In the few moments in which only Master Lao and Matilda were seated at the table, she greeted him respectfully and quietly, but neither expected nor received a response other than an acknowledging nod. From her plate of fruit, she gingerly lifted an apple, looked at it as though looking for imperfections, and then took a hesitant bite. She possessed a small appetite and had barely looked at her food as she had served herself in a rush having been made uncomfortable by the attention of Old Bastion's curious populace. She inspected the rest of her food as she started eating and found it acceptable. As she ate, the table was graced with the presence of her fellow apprentice. "Good morning," she said congenially in response to his loud entrance, but she did not engage further. In her experience, she didn't need to. Iris was talkative enough to entertain himself most of the time. Even though she was fond of the boy, and genuinely considered him a friend, she did not revel in his joyful colloquy. 

She did not want to be rude and eavesdrop, but as Master Lao made comments and explained the appearance of a few wise men to another person seated nearby, his blond apprentice listened with a cocked head. These kinds of lessons and experiences were her least favorite, but she knew communication was the skill she lacked most. "What kind of news cannot be shared with the public?" She questioned in a reserved tone. As she thought more on it, a feeling of dread knotted into existence under her sternum. She shook her head, coming to the conclusion that she was likely overthinking things, and bit into a nectarine. Master Lao did not appear too disturbed, and even though she knew it could merely be a facade to keep her and Iris calm, she trusted him and believed it. But after more thought, she wanted to ask the wizened man, 'what if they had brought news of urgent danger? Could you really leave everyone here defenseless to bring our forces to the aid of another?' Matilda was not against aiding others that needed it and anyone who knew her knew that; her whole childhood comprised of lessons that taught her to do exactly that. Her top priority, however, was her direct charges, and the people of Old Bastion fit that role. The idea of leaving them without defense from the unabating Heartless made her mouth taste like bile. She figured, had she asked, Master Lao would answer and assuage her concerns with hardly a thought, so she kept it to herself. She forced herself to take another bite of fruit.

After a few tense moments as though trapped in a bubble, it popped as Master Lao forcibly dropped the subject. Matilda was quiet as Iris predictably kept talking, but nodded to his words as to not be rude, not in dismissal. As he rose the topic of their final exam Matilda swallowed thickly and looked to Master Lao to see his response. Her... negative(to put it lightly) opinion of herself convinced the young apprentice that her time would be long in coming if at all, and she knew the Master's response would be honest, if cryptic. She was curious as to how he would respond. His words could rarely be taken at face value, as is common in instructors to encourage individual thought and interpretation.