Costars

Kaylee made her way up the stairs in no real hurry, flicking through Belle's phone to pull up her most recent video that ah been uploaded today. It had gone up roughly five hours ago and was already pushing a high volume of traffic. She let it play, adding one more view to the counter making sure to take the thumbs up like button. As the blond roamed the halls on her way to the gym, her own voice playing back to her through the device provided a rather goo marker for her location, warning of her approach. It didn't take her long to step into the gym, pausing in the doorway.

She furrowed her brow. Despite not using the room much, it was technically still a shared space. Why had Belle reorganized the room? She slowly made her way through the machines shoved against one another to eye the mats. She gave them a light kick, recalling the one or two times she had used them. Her eyes drifted upwards, squinting at the ceiling mounted speakers. Since when did Belle listen to... was this jazz? "Alexa, music off." The music promptly stopped leaving the room deadly silent save for the soft hum of the central AC.

"I hope she intends to clean this place up." She walked along the edge of the mats, nudging Belle's discarded shoes and socks aside as she made her way across the room. She came to a stop again, eyeing the two bottles of water laying out. With a roll of her eyes she walked over across the cushions mats, switching the phone to the hand hanging from the sling.. She crouched down, scooping up one bottle that was empty along with a nearby wrapper for one of Belle's protein bars spotting a second one near by. "Like a pigsty..." Snatched the wrapper as well, looking back to the door to yell despite Belle likely not being able to hear her. "This isn't your room Belle! We clean up after ourselves here!" Or the staff did it, when it was a weekday. She grumbled to herself as she stood up and made her way to the fridge, tossing the wrapper and bottle in a small trash bin.

Tugging open the door she used her leg to nudge it open the rest of the way, scanning the contents. A few bottles on the door, perfect. She pinched the neck of one, slipping it from the inside rail before shoving the door closed with her hip. "What was she even doing in here." Kaylee turned  to eye the mats again as she awkwardly cracked the bottle of water open with phone still in hand.

Now that she was in a good hiding spot, Tatiana took a moment to breathe and take inventory of the situation, keep the panic from setting in. This wasn’t an ideal situation, sure, but she was making the most of it. This closet was the perfect place to be, after all. Kaylee had no good reason to be going in here, what with her arm being injured and all, so she could hang here a while, wait until Kaylee left. After an hour or so, she would probably be going to sleep, and it would be safe to move around.

Hours. In a closet. Alone. In the dark. With her cell phone at about 40% and dropping. Not the most glamorous way to spend her evening, but at least she could play some games to pass the time…

...though she’d have to do it mute, since Kaylee turned off the music. Damn it.

The longer she stayed in this room, hearing Kaylee rooting around out there, mumbling to herself, the more tempted she was to just burst out of this closet and blow the whole thing open. She didn’t mind the secrecy of this whole thing so much, but when it reached the point where it was actively keeping her from Belle and putting them in weird situations. They both deserved better than this.

But it wasn’t her decision to make. Not alone. So, until she and Belle had the time to discuss things, this was the way it had to be. Just her, with the mats and the yoga balls and the dust in the air, and-

Tatiana sneezed. It was a sudden, quick sneeze, the kind that was over and done with before you could realize it happened. Normally it wouldn’t have traveled too far, but in the dead silence of this area? It bounced all over the walls, clear as a warning bell. Tatiana covered her mouth, as if she could somehow recapture the noise before it reached Kaylee’s ears, but she knew it was far too late for that. She’d heard. She’d have to be deaf not to hear.

Like a meerkat standing up on its hind legs Kaylee suddenly snapped to the sound of... a sneeze? She looked down to the phone, setting down her bottle of water to rewind the video feed. On the playback she didn't hear it again. Pausing the playback she slipped the phone into her sling, glancing around quietly, a slender well trimmed brow arching slightly. "Hello?" She stepped away from the fridge, checking the cabinets as she went. Was this an elaborate prank on her? That was her thing. Did Belle somehow loop around and get here first just to try and jump scare her?

"I know you're here..." There wasn't anywhere to hide for someone Belle's size. She paused, glancing back to the mats. The storage room wouldn't be so cramped now. With narrowed eyes she locked her focus on the far door, trudging along the wall.

