When his his former self broke free of the weak wristlock the mind caved to the body. The biological systems had overcome the alien Pavlovian conditioning. There was no resistance as the Ranger was pulled closer by the denim jacket, and again no fighting when pulled into a kiss with his old self. Though, she did not return kiss at first. The Ranger's new body was loving every minute of this, the hands, the lips... all of it.

The Ranger felt powerless to stop himself, what could a virtually suppressed consciousness do against the drive of nature's hell bent desires. The jacket then slid off and back went the left arm to prop up his body since it was what his old self used to hold him close. At this point his new body began to become active in the kissing, following which he brought up his female right arm and wrapped it around his old self's neck, taking weight off the left arm which rose to unfasten a clasp. A clasp which earlier the Ranger had trouble fastening, but pure muscle memory had it unfastened easy. The arm then moved to meet the right, behind what had once been his own neck.

At first she did nothing, she was entirely passive under his hands. It was a very good thing that Lori knew what to do with those hands. She knew how this worked, what buttons to push, what things that she instinctively craved. For some reason, she didn't even mind that she wasn't in her body to get the treatment she'd always wanted. It was enough to know that it was being done.

The moment that the woman started responding was her cue. ManLori let off on the pressure on her lower body. If she'd wanted to hurt him, then he would have done it by now. No doubt the hurt would come later, but for now she seemed able to keep it in check enough that manLori only felt a slight tingle to her skin. It was so interesting!

He scooped her up in his arms, careful not to interrupt his mouth's careful work on a spot at her neck. While she worked on removing the last meager amounts of her clothing, he strong armed her onto the bed and pressed on top of her like he was a starving man and she was food and drink. The last of the clothes wormed off between the press of bodies.

**FTB**

((OOC: Fade back in after the hidden content has returned to acceptable levels))

Did, did that really happen? Did I just...

The Ranger lay there on the bed looking at the ceiling, unable to understand why he just did what he did. He hated that he had, but also loved it at the same time. A testament to the Duality of body and mind. The event had drained his new body leaving him teetering on the edge of consciousness, robbing him of focus thus feeding the confusion he had. A few more moments of a confusing self dialogue and he slipped into unconsciousness, his head dropping to lay on one side.

The day had become evening, the sunlight that earlier beamed in through the slits in the blinds was being replaced by the neon lights of the city. The sound of the occasional car horn could be heard from down on the street and doors slammed in the hall. As were the evenings downtown in this city. And yet a hotel room in the Grand Hyatt had gone silent, the violent meeting of two people and themselves which had transformed into something else entirely had ended. In it's wake scattered and even ripped clothing lay still, in stark contrast to how they came to be there.

Lori was aware that Michael was a mutant because somewhere along the line, the man arms had become less strong in favor of a thicker hide to better resist the flow of electricity coming off of the little woman. Lori was also made aware of the sudden and overwhelming urge to sleep after a raucous bout of epicly proportioned narcissism. If she'd thought she'd loved herself before...

When Lori came to again, she was still a man, but curled on her side away from her old body. Some part of her was hoping that would do the trick to switch them back, but apparently not. Lori was still a man and there was something hard underneath his pillow. Manhands emerged from under the fluff with a cold and hard gun. What kind of guy had she gotten involved with this time? She checked the clip and the safety before tucking the offensive tool under the mattress and sitting up.

A sudden glorious idea occurred to her. She could shower. Michael's body leaned down to plant a kiss on her temple and with a 'hot damn!' and a little skip, she went for the bathroom. Unfortunately she was gonna keep this short so that she couldn't sneak out on herself. Of course... he had ripped her shirt off. The idea brought a very satisfied smile to his lips. She'd always wanted to do that.

Opening her eyes he looked around, it was his room but the hair in front of his eyes kept any hope of having returned to his body away. He was still in Elle's body, and more than likely she was still in his. Looking around he realized that his body was nowhere to be found, but after a moment he realized that the shower was running. Elle is still here. He moved his arm to under the pillow but the gun was gone. His gun was Gone! He sprang out of bed, Elle found one of my guns, what about the other? He opened the nightstand and pulled out a Heckler and Koch USP 9mm pistol. Ejecting the magazine he replaced the live rounds with tranquilizer darts, he didn't want to harm his body to badly should he have to fire.

