The place had a shabby-looking appearance, but the smiles that greeted him warmed up the room.
Several street kids were sitting around, and one of them stood up.
"How," Kilian questioned the black-haired kid.
Soot gave him a giant grin, with a flash of a mischievous look in his eyes.
Kilian cleared his throat, unsure how the small child had made it through both war and patrols, to mak eit all the way to the capital from the Heathgrave fief.
"I followed the Mercenaries." Soot simply replied, standing proud as if he was expecting praise.
Kilian did just that, by reaching out giving the troublesome kid a pa ton the head, and then took out a bag of money, giving the kid a few pieces of silver.
"You did good, Soot."
The truth was he wanted to give him a gold coin for the efforts, but there was no way gold coins in these kids' hands would stay unnoticed.
If he was gonna do this, if he was going to utilize these kids in a way that could get them harmed, then he needed to give them some sort of protection.
'Rumors and gossip might help.'
He needed to establish that the kids of the street were protected by something, and not easily exploited by others.
Kilian looked around, his eyes falling on one of the other kids, whom he had once given a piece of paper with the description of a man.
He addressed the messy-looking scrawny kid.
"Did you locate him?"
"They did, I was wondering when you would turn up, I have heard a lot about you… The Lady"
There was a small snicker, and the high-pitched voice made Kilian turn around, with his hand ready on his new sword.
"Hey, hey, I am not here for a fight, I see the Young Northerner has been well?"
A grimaced face with an eerie smile that went just a bit too far up towards the almost closed eyes was directed at Kilian.
"I don't remember you being this courteous last time we met."
The memories of a cold night where Kilian had found himself half naked with an assassin at his back, were still vivid in his mind.
"It seems my foresight was correct not to mess with a Valen kid."
The man who had once been the owner of the mask Kilian was now wearing, bowed in an elaborate way, with a condescending smirk on his face.
He looked as sleek as he was acting, and Kilian shuttered at the thought of this man having touched him that evening.
There was a thin scar diagonal across the man's slender face, and if he had not been taller, he would have been around Kilian's size.
The man crossed his arms waiting for Kilian to continue, with why he had been summoned by these kids.
"I want to hire you."
Kilian remembered the stealthy skills and obscure magic this man had used to get into his room unseen and unheard.
"I want you to protect these kids while organizing their information for me."
Kilian said it out loud as if it was a command for one of the Valen knights, but this man did not waver.
"No assassination? I thought I was here to kill your father for ordering a hit on you."
The voice sounded reluctant and highly disappointed.
"No, I will deal with my father when it is time."
Kilian gritted his teeth.
It was tempting to just send a man and be done with it all, but it somehow seemed too easy of a solution, and he wished to see the end of that family in person.
"How much, if you wish to hire me for all of my time, playing nanny, then it won't come cheap."
There was a pause in his words before the man continued.
"I get easily bored, and tend to slip up."
"Slip up?"
Kilian asked before thinking it through.
The girn on the man's face was eerie, but it was genuine with excitement to explain, and he stepped closer to Kilian, so the kids could not hear it.
"I slip up and randomly kill people, for amusement."
Kilian sighed, trying to steel himself with the murderer who was now close enough for him to easily touch him, the breath tickling his skin.
"Keep it in check then." Kilian bruskly replied not stepping away but looking back into a pair of dark eyes.
He then grabbed for a different bag he was carrying and pushed it into the chest of the man in front of him, so he had no choice but to take it.
A small whistle escaped the man's thin lips that were followed by a loud chuckle.
'This man is crazy.'
Kilian thought, unsure if he had made the right decision. He knew no one else who could do this job, and this man had spared him, because of recognizing his lineage.
"This will do for a month, but if there is no new payment after a month, then I won't be here."
There was a glint in the man's eyes who then stared at the kids.
"And they might not be as many at that time either."
Kilian felt his stomach turn.
'Will this man really kill children?'
Kilian smiled at the implying words and stayed calm.
"They are a part of the family, you see."
His smile was one of his fake ones, but it did brighten his face, though it was mostly covered by the mask still.
"I see, well I guess a Nanny is what I will be."
Kilian was satisfied with the reply and turned to Soot.
"Don't let this man fool you, he may be in charge til I am back, but don't trust him."
He said it right in front of the Nanny.
"I guess you will be known as Nanny now."
The man's grin froze in place, in an awkward battle for not losing the smile in the face of this new name, which he obviously did not approve of.
"Anything you say… Boss"
Kilian felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"Refer to me as Joker." Kilian finally replied, using his fingers to correct the mask's position on his face.