Costars

Belle wasn't about to call her girlfriend a liar, but the look she gave her made it seem like she was a hard sell to the story of Tatiana Fisher playing secret agent in the storage closet. She leaned into the closet slightly more, peering above sceptically.

It was plausible, she supposed. It wasn't like the redhead wasn't skilled enough and if Kaylee did open the closet up there was no place else to hide really. The small detail about the sneeze added a bit more weight to it, as it would be so unnecessary if it hadn't been true. Was it wrong for her to want to see her do it again? Certainly rude to question it though, Tatiana was going through enough right now. Best to be supportive.

“Wish I could have seen that.” Though she could still voice her curiosity more casually. She put a pin in that for another time however, marking a change in topic by stealing another small peck on the redhead’s lips before it could go any further.

At the mention of the plan, she slipped out her phone, swiping the screen. After a moment, she held the phone to her ear as Tatiana suddenly received a phone call from Belle. She played it cool, just waiting patiently for the other girl to pick up while the faint glow from her screen illuminated the side of her face and the cramped space. Once she did pick up, Belle would continue.

“This is Queen, do you copy Slinky? Over. Kkkkct.” She cracked a small smile. “We are going to keep a call going live, so I can stay in touch with you while we are apart. I’m going to go find Kaylee, and try to curve her away from looking out at the garden area, keep her busy, while you make a break for the guest house. It's a long way, so I will try to give you some cues when it's good to go or stay hidden. How does that sound? ...Over. Kkkkct.” the garden was a rather expansive length of land, not easily traversed with the man made stream that ran through the middle. The little bridge across it was a centerpiece of it all, and a definite risk for the acrobat to cross. No cover really. She wasn't about to have her try to cross the water in the cold or jump it with her bag.

Tatiana was sorely tempted to prove she could do what she claimed, wanting to get that little hint of skepticism out of her girlfriend’s voice, even if this really wasn’t the best time for it. Come to think of it, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to put on her Youtube channel...and, come to think of it again, it wasn’t the worst time to actually make a Youtube channel. It could be a neat little way to share things between the two of them, private videos just for the two of them, commemorative stuff, maybe more personal, lewder things once they crossed that particular Rubicon in their relationship…

She was broken from her pondering when she saw Belle break out her phone.and swipe it. It confused her for a moment, but only a moment, before Casey Lee William’s Bmblb played in her pocket and everything clicked.

After taking a moment to get the snickers out of her system, she brought the phone to her ear and answered, taking a step back to avoid any feedback, then listened to her plan. Tatiana nodded along with it, saw the sense - there was little chance of her making it all the way to the guest house without her help, after all, but once she got there, she’d be safe enough

”So corny.” She gave reached over to the give Belle a playful push on the shoulder. ”This is Slinky, and I copy, Bearhug Queen.” Just saying that made her giggle for a second, liking the way it sounded. ”That sounds good. I’ll do my best to keep quiet, not make any noise. Just help me navigate, and I think we can pull it off.”

It wouldn’t be the easiest thing, but she liked their chances. If there was anyone who could keep Kaylee at bay and keep their positions apart, it was Belle.

After a moment, she snapped her fingers and brought the phone back to her face. ”Over. Kkkkct.” Couldn’t quite make the noise with her throat. Sounded like she was coughing up a hairball.

Belle tilted her head slightly, giving Tatiana a rather firm look, waiting for her to do something. Once she had finally ended with the proper “over” all was well. She cracked the faintest smile, though she was clearly trying to hide it. Even with how bad this was, they were somehow manage to make it seem fine.

She tucked her phone into her shorts pocket, giving it a light pat. “Hopefully you’ll be able to hear me alright like this.” She had considered holding her phone, but there was a risk Kaylee would try to take it again. The other option she had considered was tucking it in her bra, but figured the shoe would show through a bit too much and be a dead giveaway. Her pocket wasn't ideal but provided her the right amount of secrecy.

