You should expect at least some of it to start sticking," she smiled again, moving about in the pool almost gracefully. In truth, Zoe actually felt a little better in the water, with her mostly revealed body tucked away where no one could really ogle her.

Which Alice seemed to notice, again bringing a giggle out of Zoe. She smiled and swam a little closer to her girlfriend. "Alice," she said, purposefully dipping a bit more into her accent, "I'm British, remember? Giant island?" she giggled, then rolled her eyes. "My father insisted that we learn, and there was a lake nearish to where we lived that we went every other summer or so. I really did learn in Britain though," she gave a little twirl, smiling as she landed. "One of the few things I remember, besides a lot of rain and the accents."

She smiled, leaned forward to give Alice a kiss, and then swam away, moving slowly but steadily.

[Alice Hobbs]

"I'll give you that one, Miss. Wallerstein-Smythe; You make a valid point," Alice laughed. It was surprising, but in a nice kind of way. She didn't want Zoe to change, but she did wish for Zoe to stand up for herself. Zoe deserved that much. Of that, Alice had little doubt. Besides, being able to take at least a little of the claim in that change, made Alice oddly proud. She still hoped Zoe was doing it for herself though, and not for Alice. She had already decided to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, but Alice wasn't exactly the epitome of trust.

Frowning, Alice nodded. "Fair enough." The frown was quickly replaced by a sheepish smile. It was almost amazing how easy it was to forget that Zoe was in fact from England. It wasn't because she didn't notice the accent, but after a while, she had gotten so used to it, she just didn't notice anymore. "Sounds like fun," she smiled. She was glad that Zoe seemed to at least have a few good memories from her life before the academy. The school seemed to be filled with people that had nothing but tragic happen to them during their lives.

And Alice was kind of part of that club, which just made her dislike it even more. Luckily, Zoe came in to kiss her, drawing the brunette out of her brooding bubble of thoughts. "Do you still talk to him? Your dad, I mean."

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe didn't intend to change so much as grow into the person she should become all along. She needed other people to help her with that, to support her and be there for her, to lift her up. Liz and Maelea had been an excellent start, but Alice was the one really bringing Zoe back around to her own lightness. Not that Zoe said as much. No, Zoe just smiled and splashed around and watched her girlfriend's expressions.

"it was," said Zoe, her smile turning a bit sad at the memories that were so distant to her now. Yes, life had been at least a little happier back before she'd come here, before everything had changed, before she had changed. Zoe really didn't want to think about that: she wanted to kiss her girlfriend and live in the moment and---

and Alice asked just the right question. Zoe stared at her girlfriend for a few moments, realizing that she both wanted to answer and not to. "I... I... no," she took a deep breath, "I haven't actually had any contact with my family since... since I, well, became a mutant and came out in the same horrible moment," Zoe chewed her lip, looking down at the water. "I... I just don't think that they'd... something there.." though Zoe wasn't sure why: her family had always been supportive in the past...

[Alice Hobbs]

Furrowing her brows, Alice took notice of the way Zoe stared at her and the hesitant way she spoke. Clearly, it wasn't something Zoe talked about lightly. Alice could understand that. In fact, she knew exactly what it felt like. "I'm sorry to hear that," she replied and started moving closer to Zoe, keeping her gaze steadily onto the smaller girl. She didn't want to pry, and if Zoe said she didn't want to talk, Alice would respect it. But she figured that Zoe would have good of it, being able to speak of it freely without anyone judging her, and as far as Alice could tell, no one else was around to listen in.

Though, it did make Alice something of a hypocrite, as reluctant as she herself was about talking about her own family situation. Heck, she barely talked about it her sister, and even then Alice was dismissive about it. It wasn't that the brunette was in denial; oh no. She was well aware of her situation. It just made her uncomfortable, and what done was done, right?

Well. At least that's what she had thought until Zoe came along. It was funny how things like that worked out.

"Tell me what happened?" she asked. She put her hand against Zoe's cheek, brushing a few strands of her short hair away from her face as she offered the beautiful girl an encouraging smile.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe was sorry to say it, though it felt pathetic to actually say so aloud. She just took several deep breaths, tried to remember that Alice supported her, that Alice deserved to hear quite a bit. If Zoe loved Alice, then she should be willing to open up, to show the scars and explain where they all came from. Zoe shifted to the edge of the pool though, hovering there as she felt Alice touching her cheek, finding a few loose hairs.

