Cobra had never been to Lucy's apartment. Apparently the others in her guild dropped over all the time, like it was a communal park. He didn't understand at first why she tolerated it. After a while, he'd gained an inkling of the reason. If you knew there might be people inside your house when you got home, it made coming home a little less lonely.
Still, at least some of her friends had a semblance of tact and merely asked for a key instead. Cobra clutched it like a lifeline, hoping it hadn't been given in error.
He made his way up the stairs before stopping at her door number. He raised his hand to knock and stopped short. The flame had braved the cold, so surely it could make it through the wall that was a door, right? Before he could give it unnecessary thought, he gave a few hard knocks as a warning. Then with a swift turn of the key, he was in.
The entryway was short. Even from where he stood, just a few steps inside, he could see into the main room. A vanity crossed his eye, along with a dresser and the head of a pink bed. Lucy had described to him her apartment more than once, and given his magic he already had an idea of the layout without ever stepping inside before. The biggest surprise was the smell, a soft scent of lavender mixed with a light blend of spices. Somehow, it reminded him of her, and he felt a bit of the tension melt away. He knew that she often worked at her desk, which would be positioned at the far end of the main room. The room he would have to cross to reach her.
Cobra took one cautious step forward. He half expected her to call out. Briefly, he wondered if she was there at all, but the faint sound of a pencil scratching against paper quickly discarded that idea. He didn't want to rely on listening to her mind, knowing what a slippery slope that could be. Doing his best to block out thoughts, he took a few more steps in. He chose not to use his voice yet, merely doing his best not to cringe as he rounded the short corner into the main room.
