There were so many things wrong with that plan, Valkyrie didn't know where to start. How gullible did Gabe think her parents were? The only reason they hadn't immediately pegged her reflection for being a reflection was because the only possible nonmagical conclusion was Valkyrie acting differently. They were both going to see right through this, and there were so many possible conclusions that didn't have anything to do with magic -
A stray thought suddenly made Valkyrie freeze. She looked suspiciously over at Gabriel. "Wait a minute. Skulduggery would have a face?"
"That doesn't really work, though," Fletcher pointed out. "Unless I drive teachers around too. Like a carpooling thing."
"Skulduggery would have a face?"
"Also, not driving." Fletcher shifted uncomfortably. "I don't drive. Just say 'taking.' It's basically the same thing, but a lot less annoying."
Valkyrie whirled to face him. "How is anyone else not excited about this? Skulduggery's going to get a face. A real human face." She twisted back to Skulduggery and jabbed a finger at his inscrutable skull. "How are you not excited about this?"
"I spent a while being human," Skulduggery reminded her. "Twice now. It isn't any different than Gabe giving me this suit."
"It's completely different! You're actually going to have expressions!"
Skulduggery's head tilted to the side. "May I assume that you've agreed to this meeting solely for the chance to see me smile?"
"Yes. Yes, you may." Valkyrie knew she would need to control this grin at some point, especially before they knocked on her front door, so she was trying to get it all out of her system now. "Okay. Just, hang on for a minute, I need to talk to my reflection. Or, no, don't hang on. Be human when I get back."
Valkyrie stepped away to pull out her phone and dial the reflection. A quick conversation confirmed what she suspected to be the case; her parents hadn't seen the reflection come home from school. It was perfectly reasonable that she'd been out all day getting tutored, or driven places in a big carpool, as long as the reflection stayed out of sight in her room.
She didn't turn around even after hanging up, and tried to imagine what Skulduggery looked like before he died. High cheekbones; that was all Valkyrie knew. She couldn't even imagine what color his hair might have been.
no subject
A stray thought suddenly made Valkyrie freeze. She looked suspiciously over at Gabriel. "Wait a minute. Skulduggery would have a face?"
"That doesn't really work, though," Fletcher pointed out. "Unless I drive teachers around too. Like a carpooling thing."
"Skulduggery would have a face?"
"Also, not driving." Fletcher shifted uncomfortably. "I don't drive. Just say 'taking.' It's basically the same thing, but a lot less annoying."
Valkyrie whirled to face him. "How is anyone else not excited about this? Skulduggery's going to get a face. A real human face." She twisted back to Skulduggery and jabbed a finger at his inscrutable skull. "How are you not excited about this?"
"I spent a while being human," Skulduggery reminded her. "Twice now. It isn't any different than Gabe giving me this suit."
"It's completely different! You're actually going to have expressions!"
Skulduggery's head tilted to the side. "May I assume that you've agreed to this meeting solely for the chance to see me smile?"
"Yes. Yes, you may." Valkyrie knew she would need to control this grin at some point, especially before they knocked on her front door, so she was trying to get it all out of her system now. "Okay. Just, hang on for a minute, I need to talk to my reflection. Or, no, don't hang on. Be human when I get back."
Valkyrie stepped away to pull out her phone and dial the reflection. A quick conversation confirmed what she suspected to be the case; her parents hadn't seen the reflection come home from school. It was perfectly reasonable that she'd been out all day getting tutored, or driven places in a big carpool, as long as the reflection stayed out of sight in her room.
She didn't turn around even after hanging up, and tried to imagine what Skulduggery looked like before he died. High cheekbones; that was all Valkyrie knew. She couldn't even imagine what color his hair might have been.