Zoe took a deep breath, closing her eyes to try and pull herself together again. When she opened them, she looked directly into Alice's. "I... my power developed late," which Alice already knew. Zoe shifted again, feeling like she should probably put some distance between Alice for this. Even as her inner voice screamed at her that Alice wasn't going to care or judge. "I've only been a mutant for a little less than a year and..." she took a deep breath, wanting to lower herself into the water and just melt away, "and my power it... it came when I... I kissed my, um, my step-sister, Ava. I... I was still figuring things out and I loved her and---and I ended up putting her in the hospital. I did what everyone would do: I ran," the tears had started trailing down Zoe's eyes now, though she hoped that the pool water would make them hard to detect. "I got found by recruiters quickly, thank God but I insisted we go straight here and... and I haven't heard from them. There was a bit, back before when I got shot," Zoe lowered her hand to her side, where the bullet had graced her, leaving that thin scar across her side, "and they sent information to them and they sent a camera, but I haven't... nothing else," Zoe took another breath, closing her eyes as if denying sight could deny what happened.

[Alice Hobbs]

Alice remained perfectly still, and perfectly silent as Zoe started talking. The first bit, about manifesting late Alice already knew about. What followed though, caused Alice's eyebrows to furrow together, but she didn't interrupt. It was easy to see that Zoe blamed herself for what had happened. At least, that's what it seemed like. And the fact that her family hadn't contacted her yet, probably fueled the feeling of guilt. Alice understood more of why Zoe acted the way she did. Not only had she manifested and gotten sent away from her family, she had also have to deal with coming out of the closet, sending her step-sister to the hospital and having to deal with all of that alone.

Alice couldn't begin to understand what that must have felt like. But it didn't change her feelings or view of the girl. Quite the opposite, actually. A hint of a warm smiled formed on Alice's lips as she brushed her thumb against Zoe's skin to wipe the tears away.

"You know," she began, pursing her lips. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. It's not like you were aware of your powers at the time." Alice's smile widened slightly. "Neither of us have any knowledge, nor any control when we first start out. As for you kissing your step-sister, that's a fairly natural reaction. I mean, it doesn't matter if she was your step-sister, or that you sent her to the hospital; in that moment, you let yourself go, and that's alright." Alice lowered her hand and placed it on Zoe's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "As for your family not contacting you... Maybe they're just as scared as you are? They won't understand it if you don't tell them. And I don't know what the recruiters told them either. Maybe you should find out. You're not going to get over it if you never find out."

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe almost collapsed when Alice moved forward to wipe away tears. Did the girl know that each little gesture like this made Zoe love her just a little more? The words always had that strange practical edge to them, as if Alice was really just answering questions or fixing some machine that didn't work well, but Zoe saw what lay behind it, more importantly, she felt it.

She understood.

"I... that's what they keep telling me," agreed Zoe, taking another breath, "and I'm starting to believe," she felt a hand on her shoulder, felt the squeeze. Leave it to Alice to suggest that letting herself go was a plan. It actually made Zoe want to let herself go in a totally different way, but she already felt like she kept doing that to Alice. She remembered bawling and essentially attacking Alice, and she didn't want to push her girlfriend into more physical affection. Just because Zoe was filled with emotion and incredibly touchy feely didn't mean that Alice had to be.

"I've thought about it," she admitted. "Dr. Campbell, um, the doctor who, ah, gave me the," she flushed at this, "the, ah, vaccine to my power? He had to send them some information and the school contacted them when I got shot. Tim, um, he's this guy who let me on his show? That's how I got all the, um, clothes? You know all this," she wanted to bury her head in her hand, but instead just flushed. "But he offered... too, so I've been... maybe..." she trailed off, suddenly feeling cold, almost as if she wanted to just crawl into a hot tub.

[Alice Hobbs]

Nodding more, Alice didn't look away. Instead, she offered Zoe all the attention she could possibly muster. She deserved to have someone who would listen. Alice wasn't the most patient or understanding person, but at least she was trying. And she knew that Zoe knew that as well. Or at least Alice hoped that she did. "That's good," she said, nodding again. "Otherwise I'd have to kick your ass," she added to lighten the mood, and as if to prove she wasn't serious, a smirk splayed over her lips. As much as Alice said that she'd hurt the poor girl, she didn't actually think she was capable of it. Not anymore.