It was then that he realized that he was standing naked in a room holding a pistol. Setting the pistol on top of the night stand he moved around the room and collected the clothes he had been wearing earlier. Listening to make sure he knew when the shower went off he began to get dressed. Which was no issue aside from two snags. First, placing the bra back on took a while to accomplish. Second, the shirt was torn. He leaned down her head and placed her hand over her face. Right, it was torn off by Elle... Moving to the closet he pulled out a black shirt and put it on. It was larger than he anticipated but it'd have to do. He then removed the gun holsters from the closet and began to adjust the straps. Having tightened it as far as he could he put it on, it was still a little to big but it would work.

Moving back to the nightstand he picked up the gun and slid it into the holster under her left arm. Then, he picked up the denim jacket and put it on over the holsters. It hid everything but the knife holster was at an angle where he couldn't stick the knife in without it being apparent so he would have to leave that somewhere. Quick solution, he kicked it under the edge of the bed. Having accomplished all that he made his way to the refrigerator to see if to see if he had any leftovers. And yes, there was half of a T-bone sitting on a plate.

Lori was in far too good a mood to be bothered with the small bother of being a man. He hummed a little diddy from a commercial an octave lower than she usually did, not that she usually hummed. When he exited the steam-filled shower with only a towel he felt a bit underdressed since Lori's body had gotten fully dressed. And he took time to appreciate the man shirt that her woman self was wearing. He could probably resist from ripping that one. Probably.

Lori would not be rushed. She took his time poking around for boxers, undershirts, and actual clothes from the closet. It was actually a little discombobulating walking as a man, not that it was all that different, but she kept catching his wider shoulders on door jambs. It kind of sapped all her cool factor. So she got mandressed in the bathroom and gazed at his scruffy self. He really needed a shave. She hated an unshaven man, but she was honestly a little iffy on the actual how of it all. She didn't shave anything on herself, she couldn't really without water and all that, so she'd gotten that laser hair removal.

Somewhere along the line, womanMichael pulled out a freaking T-bone steak out of thin air. Lori tried not to be rumpled by this discovery despite the fact that he felt like he was going to gnaw his own arm off in hunger. But... what did one say after what they had just done? Since she was nibbling not so daintily on old steak, obviously 'hey, wanna go get a steak' was out. Part of her was tempted to just pick herself up and smuggle herself down into a restaurant or bar so that they could work things out over dinner. Because dinner was sounding so, so nice.

"Do you want me to shave?" She tried not to sound mansullen. She did not want to. He would be better suited to shave himself from another body. She might accidentally nick an important blood vessel. "Your bra straps are twisted." That she could tell from the fact that her assets were crooked. It couldn't have been comfortable.

ManLori approached herself with hands up, non-threatening until he reached the offensive buckle in the shoulder strap underneath the shirt. He worked to untwist it, which was much easier from this angle he had to admit, before stepping back. He'd brushed the holster with his hand and tried not to make physical notice of it. But she was glad to know that she was armed. "Food. Now. You're buying." She grabbed her own little hand in his and started for the door.

The Ranger threw the steak onto a plate stuck it in the microwave to heat up. And a couple minutes later it was nice and hot, and all the way through no less. Setting the plate down on the bar he pulled out a knife and fork from a drawer and dug in. It wasn't bad, after all he had cooked it on the grill he smuggled up to his balcony a week ago. After he had swallowed a few decent sized pieces he heard,

"Do you want me to shave?"

Looking up from his steak he could see his old face, which hasn't been shaved in day and a half now. For some men that wouldn't be that bad but some of his genes come from a part of Texas where the facial hair can onset pretty fast. "If you plan on going outside, yeah." And then as he was slicing up another bite he heard,

"Your bra straps are twisted."

