A door slammed in the quiet of the Guiding Division, and Kellen glanced at the two Espers who were used to this area. Neither seemed concerned, only mildly confused. Kellen watched as a flushed faced, tall wisp of a man came around the corner into view. His gray eyes were frantic, and his wavy brown hair was spiked all over his head. His glasses were large, giant circles, held together by a thin frame of silver metal, unable to hide how bright his cheeks were. He was pulling a long medical jacket tighter around his frame, the uniform underneath the jacket telling Kellen he was a Guide.
Behind him a larger man followed. The man was built like a tank, huge shoulders, huge biceps, huge thighs. His face was stern, his brown eyes intently staring at the smaller man. His blond hair felt like it didn't suit him, even when he kept it short. The uniform he wore strained against the breadth of his chest, and Kellen found himself unconsciously intercepting him as he chased the smaller man.
"Are you Casper?" He asked the smaller man, and both of them paused what they were doing. Kellen pulled the lollipop out of his mouth and watched them. The man assumed to be Casper turned an even brighter shade of red, and a huge part of Kellen felt sympathy for the man. He had a feeling he knew exactly what he was going through right now, but in a different way. He didn't seem happy about this. Casper looked over Kellen, taking in the fact he wore the Captain's oversized jacket with Guiding Center B's scrubs underneath, no shoes, and the fact that Kellen was as pale as a ghost and the skin on his face was shallow from overusing his powers. He then flicked his eyes behind the Guide to stare at everyone there. He paled at the sight of the Captain, or at least Kellen assumed he had since he personally hadn't taken his eyes off of the Esper behind Casper.
"I am Lieutenant Casper, yes. Who am I speaking to?" He asked stiffly, and Kellen smiled, twirling the lollipop in his hand.
"I'm Kellen Woods, formerly of Guiding Center B as of about 15 minutes ago. I'm here because I'm going to need your help. For reasons I can't say in front of so many people yet, I've been recruited into the Guild." Kellen had turned on the charm, speaking in his perfect Guide voice. Ms. Hill's muffled laughter could be heard behind them, while Casper's lips twitched slightly.
"A new hire huh? What Class are you?" He asked and Kellen smiled serenely.
"I can't tell you that with so many people around." Lieutenant Casper furrowed his brow at that.
"But that's a totally normal question. I can't help you if I don't know at least that information." He protested and Kellen nodded, still twirling the lollipop.
"I absolutely understand that. Is it alright if we continue this conversation in your office? I can explain everything there, Lieutenant Casper." Casper sensed something was up, narrowing his eyes suspiciously before glancing behind the new Guide again. Kellen assumed he got a positive answer because he sighed, running his hand through his spiky hair before nodding.
"Alright, we'll move to my office." He turned to go back in the direction he had just fled from, but so did the Esper. Quickly, Kellen moved and put himself in between the Esper and Lieutenant Casper. The Esper stared down at him in confusion.
"What are you doing?" He demanded, and Casper spun to watch them.
'I don't believe you were invited into this conversation." Kellen told him with a smile. The Esper stared at him, clearly thinking his size alone would intimidate the man into compliance. Kellen's smile widened.
"I am not going to leave him alone." He ground out and Kellen shook his head, crossing his arms.
"He isn't going to be alone, is he? He is going to have all of us in the same room as him." That clearly wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.
"But I don't know who you are and I don't trust you." The Esper ground out, and Kellen glanced at the Captain. Ms. Hill appeared to be filming this on her phone, and Kellen's parents were delighted at this interaction.
"Oh, it's fine if you don't trust me, but you should trust your Captain, shouldn't you? Or are you telling me that you don't believe that someone who has been given the title of Lieutenant is capable of taking care of themselves?" Casper was standing there, slack jawed while the other Guide spoke. So were all of the other Guides in the division.
"Who do you think you are to speak this way? Everyone knows why I am here." He growled, stepping towards the rowdy Guide, but he didn't budge.
"I already introduced myself, weren't you paying attention? And that's great. Just like the little dog that you are, you're chasing after a man who has very little interest in you. Great. Love that for you. But I'll appease your curiosity a bit. You have very little to worry about whether anyone in this group has interest in him. They," he gestured to his parents, "are imprinted. Ms. Hill isn't interested in him, nor is the Captain. I'm only interested in him as a Guide." Kellen stepped towards the giant man, knowing that if someone wasn't going to stand up to him now, it could become dangerous later. "I am also aware you are a new recruit. It is ridiculous to think that you have this level of audacity and no one has put you in your place yet. You are outranked for any of the knowledge that is going to be said from this point on. Go back to your level before I lose my patience with you, Esper." The Esper's eyes glowed blue for a brief second before he met the gaze of the Captain behind the Guide.
"You heard him, Ian, and you should thank him. Kellen here is the reason your brother isn't dead." That shocked him. A vein was pulsing in his neck before he spun on his heel and stormed out of the Guiding Division. The door slammed as it closed, rattling the walls. Kellen spun with a smile to face Casper.