She had been, when they had first met. Then she would have easily enough slapped some sense into the girl without even thinking about it, but now? Not a chance in the world. Ugh, it was almost a little annoying how much of a sap Zoe was turning Alice into. Not that she was complaining, mind. She had willingly walked into all of this, and she hadn't regretted it for a second.

"Well, there's a slight difference between them contacting your family, and you contacting them. I think you'd be able to... Well," she stopped, furrowing her brows. "I think they would listen if it was you. It's more personal that way, you know? They have a connection to you, and even if it doesn't work out... At least you don't have to wonder anymore. Then the ball is in their court and you did what you could." Now, the question was rather; was Zoe capable of handling it if they didn't want to listen? "But that's something you have to decide on your own. I just think it's going to ruin you if you just... Leave it be, you know?"

The words felt awkward. As if they didn't belong. As if they weren't coming from her, but they were true nonetheless.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe laughed a little as Alice threatened to kick her ass. Alice hadn't really done anything of the sort, beyond a few nose tweaks or little slaps of encouragement, since their first meeting. Zoe liked to think that her girlfriend nearly couldn't do it to her; she certainly hoped so.

Zoe found that she actually agreed with with Alice's assessment. More personal, a personal connection... hadn't she written a letter? Or an email? She'd done something to get enough attention to get the camera, though she supposed that might have come from someone else's contact instead. It did feel strange to hear it from Alice though, especially that last bit.

"I'll... write them a letter," she said, nodding, "soon," then she smiled, remembering those last few words. She leaned over to poke her girlfriend in the side. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually cared about me, Alice Hobbs," she said teasingly, those expressive brown eyes of her practically dancing now. It actually felt good deep, that she'd made a plan to contact her family and could actually follow through with it.

[Alice Hobbs]

"Good," she replied, nodding determinedly. She was glad Zoe was so willing to make a stand and at least try to heal her wounds. It actually made Alice surprisingly happy. Then again, it probably shouldn't have been that much of a surprise anymore; Zoe seemed to catch Alice off guard a lot, and the brunette didn't know whether it was because she couldn't get a good read on the girl, or if... Well, it didn't matter. However, Zoe practically crashed Alice's train of thoughts by poking her side.

Furrowing her brows, Alice looked at Zoe with something akin to a mix of a grimace and a frown. "Well," she said, pursing her lips. "If I didn't care, I wouldn't bother giving you a pep talk," she added, lifting her chin as if she was offended; in fact, she felt more so embarrassed. "Don't let it get to your head though." A slight 'hmph' could be heard as Alice averted her gaze.

"Alright, enough talk. Let's do what we came here to do, hm?" she asked then and took a step backwards as she let her body sink into the water, feeling the moist, chlorine filled liquid against her skin, filling her ears and clouding her sight. She took a few seconds to cool down and collect her thoughts before returning to the surface. As she did, she pressed the palms of her hands against her forehead to wipe some of the water away.

The tattoo of her wings were fully visible in the bikini she was using, and Alice could feel the slight ache from her back, from not letting them out in a long time. She had to remember to do that once the two of them decided to leave the pool.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Good. Zoe nodded in total agreement with that, her own mood lifting considerably. Alice acted all offended at the comment, which just made Zoe all the happier. It felt as though a veritable army of butterflies had been released in Zoe's gut, fluttering against her heart, especially as Alice all but confessed that she did care. It wasn't quite what Zoe really hoped, but she knew how much it took for Alice to even admit as much. The little hrmph, the averted gaze, all sure signs that Alice actually felt something.

Yes, let's do what we they came here to do. Zoe nodded in agreement, though she didn't immediately take off. She instead watched her girlfriend easily glide through the water, making note of the wings herself, so pretty. It really did seem as though their powers had been flipped, hadn't it? Zoe paralyzed with a touch; Alice looked pretty, produced dust, and fluttered about.

Zoe did want to swim, even though she still felt a little chilly, so she took off a few seconds after Alice. She moved gracefully through the water, her awkwardness seeming to ebb away as though seeped out of her through the water. She didn't even really splash: she just glided smoothly. As she moved, she realized that it wasn't the water that made her chilly, made her shiver: it had to have been the conversation, or maybe she just shivered more around Alice for some reason.

She could feel her blood pumping with the movement, though after one lap there and back, Zoe had to pause and catch her breath. Nimble she may be, but she clearly didn't have much in the way of stamina. Zoe just took advantage to watch Alice swimming around some more. After all who wouldn't want to stare at their pretty girlfriend in a bikini?