The statement stunned the Ranger for a moment, someone making reference to a bra he is wearing is not something that he is used to hearing. Then before he knew it his old self was upon him working to fix the problem. Which while it was happening he was worried that Elle would discover his gun. And when the task was completed there was no indication that the firearm had been discovered, but that was no guarantee that it hadn't. Turning back to the food he hears yet another exclamation, this one followed by an unexpected action.

"Food. Now. You're buying." Elle exclaimed and grabbed the Ranger's hand yanking him from where he stood and pulling him toward the door.

"Wai...Wait, why am I paying?" He asked, and then followed it with "and do you plan on walking?" Since Elle had blown past the keys he reached out her hand and grabbed the key ring with the Charger's key on it. Sliding the ring down her index finger she held key in the palm of her hand. This way if she had to pull the gun the key wouldn't just drop but just hang from the finger. He didn't much care for the fact that Elle was just dragging him around, but aside from shooting his old self there weren't many options.

"You are paying because you are the man." It did sound a little silly coming from manlips, but it was her policy. "And I am driving because you have a tendency to sizzle the computer when there is traffic. This is New York. There is always traffic." Lori made a grab for the keys that was only half hearted. Yeah, she was physically the man and she liked being in charge, sure, but she hadn't technically driven since she'd fried her last car... that was back in the beginnings of her powers. maybe she was better controlled now. Maybe she could handle driving, she just hadn't tried it in years.

It wasn't the end of the world when she retained the keys. Michael's body did, however, fold his arms and hmmph. She could make this painful again and this time, she wasn't thinking the kind of pain that was exciting. Social Awkwardness. She could do it. She could make him watch his body do things he never knew it ever could do if she wanted. So she let him drive the... ridiculous looking car.

Thinking over what she knew about the man: steak eater, ex-military, ridiculous car driver, and gun toter, he decided to make a guess at what kind of man he was. "Are you from Texas?" Honestly, all he was missing was the boots and hat from a perfect cliche. She didn't know the accent, but it did sound like a southerner and not a Floridian or Georgian one at that.

His mouth was watering already. She had wanted him to shave before going out, but it was a little amusing to Lori that she'd escaped with the scruff. "How about here?" She pointed to a strip littered with various restaurants. Everything from thin crust pizza to to vegetarian indian to a sit down and drink wine type of restaurant. She'd let him pick. Lori was so hungry it all looked good.

"Touché." He said in response to her reason for him paying and in regards to her reason for her driving, "Well good thing there isn't much of a computer in a car from '69." This statement and his resistance to surrendering the keys led to crossed arms and a hmmph which didn't bother the Ranger for he had a gun ready to fire tranquilizers should Elle try to do anything. After that the trip down the elevator and to the car in the lot was rather uneventful.

His car, a 1969 Dodge Charger, had been made up to look like the General Lee. Orange paint, a rebel flag on top, '01' on the doors, and 'General Lee' above the windows. "The doors are welded shut, you have to enter through the windows." He said as he grabbed the top of the window and jumped up sliding her legs in through the window and then sliding all the way in landing in the seat which was now way to far back. "Ugh." The sound escaped her lips as he reached down and pulled the bar under the seat up to slide the seat forward. Then, sliding the keys off of her finger and into a normal grip, he started the car.

The sound of the muscle car's engine roaring was always a pleasant thing to hear. He was about to put the car in reverse and begin the drive when he realized that mirrors were all wrong now. Wanting this to be done quickly he just adjusted the rear-view mirror and the side mirror he could reach. Then as he finally backed out and then started on his way, probably just driving until Elle said to stop somewhere, he heard Elle ask,

"Are you from Texas?"

He glanced at his old body without turning his head and then answered, "Yeah, born and raised!" He said it with pride. Around which time a little bit of stress became apparent on the Ranger's face, the problem with driving so far had not been with frying anything but with the immobility in the arms, and with his proficiency at offensive driving he normally tended to drive that way, but it was proving difficult now.

"How about here?"

