Prophecy: Tome of Embers

5. Stay

The knock on Toby's door was quiet compared to the roaring water in his ears as he stood in the shower, and had it not continued on then he might have dismissed it completely. Yet it did continue, and because of it he begrudgingly turned off the water before stepping out. He stopped only to wipe himself down quickly, then wrapped the towel around his waist and proceeded to the door, opening it to find Lorelei standing there, ogling him.

"Damn, boy, I guess I never really got a good look at you," she licked her lips and shamelessly lowered her sights. "I mean, you're not as beefy as Cliff, but still, nice abs." She seemed delighted to view him in his half naked form, though he couldn't have cared less. True, he wasn't seemingly on steroids like their friend, but he hadn't lived an easy life, and that'd left him with a kind of strength that most people would've been foolish to test.

"What do you want?" Toby grew tired of standing there while she ogled at him-and not because of the staring, but because he had more important things to worry about instead.

"Don't be so sour, handsome, I come bearing good news." Lorelei didn't bother checking as she entered the apartment, taking it as an invitation when he'd stepped back. "Nice place."

"It's alright, Cliff put in a good word for me." He shrugged, heading into the bedroom so he could dress. He left the door open just a crack as he disappeared behind it, still waiting to hear why she'd come. It'd seemed like a good opportunity when Toby found out the apartment above Cliff was open, but now he was starting to regret the decision. "Are you going to tell me what you want or not?"

"You're so pleasant, has anyone ever told you that?" She mocked, going further in to see if she could sneak a peek into his room, when he didn't have the towel protecting him. Unfortunately she was too late, and he was already back in the living room with her. "Fine, I'll get right to it. Remember my friend, Dill? I guess we must've impressed the right people when we killed that demon because now, well, there's someone else who has a problem, and they're looking for somebody to handle it. Say, three strapping heroes?"

"You're shitting me, right? Because there's no way in hell I'm whoring myself out as some half-ass demon hunter. Look, I told you guys that if the Anchoress showed back up I'd consider helping out, but that doesn't mean I want to go looking for trouble." Toby was adamant, backtracking to the bathroom again so he could look himself over in the mirror.

"I knew you were going to say that. Come on, just once you could smile and say yes, it's not like we're doing charity-we'll get paid. What will it take?" Lorelei batted her eyes coquettishly as she ran a hand down her chest.

"No." He was unaffected by her wiles, and when he was satisfied with checking himself over he grabbed up his keys and headed to the door, opening it and waiting until she was back in the hall to close it up and lock it.

"Where are you going anyway, who'd you get all dolled up for?" She raised an eyebrow as she wondered aloud, receiving no answer as Toby just shot her a look and turned. It hadn't gone unnoticed that he'd cleaned himself up more than usual, and as he walked away she whistled, cat calling while she watched him go. This time she did get a response, and he held up his middle finger behind his back without looking. Lorelei just laughed, only half certain that he was joking the way he did with that brooding demeanor of his.

Toby wasn't the only one who was being recruited, and he also wasn't the only one who was settling in. Myrna was hard at work in her shop, setting out displays and humming a tune to herself as she worked. She'd just rented the space, figuring the same thing that he had-it was time she dug in and started her life. Though the sign on the door clearly said that they were closed, Cliff ignored it and went in, causing her to smile when she saw that he had come to visit.