My brain went completely blank.
Play dumb!
"Who's Monroe?"
Not that dumb!
Vale threw back his head and released a full-belly laugh that bounced off the vault walls. The sound carried genuine amusement, like he'd just witnessed the punchline to the world's best setup.
I'm so cooked. The Midnight Heist quest was supposed to be about stealth and precision, not getting caught red-handed by the strongest hunter on faculty while holding stolen property in my goddamn backpack. My System was probably rolling around in digital laughter at this exact moment.
"Thanks for locating the dummy stone for me, Monroe." Vale spun the crystal between his fingers like he was showing off a basketball trick. "Must have gotten lost on the road of life."
Wait.
Dummy stone?
My backpack felt suddenly lighter against my spine. The crystal inside stopped its incessant humming.
"Mind handing it over?" Vale extended his free hand toward me. "Pedestal's looking lonely."
