-Valkyrie POV-

It was a rather pleasant night. Clear black skies, a light fog hanging over the wetness and city lights blinking through it. A shimmering darkness Skulduggery had said to me before he left.

Yes. He left me with this lunatic which has made her now hang from a tower.

It seems like Scapegrace doesn't it? Nah. This guys just a tad more stupid, although he's an alright fighter.

And before you think I was pushed, I decided to hang from the tower to hide from him. He's just sitting there now, sulking because he can't find me on the flat tower top.
I was pretty sure he didn't even know there's a bloody edge you can stand on a metre on the side. Or that there's even an edge.
Although...It was more likely he didn't know you can jump off them...

Yeh. That one sounds better.

So I'm just hanging there, grimacing with my now numb fingers wondering where the hell Skulduggery was. What did he say?
He was going to the shop...
No no.
He was going to buy something. Or get something.
A big butterfly net to trap the guy?

I snorted with laughter when I remembered when Skulduggery had asked if I had one last year with the fat butterfly man.
Right. Oh no.
"Who's there?" The very evil villain called, now standing.
Bloody hell. That man.

Now I'm pretty sure Skulduggery said he needed to buy some doughnuts...
I stopped trying to remember.

What was this guys name anyway?
Um.
Tyson that's it.
Unless you go by last name, which is Yanner.
I have no idea why, but you know. Yanner is the new cool. I don't think you can see but I did that thing with my fingers where you click and...Never mind.

Yanner was coming closer now, I wasn't enjoying this.
I could hear his boots clomping to the edge.
"Are you down there Cain girl?"
Oh dammit.
He came to the edge and kneeled down, grinning at me.

If this were Scapegrace I wouldn't worry at all. But while this guy is dumb as...I won't say that word.
He's a pretty good fighter, plus can be...evil at times.
"How long have you been down there, pretty?"
Oh for god sakes.
"You know, when you started crying because I vanished into thick air."
"I was not crying!" He said defiantly.
"And the term is thin, by the way." I tried to distract him.
"I'm pretty sure it was thick."
"It's probably corresponding to your head."
"My head isn't thick. I don't even have thick hair."

I sighed. "It's meant by brain."
"Oh."
"You still 'don't get it do you?"
"Nope."
"It means your dumb."
"Right." He nodded to himself before snarling. "Hey!"

I then swung myself up, counter clock wise and smashed my boots into his chest, he flung back and I straightened, "Yeh g'day mate."
I spent a month in Australia for a case.
I am not saying g'day regularly.
Nope, doesn't sound cool to me.
My eyes dated from side to side.

Stop judging me.

Yanner stumbled and fell on his back. I was about to move up to him when his image flickered, I hesitated.
And suddenly he was right in front of me.
Yeh. I didn't know he could do that. Bloody Adepts.

I got a good look at him in the second we stood looking at each other.

Brown, curly hair. Some freckles I may of mistaken for blemishes 12-13 year olds start to get. He was white skinned. (Not being racist, just explaining XD)
Not exactly tanned, he was a tad pale.
He was tall. I was a tad taller though.
He was built like a runner, more of a soccer player I guess. His eyes were a bored blue. If that makes sense.
Yanner wore a simple black suit like Sanguine. This made me groan inwardly.
His boots were classy. Like Skulduggery's.

I ducked hard over a right hook, nearly falling, dodging back when his boot came in. I hit a steeple wall and tumbled, rolling out of the way of stomp and came up fast, striking out a kick which got his knee. He howled and staggered but didn't fall.

And of course. Out of all weapons he could have he has a bloody huge machine gun with somehow a large silencer on it.
Great, Yeh. Woo. The realism here. -claps-

Okay. Where the hell is Skulduggery.

Anyway.

Yanner just bloody casually whipped out this massive machine gun. I'm not even going to bother asking where...how...why...Nope. Just...Just no.

No.

He grins at my face and pulls the trigger. I dive out of the pellets of bullets, peppering the stone roof and making small holes.
Yanner turns quickly to face me. I jump high, using the air to help me, to get over the line of gun fire.

I feel a large amount of air pressed on my palm and instead of using it or my decent I slam it down on his gun, with bends and cracks, sparks fly everywhere. He yelps and falls back, tripping up. I hit the ground hard and roll. Trying to get up as fast as possible. I stagger but manage.

He pulls out a hand gun.

"Oh yeah. Sure." I mutter and try to get close enough to whack it out since I can't use air anymore because there's some sort of Adept-Hates-Elemental-Air-Magic shield around it.
Racist. I think.
Magist? I dunno.

Yanner is grinning like a little kid on this amazing ride, which to us is this puny piece of shit.
Woops. Did I say that out loud?
Sorry.

He fires and fires, I finally get close enough and smash an elbow in his face. He staggers and grunts. I knee him down there. Yeh you guys know what I'm talking about. Yeh...

