Okay, so talking. He'd stopped his crying, so talking came next, right? She had to prepare herself. Okay, Lenna. Be strong. Compassionate. Breathing. She took a breath as he took a breath. Maybe if she was calmer, the dull throbbing would go away.

One breath. Two breaths. Red breath. Blue breath.

Her eyes fell to what he'd been doing before the crying started. Gun parts lay scattered across the table. Some may have been on the floor.

Lenna realized she still had her arm around the blond's shoulders. That fell. Lenna rested her hands on her knees.

When the Ranger was ready, he let it all out. She took it all in. Like a balloon sculptor folds ends, and forces air from one side of the rubber casing to the other side, and ties it off, so too did the air in Lenna's body flow upwards to her bobbling head, and find its home. Balloon-head Lenna took it all in because she'd volunteered herself for the job. All that was left for her to do was pop.

What?

The electricity surging from the collar ebbed away towards the walking battery next to her. Lenna tried constructing thoughts.

A sigh escaped her. She leaned forwards, and tightened the grip on her knees. "About finding a way to reverse it... you might be right. But Mars told me about Adapteds with stronger auras than my own... if there are some that can fully nullify, maybe there are some that can reverse?" She didn't know. Her knowledge on her own kind was sketchy as the picture Mars had painted for her, at best. Further research, required. "Second thought. Maybe it's affecting others. If that's the case, we might be able to find more afflicted by the condition. Further knowledge could be gained... thirdly." Lenna paused. She was on a roll, but where was she rolling to? Michael was worried about how he was acting in the body. When Mars was around, and even before... was he... was he worried he was becoming less of a man by being a woman? Or worried that his emotions were skyrocketing out of control? If it was the former... she could help. But... She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I can do to help you with that last one. If you're worried about your sexuality, because you were attracted to Mars..." Ugh. "There's only one way to be sure."

Can't believe I'm saying this... "Anyways." Moving on.

That wasn't how she rolled.

As Lenna spoke the Ranger had the feeling that s/he was gaining a charge, not too much and s/he wasn't sure from where. Lenna's reply addressed the Ranger's series of issues in three points. When she finished with, "Anyways." The Ranger spoke again.

"Hopefully there are some adapted who can... but adapteds don't seem all that common, you're the only one I've met an' before today I'd never heard of 'em. And their's always the possibility that it idn't mutant related, I can't think of anything else it could be, but that doesn't mean something else can't be the cause. " Then addressing Her second point, "Possibly...hopefully. Anyone else affected may be more forthcoming of information than Lori was."

The Ranger took a breath and then replied to Lenna's statement about him being worried about his sexuality, "It's not so much a concern for my sexuality, it is more existential than that. I am worried about loosing myself. Yet, I guess my sexuality is a part of that... I jus' fear that by being in this body and subject to it's hormones and the like I will become someone else, or at least... a different version of myself."

The Ranger hoped his fears were unfounded and that everything would work out, but s/he just couldn't bring his/herself to be optimistic with no intel.

Bullet, dodged.

Lenna nodded her head slowly as Michael (Michelle?) spoke about adapteds. It was true, they hardly knew anything about Adapteds, but it was also true that Mars knew of one. Perhaps he could help them find that adapted? From a distance, of course.

As for the thought that it wasn't mutant-related. Well... that wouldn't make much sense. Did anyone even have the technology to switch minds and bodies? Was that even conceivable? Was that even kosher? Forget the ethical and moral questions of cloning, brain transplants were the new top technology, people.

Hrm.

As for Michael's last statement...

"I see," Lenna replied with silent restraint. "An existential crisis. That's tough. But if you're worried about losing yourself, maybe you could find some thing that defines who you are, and keep it close... try not to worry about becoming the body you're in. I have a feeling you'll be the same messed up you, no matter the shell. One can't really define what makes a spirit... but I think it's made of tougher stuff than that."

"Something that defines me...?" The Ranger wondered out loud. He identified himself as, and his codename in the 1st SFOD-D was partly based on his time as, a Ranger. He worked hard to make it through Ranger school and when the Ranger tab was pinned to his sleeve it was one of the most impactfull moments in his life. Even though he is out of the Army, he strives to live up to the Ranger's creed and Roger's Rangers standing orders.

In the hotel he had been staying in before being evicted from his body he had his beret and in Texas hung his uniform which his Ranger tab was attached to. Also in Texas were his service tomahawk and service pistol.

