Ty closed his eyes, leaning into her hand as she stroked his cheek. "You didn't. More information means more headaches but you had no way of knowing that, or that your purse had seen so much." Her words made him smile, and his eyes opened when she gave him a quick kiss. Their foreheads touched, and she touched the glove as he squeezed her hand, letting her know he was there for her.

Reading the memories he left took a lot longer; several minutes in fact, but Ty didn't budge. He didn't even flinch. Ty stayed just as he was sitting as Lenna's brain cycled through the silent movie compilation that would hopefully clear things up. When she opened her eyes, he had the pills ready, and he handed her two of them. "Wow. And yeah, I did see that with the phone. Guy's name is Kyle? Yeah, screw that guy." He blushed. "Well, I saw everything the purse saw. Everything. Any time you...changed with the purse in view....and yeah that bit in the cab? That too..I uh...got that." he coughed.

Cool! Subject change!

"He thought you were someone else. The other you, I'm assuming," he explained, his voice softening as he swallowed. "You--er...the older you? Had to tell him that the other you...had died..." He gave her hand another squeeze, letting his thumb stroke the back of her hand as he did so, sort of thankful he preferred fingerless gloves.

"I know, this is some Twilight Zone level shit, but...like you said to me earlier...I'm your boyfriend. I'm not going anywhere. We're gonna figure this out. All of it. Together."

All this talk of the twilight zone. She really needed to check that shit out. It was apparently a gigantic American culture thing. This had been the second time she had heard mention of it in about a week. Her favorite movies, for comparison, got mentioned a whopping zero times... unless she brought them up herself.

Thinking of American pop culture... it was better than when she thought about the car conversation with Sky, and the frequent nudity her boyfriend had been witness to, yes?

Yes.

So she’d fought her raging forest fire of a blush, and brought them back on the subject at hand... while her mind had run damage control in the background. Her eyes had tightened as she had reeled in her focus to settle on Thai. And her thought processes... they had gone a little something like this:

The man had thought she had been someone else. He saw you naked. The other me. As the day you were born. The older her had needed to tell the man that she... the other her... had died. Not that there is any thing wrong with nudity, of course. I am perfectly confident in my body. There is no need for shame! And I have been trained to put such weaknesses as modesty aside, for the sake of a fight, and— wait. Died? Had he said died?

He had brushed her hand with his thumb, and mentioned the Twilight Zone. Which had been better than thinking about embarrassing conversations, as already mentioned. He had been wonderful and supportive. How could one guy be so—

Which brought them back to the present, where she was verbalizing things better left as internal monologue.

”How could one guy be so—“ Lenna stopped. Realized she had said what she had been thinking out loud. Wondered what other things she had been thinking had been said out loud. Ran a quick run through of her memories to figure out how recently she had opened her mouth, and come to the conclusion it had just been that moment.

She supposed it would be best to simply finish the thought out loud, now that she had garnered Cowboy’s full and undivided attention. Though she supposed she had maintained that for the last several minutes, huh?

Lenna took a stabilizing breath, and ordered her thoughts into an organization structure that vaguely resembled ‘order’. ”Yes. So when we first met, I was scared. And you were cute and silly and amused me. And you were there when I started to show I was weak... helped me sort things out. You were there.” Comforted me. She thought. Even if the comforts were creature comforts like kisses and pizza. ”So what I was about to say out loud was...” She squeezed his hand. ”I guess, how can one guy be so understanding and amazing? Even when I do not fully understand myself. Oh. And also, do not worry about me being ashamed of all the naked Lenna’s you saw. I am not ashamed of any of my bodies. I will consider it a sort of... ‘finder’s fee’ for knowledge gained.”

She nodded once, to herself. Yes. That was one way to put it. Mildly.

”We will figure out the dead Lenna, the old Lenna, the blonde Lenna, and any other Lenna’s running around. Together. And you and I must watch this Twilight Zone thing. How is it more popular than Casablanca or The Magnificent Seven?”

How could one be so what? She changed subjects and left him hanging. What was she talking about? She breathed, and then she started talking through when they first met. He squeezed her hand back, smiling at her words. Then he blushed, taking in everything she said, and nodded before working through it.

