Holding On For Dear Life

[Alice Hobbs]

Nodding again, Alice glanced at Zoe. She remained quiet as she spoke; She could see that Zoe was somewhat disappointed. Or at least, Alice thought that was what she saw, and she could understand why. She had clearly put much thought into this, and Alice's natural negativism was about to ruin that. She actually felt bad because of it. Sighing, Alice shook her head. "I know," she spoke, her voice soft. "And I'm not telling you not to do it. Just be prepared, okay?"

"Look," Alice began, shifting again as she glanced at Zoe, nudging her side with her arm. "If this is something you believe will help, don't let me stop you. You've clearly put a lot of thought into it, and yeah, it might end up being a disaster, but it might also create something beautiful. Diamonds are made out of coal, or something, right?" She offered the girl a meek smile. After all, it wasn't like people would chase Zoe with pitchforks or anything... Right? No, she sincerely doubted that would happen, and if it did... Zoe had a great support network.

"Run it by some of the other parties involved and ask for their opinion, and then take it from there. Just because I'm negative about it- which you'll soon realize that I am about almost everything- doesn't mean everyone else is." Placing the palm of her hand against Zoe's cheek, Alice smiled.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe remained quiet, just nodding as Alice insisted that she wasn't telling Zoe not to do it. But Zoe certainly wasn't going to do anything that might harm someone. At least, not if there was as high a chance of it as Alice seemed to believe there would be. Zoe trusted Alice's judgment implicitly, even if Alice did insist that she was a cynic.

Alice nudged her, and Zoe again heard the words, words likely said to make her feel better about he situation. "No, it's fine, really,' she said, smiling. "I have some other ideas. I can always just go with one of those. I had this thought about maybe doing something with color and people or something," she shrugged. It had literally been a thought: something she'd noticed when playing around with some of her projects and all.

She felt the touch again, heard Alice suggesting that she run more. Zoe lifted a hand up to grasp her girlfriend's, squeezing it. "It's okay. I'd rather you told me than I found out through dirty laundry or something."

[Alice Hobbs]

Nodding, Alice decided to drop the subject. She didn't feel too good about how it almost seemed as if she had changed her mind, but Zoe was a big girl. She could make up her own mind. Though, Alice still though that it wasn't necessarily the best idea. She knew little of people and the way they'd react, but she could imagine. After all, people had died and gotten hurt. Like SPECTRE, this was one of those times where people needed to lick their wounds.

"Well, I'm sure whatever else you come up with is going to be brilliant, even if I feel like you're taking my word too much to heart." She smiled a little at that though as she squeezed Zoe's hand in return. "And if there's anything I can do to help, all you need to do is ask." She didn't think there was much she could do, as she was no photographer, nor an artist. Unless Zoe wanted dance lessons, Alice's help meant little.

Looking over the images once more, the brunette sighed. It surely could have gotten a lot worse, and part of her was glad that it hadn't, yet, it made her wonder, what if? What if Zoe hadn't been there, or even been in her life at all? Would she still have been... No, it was better not to think of.

Clapping her hands together, Alice moved around the table. "What if you focused on the good parts about being a mutant instead?"

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe nodded, looking over the photos again, wondering if she shouldn't ask a few people. Maybe she should get Liz's ideas? Or maybe Quinn's? He was another photographer. Then again, she couldn't really see Quinn caring that much about hurting people's feelings and all....

Zoe starred again, wishing that she could do something with it. She really had intended to emphasize the hope, to show them fighting or... or something. Well, she did have hundreds of photos to pick from: she could find something. The school had essentially paid her to take these photos anyway, and---

Alice's clapped hands and question nearly made Zoe giggled. She looked over at Alice, smiling. "That's what my current show is about, remember? I'm showing the inner beauty in mutant abilities and how the people that use them are each their own fascinating selves," which was nearly what Zoe had written for the opening of the show, which had certainly become something she'd practiced. "Clearly you need to see it for yourself," she said the last with perhaps a little bit more sass, trying to push it through, to prove that she wasn't letting the difficulty get her down.

