While the mountain wasn't incredibly far away from Clint's shop, it was almost all uphill from there and Vicky was already tired, so it took her far longer than she thought it would to finally arrive. To the point that it was already almost dark when she finally kicked her bike over against the wall and walked up to the door, her shoulders slumped. "Hello? Anyone home?" She knocked on the door a few times, trying to get someone's attention... She didn't even know if there was anyone inside the building.

On her third round of knocking, someone finally opened the door, and she was greeted by an extremely gruff-looking old man wearing an eyepatch, his hair and goatee both silver, face wrinkled with age. "What do you want?"

Vicky was slightly taken aback, she hadn't been greeted like that since the last time she tried to talk to Shane. "My name's Victoria. I need something out of the mines, I was told you could help."

"Yeah? What do you need out of 'em?" He placed a hand on his hip while he talked to her, his other arm hidden under a cloak of some kind.

"I need materials. Ores. I can't afford to have them shipped, Clint said there's still ores down in the mine that can be taken back up." She was getting a little frustrated with this guy's gruff attitude, but she didn't much have a choice. He knew the mines, so she needed him.

He looked her up and down, eye roaming her form, though she could tell it wasn't lecherous or something like that, he was simply appraising her. After about a minute, he shook his head. "I can't let you. You won't make it."

"What are you talking about I won't make it?"

"There are monsters down there, girlie. They start off small, little slimes and whatnot, but they get bigger. Tougher. You aren't the type that can fight them off." He gave a single little nod, then started to close the door.

"But- wait for a second! I have to get into the mines!" Vicky reached out and tried to stop him closing the door, but he was clearly far stronger than she was.

"Then you better find someone I think can handle themselves." He shoved the door shut, leaving Vicky standing outside, dumbfounded.

"Well, fuck."

The trip down the mountain was at least easier than the trip up, considering she was now going downhill instead of uphill. All she really had to do was ride the brakes and keep her balance and gravity took care of everything else for her. She only knew one person in town who was even interested in the mines, and that particular person was someone she was not exactly excited to go talk to at the moment. She needed what was in the mines, though, so she figured she should probably at least go say hello...

She pulled up short along the lake between the mountain and the town, looking out over the water. She could see Haley in the distance snapping photos, and when Vicky stuck up a hand to wave she at least returned it before going back to her camera. Vicky continued along her way, taking her time while riding along the lake. It was honestly a beautiful area, and if she wasn't always so busy on her farm she might come up here more often. She found herself humming along with some melody that managed to spring up into her head, tilting her head this way and that while she sung along.

Then she realized that she wasn't the only one. She blinked and stopped, tilting her head to the side as she listened. There was music coming out over the waters of the lake... that must've been where she heard the melody she was humming and why it sprung up into her mind. But who would- She remembered what Caroline had said earlier about Abigail and her flute. It must be her!

She could feel her heart skip a beat at the thought of seeing Abigail again, even while it fell into her stomach at the thought of seeing Abigail again. It was a very strange set of conflicting emotions. But... She needed someone to help her get into the mines. The guy at the Adventurer's Guild had made it clear she wasn't getting in, but maybe he'd think differently about Abigail. She began working her way closer to the music, which seemed to be coming from the lake itself.

Vicky spotted a plank bridge heading out toward an island on the lake, then another plank bridge connecting that one to another island that was almost out in the center of the lake. If Vicky was a betting woman, that's where she'd bet Abigail would be. She leaned her bike up against a nearby tree, not wanting to risk trying to cross a bunch of planks on it, since she didn't want to go for a swim tonight. The bridge itself was... if not sturdy, at least strong enough to walk across. The planks bowed slightly under her weight, but seemed able to hold her up well enough. They didn't dip down into the water, anyway, so she felt at least reasonably safe.

When she arrived on the first island, she could tell she would have to go on to the second one. The music was definitely louder here, but it wasn't coming from this island itself. The second bridge was, thankfully, a bit sturdier than the first, and she didn't worry at all as she crossed it. The music was definitely coming from here, though it seemed to be on the other side of the island. Vicky pushed through a bit of underbrush, and sure enough she spotted Abigail on the far side.

The woman was playing her flute, eyes closed as she was engrossed in the music. Enchanting melodies floated out across the water as the purple-haired woman danced, her feet kicking up sand as she spun and moved. Vicky almost forgot why she'd come here at all, her face lighting up with a smile as she watched the subject of her affections look so carefree and happy playing her music. She wanted to wait a while, to listen longer, but... well, first off, she felt somewhat creepy basically spying on Abby from a bush, and secondly it was getting pretty late. She cleared her throat.

Abigail stopped all at once, whirling around to find the source of the noise, only to see Vicky poking her head out of the bush. "Vicky!" She clutched her flute to her chest, her cheeks gaining a rosy hue. "What are you doing out here?" She frowned slightly. "And how long were you there?"

