Chapter 196: Tucked away out of everyone’s sight
There were several people in line ahead of him, and Kellen wasn’t one to bud in line. So, he waited. And waited. As the receptionists stuttered and stumbled over their words, their gazes darted to where Kellen stood waiting his turn. What could have been a few minutes turned into several, and Kellen wondered if that was the plan. Make Kellen feel like he was wasting his time.
Eventually, he got to the front, and he smiled at the sweating, anxious receptionist who had to be a lower level Guide who had been eyeing him up the whole time. Their hands were shaking as they placed them onto the keyboard in front of them. Their eyes darted from the screen in front of their face, to Kellen’s, and back.
"W-What can I help you with?" They asked, and Kellen fought the chuckle wanting to escape. He had several ideas as to why the Guide was shaking, but couldn’t hazard a guess to which one it was. Shifting on his feet, Kellen leaned forward, leaning against the counter.
"Is your manager in?" He asked with a Guide smile, and watched as the receptionist swallowed.
"U-Uh, I think so. Let me give them a call." Fumbling with the phone, the receptionist raised it to their ear, shaking as they pressed a few buttons on the screen before them. Kellen just waited, glancing around the large space as he did so. He knew that this was going to be a hard one, especially since they had said no outright.
Finding a camera in the corner, Kellen smiled and gave it a wave. He was sure that the manager, another A Class Guide, was watching him from there. Especially after the receptionist typed in the panic code.
Kellen wasn’t an idiot, and he could see the reflection of the screen in the receptionist’s glasses. It was a good thing that all Guiding Centers had the same code. Uniformity could help in certain circumstances.
The receptionist hung up, looking even more nervous until the elevators to the left of them opened. Out stepped a woman dressed in normal clothes, with only a small pin over her heart that dictated that she was someone who worked here. She had long, blonde hair pulled back into a bun at the base of her neck, stylish, but classic jewelry on, and walked like a soldier.
Kellen could see he had found his escort.
"Guide Woods. The manager is currently in a meeting, but if you’ll follow me I’ll take you to one of our visitor rooms to wait in until they are available." Ah, so this was the angle they were going for. Kellen checked his phone with a chuckle. Well, he had some time to burn. Let’s see what they were about. Nodding, he turned towards his escort with a smile.
"How kind of you to offer me a place to wait outside of prying eyes. I wouldn’t have minded waiting in the lobby like the others." He offered, and watched as her mouth tensed. If they left him waiting in the main lobby it would be clear that they were ignoring him. If they took him to a separate room they could keep him for as long as they needed. They might even have a guard on the door if they really wanted to fuck with him.