Peek-a-boo! (Mia & Brendan)

[Deleted]

Shopping happened to be one of the activities Kiara found herself enjoying. To a limited extent, however, for she could not stand doing so for hours in a row. It pretty much depended on what she was looking for as well, and today that happened to be furniture for Mia’s uncle and a couple of little things to make her own dorm cozier. Despite the fact that Mia still attended Hammel, a friendship had been initiated after they met in the music store of the younger girl’s uncle. They bonded over that specific topic, so it all worked out in the end.

Their trip of the day ended in the Ikea, given there was a very extensive array of furniture to choose from, and because Kiara loved to roam through the many different interiors which usually gave her ideas for her own room. Perhaps this was the reason why ‘play hide-and-seek’ was on her bucket list as well.

”Okay, so what is the most important piece of furniture that your uncle needs right now?” Might be best to look for that one first, just in case they lost track of time. She didn’t want to return home with empty hands either.

[Mia Bell]

Mia had met Kiara at her Uncle’s music store. The place where she had spent most of her time, she also worked there, she wasn’t getting paid she just did it to help out her uncle. She was there a lot anyway, so why not do something with herself while she was there? She didn’t mind it, she went over to his store after her hours working at the doughnut shop. It was great having both places literally right next to each other in the mall.

Mia got along well with most people, and became friends instantly with people she liked. So, it wasn’t surprising that the high school student and the college student became friends after bonding together over music. Though how they ended up going to the Ikea store to look at furniture was beyond her comprehension, Mia talked a lot which made one topic lead to another which possibly lead to yet another which is probably how they got to Ikea.

“A new couch.. He needs a new one..” She mumbled, “It’s so uncomfortable and doesn’t look good…” She just really didn’t like his couch.

[Deleted]

A new couch. Something did tell Kiara, however, that her taste and Mia’s and her uncle would differ. But hey, as long as it was comfortable and looked good, no one should complain. The blonde wouldn’t mind testing them out either and perhaps even mentally form an image on how she would decorate her own living room once she would have a house of her own. Ever since Aiden, she had learnt to look ahead. Looking back at the past hurt too much.

”And we just get to pick one? No limits when it comes to the prize? Style? Print?” Eyes scanned their current surroundings, very much aware they had yet to leave the kitchen area and emerge further to where living room furniture was being displayed. What also was brought the her attention was that a feeling of discomfort crept over. The feeling as if they were being watched. Or followed. Or something equally weird.

With a small frown, the blonde took a glance over her shoulder, but no one was within sight. She just shrugged it off though and focused on the pink-haired girl again. ”You can help me pick a mat for my dorm as well. And some cute items.”

[Mia Bell]

Mia didn’t really care about her Uncle’s taste at this point, though it didn’t seem like Liam had much taste in anything. Her Uncle told her to find something she liked, and that’s what she was going to do. Mia of course wouldn’t get anything girly, she would get something she knew he would like. Like Kiara, Mia had the same idea, to look for stuff she would want to get when she had a house of her own; that is if she ever had a house of her own.

“Yep, He said pick out one that I like, Of course you know I don’t want to pick anything too girly either.. He didn’t give me any limits though I imagine some limits don’t need to be said.” She wasn’t the type to like anything with flowers on it or anything that looked posh; it just wasn’t her style and she knew it wasn’t her Uncle’s either. Mia rubbed the back of her neck; she too felt like they were being watched, she was starting to get a little uncomfortable.

Mia followed the blondes gaze “You feel like we’re being watched too?” Mia refocused her attention like Ki had done “Alright! I can help with that!”

[Brendan James]

Sometimes people forget that being a set designer, you’re also in charge of furniture for the play. Most people thought it had to do with lighting and backdrop. But, actually, there were so many other aspects to it than that. And while not a lot of plays called for more modern or current furniture, some did. Which was why he was at Ikea that day. Because he’d be damned if he didn’t pick out every single piece he used on his stage by hand. Well, Eugene’s stage. And Ikea was more of a place to get an idea of what he wanted.

As he walked around, inspecting different pieces of furniture, Brendan thought he heard a familiar voice. Heading snapping up, he spotted the voice a few feet away. Immediately, he smiled, and snuck up behind her. It was no matter to him that she was with another girl at Ikea. Why should that stop him?

