Chapter 25: Rookies
A/N: This is going to be a mini story about an idea NightCatMau and I came up with. So enjoy! (STILL VALDUGGERY)
Skulduggery sat in his meditation chair scanning the newspapers that cluttered his floor, curious about the news report he had just seen on TV. Apparently a young mage had been murdered quite viciously, his powers taken away then he was twisted into an unnatural form. Of course to the mortals, they just thought of it as a poor man who was murdered in an odd fashion. Skulduggery had tuned in with the Sanctuary to figure out what happened, and while he and Valkyrie dealt with another case, rookie detectives had attended the crime scene, gathering all of the information.
Valkyrie strolled into the room sipping tea, her dark hair in a tangled mess. She glanced over at Skulduggery as he flung through the stacks of newspapers looking for further reports.
"Weren't other detectives supposed to tend to that case, honey?" she asked taking a seat on the couch across from him.
Skulduggery only looked up at her for a second and shrugged before searching through the news reports once again. Valkyrie sighed and placed her tea down on the glass table and walked over to place a comforting hand on her husband's shoulder, wondering why he was obsessing over a simple murder.
"Mind telling me why you are so intrigued by this case?" she questioned, rubbing his bony shoulder.
Skulduggery looked up at her and replied, "Well, it's just the method of the murderer. They seemed to have drained his powers before twisting his body into a pretzel. I just haven't heard of any powers such as those, you?"
Valkyrie shrugged and thought before answering, "The only person I could remember that could do that kind of thing was Serpine…but he's out of the question due to his trip to Hell."
Skulduggery chuckled before standing up and reaching for his mobile. Valkyrie moaned and rolled her eyes, taking a seat on the couch once again.
"Why must you get thrown into the pot of this case? I mean, you are a great detective and all, but maybe we should let the rookies handle this. This dynamic duo I think deserves a break," Valkyrie explained, leaning back into the couch, placing her hands behind her head.
Skulduggery tilted his skull at her and shook his head whilst replying, "Val, you know as well as I do that those rookies won't solve this case."
Valkyrie sighed before whispering, "Yeah, I know."
Skulduggery bent down and grabbed the picture of the tangled body, wondering what mage or creature could possibly twist the body and strip away powers. It could be done no doubt, but not by just anyone.
"I need to call Erskine and request if we can join in on this case…Maybe we could work with the other detectives," Skulduggery said, scrolling through his contacts.
Valkyrie stretched and rolled her eyes and muttered, "As much fun as that sounds, being rookies they are probably cocky…"
Skulduggery shrugged in response as he held the mobile up to his skull and watched as Valkyrie grabbed her empty cup and walked into the kitchen. After a few beeps, there was a response from the other line, and an annoyed Erskine picked up.
"Hello, Skulduggery. What do you need?" Erskine asked, slightly irritated.
"Someone's crabby. Is Tipstaff having a rampage?" Skulduggery replied amused.
Erskine mumbled something before answering, "Yes he is. Now, back to your problem."
"Well, I know you have assigned those rookies to the case of Jack Horrid's murder, but I think this murder may be more complex than we first thought it to be," Skulduggery explained, beginning to pace the living room.
"Why do you think that Skulduggery?" Erskine questioned from the other line.
Skulduggery paused before answering, "Well, if you have examined the photos, you probably noticed the state of the man's body. When was the last time you witnessed a mage use a power such as that?"
There was another long pause before Erskine replied, "The only person I can remember using a power such as bending a body in such a way was Serpine…but the man's dead, Skulduggery."
"Did he have any…relations?"
"Well, not that we know of. Serpine's role mostly came into play when he started to get high in the ranks of Mevolent's side…We never paid attention to his life before. Although, being such a madman, I don't think anyone would have wanted to be a part of his life as rude as it sounds."
Skulduggery nodded and replied, "Well I guess you could be right. I do wonder why they chose Mr. Horrid to murder though; I mean he was young and unknown. What was the point?"
