(BL) Hunting The Field Guide-Chapter 426: The Brent and Kellen show

Casper, Rhys and Pamela were all so excited to hear more details about the plans that Brent and Kellen were cooking up.

Pamela, as Kellen had speculated, was thrilled with the tentative plans, timelines and other things that Brent and Kellen had brought to the meeting that they had scheduled. It was an over lunch meeting so that it didn’t eat into too much of their time, but that didn’t stop the excitement that filled the air.

Pamela was practically giddy from the thought of how much the Saturn Guild’s name was going to be plastered all over this program and all over the world. Kellen wanted to tone down her excitement slightly.

While Kellen was well known on his front line, and a few others since his parents were ’retired’ and he also had family friends all over the world, that didn’t mean that they would take what he did seriously. Even if he had all of the stats, the layout of his seven year career in excruciating detail, and what that could mean for other Field Guides, a more stubborn Esper or Guide could wave that off.

Kellen had been a C Class when he started this. An A Class Guide would have completely different statistics, which was proven when Kellen pulled up Brent’s during the planning meeting and compared their success rates.

Even before Kellen and Brent had paired up, Brent had had a good track record. He’d always had a good one, actually, and Kellen tried to ignore the flare of jealousy that had filled him. It was just Brent, and he wasn’t the type to rub it in his face.

With that said, Brent’s results after he met Kellen also spoke for themself. He had grown exponentially since he’d met Kellen. Their partnership had really worked out for Brent and had honed his already good skills even further until he was practically a weapon of a Guide. Like Kellen.

Kellen had been surprised at the data, not expecting that someone like Brent, who had always been an A Class Guide would have had such a drastic change. Brent’s smug expression when Kellen had come up from the data had been hard to look at.

"See? You’re that good, Kellen. Give yourself some damn credit." Brent had said before they had to shove everything to the side to go to their first class. They had only picked up their work again before lunch so that they could show everything off to the leadership team that they needed to convince about their plan.

Casper was all in. He was for it, not just because of the international appeal. He admitted that he didn’t really care about that part, but was coming from the side of the Guides.

The Guides had more confidence in themselves ever since Kellen had gotten involved. Casper could see the difference between Guides who had gone through the program, and those who hadn’t. He then suggested that for practise, the Field Guides who wanted to be instructors could do some light training with their fellow Guides. Casper could oversee it just to free up some time for Brent and Kellen, and he hoped that it would build up more camaraderie with the Guides and more confidence.

The Guides that Kellen and Brent trained knew how to handle difficult Espers. Espers who pushed, were too close to the edge, or even just in general, handsy. Casper had to interfere less when it came to situations pertaining to the trainee Field Guides, but that didn’t mean he didn’t get reports.

They would write down everything that happened and send it to Casper, with a detailed explanation of what they did to handle the situation and why they did it. Casper was impressed with them and even commented that it was a similar writing style to how Kellen wrote official emails to him.

Kellen had been a little embarrassed about that. Sure, he had taught them proper etiquette, but they all went to Guide School. That should have translated for them as well.

Casper’s suggestion was a good one, and Kellen made sure to jot it down. He hadn’t even considered training the other Guides, even mildly in their program, but then again, Rhys had wanted all of the Guides to be trained in some capacity. This could be the way to get the ball rolling in that regard.

Rhys, of course, was all for anything Kellen wanted to do. He had very few opinions, or very few protests. He, in fact, had no protests outside of the fact that if Kellen had to go abroad, he was going with him. No one was going to be able to stop him from doing so, and Kellen was only slightly shocked to hear it. Not because it was an unpleasant thought, but because even though he talked a big game, he sometimes forgot that they were a package deal.

It reminded him that they were, and gave him a rather pleasant feeling after. Rhys would go anywhere with him.

Brent said that he would rather stay local, working on the front lines here, and the city here. Kellen felt his lips twitch at that comment and how casually he said it. He was trying to not make it obvious that he didn’t want to go abroad for another reason. Kellen was already sure that Rhys and Casper knew that something was up with Brent.

Pamela probably knew from the moment that Brent stepped foot onto the property that there was something not quite right with Brent and his backstory. She struck Kellen as that kind of person, especially when it came to someone who was a face for the Guild. The fact that she hadn’t said something thus far, and didn’t say anything after Brent said that, told him that she didn’t have any problems with him.

