Chapter 20: Still a coward, Captain
They found Ms. Hill in the lobby of the Medical wing chatting with Gunther, one of the other lieutenants of the guild. Gunther, unlike the last time Kellen had seen him, was kitted out in the full Esper uniform, his long hair pulled back into a ponytail away from his face. When he noticed the three of them, he gave them a nod, before turning a teasing smile towards Kellen.
"Ah, hello Mr. 90% match. Well? Everyone's dying to know. Is the Captain still a coward?" He was clearly teasing, but Kellen's whole body stiffened. He could feel the red creep up his neck as Taylor threw him a shocked look.
"Uh, well, no?" Kellen had to work to get his lips moving as he felt the Captain loom behind him. His laughter filled his ears and when he turned his head to look at him, the Captain had his head thrown back as he laughed. Kellen did not feel safe.
"You don't seem convinced, Mr. Woods. Shall I prove myself more to you?" Kellen nervously glanced at Taylor and the elevators. The Captain had clearly taken Kellen's words as a challenge, while the man himself hadn't noticed.
"I am fine, thank you. We are also on a tight schedule, so you wouldn't have time to do so." Ms. Hill whistled as the Captain's eyes narrowed at the Guide. Kellen realised something was wrong with his words when the Captain stepped towards him, his eyes a sharp yellow colour.
"Are you sure you want to say that, Mr. Woods?" He warned, and Kellen swallowed. He glanced around at the others, but all three of them had their backs turned to him, unwilling, or unable to help him. Therefore, Kellen opened his dumb mouth.
"I'm off the clock once we finish the retest, so unless you want to give me overtime, yes." Kellen was surprised by how stable his voice sounded to his ears. The Captain's eyes stared into Kellen's before slowly dropping to his lips, then back up to meet his gaze. He bent forward, his breath fanning over his face.
"Didn't your father ever warn you to pick your battles, Mr. Woods?" His voice was deceptively calm, sweet even, and Kellen felt a bead of sweat roll down his back and between his shoulder blades. He felt his gaze fall to the Esper's lips, and watched them turn up slightly before darting his eyes back up to the slowly turning gold gaze of the Captain. The false sense of calm spurred on the Guide, who opened his mouth again.
"He did, but I've always had great luck Captain Thatcher. Unless, you're scared?" Kellen tilted his head slightly to the side, his lips turning up slightly in nervousness. The Esper stared down at the Guide, his eyes glowing slightly. Kellen's senses were screaming out at him to move, to get out of there, but something told him not to. Finally, the Captain spoke.