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Dinner was very much the usual affair. Valkyrie's bowl was once again filled with green slush which sat staring up at her leeringly. Everyone was seated except for Erskine, though he rarely ate with them anyways and Mrs Grouse who came bustling in carrying a ladle which she ceremoniously dumped into the steaming pot of pea soup in the centre of the table announcing that, "Should anyone want seconds!" before taking her place at the head.

She then cleared her throat everyone closed their eyes and then she began to say grace.

"Lord." Her croaky voice rang out. "We praise you for this lovely meal we are to eat this night….." her voice drained out as Valkyrie felt something brush her leg. Her eyes shot open immediately connecting with Skulduggery's across the table. She stared at him as if to ask what he was doing.

He grinned at her before once again something touched her leg. Valkyrie leant back slightly in her chair and caught a peek under the table.

What on earth! Sure enough Skulduggery was bringing his leg up to run it down hers under the table. Her eyes widened. How dare he do that it was so improper. She waited until his shoed toes where just about to hit her knee before bringing it up and crushing them between the table and herself. Skulduggery groaned in pain.

"Mr Pleasant are you alright?" Mrs Grouse asked annoyed at having been interrupted.

"Ah, um yes sorry… I…I just noticed we are having my all-time favourite dinner tonight and I couldn't wait to eat it."

Mrs Grouse blushed. "Oh well in that case. We thank you Lord Amen." A chorus of Amen answered her and then there was a clattering of cutlery and a torrent of talking as everyone began to eat dinner.

Well everyone except for Valkyrie, Skulduggery and Caelan. Valkyrie and skulduggery were busy staring down each other Skul with his boyish grin and Valkyrie with her penetrating glare, whilst Caelan who was seated about two to the right from skulduggery was gazing hypnotically at Valkyrie.

"It was all a joke Val calm down." Skulduggery whispered but it carried over the din of everyone else chatter so she could hear it perfectly.

"Sure, all a joke my arse! You're just trying to get him angry!" she said nodding slightly in Caelan's direction.

"Oh but where's the fun in that? I like it much better when you're the one who's angry, makes you more feisty." He stated smirking now at how she gripped her cutlery hard.

They continued to glare at each other before skulduggery called.

"Caelan my dear man you should get someone to draw her that way you can stare at her as long as you please." Caelan suddenly snapped out of his trance and ashamedly went back to eating.

Valkyrie shook her head. "You're intolerable!" she then scoped up the green slush and ate.

"oh but Valkyrie sweeting that's not what you said la…" skulduggery and the rest of the dining room fell silent as all heads turned to the right to see who had arrived.

A handsome figure stepped out of the shadowed doorway and into the room a cunning smile resting self-assuredly upon his face.

There really are many similarities between the two of them Valkyrie thought as she took in the two powerful egos of Skulduggery and Erskine.

For that is who had just entered the room, the one and only Erskine Ravel. Establisher of this freakshow all of them were essentially employed by and also Valkyrie's Guardian in all things legal.

The whole room watched as he walked up the length of the table, Valkyrie felt the air shift as he moved past her and also felt what she thought was a hand trail across her lower back. But surely not why on earth would he touch someone in such a manner. Her eyes widened and skulduggery noticed furrowing his brow what why do you look like that? He seemed to say.

Valkyrie shook her head. Erskine had walked the whole of one length of the table and was starting down the other heading towards an empty seat located on the other side of Skulduggery. He stopped and pulled it out before seating himself down.

"Afternoon Skul. How have you been?" he asked in his upper class accent.

"Um, quite well Ersk, haven't really been doing much though seeing as we didn't open today."

"Ah, yes I had a few matters that needed urgent attention." He looked up at Valkyrie catching her eye and smiled. "But we should be open tomorrow ensuring everything goes to plan." Valkyrie shuddered slightly as Erskine was still smiling at her and it had begun to feel creepy.

She tilted her head back down as the chatter around the table began to resume and continued eating her meal.

She had almost finished when she felt something on her leg again.

Skul! Are you serious! She shot her gaze up toward him and glared in anger. Who on earth did he think he was?

When skulduggery noticed her stare however he appear confused.

"What's wrong" he asked in his velvet voice. Valkyrie cocked her eyebrow.

"Really, you're asking me that?" she felt the leg again and shot her hand under the table gripping the ankle hard.

Skulduggery didn't move an inch didn't cry out, nothing. The person who did however was his friend, Ravel.

Valkyrie dropped the ankle and stared wide eyed at ravel before muttering a quick "sorry" and excusing herself from the table.

She exited the dining room and began to make her way down the hall towards her bed room.

"Valkyrie!" she heard her name being called out and turned around. Skulduggery was jogging down the hall way his lanky body coming closer.

"Why'd you leave? What the hell was that with ravel?" He asked breathing heavily.

"I'm not entirely sure, he… he had his leg on my leg and was doing what you were doing before." She said softly.

"What, no Ersk wouldn't be like that; heck he's older than me even. Maybe he was trying to go for Inga; she was sitting next to you."

"I don't know Skul, he also touched my back when he walked past and he was looking at me weirdly." She continued walking.

Skulduggery grabbed her arm. "Wait! Ersk wouldn't be like that. It was probably by accident. Come on don't go skulk off." She tried to pull her arm free.

"I'm going to go to bed I'm tired." She grumbled.

"But what about dessert." Skulduggery teased bringing forth two jam donuts from his coat.

"I snuck one for you and told them I was heading to bed. Come join me."

Valkyrie blushed furiously.

"Oh ah, I mean come join me eating them…. not… not come join me in bed…. Ah…. Um..." skulduggery stuttered nervously kicking at the ground with his shoes.

Valkyrie laughed. "I know what you meant Skul, geez calm down."

"Excellent then shall we." He offered her an arm which she took as the continued down the corridor to his room. At the door he leaned down and his breath was warm on her ear as he whispered.

"If you really want to though you can join me in bed, after all you're almost eighteen and I'm only five years older than you."

"No thanks Skul!" Valkyrie rolled her eyes, men!

She opened the door and he followed her inside jam donuts clutched in his grasp.


hope you enjoyed.

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Vanity