Gwen ca to find him after his afternoon class.
Kellen was in the middle of cleaning up from the shooting range. The last of the Field Guides were trickling out of the class. Unlike the morning class, the afternoon class had a lot of questions. Kellen hadn’t anticipated it, but he welcod it.
It didn’t seem like their questions ca from animosity, and more...determination. To get better, to improve, to not let the other group get ahead of them. Kellen liked that kind of behaviour, and wanted to foster more of it so he let anyone who could stay around, remain behind and ask him questions about why the first class got to go first.
He was honest. He didn’t sugar coat it. He told them that naturally, Brent and Kellen had noticed a shift in their performances. He wanted to make sure that they knew that they were not below average. They were doing great, even better than the trajectory he had made up for his classes. The first class, the morning class, was just better than they were. Maybe it was the ti of day, or the class make up, Kellen couldn’t confirm.
He’d only had two classes so far, he couldn’t put any of that to the test yet.
But his students did ask so good questions. Once he made it clear to them that he wasn’t biased either way to the classes, they asked about ways that they could improve. It was obvious that they wanted quick ways to do so, and Kellen shot those down, but also made it clear that if they put in these tips and tricks he would give them over the next two weeks, things could improve drastically. Nothing was a quick fix.
Anything that called itself that was a scam, or was a bandage that would let out a flood once it was ripped off.
Kellen went through each student individually and gave them detailed information on how they could improve. They seed surprised that Kellen was paying such close attention to them, but also greatly appreciated his detail. He could tell that so were a little upset about him pointing out so of their flaws, but they didn’t get mad. They didn’t argue, they just nodded in resignnt and Kellen was quite proud of them.
He had high hopes for his students.
So, Gwen swung by as the last of his students were slipping out, and Kellen was cleaning up the gun cases that they had to leave behind, the outlines, and anything else.
"Hey." Her voice was soft as she spoke up from just inside the doorway. She looked...like she hadn’t slept last night either. Kellen’s stomach dropped out.
Oh shit. He should have told her that they had arrived safely. Oh fuck. He was a terrible older brother.
Gwen watched as Kellen’s face fell, and went white. She imdiately reacted, raising her hands.
"Don’t panic. Rhys ssaged , knowing that you wouldn’t have ti to since you had to rush to your class. It’s okay. I knew shortly after you did that they arrived safely. You didn’t forget." Kellen tensed. Rhys has said it? Kellen was the one who was supposed to do so, but...He was a little out of sorts from everything that was going on, and the fact that he had little to no sleep over the past 48 hours.
He raised his hands, running both of them over his face as he sighed.
"You are too forgiving, Gwen. I was supposed to do that." He murmured, and Gwen chuckled.
"Yeah, well, I was thinking about tearing into you about having Rhys ssage , and then I saw your dumb face and I realised that you were already suffering. I didn’t need to add to it." Gwen smiled, and Kellen sighed. He dropped his hands, sliding them into his pockets as he turned to face her.
"So if you knew, why are you here?" Kellen asked. Gwen rolled her eyes, snorting.
"Really? You’re really asking that? Kellen, my dumb older brother, you just sent off two of your friends to the front lines, and you’re already a loner. You can’t afford to lose any more friends. So, I thought you’d be lonely. I ca to brighten your day." She gave him a cheeky grin, but when Kellen stared at her without reacting, the grin slowly faded.
"Yeah?" Kellen said. He knew that what she said was true, but he also knew his little sister. Sothing else had to be going on. Gwen shifted, moving closer. She seed hesitant for a long mont until Kellen opened his arms and Gwen rushed in.
She buried her face into his chest, wrapping her arms around his back tightly, squeezing him a little tighter than normal. Kellen said nothing, squeezing her just as tightly.
"I’m so glad that they made it safely." Gwen whispered. Kellen had a feeling it was sothing like this. During the whole ordeal, the attack, the E.A.G. announcing their intentions, everything, Gwen had remained mostly composed. It wasn’t like her at all. She was an emotional girl at her core, and Kellen had been too busy with his own things to check in with her. Gwen understood that, which was why she was coming to him now.
" too. They’ll be safe over there." Kellen whispered. She shook her head.