[Alice Hobbs]

"Oh," Alice said, a sheepish smile forming on her lips. "See, this is why you shouldn't take my opinion too seriously. Either my ideas arrive too late, or they're too depressing." She almost grimaced a little at that. And it kind of made her wonder, how a girl like Zoe, filled with such beauty and hope, had ended up falling for someone as cynical as Alice (was?). Though, Zoe clearly had a good effect on Alice. That much was apparent. Had someone told Alice a year ago that a girl would come along to soften her up, she would have laughed them in the fact. "Clearly," Alice grinned.

Pursing her lips then, Alice turned with her back facing the girl. Her brows furrowed for a moment, as she contemplated the different things the girl could do and use for her future showcases. "How about something that show that we stand together? Like, if you mix it with the various images you have on the table, and like, instead of showing off the hate and the sadness, show how it has made us stronger? Like, pictures of mutants working together, holding hands..." She turned to look at Zoe; she almost expected the girl to say that was what she'd planned all along.

Clearly, this wasn't Alice's type of thing. Another sheepish smile formed on her face. "See, this is why I don't belong in an art room," she chuckled. After all, she did study medicine for a reason, even though cooking was where her heart really was. Maybe she should have taken up cooking instead of medicine...

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe smiled at Alice's smile. "It's okay: it just means that you have good ideas too," she said a little teasingly. She definitely had to show Alice the show, if it was something that she was already thinking of. She watched as the girl turned for a moment, wondering what was going on there, what Alice was thinking and doing. She heard more, heard Alice...

...was Alice being optimistic and uplifting? Zoe goggled for a few moments, not quite believing that Alice was the one suggesting something like that. "What? no, it's... it's a pretty good idea," Zoe stepped forward, looking at the images. "That's, well, that's sort of what I thought I'd maybe have with the poems? It's not about wallowing in it or anything. It's about showing it and facing it and then pulling together to try and rise above it. I do have, umm..." she began sorting through the pictures, trying to remember where she put them.

Then Zoe pulled out a few photos, dropping some. "Oh, sorry," she said, flushing as she worked to move them. Several of them showed the various mutants working together to fix things, including people that the girls were likely to recognize: Beau, Liz, the Bellefonte twins, Roxana, Olivia, even what appeared to be the staff cat.

[Alice Hobbs]

Turning around as Zoe started moving the pictures around, the Pixie quirked her brow curiously as she looked down at the table with an almost expectant expression on her face. The words had felt rather weird coming from her, considering how yes, she considered herself fairly cynical, but it was sort of hard to be distrusting and pessimistic around Zoe. She was like a beacon of hope and love, which on it's own was rather ironic, considering what she'd been through. Then again, maybe that just made it even more alluring.

She could actually see it; Zoe being the face of the future. The thought made Alice smile to herself.

Nodding at the pictures, Alice chuckled. "Well, that does seem a lot more cheerful than what I thought it would," she admitted with a small smile. "See, this is why you shouldn't listen to me. I only see the world in black or white. There's rarely something in between." Though, by now, that shouldn't even have been a surprise. Had Zoe heard Alice's speech about how selfish everyone was that rainy day in the cafe, she probably would have seen her in a much different light.

That poor guy too; Had to listen to Alice's ramble on about how crappy people was, and here she was, a few months later, with a very confused mindset and view on the world.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe saw the nod, heard the chuckle, and felt her own smile spreading all the further. "Everything's a shade of gray, really," Zoe said. She began setting the various photographs showing everyone working down, spreading them out. Zoe thought she could almost see the connections, and she paused to frown. For a moment, she forgot about Alice, a feat in itself for her, and instead looked at the photos.

Then Zoe began arranging them, putting the photos in vertical strips. They started with the destruction, the ruins, but Zoe put the various work alongside them, putting the various workers just below the ruins, purposefully nudging the two closer. She drew them out into a line, pausing.

