In Between

In Between Chapter 30

30. Bored

"I'm bored," Valkyrie announced dramatically, flopping onto the couch. She watched the dust caught in the light float around, and groaned. How had she been reduced to watching dust?

"Only boring people get bored," was Skulduggery's reply.

It was warm and sunny for the first time in weeks, and they were doing research. Inside. Valkyrie didn't even know why. She had been stuck at Skulduggery's house for the last ten hours, pretending to do research when she had forgotten what she was looking for.

Valkyrie flipped through the file she was holding for the fifth time, not really paying attention to what she was reading.

"What're we researching?"

Skulduggery almost dropped his file.

"You mean... You haven't done anything for the past ten hours except for sit there and complain?"

Valkyrie thought about it.

"Pretty much."

Skulduggery slowly set the folder down onto the table.

"I thought Myosotis Terra gave you that bracelet."

Valkyrie blinked.

"What bracelet?"

Skulduggery sighed, and put his skull in his hands.

"Remember the time that we went to go rescue Myosotis from the Cannibals?"

Valkyrie didn't.

"Never mind."

Skulduggery picked up a large book and began to leaf through it again.

Valkyrie sat down on the couch upside down.

Ten minutes passed.

"I'm hungry," Valkyrie decided.

Skulduggery didn't look up.

"I thought you were bored."

"I'm hungry, too."

"I think that there's some takeout in the fridge."

Valkyrie stared at him, shocked.

"I don't like Chinese food."

Skulduggery finally gave in.

"Fine. Pizza?"

Valkyrie smiled.

Skulduggery ordered her a large combo, then went back to researching. Valkyrie played with some stuffing coming out of the couch, before sporadically getting up. She walked around for a bit, looking for anything that might catch her eye and ease the boredom for a second.

She ended up draping herself on the back of the couch just so, in a position that she knew would annoy Skulduggery as much as possible. She put one of her arms around his neck, and the other on his forearm. She then stuck her face right next to his and began to read over his shoulder.

"Sorcerers... Blah... Fire... Unknown... Yadayadayada."

"Valkyrie, stop," the skeleton said, exasperated.

Valkyrie swung herself over the couch so that she was sitting right next to Skulduggery.

"But I'm bo-o-ored!"

Skulduggery shoved her off with his elbow.

Valkyrie got up again and went to her room.

Ten more minutes passed. Valkyrie spent the time sitting on her bed and throwing crumpled pieces of paper into the trash can. More often than not, the paper ended up on the floor.

Finally, the doorbell rang. Valkyrie leapt up and ran to answer the door. The pizza delivery guy had arrived. And he didn't look bad, either...

Skulduggery appeared from behind her with his facade on and threw a twenty at the boy. He then snatched the pizza and slammed the door in the delivery guy's face. Valkyrie sighed. She should've expected something like that to happen.

Skulduggery handed her the pizza and returned to working. Valkyrie ate her pizza.

Thirty minutes passed.

"Are you done yet?"

"No."

"Are you done now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"You realize that I would be done faster if you helped me, right?"

"Yeah, but that would be boring. Besides, Echo-Gordon can't remember anything about whatever it is you're looking for."

Skulduggery muttered something under his breath about how Myosotis Terra had the most frustrating abilities in the whole wide world.

Valkyrie waited for a bit longer.

"I'm going to go take a nap."

Skulduggery didn't answer.

She went to her room. Valkyrie lay in bed for a bit, staring at the ceiling.

Twenty minutes passed.

Valkyrie couldn't stand it anymore. She went downstairs again.

Skulduggery slammed the book he was holding onto the table, disrupting the papers around it.

"Myosotis Terra has been classified as missing. She was last seen in Paris, so we'll start looking there-"

Skulduggery's phone rang. China was calling.

"Skulduggery? You were looking for Myosotis? Sorry, but I forgot that she was visiting me the last time you called. She was in the other room getting the tea."

Skulduggery collapsed onto the couch, holding the phone in front of him, numbly.

Valkyrie grabbed the phone from him.

"Hey, Valkyrie!" Myosotis said.

Valkyrie grinned.

"Myosotis! Haven't heard from you for a while. By the way, have you seen my bracelet that you gave me? I seem to have lost it..."

-

Skulduggery groaned. Valkyrie had been on the phone for exactly two hours, thirty-five minutes, and forty-two seconds. And counting.

He was so bored...

-

Heh.

-ravenwings52