[Alice Hobbs]

Rubbing her shoulder, Alice's eyes swept over the tattoos for a moment and she sighed. She wouldn't have minded her ability as much if she'd only get rid of the damn tattoos. She felt they didn't suit her and kind of ruined her complexion. It was the part she hated the most about her ability. The fact that it didn't suit her at all came in a close second. Come on, who would ever guess that she had beautiful dragonfly wings and had the ability to drug people? Well, okay, maybe the latter made a little more sense, but seriously? Her power was everything she was not.

At least Zoe managed to be enough of a distraction to pull Alice out of her gloomy state and she quickly followed suit, letting her body glide through the water for each stroke. She actually loved the water. She always had. She she was a decent swimmer too and thanks to the years of gymnastics, she had built up somewhat of a stamina too, but she wasn't anything near being one of those competitive swimmers. Then again, Alice was far too proud to join any competitions. She'd be furious if she ever lost.

It took her a few minutes to notice that Zoe was watching her, and as she did, Alice stopped. Holding her hand against the edge of the pool, she wiped her face with the back of her hand, blinked the water off of her eyelashes and turned her head to look at the gorgeous, short haired girl. "Take a picture, deary. It'll last longer," she said, smirking somewhat. Not that Alice would actually let Zoe take a picture of her like this, but that was a whole different story.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Oh God, how long had Zoe been staring? She'd just sort of gotten wrapped up in seeing Alice move through the water. Her artist's eye had followed the smooth motions; her lover's gaze had taken in the beauty. It certainly didn't help that Zoe sort of naturally stared at people. She knew Alice's comment was meant to just be a flirtation, but it still made her flush.

"What? I wouldn't--- you know I don't take pictures like---like--that!" she said, gesturing at her girlfriend. "I was just taking a break from swimming! I'm--see? Swimming," she did a little breast stroke, gliding through the water with considerably less skill. At least now she could legitimately bob her head beneath the water to cover it. It actually felt good, the warm water lapping about her equally warm face. Zoe took a few more easy strokes, trying to act as though she hadn't just been caught openly ogling her girlfriend.

Though she is totally your girlfriend, so if anyone is allowed to stare at her, it's most definitely you

Not that said thought made Zoe stop swimming in a sort of circle, but she did at least think it. Progress.

[Alice Hobbs]

Quirking her brow, the amusement was apparent against Alice's olive tanned features. "Uh huh," she said. "You know, all you have to do is ask," she added, pursing her lips into something of a smirk. But before Alice could really do or say anything else, Zoe started swimming away. It was rather cute, how easily flushed she became. It was amazing that the two of them managed to get so well along, despite being so incredibly different. Both personality wise, hobby wise and power wise. How the two of them had even managed to get together and actually enjoy each other's company was a mystery to the brunette. She clearly had to thank Fate for meeting Zoe out on the field that day.

She continued watching Zoe swim through the water as she herself leaned against the edge, propping her elbows up as she moved her legs through the water in a pedaling motion. Her brown eyes followed the clearly flustered girl and the amusement never really left her expression, though, after a few seconds, it grew warmer and fonder.

It was amazing that Zoe didn't know how incredible she was. Not that Alice was about to tell her or anything. She'd already done her fair share of that for the moment, but Zoe -- who touched so many hearts, didn't even know what kind of effect she had on people. Alice didn't know if it was sad, or just... "Hey, you!" she called out, trying to get Zoe's attention by splashing with her feet. "Stop being all flustered and awkward," she added, trying her best to contain the snicker.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Ask? Was that some kind of offer? Or just another taunt? Zoe didn't know; she just knew it made her that much more flustered, flailing around in the water and swimming in circles and sort of half-burying her head in the water and attempting to hide away from her girlfriend.

Which apparently didn't work, as Alice called out to her. Zoe pulled to a stop, looking over at Alice. Stop... being all flustered and awkward? "Well, I'm not--I'm not doing it on purpose!" she replied back, going all red and stuff. She fidgeted in the water again, trying to figure out even why she was. Hadn't she just literally been wanting Alice to be more forward and to actually initiate something? Yet the moment Alice started flirting or teasing, Zoe had to get all fluttery and stupid. No wonder Alice didn't want to do anything with her.

Zoe just sank a little deeper in the water, till just her eyes were above the surface. She could feel her ears still glowing bright red, and she couldn't help but think that she'd just embarrassed herself... again. It didn't help that she kept glancing over at Alice, who looked like the cat who'd caught the canary.