The Ranger looked to where Elle had pointed and made his way to where he could turn into the strip. It seemed to have a variety so he skimmed the choices. He may have already had some to eat, but he was the one driving and apparently paying so he was gunna choose. He thought of maybe the restaurant, this madness really made him crave a beer but the Ranger wasn't carrying any ID since he had broken the fake ID that morning, and there was no telling if Elle had grabbed his wallet. Also, alcohol may lead to another experience like earlier, which still bothered him that he had let that happen.

"Hmm, a wing place." He as he drove in its direction and then ultimately parked in front of. Killing the engine and climbing out of the car before any protests if any could be raised.

He was from Texas. Inwardly Lori cringed. She had hoped the world was above such petty archetypes, but then again she had asked. ManLori did actually cringe when he chose wings. After struggling for a not so graceful scramble out of a car who's doors were WELDED SHUT (and rueing the lack of her particular gift... oh what she wouldn't give to be able to blow those doors off that car) Michael's body shot Elle a derisive look.

"Aren't you rather drained still? And you want to get your fingers and face covered in a sticky sauce?" He looked at herself with a look that, no matter the body, had made tough as nails police officers squirm before. It was a look that clearly said 'are you stupid?' without saying anything at all.

"Let's compromise with pizza. Everyone likes pizza." And all this dilly-dallying on the sidewalk meant she was going to break the first person who kept her from said pizza. "I can show you how to charge unless you just want to stick your finger in a socket." He wasn't kidding either.

"One extra fatty large thin crust supreme, two drinks and this fine, young thing is gonna foot the bill." Screw deliberation. This guy clearly had poor taste so she was taking charge now. Michael's body winked at the order taker who was standing at her station, grabbed the cups and didn't even look back or bother to wait for herself to catch up. Lori filled up a heaping cup of Coke with no ice and grabbed a lime or two and several straws before edging his way into a booth at the back. They'd hand the real Michael a number and that would go in the stand at the front of their table.

Until the pizza came, they had time to talk. Lori stretched her man self back in a way that she'd always wanted to. Arms out wide along the back of the booth and knees out wide in a perfectly acceptable man sitting position, but something that would look ridiculous for a woman. Ah being a man. There really was nothing else like it.

His choice had been vetoed, and it was not vetoed by just saying no to the wings it had come with a rather intense look that shook the Ranger's resolve to eat at the wing place. He had forgotten about how in this body electricity bounces around when water and things get on it, thus sapping energy. Well if wing sauce would do that as well than perhaps this wasn't the best choice.

"Alright, fine. Pizza will work." The Ranger stated not enthused by the idea but with no reservations against it. "And by charge, do you mean like a battery?" Since Elle had mentioned sticking a finger in an electrical outlet the Ranger assumed that yes, that is what Elle meant. He then followed his old self into the establishment and after Elle had ordered and, wait...did he just wink at the lady taking the order. The Ranger pulled the wad of cash out of her back pocket and payed for the food and drinks, wishing Elle wouldn't go around making too big of a show in his body. Taking the number the lady handed him he noticed Elle had taken the cups. Briskly walking to where the drinks were Elle handed her the cup that wasn't being filled with coke. The Ranger then filled the cup with tea and poured some sugar in the tea as Elle went and sat at a booth.

Now having a cup filled with sweet tea the Ranger made her way to the booth Elle had chosen in the back. Sticking the number in the stand she slid into the booth across from her old self. She sat in an unladylike fashion, but not as relaxed as how Elle was now sitting in his old body. Taking one of the straws Elle picked up The Ranger stuck it into her drink and took a few sips.

"The straw is a good start." Lori picked her man head up off the back of the both and folded in on herself. She crossed her manlegs and folded her manhands in a way that was the epitome of feminine. Even as a girl she didn't act purely female, but the thought of seeing Michael's reaction to himself looking so fragile and womanly was almost too much to pass on. "You have a lot to learn about using that body. You're right. It is a battery. Water is dangerous for you, the condensation from your cup is dangerous. You'll learn not to get ice eventually." What wen unsaid was the question of how long he would have to learn. How long would they be each other?