"I never thought you were weak, but everyone needs help sometimes. I was there, so I thought maybe I could help. I didn't know what to do so I just offered to....be there." He blushed deeper at the nakedness. "Yeah...I did warn you about that but...I promise not to show anyone. Any of them. That just stays between us," he promised with a nod and a quick peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, we're gonna get to the bottom of everything; you and me. Honestly, we can watch whatever you want. I don't know how things got bigger than others when some of the best ones are lesser known, but I guess it has to do with marketing and budget?" He gave a shrug, then blushed as his mind went back to the bit with the rainbow haired woman in the cab.

So uh...who was the woman in the car with the weird lights and rainbow hair? She seemed uh...cool."

As she recalled, when they had first met he had done much more than offer to be there. She lumped that with the ‘comforting’.

Regarding the naked memories, he promised to keep that between them. Lenna was not certain he actually had warned her about the detail. Maybe that went with ‘everything an object has seen?’ They were in a good place though. It was not something she pressed him in, instead focusing on the little kiss. It was nice.

She nodded. This was acceptable.

It kind of astounded her that he had skimmed over the issue of weakness. But then, he was who he was. She liked who he was. And they would sort through all the things, as a team. They each had their own particular skills they could bring to the table. And maybe later, they could watch the movies. All of them. And have ice cream? Something to contemplate.

He blushed again and brought up Sky. This conversation had his cheeks growing a darker shade of orange very often. Hers were destined to follow suit.

”That was Mamasky,” Lenna said quickly, then blushed. Damn traitorous cheeks. He had caught her off guard with the taboo topic, and she had charged through blindly like a rhino. ”I mean Sky... ”, Lenna clarified. ”I like to give nicknames. Cowboy.” She gave him a ‘there you go’ look, and raised one hand. A point, made.

The hand had been the one on his hand. She tried to casually replace it... with all the smoothness of sandpaper. Just sort of flopped it down there, awkwardly. A sheepish smile could not help but show its face. Hand holding was New. She would gain skill. Much practice would be had.

”Sky is... a new acquisition. A friend. The woman helped me find the mansion and get off the street.” The dark-haired girl looked off wistfully, as she considered the sky. ”For some reason, I trust her. She reminds me of someone... someone I was close to, before this deAging thing occurred... though from their standpoint, that would have been long ago. My, I guess you would say... my big sister? Adopted sister... She adopted me. Eliana was her name”. She glanced back at him, and smiled at the memory. Even if it was sad she had lost her big sis. She could maybe have a new big sis?

”Sky helped me get you that hat.” She nodded. ”We talk about things... and she wanted me to be ‘Safe’. For all that entails.” Lenna chuckled and smiled wryly. ”She has odd ideas about safety. When she first spoke of protection, I thought she meant something like a knife or a gun.”

Ty smiled at the explanation, then nodded. "I know you do. I like it; it's cute," he said softly. She put her hand back on his, and it was awkward at first, but he gently took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. His motions weren't exactly smooth, either, but he managed, and the end result was very sweet.

"It's nice that she helped you, shows that there are still good people in the world," he commented as he listened to a bit of her story. "I never really had anyone. I've been on my own as long as I remember. Older me had a couple of mentors, a giant roach, the other you...but...well in all fairness those weren't exactly good role models..." he admitted. "Sanctuary I sort of found on my own. Only to realize I'd found it before? It was weird."

Ty smirked, adjusting the cowboy hat. "I like it, Thanks." He blushed at the talk of safety. "Yeah uh...she didn't mean that kind of protection, Hun..." the word slipped out, but it felt right. "What she gave you is for uhm...I mean...she....uhm..." He took a breath as he felt his face flush even hotter, and he was sure his face had a pulse right now. "Mama Skye seems to think we might...." He leaned in and whispered the explanation in her ear, then turned his head to avoid eye contact.

He knew she did. He liked it. He thought she was cute. Well there you go. She. Could be cute.

Cute was a straaaange adjective to describe someone professionally trained as an assassin. But she could live with it. If there was awkward hand holding.

She squeezed his hand as he laced his fingers with hers. Only then, could she continue.

