Chapter 14
"Please calm down." Chiffon said as they all took a seat at one of the tables prepared. They each had a plate of food except for Varen who had said he wasn't hungry.
"Chiffon you were there you saw what happened. That was a disgusting display that served only to show that the E-Pandora can get beat up by real Pandora." Attia said angrily.
"We don't know that. They did show signs of superhuman abilities like the Pandora have albeit at a much less scale. They may not have known that they would perform so poorly against the real deal." Ticy answered.
"Fine, then explain why they made Amelia fight Elizabeth after she had been pushed beyond her limits. The girl couldn't even stand properly and they forced Elizabeth to crush her like a bug." Arnette said. Chiffon shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It was the first time they had argued as a team like this and it scared her.
"I don't know why, but those girls tried their hardest. What we saw as a poor performance was the best they could possibly do. Varen once found it difficult to stand, but that didn't stop you from impaling him on your scythe." Chiffon shot back. Arnette sat back her eyes wide in shock. As soon as the words came out her mouth Chiffon regretted it. She knew how much Arnette resented how she had been back then and it was an uncalled for insult.
"Yeah…" Arnette said quietly looking down at her plate.
"Arnette, I'm sorry that was wrong. I shouldn't have said that." Chiffon apologized reaching out and holding Arnette's hand.
"Chiffon's right, maybe we are jumping the gun on this one." Varen said at last making everyone look at him in surprise.
"Varen, you've been questioning this place since before we even left and after what we just saw you were equally upset!" Attia said angrily. Varen waved a hand at her to speak quieter.
"That hasn't changed, but I'm also reacting solely on emotion and feelings not factual evidence. Those girls walked out there and got beat up really bad. We are sitting here judging them and this facility even though they walked out there and gave it their all. That's not fair to them and I after thinking more on it I've decided to reserve judgement. I don't want to insult those girls who are choosing to try and be Pandora regardless of their compatibility." He explained and Attia sat back.
"Well, it's not like I'm angry at them, I just think it was embarrassing." The small white haired Pandora answered back crossing her arms.
"I don't think anyone is arguing that Attia, it had to be shameful for them too knowing that they are still so far away. What we're saying is that they tried and are willing to go to great lengths just to stand beside us. That should be commended." Ticy answered.
"They're right this time Attia. Let it go." Arnette answered.
"They're here." Chiffon said quietly as the E-Pandora walked into the cafeteria. A large amount of the Pandora already seated turned to regard them. They were still very bruised and some with bandages. Nonetheless they all quietly retrieved food and took a seat at a table in the corner by themselves.
"Not very social are they?" Arnette asked out loud.
"Would you? They all took beatings from us Pandora and everyone is staring at them like they are some sideshow." Chiffon answered and Arnette nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I see your point." She agreed.
"What the…" Varen trailed off as his eyes followed a woman walking past their table. While focused on the E-Pandora no one else had noticed Elizabeth and Andre come in to eat. They had fallen behind everyone else after the exhibition and were just now arriving. They both walked right past the table all the Nightingales were seated at without so much as a word.
"Where is she going?" Attia asked.
"She wouldn't…" Ticy trailed off and a smile spread across Chiffon's face.
"She would." Chiffon answered as Elizabeth stood next to the table the E-Pandora were seated at.
"What do you want?" One of the E-Pandora's asked. The irritation in her voice was a clear indication of their current mood.
"Room for two more?" Elizabeth asked politely and the girls all looked at each other. Elizabeth took their silence as a sign of welcome and sat beside Amelia, the girl she had fought earlier. Her head was wrapped in a bandage that covered one of her eyes. Andre sat on the other side of Elizabeth and began to eat his food.
"Are you here to brag about your win?" Another E-Pandora said making Elizabeth look over at her.
"Gina, right? No, I am not here to gloat. I'm here to eat amongst comrades. Is that not common practice here?" Elizabeth answered and Gina sat back.
"Comrades?" Rattle asked and Elizabeth nodded opening a small container of sauce. Amelia hadn't looked up from her plate during the conversation seemingly content to ignore the conversation flowing around her.
"You all fought well." Elizabeth said sticking a knife into the container and spreading the contents over a piece of bread.
"You are here to mock us. Saying we fought well when all we did was get beat up." Gina argued narrowing her eyes.
"You can get beat up and still fight well. You can let your pride rest I assure you I'm not here to pour salt into open wounds." Elizabeth responded taking a bite of her food.
"Then why are you here?" Amelia asked at last before Gina could argue.
"As I said, I'm here to eat amongst comrades." Amelia set her fork down and turned to face Elizabeth.
"You're a Pandora. More than that you're a Nightingale from West Genetics. Even we are aware that being a member of that group makes you one of the best Pandora out there. We aren't even a fraction close to a Nightingale so you can understand why we are skeptical of your claims of eating with comrades." Amelia said.
