[still in the land of dreams before the king candidates went to the human world]

-

"Huh? Oh yeah," Eater mumbles, and promptly drops Crimson and Crystal flat on their faces. The Nightmare then gets back on all fours and paces around for a moment, thinking about where Boo's going to spend the night. "Hmmm..." Eater mumbles as he starts walking off in one direction... only to be stopped by Purity.

"Where are you going?" the Dreamer asks suspiciously.

"Somewhere where I won't have to pay for a room," Dreameater replies, turning his head back to look at her with glowing eyes, "And if Boo's not tired, there's food and other things to keep her entertained

-

Boo tips here head with What Eater " we're are we going?" She asked

Eater is silent for a moment as he walks away from the small group now, and when he knows he's out of earshot, he quietly replies, "We're going to spend the night at Weaver's house."

-
Boo eyes Light up "Weaver's home! " She said with excitement " I never been to his house before, I bet it's a pretty house! With lots of fun stuff!"

-
"It is, I bet there's still toys there too," Dreameater remarks, "That's why I said there'll be things for you to do if you're not tired yet."

The Nightmare Great Wolf wanders down the familiar streets with a somewhat blank look on his face until he reaches the Dreamer's home. It's just a house, but even to him, it's so much more... it's a memory. The Nightmare takes a breath as he sets Boo down a moment to shift back to his human form, then Shadow Jumps with her inside the house. "Well, here we are Boo. Mmm, let's see, are you hungry after our adventure in Void's place?"

The layout of the inside of the house is fairly open, with a nice little entryway. From there, to the left is a wide open dining room and kitchen, to the right is a living room, and to the back of the entryway is a set of stairs leading up to the bedrooms

I love toys!"Boo beamed with excitement.
-

The little Dragonette wasn't phased when the Nightmare Shadows jump with her, Boo look up at Dreameater like he just read her mind " yes, I'm hungry," she said " that place was scary it smelled funny" she truned her head to look at her former Guardian home " Weaver has a nice home " she whispered knowing he was gone now.

-
Eater smirks down at Boo and crouches down to pat her head gently. "Well, don't you worry, because we won't have to go back to that place ever again," he reassures her, then gets back up and heads off to the kitchen, "I'll make you something to eat, you can either wait in here with me or in the living room, I guess. Weaver's parents aren't here, so we've got the place all to ourselves."

Without Eater knowing it, and still sniffling a bit from earlier, Hope slips off again and slowly flies into the living room.

(The living room, I imagine, would have several seats for a Dreamer's true form, but also others for more humanoid forms, like a rocking chair. The room is neat and decorated with things such as flowers and paintings, and here and there, hanging from the walls or sitting on shelves and a table are pictures of Weaver when he was younger, and Valiant and Joy Dreamer...)

-
"ok, I'll go wait in the living room" Boo replied noticing the Forgotten heading there.

-

The little Dragonette follow Hope, she glanced around that the nicely decorated room, noticing Furniture to accommodate both a Dreamer true form and more humanoid forms, she wanders around the room looking at the decorations and pictures, Boo stopped seen a picture with her former Guardian and his family " is this Weaver daddy and mommy?" She thinks out loud

"Yeah... those are his parents..." Hope quietly replies to Boo as she lands on one of the seats for a Dreamer and curls up on her side, sobbing. "I'm sorry Weaver..."

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Eater is busy trying to think of something to make, taking out various food items native to the Land of Dreams and getting them prepared, although one thing does catch his eye that he decides to make for himself, even if it isn't as good as the meat of a Dreamer.

-

little Dragonette ears laid back // they must miss him to...// she held back a sniffle.

Boo's heart broke when hope started to cry, she went over to the Forgotten and put her paws on the cushion "don't cry Hope, it not your fault "

-

Hope doesn't get up or move, but she does look at Boo with eyes full of tears. "But I was supposed to save him..." she sadly replies, "I didn't catch the Nightmare syndrome in time... I failed him... It's my fault he died... and then I failed him again... He was there in the dark palace, I heard him! Weaver was there... and I still couldn't save him from Eater..."

