"All Sirens receive rudimentary battle training in case a program tries to escape," Nora said, giving her baton a final twirl before putting it back on her hip. "A light staff was confiscated from a program one cycle. It was the first one I had ever seen. Usually, weapons are destroyed or repurposed. I took it. I figured out how to use it. I was… good at it. Kaira helped me. And when I came to End of Line and started rescuing programs, Gem and Zuse helped me as well."
It felt good, this pouring out of feelings. Normally, she built walls around herself. Don't love, don't care, don't let your feelings show. But it was like the dam was bursting, here and there, and… she felt lighter, somehow. Less weighted.
Cor nodded a little as he listened closely to her story, only mildly surprised that his guess had been partly right. In hindsight, he should have realized that Gem and Zuse had taught her more about using that weapon. … The same type of weapon that Aurora used… That was another interesting coincidence between the two. Choosing to ignore that thought for now, Cor made sure to remember Kaira’s name. He was sure Nora had mentioned her at least once before.
“That’s really cool, Nora.” he said sincerely with a genuinely impressed smile. “Personally, I’ve never been very comfortable with anything other than my disc. If I ever held an active light staff, I’d be a little worried that I’d cut my arm off or something.” he admitted with a light chuckle as he grabbed his disc and started twirling it around his fingers. “But I have to ask; why would they destroy weapons? Repurposing them makes sense but I don't get destroying them.”
Nora shrugged. "There weren't many weapons that we had to confiscate, since many programs use disks, but the ones we did get, we were supposed to put in a chute. Most of the weapons reappeared in the weapons room. I've always assumed the others were destroyed, for whatever reason."
In truth, it wasn't something she had really given thought to before. Why, indeed, destroy weapons? Maybe Clu had been taking some, stashing them away, bit by bit, for his own nefarious purposes.
“Ah… That makes sense.” he agreed. Of course, many programs used their discs as a preferred weapon of choice, though there was always a bit of a risk involved in the possibility of the disc getting lost or taken. But he considered it a necessary risk with his “job” as Black Light. “Well, I guess it's not too important anymore. Since Clu’s gone and the Games are… Well, you know.” he shrugged, tossing his disc lightly into the air before catching it again.
"I heard that some programs want the Games to come back," Nora said, lifting her gaze to the distant arenas that stood, silent, at the outskirts of the city. "Although I don't think it will be allowed."
“What? Why would anyone want that?” he asked in surprise, nearly dropping his disc. The Games had been terrible. Just one of Clu's methods of keeping programs in line… by derezzing those who didn't agree or fit in with his idea of perfection. The idea made Cor sick. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he had to admit that if the threat of being derezzed was removed and it was made into just a simple competition… maybe it wouldn't be so bad?
Nora shook her head. "I don't know." She had heard enough death screams from her Siren days, listening to the roar of the crowd. The lust for cubes. The mania that shook the walls. It had terrified her as much as it seemed to energise others.
Cor sighed a little and put his disk back in its holster. “That’s just… so wrong.” he murmured. As he turned to look at the Siren, the realization of what she'd most likely seen and experienced struck him almost as hard as a physical hit. “Oh… Nora, I… I’m so sorry.” he said softly, silently promising that he wouldn't let the Games come back. He wasn't sure why the feeling was so strong this time but he wasn't going to fight it.
Nora's lashes dipped, her head drooping forward slightly, her usually impeccable posture bending. A soft expression of sadness settled onto her face like powder.
"It's all right," she murmured. "It was a long time ago."
But it wasn't a long time ago. It felt like yesterday that she had spent every cycle preparing programs for death. Shutting herself into a claustrophobic cell. Forced to stay there until the Games were over. Hearing everything amplified until it rang through her head and made her sick.
Bit, concerned, floated onto her lap. She stretched a hand over it as though she were petting it. Nobody deserved to hear those things. Ever. No matter what the reason. She would hear them until the day she died.
Cor shook his head again and tentatively reached his hand towards her. “No, it's not alright.” he said gently. Most were more concerned about the programs who didn't make it out… No one even seemed to consider what the Sirens had gone through just by being that close to the Games. Not even Cor had thought of it, until now. “You, and all the other Sirens, suffered as much as any “competitor”… Maybe even more.” the words came out as he gently touched her shoulder. “No one should have been put through that either. It's just as bad if not worse than being in the actual Games.” He wasn't trying to be depressing, he was mostly just thinking out loud.
