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"Abby, this is such a bad idea," Alex grumbled as he followed his friend up the stairs leading to the mountain at the edge of town.
"Shh! It's fine!" Abigail hushed him. "Besides, you don't want Seb to hear us, do you?"
"Seb's working on a deadline," Alex retorted. "That's why we decided to do this tonight instead of last night."
"Do you really think that Sebastian won't take a smoke break at some point?" Abby hissed back. "Now keep your voice down!"
Alex stuck his tongue out at her and adjusted the scabbard of the honest-to-Yoba sword that Abigail had loaned him so that it fit more snug around his waist. He hated to admit that she had a point, but he stopped talking nonetheless, keeping quiet until they reached the entrance to the abandoned mines.
"So what's the plan, anyways," Alex finally broke his silence, flinching at the sound of his voice echoing through the open cavern.
"You wanted the perfect anniversary gift for your boyfriend, right?" Abby reminded him. "I'm telling you that Seb loves frozen tears! They're crazy expensive though, but I know we can find some starting on level 40."
"How do you even know that he likes frozen tears so much?" Alex pouted, following her into the elevator against his own better judgement. Even though he and Seb had been together almost a year, he still learned something new about the man every day. "And how do you know where to find them?"
"The second part's a secret," Abigail said, drawing her sword as the elevator opened on the forty-fifth floor. Alex followed suit. "But when we were kids, before you moved to town, Seb used to sneak off during lessons at the library and just go stare at the frozen tear that used to be on display. I think he even wrote a research paper on them once."
Alex wanted to press her further, but a bat swooped down from the ceiling of the cave right when they stepped out of the elevator. Alex froze, but Abby made quick work of dispatching the creature, then she did the same with the slimes and these bouncing things she called dust sprites. She paused once the coast was clear and rummaged through the backpack she'd brought with her. Removing a small pickaxe from within, she began breaking rocks in a seemingly random pattern as she wandered through the 'room', Alex hot on her heels.
"There!" she said, pointing to a blue stone shining in the distance. "Look, Alex!" she added, excitedly. "A frozen tear!"
Even at a distance, Alex could see how beautiful the pale blue rock was, and he walked towards it, leading the way for the first time since he'd snuck out of his grandparents' home at 10 pm. He was about to pick it up, when a gloved hand reached out of seemingly nowhere and snatched it out of his reach.
"Looking for this?" a deep voice sounded, and Alex looked up to see a man wearing a cape and an eyepatch, glaring at him and Abigail.
"Marlon!" Abigail gasped, sounding unsettled for the first time that evening.
"Abigail," he greeted her, before his eye focused on Alex. "And Alexander if I'm not mistaken?" Alex nodded silently, his heart racing a million miles a minute.
"Need I remind you, Abigail," Marlon said, his voice filled a dry acceptance as if he'd said this exact speech a thousand times before, "that you are an Apprentice-in-Training, and are not permitted to roam the caves alone."
Abigail stuck her chest out in a display of bravado Alex couldn't help but admire. "I'm not alone, I'm with Alex," she said.
"I'm sure the three of us here know that an untrained local," here Marlon paused as he stared at Alex for a moment, "no matter how fit they may be, is not what is meant by adequate accompaniment."
Abby's shoulders drooped, and Alex would have put his arm around her to cheer her up if he wasn't so intimidated by the older man. "Yes, sir," she mumbled.
"Good," Marlon said. "We'll speak of this tomorrow. As for now, it's getting late and you should both head home before anything happens. Here," he added, in a kinder voice, as he led them back to the elevator. "Take this kid," he said, handing the frozen tear to Alex.
He winked at Alex (or at least Alex thought he did - he couldn't be too sure with the eyepatch, after all).
"Th-thanks," Alex stammered, his heart slowing to a more regular pace when he realized he wasn't in trouble.
"You're welcome," Marlon said, ushering them out of the cave. "And the next time you want to explore the mines, you come see me. We can always use more recruits."
Abby and Alex watched the man's retreating back for a moment, before silently heading back towards town. They'd just turned the corner towards Sebastian's house, when they practically ran into him.
"Alex? Abs? What are you guys doing here?" he asked, fumbling with the pack of cigarettes in his hand. "It's after midnight."
Alex tried to think if the right thing to say for a moment, but couldn't come up with anything. He shoved the frozen tear in Sebastian's hand and mumbled a rushed "Happy Anniversary!"
Abigail rolled her eyes, but continued toward the top of the stairs, giving the two of them some space.
Sebastian looked surprised, but only for a moment. "I really love this," he murmured, a small smile growing on his face as he looked between the mineral and Alex. "How did you know?"
"Oh, a little birdie told me," Alex said, running his hand along Sebastian's cheek. "Do you really like it babe?"
Sebastian smile widened. "I do. I love it! And I love you," he added, standing on tiptoe to kiss Alex. "Happy anniversary," he whispered.
I guess Abby was right, Alex thought, kissing Sebastian again, this wasn't such a bad idea, after all.