#they think

Killer keeps glaring from behind his mask as he keeps his arms crossed. Waiting for the King of Sanctuary and his stupid mage to finally leave again.

Stupid public relationships. Stupid treaties. Stupid entitled assholes!

Killer however keeps quiet as he stands completely still by the wall. Horror is shadowing Nightmare as their king and King Sanctuary say their goodbyes.

Killer still thinks it would have been better to burn this whole bridge but in the end Dust convinced them to not do that. Killer knows Nightmare had come close to ending the whole working together thing.

He can admit that things had been better. The other king had been respectful and open and never once stepped out of line. The mage however? Still on thin ice. Killer is unhappy he is even allowed in the castle but with Error and him being brothers they have to allow something.

Like hell are they going to send Error all the way to Sanctuary.

Doesn't mean that Killer likes it that Dust flees the castle as soon as these guests come near.

At the start they had a clear role division. Cross would go with Dust, either missions or anything, as the guests came. And one between Horror and him would shadow the guests while the other remained glued to Nightmare's side.

It had worked amazingly for a few visits until Dust snapped at them that he doesn't need a babysitter and to just do their own jobs. Killer hadn't liked the idea but Nightmare will always respect their wants and needs and accepted Dust's.

Oh man. Had that been a mistake.

Not because Dust wasn't fine. Nah he is fully fine! Killer is pretty sure Dust can win a fight against a god.

The problem had been Cross.

Because none of them had realised just how furious Cross had been about the entire thing. How Cross's rage had been simmering just below the surface ready to explode.

Dust had gone out to ride one of the many horses when the guests came. Killer and Horror had already been at the enterance to greet them while Cross had shadowed Nightmare.

That was until Cross spotted the mage. It had been on fucking sight. Cross had launched himself at the other and Killer had known that glint in his eyes. It hadn't been for a fight. Cross had been planning to be very quick about it.

Horror and Killer had to work together to get Cross off of the other before something permanent was done.

To say the least. The rest of the visit had been rather tense.

Worse was them telling Dust what happened and Cross, for some reason, being completely unapologetic about it. The same guy who once asked Killer if there was a certain social expectation in how to greet the cats, hadn't in the least been bothered about having attacked the royal mage of their ally.

Dust had blinked before staring long and hard at Cross. Cross had just pouted. Pouted! As he mumbles that the other had deserved it for driivng Dust out of his own home.

From then on Cross and Dust would go on missions or training runs with the horses together when their guests arrived.

Killer watches the two kings converse as the mage remains near his own king. Then the other looks up and turns his skull into another direction. One that Killer knows is the location of the garden forest and the stables.

It is fucking weird and creepy that the other seems to know where Dust is. Though Killer is unhappy to admit that he does sort of respect the fucking balls of steel of this guy. The guy was almost mauled to death by a near feral attack from Cross, and he still comes here without a moments hesitation.

Creepy mage is truly obsessed. Killer does not like it.

The other keeps staring into the direction for a moment before looking forwards again. Nightmare doesn't give a kick as he finishes up the goodbyes and nods to them before looking at Horror.

Killer quickly catches the other's eyes as he glances at the door, then the guests and then he stares at Horror. Horror seems to glance between the door and the turning guests before he nods. Then the other follows their guests out as Killer quickly joins Nightmare's side.

Nightmare shoots him a look but doesn't mention it out loud. At least not until they are through the door.

"I take you are going to switch with Cross?" He doesn't seem bothered.

Killer grins "If that is okay." He never wants to make Nightmare feel like they won't be there for him. But he needs to check his soulbrother.

Nightmare gives a shrug, which Killer sees as a personal victory in getting him to relax more, "I don't mind. I am going to drop these off and meet with Error and the Captain for training anyway."

Killer grins "Oh that is awesome! Have fun." he leans closer "Any chance we can see?"

Ngihtmare looks away as he tugs on his fingers "No need! It isn't like we are good or anything and Captain Rogers helps a lot wiht like. Learning the basics."