Lori angled her manface downward and looked up at herself in a way that worked as a woman, but looked rather questionable on a man. "You'll crave acidic foods. I don't know if that is part of metabolizing electric energy or not." There were still a lot of unknowns about her mutation. She seemed to gain powers before she could manage them and was almost always flying by the seat of her pants. "Run your finger along your forearms. The bumps there metal wires that will help you create charge more efficiently." She squeezed her limes in her coke as she talked and then licked the juices off of her manfingers. She was going to make him as uncomfortable as he would let her.

In all honesty, Lori didn't care what this body did. She felt human. The most human she'd felt in years. If being a man was the price to pay for that then she'd turn that to her advantage as well.

When Elle began to instruct him on how her former body worked and moved into the feminine sitting position the Ranger set her left elbow on the table and set her face in her palm. It was quite embarrassing to see his old body sitting in such a manner. Still, he listened to Elle as what she said would be vital to him for as long as he was stuck as her, which there was no way of knowing how long he would. When he was directed to run her fingers across her forearms he pulled his hand back back from his face, although it had already slid down to only really be over the mouth and chin, and taking her right hand, traced ran a finger across the left arm feeling the bumps. Who is this person that would go through the pain of having wires implanted below their skin?

"So if water is so bad, how would staying clean be accomplished?" He had generally tried to maintain good hygiene whenever possible. Certain times in his military days of course being an exception to this as there was no way to take a shower or in some cases even wash ones hands. He then leaned back and spoke again, "It seems I got the shorter stick out of us, that bodies power is much easier to deal with. It enhances one area of strength, speed, etcetera in relation to the greatest need, but only one thing can be enhanced at a time and if it runs for a long time it will wear you out as if you had been working out the entire time."

He reached forward and grabbed the cup from the top where there was no condensation and brought it closer so he could take a sip through the straw while giving Elle a glare because of how she was acting in his body.

How she kept clean was not surprisingly one of the first questions strangers asked of her upon learning her power's control issues. "You use heavy duty rubber kitchen gloves, hot water and a natural sponge. The sponge may end up a little singed by the end, but you'll be clean. Clean your hands last. If you need to wash your hair do it in a sink and try not to let teh water touch your scalp. If your hair gets greasy at the scalp, which it shouldn't, but it has been hot lately, use talcum powder." She had learned the most efficient ways and so she didn't mind sharing them if he would bother to keep up her body.

Lori scratched her man chin as Michael whined about getting the short end of the stick. "Sweetcakes, you are preaching to the choir." He would get no sympathy from her. It was her body, she knew all the problems it came with. "I just hope you get to experience that time of the month." Lori winked at herself. That was an experience every man could stand to endure at least once.

So what if he was sore the next day? That was something every body endured if it was an active one. Again, Lori couldn't complain about this body. In fact, she stretched and ran her hands over her manabs just for good measure when the waitress appeared with their order. Michael's body grinned for all he was worth when the waitress not only looked, but noticed that he was watching her notice him.

Any and all glares from what looked like a jealous girlfriend were quite inconsequential to manLori.

He mentally tucked away the information on how the unconventional bathing process went. He hoped this nightmare would end before he would have to make use of it, but it never hurts to be prepared. And then Elle mentioned something he had not even thought about yet, that time of the month.

"Oh...Goodie." He stated sarcastically. Then sighing he continued, "and when might I be expecting this?"

Shortly there after the waitress came with the pizza and Elle, in the Ranger's body, continued to act in a manner to attract the lady. The Ranger, really preferring to remain with as few people able to remember his face as possible, certainly did not enjoy seeing this. Also the thought came to him that if Elle decided to pick up someone up than he may lose track of his body. Well if it comes to it, I have the means to take myself down. He knew that the tranquilizers in his gun would be able to down his body, it would just be a matter of getting a good shot if it were to be needed in a public place.

The Ranger leaned back with her right arm crossing her body so a reach for the pistol could be accomplished faster, and he watched to see what Elle would do with the waitress here. He attempted to make the move look casual, Elle undoubtedly knew he had firearms and had a chance to discover the the one he was currently carrying. He couldn't confirm Elle knew, but in case she did he didn't want to tip her off it was a reach for the gun.