Chapter 302: Kellen is supposed to be the one good at public speaking

Brent thought he was going to hyperventilate.

While he knew that things were still going according to plan, that didn’t mean he wasn’t stressed out of his fucking mind. He hated public speaking. Was fucking terrible at it, in his opinion. Kellen was a better match for this kind of thing. He had a voice that tended to inspire people, raise them up. Empower them every time he spoke.

Brent?

His voice seemed to cause fights.

Case and point, Kellen was arguing with Mr. Caulder over how Brent was dressed after Kellen and Brent had traded a few comments about their respective looks. People were stepping in to calm them both down, but it was obvious what the connection between the two were. Him.

So, Brent wasn’t feeling that great leading up to the press conference from those facts alone. It was made worse that as the time got closer, the people that he knew and who kept him sane, dropped off. One was pulled this way, one was pulled another way.

Kellen was the first one to go, for obvious reasons, and then it kept happening until it was just Brent, Mr. Caulder, and Aunt Dina in a room, waiting for Xavier to signal for them to come out.

Brent was tapping his foot, his body on edge. He didn’t like wearing suits like this. He felt too much like his brother’s shadow even if his suit was considerably different from what his brother would wear. He’d given up this battle armor for actual stuff.

Which he was also wearing under this, just in case. He trusted Kellen with his life, several times over, but he himself insisted on him wearing their Field Guide uniform under his clothes if he could get away with it. It’d reflect almost everything, but especially bullets. Not poison, but that wasn’t a concern that any of them had.

Brent was just panicking. He wasn’t good with public speaking, no one was around to really calm him down, and honestly? Mr. Caulder was not helping. He was acting more like legal counsel than actual support and he didn’t need that when his life was in actual danger.

He didn’t need to do specific things when as soon as he opened his damn mouth, fucking Colby was going to pop in like a damn nightmare and try to snatch him, stab him, what have you. Maybe he’d be more open to hearing a lecture on what was a smart thing to say in front of a crowd of people when he didn’t know that was going to happen.

It was Aunt Dina who brought him comfort when he least expected it.

He knew that she had been doing this for a long time, and given all that she’d been through recently, Brent wasn’t really expecting a lot from her at the moment. He didn’t know if that was a mean thing to think, but she was already doing enough in Brent’s mind. She was hosting everyone, providing them a safe place to land. She’d stood up for him, given him protection and a warm bed, and she’d put her own Guild at risk all for him.

She might not see it that way, but Brent did, and he wasn’t sure how he’d be able to repay her once all of this was over.

"Brent." Brent jerked when she spoke, having long since ignored what Mr. Caulder was rambling about. Brent looked at Aunt Dina, in her Esper best, her face severe. "You don’t have to do your best." She said. Brent had no idea what she was talking about. "You don’t, because people will have already made up their minds about you before you even step on that state. All you have to do is let other people’s actions speak for them." She said.

Again, Brent was confused, but he nodded as if he understood what she had said. Her serious expression melted as she reached for him, smiling, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Give yourself more credit, young man. After all, you wouldn’t have made it this far if you didn’t desire it. You’ve got grit, you’ve got heart, you can do this." She said and Brent thought that was some of the best words strung together he’d heard all day.

"Thank you, Aunt Dina." Brent muttered, and she chuckled.

"I’d ruffle your hair, but I think I’d be the one getting shot. Seems like Rhys is just about to start speaking. Let’s see if we can spot Kellen in the background as he talks." She said, giving Brent a wink.

He felt some of his tension leave, glad that he had her on his side. At the very least, Mr. Caulder had stopped talking.

Aunt Dina turned on the small t.v. that he was sure they had brought in for this very reason. As soon as it was on, Aunt Dina flipped to a channel and Brent was surprised to see the front of the Phoenix Guild. It was set up with a stage in front, a long and large black velvet curtain behind the stage, and two sets of stairs going up onto the stage from either side. A line of Espers stood in front of the stage acting as a guardrail.

It was certainly a rather serious rail that Brent wouldn’t want to cross, which was why the reporters and those watching were several steps back.