Killer frowns as he carefully nudges his shoulders "Hey." Sometimes that kid in Nightmare really shines through the mask of his kingness "Of course it takes time. It took me ages and ages to stop fighting as a feral cat." Killer thinks Rogers still got scars from that actually.

Nightmare shoots him a wide eyed look "It wasn't that bad."

Killer grins and puts an arm around Ngihtamre and squeezes him quickly "And I am sure your training isn't that bad either. But if you don't want us to watch that is fine." Killer is just happy Nightmare is actually just doing something for fun. Sure Nightmare started it as training and business but Killer has sneaked in once before. He saw those two kids laugh and joke and tease each other as Rogers kept to the very basics.

Nightmare and him split up by the family wing as Killer quickly rushes towards the exit. It is a bit of a detour but it makes Killer feel better to deliver Nightmare safely to their private area.

Killer opens a window and scales the outside wall down. He hits the grass and is already jogging towards the forest and the stables beyond it.

The stables still look old but Killer knows for a fact that a large part are newer additions not even two years old. Dust had just wanted to keep the rustic look and Nightmare adores giving them things they want.

Killer spots Cross lean against the fench as Dust fills some of the water tub things for the horses. Cross looks up and grins as he waves. Dust looks up for a moment before turning back to his work.

Killer joins them at the fench "How was the horse ride?"

Cross groans loudly as he leans on it. Dust doesn't even look away from his work "Cross needs to relax more. Makes it rough for him and Limestone to get in a good rhythm to ride faster. But it will work."

Cross sputters "The branches were all so close! I was worried for them hitting him!"

Dust looks over amused "Limestone can handle it." and he goes towards the hay to fill the little feeders across the pen. Killer can spot multiple horses out and about and Opal is standing high and mighty nearby. Seems like the queen of the stables is overlooking her minions. Good for her.

Dust joins Cross and Killer on the outside before the three walk back towards the castle. They take a moment to go to the training room to drop off their armour, aside from Cross who decides to spend some extra time training.

Dust and him walk back towards the family wing and disappear into one of the lounges. The family wing used to be called the royal wing but Ngihtmare hadn't liked that name. He had been brainstorming new names and this one had been a bit of a placeholder.

They just. Never stopped calling it that.

Killer leans back against the couch as Dust lays against his side. Messing with some rope as he tries different knots.

"Did they do something that got you stressed?"

It takes Killer a moment to place before sighing "No... they didn't do anything." at least nothing new that Dust isn't at least in some way aware of. "Jsut wanted to hang out."

Dust hums and turns his attention back to the rope in his hands.

Killr is so happy he didn't lose him. Killer had been a pain and interfering the whole time which just lead from one mess to the next. He is just happy to still have the other by his side.

They are silent as Killer listens to the rustling of the rope and the soft crackling of the fire. It is nice and warm and the familar weight of Dust is also very welcome. He could have fallen asleep to this as he lets his mind wander.

Killer glances at Dust from the corner of his socket and watches as he loops the rope over and through itself. Making different type of knots which grow more and more complicated.

"What do you even use those for?" Killer can't help but turn his skull fully to get a better look. It looks as if it is a braid at this point, which seems insane to Killer as it is but one rope.

Dust tilts his head back to enable himself to shoot Killer a look before looking back to the rope "Decorative mostly." he undoes it and makes a diferent one which looks like multiple swirls around itself.

Killer frowns "Where?" He tries to think back but even Error doesn't use his threads for this type of stuff. Sure he loves his crafts but he never uses just knots or only knots. It is always in combination and never just one short piece of rope.

Dust looks back at Killer and raises a brow as he slowly raises his hand. Around the wrist Killer spots this of rope made bracelet and-

Killer grins "The Whistlers taught you?"

Dsut nods and turns back to the rope to start twisting it again.

Killer grins as he nudges him "Come on you can't just say that and not explain. How did you even get that?"

Dust doesn't look up but he does put the rope on the little side table before turning back to him. He crosses his arms and leans on his fist "Gift."

