Where All The Food Goes (Ordinary Heroes)

"Don’t you think its kind of weird that Diana is so small despite the fact she eats so much?" Fang asked as she helped Lightning tidy up the picnic blanket. "I mean where does all the food go?"

"Who knows?" Lightning shrugged. Not far away, Diana had already devoured her sandwiches and was in the process of begging for some of Averia’s. "I’m just glad that she doesn’t seem to get any cavities from all the candy she eats."

"Actually, I have a theory about that." Vanille settled down next to them, reaching over for another can of soda.

"Oh?" Fang gestured. "Do tell."

"I think it has to do with her ability to transform into Ragnarok."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Think about it, the transformation is fairly dramatic. We’re talking about large-scale changes to the basic structure of her body. That takes a lot of energy, and that energy has to come from somewhere. I’m guessing that her body has some weird way of siphoning off some of the energy produced by the food she consumes to fuel her transformation. It would explain why she’s so small - a lot of the food she eats isn’t going toward making her bigger, it’s being saved up for potential transformations." Vanille shrugged. "It’s kind of nifty when you think about it."

"Nifty? You make her sound like some kind of, I don’t know, alien." Fang bit back a grin as Averia, predictably, caved and offered Diana half of the sandwich she was eating. "But that doesn’t explain why I was never that small as a kid."

Vanille rolled her eyes. “You didn’t start off being able to transform into Ragnarok. There was no reason for your body to start storing energy to transform. Besides, do you think it’s a coincidence that after you transform you always feel like stuffing your face?”

"Hey!"

"Well, it is true," Lightning said. "The last time you transformed, you emptied the fridge."

"I guess…" Fang frowned. "Does that mean Diana is always going to be short."

"Probably not." Vanille grabbed a sandwich. "You know all those tests you’ve been having me run ever since she first transformed? Each time she transforms, the process becomes more efficient. It’s always going to take a fair bit of energy, but it’s already a lot easier for her now than it used to be. I’ve also been running projections for what might happen during puberty. Based on what I’ve seen so far, her body should reach some sort of equilibrium during puberty."

"What do you mean by that?"

"At the moment, Diana’s body is storing such a high percentage of the energy she gets from eating that there’s no way she can grow at the same rate as a normal person her age. She’d have to eat pretty much continuously to make up the difference. But during puberty, her body should adjust enough that she can grow at a normal rate. She’ll still have to eat more food than a normal person, but it won’t be a ridiculous amount. She’ll probably end up as tall as you Fang."

"She’d love that, I’m sure." Fang sighed. "I guess we’ll just have to up the food budget when she hits her teenage years."