It had been a long few days of filming, the last thing she wanted to deal with was some lame brain cheapo payback for nailing Belle with that cellophane doorway prank. Really, the girl should just grow up and learn that she couldn't out prank Kaylee, especially with something so lame. "Think you're funny huh?" Her footfalls were heavy, deliberate as she made her way to the door. Fingers wrapped around the doorknob, slowly, quietly. With a gentle twist, it barely made a sound until she flung it open. "Got you!"

Kaylee drew nearer and nearer, making her way the door, close to Tatiana’s hide spot. As good a hiding spot as it was, it had the fatal flaw of offering no exit whatsoever. Once the light came inside, it was over. Face to face time

She whipped the door open, illuminating everything inside, and found herself staring at...nothing?

The room was empty. Well, not completely empty. It had the yoga balls, some chairs, jump ropes and other exercise equipment. But there was no one to be found.

That would’ve been a different story, however, if Kaylee had only looked up. If she had, she would’ve seen a rather remarkable sight, as Tatiana hung above her with her legs split far and wide apart, braced against both sides of the room, keeping her suspended. It was a neat little trick that she’d seen in some sci-fi movie with a name she couldn’t remember at the time, and she’d always wondered if she could pull it off.

As it turned out, the answer was: Yes. Yes, she could do it. Though, wow, it was harder than it looked in the movie. The strain was insane, every second pushed her closer to the brink, and she knew she could only hold on for a few more precious moments before her legs gave out and she collapsed right on top of Kaylee.

She didn’t breath. She didn’t move. She didn’t think, save to focus on the task of the hand. Leave. Leave...

As light flooded into the dim closet Kaylee was greeted with the sight of freshly kicked up particles of dust thrown up into the air from opening the door so quickly. She squinted, waving a hand to ward off bits of floating debris from coming near to her. "Ugh..." Of all the places their cleaning staff hit in their visits, apparently this wasn't among them. She would have to change that next visit.  She didn't pay these people so her house wasn't pristine. Without the wrestling mats, there was quite a bit more space, enough for Kaylee to actually step into the tiny space past the frame. Sher quietly scanned over the few odds and ends tucked away, trying to figure out what could have possibly made that sound.

The blond's head tilted slightly as her eyes slowly drifted up the walls. Suddenly her head drew back, turning her face right up at Tatiana! Though her eyes were closed as her head snapped up in that moment, only to come back down in  a sneeze of her own which further disturbed the dust. "Choo! Uuurg..." She groaned softly at the slightly intense reaction, feeling a small stiff pang in her neck. Gross... this was gross. Before she had a chance to further investigate for ghosts in the storage room, Belle's phone chimed, making her jump. She fished the device out of her sling, eyeing it curiously. "Someone's at the gate?" Her eyes narrowed into sharp slits as she stepped out of the closet and shoved the door closed behind her with little regard.

Kaylee backtracked through the gym, fetching her bottle of water before hastily leaving the room. "Belle! Are you expecting something or someone?!" As she left the area, she hadn't been masking her footsteps at all, more or less stomping around in annoyance. She wanted to relax. If someone was showing up expecting her to entertain them, they were DEAD wrong. On her way down the stares she almost plowed into Belle who was in the process of hurrying up them. "Where were you?"

Belle had hurried along trying to get Kaylee's things inside. Why she had needed this many suitcases and covered wardrobe bags she had no real idea. She considered it might simply be because the blond didn't like people seeing her in the same outfit in person, but this bordered on excess. Even if the bags weren't packed to the brim, she could see Kaylee having an issue with them. When not on the back wheels, the bags themselves were incredibly weighty making her trip down the hall long and sluggish. She had only just finished when she heard someone yell. Instinctively she reached for her phone to check on Tatiana only to remember it was gone by the firm pat down of her pockets. She slipped from the blonds room and rushed to the stairs where she had almost blown her colleague over.

"I...what? I was putting your stuff away. Why were you yelling?" She seemed shell shocked, leaning out to look past Kaylee. No Tatiana, no signs of a struggle on Kaylee. She hadn't found her, thank god... At least he didn't think she did.

"The gate." She held up Belle's phone, giving it a shake. "Who is at the gate?"

"The gate? Oh... OH! Food, I have food coming." Was that it? Really? She ran her palm up over her face before slipping her fingers through her hair. She was sweating, not from this, she didn't think. It was of course from rushing around with the luggage, not that she knew for certain.

