Chapter Twenty-Five

Trying to Prove

"OK. This is weird."

"No, it's not. Every kid in the country and beyond has one." Valkyrie popped "Sims 2" out of its case and clicked it into its place, in the belly of the PS2.

"Still weird. I mostly meant the game, actually." Skulduggery snatched the case and began to read. "A new way to play with life. Create your Sims. Choose from over 10,000 fashion styles and pursue fortune, popularity, knowledge, romance of creativity life aspirations." He looked at Valkyrie, puzzlement clouding his blue eyes. "You control people?"

"Pretty much."

"And I thought you were trying to prove to Batu that we weren't gods."

"Oh, shaddup."

The green diamond came up and when it vanished Valkyrie chose Freeplay. Skulduggery caught on to the concept of a PlayStation quickly and was soon as competent as Valkyrie in directing everything.

"Let's make ourselves." Skulduggery accepted the generic Sim and began to work on clothing. It didn't take him long to give his male Sim a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, a suit, shoes and make him extra skinny. He gave the Sim hair as well, black and spiked at the front.

"There, that's me." Skulduggery chose Wealth aspiration, flicked his personality onto Aquarius, and named the Sim "Skulduggery Pleasant."

"My turn." Valkyrie kitted out her Sim with black boots, black jeans, a blue boob tube (Skulduggery flinched) and a black cardigan. The boob tube looked tarty on its own but the cardigan helped its integrity. Valkyrie stuck her tongue out at Skulduggery as she plastered multiple tattoos onto her Sim. She gave the Sim a black belt with a skull buckle, set the hair to a style similar to her own, chose Knowledge aspiration and named her Sim after herself.

Then Valkyrie made Tanith and Ghastly, and they turned out not too dissimilar to the actual people.

"OK. House building next. You can do that, if you like." Skulduggery nodded, and took controller one. Valkyrie told him how to work the building and he created a house. He filled it with items, and then Valkyrie and Skulduggery began to play Sims 2.

"OK, I'm socialising with you." Valkyrie ran 'Valkyrie' to Skulduggery's side, selected 'Skulduggery' and pressed 'X'. They went into social mode.

"These ones are good." Valkyrie chose 'Tell joke."

Skulduggery winced when he heard his own character laugh. It was alarmingly high-pitched.

He watched as Valkyrie did a series of actions and they went up to 40 social points.

"That's friends," Valkyrie said. She grinned at Skulduggery, her unspoken question hovering in the air.

"Yup."

He watched as Valkyrie scrolled down, selected "Kiss." Valkyrie looked a little embarrassed but seemed satisfied by the way the air went pink around the two Sims and they stepped closer.

"Crush."

"You're more than my crush in real life." Skulduggery leaned over and kissed Valkyrie in the reality and she grinned when he pulled away.

"OK, I'm going," Valkyrie said. She pressed triangle. Then she pressed the right arrow. "My Sim wants to 'Play Chess.'

"I think we bought one of those sets."

"I think we did."

"Did we buy a foosball table?"

"I don't think so…"

Skulduggery paused and went into 'Buy Catalog.'

"OK. I'm buying one."

Valkyrie grinned. She had known Skulduggery would enjoy playing this game.