Armored guards roamed the alley, their loud shouts echoing through the streets.

Richard's arms gripped tighter as he pressed a hand to his friend's mouth, holding his breath, not daring to make a sound. He couldn't afford to be caught—an urchin like him, a thief no less, getting cozy with a noble of El? Best case scenario, he'd be arrested.

Truthfully, he knew this was a bad idea. He'd met his friend a few months ago, after a group of thugs saw a young and vulnerable noble walking the streets alone—a prime target for mugging. Well, not on his watch. Yes, he was a thief. The leader of a group of thieves, even. But they had a code. They didn't hurt people, and they only stole from those who could afford it. The thugs would've roughed up their target at best, and he didn't want to think about what the worst things they could've done were.

So he'd stepped in, distracted the thugs, and gotten them to chase after him instead. He hadn't quite expected to ever see the noble he'd saved again, but the two had just kept bumping into each other every other day and ended up becoming friends. Now his friend regularly snuck out to meet with him, but sometimes the guards chased after the pair. Like tonight.

Secretly, the chase was exciting to him. His heart thundered with adrenaline as the two squeezed even tighter into the dark corner of the alley. "It's okay," he whispered reassuringly, his grip steady. "They can't see us. Try to be quiet, okay?"