He agreed, Sky was good people. And he had never had anyone like Eliana or Sky. Alone... except for a giant cockroach and the now-dead other her.

Lenna brushed her thumb over his hand. She took no offense in him saying the other her had not been a very good role model. In all probability, she had been a professional killer and a criminal. She had lived much longer than... than her. Her self. Ugh. This multiple selves thing was going to be confusing.

”That is weird.” She agreed. Paused. Added. ”At least you have someone now to talk about it with.” He wasn’t all alone.

Lenna had no idea what to make of the giant cockroach. Mutants. They were kind of amazing. The could be any fskkking thing they wanted to be. Even giant cockroaches. And she was part of that strange community, now.

She told him about the hat. He was amused. And then she kept on talking, and his smug smile faltered and shifted into more orange cheeks for the orange boy.

Him blushing was a lot better than her blushing and stammering about stuff. Even if it was that conversation with mama Sky.

If she were being entirely honest, he liked her giving people nicknames and thought it was cute... and she liked him tripping over his own two feet in embarrassment. She thought it was cute. Did that make her a bad person? For enjoying his being caught flat footed on certain topics that made him stammer and blush? Maybe she was a bad person then, because this pattern would continue.

He leaned in and whispered what he thought Mama Sky thought they might do into her ear, then quickly looked away as if he wanted to avoid seeing potential horror.

Part of her wanted to fake that look of horror. He had flat out said his explanation, and she was proud of him for having the huevos to do that, but it prevented her from playing the fool. So, she played it cool and played an even bigger fool. By quoting something a fellow soldier of hers had once told her.

Lenna did not look away from Cowboy, the entire time she spoke.

”I have used a condom before,” She said mildly. Waited a moment, then clarified. ”When out in the jungles, water is a crucial resource. And as we all know, a condom can hold about a liter of water.” Another pause, then she went for the killing blow. ”Plus, they use it for —“ She released his hand, regrettably. But it was for a good cause! Lenna made a circle with one hand, then held up a finger on the other. She illustrated her point. ”Sex.”

”I know what sex is, Cowboy. I grew up in an all-girls school, not a nunnery. Those girls had to have fun somehow. And when they snuck out to find village boys or sailors, they wanted to be safe. Mama Sky surprised me. But it is nice she wants me to be safe. Now after that. Are you still alive?”

She was not blushing. He was. Also, wait. Had he called her hun? She had been so caught up in embarrassing him, it simply had not registered until after. Hun? She was the one that made up cute nicknames! But it was... acceptable.

"Yeah, I do now. Thank you," he said with a smile and a nod.

As she spoke, he occasionally looked at her, still blushing bright red as his face had a pulse that matched his racing heartbeat. In fact he was sure he almost died a couple of times as she spoke, but then the joking eased up some and she explained more seriously.

"Y-yeah...I'm alive," he said, looking at her with his cheeks still a bright crimson(or florescent orange, in Lenna's point of view). "It's just not something I personally have..dealt with? I mean...I don't recall the subject coming up before we met," he admitted sheepishly. "Now, the older me kinda did that a lot, but the more I learn, the more I realize that I'm not him. Not even close. But...I don't think I wanna be; I like this me." He removed his glove before finding her hand again and lacing their fingers together, the skin on skin contact felt much better than the glove being in the way.

"Though...from what I know about our other selves...this," he squeezed her hand, "Wouldn't have worked with anyone but us. And...I really like this. Even if you seem to take a sick joy in making me die inside," he teased

Lenna beamed at him. ”You, are too cute. I cannot help myself. I like making you glow.” She squeezed his hand. Then, she sobered a little, face more serious.

”I also have not done any thing like that. From this perspective. This Me. I just like to tease.” She did remember teasing him about it, when they first met and he said they should ‘make out.’ He did not remember . That was fine. It was where he had gotten his nickname. She had told him to slow down with all that kissing talk, ‘Cowboy.’ To slow his stride.

Actually, she had told him sure, they could kiss. And then later, they could do that! And she had been kidding. One thing had led to many more things, though... they HAD kissed. In movies and books, that was called foreshadowing. The earlier words, not the kissing. That was another ‘fore’ word. A topic for a different day.