She leaned back, pushing open the storage room door. She held it open for Tatiana, leaning out to look around. She glanced back to the redhead as if suddenly catching something she said. “You really are hung up on the bear hug thing huh?” She couldn't help but smirk. She could think of a few ways she would like to use that hold with the girl… another day, when she was more comfortable perhaps. Until then she could dream a bit… that and poke fun at her for it.

She would wait for her girlfriend to slip out of the closet before giving her backside a playful swat. “I will bring you to the door downstairs, after that you are on your own to make the trip while I keep her busy. If you have anything else to add, now would be the time.”

She could do this. She could do this. Shecoulddothisshecoulddothisshecoulddothis.

Tatiana repeated that mantra in her head as Belle opened the door for her, taking a quick peek to make sure the coast was completely clear. She was doing her best not to be nervous about it, but when she stopped and thought about all that was at stake, that became nearly impossible.

Belle’s joking made it a little better. As did the talk of bearhugs. ”It’s your fault. You’ve gotten me addicted.” She flicked her tongue out, only to sharply turned her head about when she thought she heard footstep. No, just the house settling. False alarms.

The slap to her butt was enough to jolt her back, and she took a moment to tap her chin and think. “Anything to add, anything to add…oh.”[/color] She snapped her fingers, then turned about and put her hands on Belle’s shoulders. ”If the worse happens, I want you to know, so there’s no question: this relationship won’t stop. I’m yours, you’re mine, and they can’t change that, no matter what. We’re a thing. Officially.”

She winked, skipped back, took a deep breath, and…

”Wish me luck.” And now she was off, heading into the house with a phone in handing, awaiting the instructions.

Belle arched a brow at the accusation. "Did I now?" Oh how she was tempted.... Stop. Focus. This was serious. She shot Tatiana a squinted look back, for the distractions. her mind was never this muddied with the perverse before the redhead. This girl brought something out of her something fierce. Not that it was a bad thing in most cases, but not now. Please not now. She sent her off for now with a clap on the rear, giving them both a pleasant parting gift before the mission start.

When a hand was placed on her shoulder she eyed Tatiana, expecting something less serious from her, instead what she got as assurances. It was a sweet gesture. If this were a movie, it was akin to one of those inspirational speeches in the movies, just short and to the point. She pressed her own hand on top of the redhead's, stroking the back of her hand with a thumb. It could be that easy, to just be together in spite of everything. She had doubts though. She couldn't help but feel Kaylee and Valerie would find a way to tear them down and destroy what they were making. They were both more or less tied to their respective blonds be it by blood or contractual obligation.

She did her part, flashing a small reassuring smile. She wanted to believe. Tatiana had a way of curving her cynicism. "You'll be fine. You're basically a ninja." Belle lightly took the redhead's cheeks in her palms, leaning in to press a soft kiss on those lovely lips. "You don't need luck. When you do get there, go ahead and drop the call. I'll try to head out there to join you, okay?" The brunette traced her hands down along Tatiana's shoulders, giving her a small squeeze. "Head down the stairs from the side door, there is a laundry room next to that. Head down past that, another bathroom, and take that hall out to the patio. You can get out into the garden from there. Just be quiet, the patio is close to the kitchen."

She backed away with a small nod parting ways with her girlfriend. She moved towards the other door out of the gym, heading her way back down to the kitchen. While out of range of earshot, she spoke out loud to clue Tatiana in via their phones. "Heading downstairs to the kitchen now."

It was a simple thing, the little kiss that Belle gave Tatiana, moreso when you considered the more intimate things they’d done on this day alone, but the redhead appreciated it more than her girlfriend could’ve known. It was a show of faith, a sign that, despite her goofiness, the brunette had faith in her to get this done, putting their futures on her shoulder.

One shot. One mission. She could do this.

