For a few moments that followed, Lao found himself caught in the middle of a silence amongst his apprentices; he assumed that the business of the priests was leaving all of them perplexed. Even with this perspective, he did not raise the subject again, as all of them would know soon enough why things were being handled as they were. To shrug off further inquisition, he proceeded to busy himself with the eating of his breakfast, which, as usual, was a remarkable testament to the skilled chef and kitchen hands of Old Bastion, nodding in agreement to Iris' compliments. 

He very nearly choked on a bite when the young student imposed a new question, one that even Lao was caught off guard by. Masking what he could of his surprise, the Master swallowed his food, took a gulp of juice and cleared his throat. "There's still a way to go until that day, Iris," he said, firmly but patiently. "The Mark of Mastery is one of the most sacred rites of he Keybearer, a passage that brings upon them full responsibility of the service to the worlds and their people. 

"Even I cannot assess with certainty when a student will be ready. Trust me though: when the time comes that you are ready, I will see, and surely you will as well. For now, be patient and have faith. If you stay the course upon which I've set you, you will be ready soon enough." He eyed Matilda specifically before finishing with, "And I mean all of you."

He paused for a moment and reiterated his previous point. "Let us finish our meals. We will to meet with our guests, and then, we will begin the day with sparring practice. And I believe this was also a day I had scheduled for is to work on improving some of the castle's defenses."