Twist of Fate

We're going Undercover

Valkyrie sat restlessly, manipulating the air so that a penny tossed over in her palm. The meeting was boring. Skulduggery had ignored her suggestion of getting some music playing or taking a coffee break, so she just glared at him as he discussed recent incidents within Roarhaven with Ghastly, China and several uptight looking sanctuary officials.   

"Skulduggery, I have an update for your facade that will allow you to retain the same disguise for extended periods," China was saying in her lilting voice, "you can keep the same face, much more useful for your next case, wouldn't you agree?"
"Will I still be devilishly handsome?" Skulduggery inquired. 
"Why of course Skulduggery" came China's reply, eyelashes lowered seductively.
"I can't believe you're sending Skulduggery of all people on an undercover investigation, really it's a disaster waiting to happen" Ghastly sighed.
"Oh ye of little faith!" Skulduggery replied nonchalantly with a small wave of his hand.
"You're a skeleton, a living skeleton, and you're going undercover. A skeleton Skulduggery!" Ghastly pointed out.
"And that's why we'll be undercover. Come on Ghastly, keep up!" Skulduggery dismissed him and Ghastly just shook his head. 
The word 'undercover' had piqued Valkyrie's  interest. Now that sounded like interesting detective work.
"What's this about undercover?" she asked, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees.

"Ah Valkyrie, nice of you to finally join us." China's tone was soft but clipped, Valkyrie's jaw clenched and she had to bite back a retort that was resting on the tip of her tongue. 

"Congratulations Valkyrie, you've been accepted to Dublin University!" Skulduggery exclaimed, jumping out of his seat to shake her hand. Valkyrie stared at him dazed.
"I may not have been giving the meeting my full attention," she started tentatively, "but I know I definitely did not apply to university. I have a job, remember?" She looked round at each of them, expecting them to start laughing and a joke she'd missed. 

"Undercover Val, we're going undercover!" Skulduggery supplied enthusiastically.

"To a university? Skulduggery, you're over 400 years old, aren't you a bit... passed university age?" Valkyrie replied. 

Skulduggery clutched a hand to his chest where his heart would have been, looking wounded.
"Ghastly, she's being mean again. She's giving me that look. Yes, that look. I don't think she likes my commentary about her. Yeah, she definitely doesn't. I'm going to stop now." Skulduggery retreated arms raised in a placating manner as Valkyrie watched him, gaze level and intent.

Valkyrie's mind was whirling at a hundred miles an hour, school had been bad enough, so bad she'd never really attended. That was the reflection's job. So university? That had never really been something to consider, after all, hadn't she established at the young age of twelve that she had a job as a detective? She tried to compose the irrational panic that was manifesting inside her and addressed China, "so why is it we're going to university? What could we possibly find there?"

"A wonderful question dear, and one I will not be gracing you with an answer to." China smiled and Valkyrie wanted to punch her square in the face. The smugness was irritating. Very irritating. 

Valkyrie took a deep breath and forced a smile and loaded her voice with as much sarcasm as she could muster, "and how, I wonder, do you suppose I can go undercover without any knowledge of what I'm looking for?"

China looked at her, the smug smile still tugging at the left corner of her lips. "Well Skulduggery has the information of course," she cocked her head at Valkyrie, "he is, after all, a real detective". 

"You might as well tell me China, Skulduggery will tell me as soon as we leave anyway." Valkyrie looked at Skulduggery expectantly. 
"I will. I'm notoriously bad at keeping secrets from her,  she's really very annoying." Skulduggery agreed. 
Valkyrie grinned satisfied, choosing to ignore the latter of Skulduggery's response.