Kellen spent the next two hours speaking to his people and getting a feeling for what they had been up to while he hadn’t been around. He was actually quite impressed with what they were doing.

They had essentially gone into self study while Kellen had been gone. They had requested a lot of the forms and files that Kellen and other Field Guides had filled out before and after going on escort missions and had been using those to not only help them understand what was required of them, but to also learn and grow.

Kellen was immensely proud of them for even considering something like that, but then again, Kellen could see the gleam in their eyes. They had wanted to get their hands on the poison gate briefing. Kellen knew that they probably would never get access to it, especially since the gate wasn’t even closed yet.

Now that he was here though, he could give them more guidance, and explain what he had planned for them before everything hit the fan.

They would have to delay the transfer of Field Guides to help train at other Guilds, especially given that Guides were still being targeted by the E.A.G. and they, as a group, had experienced their first loss of members.

While they were in good spirits, Kellen could feel it. The loss. The way that while they were excited to see him, they kept looking at his wounds, and their gazes all shifted slightly whenever he caught them staring. When they had been coming to visit him they had worked on making sure that they weren’t scanning him, but now that he had surprised them, they weren’t able to control themselves.

Kellen had immense sympathy for them, which is why he told them that the first members of the group that had been sucked into the gate had woken up.

He did only tell them after he had lured them all upstairs to the cafeteria to grab a few ’snacks’. They went willingly, and Kellen was able to eat some food as per Rhys’ reminder, and talk to his people. He wasn’t as good at this as Brent was, but he could still do it. He’d just channel him for the moment.

When the group heard that the others were awake, it caused a stir not just for them, but for those who were around them and listening in. Several of the Guides burst into tears and Kellen, a little unsure with what to do, offered them his shoulder to cry on. Kellen found himself surrounded by happy, crying Field Guides, each of them relieved that their team members were waking up.

They then demanded when they could see them, and Kellen gave them a firm ’wait till tomorrow’. He explained all of the tests that they would need to go through, and that they were still in shock. He was able to do so because he told them that’s exactly what he went through, and why they weren’t able to see him right away after everything that happened. Not just because Rhys was possessive.

That seemed to calm them down, and they were able to focus on Kellen’s plan.

For the group that wanted to continue working in gates, or who had originally said that they wanted to continue working in gates, Kellen would take another poll. It was only right since such a strange situation happened and Kellen wanted to give them every opportunity to stay true to themselves. If what happened with the gate made them want to change to teachers, Kellen would not protest it.

That said, if they decided that they wanted to continue down this path, they would. Kellen, with the help of whoever stepped in while he was gone and Casper was benched, would start rotating the Field Guides out onto the front lines again. This time they wouldn’t be going with Brent, they would be going with a higher up Esper from their Guild, and possibly the Nemesis Guild or the Peach Guild as well.

It would be good for them since it would give them a chance to work with other Espers. They were always going to be Guides who worked for the Saturn Guild, but seeing how others worked would help them as well. Kellen was trusting them to be able to do their job, while also still being new.

Kellen admitted that they were getting better training then Kellen had gotten because there was truly no way to really prepare for your first gate. Especially your first solo gate. Kellen also knew that there was a backlog on the front lines of things that needed to get done and Field Guides were needed to get those jobs done safely.

They would be very busy if they continued down that path.

The second group, those who wanted to remain teachers, would continue going through the files that Kellen had made for them forever ago, along with the program, while also starting to reach out to the Guilds who had asked for help when it came to training their Guides. Kellen would have them start the process that Kellen had gone through when he had first arrived at the Saturn Guild.

Kellen was going to have them start to build their own training regimen, while using Kellen’s as a base. He knew that they were all different, and while there were specific points that they all needed to hit, they could teach it in a different way than him.

Obviously, the training program to get the Guides up to the starting line that the Field Guide training truly started at was non-negotiable, but Kellen could give them some wiggle room.

Kellen was going to give them two weeks to get their training regimes started, and then he was going to give them two weeks to test it and see if it was any good. They could use the help of other Guides, including other Field Guides, to see if it was any good. Hell, they could even ask Espers to help.