His thigh.

Yanner grunts, I chop at his wrist, grabbing hold and twisting my body to slam my back into his chest. His screeches as his wrist is twisted and I yank to gun from him.
I duck under a punch and roll to the side to avoid a kick in the ribs.

Okay, he's getting angry and I don't really want to see what else he can just whip out randomly.
Unless its a magic pack of kittens.
That'd be cute.
Crap. Focus Val. He's got a-

I scream and fall on my back. Clutching my shoulder.

-Gun. I think weakly.

I slam my foot down again and again on the concrete in pain. Yanner stalks up.
"I missed your heart because I know what will happen when you die." I think he was trying to sound scary, I dunno.
"Rightio." I groaned.
"Plus. Then I wouldn't get to bargain you for what Pleasant has."
"Heh?"
"Cain, Cain, Cain. Didn't you ever wounder where your partner got off to?"
"Um. Doughnuts?"

He laughed.
Then a shackled skeleton appeared in a blue suit, black shoes and a matching hat. Yes of course. I thought dryly. Trust him to get himself captured before we even meet the damn guy.
Wait...
Isn't that usually me?
I ponder this for a moment.
Nah.

Skulduggery walks up and looks at me.
"Hi."
"G'day- Um. Hi."
He tilts his head.

I know he's grinning at me.
Bastard.

Yanner yells.
"You're meant to be looking at me!"
"Right sorry. I forgot." I say and look at him. Trying to ignore the damn bullet in my left shoulder.
Skulduggery shrugs and does the same.

"Pleasant. If you don't give me the uh. The...The um."
He pauses for a while.
A while more.
"The thing I'll kill Cain in front of you." He smiled, rather pleased with himself.

"But, in doing so. You won't actually kill her. And she'll possibly kill both of us in the process. Plus that just contradicts what you said to her earlier." Skulduggery pointed out.
Realising this, Yanner sagged.
"Um."
"And there are many things by the way. Please point out which one you mean."
"The one I need. You know, that thing."
"Ah, the thing?"
"No no. That other thing."
"Oh. That thing right."
"No."
"What?"

I looked at them, confused as hell.
Yanner, realising he was being distracted, glared at us.
"Fine. I'll shoot her again if you don't give me it."
"Go ahead."
My head perks up.
Yanner and I both say at the same time, "Heh?!"

"I'd do it myself. I've wanted to for a while. She can just be the most annoying brat-"
"Hush Pleasant!"
"Why certainly Yanner, since we're on a last name basis."

Yanner turned red with frustration.
"Now you." He pointed a finger at me.
"G'day."
He then started blabbering on about something which I didn't hear since I was distracted by Skulduggery casually taking the shackles off and stuffing them in his pocket before crossing his arms.
Yanner followed my gaze and roared in rage.

"You weren't meant to tell him Valkyrie." He muttered, punching the charging lunatic in the face, who proceeded to fall unconscious.
"I didn't tell him."
"No, but your eyes told him."
"Says the guy who started whistling Me and Mrs Jones casually."
"That, was for distraction purposes."
"Right."
"So he wouldn't shoot you."
"I doubt that."

He walked up and looked down at me. "You believed what I said?"
"No. But he has to caps left so. He can't shoot me."
"Ah."
"Ah indeed."

Skulduggery stared down at me.
"Do you need a hand?"
"Nah. I'll just manage to get up and walk off with a bullet in my shoulder. Thanks for the offer though."
Chuckling, he helped me up, he popped my arm around his neck as he supported my weight to limp back to the car.

"How did you manage to get captured by the way?"
He went silent.
I looked at him.
"Well you see, there were these doughnuts..."
"You know you can't eat right?"
"Yes Valkyrie. I think I would know that by now after 400 plus years of being a skeleton."
"Just making sure."

We reached the car.

"You forgot to get Yanner." I said.
"Bloody hell." He muttered and turned back around.
"Don't leave me here!" I protested.
"Your fine."
"Right. A girl that is shot in the shoulder and can barely walk on her own in an alley at night. Makes sense."
"I'll be really quick.

An hour later.

"I'll be really quick." I said in a high pitch voice as he walked back with Yanner over his shoulder.
"On the contrary I don't sound like that. Plus I went the wrong way." He said slowly.
"You got lost?"
"No." He said defensively.
I cracked up laughing, "You got lost in a tower? There's only one staircase!"
"Says the girl who's scared of being left alone in the dark."
"Hush."
"Without me."
"Watch it."

He placed Yanner in the back of the car and went around to get in the drivers seat. I plonked down in the passenger seat and clicked on my seat belt.

"Just admit you can't be a few seconds without a handsome, well dressed, smart skeleton by your side."
"It was actually an hour."

"Shut it Cain."

Hope you enjoyed chapter one!