"Really, you couldn't just make something?" Kaylee handed the phone back to Belle, slipping around the Brunette with a small snort. "Don't be so lazy." She waved a dismissive hand back over her shoulder to Belle. "I'm going to have some of whatever you got by the way, I'm starving." And like that she vanished around the corner, heading back towards the kitchen presumably.

Belle took her phone back, eyeing Kaylee carefully as she pulled open the chiming notification to okay the gate entry. She hadn't spoke to call Kaylee out on her claims the brunette was lazy, even after moving all her stuff. She didn't want conflict, she wanted her to leave so she could conduct herself. Where had Kaylee gone upstairs? What had she seen? Did she find Tatiana and was keeping it a secret, planning a cunning trap to catch her in a lie? She stared at the top of the stairs for a good long while. The food would be at the door soon, she couldn't loiter around and try to find Tatiana, not with Kaylee waiting on her. Slowly she headed back down the stairs, heading to the front door.

Belle: Where are you?

The thought never crossed her mind that the redhead might assume Kaylee still had her phone. She wasn't prepared for any of this. Her perfect time with the acrobat had been thrown into chaos and she was reeling to pick up the pieces. She wasn't ready for her worlds to collide yet... she wasn't sure if she would ever be. Right now she wasn't about to pull of that band-aid.

Kaylee opened the door, stepped inside, and so began the most tense, nerve-wracking minute of Tatiana’s entire life.

The blond couldn’t just open the door, take a look around and leave like a normal person would. No, as she was learning about Kaylee, she seemed to take pride in being the most irritating person possible, even when she didn’t even seem to consciously realize it. She looked around in disgust, took the time to examine the small square space, while Tatiana stood in suspended animation. It was a nigh-Herculean task, as she forced her body to do things it was simply not designed to do. Holding. Staying still. Not a muscle budged, even as Kaylee turned her head upwards, looked straight at her, and….

Sneezed. She just sneezed. God, this woman.

By the grace of the sweet, merciful heavens, Kaylee left soon enough, and thankfully close the door back before she went stomping out of sight. The second she was sure the cost was clear, Tatiana fell to the floor, where yoga ball was thankfully waiting to break her fall.

That made the descent easy, but her legs were hurting from the effort she’d forced on them, and she had to take a moment to rub her legs and alleviate the cramps. There, in the dark, furiously massaging her thighs to get some semblance of feeling back into them. It was as if she’d had too much fun with Belle before, and this was some strange, cosmic payback for it.

She’d just managed to get enough sense back into her legs to make standing possible, when her phone chimed in. She was quick to fish it out of her pocket - making sure to put the stupid thing on silent, too, before that bit her in the butt - and sure enough, it was a message from Belle. Or at least, what seemed like Belle. It could’ve been Kaylee...but then, why would Kaylee be sending any messages from Belle’s phone? Maybe if she read the messages, like the nosey little busybody she could be, and had figured things out, and was trying to hunt her down. But, if that was the case, she was screwed, anyway.

It was worth the risk. There was no way she was getting out of this place without Belle’s help.

[color=#ff3300]Tatiana: storage closet, gym
[color=#ff3300]Tatiana: got my shoes
Tatiana: nab my bag before she finds it

After a moment, she decided that Belle had probably already gotten enough order from Kaylee today.

Tatiana: Please[/quote]

Belle had just arrived at the front door when she peered down at the returned messages from Tatiana breathing a soft sigh of relief. Why did this have to happen today, this was suppose to be her day with... Her girlfriend. She was going to have to get use to that, it was still a foreign concept to her. Slipping outside he waited for the deliver car to make its way up the winding path.

Belle: Hang tight
Belle: Sorry about this

She leaned herself back against the doorway, lightly thunking her head back against the frame. Her bare foot tapped on the paved ground as she waited in the chilled air. Finally the car pulled up and she stepped away from the house to.meet the driver half way. After simply plesentries she took hold of the two bags brought to her and slipped back inside. Closing the door behind her she crouched down to reorganize the bags.