He heard Erskine move around in his seat before answering, "Well I don't know. That's for you and the rookies to figure out. You four are teaming up on this case."
"Alright, Erskine. I pray to God these men aren't some dimwitted losers that I will have to put up with…"
Erskine chuckled and said, "Well, that's a matter of opinion. Come here tomorrow with Val and you can meet them, alright? Now have a good night Skulduggery."
Skulduggery exchanged goodbyes with Erskine and snapped his mobile shut, walking into the kitchen. Valkyrie was at the sink washing dishes, humming some song to herself and swaying her hips. God he loved everything about her.
Skulduggery walked up behind her softly, placing his hands on her hips and resting his skull atop her head, earning a gasp and a blush.
"Oh God, you weren't supposed to see that," she moaned, bringing a hand up to cover her reddening face.
Skulduggery chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, a smile creeping up on his skeletal features. Valkyrie leaned back into him and closed her eyes before asking, "What do you need to tell me?"
Skulduggery sighed and replied, "How do you know I need anything, maybe I just want a little quality time with my wife."
Valkyrie laughed and turned around patting his shoulder as she walked away replying, "I know you too well, Skul. You are buttering me up because you need to tell me something I don't want to hear. Now spill it."
Skulduggery sighed and muttered something about her being too smart, earning a raised eyebrow from Valkyrie who was sitting at the table, sipping more tea.
"Erskine wants us to go in and meet the rookie detectives that we are going to team up with on this case," Skulduggery explained taking a seat across from her.
"Ooh! Fun," Valkyrie mumbled sarcastically.
THE NEXT DAY:
"I really don't want to do this," Valkyrie complained, entwining her hand with Skulduggery's as they opened the meeting room door.
Skulduggery chuckled as he stepped in finally getting to see the detectives. What he saw was unexpected.
Valkyrie looked the two women up and down, wondering if these were the detectives they were supposed to be meeting. One wore a white T-shirt with black suspenders, black skinny jeans, and black and white Converses. She had blond hair and blue eyes, looking to be about eighteen. Valkyrie also noticed the two black gloves on her hands, wondering if it was some kind of fashion statement.
She looked over at the other girl who was wearing a black and white striped shirt, black shorts, and black combat boots. She had long brown hair, and emerald green eyes, looking about the same age as the other girl.
"Hello, um, detectives?" Valkyrie greeted not knowing if these were detectives or not.
"Hi, I'm Crystal Clearwater, and this is my sister Stormy Darkshadow," said the blond one, gesturing to the brunette.
Valkyrie nodded and smiled, reaching out a hand to shake theirs, waiting for Skul to start asking questions.
"So I'm guessing you are American?" Skulduggery asked, gaining nods from the detectives.
Valkyrie didn't like Americans, and neither did Skulduggery, but these girls seemed sweet…almost too sweet…
"So you guys are detectives?" Skulduggery pressed, adjusting his tie.
"Yup, and crazy ones at that," Stormy replied, gaining a laugh from Crystal.
Valkyrie smiled sweetly at them as they giggled, starting to like them. They reminded her of Tanith, who was on her honeymoon with Ghastly at the moment.
"So we are working together on this case?" Crystal piped up, adjusting her gloves.
Valkyrie nodded along with Skulduggery, realizing she was staring at the gloves way too much. She decided to ask another question, filling up the awkward silence that consumed the room.
"What are your magical abilities?" Valkyrie asked, looking at the suddenly flustered girls.
"Um, we don't know yet…" Stormy stuttered, looking nervously at her sister.
Valkyrie nodded suspiciously, wondering if they already knew and didn't want to share.
"Well, it doesn't matter, we have an important case at hand," Skulduggery pointed out, hoping Valkyrie didn't start interrogating the girls.
"Whatever," Valkyrie mumbled, eyeing the rigid teenagers in front of her.
A/N: UH OH.
Some people are hiding some things...
What do you think their powers are? ;D