Eddie crept upstairs towards the girls' wing of Anubis house, his footsteps quiet against the old

oak floors. He peered through the wooden cutouts of the stairs and into Victor's office, grinning as he saw a sleeping form. Of all the things that could go wrong tonight, getting caught by "Captain Curfew" seemed the most avoidable. In fact, the greater concern was the flaring temper of the girl accompanying him on this mission. Though they had worked together in Sibuna, it hadn't been just the two of them since their split. Eddie would've loved to sneak down to the cellar with Patricia while they were dating, but now that they weren't? Well... the idea seemed terrifying. Shaking all these discouraging thoughts from his mind, the blonde continued through the entryway, walking until he reached Patricia's door. A puzzled expression took up his features as he stood waiting, his knuckles halting right before they hit the wooden surface. Sneaking out... he couldn't knock! Yet barging in unannounced didn't seem like a good option either. Eddie groaned softly, muttering curses as he blamed his roommate, Fabian, for this awkward situation. But before the American could wallow in self pity any longer, the door swung open to reveal an irritated looking redhead still rubbing her eyes from sleep. "How long have you been there?" She spoke harshly as her gaze fell upon him, lips settling into a deep frown. Eddie offered a sheepish grin in return; he should've anticipated a greeting as such. Patricia was always a crank in the early hours, but if you woke her from this precious rest, it unleashed an entirely different kind of beast. "Nice to see you too..." He turned back towards the hall entrance, the girl following close behind. A heavy silence engulfed them as they descended the stairway to the first level, though Eddie was the first to speak as they reached the cellar door, "So... I have the bracelet." He pulled the object from his pocket. "And I half expected you to forget it." Her words had a certain bitterness to them, causing Eddie to think there was something more to her sour disposition than the time of night. He watched as the Brit pulled a bobby pin from her hair and crouched in front of the cellar entrance, a scowl on her lips all the while. "Look, I don't want to be here either." Patricia's gaze shifted from the door's half-picked lock at the sound of his voice, but the boy cautiously continued, "Yet here I am... trying to be be civil with you..." He trailed off at the cold stare shot in his direction.

"Your point, Weasel?" She raised her eyebrows expectantly. "All I'm saying is that this doesn't have to be that bad. We go downstairs, we hide the bracelet in the tunnels, then we leave. Simple as that, right?" She showed no signs of protest so he kept talking, "Don't make this harder than it has to be." Patricia sighed reluctantly, "Fine. But just try not to do anything stupid." The door opened with a soft click as the lock finally came free, allowing the pair to slip inside. Eddie's eyes scanned the dark, musty room as they reached the foot of stairs, his voice barely a whisper when he spoke, "Alright, what do we do now?" A wide smirk spread across the girl's lips, "It's about time you asked for help. But you know, I thought you could handle anything. You are the Osirian, after all." Her sarcasm was not lost on him. "Thanks." Eddie offered a wry grin, "But don't let this go to your head. I'm still the leader of Sibuna, remember?" "Don't remind me," She grumbled, before walking over to the hidden entrance of the antechamber, though it was hardly considered a secret anymore. Victor could come down at any moment, armed with his toilet-cleaning toothbrush and ready to dish out detention lasting for the rest of time. Needless to say, they couldn't get caught. "So this is where you guys snuck off to last term?" The blonde watched as her fingers effortlessly clicked each number of the combination into place. "Yeah..." She replied distractedly, a satisfied smirk creeping onto her lips as the entryway slid open. "Don't think I'll ever get used to that..." Eddie murmured. He stood awestruck, his form unmoving despite the girl's progress ahead. Patricia rolled her eyes, "Save your gawking for later, doofus. We've got a mission to attend to!" "Right. Sorry." He shook the dazed expression from his face before following her inside. The study looked just as it did last term, countless books lining the walls and the same desk stuck in the corner. Every surface remained untouched from a dust rag in what seemed to be years. It was somewhat ironic, actually. The room held priceless artifacts,

all containing answers to the ancient world from Frobisher himself, yet it was collecting dust like a cardboard box shoved deep in the storage part of a cellar. "Listen up, Weasel," Patricia whipped around to face him, a stern expression on her face, "I don't know why Fabian made you the leader of Sibuna, but do us all of favor and don't screw this up." Eddie offered a cocky grin, "I don't make mistakes." "Really?" She smirked, "Well, we'll see about that," The girl walked over to the far wall, testing each book to find the one capable of turning the bookcase. She could practically feel Eddie's stare on her back, and could only envision the smug grin he wore as a comment about her strange behavior settled on the tip of his tongue, "It's the entrance to the tunnels," Patricia called over her shoulder, "One of the books makes it turn." "Oh, that's... normal," He took a few steps closer, pulling some forward in an effort to help. The boy was standing far too close now; her right shoulder brushed his chest each time she reached for another book. Eddie appeared oblivious to her discomfort, but she knew this wasn't true. He was just too clever to show it. And as the frown on her face deepened, his subtle smirk only grew. Their adventure wasn't very adrenaline-pumping after that. They reached the tunnels, guarding their eyes from the beam of light with a mirror, and walking through each completed task until a suitable spot for the bracelet was found. Conversation was limited, but friendly enough. Though following the incident with the bookcase, Patricia was sure to have excessive space between them at all times, which was certainly amusing to the boy. They eventually made it back from the cellar, each eager to return to their own rooms and get some well-needed rest. But, being the obnoxious American he is, Eddie had to deprive her from sleep even longer to make his closing remarks. And Patricia, still as bitter as before, was not in the mood. "You know, Yacker, I think we make a pretty great team... We're like Sherlock and Watson, Batman and Robin - " "Eddie..." The girl warned, a steely edge to her voice, "Cut it out, already. You're being a doofus."

"Fine," He surrendered, the fictional power couple of Ron and Hermione on the tip of his tongue. The blonde quickly shook that comparison away in fear that his cheeks might flush a deep, rosy red. "Anyways, I better go now... wouldn't want to risk causing anymore trouble tonight." The girl nodded slowly, "Can't argue with that." "Well... I'll see you tomorrow?" There was something hopeful about his demeanor; the way his eyes found hers with an innocent, almost pleading, look to them. She gave the smallest of smiles in return, her lips curving upwards ever so slightly. "Tommorrow."