(BL) Taming the Field Guide

Chapter 195: Everything coming together

Everything took off once the funeral was over.

Casper agreed to go to therapy without a fight, to Kellen’s delight, and the progression with those waking up who had been inside of the gate was going well.

Kellen, his Dad and the newly appointed heads of the Guiding Division had put in the work in the two weeks after the funeral and the system outline was finished. They had even begun the roll out for the new power structure two days prior and so far everything was going well.

It was giving Kellen immense relief to know that the guiding Division would be in good hands, and that Casper would be in good hands too.

The Field Guides were also doing well. Their plans had gone off without a hitch, they were very creative, and Kellen was delighted to see that they had also put their personal touch to his training programs. They all worked, too, which Kellen knew would be the outcome.

He didn’t think his people would be incompetent.

Surprisingly, none of the Field Guides changed their mind. They all stayed exactly where they had decided to go. No one moved from the active duty side, and Kellen was proud of those that had seen the outcome of what could happen and hadn’t grown scared. That didn’t mean he didn’t give them more options, but it got to the point that the Field Guides were the ones telling Kellen that they were fine and they weren’t going to change their minds.

It was a small relief, even if it made Kellen’s heart twist. He knew that they were going to be good. He knew that they were competent. He just wanted to make sure they were where they wanted to be.

One of the outcomes Kellen hadn’t expected was the reactions he got from the Field Guides who had been sucked into the gate. He had been visiting them constantly, supporting them whenever he had a free second.

While he was doing that and helping them adjust to the fact that they were safe and that they had lost time while being asleep, he found that the Field Guides were of a more sound mind then the Espers who had come out of the gate.

It wasn’t by much, but it was enough to be noticeable. The Espers were a little more shaken, a little more jittery. Their mental health reports weren’t as strong as the Field Guides. In fact, the Field Guides were doing stretches to regain their loss of muscle on their own. They were even asking Kellen when he was coming to check on them for help in making a regimen that wouldn’t strain their bodies, but still help them develop.

Kellen did make one of course, and shared it with everyone. The Field Guides were delighted, the Espers were thankful, and so were the medical team overlooking their care.

The biggest surprise was the fact that every Field Guide that got sucked into the gate changed their minds. If they weren’t already on the active duty roster, they changed to become active duty.

That included Bree.

Kellen couldn’t understand it. Especially in Bree’s circumstance. She was the one who had come to him crying because she had been selected to go into the gate as the Field Guide. From what Kellen knew, they hadn’t needed a Field Guide when they had gone into the gate the second time after Kellen had rescued those trapped inside because it had been burned by members of the Peach Guild and the Saturn Guild. Kellen had no doubt that Rhys had been involved.

However, listening to Bree and the others talk about it helped him understand where they were coming from. While they were more mentally stable after coming out from the gate and waking up several weeks later, they were still greatly impacted by what happened to them inside.

They were living with survivors’ guilt. A sad, but common side effect of something so tragic.

They didn’t understand why they made it and the others didn’t. They had the same training, the same equipment, but they had survived while the others had not. Kellen understood.

He did his best to make sure that when he took people into dangerous gates that everyone came out together, but that didn’t always happen. He’d had a lot of guilt inside of him the first time he had lost someone, and his people had gotten a trial by fire.

He couldn’t exactly tell them no, because he knew that wasn’t the solution. Sure, they had experience now, but they also had trauma. Some of the more seasoned Field Guides said that trauma was what made Field Guides good at their job. While Kellen couldn’t disagree, he didn’t want that to be the case for his people.

So, he didn’t fully accept their requests, but he didn’t deny them either. They were upset when they first heard him say that, ready to protest, but Kellen explained further. He wanted to make sure that they didn’t go into a panic when they entered gates. They would be going back to basic training. They would be helping their peers with their training programs, and then they would be helping their other peers lead groups inside of gates.

They would act as scientists, they would explore fauna and flora up close and personal. They would work through the stress they had accumulated by surviving while others didn’t, but while also helping those around them. When they heard Kellen explain it that way, they were much more accepting of Kellen’s words.

Kellen was grateful they understood where he was coming from, and Kellen didn’t skip the step where he also explained everything to his other Field Guides as well. They had been surprised, but not upset.