"Just a few seconds or so." She didn't know exactly how long it'd been, but no longer than a minute. "I came out here to find you."

"What for? How'd you even know I was here?" Abigail frowned a little more, her expression suspicious.

Vicky was a little sad that she didn't seem particularly happy to see the farmer here, but she supposed the other day was still bothering both of them. "It's kind of a long story."

"Go on then."

Vicky sighed, then began. "Alright. I bought seeds from your dad, and while he was ringing them up, I went and talked to your mom. She said you were probably out here playing your flute. I thought that was neat but I didn't think much of it. Then I had to go see Clint because my farm is getting too big to take care of all on my own and he said he could make me sprinklers. But I need materials to make the sprinklers with, and he said the mines had what I needed. Then when I tried to go into the Adventurer's Guild, the old guy there-" Vicky was cut off for a second.

"His name is Marlon."

"Whatever." She waved a hand. "He said I couldn't go into the mines because he didn't think I could make it, and he told me to find-" Vicky stopped herself short, giving Abigail an incredulous look. "You know his name? He didn't even introduce himself to me."

Abigail pulled her flute a little more tightly against herself, looking defensive. "Of course I do! I've lived in town my whole life. Besides, we've talked."

Vicky should have assumed that Abigail would have at least known his name, but the way she'd snapped it off when Vicky just called him 'the old guy' seemed defensive of him. "Talked? About going down into the mines?"

Abby hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. When I was younger. I haven't been up there in years, but I used to sneak away and come up here. He caught me trying to get into the mines once."

Vicky grinned a little bit, then stepped a little closer to her friend. "Look, the other day was awkward, okay?"

"It was, yeah." Abigail frowned again, then let out a soft sigh and relaxed. "I'm sorry, Vicky. I had no idea." She paused, then lowered her arms, holding her flute in one hand. "I didn't mean to seem... upset with you or something when you got here, either. It's nice to see you." She turned her back on Vicky, looking out over the water.

Vicky walked up to stand next to her. From here they could see Haley on the far shore, as well as a broken bridge a little south of the Adventurer's Guild, which was lit up with lights at the moment, leading to an area Vicky had never been. She put her hands in her pockets, just standing at her friend's side.

"My dad and I had a big fight this morning." Abigail finally spoke, though she kept her gaze out over the water.

"What happened?"

"Mom asked me to come help her make breakfast and I complained. I just wanted to sleep. He got mad at me, said I needed to learn to cook if I was ever going to find a husband."

Vicky turned her gaze over to her friend and this time it was her turn to frown. "That's awful. How could he think like that? What year does he think it is?"

"I don't know if he means it that way." Abigail glanced to her side at Vicky. "He's just worried that because I'm... you know, weird, I'm going to end up an old spinster or something. He's always been like that."

"It's still a shitty thing to say."

"I know. And I told him as much. We were yelling at each other until my mom asked us to stop. She looked like she was going to cry." Abigail sighed, then slowly lowered herself to sit on the sand, her flute across her knees. "I come up here sometimes to play music and relax. I don't have to think about things back in town when I'm here." She smiled slightly and turned her gaze more fully to Vicky. "I used to do that down at your farm, too. Now it's just the lake."

Vicky chuckled softly. "You still can, you know. I'm not going to stop you." She picked up a leaf as she sat down next to Abigail, starting to shred it in her lap. "I left a little patch of the farm wild. Scellia really likes it, she was scampering around in there earlier."

"You did? Why?"

"Dunno. I guess I just felt like... Nature cared for the farm after my grandfather died. In its own way. Made sure it was too inhospitable for someone to come along and develop the land, but not so tangled that I couldn't clear it out. And the soil there is amazing. Years of decay and everything else, I guess. Rich like you wouldn't believe." Abigail laughed, which of course made Vicky perk up slightly. "What?"

"It's just funny. You're talking like you've been farming here for years. And it's been... what, a couple of months?"

"Around that, yeah." It was Vicky's turn to get defensive, frowning slightly. "That's not a bad thing, right?"

"No, of course not. I just thought it was funny..." Abigail paused for a moment, then looked out over the lake again. "I really am sorry about the dance. If I'd known..."

"What? You wouldn't have asked Sebastian?"

Abigail's feet twitched slightly, kicking little rows into the sand. "I don't know. I've always asked him. It's... like a tradition at this point. I didn't know you liked me or anything, so it was just... really surprising. I didn't know what to say, and then you seemed so upset..." She glanced over toward Vicky, watching where the farmer had resumed shredding leaves in her lap. "I thought you were really upset at me. You didn't answer any of my texts, either."

