Skulduggery and Valkyrie had barely stepped out of the shop before they were greeted with another problem. Skulduggery's fedora was missing, and he was fuming.
"Where is it?" he demanded, scanning the ground for any sign of his beloved hat.
"I don't know," Valkyrie said, trying to hide a smile. "Maybe it got lost in the fight."
Skulduggery scowled. "I can't train Alice without my hat. It's a vital part of my look."
"It's just a hat," Valkyrie said, rolling her eyes. "We can get you a new one."
"I don't want a new one!" Skulduggery said, his voice rising. "I want my old one back!"
Valkyrie sighed. "Fine, we'll look for it. But we can't waste too much time. Alice is waiting for us."
Skulduggery grumbled but followed Valkyrie anyway. They made their way to the training grounds, where Alice was already waiting for them. She looked nervous, but determined.
"Are you ready to begin?" Skulduggery asked, trying to ignore the fact that he was hatless.
Alice nodded, and they began the training session. Skulduggery taught her how to use her magic more effectively, while Valkyrie focused on her combat skills. It was a grueling session, but Alice was a fast learner.
As they took a break, Skulduggery's eyes wandered over to a nearby vendor. "Hey, do you sell hats?" he asked.
The vendor nodded, and Skulduggery rushed over to browse through the selection. He finally settled on a black fedora, which he placed on his head with a satisfied smile.
"Okay, now we can continue," he said, feeling more like himself again.
Valkyrie couldn't help but shake her head in amusement. "You really are ridiculous, you know that?"
Skulduggery just grinned. "But you love me anyway."
They went back to training, with Alice making impressive progress. Skulduggery's new hat stayed firmly on his head, and Valkyrie couldn't help but think that it suited him just as well as his old one.