Killer blinks before staring at his best friend. Dust appears mostly neutral but has that little upturned twist to his mouth. Killer stares before grinning back widely "Wait?! This is one of the gifts they gave you?!"

Dust nods.

Killer leans forwards and stares "Did you get any more?"Long, very long, ago he asked Dust if the Whistlers gave him many gifts. at the time they hadn't really been close yet so Killer hadn't managed to get an answer out of the other. With other stuff happening and training getting more and more serious Killer just sort of forgot about it.

But now!

Dust nods again.

Killer wiggles in place "Can I see?" He puts his hands together and stares begging at the other.

Dust frowns for a moment as he glances at the bracelet before looking back to Killer. Evnetually Dust sighs and Killer feels excitement fill his soul.

--

Killer sighs happily as he lays in the very soft bed. It honestly feels more like you would expect a cloud to feel and Killer would sleep here happily and forever, and move into this room, if it weren't for the fact that he knows this will mess up his spine. Dust is truly the only one who loves a bed this soft.

Killer is still convinced that Dust should have been an air-elemental or something. Dude would have thrived as that. Then again now that he has their help and support he is thriving as a skeleton just fine.

Killer turns to his side and finds Dust on the ground by his closet. Pushing some stuff aside as he is retriving different boxes from the smaller space.

Killer glances around the room as his hand feels the soft wool under him. Dust fucking loves wool and thick blankets. Dude never has it too hot or feels overheated. The soft mattrass combined with the wool makes the bed truly more a cloud than anything else.

Dust may not say it out loud, but he loves soft stuff. Any of the clothes he wears that aren't armour are for a reason soft and warm after all.

Killer's eyes shoot around the room, glancing at the different decorations and knows his stupid soul is getting all emotional and soft again. Killer remembered when they first gave Dust this room, somewhere between removing his second and third magic blocker he was moved out of the celler here.

The first few weeks Dust would refuse to even leave it unless it was for training or a mission. He would stay in the blank room and just, wait.

Killer remembers the first piece of decoration that Dust moved into his room, long after the fourth magic blocker was removed, after him getting his mask even. It is the small banner that hangs on the wall, it holds the flag of Iron Fields. At the time Killer hadn't understood but now?

It makes sense he wanted that tie back to his old home.

After he brought in the first banner he actually went out to some secret tunnel to grab his actual things. Killer had been shocked that it had all been there but Dust hadn't been. Honestly Killer would kill to have some of Dust's certainty and confidence.

After that Dust would randomly pick things out to get from missions. Always just one thing, even if he saw multiple things he liked. He would stand between the shops thinking for a while before walking into one with purpose. Never once looking back to the other store.

Makes it easy for Killer to get gifts for him obviously. Even if Killer doesn't understand why Dust only allows himself to pick one thing he wants instead of just getting what he wants.

As for what else there is in the room, nothing but things to decorate it. The only actual sitting place here is the actual bed. Everything else are either rugs or banners or small art works. Dust doesn't have any hobby stuff in his room even if he does have hobbies as he had with the knotting and rope thing.

He just... always does it in the lounge or in the library or something.

Dust joins him on the bed and waves out a hand at the seven differently sized boxes and-

"Seven boxes?!" Killer stares with his mouth open at Dust.

Dust rubs the back of his neck as a bit of a purple flush covers his face, making his grey freckles stand out so much clearer. He doesn't even answer! He just shrugs. The absolute madman.

Killer stares at the boxes and rubs his hands together "Where should I start?"

Dust frowns as he stares at the boxes. He shrugs again.

Killer huffs before glancing down at the bracelet "Okay... Can you explain about the first gift you ever got?"

Dust blinks at him and nods, but then instead of showing his bracelet he crawls over his bed towards his nightstand where he grabs his mask and pulls of the small charm he had tied to the ribbon of it. He joins his side and hands it over.

Killer takes it and twists it around in his hands. It is heavier than you would expect for something so small. The fabric doesn't feel like rope and Killer thinks it may be leather which has been dyed a bright and deep red, next he looks at the very complex combination of knots that make an almost diamond pattern with small white maybe rocks in them. Killer looks back to Dust and waits.