Belle left one by the door and took the other straight to the kitchen where Kaylee was waiting. She already knew the blond was going to give her shit for her choice of food... And still take half of it anyhow. She set the bag down on the table lightly. "Gotta hit the bathroom. Don't eat it all." She gave Kaylee a bag of her finger as her roommate pulled the bag closer to take a look inside. Turning she quickly ducked out of the room, jogging to retrieve the bag she left behind.

She made a dash upstairs making her way into the gym. she made sure to scoop up Tatiana's bag, almost walking right past it. "Hey." She called out into the room as she made her way over to the storage room. "I'm here, for now." She stopped in front of the storage closet, glancing back to make sure they were alone. Silence... Good. She gave the door a light knock. "Anyone home?"

Tatiana sent the message, then plopped her butt down on the nearest yoga ball, using it as a makeshift chair. For now, all she could do was sit and wait. Trapped in the closet. There was a joke to be made about that, but somehow, she wasn’t quite in the mood.

All she had to do in the minutes that followed was think, and she did quite a bit of that, trying to process what was going on and catch her breath. More and more, she was contemplating what would happen when - when, not if - they revealed themselves. Kaylee and Valerie would freak, natch, but then what? It wasn’t like Valerie could kick her out of the apartment, their parents would never go for that. Kaylee on the other hand…

Belle knew her better than Tatiana, but she seemed like the controlling type, the sort of person who would never accept her as part of their lives, even if they never had to really see each other...

They had to make peace between the two blondes. Somehow. She just had no earthly idea how to make that happen.

She was pondering the possibilities when she heard footfalls nearby. At first she was worried, thinking Kaylee was snooping about again, but these were heavier, familiar steps. Sure enough, she heard Belle’s voice right after, a way of relief flow over her.

She’d stood up and moved close to the door, and she flung it open the second she heard a knock. Two eager hands flew out of the darkness and pulled their lips together, going for a happy, warm hug. It only lasted for a couple of moments, before Tatiana broke away and pulled the door closed behind them. ”Sorry, couldn’t resist.” She sighed and slumped back against the wall. ”So happy to see you, you have nooooo idea.”

Belle had just awkwardly knocked on the door, burdened with the weight of not only Tatiana’s bag but a smaller bag of takeout. She wasn't even remotely prepared for the redhead to throw open the door and capture her in a surprise kiss. Not that she was complaining. Her arms dropped to her side as she leaned into the woman, almost forgetting the circumstances surrounding their being up here in secret. Why couldn't they just have more of this?

When they parted lips it seemed far to soon, leaving her wanting. It wasn't really the time though. “Oh, by all means… don't feel the need to hold back on my account.” She let out a small sigh, flapping her arms lightly with everything she was carrying. “We need to get you to the guest house, we can… I dunno, chill out there until Kaylee goes to sleep.” Belle flashed a small apologetic smile. “I brought you food, if that helps.” She held up a paper bag, giving it a small shake. Whatever was inside, it was clear it wasn't healthy as the grease was already staining the bag.

“I’m sorry about all of this… I wanted this to be special, for just me and you.” No more wrestling or watching movies. The most she could hope for now was being able to chill with her in the guest house, though that was up in the air depending on how need Kaylee would be. “How sneaky are you feeling?”

Was it wrong that Tatiana almost didn’t want to leave this closet? She could see the two of them staying here for so long. Yes, it was a little dusty, not too healthy for the lungs. A little smelly. Not well ventilated. But it was dark and it was quiet and it was probably the last place Kaylee would think to look for Belle, having already checked.

Just the two of them. In the dark. Enjoying each other. Kissing. Touching. Holding.

But no, it was too risky, and Belle’s idea of getting to the guest house was the safer choice. Tatiana eagerly took her gym bag, then stuffed the food in a side pocket of it for convenience’s sake. She was really was quite hungry, and that bag was just another reason she needed to get to relative safety.

”You don’t have to apologize, this isn’t even close to being your fault.” She hiked the gym bag up on her shoulder getting it nice and comfy. ”And I’m in a stealthy mood, yeah.” She perked up. ”Kaylee actually opened the door and peeked in the closet, but I was, like, hanging on the wall above her, so she didn’t see me, but she almost did when she sneezed, and none of that’s really important, so I’ll stop rambling now.”

Tatiana had such few cool moments. She liked to share them when they happened.

She coughed to break the awkwardness, glad the darkness would hide her blush. ”So, what’s the plan?”