"Now, with that done, shall we head to your office?" He asked, putting the lollipop back into his mouth and Ms. Hill burst into laughter. Lieutenant Casper seemed shocked, before he turned wide, gray eyes in the Captain's direction.
"Who the hell did you find, Captain Thatcher? Are you actually a Guide?" He asked the two of them and the Captain wrapped his arm around Kellen's shoulders. Kellen glanced up at him to find him smiling, his yellow eyes glowing.
"Mr. Woods here used to work on the front lines with Hill and I. He also knows most of the upper management and some of the older talents. He has saved many of their asses out in the field. Also, behind us are his parents. Both are retired. His Mother is an Esper and his Father is a Guide." Casper stared at the small family unit before shaking his head.
"Right, my office. Do you want anything to drink?" He asked and Kellen chuckled.
"I'd love some tea, and so would my parents. Captain?" He asked, turning his head towards the Esper. He watched him with a calculating gaze.
"I'll share your tea, Mr. Woods." His smile was soft, while Casper stuttered in his steps. He recovered, whispering to one of the Guides who was nearby to send them on their way. He was going to ask about the Captain's behaviour as soon as they were behind closed doors, Kellen knew it.
"I'm sending that to Gunther. He's in charge of his group for training. Ian's going to get such a tongue-lashing. I'm so excited." Ms. Hill's excited voice followed them as they entered Casper's office. It was very similar to the Captain's office on the lower levels, but it had more couches and a slightly larger room. His parents settled down on one of the couches on the right of the room, Ms. Hill settled into the couch across from them while she rapidly typed away on her phone. Casper sat next to Kellen's parents, clearly nervous and Kellen took the obvious cue and sat on the last free couch only to have the Captain settle down next to him, wrapping his arm around Kellen's shoulder and pulling the Guide against him. Casper stared, shocked and slack jawed while Kellen gave him a tight smile.
"You aren't uncomfortable, are you Mr. Woods?" Captain asked sweetly and Kellen huffed air out of his lungs.
"Captain, I'm already wearing your jacket." He pointed out, and his grip tightened for a moment before he released him only to rest his arm on the back of the couch behind him. Kellen decided that was the best he was going to get, and not to push it further.
"Okay, who the hell are you really? This is freaking me out. You are a Guide, right?" Kellen nodded at Casper's question, even as he watched his parents tense beside the thin Guide.
"Yup. Up until yesterday I was a C Class Guide." He smiled as he let Casper process what he was saying. Casper threw eyes towards the Captain.
"This is true?" He asked, and got a nod in return.
"Of course. I'm the one who ruined him." Kellen felt his face heat and he glared at the Captain who smiled down at him.
"You didn't ruin me, you gave me a speed boost." Captain shrugged.
"You don't have the life you dreamed of anymore, and can't achieve it either. So if someone was to ask if I ruined your life, I would say yes." Kellen didn't like the nonchalant tone he used.
"Captain Thatcher, you are purposefully saying things that will only make others confused. Lieutenant Casper, the Captain helped me with the retesting of my power levels after an incident at Guiding Center B yesterday." Casper appreciated Kellen's clarification. "During the process it became clear that my powers took a great spike and we believe I jumped from C Class to A Class." Kellen's voice hesitated slightly.
"You believe?" Casper prodded and he swallowed.
"Yes, since I passed out before the test could finish. Don't worry, I'm fine. I just need a couple of days to recover, as you can see. I've used a lot of my powers over the last two days." Casper frowned at the pale Guide's assurance when a knock came at the door. Ms. Hill jumped to her feet before anyone else could move and answered the door. There, two people stood. One carried a large bag, while the other had a tray of drinks. Ms. Hill took the bag first, handing it to the Captain before taking the tray with a smile and a thank you to the two at the door. She closed it and handed out the drinks. Captain kept his word, and as soon as Kellen had a sip of his tea, he took a sip after him. Kellen worked on keeping his face neutral.
"Here, I believe there are clothes and shoes for you, Mr. Woods." The Captain passed over the bag and curious, Kellen looked inside. At the top of the bag was a neatly folded Saturn Guild Guide uniform. Underneath it was a shoe box. Curious if the items would even fit, Kellen pulled out the uniform first, checking the size and was shocked to find that it was the perfect fit. Well, it would have been if he hadn't used up a crazy amount of powers in the last two days. Folding the uniform back up, he pulled the shoe box out next. The shoes inside the box were expensive, but practical. They were something he would have invested in no matter what, but the branded socks that came with them were...different. He wasn't really a brand kind of guy.
"How did you get my size?" He asked, confused and Ms. Hill chuckled.
"We have our ways, Kellen." Why did that not sound reassuring and more like a threat?
"We got your measurements from the Guide system. I will not have you think I am stalking you." Captain told the Guide rather sternly, and Kellen smiled down at the shoes in humour. That was the line he drew? Alright. Not stalking, only hunting. For some reason, Kellen felt that only one of the accusations in his mind would hurt the other's honour.