"I guess being an Army Ranger defines me, and the only connection to that I have here is my beret. Everything else from my military days are in Texas. And I hope you're right. "

The Ranger's breathing remained stable and no tears were going down his female face, for now at least s/he was okay.

Hmm. So, being a ranger meant that much to him? She'd been a bit unfair earlier with her comments, if that was the case. She'd wanted skills to speak for themselves, titles be damned. If everything in the world was as simple as a title that defined you, or an object you held, things would be a lot easier. Have a stethoscope? You're a doctor. Soccer ball? You're a soccer player. Dashing beret? She supposed, in this case, that would mean 'Ranger'. Though, berets reminded her of something. Lenna paused. Now, where had she put it again?

"Hold on a minute. I've got to go grab something..." Lenna held up a finger for time. Then, she rose from the couch, and stalked off towards her room. After a minute of rooting around in drawers, she found it. Lenna plopped back down onto the couch next to the Ranger, and held the brown army hat out for him.

"This," She spoke softly, folding it over in one hand. "You can hold onto for as long as you need. But I'll want it back." She offered a smirk.

"Hold on a minute. I've got to go grab something..."

Lenna jumped up and hurried upstairs leaving the Ranger wondering what she had that could be so important? The Ranger could hear her rummaging around looking for whatever this something was. Before long she was back and returned to the couch. And then she held out a garrison cap. The Ranger reached out to take hold of the cap as she spoke again,

"This," "You can hold onto for as long as you need. But I'll want it back."

The Ranger looked at the front of the cap, the insignia looked familiar but he couldn't immediately place it. S/He looked at the star, a silver star that wasn't tilted. Only a few countries used that for their generals as America does. Mexico, Republic of China(Taiwan), France, Italy, and Poland. Poland... The Eagle was Polish, he had seen it amongst a crowd of NATO officers.

"A Polish General's garrison cap..." The Ranger looked back up at Lenna. "Not exactly special operations but it is military. Thank you, and of course."

The Ranger again looked at the cap, this couldn't possibly be hers. She was much too young to be a General and s/he knew that an American General wouldn't wear a garrison cap but a Polish one might, but s/he believed most NATO nations now used berets so perhaps a father or grandfather? "Where did you get this?" The Ranger asked looking back to her.

>>"A Polish General's garrison cap..."

Lenna kept smirking as the Ranger looked the cap over in his hands. For all it was worth, he seemed impressed. Then, came the question she'd have the most fun answering.

>>"Where did you get this?"

Where'd ya get it?

"Summer camp," She smiled. "And a Polish general." Of course.

Lenna had had many people who trained her back in Cortez's army. From the Chinese martial arts master with the waxed mustache, to the ex-Polish general who taught her about basic firearms. With Eliana's help, she'd even gotten good enough to win the hat off the general. Though, in this case, she'd won it in a poker game, rather than shooting.

Still. Far more interesting than the tired old cliche, 'I got it off a dead Polish general'.

"I won it." Sounded far better.

Quite.

"Summer camp," "And a Polish general." "I won it."

She won a Polish General's garrison cap at summer camp. If that is true it must be one hell of a story. The first question the Ranger had was, "What kind of summer camp involves Polish Generals?"

The Ranger lay the cap on his/her lap and while still holding it s/he ran his/her female thumb across the material. It felt similar to his beret, the only tactile difference was the difference in thickness while holding it. "And how did you win his piss-cutter?.. Er, sorry. Garrison cap." The Ranger, out of habit, slipped into his old military slang.

>>"What kind of summer camp involves Polish Generals?"

"The kind that's less 'Summer', and more 'Boot'," Lenna replied. Did he want the full story behind that, or just the foot-notes? "It's where I was trained." She offered the bare minimum of details.

"As for how I won that piss-cutter," she arced an eyebrow at the charming moniker. "I beat one of my instructors at a friendly little game of poker. I'm good at poker, you know? A real ace."

Boot camp with a Polish General, and she doesn't sound like a Pole. Perhaps paramilitary, or a guerrilla fighter from somewhere. S/He reasoned that another NATO country could have asked this general for aid, maybe even the United States, but with her being unimpressed with him being Ranger s/he doubted that she came from any NATO country's military. Thus coming back to some kind of paramilitary group. "Boot camp huh, with whom? This place seems to nice fer anyone on a regular soldier's sal'ry."

