”Boys.” Lenna said imperiously. ”Suck.”

She was sitting at an outside table at a nice little New York cafe with one of her best friends. They each had sandwiches and refreshing beverages. It was one of their weekly lunches. And she felt chatty.

Megan was one of the first people she had met when she had deaged. She had helped rescue her from a fire. Or Megan had helped rescue her from a fire. It was entirely possible Lenna had been the cause of said fire. The whole thing had been pretty hazy. But they had escaped together, hung out while trying to figure the age thing out, and ultimately become friends! And friends talked about all sorts of things. Hence, boys suck.

Did she elaborate on the subject? No. She simply stared at Megan for a reaction.

As they sat there, people passed by in the background. One woman shot the younger of the two women a confused look. Might even have been a disapproving look. Due to the outfit that looked like a rainbow unicorn had a barf attack all over. But it might have been for some other reason than that.

So what if Lenna wore orange sneakers with yellow laces, and a pair of black denim jeans, white socks, a red sriracha sauce t-shirt with a rooster on the chest and Asian script, and a green Carhart hoodie inherited from a friend that only had minimal bullet holes and stab wounds to give it that worn in / distressed look. Oh, and a blue scarf. A sky blue scarf.

"A perfectly valid statement."

Megan picked away her "sandwich" she had ordered, after sneaking in some Tupperware contained slices of raw ham from her purse. To outside eyes, she just looked like a snobby young woman trying to avoid extra carbs.

"Did I ever tell you that, apparently, the one I had when I was older tried to kill me at some point? Suck indeed."

She shifted in her seat, switching which legs were crossed, and speared the woman who had dared to give Lenna a look with one of her own. One that was hungry and promised things she probably wasn't actually capable of. She had seen people give her bestie such looks before, and they seemed to be from her choice in clothing. Colors, patterns, the whole lot. As such, Megan had invested in a small wardrobe of very colorful things that she could wear out when around Lenna, occasionally, so that she wasn't quite so alone.

Today she had paired Black cotton leggings with colorful leg warmers and the brightest turtleneck sweater she could find.

"Do you want to talk about it? Or would you like me to hunt him down and web him to a... tree?"

Tried to kill her?

”No, you did not. I hope you put spiders in his ears.” Lenna “joked.” Haha. Because a more violent former version of her would have suggested far better. Or far worse, from the right perspective.

Lenna was aware of Megan’s food propensities. They had done sushi last time. But sometimes it is nice to feel normal, and going places with a friend is about as normal as one can get. So she knew about the smuggled ham. Lenna did not judge.

She ate a bite of her own sandwich. A club.

Megan asked if she wished to speak of it, and Lenna nodded. Whether Megan construed that as her wishing Megan to hunt down and web the boy or not was entirely up to Megan’s fine interpretation. Lenna did not elaborate.

Lenna did speak, though.

”I wanted to go on a date with him. Set one up. He has now cancelled on me three times. I am, how do you say it? Peesed off!” Her Spanish accent grew heavy on the words ‘pissed off.’

Conspiratorially, Lenna leaned forward, cellular phone in hand.

She brought up her texts logs. She was much more literate at such things now. Lenna showed Megan.

”I have texted him what I told him was a picture of him when I saw him out when he should have been with me or on his own. Doing what he said he had to cancel our date in order to do.”

Without the glimmer of humor, Lenna showed Megan the picture. She was always bad at jokes so yes, this was to be humorous. Conveying that took effort Lenna did not always give. Megan was most likely used to Lenna’s brand of subtlety by now.

The picture was of a shelf in a convenience store. It was in the candy aisle. Clearly centered, there was a Cadbury brand candy bar confection called a Flake.

”He has not yet replied.” Lenna stated, somewhat smugly.

"Probably. Nobody knows for sure what happened but he's dead now, so..."

She trailed off with a shrug and sipped the mostly-water-tea she had ordered (1/4th tea, a full cup of ice please). Lenna was one of the few people she felt like she could talk to about the nitty-gritty things. Lenna was honest with her feelings and Megan felt like she would get truthful answers to questions from her, instead of frowns and nervous side-eye.