She did as Belle instructed, making her way out through the side door, and she started down the stairs, when a noise startled her - the squeak of her own shoes. She’d put them back on as she was waiting in the closet, but now they were a liability, and she quickly tugged them back off and snuggled them in her bag. Barefoot was the way to go.

”Heading down, down, down.” She padded her way down the stairs, skipping every other step to reach the bottom faster. Once at the bottom, she dropped to a crouch and listened for any movement, any whispers, any steps, any sounds whatsoever.

Once the coast was apparently clear, she opened the door just enough to poke her head in, with the rest of her body to follow soon after if she was clear.

Kaylee had been rather judgemental of Belle's choice of food, not exactly sure where it was from since the bag was unmarked. It wasn't odd that the woman had made use of a third party delivery service to order out takeout from a place that didn't normally deliver. It certainly smelled good, but she wasn't in the habit of eating terribly greasy food, even on her cheat days. It was some sort of large gourmet burger piled high with various things she wasn't sure of. A beef patty, some sort of cheese, fried onions, bacon... Not even the bit of lettuce shredded onto it was going to save this. Was the woman looking to have a heart attack or something? The fries had been more up her alley. A large collection of clearly hand cut and seasoned fries that didn't even need to be dipped in the "fry sauce" provided. She wasn't sure what the "fry sauce" even was, but it smelled weird when she popped the small container.

She had settled in at the island, seated at one of the stools set along the non-prep side. She had unloaded abut half of Belle's fries onto a late as well as a chunk of her burger, though she had picked off the fried onions, bacon, and top of the bun opting to eat it with force and knife rather than dirty her hands on anything beside the fries. She had slipped her arm from her sling, proving that despite still wearing it, she had full motion of her injured arm when she wanted to. She had tried to find the music she had heard in the gym, asking the echo unit for various random playlist names. She eventually gave up on sussing it out and turned on her personal choice of music on low.

From where she sat, she had a rather impressive view of the garden from the windows lining the back wall of the kitchen, though she wasn't paying too much attention to the exterior of the house, she had no reason to. She casually looked down at her phone as she ate, navigating the screen with her pinkie to keep the screen from getting dirty. She had it plugged into the island so she could make use of it. She hadn't even heard Belle when the Brunette entered the room despite the fact she had been talking to herself out loud. It wasn't until her "BFF" walked up to stand opposite to her, blocking part of her view out the windows that she finally noticed her.

"...Arm feeling better?" Belle placed her hands on the counter, drumming her fingers along the marbled surface. She leaned over to peer into her bag, spying what remained of her meal, making a face at the discarded bits from her burger casually thrown on top of her fries. Rather than get herself as plate, she turned the bag on its side and tore it open from the side, splaying out out like a mat on the island. She kept her eyes mostly on Kaylee, making sure she had the other girl's attention. "You look ready to go."

...wow, this was a nice laundry room. Nice. Spacious. Bigger than her bedroom, and maybe about half the size of her apartment, if she had to guess. Kind of an abstract thing to be passing through Tatiana’s mind at the moment, but screw it, she couldn't really help but take note as she slid her way in. It was getting increasingly hard to believe that this place was fit for only two people, and more like it was meant for a family. Not even a family of four - a family.

After a quick check, she made her way past it, staying low, because why not? With Belle on speaker, she could hear her fairly clearly, and it sounded like they were about to eat from the sound of things. As she went, she ran the instruction through her head - remembering directions was never her strong suit. Sort of a lost art in an age where phones could direct you everywhere.

“Bathroom, down the hall, and...hello, patio.” She whistled at the sight of it, figuring that meant she was about halfway to the intended destination. That didn’t mean things would be easier, though, remembering Belle’s words about the patio being so close to the kitchen. She waited for a signal, and when she heard her girlfriend’s final, emphasized word, she took it as her moment.

