"You said I can test it out?" She asked, sounding hopeful.
The young man eyed her silently before answering her question.
"Yes you can. You can test out all the weapons in the warehouse before renting them."
Kenneth's eyes glinted with excitement at the thought of using the rifle.
"However,"
The boy looked down at her almost chuckling at the sight of her excitement.
"You need to register before testing it out. You can't just go around shooting a gun in here."
Kenneth had a deadpan expression on her face when hearing this.
"Right. That makes sense."
The young man pressed his lips together trying very hard not to laugh out loud. He found her deeply amusing.
"How do I register?" Kenneth asked.
"Get Alaric's permission. He'll have you sign a form and then chose a time slot to test out the weapon. There's a room at the back of the warehouse that's large enough to use for practice." He said.
"Thank you for that. By the way, my name is Kenneth." She said extending her hand to the boy.
Normally she wouldn't go around telling people her name, but since he had given her valuable information, she couldn't help but be grateful towards him.
"No problem," He said with a shrug.
"The name's Ehioze." The young man said, shooting her a smile.
"It's nice to meet you Ehioze. Um, sorry if it seems like I'm brushing you off but I need to pay for my things and go." She said.
"No worries, do your thing." He said before stepping aside and letting her pass.
As she made her way to the front, the Cyborg followed closely behind. There, she found another Cyborg ready to process her purchase.
While the Cyborg scanned her items, she scanned the area and spotted a steel bottle, protein bars, and snacks. She grabbed a handful and added them to her shopping list.
She silently hoped the total wouldn't be too high and was surprised to see the screen display a total of 55 units, down from the initial 105 units thanks to a student discount.
"Your total was 105 units, now 55 units with the student discount. Please select your payment method below," the Cyborg announced.
Since Kenneth hadn't activated her badge yet, she planned to pay with her virtual watch. Suddenly, a badge appeared in her vision, and someone swiftly paid for her items.
Kenneth looked up and was shocked to see Ehioze standing there.
"What—"
"It's fine. If you paid with your virtual watch, you'd be charged an extra 20 units," he said casually.
"But—"
"I'm covering this one. You can pay me back later," he said with a shrug.
Kenneth scrutinized his face, searching for any hint of hidden intent. His smile appeared genuine and sincere, which surprised her even more.
She really wanted to refuse but having to pay an additional 20 units when she was trying to save money wasn't ideal right now. Plus she would be paying him back so it would be foolish not to accept his offer.
"...Okay, it's fine for now but I'm paying you back." She said resolutely.
Ehioze nodded his head, a slight smile tugging his lips.
Once everything had been paid, she had the option of having her things delivered directly to her room which she graciously accepted.
It would save her the trip of having to go to the dorm rooms and then having to calm back to go to the captain's quarters.
Once everything was done, Kenneth walked out of the warehouse with Ehioze following suit.
"Um...Do you happen to know where the Captain's quarters are?" Kenneth asked him.
Ehioze who had been walking next to her raised his brow in surprise.
"As a matter of fact I do. I'm actually going there right now." He said.
"I can show you the way."
"Thank you." Kenneth said giving him a grateful smile.
She was grateful of the fact that Ehioze didn't ask her reason for going to the Captain's quarter when she was very clearly a first year. She could tell that Ehioze was someone who prided himself on not getting into other people's business and respecting their privacy.
Looking at him, she could tell he wasn't an ordinary guy. The aura around him though not as powerful and intimidating as Lucien was still strong and she could tell that wasn't the fullest extent of his power. It added an air of intrigue and mystery to the young man making Kenneth wonder about his identity.
The two walked in silence as they made their towards the quarter's both lost in thought.
While looking around, Kenneth noticed that they were nearing the private pavilions that were supposedly off-limits to the first years.
The pavilions were nothing compared to the dorms as they resembled private houses, great in size and impressive in looks. The area was peaceful and quiet with a few students either coming out of their homes or entering. A few seniors gave their greetings to Ehioze bowing their heads respectfully while glancing at the oddity that was Kenneth.
She stood out like a sore-thumb walking next to the tall senior as her red badge seemed to garner some attention, immediately revealing her status. But no one dared to question her presence since she was walking next to Ehioze which further intensified her curiosity of his identity.
They finally stood in front of a large house that seemed to be bigger than the rest of the houses on the block. Making his way to the side of the pavilion, Ehioze took out a keypad and tapped on the lock, the door opening soon after. Ehioze held the door open, gesturing for Kenneth to come inside. Kenneth didn't need to be told twice as she cautiously made her way inside.
Standing there feeling a little awkward, she waited for him to close the door as he guided her through a long hallway. She could hear low voices, as the got louder and louder the closer they got inside the house. As they walked out of the long hallway, they were brought into a living area that seemed to be converted into a meeting room. A large table took up most of the room with several chairs lined up on the table. It was scattered with virtual pads and printed documents as well as sticky notes. Energy drinks as well as various already eaten sweet treats littered the table as well, completely covering the beautiful furniture, though that was not the only thing that caught her attention in the room.
Four big men large in stature were seated at the table, their eyes on her, gazing at her with both confusion and curiosity, burning an almost permanent hole on her face. Kenneth had always been surrounded by men for most of her life, having to work with them, and fight with them. She had never once felt uncomfortable or uneasy by them before, but having these four men looking her in that moment made the stone cold Kenneth, feel discomfort for the first time in her life.
She really had walked into a lion's den.