Meanwhile…
Enid and Valen were on a date.
The late afternoon air was warm, the streets of Jericho humming with the faint chatter of shopkeepers closing up and the occasional car passing by. Enid practically bounced at his side, brushing her arm against his "by accident" more than once.
"Sooo… I might've… done a little research," she admitted, tucking her hair behind her ear with an exaggerated air of casualness.
Valen gave her a sidelong glance, brow arched. "Research?"
"Yep." She flipped her hair dramatically, then grinned like she had just revealed a master plan. "Top-rated fun spots in Jericho! I have made the whole lineup for our date! First coffee, check. Next is-" She pointed down the block, where the bold red neon letters of ARCADE flickered above the door. "That."
Valen slowed his steps just enough that their arms grazed again. "So you planned this entire date?"
"Maybe." She nudged his arm again, lingering this time. "I just… wanted it to be fun. For both of us."
He allowed his shoulder to press against hers, very deliberate this time. "Then I'll just go with whatever you've got planned." His tone lowered, teasing. "You seem… very committed to making this perfect."
Enid's heartbeat quickened, she tried to laugh it off, but her cheeks betrayed her, burning hot. "Well, duh. It's our first real date. And I don't do casual, I do… glitter, fireworks, and playlists."
Valen's gaze flicked down to her hand where it clung to his sleeve. His lips curled faintly. "And touchy, too."
Her face went red getting caught. She yanked her hand back, only to boldly hook her arm through his, a heartbeat later. "What? You don't like it?"
He chuckled low in his throat. "Didn't say that." His voice dropped, smooth and teasing, enough to have her feel butterflies, "Actually… it's kind of nice."
Enid's brain short-circuited. She stared ahead at the arcade sign, cheeks on fire. "You-ugh, you're not supposed to be good at this! I'm supposed to be the flirty one."
"Careful," he said, voice amused. "I might get used to this."
He made no move to pull away, their arms still linked as the arcade doors drew closer.
Enid buried her face in her hands, muffling a laugh. "Ugh, you're ridiculous."
Valen's grin deepened. "Funny-I don't hear you complaining."
I've officially crossed into cheesy territory. He thought smiling.
She rolled her eyes but laughed anyway, dragging him inside before he could toss another line at her.
*
The arcade pulsed with flashing lights and electronic jingles, machines chiming in overlapping melodies while kids darted between glowing cabinets. The air carried the faint smell of popcorn and fried oil, sticky-sweet like carnival sugar.
Enid was everywhere at once. She mashed buttons furiously at a racing game, shrieked when Valen somehow beat her at air hockey, and laughed so hard she nearly fell off the dance machine.
Then they reached the crane game.
Inside the glass case, a pile of plushies glowed under neon lights. Enid gasped, spotting a little white wolf with oversized ears. She pressed both palms to the glass as if she could melt her way through it.
"Ohmygosh, look at him." Her voice went high, excited the fuck out. "That's destiny. That's literally mine." She cast Valen a pointed look.
Valen smirked and slid a token into the slot. "Consider it done."
The claw clanked down, hovered, dropped, only to slip uselessly off the plush. Twice. Three times.
Enid's excitement sagged into a nervous laugh. "Hey, it's okay. Nobody actually wins these things. It's, like, universal law."
Valen studied her face, which was kinda dejected with a little slump, as if saying, 'ugh, let's give up.' Then, casually scanning the arcade, he noted the corner was empty, no one was paying any attention, no cameras either.
"Law of the universe, huh?" he casually commented, which made her glance at him.
Before she could respond, his sleeve shifted, skin rippling into that familiar black, armor-like sheen. With one hand, he gripped the side of the crane cabinet and tilted it slightly. Gravity did the rest, rolling the wolf plush neatly into the prize chute.
In one smooth motion, he lowered the machine and flexed his hand until the skin returned to normal. Like nothing had happened.
"Guess the universe owes you one," he said, retrieving the toy and holding it out.
Enid's eyes widened, then lit up brighter than any arcade bulb. She hugged the wolf to her chest, smiling so hard Valen almost forgot how to breathe.
Hopeless romantic type shit.
"You didn't-! I mean, you-ohmygod, I love him." She lunged forward, kissed his cheek in a burst of gratitude, and squeezed his arm tight. "Thank you."
Valen smiled, not at the plush, but at how happy she looked.
Then they stepped back into sunlight, the arcade's noise fading behind them. Enid still clutched the plush protectively, grinning ear to ear.
"So," Valen said, hands slipping into his pockets, "where to next, my cute tour guide?"