Out she went into the cold night air, tiptoeing her way across the patio, step by step by step by…

"It has been. The medication and physical therapy have been helping immensely. Still..." She plucked a french fry from her pile, waving it at Belle before biting it in half. "You can never be too careful. The doctor says I shouldn't strain myself." She popped the rest of the crisp potato stick in her mouth. She innocently sucked the seasoning from her fingertips as Belle shot her a look, one she was very familiar with. It was one of those judgemental sorts, but it tended to also mark a point of contention the brunette wasn't willing to fight her on. Belle didn't challenge her very often, knowing full well she could easily talk circles around her in a debate.

"What is with the gym?" It was Kaylee's turn for inquiry, propping a elbow on the counter as she casually ate french fries one at a time.

"What do you mean?" belle had remained on her side of the island, standing rather than coming to join Kaylee. While not ideal, it allowed her to provide cover to Tatiana.

"You moved equipment and put down the training mats." She didn't even mention the trash, letting it slide for now. She leaned off to the side, continuing to pop fries into her mouth. For some reason Belle also decided to lean with her, mirroring her position. She quirked a brow, was the brunette trying to get cute with her or something?

"I was practicing." She remarked, trying to sound nonchalant. She crossed her arms on the counter, making the shift to obscure Kaylee's view as much as possible. It was slightly nerve wracking not knowing where Tatiana was at the moment, they both of them were flying mostly blind.

"Did you really need to put down that many of them? Why did you need that much room?"

"I was trying some new move or two. Better safe than sorry." She really had no excuse for having that many out other than the truth. She supposed she could claim she was trying some acrobatic stuff. While that would account for the extra room needed, she really didn't want to have to learn some actual flippy moves to cover for herself.

"And the music?" Kaylee knew Belle better than the brunette liked to give her credit for. That sort of music was very much not her style. She was into electronic stuff, or "retro" synthesizer stuff. For Christ sake the woman was wearing something out of the 80s or 90s right now. It wasn't exactly a secret. She never really understood the girls obsession with a time she never really experienced for herself.

"Is this twenty questions or something?" Belle deflected the question. If she lied about the music being on a random station or something for their satellite radio, she ran the risk of Kaylee finding the specially made playlist. She'd have to export that off their public access machine later.

"Maybe. You've just been acting off recently, so I was curious." Kaylee slowly sat up, squinting as Belle stood up straighter to meet her. She took her knife in hand, tapping the marble counter lightly against the counter top.

"...What do you mean by "off"?" She tensed up slightly, her tone a bit more defensive than she meant it to be.

It was oh-so very tempting to just dash across the patio and hope for the best, but Tatiana knew better than to try that. First and foremost, she and Lady Luck seemed to be having a weird relationship today, and the last thing she wanted to do was push that any further than need be. No, this called for a steady, slow approach, creeping along the floor, taking care with every step.

She came to a stop when she noticed a window, not sure how to proceed from there. She could lean in just enough to see that Belle was there with her back to it, and she could provide a decent cover, but there would still be a good instant where she was exposed? How would she know when it was safe?

...also, wow, Kaylee was kind of a snotty brat. She’d gathered as much secondhand, hearing Belle talk about her now and then, what she said and what she didn’t say, not to mention their encounter in the ring, but wow. All these questions that weren’t even remotely her business. Maybe Belle just felt like listening to something different, why didn’t that occur to her? When the day came that they were finally ready to step out into the spotlight, Tatiana was going to have a laundry list of things she needed to discuss with the blonde…

”-move-”

The emphasis alerted Tatiana and she took it as her cue, darting along quick and using Belle’s blindspot to her advantage. She managed to make it to the other side fast enough, and since she didn’t hear Kaylee screaming bloody murder, she assumed she was successful, and she was in the clear now-

PIGEON.

Tatiana squawked in sheer surprise as a pigeon - stupid rats with wings - came flapping by her face, springing from where it had been rest around the corner, no doubt startled by her approach. In a panic, she did the only thing she could think to do and dove under the patio, crawling into the tight space and hoping that Kaylee didn’t have the thought to take a look underneath.