Nora shook her head slightly as though to shake off a fly. "Not the other Sirens, not all of them. Some of them liked it. I was always different." She had seen their smiles in their cells through the semidarkness, the self-satisfaction that hung around them, their joy at the word deresolution.
She had barely even noticed him touch her shoulder, and she found she didn't care. He was different too. Kind. Genuine.
Cor couldn't help but smile softly at her comment and the fact that she hadn't pushed him away. “Then you're special.” he said kindly. He hadn't met many Siren’s before but he’d seen Gem occasionally and with his, thankfully brief, meeting with Astra… He could easily tell the difference between them. He had just thought it was personality, not something as unique as it was seeming to be.
Special. That word had been applied to Nora before, but it always lost its shine, tarnishing immediately. It never stuck to her like it did to the others. But this time, coming from Cor… it felt like it would stay for a while. Shining bright. Special.
She took a deep, slightly shuddery breath. She didn't know what to say. Thank you? She had always thought of herself as different, not special. But underneath, weren't they the same?
"Thank you," she said softly, still staring at Bit.
Cor smiled softly, sincerely, at her and gave a brief nod. “You’re welcome.” he replied, matching her tone as his gaze flicked between her and Bit. He sighed a little as he tried to stay focused on the moment, and not get wrapped up by the conflicting thoughts in his head.
There was more silence. Nora suddenly became very conscious of his fingers on her shoulder. Her light lines pulsed pink for the briefest moment. She had not been touched in a long time. Hugs had never been something she had been a fan of, and yet, she had the feeling that if Cor wanted to hug her, she would consent.
(😍 So pretty!!)
Cor honestly didn't know what to do now. He noticed the flash of pink and smirked softly, remembering when his light lines did the same thing when she agreed to this… “faux date”. But right now it felt pretty real. The thought of briefly considering this a real date only added to the warnings in his head. He knew he shouldn't get attached. Even though Nora apparently knew how to use a light staff, he didn't want to get her in any trouble…
Nora had started fiddling with her baton again, and it gave her an idea.
"We should go to the tunnels," she said quietly. Lightcycle racing always cleared her head, and the secret tunnels under the Grid were the perfect place. She knew her way around them, as she had used them as ISO smuggling routes before.
Bit zipped up from her lap, excited. Yes.
“You race?” he asked excitedly, raising a brow with a small but intrigued smirk. Cor knew his way around the tunnels as well. He’d taken shortcuts through them multiple times both as himself to actually do his job or avoid getting caught breaking curfew, and as Black Light for other reasons. “You are just full of surprises, Nora.” he said agreeing to her idea of going to the tunnels.
"When you're being chased by the Black Guard, you learn a few things," Nora said, standing up. "There should be an entrance not far from here."
Cor laughed a little and nodded as he stood up to join her. “No argument here. You gotta get creative when those guys are chasing you.” he smiled almost coyly. “I know where it is.”
Nora led the way to the entrance. It was discreet and innocuous-looking, almost a cellar. It opened up to a wide tunnel, though, once you got down there. Their footsteps echoed faintly in the cavernous space.
Nora glanced around. While it wasn't illegal to be in the tunnels, it was certainly suspicious. The few remaining Black Guard were less vicious now, so there was little chance of being derezzed. Besides, Nora knew her way around the tunnels, and she was good on a lightcycle. So why was she feeling nervous?
Was it because of Cor? She shook her head the tiniest bit to clear it. He was a friend. They were going lightcycle racing on a pretend date. It would be fine.
Cor smiled softly but was obviously excited for this race. It had been a long time since he’d been able to do this, much less just for fun. There was a little uncertainty in this one. Nora was the one who suggested this and mentioned that she'd done this before… He would just have to be careful not to show off too much, or use any of the tricks he used as Black Light.
“So, how long do you want the race to be?” he asked, still smiling softly.
"The other side of the Grid," she said confidently. The tunnels came out at a spot near the shipping docks.
Cor raised a brow at the length but smirked brightly. “Sounds like a long race. You sure you're up to it?” he teased playfully as he drew his baton.