"It's all about seeing the bits of light in the dark," she said, tapping the above, "and the bits of dark in the light," then the bits below. "It's what makes us all so wonderfully human, really," she paused, then looked over at Alice. "Does that... does that look good? Maybe? I was thinking I could, um," She gestured, "contrast them, maybe?" She fidgeted again, chewing her lip as she looked back that photos, now feeling bad for ignoring Alice for those few moments.

[Alice Hobbs]

Watching Zoe do her work, Alice remained perfectly still. Or at least, she tried to. Zoe was clearly concentrating, and Alice didn't want to disrupt her. Besides, it was something almost magical about watching Zoe in her right element. There was a newfound confidence about her, once Alice rarely got to see. It was nice, and Alice wondered if Zoe would ever be capable of bringing that confidence out when she wasn't working on her pictures.

Looking down at the pictures as she started talking, Alice nodded. "It looks wonderful," she admitted with a small smile. "Contrast them?" She quirked her brow quizzically. Sometimes Alice wondered if Zoe really understood that this was a whole new world to her. "Like..." she chuckled and lifted her hand to comb her fingers through her hair. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she admitted with a sheepish smile.

"I'm probably not the person you should ask about..." she gestured towards the images. "I mean, to me it looks wonderful, but I'm sure I would say that no matter what you did, because..." she laughed. "You're really talented."

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe smiled a little more as Alice insisted that her setup looked wonderful. The small turned into a little laugh at the question that soon followed. Zoe waited while Alice tried to work through it, eventually waving it off as Alice didn't understand. "No, it's fine, really," she said. Zoe reached for Alice's hand and brought her around, setting her center to the photos. Then Zoe walked over to the side, leaning over to look.

"See, it's about setting up images and ideas that are opposite, and how it makes them both seem more striking as a result," she said, her voice entering a near professional cadence as she spoke. She adjusted the two photos. "You see the devastation above, the pain and the gloom, like, like here,' she tapped a photo that showed some of the smoke curling up from the arena. "Then you look at the below, which shows how we're overcoming the situation," she lowered her hand, tapping the photo beneath, which showed a gathered group of volunteers working just a little below where the first was taken.

"See, the contrast makes them both better," Zoe said, looking to Alice now, "it brings out what's so great about both and sets them together, and emphasizes the similarities..." Zoe paused for a moment, then flushed. "At least, um, I mean, the photos do," she tapped them, then seemed to chew her lip for a bit. "Sorry, I get, um, I get a bit... silly when it comes to this. It'll be even worse when you come to the show."

[Alice Hobbs]

As Zoe pulled her closer, position herself so that she could see the photos better, Alice's brown eyes dropped to the table, studying the photos one more time as she listened to what the gorgeous girl had to say. She nodded slightly at the words, trying her best to focus and understand. At least Zoe was good at explaining, so Alice had that going for her. Maybe she could even teach people actually interested and passionate about this stuff?

"I see- so, by placing a "happy" picture with a "sad" one, it makes them both appear even more so?" she asked as she pursed her lips and turned her head to look at the girl. "Don't apologize," she warned, though the smile was apparent on her lips. "And I honestly don't mind, even though I don't understand a whole lot of it," she murmured. "Besides, this is important to you, and I wouldn't want you to hold back just because it's not my hobby. After all, I would have liked to share my hobbies with you the same way, and you wouldn't have berated me for that, so why should I?"

Not that Alice had that many hobbies to begin with. It was mainly just cooking, which Zoe already knew of.

Chuckling a little, Alice flipped her hair over her shoulder. "At least now I'm a little prepared," she teased as she offered the smaller girl's shoulder a playful bump. In all honesty though, Alice was looking forward to seeing Zoe's show. She wondered what it looked like and what kind of pictures she had been using.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe nodded as Alice figured it all out. She wanted to clap or jump or do something to show enthusiasm but she also didn't want to act like she was talking down to her girlfriend or anything. There was barely a blink before Alice was insisting that she didn't mind Zoe going off, and insisting that she'd do the same.

