I got really mad that there weren't any other Tanuggery stories, so I decided to do my own. Viola, here it is. Please Please review and I hope you enjoy the story featuring a very strange pairing, Tanith and Skulduggery!
A well-dressed skeleton stepped out of the shadows and made his way to the woman waiting at the end of the alley. The woman heard him approach and she turned, a warm smile on her face.
"Hello, Miss Low," the skeleton said, bowing grandly.
"Hello, Mr. Pleasant," the woman replied, and she curtsied.
Skulduggery seemed to grin (but it was hard to tell because of his skull's natural face structure) and straightened up. "Good to see you again, Tanith. How have you been?"
Tanith shrugged. "Busy. There's been a lot of disappearances lately, but not in one specific area. It's really unnerving." She shot a glance at Skulduggery when he didn't respond and reached up to touch his face gently. "You all right? You look older than usual."
"Excuse me? Would you please say that again? I don't think I heard you correctly the first time. How in the world can a skeleton look old?"
Tanith laughed and Skulduggery felt a wave of content wash over him. Her laugh put him in mind of bells-clear and lovely. It was the most beautiful laugh he had ever heard. She removed her hand from his face, but it was still warm where she had touched him. Skulduggery's face had never felt that warm in years. It felt quite good, even if it only lasted for a second.
"Yes, Skulduggery. I called you old." Tanith said, a teasing grin on her face. "Get used to it. You are getting old, even if you're a skeleton. Don't ask why." Her face sobered and she leaned closer to him. "Now down to business. You sent for me because of Valkyrie. She went missing?"
"Yes. Four days ago."
Tanith's eyes widened. "Four days ago? Why didn't you send for me four days ago? Why now?"
Skulduggery held his hands up in surrender. "I thought it was a cruel joke. I thought maybe one of the
criminals had her."
"And?"
Skulduggery shook his head. "They didn't have her."
Tanith rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Did she leave anything behind or did she just, just, disappear without a trace?"
"She disappeared without a trace."
"How and when did you notice that she was gone?"
Skulduggery sighed and tipped his hat further down his face. "Look, can we talk somewhere more a bit more… Private, perhaps?"
Tanith arched an eyebrow in amusement and gestured at the empty alley. "This isn't private enough for
you?"
"It feels like someone's listening," Skulduggery muttered.
Tanith frowned and looked around. "Really? It seems empty to m-"
Something in the shadows moved. It darted out from behind a trashcan and made a run for the end of
the alley, for the open street. Skulduggery turned and darted after it with Tanith close behind. She drew
open her long coat and touched the hilt of her sword, ready to unsheathe it if necessary.
Despite the agility of its pursuers, the shadow was well ahead. Upon reaching the street, it skidded to a helt and turned sharply to the right. Tanith and Skulduggery followed, but when they turned the corner, there was no one in sight.