"Yeah. Maybe that was a little stupid." Vicky laughed once, at herself more than anything. "I was just... embarrassed. Lewis said maybe I should go ask someone to dance. Being the new girl in town and everything, I thought he was just being nice... I really only realized once I asked you what it meant. Basically kind of... asking you out, almost. I wasn't thinking."

"He did that on purpose, probably. Maybe trying to see if you liked anyone in town." Abigail's feet kicked at the sand again. "That's why people are paired up the way they are. At least nowadays, anyway."

"Really? I didn't pay much attention."

Abigail laughed once. "I can imagine why. But yeah... I dance with Sebastian because..." She paused, then simply moved on. "Penny dances with Sam because they dated back in school, though they're just friends these days. Haley dances with Alex because they've been off and on again since they were little kids. Emily dances with Shane because... well, nobody else wanted to, and they're at least friends."

"Ouch."

"Well, that's what you get for being an asshole." Abigail smirked a bit, then continued. "Maru dances with Harvey because Demetrius asked them to. He wants them to... you know. A doctor and a girl who's probably going to be a famous astrophysicist or something someday. He wants only the best for her. And then Leah and Elliot have been sorta-dating ever since he moved to town."

"Sorta-dating?"

"Well, I mean, he's gorgeous, isn't he?"

Vicky laughed. "You think he's pretty!"

Abigail frowned. "He is! And, well, he really liked Leah. He thinks she's 'romantic', living next to the river, a struggling artist, she forages the land for food..." She shrugged. "They're cute together, anyway."

"I had no idea everyone was paired off. Or, well... used to be."

Abigail nodded. "When you live in a town this small and the dating pool is as tiny as it is, that tends to happen."

Vicky hesitated for a moment. "So how long were you and Sebastian..."

"I don't..." Abigail sighed, then glanced to Vicky again. "Almost five years, I think."

"Shit, really?" Vicky's brows drew up. "I didn't realize it had been that long."

"The first three were just... friends. Mostly. I think we sort of fell into and out of attraction with each other a few times. Then we made it official like two years ago like I told you that night... You know the rest."

"I know why you don't want to talk about it. It's rough."

"Yeah. But it happens." Abigail started to push herself up to her feet. "I think I'm going to head back home. Before my parents get too worried."

Well, that was sudden. "Hey, wait, before you leave." Vicky quickly stood back up, scattering leaf-fragments every which way.

"Yeah?"

"Look, I need what's down in the mines. And the old- Marlon, he won't let me in. He said I needed to find someone who he thought could defend themselves." Vicky paused, letting what she was telling her friend sink in.

Abigail's eyebrow raised, though she didn't do much else. "Go on."

"Well, I was sorta..." Vicky sighed, her hands gesturing uselessly in front of herself. "I was hoping you'd... help me out. You're the only person I know who wants to go down in the mines, everyone else is either busy or doesn't want to, I'm pretty sure-"

"Have you asked them?"

"Well, no. Damnit!" Vicky frowned, clenching her hands near her hips. "Will you please help me? You're the only one I can think of."

Abigail tried to look neutral, but she couldn't completely hide the smile on her face. "I'll think about it... Okay, maybe." She paused a moment more, Vicky staring her in the face. "Alright! Fine."

Vicky cheered, throwing her hands up in the air, and startled a bird out of a nearby tree.

"Tomorrow, though. We'll go up there tomorrow. It's too late tonight, it's already dark."

"Fine, it's a date then," Vicky smirked and fingergun'd Abigail with a wink.

"No, it's not a date." Abigail started to walk off, then glanced back at Vicky with a grin. "And you look stupid when you do that."

Vicky deflated, letting out a little 'huh.' "I didn't think it looked stupid. I thought it was funny."

She quickly followed off after her friend, needing to get back home before it got too late.

The next morning dawned bright and early, and blissfully Vicky was not nearly as sore as she was the other morning, the magic of the Valley able to get her back into tip-top shape. The vast majority of her morning was spent with her crops, keeping them watered, weeding them with Scellia's help, and generally making sure they were healthy and happy. She'd put some fertilizer in with the ones she needed real high-quality samples of, hopefully, they'd grow up big and strong.

Pierre had also sent her over the schematics for making kegs, suggesting that the sooner she got Robin to start working the sooner he could kick back in his living room and enjoy a local-brewed beer. She was amused by his enthusiasm, and she had to admit that she really needed to go see Robin anyway. She was pretty sure that her roof was leaking, and when she started selling some of her summer crop she'd actually have the money to pay to have her house upgraded. She'd like to have a modern house, or at least one built up to modern standards.

As soon as she was done with all her crops she texted Abigail, telling her that she was heading up to the mountain. She was starting to really, really look forward to today. She might actually make some progress on her sprinklers, and then she wouldn't have to spend hours each morning watering crops. Hopefully, Marlon would let them in.