All eyes were locked onto the podium in the center of the stage. Set up, waiting, but no one around. Brent watched as Xavier stepped out from behind the curtain, appeared to take a deep breath, and then headed up the stairs. He was all business, professional, and in a uniform that looked similar to Aunt Dina’s but had some slight variations. Brent couldn’t tell what from the distance that this video was being shot on, but he could tell there was a variation somewhere.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for your time and coming on such short notice. In a few moments our valuable friend and comrade, Captain Rhys Thatcher, is going to join us on the stage before the person who everyone has been waiting to see speaks. Before then, I would like to remind everyone that while we appreciate your zeal, we would ask you to remain behind the line that we’ve created. Thank you very much for your consideration, and the press conference will begin shortly." He gave a warm smile, a nod, and stepped off of the stage. Aunt Dina snorted.

"I really did something cruel making him my pr." She muttered under her breath and Brent gave her a rather confused look. She slid a glance towards him, her hand raised so that it rested on her chin.

"What?" Brent asked, clearly searching for clarification and she smiled.

"He hates public speaking." She told him, smirking. "That’s why he got so good at speaking to a crowd but in the shortest timeframe he could manage. He has no problem speaking to others in small groups, but press conferences? He tries to handle those as quickly as possible, and curses my name the whole time." She added with a smirk.

Brent wasn’t sure if that was something to smile about, but when Brent thought back on the only other pr person he knew...

He should buy Xavier a lot of really nice liquor after this was all over. And Pamela. He should message Hill or someone and ask them what she liked.

"You sound like you hate him." Brent muttered and Aunt Dina took exception to that.

"I could never hate Xavier. I love him dearly, like a son. I asked this of him so that he could grow." She said, then added, "plus, we needed someone to fulfill that role. It was two birds, one stone." She said like that made everything okay. Brent just sighed, shaking his head.

Their conversation stopped because Rhys appeared from the front doors of the Phoenix Guild. He walked alone, which seemed to surprise a few of the people in front of the camera. Brent even picked up on a few asking about ’his Guide’ or a muttered ’where is he?’. Brent almost smiled.

Yeah, they were in for a hell of a surprise when Kellen saved his ass. Including Brent, because he couldn’t pick Kellen out from the background.

Rhys looked composed, perfect even. Every inch of him exuded the confident aura of a man who had never once doubted himself or his position. His uniform was in perfect condition, his hair was gelled perfectly out of his face, and his hat sat firmly on his head.

Brent had no doubt that later Kellen would be climbing that man like a pole. Why?

Despite everything and how he was holding himself, he was making sure to show off the dazzling ring on his finger. The cameras were going off, and Brent swore he almost saw his facade crack. He was sure that he would have broken out in the giddiest, smug smile he could manage if he wasn’t well trained in this area.

"He better not ruin this." Aunt Dina muttered darkly, and Brent snorted.

"Captain Thatcher? In what world would that happen? He takes his job very seriously, and he’s been given an important role. He will not let Kellen down." Brent told her, but she was still scowling. Brent just sighed, shaking his head. Maybe this was an Aunt thing? He wouldn’t know.

Rhys got to the edge of the stage, his back straight as he turned and climbed the steps, one by one until he got to the top and moved towards the podium.

When he turned and hit the crowd with the full force of his yellow gaze, Brent felt a cold shiver run down his spine. It had been a long time since Rhys had looked at him like that. So cold and professional.

Brent had almost forgotten what being on the other side of his gaze had felt like. Of course, he was sure Kellen had never experienced this moment. Rhys had always had a soft spot for the Field Guide a mile wide, even if he’d never noticed.

He wondered, briefly, if Sergei had been as obvious as Rhys had been? Brent didn’t think so, or if he had, it hadn’t been for as long as Rhys and Kellen had been dancing around each other.

It was almost as famous as his parents’ love story, at least for their front lines.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Rhys began, bringing all attention to him. The man wasted no time gripping onto the edge of the podium just to show off his ring. Brent wasn’t blind. Kellen might find the man cute and handsome, but Brent saw him for the big, lumbering Esper that he was.

Of course, Brent was incredibly biased, and would have never hit on Rhys if given the option. The man scared him, so it was fine that Kellen claimed him. Maybe that was his subconscious protecting him from being killed by either man. Either way, Brent was glad, and chuckled to himself at Rhys’ blatant bragging. In his eyes, at least.

Aunt Dina beside him was scowling sharply.

"We wanted to thank you for attending this press conference, and thank Captain Dina for her generosity and kindness in helping us arrange this press conference. There are quite a few things that we must make clear to the public and her Guild has been nothing but kind in helping us prepare for this moment." He was really laying it on thick, wasn’t he?

When Brent glanced at Aunt Dina he found that she wasn’t as prickly. Right on, Rhys. Keep up the good work.