As Lenna continued with her story, Megan made a mental note to try and track the boy in question down. Maybe hang him from a tree by his toes, or glue his legs together for a while like a mermaid. All very fun ideas for a later date, though.

She leaned in while toying with the straw in her drink, seeing the picture of the candy on the shelf, and barely held back a laugh. Her cheeks puffed out and a little Pffpt escaped, and she sat back again.

"After that scathing joke, I can imagine that he might be too afraid to reply back. Must have wounded his pride quite a bit." The 16-year-old pushed some ice cubes around with her straw absently. "If I were in your shoes I can't say I would have the same amount of patience. I probably would have tracked him down and demanded answers after the first canceled date." Which... was probably another reason it was good that she wasn't looking at dating anyone anytime soon.

She offered a placid smile to her friend, "If you ever need help tracking him down, do let me know. I have plenty of time to spare most days."

>>"Probably. Nobody knows for sure what happened but he's dead now, so..."

So he was dead. “Like my adopted father.” Lenna said. ”No real loss. The world is probably better for their absence~.” Her voice was not bitter. This was a mere statement of fact, rattled off smooth as silk.

Lenna had spoken to Megan about her past, in pieces. As bout how she was an orphan. Parents killed by pirates. Left with no family in the world. About being adopted into a strange extended sort of family in Colombia. An all-girls school, sure. Though one with a penchant for teaching violence. Moreso than useful things. And about her adopted father, Cortez. The drug lord. About him being dead now.

She shrugged too. And moved on without giving the whole topic a second thought. There were other things to speak of such as sucking boys.

Megan greatly appreciated her joke. Lenna allowed the hint of a pleased smile to tug at the corner of her mouth.

Perhaps he did fear reprisal. Or perhaps he was ashamed. He should have been. Should be. Lenna loathed betrayed trusts. Especially from people she cared about. Off if she had wounded his pride, maybe he would learn from it, and gain some consistency in order to maintain future promises.

The fact she thought of future promises likely meant she would ultimately forgive him, this time. But still, he had damaged the relationship. With his flakiness. His unwholesome flakiness.

She smiled a cat’s smile at the thought of Megan assisting her in tracking him down. A hunting cat’s smile. Such an image.

”I thank you for the offer,” Lenna stated. ”But I think, with my particular set of skills, I could find him on my own. I do have a particular set of skills, do I not?” Smile, amused smile. ”Skills he would not much like. That would make me a nightmare~ Heh. If he does it again, maybe I will just assassinate his a—“

“Lena!” A woman’s voice cut her off. Before she could drop the third ass in a sentence.

“-ss.” The air escaped, all the same.

A woman. An unfamiliar woman. Had rushed up to their table. Interrupting food time. Who was this woman? And why was she calling her Lena. The pronunciation was all wrong. She was in her 50s or 60s, with a short bob of brown and gray hair and a face that had smile lines at the mouth and eyes.

Her jacket was long and gray, her cardigan, black. Diamond stud earrings were pinpricks off light in her ears, and they looked real. She looked to Lenna, then eyed Megan. Her eyes were blue-green. There would be something about that, something. Notable. Familiar.

”Who are you,” Lenna said brusquely. ”Why are you using that name? I do not know your face.”

The woman began to cry. “So much like her. I just knew. I’ve been looking. I hired someone— just like—“

She reached up to touch lenna’s face...

Lenna’s hand snapped up. There was a shattering sound. And suddenly, she held Megan’s broken glass in her hand.

”Stop!” A single tear rolled down Lenna’s cheek. Though possibly, probably, it could have also been a far flung drop of Megan’s water tea. Lenna was not really the crying type.

She had a point. Megan conceded to it, sipping her mostly-water again. If Lenna did truly want it done, she certainly didn't need any help.