-

" w-hat?" Boo gasp " Weaver still alive?!!" The little Dragonette was lost for words, here she thought her Dreamer Guardian was gone, she was full of Hope but she was even more confused "I thought the Nightmare kill Dreamers, how could he be alive and what do you mean you couldn't save him again?" She look at Hope with wide eyes

I don't know..." Hope explains, "His voice was coming from an evil heart, he said he had been trapped in there since Eater took over his body, and he's been watching what Eater's been doing... B-but then Eater said he was going to kill him again and stabbed the heart with his sword, a-and I don't know what happened to Weaver after that..."

-

 

Boo ears laid back, a look of horror was on her face " E-ater killed Weaver? " Tears started to gather in the little Dragonette eyes " i I don't understand... Why would Eater do something like that?...he a nice Nightmare..."

-

The Forgotten tries to curl up more than she already is, and glances at one of the pictures of her lost Dreamer. "Eater doesn't want to give up his body... He'll have to die if Weaver comes back... so either Eater will die, or Weaver will be lost forever..."

-

 Boo didn't know what to say or think, she missed Weaver but like Eater to, // There both my friends//
she was just a child and didn't know what to say but her eyes spoke for her as tears begin to fall down her face " w-hy?" She sob

-

Sensing Boo's grief from the kitchen, Eater tried his best to hurry up with the meal, although he frowns, having an idea what she's probably crying about... Soon, he comes to the living room carrying a tray with a plate of food in one hand, and a mug of hot chocolate in the other. "Hey, I could feel you crying all the way in there," the Nightmare says as he carefully sets the tray on the floor by the cushion, "What's got you so upset, Princess?"

Boo look up at Eater with tears streaming down her face " Hope said she seen Weaver and you killed him!" The little Dragonette voice cracked with emotions

 

-

Eater's eyes widen ever so slightly, he had been expecting her to be crying about missing Weaver, sure, but he hadn't been expecting /that./ Now he has to think about what to say, he could try lying to her, but that doesn't seem like the best option... but what are you going to say when you can't feel guilt or sympathy?
"... Yeah, that's right. I did," he quietly replies, not with any hate or taunting, but rather simply, "Weaver was trapped in Void's palace, in the source of his power, and I destroyed it..."

If he were honest with himself, he'd acknowledge the fact that he doesn't know for sure what happened to the Dreamer, but in his mind, he killed him, and now Dreameater goes quiet, trying to think of some thing he can say to fix this situation.

 
-

Boo was completely horrified with what her dark Guardian just said, she began to sob hysterically and through her wailing she cry out "Y-our a monster!" Boo then took off running though the house to get away from the Nightmare and find a place to hide...

 
-

Dreameater grimaces as Boo shouts, howls, and runs away from him, but of course she can't really hide, as the Nightmare can sense wherever she goes. He sighs and growls at Hope before setting his hot chocolate down, "Stupid bug, why'd you have to tell her that...?"

Eater follows Boo's aura up the stairs, and pauses outside the door when he realizes he's at Weaver's room... "... Princess..." Eater quietly calls from outside, not wanting to go in yet.

Boo had just picked a room not never been in the house before and all she wanted to do was cry. The little Dragonette was hiding under the bed still sobbing when Eater called to her " go away! Your a meanie! You didn't try to save him! You killed my best friend!" She cry out, she didn't know what else to say but she knew she was hurting, the friend she thought was dead was still alive then the one she trusts killed him again... Boo covered her face sobbing

 
-

"I tried to tell you before, I'm not one of the good guys, Boo..." Eater tries to explain as he slowly cracks the door open, "I sneak around at night and eat people, I hate Catch and Purity and their friends. I'm a Nightmare, it's what I do... Did Hope say anything to you about why I killed Weaver? ... Again?"

 
-

Boo only cry in reply at first "Hiiro was right I shouldn't trust you..." She said quietly through her tears.