"My status as a Pandora does not grant me some special power that sets me apart from those who consider themselves below me. You all are trying to stand beside us against the Nova. You can't do it the traditional way, so you are working to find a way to do it via other means. We were born with the compatibility to be Pandora. You are having to earn it through determination and sacrifice whereas we inherited it." Elizabeth explained.
"That sounds like pity." Gina said. Elizabeth took a sip of her drink and cleared her throat.
"There's not a Pandora in this room who doesn't recognize that you aren't up to our level yet. Just like there isn't a Pandora here who also doesn't recognize that you still went out and tried. The fact is you are already showing signs of being able to control Pandora powers without stigmata. Every Pandora here, came to help you all grow. To get to the next step needed to bring you closer to Pandora." Elizabeth responded.
"She's right!" A Pandora at the table nearby shouted.
"We're here to help!" Another added from another table. The E-Pandora looked around as one by one each table joined in trying to encourage them. Elizabeth took another drink to hide her smile.
"You're Elizabeth Mably right?" Amelia asked her mouth still open in shock from everyone cheering.
"I am."
"Are you that Mably?" She asked and Elizabeth smiled while nodding.
"Yes, I am the daughter of the president of Mably pharmaceuticals."
"No way!"
"Seriously?" The E-Pandora all said their eyes wide.
"You have the best lip sticks ever!" Gina said.
"Pandora receive special pricing and as I said we are comrades, so that extends to you as well." Elizabeth said and the eyes around the table widened even further.
"Please say I can place an order through you!" One of the girls asked happily reaching out and clasping Elizabeth's hands.
"Of course I can handle it all from here and send it to our office." Elizabeth answered raising more excitement from the E-Pandora. Amelia watched her and failed to suppress the small smile now on her lips. She hadn't seen her friends this happy in a very long time.
"She's something isn't she?" Ticy said looking across the room at the E-Pandora crowding around Elizabeth.
"She's a born leader." Chiffon answered.
"She comes from one of the most powerful families in the world. By all accounts she should be a spoiled brat." Arnette said.
"She's not though. That's not how she was brought up." Attia added and Arnette nodded.
"What do you mean?" Varen asked and Attia looked over at him.
"Noblesse oblige."
Hours later Varen stood on the side of the sparring ring looking around the empty room. Very few were still awake or out of their room at this hour, but Varen was restless. He had told Chiffon he was going to take a walk around some of the facility to try and calm himself. He reached down and touched the mat that covered the ring that earlier he had fought Chiffon on, and even more recently Elizabeth and Amelia.
"Isn't it a bit late?" Arnette asked and Varen turned seeing her approach.
"Yeah, not tired yet. Why are you here?" He asked and she shrugged.
"I followed you. I think you know why." She said stepping up beside him, leaning on the platform the sparring arena was on.
"I don't have an answer for you. When Chiffon shattered my offhand I thought of your weapon out of instinct. It's the only other volt weapon I'd ever held so it just came to mind." He answered.
"Look, you can wield my volt weapon. That alone is unheard of…well, actually everything about you is unheard of, but that's beside the point. It's one thing for me to summon my weapon and you to wield it, but you can summon it." Arnette said and Varen nodded.
"It was just instinct. She disarmed me, I had a fraction of a second to think and thought that your scythe would give me an advantage."
"Have you tried with anyone else?" Arnette asked.
"Before I fought Chiffon for the very first time I tried with Ticy. I wasn't able to hold her weapon back then."
"It's been a long time since then, and perhaps you didn't have a connection to her like you do with us. What about Attia?" She asked and he shook his head.
"No, I've never tried with anyone else." He answered.
"Well, I think we should both see Dr. Schmidtz when we get back home. A lot of your abilities are explained by the stigma cells present in your body. Wielding someone's volt weapon and even summoning it is something else entirely." Arnette said.
"Alright, I think you're right we'll see what she says." The lights flickered and dimmed as Varen finished talking. They both looked around as a loud hum of electrical current passed through the facility. After a few moments the lights reverted to their normal level of illumination.
"What was that?" Arnette asked.
"Power surge? I don't know. I'm going to head back. They want us back here tomorrow. I guess they made some modifications and want to retest the E-Pandora." Varen said and Arnette cocked her head.
"But, they just fought today. They are going to throw them back in against us tomorrow?" She asked and Varen shrugged.
"Like I said, I guess some modifications were made using the data they collected from today's matches."
"Modifications? What are they, machines?" Arnette asked.
"I have no clue, and to be honest I don't know if I even want to know. Good night Arnette." He answered. She waved a hand in response and turned resting her arms on the arena. She couldn't figure out why this place made her so uncomfortable. Another hum passed through the walls and the lights once more flickered. Whatever was happening was drawing large amounts of power and that alone worried her.