He began walking beside Kiara and slung his arm around her shoulders. “Miss Lilien, am I going to have to write you up for stalking your favorite art teacher?” Bren said with a chuckle, smiling at his ex-student.

[Deleted]

Mia had received a small nod, but clearly Kiara didn’t pay further attention to it since her paranoia might have just rubbed off on her friend. Besides, they were here to have fun and to pick out furniture. She would probably end up suggesting to find the ugliest couch or something. But before that suggestion could even be made, an arm suddenly slung around her shoulders and the blonde practically jumped in surprise. Her immediate reaction was to turn around and away from the arm… only to end up facing the familiar face of Brendan.

It was only then that her initial shock made place for a smile and she couldn’t help to tug him into a brief embrace. Only a split second though, before she realized how inappropriate that might be. But hey, she had really liked him as a teacher and she had often talked to him after class. So instead of being sappy, she shoved him in the chest while smirking and recalled the question. ”Don’t ever do that again!”

Shaking her head, eyes momentarily settled on Mia and then back to the man. ”Mr. James, Mia. Mia, the guy who was obviously stalking his favorite student.” It sort of felt weird to come across him out of school, but it was nice to see him again. ”

[Mia Bell]

Mia was already paranoid to begin with, though this just wasn’t just thing she was usually paranoid about. But it didn’t matter anyways, Ki was right, they were here to have fun. Though finding the ugliest couch wouldn’t do because her Uncle already had the ugliest one. Which was something she complained about often to the man; sometimes she wondered why Liam put up with her sometimes.

The pink haired girl just stood back and watched them as she blinked in confusion. She guessed this was a friends of Ki’s, or well apparently her art teacher. Now she kind of felt a bit uncomfortable, she was never a fan of groups; yeah two was a party and three was a crowd that’s how she saw it but she would never be rude to anyone. One Kiara introduced them she gave a small wave in his direction. “Hello” one of the most talkative girls became one of the most shy ones pretty fast.

[Brendan James]

Brendan could help but laugh loudly at Kiara’s reaction. As for the appropriateness of her hug, he didn’t think it was inappropriate at all. Not even slightly. And he hugged her back, giving her a little light squeeze before they broke apart. “No promises. Frankly, it was hilarious. And want to do that a million more times. Maybe next time I’ll get you to squeal or something.” He said with soft laugh.

“Please, Kiara, call me Brendan. I’m not your teacher anymore. And you’re gonna make me feel old.” Still smiling, he nudged her playfully with his elbow. “That goes for you too Mia. Just call me Brendan. Or Bren.” He extended his hand to her, smile never leaving his face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Love the hair by the way. I considered going pink for a while. But my best friend wouldn’t allow it. Besides, it would’ve been awful with my skin tone. It suits you really well though.” He was kidding of course. Well, kind of. He’d never actually dye his hair pink. His hair was wonderful and perfect the way it was.

“So what are you lovely ladies doing here today? Which of you is buying here?”

[Deleted]

Calling him Brendan felt quite weird, but Kiara nodded and opted to give it a try. She was grateful for his interaction with Mia as well, especially since she could tell the pink-haired girl was not overly comfortable with the sudden appearance of a third person. Luckily Bren knew how to lighten the mood again and he didn't come across as a sore person who indeed lived to make others feel awkward about themselves. It got her to give her friend a soft, reassuring smile to indicate she could just be herself without any shame.

At the question, shoulders lifted in a shrug. What were they doing there? Clearly not shopping this this was not a store. Except it was, so it was a stupid question. And since a certain activity in the Ikea was on Kiara's bucket list, she opted to be sarcastic and to throw that in the answer. "Who says we're buying? Do you not know how fun it might be to play hide-and-seek here?" Maybe the blonde should have applied a more sarcastic tone though, since she should be cautious and smart enough to realize Bren might take her up on it.

Soon she shook her head, at the time a chuckle escaped. "No, we're buying a nice couch for her uncle and some random stuff to decorate my new dorm room."

[Mia Bell]

Mia smiled at Brendan and shook his hand. She blushed a little at the compliment of her hair. “Thank you. I think you would look good with pink highlights if anything.” She giggled a little, she was kidding of course; but she had an act for getting people to dye their hair a certain way. She wasn’t really sure if he was kidding or not though so who knew maybe he would get pink highlights. Mia thought her hair had been perfect before she dyed it, but the reason why she dyed it the first time was something she didn’t want to get into.