The little Dragonette continue to sob " Hope said it have to be you or Weaver.... that you would never give Weaver back his body and he be lost! That you would have to die!" That's when it hit Boo the hardest and why she was crying so much, she didn't want ether one to die, they both were her friends and Guardians, Boo curled up in her misery crying loudly

 
-
Fighting back a snarl when Boo brings up Hiiro, Eater walks into the room his former self grew up in, and tenses up. So much is as it was when Weaver left to go to Cielo, his bed by the window, overlooking the street, his desk by the wall, and the wall shelf not far from it, where he can make out the little action figures that Weaver collected for some reason, on the other side of the room is a small bookcase, a chest full of old toys, and a closet where Weaver would put anything he didn't have a place for. Even his acoustic guitar is still here, propped up against the wall... but as much as Eater would love to burn everything here to the ground, he has way, waayy too many reasons why he can't, so the Nightmare takes a breath and tries to ignore his instincts. He walks over to Weaver's bed and crouches, carefully reaching under it to gently pull Boo out and into a hug. //What do I say? How do I fix this? ... Should I say anything more at all?//

-

Boo didn't resist Eater, she buried her face in his chest as she sobbed, it was comforting but confusing all at the same time for the little Dragonette, here was a heartless monster who would kill others but yet he comfort her " why do you care about me? Why do I matter when you just hurt people?" She finally said with a Broken Voice

 

Dreameater opens his mouth to reply with the first thing that came to mind: the seal Catch placed on him, but he doesn't say anything, and closes his mouth again as he really thinks about it. Is the seal /really/ the only reason he's here? If that's all it is, would he turn around and try to kill her if it gets broken? ... And then he thinks about the vision, the future where he does kill her, where he failed... After a good minute or so of silence, he finally replies, "... Well, I guess at first it was because of the magic Catch used on me when he tried to save Weaver... that seal is probably a big part of it, but... I think I just want to protect you now. Besides, I've already made promises, and I can't just break go and them. I promised I'd keep you safe, and that I'd always come back... If it really was all because of the seal, I guess I'd be trying to find a way to break it...? But I'm not."

 

-

The young Nightmare pauses for just a brief moment before adding: "... Boo, I've made promises to you, now I want you to promise /me/ something... If I do ever try to hurt you, then there's something very wrong with me. Don't try to talk me out of it, just run away, run far away from me and get someone to help you, got it?"

 

-

Boo listen quietly to the Nightmare, she didn't say anything at first take in all what he said, she didn't understand all of what he was getting at but for some reason she believed him, the little Dragonette sniffled "ok Eater" she whispered quietly " but you said you protect me So I know you wouldn't hurt me because we're friends right?" She looked up at Dreameater with tear-stained eyes

 
-

"That's right..." Eater nods in reply, gently rubbing the top of her head, but he pauses, considering whether or not he should continue and talk about Catch's vision involving Betrayal. "I don't want to hurt you, I never will /want/ to... and I know the others--especially Hiiro and Fiona--don't trust me at all, but they have good reasons not to, you've seen other Nightmares before... I don't know what they might tell you, but no matter what they say about me, don't let it get to you, ok? Because we're friends, and I'm your Guardian."

-

Boo rubbed Eater hand with her face " ok Eater, I trust you because we're friends " she sniffles

The Nightmare sighs quietly, and doesn't even notice the corner of his lips turning up in a faint smile. "... Are you ok now?" Eater asks Boo, but then realizes, "Wait--oh moons, I forgot the food downstairs! ... Uh, do you want me to go get it and bring it up here, or would you rather just head back down, Princess?"

 
-

Boo wipe her tears from her eyes and nodded her head, yes, she then looked around the room she was in " this is a nice place, is it ok if I stay here?" She asked

 

-

"Yeah, you can stay here, that's fine," Eater nods as he stands up, and points to the chest by the wall, "Feel free to look around, there's toys in that treasure chest over there. I'll be right back with your food, Boo."
He then leaves Weaver's room and heads downstairs.

 

-

Boo waited and watched her Guardian leave, she hoped down off the bed and when over to the chest by the wall and started to dig through it, the little Dragonette pulled out an an assortment of toys and action figures she didn't know who or what any of them were but she likes them. Boo then started to play with the toys and action figures

 

-

Boo waited and watched her Guardian leave, she hoped down off the bed and when over to the chest by the wall and started to dig through it, the little Dragonette pulled out an an assortment of toys and figures, she didn't know who or what any of them were but she likes them. Boo then started to play with the toys and action figures

 

-

As Dreameater heads back down the stairs and into the living room, he sighs. As much as he didn't enjoy it, he got to feed quite a bit off of Boo's misery. //Ugh, at least I got her to stop, I don't even feel like going hunting now...// he inwardly complains, picking up the tray of food and his mug of now lukewarm chocolate and increashing his temperature to reheat both as he again heads back to Boo, Hope following right behind him.