Dust points to it "First gift. Was given shortly after I become the leader of the blackmarket ring after I told the Whistlers the plan my old boss had for their children. They gifted me this after we finalised the traderoute." he chuckles "First trade route I set up."

Killer nods as he looks down "So it was a celebratory gift?"

Dust makes a so-so motion with his hands "It also signals other Whistlers I can be trusted." He points towards the leather and the white stone "It is human leather and a tooth of a large direwolf. They carved the tooth smooth. They said that the smoothed teeth means that even if I can be dangerous I chose not to be. Colour is so it is seen and spotted easily for them."

Yeah and that is why Killer wasn't going to ask about where the leather came from. He hands it back and watches as Dust ties it back to his mask.

Killer looks back to his wrist "What is the bracelet then?"

Dust hums "Welcome gift." he undoes it and hands it over to Killer again and he twists it this and that way again.

It looks like rope but it feels like leather again even if it does not look the same as the last one. The knots are in a pattern which looks like diagonal stripes and there is once again a white something. He hands it back.

Dust points towards the directions of the knots "Means I go by he and him." he points to the white maybe tooth "Bleached wood. Shows I can't change."

Killer blinks "I expected another bone or tooth."

Dust grins "Those are only for honorable gifts and thanks. This is a welcome gift and pretty much an introduction. They wear these all the times and have multiple versions of them. It would be a waste of something precious, especially for the Whistlers there is a high change they lose their bracelets with shapeshifting."

Killer nods and leans on a hand "And the white wood means you can't change? Why do they need that?"

Dust hums as he redoes the bracelet "Not every whistler can shapeshift."

Killer holds up a hand "Wait hold on. Whistlers are known for their ability to shift? What do you mean they have a sign for when they can't?" Everyone knows Whistlers can shapeshift. It is the most dangerous thing about them!

Dust tilts his skull "It is genetic. The original Whistlers group was rather small. And while before Whistlers had no issue to find another one as partner, after a while you got the issue with it having to be marrying their own cousins. And while in history royals and nobles did that alot it was not something that Whistlers wanted to do, ever." he shrugs as he messes with the bracelet "Something about it just making their makeup more unstable and risk issues with their already limited magic."

Killer stares with his mouth open.

Dust raises a brow "You know the whole travel and like, journey thing they do?" Killer nods and Dust continues "Originally it was something they did to find a mate, a partner of kind. Sometimes they traveled very far, become someone's perfect type, got themselves pregnant, and went home." he shrugs again.

Killer blinks and mutters "So they kept the inbreding away, but with it it meant Whistler genes got... bred out?" Killer can't find other words for it for the moment.

Dust nods "Then it was a matter of chance on which parent the child would take after more. Some children would be Whistler in ever shape and form. You would never know they had a normal monster parent. Some it was a bit more obvious and some of these children can change shape. Same for the monsters who decided they wanted to live in Whistling itself."

Killer frowns as he leans on his hand "But why signal they can't change their form?"

Dust hums "Multiple reasons. One is a social reason. You have to understand their whole society has untold social rules and taboos. As a race that can generally change their looks looks generally aren't a big deal. The hard thing is when someone looks exactly like you and you yourself can't change away from it. It is a taboo to take the shape of someone who can't change it. The white wood signals that this is your form, that you can't change some reason or another. Then other Whistlers know this shape is offlimits."

"The second reason is safety." Dust continues "When Whistlers go out they use the shapeshifting as a way to hide but also if they are spotted to disappear. The Whistlers who can't to this are more vulnerable. Which means that if someone sees that there is a Whistler who can't shapeshift they will take extra care to keep a stable form and not arose suspicion." Dust then shrugs "I think there are more but those were the two that were explained to me."

Killer cna't help but let his sight glance at the multiple boxes of gifts. The physical proof that these people adore and respect Dust so much. Yet they still hide some details, they still hold some secrets close to their chests. Even with all of that.