"I don’t know if they will. The E.A.G. is more serious over there, and they already have a target painted on their back. What if-"
"Gwen." Kellen said. Gwen shut up. "They are our parents, are they not? They have watched friend after friend fall. They know best how dangerous this is, but they also aren’t going to sit back and let the younger generation do everything. You know this. I...I know this." Kellen said and Gwen gave him a squeeze. "It’ll be okay. It’s a short mission. They’ll be ho safely soon. Others are keeping an eye on them since even though it is a short mission, it’s very important. The E.A.G. won’t be allowed close enough to ss with it. Especially since this is a worldwide issue." Kellen told her and Gwen let out a shuddering breath.
"Yeah. Okay. When you put it like that, it does make feel a little better." Gwen whispered. "Did...Did they tell you that next month my group of new recruits is going out?" She whispered and Kellen shook his head.
"No, they didn’t, but I had a feeling it was soon." Kellen told her, stroking his hands down her back comfortingly, playing with the end of her ponytail.
"Yeah. It feels...too close, yet so far away, you know? I’ve never been out there. Only did so simulations." Gwen whispered. "Is it...is it scary? The first ti you enter a gate?" Gwen asked softly and Kellen had to think back.
Honestly, he couldn’t really rember the first ti he entered a gate. He’d been so nervous, so focused on doing a good job that he hadn’t taken a chance to look at everything around him. It was only by his third ti in a gate that he even considered taking a look around him.
It had only been then that he was able to comprehend the beauty that each shattered world inside of the gates held. It was no exaggeration from Kellen’s point of view to say that if the gates weren’t so beautiful in their own way, the front lines wouldn’t be as populated as they were. People wouldn’t want to return, over and over, if they were ugly, grotesque nightmares all the ti.
Kellen exhaled slowly.
"I don’t rember my first gate that well. All the adrenaline, and worry that I wouldn’t do a good job got to ." Kellen admitted easily. It was sothing he had already worked through, and Gwen swallowed loudly, her arms squeezing him tightly. "But, my one suggestion is that if you have ti in the gate, stop sowhere safe, and take a mont to look around. I find that the gates can hold beauty in even the hardest, most difficult places. Don’t get too tense, and trust the Field Guide or Guides who go in with you. They probably have run the gate several tis, legally and illegally." Kellen chuckled. "I used to have to bribe so of the guards to let into the lower class gates just to gain experience." Kellen told her and Gwen gasped.
"Kellen! You broke rules?" She sounded shocked and that only made Kellen laugh more.
"Unspoken rules. It’s basically what every Guide did to gain experience. It might be rules for Espers, but for Field Guides? Not so much. Cutthroat, even if they would always have your back outside of a contract. During trying to get a contract? Never trust another Field Guide." Kellen told her. It was never sothing she would need to know, but Gwen nodded anyways.
"I see. Was it...hard, out there?" She asked and Kellen had a feeling he knew what she was asking. Kellen wouldn’t tell her the details. She was his baby sister. She didn’t need to know about his struggles.
"It won’t be for you, so don’t worry. You’ll have a nice tent in the Saturn Guild area. It’ll be divided from the other Guilds areas, and then there will be a large area nearby for the freelancers. In between everything is the shop, the canteen, and a large area to cook your own food if you want, or a hella expensive restaurant." Kellen told her and Gwen soaked up his words.
"Did you ever stay at the Saturn Guild’s area?" She asked and Kellen squeezed her.
"I didn’t know the Captain that well back then, so no."
"But you knew Taylor. And Hill, didn’t you?" Kellen chuckled.
"Well, I did know Taylor, but we were hiding that we knew each other that well. Everyone else? I got to know over my ti on the front lines." Kellen told her and Gwen sighed.
"So no late night rendezvous with the Captain? How disappointing." Kellen felt his body stiffen as he recalled a few tis that he had been out for a walk and he had run into Rhys. They had been too awkward to do anything more than greet each other, but now that he thought about it...had that been Rhys trying to have a late night rendezvous with him?
"Kellen? Are you rembering sothing?" Gwen asked, excitent in her voice and Kellen chuckled.
"No. Nothing of the sort. Are you here to ask a bunch of questions about the front lines like my students were just doing?" He teased, changing the direction of the questions and Gwen chuckled.
"Is that what they were doing? I had originally gone to your office to see you, but got directed here by a scientist. It’s a little strange that you remained behind for so long, but it makes sense if you were answering questions." Gwen said and Kellen nodded.
"How kind of them to tell you where I was. Did you want to co over for dinner tonight? Or did you want to hit up the cafeteria together? Rhys has a later night, and Taylor is a bit too busy for our usual guiding sessions." Gwen pulled back, her eyes sparkling.
"Really? Just and you?" She asked and Kellen felt the corners of his mouth tug up.
"Yes. Just and you."
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