The sudden interruption of a voice that, according to Lenna's reaction, was not expected on her side as well, has Megan sitting up straighter in her chair. A woman rushed the table and seemed thoroughly focused on Lenna. It was a little tense but calm-

Her glasses shattered, dangerous parts flew into Lenna's hand, and just like that it suddenly was not. Calm, that is,

Megan stood her self, as one hand inched down to her side where her trusty taser was hidden away.

"I suggest you back up, lady. Invading someone's space like that is how you end up with new holes in you." Her hair twitched, and a few spiders wriggled out from the naps they had been taking. Megan eyed her friend carefully.

"Are you okay? Do you want to leave?"

The woman, whoever she was, was not blind. Caught up in her emotions, yes, but not blind. Or stupid. When Lenna told her to stop, she stopped. Maybe a second slower than another may have, yes. But she stopped.

Her hand halted, hovered by Lenna’s cheek. Her eyes searched the young girl’s, uncertainty in them. Who was this girl she had once known? What had become of her? Other than the age factor, a thing she had already easily explained. Lost years. Lost memories. But what had she done to lead her to be this... violent?

The other girl stood, talked, threatened. My oh my, but she had made a mess of this.

She sniffed. Stepped back. Brushed her tears away with the back of one hand. Her bearing shifted from uncertainty and a self conscious hunch, to something proud.

Lenna relaxed a little, the moment the woman moved away. Just a little. Her grip on the broken glass remained strong. Her hand trembled, slightly. But it was ready. She flicked her eyes to the hand holding the broken glass aloft. The glass that had nearly been mashed into the woman’s cheek. And, she let it be lowered to the table.

The tablecloth was stained red by her hand. It had caught a few drops of her blood. Broken glass is indiscriminate of who it cuts. Perhaps she, herself, needed to do a better job of discriminating. The fact she had been so close to violence... It disheartened Lenna. Scared her, a little. She wished she were more beyond those old habits. But what do they say of old habits and dying? Ah yes. They die hard.

Lenna had no wish to die that day. What would he, would be. Violence, included.

Megan asked if she wished to go. Lenna watched the woman and said she did not yet know. What the woman said next would determine...

“My apologies,” the woman said, voice tight. “I grew carried away and lost myself. It is just that you look exactly as your mother did when she was your age.” Left unsaid were the words ‘rainbow clothing notwithstanding.

“My... mother?” Lenna asked.

“My name is Liandra Kadick,” the woman said. “And I am your aunt.”

Many things had been expected, but that? That had not been one of them.

Lenna had told Megan many things. Not five minute ago, she had said that she had no family. This and that? Yeah. They did not, how do you say, jive? What Megan knew about Lenna, well, it was brief and also a lot. Lenna had spoken of the plot, the former Lenna who had deaged. She had told Megan of a her who had worked for the redhead, Ty, years prior. And she had explained about SUPER and her supposed relationship with them. And that had all been in one conversation. Since then, she had expounded on a lot of the gray areas. Like her conversation with a girl named Aura and another Earth. So...

Yeah. There was a lot to unpack for the both of them in the revelation that this woman, this Earth’s woman, thought she was Lenna’s aunt. When this Lenna she was speaking to? As far as she knew, she was from another place with other stuff. Original Lenna was, apparently, Null. Or a Null. Probably both since she wasn’t around to cause them any trouble in the here and now. This all combined to make Lenna very, very confused.

Lenna looked at her, and spoke, Colombian accent thick. ”I am very, very confused. Are we even from the same planet?”

In the midst of her confusion, she felt oddly proud of herself! Planets were one of the many things she had recently studied. And stars! They were some of the many things Cortez had never trained them in or taught them about. The solar system. ‘Who needs to know about how the earth moves around the sun when you can learn fifteen ways to kill someone with your finger!’ he might have said.

The woman, clearly missing the context of the planet comment, nodded. She got it. “It’s a lot to take in.” She said. “If you’d like, we can take my limo to my mansion, and we can speak about this further. I am so glad I found you, Lena.” She smiled. “I’ve been searching for so long.”

Lenna looked to Megan, a rare look of utter loss on her face. The look said “help!”