Kellen just wanted them to be able to prove that not only did they understand the material that Kellen had taught them, but that they could then expand on it themselves. He could tell that this was exactly what the group needed. They had needed some direction, they had needed someone to step in and tell them what to do.

Kellen was kicking himself that he had secluded himself while he was healing instead of being there for them, but he also understood that Rhys wouldn’t have let him push himself too hard, nor would the Field Guides in front of him.

All he could do now instead of covering himself in guilt and shame was be there for them while they needed him.

Kellen explained what would happen once they had found a program that tested well and had passed Kellen’s personal tests, they would then reach out to Guilds that were interested and start the selection process. Kellen would make sure that the groups they had were five Guides strong, max. They weren’t as skilled as he was, and he wanted them to not feel overwhelmed.

He would keep in contact with them in the same way that Rhys did with the others. He’d make sure he had enough resources around him that they would be able to reach him if they needed him. The Field Guides were slowly getting excited now that Kellen was telling them exactly what he had planned.

It was nice to see that everyone was in good spirits.

~

Most of the Field Guides left after they had finished their snacks, going off to tell the Field Guides who hadn’t been there with them, what the plan was.

Two Guides were left. Both of them were the Guides that Kellen and his Dad had interviewed twice. They were on the short list for Guides who would help temporarily replace Casper while he was benched.

They both sat there, staring at Kellen for a long moment, and Kellen knew that while they were both women, they were completely different from each other. For one, one was blonde, the other was a brunette. The brunette was on the active Field Guide side, while the blonde, the one who questioned Kellen earlier, was on the training side. Kellen knew that they both had something to ask him, so Kellen sat back, wondering if it was a good idea for them to stay in the cafeteria, or if they should go somewhere quieter?

They didn’t really give him a choice.

"Guide Woods, be honest, we’re on the short list, aren’t we?" The blonde asked. Kellen smiled at her. They were both very observant, which was always a plus for anyone wanting to become a Field Guide.

"My father and I haven’t exactly been quiet about it." Kellen told them and that seemed to answer one of the questions that they wanted to ask. The blonde let out a slow breath, nodding slightly while the brunette narrowed her gaze. She shifted forward, her brunette hair falling over her shoulder as she did so.

"We have a feeling that we know who else you’ve put on the short list. In fact...we’ve been talking amongst ourselves." She admitted. She looked a little guilty, but Kellen nodded. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"I’m glad that you have. It would be a problem if you weren’t talking to each other." Kellen told her sincerely. His response seemed to relax them further.

"We wanted to suggest something. I know that we’re just...Guides, but we had some suggestions for how the Guiding Division should look going into the future." The brunette said, and Kellen was a little bit surprised. They had ideas? They wanted to tell them what to do? Kellen was impressed that they were being so bold.

"Alright. Tell me what you’re thinking and I’ll see if it aligns with our plans as well."

~

Kellen was actually pretty impressed with what the girls had come up with. They wanted to differentiate the groups for the Guides from the get go. If Casper wasn’t going to be in charge for a while, they wanted to take this time to do the hard work of putting a Guide at each Class level in charge of the Guides in the Guild. They wanted equal representation. They wanted a voice. They also suggested that because there were so few Field Guides so far that they would be the representation for those who were active, and those who were teachers and the Field Guides would still fall under their Class levels until they had enough members to follow in the same footsteps.

They knew that this was a lot to ask of him, but they had been mulling over it for a while. As had some of the higher up Guides as well. The ones who had been here since the beginning and had seen the insidious nature of those who had twisted the other Guides to their whims. They did not want that to happen, and they considered that this would be the right way to nip it in the bud.

Kellen honestly thought it was a good idea. He had already thought about doing something similar, but to hear it from their lips was completely different. These women were being very bold in speaking to him about this now, right before he had made a final decision on who would take over leadership of the Guiding Division in Casper’s stead.

He asked them if they were aware this could affect who was chosen. They agreed that they did know, they were prepared for face backlash if this wasn’t a welcome change, but they also were confident in him and the impression that he had given them. They had faith in their leaders.

That faith was felt, received, and Kellen felt his own shoulders relax.

He wouldn’t be able to make this decision on his own, but he would pass this on. He just knew that he would be having a heated conversation with Rhys later that night thanks to them.