(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Almost an esper

"Okay, so I'm thinking that we go at this from the angle that Captain Thatcher noticed Guide Woods potential on the front lines originally, and-" Casper was interrupted by Ms. Hill.

"Oh, me too! I saw first hand how skilled he is on the front lines." Casper frowned at her interruption, but continued. Ms. Hill pouted at being ignored, turning away from them on the couch and unwrapping another lollipop.

"So he noticed your potential, but then you left the front lines. A couple of months go by, then the incident at Guiding Center B takes place. Captain notices that Guide Woods works there and takes this chance to talk with him. He also notices that there has been a request for a retest for a Guide from Guiding Center B. Going off of a hunch, he shows up at the Center and it happens to be Guide Woods. Things happen, you get retested, and low and behold! What a great match. Wow. Everyone goes wild, and look! Guide Woods has also gone up in Class! Everyone loses their mind over this new information." Everyone stared at Casper for a moment, before Ms. Hill broke the silence.

"Casper, have you been reading in your free time? Because that was reeeeeeeally close to what actually happened." Casper flushed, but seemed to be slightly proud of himself. He cleared his throat, while the Captain continued to play with a piece of Kellen's hair.

"I talk to Pamela quite regularly, and we go over worst case scenarios. Captain's exclusive partner popping up out of nowhere is one of them." Ms. Hill stared at the other Lieutenant.

"How is that the worst case scenario? That seems like the best outcome to me." She asked, and curious too, Kellen didn't say anything, only waited for Casper to speak. He adjusted his glasses.

"Well, no matter how or when Captain Thatcher found his partner, it was always going to cause waves. I mean, it's the Captain." Ms. Hill nodded, but so did Kellen's Mom. "So Pamela and I decided it was better to have a plan in place for when it did happen so we weren't caught by surprise. I mean, finding out your match rate while helping with tests is fairly common, so it's not the worst story to go with." Casper's cheeks were slightly pink, while Captain smirked. The Captain shifted slightly towards the Guide next to him.

"I am pleased to find out that you two care so much about my relationships." He said dryly and Casper laughed nervously.

"Ah, well, it was mostly for fun. Like problem solving." He muttered and Kellen watched the man. Kellen had a feeling that if things went well, he probably would get along with him.

"So, it sounds like we have a fairly solid plan already. I take it that not many people know about the Captain's powers to drain others?" Somber faces met Kellen's words. "Then this cover story is reasonable. It should be noted that my powers might still increase over time, but I'm not sure what the rate is. I'll have to go over all of my other tests before I could give you a guess." Ms. Hill snorted.

"What? Are you going to math out the curve or something?" She teased and Kellen felt a wave of embarrassment at being called out so easily.

"I was, actually." He told her seriously and she snorted.

"What a nerd."

"He's a cute nerd." His Dad stepped in to defend him. "We always needed one in the family." He smiled at his son warmly. Kellen ducked his head, embarrassed even more. He reached for the teacup in front of him, taking a large gulp.

"I think it's important to have someone around who isn't afraid to do research. We don't have many of those types around us since most of us are a bunch of muscle heads." The Captain spoke before taking the cup from Kellen's hands and taking a sip. Casper watched the whole thing, still confused.

"I think it would benefit us as well to have someone smart in the upper levels of the Guild." There was silence for a moment before Casper cleared his throat. "So, we haven't had a pair high up in the Guild yet. I'm curious. What is Guide Woods going to do after he's updated his training? I mean, besides being your exclusive Guide, Captain Thatcher." Casper broached tentatively and Kellen was the one to laugh this time.

"Well, I'm certainly unable to take on some of your duties given I'm sure Captain would be upset if I was offering my guiding to others. That doesn't mean I can't be of use to you. If you think the Guides would benefit from field training I would be more than happy to help with that. I've only been away from the front lines for about seven months, but I was there for years. I also trained quite a few Field Guides while there and managed to keep them alive. So, if that interests you, I would be happy to make a couple mock up courses." Kellen smiled as the other Guide leaned towards him, nodding vigorously.

"Of course, I would gladly take you up on that offer. We already have a light training course we run our Guides through, but I would never turn down an offer of help from someone Ms. Hill and Captain Thatcher hold in such high regard." Kellen wasn't sure how to respond to the easy praise Casper gave him, while the Captain beside him puffed up, clearly pleased.

"Not only do I hold him in high regard, I trust him with my life." Captain stated rather proudly. Kellen, never one to condemn or condone others, ignored the Esper.

"Are you wanting to train them more with monsters or plant knowledge? Or just physically? Either way, I am more than happy to help. Besides, an unconscious Guide is dead weight, and the first thing to get left behind in a life or death situation." Casper's eyes widened, while Ms. Hill rolled onto her back on the couch, laughing loudly.

"Sometimes Kellen, you sound like an Esper." She teased the Guide, who seemed confused, while his mother sighed heavily.

"It's my fault. I trained both of my kids to be little hellions as children. Neither one of them showed signs early on if they were going to have powers, and it was better to be safe than sorry given the chances. With Kellen's reflexes, I thought he was going to take after me." She smiled sweetly before taking her husband's hand in hers. "Instead, he took after my Sweet Darling. Surprising, since Kellen's bedside manner was absolutely atrocious when he was younger." Kellen hated when she told that story. Normally she did it after consuming liquor, so this must be a new way to embarrass him.

"Mom, that's enough. No one wants to hear that story. You've told it a thousand times." Kellen protested, rolling his eyes while his Mom chuckled.