”My other selves... I cannot speak for them. If she did what I think she did for a living ... her morals may have been more relaxed. I do want to learn more about her,” Lenna said carefully. Leaning forward, towards Cowboy. Meeting his eye. ”But she is not me. I like who I am now. I do not think I would want it differently. I feel more free now than I ever have. I like this too. A whole fskkking lot.” Lenna bit her lower lip self consciously. Then, she bridged the last bit of gap between them and kissed her Cowboy, deeply.

She liked the present more than the past. The present worked more than the past. They worked. At least, she thought so. They did need to know some about their histories... but she would not let that change who she currently was.

After the kiss, she sat back and looked at him thoughtfully.

”I have something I want to show you. And we may learn some things. But there is also a potential for danger.” Lenna said. She did not ask if he was in.

He chuckled lightly, looking more at their entwined hands than at her as she spoke. She had him wrapped around her little finger, and she knew it. The conversation got more sincere, and he nodded, now looking into her eyes. Those big, beautiful eyes. While he remembered that joking conversation when they met, he also never anticipated them to actually have made out, and on top of that, be dating now where the other part of her joke was definitely a possibility. Er...possibly? Maybe? Eh, who knew.

He nodded as their eyes met after she'd spoken. "Yeah. It's important that we find out about them, about what's going with them--with us--being younger but..we don't have to become them again. We can be...us." Then she kissed him, and his free hand moved to rest on the back of her neck, closing his eyes as his breath steadied.

When it broke, he was wearing that goof-ball grin he always wore after she kissed him; he couldn't help it. "From what I gather, if we're digging more into our pasts--er...future? Then there's always danger. If there's something to learn..." she didn't have to ask him for him to be able to say it. "I'm in. Lead the way, Hun."

Her kiss had been reply enough for his talk of learning about themselves, but also being... themselves. Yeah. It had been a potently coherent reply. More coherent than much of their conversation had been. To an outside observer, at least.

For him, the danger was not a deal-breaker. Delving into their personal histories, he believed, would always be dangerous. Maybe they were just dangerous people in a past life? Dangerous people, attracting dangerous people’s attentions.

On a very personal level, Lenna felt that they were also dangerous people, Right Now. Especially him, with his gift. And that was coming from someone literally trained to kill people. He just needed proper training, and direction.

He said he was in, and to lead the way. Together, they rose and left.

—

He drove. He had gone to the trouble of stealing the fancy car. She would enjoy a fancy ride. Her purse held the card with the address of the location, and she had given him the address and showed him the face before they had left the park.

The driver’s license had bore the face of the blonde Lenna, known as Ivy Vanderhees. That woman was older. Same birthday as her. Entirely different in other regards.

The address took them straight to the apartment. He found a place to park, not too far away. Which she felt was probably incredibly lucky, for him. With the way New York traffic fills New York streets, a convenient parking spot is a miracle most days. If they needed to flee, it would not be an extreme distance to run. But it also was not so close, they could spit on the car. It would not attract attention to the apartment building they would soon be entering. If someone were searching for the stolen car...

Lenna stopped him as they stood by the front doors of the building. It loomed above them, several stories tall. Casting them in its shadow.

”We will proceed with caution. If I say run, run. This is where Kyle and his SUPER friends jumped me. Actually, the fight was way over there.” She waved a hand in the general direction of some rooftop of minor import. ”They may still be watching it.”

That said, she stepped into the building. Held the door for Cowboy. Then, they went for the elevator. Selected her floor. Waited. Elevator music played in the background. It would be a couple of minutes. So—

Lenna looked at him. ”Want to make out?”

—

Several minutes later, she unlocked her front door. They went inside.

The entryway and living room were sterile. Fancy furniture, built for looks rather than comfort. Dark. Classy. Nice things. Black and chrome. Nothing of real personality had been left out. It was very clean... though less clean than she had left it. Dust had gathered in places. Usual wear.

Lenna looked to Cowboy. ”It feels fake to me. Except the bedroom. But maybe you will see something I did not.”

