Starfall Valkyrie was doing numbers.
Not internet-breaking numbers.
But steady, growing, passionate ones.
Within forty-eight hours of Issue #2 going up under her pen name Elisabet Eiríksdóttir, the download count doubled.
Comments trickled in—thoughtful, excited, curious.
"The Reluctant Sentinel is AMAZING—pls tell me he returns!"
"Your constellation work is wild, is this based on real star maps??"
"This feels like… emotionally smart? Is that weird to say?"
Penny sat cross-legged on her couch, reading it all with a dumb little smile.
She wasn't famous.
She wasn't trending.
But she was seen.
And that felt like nothing she'd ever experienced in either life.
She closed the comments tab and chewed her lip thoughtfully.
Publishing.
She wasn't ready for the big leagues—too public, too chaotic, too risky with the System lurking around her emotional attachments.
But micro-publishing?
One local shop?
She pictured Stuart behind his counter, surrounded by dusty cardboard boxes and the lingering smell of lonely bachelorhood.
He could use a win.
And maybe… maybe she could test the waters without blowing her cover.
Penny grabbed her purse.
---
Stuart looked up when the bell chimed, startled as always.
"Oh. Penny." His expression softened into something warm and tired. "If you're looking for more Valkyrie. I posted more info on Issue #2 on my blog, it's blowing up."
Penny hid the way her stomach flipped.
"Oh? People like it?"
"Like it? They're obsessed!" Stuart leaned on the counter. "It's the perfect mix of mythic fantasy and soft sci-fi. The art style is insane. Whoever Elisabet is—she's going places."
Penny coughed into her sleeve. "Yeah, I've heard she's… talented."
Stuart didn't notice her tone. "Seriously, the celestial detailing? Gorgeous. I'd kill for an original copy."
Penny froze.
"An… original?" she squeaked.
"Yeah! I'd display it. Probably cry over it. Maybe frame it next to my Fernando Torres card."
"Right," Penny said faintly. "Normal reaction."
She wandered the aisles, pretending to browse, heart pounding as an idea clicked into place.
Small-scale publishing.
One shop distribution.
A safe bubble where nobody connected Elisabet to Penny Teller.
It was actually… perfect.
She approached Stuart again, careful, casual.
"So, hey, can I ask you something?" she began.
"Hypothetically."
Stuart blinked. "This feels like a trap, but go on."
"If someone—" Penny gestured vaguely—"wanted to publish a comic, but not, like… publish publish. Just, y'know, release small batches. A tiny run. Limited circulation."
Stuart straightened.
"You mean indie micro-printing?"
"Sure! That. Let's say they wanted it sold at exactly one store… yours."
His eyes widened. "Holy crap, is this about Elisabet?"
Penny nearly had a heart attack.
"What? No! Noooooo. Definitely not. Why would you think that?" She smiled too hard. Her eyelid twitched.
Stuart frowned, thinking.
"Because she's the only indie creator I've seen with enough traction to make a move like that?"
"Oh," Penny said. "Well. That's totally not it."
Stuart shrugged. "If it was, though? Hypothetically? I'd be honored. I'd carry an exclusive line from her in a heartbeat."
Her pulse steadied.
Okay. Good. He wasn't suspecting her—just the idea.
"So… how would someone do that?" Penny asked, leaning against the counter.
Stuart perked up. "First, you'd need a local printer who can handle saddle-stitching and small-run orders. Or you can hand-bind, which… please don't. I'd cry. Then you'd work with me on pricing and stocking. I'd hype the hell out of it. Exclusive releases are major buzz."
Penny nodded, thoughtful.
"Could someone… control distribution? Keep their identity private?"
"Absolutely." Stuart gestured around. "Half the indie artists I stock won't even show their faces. Mystery sells."
Penny tried not to think about how ironic that was.
"So," Stuart added, "if you see Elisabet, tell her my shop is open to whatever she wants to do next. Anything. Seriously."
Penny swallowed. "I'll… pass that along."
[SYSTEM NOTICE: User concealing authorship. Anxiety minimal. Risk: low.]
"Thank you for the vote of confidence," she muttered at the invisible interface.
She was just about to leave when Stuart called after her.
"Oh! One more thing."
She turned.
"The Sentinel character? The new guy?" Stuart grinned. "He's a fan favorite already."
Penny's heart pinged.
Of course he was.
She had drawn him with Sheldon's posture.
Sheldon's sharp shoulders.
Sheldon's stubborn, reluctant loyalty.
Stuart chuckled. "I mean, whoever inspired him—he's written with so much affection."
Penny's brain short-circuited.
Affection.
Not good.
Not safe.
Not—
She shook herself out of it.
"Tell Elisabet she's got something special," he said.
Penny smiled softly.
"I think she knows."
[SYSTEM STATUS: Emotional trajectory steady. Bond threads stable.]
Walking out into the California sun, Penny hugged her bag close.
Her comic was finding its audience.
Her world was getting bigger.
And maybe… just maybe… she could give Stuart's shop a second life while keeping herself hidden.
It felt right.
It felt hers.
And deep inside, it felt like the beginning of something she couldn't fully name yet.