In fact, they took this on as a very serious duty. They believed that it was an important duty to help their fellow Field Guide’s recovery, and there was something warm in Kellen’s heart when he heard that.

The Field Guides on the front lines weren’t cruel. They were just usually tired. Exhausted from what they had experienced and how they had been treated. Vital, but not always acknowledged by others.

At least the ones who had come from other front lines.

To feel that Kellen’s teachings might change that? That his people had taken the unspoken truths Kellen had taught them to heart? Kellen didn’t realise teaching could be so fulfilling.

There was also another, positive development that had happened. Brent had called around to all of the jewelry stores in town and had found a few quotes and designs that Kellen thought were good. They finalized a few, and sent Taylor off with the particular stone to get it shaped and finished.

To Kellen’s surprise he found out that the stone that Gwen had given him wasn’t something he should have kept on the shelf. It was instead a very expensive stone in its raw state. It was so big that the jeweler said they could split it in half and use it completely to make stones for Rhys and Kellen’s rings.

That had started at the beginning of the two weeks, and Kellen had paid extra for a quick, but good job.

Taylor was a grinning fool, so excited for what Kellen had planned. He hadn’t told her what design he’d decided on, nor had he told his Dad or Mom. Of course his Mom knew. His parents didn’t keep anything from each other. So it was going to be a surprise for everyone but Kellen and Brent.

As far as Kellen knew, Rhys had no idea what Kellen had planned. He was completely ignorant, even with his vision abilities. He was glad that Rhys wasn’t able to see things that concerned him pretty much at all. That was the small benefit.

Even his parents were confused as to why Rhys wasn’t strutting around like a proud peacock. They knew Rhys by now, and knew he’d want to brag. Kellen was surprised as well, but in a good way. He just hoped that the rings would be done before they had to leave the country.

He wanted the world to know that Rhys belonged to him before then.

Gwen was still asleep. The mission to the core had come and passed, but the complexity of the poison on the core was hard to figure out. Carlos was even having a hard time, which told Kellen it was a very potent poison.

If he was to rank it, it would probably be S Class, which made Carlos want to beat it even more. Kellen could see it in his eyes whenever he passed the man. He could also see the concern in Isabella’s eyes as well. She looked tired, and worried about the Esper. Kellen could only offer her fuel and supportive hugs. They both knew what Carlos was like.

It was sad that he wouldn’t be able to show Gwen what he was doing with his gift before she woke, but he’d make sure to keep her in the loop. He’d already started writing letters that he could give her for when she woke up about the things she had missed. So she could have a play by play when she woke up.

That was something she would deeply enjoy. Rhys when he caught on to what Kellen was doing was all smiles, pleased with the man who cared about his siblings so much. Rhys was very hands on now that Kellen was healed, and Kellen couldn’t exactly say he was upset.

Kellen was still wearing his eyepatch, his vision not fully restored but it was clear it was coming back. The skin and bones of his hand were also doing much better. If he wore a special kind of glove, he was even allowed to be out of the sling and could use it loosely. He still wasn’t allowed to work out yet, and sometimes his depth of vision was a little messed up, but his body was healing.

It was good news, and Kellen welcomed it.

One odd thing that Kellen had noticed was how close Charlie and Jules were growing. Kellen had no issue with Jules, but Charlie and Jules was a different matter. Kellen was his unofficial big brother, and he took his role very seriously. Charlie was a baby, and he made sure to remind Jules of that more than once.

Jules had smiled, nodded, but there was something distinctly Esper in their gaze when they looked back at Charlie.

Kellen made sure to let Hill know. He even let Taylor, Pamela, Gunther and Casper know. He also told his parents. He was not about to let an older person, man or woman, take advantage of him.

Everyone was aware, except Charlie. Charlie just thought he made another S Class friend, and if Kellen could keep it that way, he would. He didn’t like the look in Jules’ eyes, especially after their scores came back. Kellen hadn’t thought much of it, but he forgot that high scores weren’t common. Ridiculous, he knew, since he’d spent most of his professional life lamenting his own shitty scores. But all of that pain and frustration was gone in the face of Rhys’s love and affection.

Kellen huffed. He wanted that for Charlie, but he didn’t want him used by an Esper couple that would take him into danger. Kellen wasn’t a fool. He knew Jax was also involved in this. He was an S Class. They were always up to no good. His S Class Esper included.