Like that katana over the electric fireplace she had not noticed, on its mantle. Or the small picture that had fallen off an end table by the sofa, and wound up kicked underneath.

The drive was nice, the car was nice, and there was no pressure. Sure, they had a job to do, but he enjoyed their time in the car together, and this time there was no one chasing them, which was doubly nice. He'd taken his other glove off before the drive, and he had a reason for this. He took her hand as he drove, both hands bare, but...he preferred holding her hand better without the glove. Besides, he wouldn't need them when they got to their destination, wherever that was. He was honestly just following her directions.

"Got it. Be prepared to run, stay on guard, F*** Kyle," he said, the tone getting much less foreboding once they got into the elevator. And she used his line against him, but unlike the first time those words were murmured, they weren't joking. And Ty gladly obliged, at least until that annoying ding of the elevator doors told them it was time to get to work. With a sigh, he entered the apartment and looked around.

"Looks like an average apartment to me," he murmured with a shrug, "A pretty nice one, actually..." Icy blue eyes scanned the room as he looked around, tugging his gloves on for a moment. He didn't want to trigger his power on everything, just the important stuff. First thing he grabbed was the katana, putting it on the coffee table, then he grabbed the picture under the end table, continuing to look around. He grabbed a couple of other items that looked interesting and set them in the pile that was forming, then sat down and pulled his gloves off.

"Okay, I have to do this a little bit at a time. Takes a lot out of me, but...hand me something you think looks like it may be important or familiar, and put it in my hand. And..." he tossed her the bottle of aspirin, "We're gonna need these."

Yes, it looked average. Too average. During her time training under Eliana, they had gone on several missions. When a place looked too clean, she had learned, there was something the person cleaning it had been trying to hide. None of this was something she could easily explain to him. Lenna merely bobbed her head in agreement.

If she knew herself... things would not be obvious. Except, her other self had left a few things out which she had missed. It did not even take very long for him to locate them. Perhaps, detective work was outside her purview. She would stick to being an unemployed ex-assassin.

He brought out several things. A katana, a picture, a... television remote... a cellphone charger that had plugged in to the wall... and a couple of other minor objects that had been left laying around.

Lenna had looked at the apartment before, with the eye of someone looking for obvious things. Clues. With his powers, things that had been sitting out with a good view of the area would be more valuable than other, more secluded, objects... they were obvious, sure, but they would have been useless to her without him.

The television remote had been sitting out on the coffee table. Maybe he had not even grabbed it. Maybe she had simply noticed it when he had placed the katana on the coffee table. If she had spent much time in the room, the remote might have seen plenty. The cellphone charger, as well. And the picture... well, that would have been under the end table where he had found it. Maybe not the best object. But before it had fallen, perhaps she had held it. Maybe even spoken to it, narrating some bit of emotionally-charged inner monologue... long shot, yes. But a shot. And maybe the picture itself would be telling, even before he witnessed its contents. As for the other couple of things...

A boring black decorative pillow. A lamp. A meager selection. But, then, she had not expected him to carry the large flatscreen television over to them, or move around any furniture. Would he have brought her a ceiling fan? Laid it down before her at her feet, like an animal vying for attention. He could touch the sofa, or the loveseat. Or the chair. No movement, required.

The chair was not a recliner. She supposed she was not one for reclining. That spoke about who she had been, just like the other choices. One could spend a long time analyzing personality traits from decorating schemes... but that would all be supposition, and take time. He could just touch things, and learn information like that. A snap.

It was too bad she had no books or videos to show him. Perhaps in the future, she would get a rack and some movies, and rack them up? Some Star Wars, Westerns, Casablanca... other films. And books... what did she even like? Past her probably enjoyed more than nonfiction literature. Lenna would have to find some tastes, now that she had more free time, unfilled by training. Fill it with fulfillment.

The first item she approached was the katana. Lenna picked it up daintily, with her finger tips. Carefully, she walked it back from whence it came. Placed it upon the mantle. ”Yeah...” She winced. ”Let us save that one for a, how do you say it? Rainy day? Or, not ever. If I know me... you will not want to see what that blade remembers.”

