Dion walked to the Captain, now alone with her in the office, and stood by her desk.
"You asked for me, Captain?" he said.
She remained silent for some moments, her eyes fixed on the screen before her, watching some videos.
Dion was getting a bit impatient. She kept him standing without saying a word, her face wearing a curious look as she stared at the screen.
Dion wanted to say something when she finally responded, saying, "What are you, and how did you pull that off?"
"Uh, how did I pull what off?" Dion asked, feigning ignorance for a few moments. He didn't really know what she was talking about. It was in his best interest to stay quiet and not make things worse for himself by discussing something else.
"This?" she said as she turned the screen to him, showing the video she was watching.
Dion was shocked at the footage before him. It was footage of him getting the better of the Odds with his fist. Although the footage was not clear enough, as it seemed to have been taken from above, maybe from a quadcopter.
"Uhmmm, I was just defending myself," Dion said.
"Yeah, I know what you're doing, but how are you doing it?" She said as she stood up from her seat and moved towards him.
Dion was silent for a moment before replying, "There's a hidden energy, I believe, within each and everyone, which only gets activated when one is under heated pressure to survive. One tends to do unnatural things in order to live, and that's what I used that day. Trust me, I can't do that again."
Captain Ally smiled and gently patted him on the shoulder. "You think you're a smart one, eh? Hmm," she said, shaking her head.
"I know you're hiding something somewhere, and considering how inquisitive I am, I will definitely find that out. And if I do," she said, laughing.
Dion was left with nothing much to say, so he kept quiet, his eyes unwavering on her.
"I'm not hiding anything, I promise," he finally said.
"I have eyes and ears everywhere, remember. I will find it out," she said as she went back to her seat.
"Sure, and if you do, don't hesitate to share with me," he replied boldly.
"You're quite a man, you think, huh?" She said before hissing and waved her hand, signaling him to take his leave.
Dion quietly turned back and walked away, his mind racing on how to go around this lurking problem. It might be possible Captain Ally doesn't really know about some qualities of a Cursed, well maybe she doesn't read at all. And that is to his advantage.
Someone who knows more about the things there could easily say he was different considering how he defeated the Odds. He actually thought no one saw him, but he wasn't careful enough that he was caught on camera, although it wasn't clear enough.
From what was available, he could say there was no footage of him fighting the Swayer with bare hands afterwards, things could have gone south.
He was indeed outstanding during the battle, but not in a very good way. He might get into trouble if General Xalvador managed to find him out. He might, for one, be able to recognize him as a Cursed.
He walked back to his room, a bit worked up in the head, thinking of possible solutions. As he entered his room, he met Alfred in his regular sitting spot, his bed, doing his favorite thing: reading the black book.
"And what sort of trouble have you landed yourself in?" Alfred, the ever inquisitive, asked.
"Nothing to worry much about," Dion replied.
The room looked even cleaner now as the cleaning materials were taken back to their normal places in the store.
"Don't you go out?" Dion asked, noticing Alfred's consistent staying in the room.
"Knowledge ain't out there, it's in here," he replied, pointing at the book in his hand.
"Were you able to figure out how that Odd did the swaying thing?" Dion asked.
"Not really. The only way I can suss out how they do that is by going to them, on the down-low." Alfred said.
Dion laughed before saying, "How discreet will you ever be that the Odds won't be able to recognize you?"
"I've clocked how they move and dress. Reckon I can slip in with 'em no bother. If I pull this off, I might just earn the General's nod and snag a promotion, maybe even higher than yours," Alfred said.
"But I thought you said you don't really care about ranks, huh?" Dion asked.
Alfred smiled and said, "I'm chasing knowledge, not ranks, but I reckon I deserve a bit of recognition for my graft, don't I?"
"Very true, actually. Do you plan on going alone?" Dion asked curiously.
"You can join if you wish," Alfred invited.
"No, I'm good. Not a fan of a well-planned hopeless quest!" Dion replied with a smile.
"Think it over, trust me." Alfred replied.
Dion responded with another smile. He didn't really have any interest in going alone with Alfred. He believed Alfred's mission was aimless and fruitless.
"I was actually here to invite you for a walk around the place. Do you care to join? I believe you do, right?" Dion invited him.
Alfred was a bit resistant for some moments before accepting the request. He never really fancied walking around, but he did know the place well.
Dion, on his part, wasn't interested in Alfred's knowledge of the area. He had Viza who would direct him wherever he goes. He needed Alfred so that they would walk in pairs and he wouldn't look suspicious if anything went wrong.
"What's your plan out there then?" Alfred asked as they began walking out.
"Nothing really, just my way around in case I get lost," Dion replied.
His actual intention was to go see if he could find Keyla. He had a strong feeling she might be somewhere close by. He didn't really care if she remembered him or not; he just wanted to see her. He was aching to see her that day.