Kellen took the socks out and put them on before trying on the shoes. It was a very comfortable fit, and Kellen turned to the Captain with a smile.
"Thank you for the shoes and socks, but they didn't need to be this expensive." Ms. Hill was the one to clear her throat.
"Well, I thought because you were from a famous family that you were used to the best in life. Was that wrong?" Kellen's Mom nearly choked on her tea.
"Uh, Ms. Hill? When have I ever worn anything designer around you?" Kellen asked and the Esper took a moment to think.
"Ah, I apologise then. I suggested the expensive socks." She seemed sincere in her apology and the Captain laughed.
"Hill, it's fine. Mr. Woods, besides the socks, those are our standard issue shoes for everyone. Expensive, yes, but worth every penny." He told the Guide seriously, and Kellen believed him.
"Okay, now that the distractions are out of the way." Casper's voice cut through the cheerful tone set by the shoes arrival and cut to the chase. "Captain Thatcher, did you use your powers against Guide Woods during his retest? Is that why he took a sudden jump in Class?" The room fell silent while the Captain met the Guide's gaze and nodded gravely.
"It's fine Lieutenant Casper, I promise." Casper's gaze darted to the Guide affected. "The Captain has been feeling bad enough about the whole thing already. What I need from you is training. I've come into my new powers rather suddenly and it's been such a long time since I went to school for the different classification of Guides. I don't know up from down when it comes to the higher Classes, and I hate not knowing my own limits. Can you help me with that? I know that soon the Center and government are going to come asking about me and I don't want them to think I am some poor, uncultured C Class Guide." Casper stared at the other man, remaining silent before a small smile touched his lips.
"I personally believe that you would eat them alive, given that you survived the Captain, but if you ask me personally how can I turn you away? One more question, why is the Captain clinging to you?" Kellen went to respond when a large hand covered his mouth and spoke for him.
"Mr. Woods and I are currently in the getting to know each other phase of our partnership. He will be my exclusive Guide once he is fully trained." Casper's jaw dropped.
"You've never had an exclusive Guide before, and getting you to come in for guiding has been a nightmare till now. Why?" Kellen's face went red, and he pushed against the Captain's hands. He moved, but it wasn't willingly.
"We...are very compatible." Kellen admitted softly, knowing that once the news broke, he would know just how compatible they were. Kellen's Dad chuckled.
"I was shocked when I saw the number. Kellen Dear hasn't had a match rating above 27% till now, so he might need some guidance in that way as well. From what I've heard he's very good at his job, so he shouldn't be a burden to you." Casper sighed, shaking his head.
"No, if he is Captain Thatcher's exclusive Guide that's already taking a huge worry off of my shoulders. I'm more worried about how the other Guides are going to take it. It's unusual to have a new Guide join the team without normal recruitment." He said, and Kellen frowned. He was right about that.
"Well, you could tell them that after years of me asking him to join, he finally said yes." Captain teased, and the Guide shot him a dirty look.
"No one would believe that. You're the Captain of the top Guild in the country. No one would turn down your recruitment offer." He smirked at Kellen's words.
"You did. Twice, in fact. I guess the third time's the charm." He said, his fingers playing with some of the hair at Kellen's nape. Kellen's frown deepened as his urge to swat his fingers grew.
"Those were different. How could I ever believe that you were trying to recruit a C Class Guide seriously, when I know that you don't accept anything less than B Class." The Captain stared at the man before him, stunned once more at his lack of awareness.
"Mr. Woods, you are a very talented Guide, even when you were a C Class Guide. You knew your powers like the back of your hand and utilized them very well. I believe I've already recounted how impressed I was by those things earlier." Kellen recalled exactly what the Captain had said earlier, and felt his whole body turn red at the memory.
"Uh, I have a question. Why are you assuming we don't take C Class Guides here?" Casper's voice cut through Kellen's embarrassment and the family looked at the Lieutenant as a unit.
"Because you're the top Guild?" His Mother said, and Casper's lips formed a thin line.
"How rude of you to say that. I would have thought since Guide Woods is your son you wouldn't assume something so awful from us. Guide Woods, we accept almost any Class into our Guild. I manage a wide variety of Guides. We don't have any F Class since none have applied or passed the test, but we have many different types. We aren't elitist here." Casper stated clearly, and Kellen felt his eyes widen. Why had he been under the impression that they only hired B Class and higher?
"I...I'm sorry. I don't know where I got that impression from." Kellen admitted readily and Casper scoffed.
"It's alright. You aren't the first one to think that of us. I blame Captain Thatcher. People take one look at those yellow eyes and think that only higher Class Guides can deal with that monster." Captain chuckled as if it was humourous to be called a monster, while something hard settled in Kellen's gut. Captain had called himself that earlier as well, but Kellen didn't see him that way. He wondered why others seemed so willing to do so.