"Here you go Princess, here's your dinner," the Nightmare declares as he returns, again placing the tray of food on the floor.

Boo was playing with toys she found, clinking them together and making sound effects. She looked up when her dark Guardian return " thank you Eater" she smiled and got up, the little Dragonette went over to the plate on the floor and set down and start to eat happily " this is really yummy!" She beamed.

Boo noticed hope " would you like some? It's really good" she offered the Forgotten

 

-

"You're welcome," Eater replies, sitting down on the floor and drinking his hot chocolate, which is probably hot enough to be used as a lethal weapon by now...
He glances over at the toys Boo had been playing with and identifies all of them, superheroes Weaver had grown up with, figures of famous Shadow Hunters, and some of the toys are just that--random toys with no meaning. But one stuffed Dreamer plushie does have a bit more meaning, with its deep blue pelt and amber button eyes. //... The doll of Valiant that Joy made for Weaver...// the Nightmare notes, glaring intensely at the doll... until he starts choking a bit on his molten chocolate.

Hope floats over and lands next to Boo, letting her wings droop by her sides. "Thank you for the offer... I'm sure it's nice..." she quietly replies.

 

-

Boo grinned at the Forgotten, she moved her plate over to share her food with Hope.

The little Dragonette ears twist hearing the Nightmare cough, she look over at him with concerned and asked" are you ok?"

 

-

Eater gives Boo a thumbs-up before he finishes coughing, but then grins at her and nods his head. "Yeah, I'm good, it just went down the wrong way," he casually explains.

Unfortunately for him, he gets the feeling Boo wouldn't be too happy if he summoned his sword and stabbed the Valiant Dreamer doll, so it's just another thing he has to do his best to ignore. //Ugh, let's see... what else can I do...// he tries to think, looking around the room until his turquoise eyes land on the guitar, and he sets his hot chocolate down. "Hey Boo, you want to see something cool?"

Boo still had a worry look, but felt better after he explained and continue to eat more.

The little Dragonette tip her head when Eater called her over " you can have whatever you like" she smiled at Hope and left her what was left on the plate. Boo waddled over to the young Nightmare and she climbed up on the bed " sure! But what is it?" She asked curiously

-
Hope smiles just faintly and quietly replies, picking up a tiny amount of food in her paws, "Thank you..."

Eater gets up and picks up the acoustic guitar, then walks over and sits next to Boo on the bed. "This," he explains, "is a guitar, something you can use to play music with. Want to hear me play a song?"

-

Boo's ears wiggle with excitement " I love music! My mommy like to sing!" She looked to the guitar then to eater " a gruntlar?" She asked looking at the instrument curiously " it play music? What does it sound like?"

The Nightmare smirks as he tunes the guitar, making sure everything is as it should be. "It sounds like this," Eater simply replies as he strums the guitar, playing one of the songs Weaver knew.

[Song: "Garry's Theme -- Hide and Seek" from Ib]

-
Boo big ears were up as Dreameater strums and pick at the guitar strings, she sat there quietly in awe listening to the smooth Melody

-
After he finishes that song, Dreameater pauses for a moment, trying to think of what one to do next. "Hmm... Now how did that one go again...?" the Nightmare quietly asks himself as he starts to pick at some of the strings and occasionlly hum. "Boo, help me out with this one--that song you hummed with Weaver that one time, how does it go again?"

-
Boo suede back and forth as Eater played, liking the tune he was playing, she stopped and tip her head with a thinking face " hmmmm, I can't remember the words..." She finally whispered " but it was something like this" the little Dragonette start to hum a Melody, she closed her eyes and suede with the tempo of her tune

-
Eater focuses on the tune Boo hums for a bit before he goes ahead, and mimics the melody on the guitar as accurately as he can. "... Mmm, I think your mother has a good taste in music," he states, giving Boo a faint smile, "You still can't remember the words, huh? Well that's ok, I'm sure it'll come back to you eventually."