Then in regards to how she won the cap, "Ah, poker. It seems top brass of all countries have a tendency to loose things when playin' against the rank an' file. Good job." The Ranger was not speaking from much personal experience. He had been around when poker games were going on but he seldom joined. He spent all available time working to land himself in "Delta force" and once their, due to the political climate, his C.O. kept him out of the country and out of direct communication most of the tme.

>>"Boot camp huh, with whom? This place seems to nice fer anyone on a regular soldier's sal'ry."

"That," Lenna commented with mild amusement. "Is a secret." He'd have to do a lot more than hang around her for a few hours to get that silly truth out of her. He had to earn her trust. One didn't go around telling random people off the street that they had worked for drug lords, after all.

Lenna leaned towards Michael, and gave a slight seated bow at the comment. As she came up, she eyed him. "You any good?"

The Response the Ranger received furthered his belief that Lenna was not in a traditional army's boot camp. There was still the possibility of being trained in one of some military's covert units, but that was less likely as their covers tend to be part of the regular military in a clerical capacity. "Fair enough.

Lenna gave a seated bow following his congratulatory comment, "You any good?"

"I ne'er had much of a chance ta play, most SOCOM troops play it all the time, but due ta America's recent mutant policy I was kept out'a country an' away from most major bases by my C.O." At the time he had not been informed of why he was being kept out on a seemingly endless deployment, by special operation standards at least, and he had not been told of the mutant registration fiasco until he returned to fort Bragg after it ended.

>>"I ne'er had much of a chance ta play, most SOCOM troops play it all the time, but due ta America's recent mutant policy I was kept out'a country an' away from most major bases by my C.O."

"Then I'll have to teach you," Lenna replied demurely. "Something to kill the time while we wait for daylight to come."

It seemed Time had behaved like a stone ever since they'd met at the gas station. The talking, the running, the shooting, had all served as tension in the drawn-back length of the sling. More and more, it had tugged at them, and finally, it had been let go. Her eyes moved to the clock on the wall. It was nearly nightfall already. My, how time had shot.

Her eye's fell back to the hat, then to the Ranger. "Let's see how that looks on you." That wasn't a request. It was a demand.

"Then I'll have to teach you," "Something to kill the time while we wait for daylight to come."

Was killing time the most important thing to do? Aside for taking care of life essentials, gun maintenance, and sleep they should be trying to locate Lori. That was in theory though, so far the Ranger him/herself had used time for personal issues and they had little information to track down Lori outside of inspecting where the police found the General, or just searching the city as a whole. The former would be difficult after having the police swarm all over it, the latter difficult due to the city's sheer size.

Perhaps some time could be allocated to poker, at least until they are hot on Lori's trail. "Alright, why not? Aside from locatin' all that gun's pieces and reassemblin' it there idn't much else for me to do. Speaking of, do you have some spare gun oil?"

Lenna's eyes lowered to look at the garrison cap. She then spoke in a forceful tone, obviously she was not just suggesting,"Let's see how that looks on you."

The Ranger looked down at the cap s/he was holding in his female hand. The general rule was not to wear one indoors, and the Ranger opened his female mouth to state this but stopped. Women could wear them indoors, except when eating and the Ranger was now a woman. S/He slid her thumbs inside of the the cap and opened it up, lifted it up over his/her head, and then rested it atop his female head. S/He moved his/her hands from the sides to the front and rear of the cap and adjusted it so it sat correctly.

"How does it look?"

Killing was the most important thing to do. More-so, time. After everything that had happened that day, Lenna hated to say it, but she was getting tired. It seemed like maybe Michael was, too, what with the crying. Lenna had no idea how Lori's biology worked, but she had a feeling that those sparks coming off Lori's eyes earlier were draining her of some sort of inner reserve of energy. They both needed a recharge. Running around the city right now would likely do them no good. Besides, Mars was on it. They'd start fresh tomorrow. Now was the time for relaxation. Cue hat-wearing, and cards.

>>"Alright, why not?"

Michael even consented.

>>"Aside from locatin' all that gun's pieces and reassemblin' it there idn't much else for me to do. Speaking of, do you have some spare gun oil?"

"Of course," she replied. But first, hat-wearing please.

>>"How does it look?"

Lenna stowed a smug smile. "It looks good. Let me go grab you that gun oil. Try and gather all the little pieces you can." She pushed off the couch, and left the living room.

A few minutes later, she returned with an arts and crafts box full of gun maintenance supplies. She set it down on the floor, and popped the top. A moment of searching later, she found the gun oil. She held it out.