Try a lockpicking spell

“I really hope Blake knew what he was talking about,” thought Xabar, as he flexed his fingers and reaches for a lockpicking spell. “If I’m going to be executed for unlawful use of magic, I want it to count for something more than getting out of an ugly old lady’s office.”

Focusing his attention on the door’s locking mechanism, Xabar murmurs the command, and he hears the satisfying click of the lock’s response.

He steps out of the office and tries to get his bearings. Fortunately, this is not his first experience of sneaking around a dark house, trying to find a girl’s room without waking up the house’s owner. Of course, not all of those experiences are beneficial to dwell upon at the moment, otherwise he would have to remember why he has a bit of a phobia about large, savage dogs and angry fathers who are intent on performing castration with their bare hands.

Xabar makes his way carefully and finds himself at the stairwell. If he goes down, he can access the laundry chute from the laundry room. If he goes up, he can get to his destination sooner.