That blade likely had been used. She did not want to know what it had been used for. It took no real skill to guess. Lenna had never really been in to interior decorating. Hell, her rooms in Colombia had been as ‘bare essentials’ as one could get.

When she returned, Lenna focused on the next object. The one that was most likely to have something of note. It did not even take Cowboy’s power to read the object’s history... she could give him a general idea on her own.

Lenna plopped down on the sofa, picture in her hands. How had she missed this the first time she had looked?

The color had drained from her cheeks. ”Look at this photograph.” Lenna told him. She held it out, then stopped herself, and pulled it back a little. ”With your eyes only, please. At least, for now. I can tell you all about it.” That had been said, so she felt comfortable showing Thai the picture. Once again, Lenna offered him the picture.

The picture contained two women, smiling. Laughing. They were both dressed in heavy combat boots, with dark green berets, and dark pants and black turtleneck sweaters, with strange “holster” vests over the clothing. Tactical attach points were conveniently placed on the camouflage-patterned garment’s “rigging”. In one woman’s shoulder holster, there was a handgun. The other woman had the double-barrel of something... a shotgun, perhaps, poking its nose up over one shoulder. Strapped in. The taller woman stood with a long rifle held at her side, at an angle. Almost like a walking stick. She had the long rifle propped up, for the pose. On the younger girl, there was a black box that looked like a communications device strapped to her chest. Both girls had dark paint underneath their eyes.

The area behind them looked like tropical jungle. On the right side of the photograph, gray stone walls were visible. The securing walls of a compound.

The taller woman was about 6’1”. She had skin the color of caramel, and raven black hair kept cropped short. Close, neck-level, and worn to frame her face in a sort of bob. Her facial features spoke of Latin or Hispanic origin, or maybe Cuban? Colombian? She looked to be about 20, or 21.

The younger woman was Lenna, at age 13. The picture had been taken before their very first partner mission, after she had graduated from basic training at the mansion. Her hair was longer, in the photograph. It hung over her shoulders, and down her back.

She remembered the day. It had been a day filled with excitement. They had posed for the picture, with a big camera one of the girls had obtained. The girl had used her own money to get the thing. It had been a point of pride. Her own money. She had needed to leave the compound, in order to earn it. In order to buy the camera. Cortez had allowed it... or else, he had not known.

Lenna had kept the photograph as a memento. It was sort of a “death of innocence” thing... even though she had not done the deed, it was something in which she had assisted. Their target had been a member of a rival cartel. Eliana had shot him from afar. Lenna had watched her back... and watched.

Before the shot. “This is how it’s done.” Eliana, with the rifle. In her mind, the gunshot resounded. She remembered it all. How the hell was she going to explain it to him?

”Eliana.” Lenna said, then cleared her throat and tried again. Why was this making her all choked up? ”That is her. This is us. In Colombia. I am 13 in this photograph. I think...” She grimaced. ”I tried to contact her, after I first arrived in New York. Her, and my... “father.” She made a face. ”No answer. I think they are dead.”

It had been years since her time. Anything could have happened to them, in the void that was her memories.

”Ask whatever you wish.” She said, voice dead. This was bound to become a topic eventually. Lenna liked him enough not to insult him by hiding it from him, or conniving with the lies.

Lenna went through the items, and she took the katana and put it back where he'd gotten it, though he gave a nod at her explanation. "Good point. Though, I've seen a lot of things I didn't necessarily want to, and a lot of things I might have. Just know that if it will help us get to the bottom of this, I'll do it. If you ever need me to do anything for you, I will, no questions. But since you don't want me to use my abilities on the sword, I won't."

He looked as she procured the picture, and went to touch it, but withdrew his hand when she told him with his eyes only. Okay, she was going to tell him about it. That might have been better. While his powers were probably more efficient at gathering information, talking was much more personal. And...he liked talking with her; he liked being with her, even in this potentially dangerous and likely to become very effed up situation....they were together.

She was speaking, and her voice sounded...different. He watched her face intently as she spoke, not because he was listening, though he was hanging on every word. Every detail of her face was etched into his brain, and he picked up the grimace, and the face when she mentioned her "father."