Killer leans back and whistlers "Damn. That is intense..." he looks at the boxes and looks begging at Dust.

Dust snorts and makes a go-ahead motion with his hand. Killer doesn't need anything else as he dives for the first box and opens it. His eyes widen "Holy shit?! Is that a skull?!" he carefully picks up a skill and raises it, only to have a little like footend that you normally see on wine- "Is this a wineglass?! Wineskull?" he holds it up in shock at Dust.

Dust chuckles and nods "They made it work by putting dark glass in the sockets and behind the teeth. It is hidden but you can see it from the top." he motions and Killer hands it over. Dust looks amused as he raises the skull to his teeth and makes a drinking motion. "If you drink from it at the right angle it looks like you are kissing it upside down."

Killer blinks before snorting as he takes it back from Dust to finish looking it at. It is pearly white and perfect condition. It is smoothed and there are no sharp edges or anything that could stnad out as imperfection. He looks at Dust "Who gave this to you?"

Dust hums as he taps his chin for a moment "Someone who worked for me in the blackmarket for a while. And i must admit, it does work great to intimidate others even if I am short."

Killer snorts and grabs the next thing. This is a stiff necklash which seems almost a spiderweb in design and very thin white pieces. He raises it to Dust and waits with a grin.

Dust sees it and looks highly embarrassed "That... is bone."

Killer almost drops it, instead he gently lays it between them as he waits excitedly. Dust tugs on his beanie as he doesn't look Killer in the face "It is..." he looks for the words but seems unwilling to say it as he shoots Killer a look.

Killer stares at him before it hits him "Wait! Whistlers give each other bones when they want to bone each other?!" Killer can't help but grin.

Dust remains to look flustered as he just nods.

Killer frowns "You kept it?"

Dust's voice is soft "Rude to throw out... Not wearing is a rejection." Killer looks down at it.

"You seemed surprise to see it?" Killer looks back at Dust. it is unlike him to forget something, much less something like this.

Dust glances at one of the other boxes "Wrong box."

Killer snorts "You organised the gifts? Wait you had enough gifts to even organise them?!" Dust nods helplessly and Killer can't help but laugh.

They go through all the boxes. Dust has so much bone jewelery. Some more complex than others. It seems that those are generally courting gifts.

There are also the bone items, like the wine glass. Which are high in value and often given after a special event or reason. Like the wine glass was given by the old employee but after prodding Dust for more information it turned out that the Whistler had been lost and Dust first helped him escape a different gang, then let him stay in his gang to lay low, and then helped him on his way home. Which he jsut, didn't mention. Again.

Killer remembered the small bone of the bird the little Whistler kid had given Dust after their shared mission. Freedom regiven and so freedom is returned in form or something like that.

Killer stares at the bone dice he is rolling around in his hands "And these are balanced and everything?"

Dust nods "Yeah. They are great. Make a great noise rolling against wood." Killer obviously needs to try it and damn Dust is right it does make a great sound!

Dust puts the dice back in a little, with black velvet treated, bleached wooden box. He puts it back in the bigger box and to the side.

Killer leans back on his hands as he stares at everything "They really like you..." it isn't even a surprise.

Dust shrugs "Offered to move me there a few times. Declined." and he shrugs.

Killer can imagine why. Everything in these boxes showcase how badly they wanted to have him move. But the storm... obviously the storm would make it impossible...

Killer looks at him "Yeah? Even now?"

Dust nods "Especially now."

It fills his soul with relieve as he laughs and hugs his soulbrother. It is nice to have him here.

Killer considers making a joke about Dust always being able to get a Whistler as partner but he doesn't do it. He doesn't want to make light of Dust's feelings and pain so he won't. Instead he just holds him and pulls them both back to lay on the bed.

Dust groans "Kills. I need to clean."

Killer grins "Nah."

A sigh but Dust doesn't move away from him.

Killer knows he is one of the few who is allowed to to do. And he pushes close to Dust for now. To nap and relax.