Kellen liked that.

Kellen tried not to think too much about the fact that as Kellen spoke, Rhys sat next to him and offered him bites of food so that Kellen could meet the food intake goals that he had while still holding the meeting. It was something small, but something that everyone noticed.

He could tell by the way all of their lips twitched when they thought he wasn’t watching. Rhys didn’t care, happy to be taking care of his man. Kellen tried to be as carefree as he was and was just thankful that they were having this meeting in one of the smaller conference rooms instead of somewhere where more eyes could witness this scene.

After the rumours of yesterday, he was sure it would only spur them on.

They finished up the meeting shortly after the designated lunch period was over. Kellen and Brent had a bit of time to go over the notes that they had gotten from the meeting, while Pamela and Rhys had a meeting that they had to get to right away in the main conference room. Before Kellen could leave, Rhys pulled him aside and let him know that nothing had happened yet.

Kellen nodded quietly at his words, while Rhys stared at him.

"It’s unfortunate you didn’t get a time or date, but that’s okay. I know what you saw was real." Rhys whispered to him and Kellen felt warmth spread through his body. Rhys didn’t doubt that Kellen had seen the future. He wouldn’t hesitate about it, while he was sure people were now going to call into question if what Kellen had seen was the future given that nothing had happened yet.

That he just had an overactive imagination.

Kellen was grateful for the kind of man that Rhys was, that Rhys was proving he could be. Kellen decided that he deserved a few stolen kisses while everyone else was gone from the room. He couldn’t help it if Rhys came out of the conference room, all big smiles and in a great mood.

Everyone smiled at that, except Kellen. Who was stone faced, serious, and ready to work.

He rode the elevator down with Casper and Brent, Casper getting off before them to head to a guiding session that he had scheduled and told the two Field Guides to loop him in on any of the plans they were making. He might be able to provide some help when it came to making teaching material. While he might not understand the basis for the program they were making, he knew about teaching things, and he knew about having to teach others what he was teaching.

Kellen appreciated his insight, and told him that they would. Brent and Kellen then stuck their heads together and ground out at least the first two weeks of a program in detail before they needed to head off to their next class. While it was just a rough draft, it was still good to get this much progress done in a day.

Brent also didn’t have to go to the classes with him. Kellen told him as much, but Brent hadn’t even said no when Kellen spoke to him about it. He’d remained silent, staring at the other man and then had just shown up anyways. Kellen had just shrugged it off. He wasn’t going to turn down help from his right hand man if he was willing and able to help.

Everyone had been excited to see Brent. Asking about things on the front lines that they had seen, speaking to him with a deeper sense of connection than Kellen had expected, but Kellen didn’t get jealous. He knew how easy it was to get along with Brent.

That was part of the reason why Kellen had wanted him, and why Brent and Kellen got along so well. They balanced each other out.

Brent was good looking, quick to smiles and laughter, while Kellen was a little harder and harsher around the edges. His natural personality was harder than the one he put on at Guiding Center B.

Several of the Guides he had worked with at Guiding Center B had told him that they preferred him this way. Kellen took the compliment as it was, happy that the people who he had been growing close to liked both sides of him, but preferred his true personality better.

The dinner after the class was easy as well. The half of the class that came back from the front lines came at the time that Kellen had scheduled. Kellen was alone, Brent having had other plans with a few Espers and Guides who he had gotten close to, so Kellen was able to get a true pulse from them.

They were good, happy. Calm. They realised that the others of the class didn’t know what was going on the front lines yet, and Kellen was glad that they had kept some of it to themselves. He promised that it wasn’t a forever thing, just for a few more days. Kellen and Brent wanted to find the best way to explain it to everyone, and to give everyone the right to decide their future.

They had seemed...somewhat comforted by what he had said, and they were almost finished dinner when Casper came by, sliding into a spot at the table easily and chatting to the others easily. Kellen was glad for it, and when everything was wrapped up and the Guides had all gone, Casper gave Kellen a thumbs up before he rushed off to head home. Kellen did the same.

Everyone had made it back safe, and those that were still there were strong enough that even though Kellen worried about them, he knew they could hold their own. It was going to be okay.