Originally written June 1st, 2013

Elixa trod up the stairs from the front door and into their living room, undoing her cloak and hanging it on the hooks with a contented sigh of being home, even if it was still missing a few nice little touches. She had just enough time to get changed and head out to meet people at the pub down the road for dinner as she'd mentioned to her housemate the night before. He'd not be home until later, so they'd miss each other for dinner that night.

Upstairs she could hear water running, it sounded like Arcturus was in the shower, so perhaps they'd cross paths before she went out. A smile spread across her features as she slid off her shoes for ease and ascended the second flight of stairs where the sound of running water was louder. There wasn't a flood, so it was most definitely their shower, and the bathroom door was closed, darkening the hallway. At least the cat hadn't managed to grow opposable thumbs and turn taps on.

The door to Hollingbury's room was open ajar, which further suggested he'd got back first and was taking a shower. Elixa cocked her head to the bathroom door to listen a moment, and then retreated back into her own bedroom doorway to wait, peering round the door with one eye. She'd just casually appear out of the door when she heard the bolt on the bathroom door open and catch a glimpse of him wandering across the hallway in a towel, that'd be a nice welcome home indeed. Well, for one of them at least.

When the bolt finally did slide and the door began to inch open, light spilling across the floor, Elixa slid into the hallway with a smirk. She drew breath and uttered slyly,
"Have a nice- what the hell?"

The apothecary came face to face with her old school friend who, rather than the healer. Johann dressed in just a towel, a few water droplets streaked down his pale torso, and his black hair - which had thankfully seen a pair of scissors in the last week - was flattened to his head. He looked equally surprised to see her and took a stumble backwards into the bathroom, catching himself and stepping back out with a patter of his big bare feet.

"How did you get in?" Elixa demanded, surprise turning to alarm. It was alright to have guests when you were in, but not when you were out. The thought of even this trusted wizard wandering their flat was disturbing.

"You two gave me a spare key last week remember?" The German explained with a shrug of his skinny bare shoulders which Elixa was trying not to let her eyes land on. She'd seen Johann without a shirt on before, but it had been a long time ago when they were teenagers and she had been staying with his family. She hadn't gone out of her way to see it, and now he was almost twenty years older, and she felt like she was a teenager again, clapping hands to her eyes to save his modesty.

"Not for letting yourself in to use the bathroom!" Elixa retorted, gesticulating with her hands to the room in question. It was bad enough to share the place with one bloke, thank Merlin Arcturus was tidy.

"I doubt you'd have wanted me to stink out the place otherwise." Her friend replied with a a frown, not qualifying why he considered himself smelly all of a sudden, or that he had a spare set of clothes in Hollingbury's room behind the door that was closed just enough to prevent a clear view of his coat cast on the bed where he'd left it, hoping to surprise the other man.
"Sorry-."

"You've used my towel!" Elixa exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the deep magenta bathsheet wrapped around his middle. Aargh, he was her friend, but she didn't necessarily want all his bloke bits dried with her towel. She'd have to wash it, twice. Hollingbury could get away with it, but Johann was just a friend, and always would be. It would be weird.

"Sorry." Johann apologised again, and without a care his hand went to the towel, "Here-."

"MERLIN!" Elixa exclaimed as she realised he was about to offer her the wet towel and stand there naked in front of her in the hallway. When she had laid in wait to catch a glimpse of Hollingbury this was certainly not an outcome she wanted or anticipated happening ever.

There was a creak on the top step and they both turned in surprise to see Arcturus had arrived home and come up to see what the fuss was about.
"He let himself-"
"I was just using the-"

Colour flushed to Elixa's face - Johann was stood there in her towel, which had now drooped off his backside as he was midway to offering her it back, and it would look exactly like something else was going on entirely.
"Ugh keep the towel." Elixa snapped, backing away, colliding with the wall beside her bedroom door and then retreating into it with a bang of the door behind her. Her face was beetroot.

In the hallway Johann shrugged, his own cheeks a little blushed from the surprise of the exchange. Seeing Arcturus, he gave his usual grin and retied the towel round his waist with a shrug, not worried about what Arc did or didn't see in the process.
"Not sure I want it now." He replied quietly, and grinned as he heard Elixa's exasperated response from behind her bedroom door.