Matilda snapped her head towards Damion's direction, and for a second, it looked like she was staring right through him, her eyes having a green ring around the pupils.
Her eyes suddenly snapped back to normal, the rings disappearing and her cheeks heating up when she recognized Damion.
"...Hi" she struggled to say after a second or two passed.
Damion stared at her some more, not reacting to her words before suddenly smiling back and leaning forward. He hadn't expected to meet her here after their previous encounter, but since she was the one here, right now, that meant he could get what he wanted a bit easier using the influence she didn't know he had on her.
"I want to exchange this hammer for a sword," Damion said, pointing at the hammer he had placed over the counter without breaking eye contact with Matilda for a second.
It was at that moment Matilda shifted her eyes from Damion's face to the counter, realizing that he had placed the hammer there a few seconds ago, then her demeanor changed.
A multitude of thoughts ran through her head, ranging from why Damion hadn't used the hammer in the fight, to how he was able to afford it in the first place.
What she didn't know was that Damion didn't purchase it, and he had only recently gotten it. Though he did have the credits to purchase that kind of weapon if he was willing, after all, he had 'received' some credits from Toby.
Matilda's face became impassive, and she went from a lady head over heels for a guy, to a professional clerk that had been trained properly.
She pulled out a form and pen from the side smoothly, and handed it over to Damion.
"Please fill in this form," she said. "Every question is compulsory."
Damion didn't linger and immediately received the form, reading its contents. It contained a space for his name, his year, and what he was commissioning, whether it was a weapon or armor piece.
Then there were more spaces beneath the armor and weapon, further inquiring the specifics of his weapon or armor.
Damion filled it to the best of his ability. He didn't miss any spaces for any reason and just guessed the parts he didn't know. He depended on his luck for guidance, and eventually, he was done, sliding the form and pen back towards Matilda.
The hammer had been kept aside, and when the form was returned, it was taken together with the hammer to another place, though not before almost all his credits were taken away too.
__________
[Name: Damion Darkblade]
[Age: 17]
[Year: 1]
[Affiliation: Military Base 046]
[Ability: —]
[Credit(s): 8]
[2/5 Tickets]
__________
"155 Credits gone… just like that," Damion muttered without meaning to. "At least I used it for something useful. If my weapon and armor piece are complete, my battle prowess would once again see a rise."
The sound of metal hitting metal continued to ring out loudly in the hall, and Damion, not used to it, was beginning to feel a small headache coming.
He watched the students working, and his eyes flashed when he got a glimpse of someone.
'I still need to complete that Quest too,' Damion's mind wandered off as he waited for Matilda's return. 'Though I don't want to rush things, I still need to be quick about it, I could even get more tickets that way if I luck out on a bully with tickets.'
A grin grew on his face, and he began to formulate plans on how to go about it.
He was so lost in thoughts that he didn't notice when Matilda returned with a blue crescent shaped tally, and passed it over to him.
"Come back with this in the next Eleven days, your weapon and armor would be ready by then," she said.
Damion's attention was drawn back to her, and he stretched out his hand, picking up the tally and 'mistakenly' grazing her hand.
In that moment, all the professionalism Matilda had seemed to be flushed out of her, and she shuddered lightly.
She hurriedly pulled her arm back and tried to hide her fluster, but she was easily seen through.
"Thanks," Damion voiced out coolly with a small smile plastered on his face.
Matilda blushed and looked away to focus on something else as Damion began to walk away.
She looked at his broad back slowly getting farther, and she steeled her resolve and called out.
"Wait!" Her voice tore through the air and reached Damion's ears.
Damion turned around, staring at her and waiting for her to speak.
Matilda hesitated under Damion's stare, but she summoned courage to speak, saying what she wanted.
"Are you trying your luck at the Training Program too?" she finally asked.
Damion tilted his head in confusion. Wasn't everyone trying to earn a position? Why was she asking? Was she competing for a position too?
He shook his head to push those thoughts out of his mind, then nodded his head.
Matilda became confused. "Was that a yes or a no?" She unknowingly asked before she could stop herself.
Damion hung his head, staring at her deeply, then he nodded his head. "Yes, I am."
"Be careful then," Matilda responded.
Damion gave her a reassuring nod and left.
Soon, he was gone, and Matilda was back to herself.
She didn't know why she felt flustered in Damion's presence, but for some reason… She liked it.
She couldn't deny the fact that she had feelings for him, but the dominative aura made her feel those feelings even more.
She had lied about the amount of credits needed for Damion's weapon and armor, adding hers instead, making her begin to feel like she was a simp, or something worse even.
She facepalmed after having these thoughts and shrunk back, cringing so hard she thought she was going to pass out.
She peeked through her fingers and immediately realised that she was in a public place.
Besides that, she was here for another reason. She wasn't the person who was meant to be behind the counter, but she has switched places with them for her goal.
Speaking of her goal, her eyes lost focus as she activated one of her skills, and a green ring rounded her pupils.
Her eyes landed on a particular student hammering away at an ore absentmindedly, while looking around suspiciously as if searching for something.
Matilda frowned deeply and let out a primal growl, her nails subconsciously elongating into deadly sharp black claws.