"Ask whatever you wish." Her voice was...flat, almost dead. Ty just shook his head. He didn't say anything. What Ty did do, was get up from his position next to her on the couch, and stood in front of her before leaning down and wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. There was nothing romantic about this hug; it wasn't like when he held her while kissing, or when they held hands. This was a firm, yet comforting and loving embrace, as if to tell her he was there for her without actually using words. His right hand ran through her hair gently, just letting her know that it was going to be okay. After a few moments, he released the hug, sitting back next to her on the couch.

He picked up the remote gingerly, looking over at her. "This has probably seen a lot. We can start here, see what your past selves' daily home lives were like." He didn't say anything about the picture, she'd get to that in her own time. He took a firm grip on the remote as his expression went blank, and all the things that little piece of plastic had seen were crammed into his head.

There were a lot of dead spaces, sometimes noise with no image to put to them, but the remote on the table had a good vantage point, able to see most of the immediate area.

After he came out of the vision, he popped another dry aspirin and just leaned his head on Lenna's shoulder as his head throbbed and his face paled. His arm wrapped around her waist as he closed his eyes.

"Gimme a second and we can work through this."

‘No questions asked’ was a dangerous promise to make. He maintained his word, by not asking questions when she went and told him a bunch of personal stuff... and Lenna honestly wished he had not.

The hug was nice, but— she was very conflicted. On the one hand, she wanted to keep their relationship good. Like it was. But on the other hand, secrets... she felt like those were a bad thing for relationships. Not having had one prior to this, the opinion was largely based on her own gut feelings.. and maybe some things she had heard, from people and from various pieces of media. But it was a fair opinion. Secrets push you away from people who you wish to be near. His evasion of her offer of answers... well, she was tense about it. Maybe not all that receptive to his hug or the hair ruffle. Still there, but— not like she had been. Not like before, when they had talked.

There it was. Just there. Distance. Due to a secret. One she had wanted to tell. He had not wanted to hear it.

Honestly, she cared very little for the information housed in the remote. Her Cowboy was being remote. They would have words.

Lenna said nothing when he spoke of the remote. Said nothing when he read it. He came out of it and popped his pills and laid his head on her shoulder and got close. She said nothing about any of that. What she did say, was ”No.”

She was frustrated. He was lucky she did not shift out from beside him, and take away his comfortable head-resting spot.

”You keep doing that. I say something that you could ask questions about. You do not ask questions about it. It is one thing to be sweet and not force me to answer questions I do not feel comfortable answering... but at the same time, Thai... some of these things are important and need to be spoken of! I do not want this to be built upon secrets!!” She had clenched her fists during the little flare-up. Lenna had not raised her voice... not much, at least. She had started out calmly enough, but by the end, she had grown hot. She felt strongly about this thing, then.

Secrets had kind of been the entire MO of working beneath Cortez.

Lenna sighed, and ran a hand through her hair as she turned towards him. Her voice had grown weary, weak. The heat had cooled off. ”Please, do not turn a blind eye when I try and talk about hard things. I am not so weak that talking about them will damage me... they are hard to talk about. They make me sad. But that I can talk about them at all makes me strong... and I wish to speak of them with you. This is more important than the remote.”

"****...right. You like when I use my words," he murmured sadly after she'd finished speaking. He looked up at her, guilt and shame and his eyes. "I'm not used to this, the talking, the questions...I'm sorry, I'll keep trying to do better." He'd nodded, taking a breath.

His older self had been the same way. Problems or anything uncomfortable came up, and he ran away or tried to avoid it entirely. Just like Ty now, the questions he'd had in his mind to ask were difficult, so he'd tried to retreat into a position where he didn't need to ask him. Even though he'd sworn not to become his older self, there were still traces of him in there, and there was still a good chance that he could become that guy after all...

But Lenna wouldn't let him. While the words hurt a little bit, they were needed. Ty took a breath and leaned forward to look at the picture, processing his thoughts.

"What was it like when you were younger?" he asked, deciding just to fire off whatever questions he thought of as soon as they hit his head. After all she liked to know what he was thinking, that he remembered.
"What did you do? Do you remember how you left, how you ended up here? Do you think there's a chance....I could help you find them, if you wanted?"