"You definitely should," agreed Zoe, nodding. "Give me a taste of my own medicine." And of course Zoe already knew about the cooking. She definitely wanted to eat more of her girlfriend's cooking. Maybe Alice could actually fatten Zoe up some.

A hair flip, a playful bump, and Alice insisting that she was prepared. "Oh, I'm sure I'll be dreadful," Zoe insisted, flushing. "I just had one photo at the art display during the summer fair and I spent hours in there. I was mostly looking at other art and all. But I dragged just about everyone I knew in to look at it with me," she smiled and fidgeted with the pictures again, definitely seeing the new pattern in mind, how she could make the words connect it all into one piece.

"I really do hope you'll like the show..."

[Alice Hobbs]

She laughed at that. "You just want me to cook for you so you don't have to," she teased. Though in all honesty, Alice wouldn't have minded that one bit. Cooking was a passion of hers and she loved it, especially when she got to cook for other people. Watching them enjoy her food brought a lot of satisfaction to her, and she figured that was how Zoe felt whenever people looked at her photos with appreciation.

"You're never dreadful though, so you'd have to try hard for me to think that," she said, chuckling. "You enjoy showing off your talent," Alice noted, her dark eyes studying Zoe's for a moment before continuing. "You can't be blamed for that. Besides, I like to believe that people have to be pushy about it in order to make a name for themselves. You wouldn't get anywhere if you hid your photos away." She took a step to the side and averted her gaze, her eyes moving over the room for a brief moment before seeking out Zoe's face.

"I'm sure I will," she said honestly. She had no doubt that she wouldn't. Even though this wasn't exactly her kind of thing, she could still appreciate good art when she saw it. And there was no doubt about Zoe being talented. "And since you're dragging me off to your thing, you have to let me cook for you as payment," she added. "Your place or mine?"

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe smiled at Alice's tease, smiled and lowered her gaze. As if they both didn't know that Zoe ate like some sort of desert bird that only had to survive on a few lush greens every other day. Though she did enjoy whenever Alice actually cooked something for her, in no small part because Alice was fine with Zoe's lighter tastes.

"Well, I do," admitted Zoe, flushing again. "And... if you have something like this, you should share it, should let other people see it and---and do something with it," she looked over at Alice, seeing that the other girl looked to her. Their eyes met again: Alice promising that she'd love the show. Zoe smiled: she actually believed it, coming from her.

And she nodded, then bit her cheek for a moment. "Well, I, ah, live at the dorms, so, if you actually want to cook..." she trailed off, trying not to look directly at Alice. Zoe knew that Alice had some family that she didn't get on with and some that she did, and none of them had really met with Zoe yet...

[Alice Hobbs]

Alice nodded in agreement at that. "Yeah," she spoke, her voice soft. There was a hint of a smile touching her lips as she studied her girlfriend. The way Zoe looked at her... It was something Alice wasn't sure she'd ever get used to. No one had ever looked at her that way before and it still struck her as... Odd, maybe. Even after all this time. She wondered if she'd ever get used to it, or if it was something that would always surprise her. It was odd too, how Alice had always considered herself to be such a... Confident and independent woman, who suddenly became so... This around this girl.

"Well..." Alice began, clearing her throat. Zoe already knew that Alice's mother wasn't around, and that she didn't exactly get along with her father, and that her sister was a hot mess. She had been ashamed about her family for so long, it was weird finally feeling ready to let someone in. "If that's what you want--" she began, but stopped, her brows furrowing slightly as she averted her gaze.

"I'm not going to lie... I don't know how it would go. It could turn into quite the disaster..." She looked at Zoe for a moment. "But if you're-- I mean..." she stopped again and sighed. She was terrible at this.