-
Boo stopped humming to reply " I think so too, I wish I could remember but I forget' she frowned" but mommy has a pretty voice...I really miss her" the little Dragonette sighed, she then looked up at Eater " thank you for playing the song though, I feel better now"

-

Dreameater nods when Boo thanks him, and sets the guitar beside him for now. "I'm glad," he simply replies, then goes quiet for a moment, thinking again, until he smiles ever so faintly at her. "... Now, don't get your hopes up, but... do you remember that time where we snuck into Malice's home, I took some papers, and you got your pet rock? Well... I don't know for sure... but going from what Malice's papers said, I think your mom's still alive, Boo..."

Boo tip her head curious as Eater started talking, her eyes slowly widened with the news her mother could still be alive " what?! Mommy could still be alive?" She asked full of shock and hope in her green eyes

 -

"Mhm, she could be," Dreameater replies, thoughtfully cupping his chin in his hand, "In the papers, Malice said he needed one of you, either you or your mom... I bet that's why there were other Nightmares coming after you to try and take you away, because Malice needed you alive. I just don't know what he needed you or your mom for...
So... like I said... don't get your hopes up too high. It might be too late, Malice might've done whatever he needed to already, so she might be dead... or, she might not be... There's no way to tell." He pauses for a short moment, then finishes, "Look, there's already so much I have to do, keeping you and the other Key Hunters safe, but if I can find the time, and enough information, I'll try to find your mother... ok?"

 -

Boo had a mixture of hope that her mother could be alive and feared that it could be too late already, but she decided to be positive as she looked to the moonlit window " I think mommy out there somewhere..." The Dragonette smiled up at Eater " well find her I'm sure!" She declared hopeful

 
-

Dreameater smirks and gently pats Boo on the head. "That's the spirit, Princess," he remarks, "I'm sure we'll find her too, but I think it's about time you got some sleep, don't you? You'll need to be ready for another adventure in the morning."

 
-

Boo giggled at Eater " ok! I like nap time! It's my favorite time of day!" She said cheerfully, the little Dragonette tip her " we're do I sleep?" She asked

 
-

"You can sleep right here," Eater replies, patting the bed they're sitting on before moving the guitar, leaning it up against the bed for now. He then gets up and pulls the covers back, gesturing for Boo to come over.

-

" ok!" Boo got up and moved over to we're Eater gestured, she snuggled into the bed and look up at her Guardian " good night Eater, I love you" she yond after

The Nightmare tucks Boo into bed, but his smile slowly fades to a look of confusion. //She... what?// "Um... goodnight Boo, sweet dreams... Uh, sure..." Eater mumbles in return, not knowing exactly what to tell Boo, and also not noticing Hope as the Forgotten flies up and curls up beside the dragonet.

-
Boo smiled at Dreameater, her sleepy eyes getting heavier until she couldn't keep them open any more and soon fell fast a sleep

-
Eater watches as Boo falls asleep, and then picks up the guitar and puts it back in its place. After doing this, he pulls up the chair by Weaver's desk and sits there, his arms crossed as he makes a very intense thinking face. "Hmmmmm," he mumbles to himself, //She wasn't supposed to say that... You're not supposed to have fluffy feelings for Nightmares, did I do something wrong here? ... I already told her before that Nightmares can't feel that... maybe it didn't stick with her? Well being a jerk to someone makes sure they don't do that, but I can't... I can't be a jerk to her.
... What am I supposed to say? Just tell her again that I can't feel that emotion?//

The confused Nightmare sits there for the next few hours, just thinking over those three words Boo told him and trying to figure out how to handle that. He isn't angry, he isn't completely horrified, he's just confused, with an odd, cold, sinking feeling in his gut that he doesn't understand. What's a Nightmare supposed to do?

( the end~)

^ what specci said! ^

these two (...and poor little hope) are too precious. hhhhhgghhhh

Awww this is adorable! Great job with the shading, details, and poses! :D <3