"Next to the-" Enid began, only for Valen's phone to buzz sharply.
He frowned, pulling it out. The screen flashed a name, Blood.
Valen answered. "Yeah?"
"Hey man, just listen to what happened with me! You won't believe it-" Alex's voice came rapid, a rant about the boutique spilling through.
Enid sighed, still holding Valen's arm, though her lips pursed with mild annoyance. Valen offered her an apologetic look as Alex rambled about the racist attendant, words tumbling without pause.
This guy...
But Valen's attention drifted. His gaze caught on something really interesting- Sheriff Galpin running around the corner, following another man, and that another man was the mayor of Jericho.
Noble Walker.
(Image)
And instinct told Valen, that this was not casual. Something was definitely going on.
He cut Alex off mid-rant. "Wait, where are you?"
From the other end, "I don't know, but I'm heading back to the café. I'll wait there. I'm done for today-and I don't wanna disturb your…" There was a pause, then Alex muttered knowingly, "…ah. My bad. The irony. Alright, we'll meet later... Sorry."
TOOT
And the line clicked dead.
Valen lowered the phone slowly. Enid nudged him. "What happened?"
His gaze lingered on the sheriff and the mayor, now talking, no, arguing, down the street. "Wanna do something exciting?"
Enid blinked. "What do you mean… w-wait, you don't mean-" Her face flamed as she covered herself dramatically. "I knew it! You are a pervert!"
Valen sighed and flicked her forehead.
"Ouch!" she yelped, rubbing it.
"Relax. And yeah, I'm a pervert-for you." He smirked, tossing the line as if it weren't dripping with cheesiness. "But listen, let's have an outcast-style date. Let's… follow those two."
Enid tilted her head, shy and confused, then glanced at the sheriff and mayor. "Wait-you mean spying? You mean like the detective couples from crime dramas?" Her eyes lit.
Valen grinned and nodded, tugging her closer by the arm.
Clueless or not, Enid followed as he led her toward the trail, cheeks pink. Well… maybe I prefer weird outcast dates, she thought, smiling to herself.
*
They kept a careful distance. The sheriff and mayor walked briskly, voices low and clipped.
"Why are we doing this again?" Enid whispered.
Valen's eyes stayed fixed ahead. "Because it might be connected to the body they found in the woods. And the weird accidents happening in Jericho."
Enid's brow furrowed. "You mean those accidents?"
He nodded once. "People suddenly waking up in the forest. Pets slaughtered. People vanishing and showing up again, thin like bones... all those are not normal, and we got no updates on it, they are definitely hiding something."
And those dreams I have... I need answers.
A chill crawled over her.
They followed as the two men cut toward the hospital. The sheriff's tone carried even from a distance, sharp with frustration.
"Heighten your hearing," Valen whispered, motioning toward them.
Enid grinned excitedly. Oh my god, this is literally like a detective series.
Both focused, their supernatural senses sharpening.
The sheriff's words came through clear.
"Mayor, I'm telling you, this has Nevermore written all over it. We've got a body on the edge of their woods, and if we don't act now, we'll lose the trail. I need authorization to search the school."
Walker's reply was calm and firm. "Donovan, I hear you. But without proof, I'm not authorizing a witch hunt. Nevermore isn't just a school, it what keeps this town alive. If I slap them with an unfounded investigation, we're not just antagonizing them, we're jeopardizing Jericho itself."
"You're letting politics blind you," Galpin shot back. "I've got clues pointing straight at them. I'll show you."
The mayor stopped, looking him square in the eye. "Then show me. If what you have holds weight, I'll reconsider. But until then, Nevermore stays untouched. Principal Weems runs a professional institution, I won't taunt her and I won't burn the bridges over mere shadows."
Valen and Enid trailed them quietly, ducking behind corners, acting like sneaking candy.
Until finally, they reached the morgue.
-------
A/N – Alright, I saw the comments.
I kinda knew it would be bad, but I didn't realize it would be that bad… damn. This chapter is my way of making up for it. I've already uploaded up to ch. 33 on Patreon, so I figured I'd drop this one here, hopefully you guys can forgive the blunder from the last chapter. Even the response on Patreon wasn't great for that… "racist chapter."
Anyway, consider this a early little bonus for the first 400 power stones this week. If I manage to write more before then, I'll drop that extra chapter at that time... we'll see how it goes.
Milestone: 1 bonus chapter for every 400 power stones!!
And if you wanna read the advanced chapters… you know where to find them
patreon.com/Captain_Lag
Ciao!