"Dude, you're picking a most inopportune time to leave," Torie said, glaring at the tall, blonde-haired man who stood before her.
"I know, bird," he sighed. "I'll leave a forwarding address for you, okay? Then you can send me the birth announcement and pictures."
"You better, Killer," she snapped, pointing a finger at him. "And I want to hear from you on a more frequent basis than the last time."
"Yes, mother," he smirked, causing her to swat at him. Kyler, a.k.a. Killer, just chuckled. Torie grinned. She knew she'd miss him while he was away. He had the lightest personality out of the men that she knew, and he never failed to put a smile on her face, especially when she was in one of the worst funks ever. Still, she accepted the fact that Kyler loved to travel. He had the wanderlust of a kender(1), she had joked once.
"When are you leaving?" she inquired just as someone knocked on her door. They turned their heads, Torie frowning.
"Were you expecting anyone else, bird?"
"No," she shook her head. "No one's off from work yet."
Torie pushed herself off the couch and made her way to the door. Standing outside her door was the last person she ever expected to see and she quickly swung it open.
"Trixie Prescott."
"Actually," the young woman smiled faintly, a suitcase in hand, "it's Trixie Vanderbucks now. Genevieve and Taylor Senior had the marriage annulled."
"Annulled?" she blinked.
"Yes. I need to get out of town and fast. Could you help me? Please?"
"I'm not sure I can," Torie frowned. "Unless you hitch a ride with Kyler when he leaves. But it has to be okay with him first."
"Who?"
"Me," Kyler stated as he stood up. "I'm heading out of town tomorrow morning."
"For how long?" Trixie inquired.
"Indefinitely," Torie replied. "Come on in and I'll explain it to you."
Hesitantly, the younger woman stepped inside and looked around. The walls were bare and the furniture, which had been minimal to begin with, was even more so, if that were possible.
"This place has changed," she observed.
"Yeah, well," Torie grinned slightly. "I do have a baby on the way and I'm planning on moving out. I want more space for the cats, the dogs, me and the baby."
"I see."
"Have a seat and I'll get us some drinks."
Torie walked into the kitchen as Trixie shrugged out of her jacket and sat down.
"Okay, about Kyler . . . He's our great traveler."
"I stole Torie's position," he smirked. Torie heard it in his voice.
"But not by much," she stated. "See, he likes to travel around the world. He's been gone for weeks on end, sometimes even being gone for at least a year, though never longer."
"And if I start to run out of money, I usually find an odd job or two to keep myself going."
"It's a very nomadic existence," Torie said, carrying out a tray with some tea, some mugs, and a tea kettle. "When he comes back, he usually crashes with James, Robert, or C.J. Mostly C.J., though."
"Why do you choose to do that, though?"
"Gotta do something when the inspiration is nearly exhausted," he shrugged.
"Oh. I see. You're an artist then?"
"We're both writers," Torie explained. "And we have our own ways of dealing with inspiration loss. Now, Trixie, you must think about this carefully. I know you've traveled around on planes and everything with your ex-boyfriend but traveling with Kyler is different. Vastly different. When he goes into other countries, he tends to hitch-hike a lot. You have to decide if that's how you really want to live. Do you understand?"
"I do," she nodded.
"Then think it over. You can spend the night here, if you'd like, or you can crash wherever Kyler's crashing tonight, just in case."
"Especially since I haven't told her exactly when I'm leaving," he winked.
"Right," Torie glanced at him. "So what time are you leaving?"
"Six a.m. I'll be driving at first, heading for the west coast. The P.O. Box is already set up there and I'll have my mail forwarded to wherever I land."
"Sounds good. Now . . . who's hungry?"
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1 - Kenders are from the Dragonlance series. The most famous of all kender is Tasselhoff Burrfoot.