Chapter 202: A favour owed is a favour paid
"Bella, how could you-" Carlos cut himself off, gritting his teeth as Guide Martinez smiled at him. Her dark eyes were soft as she looked upon the Esper she was in charge of, and it didn’t take long for Kellen to realise that the bond they had formed was more than just the one between an Esper and Guide. It made Kellen happy that his suggestion had resulted in two people finding each other.
"Don’t be mad at her. She said nothing wrong. I think it’s actually quite wonderful that she knows you so well. Wouldn’t you agree, Carlos?" Kellen could tell Carlos was vibrating with anger, and he turned his gaze to Sakura. The hostility there made Kellen step in front of Sakura and Kellen’s smile dropped from his face.
"Why are you defending her? She’s betrayed me." He hissed, and Kellen snorted.
"She did nothing of the sort. Any anger you have, direct it towards me. I’m the one who plans to use my favour that you owe me to convince you to help everyone. Sakura did not want me to know you existed." Kellen insisted, and Carlos grumbled. Kellen had a feeling that if Guide Martinez had not been here, he would have been much more aggressive.
Kellen cast a glance at Sakura, and wondered if she was the one who had asked Guide Martinez to be here when they spoke. He wouldn’t put it past her. Sakura winked at Kellen, but remained where she was. Back far enough that Carlos would have to leave his room to get to her, and also far enough that he felt like she couldn’t hear them.
It was a falsehood, but perception was everything sometimes.
"So you want to use your favour to help others? Kellen, you’re such a goody two shoes." Carlos snarled, and Kellen blinked. It had been a while since he’d been called that. Most people right now thought that he was a hardass, or a monster. It was nice to hear an old nickname.
"Ah, well, I won’t say that I disagree with you, but I do think there is a small bit of selfishness in this. I just don’t want my city to be ruined like the previous cities that had been near the last gate." Kellen shrugged his shoulders, his smile returning to his lips. "And I want what we do to benefit my pair. I think that’s a pretty selfish thing." He admitted it easily. He had wanted that before, but now there was a different meaning behind it. Carlos rolled his eyes.
"Yeah yeah. Sure. You’re one of the first people I’ve ever met where your selfishness barely exceeds what others would consider generous. Your pair must be quite upset considering you barely take care of yourself." Kellen winced at how close to home that jab hit. Carlos stared at Kellen’s slightly paler face, and burst into laughter. "I was right? Goddamn, that felt good." Carlos laughing made his raspy voice even raspier, and he ended up in a coughing fit. It sounded painful, but he didn’t seem remorseful.
In fact, he seemed quite pleased with himself, his grin reaching from ear to ear.
"Ha ha. Laugh at someone else’s insecurities. What a bad man you are. Oo, I’m so scared of Carlos." Kellen deadpanned, and his response didn’t seem to chase away Carlos’ smile. Even after coughing up what sounded like a lung, the man was still smiling.