Mia chuckled at Kiara’s explanation on what they were doing at Ikea. She had to ponder for a moment “I’ve never played hide and seek before..” She mumbled out loud, now she was beginning to wonder why. Then again in her kids years she spent a lot of time reading or doing other activities, like dance lessons or piano lessons. She was a very busy kid apparently. Not to mention it was too cold in her hometown to stay still for too long. “Yeah, my Uncle needs a new couch… And looking at furniture is just fun.” Well for her it was, that was probably because she was a dreamer, and dreamed of owning the most expensive pieces of furniture in the store.

[Brendan James]

“Pink highlights! I never thought of that! Oh my god, that’d be amazing! Mia, you have convinced me. Seriously. I’ll have pink highlights in my hair in a few months. It’ll be awesome. My boyfriend will be really friggin’ jealous too.” He said with a laugh, not thinking that it might cause any uncomfortable-ness to make brief mention of his boyfriend. But considering the bit of upset it caused at the school, it was possible.

Suddenly, Brendan’s eyes grew wide when he looked back to Kiara. He was sure he looked creepy. Wide eyes and an otherwise expressionless face. “Hide-an-seek. You’re playing hide-an-seek. Holy crap, I want in.” Of course, his gaze shot back to Mia then. “I’m sorry. You’ve never played hide-an-seek?” He shook his head in disbelief. “What did you do with your childhood?” But he put up a hand, trying to get her not to answer. “Never mind. We’re playing now. Furniture and dorm shopping will have to wait.”

“Alright. I’ll be the first to count. It’s a big store, so I’ll count to twenty. Mia, you know the basic rules, right? You two hide, I’ll look. First one I find is the next to try and find people. And when you count, you cannot peek. Breaking that rule is punishable by death. So take it seriously.” Hand over his eyes, he smiled. “Move fast ladies. Countdown starts…. One. Two. Three…”

[Deleted]

Wait? Mia had never played hide-and-seek before? She had no idea what she was missing out on! Kiara understood Brendan’s reaction to that confession, but she had not expected him to actually bring up the next suggestion. Okay, well, maybe she should have seen him as capable of this, but still. He was older than them. Nevertheless, a grin spread the blonde’s lips and she playfully nudged Mia. Hopefully she was up for this.

When Brendan began to count, the girl did grab the pink-haired one’s hand and made sure to have her tag along the first couple of seconds, just to get her going. ”Oh god, I don’t know where to hide!” Ki fussed while scanning the furniture around her. She didn’t want someone to see her crawl into something either. That might get security to find them instead of Brendan.

A closet might be too obvious for her to hide in though, so she rushed to one of the kids beds to crawl into the secret playing area underneath. That didn’t make her look too creepy.

[Mia Bell]

Mia grinned, she didn’t think she would have actually convinced him to get highlights. She scratched the back of her head “Can’t wait to see it!” If he actually did get highlights. As for the boyfriend thing, she didn’t really care. She had only moved to Hammel in July so she had missed all the commotion of whatever it was between him and the school. So she had no idea about it.

Mia shook her head slightly at Brendan’s answer. “No.” She looked at Brendan and that at Kiara. She really had missed out on a couple things as a kid didn’t she? She really was too busy to be a normal child; with her parents shoving new crap in her face for her to learn and doing what she loved, which was her piano and violin lessons. Also her dance and gymnastics had came into play when she was about ten. Not to mention when she was in elementary school everyone despised her because she was too smart for them to handle. She was a very busy child. Mia opened her mouth to say something to his next question but he went on from there. She was quite glad she didn’t have to answer; because that was a list that was way to long for her to and it would be seen as her boasting and she didn’t want that.

Wait, they were actually going to play? Like now? In a store? Shouldn’t this game be played in like a park or something? Mia looked around, there weren’t many places to hide… At least not ones that weren’t obvious. Mia nodded at Brendan’s question “yeah I know the rules.” She just never got to play, she felt a little weird doing it now. “Wait death? I don’t remember that being a rule!!”

Mia let out a small squeak as Ki grabbed her hand and tugged her away from Brendan. She looked around, what would be a good hiding place? She watched as Kiara found her hiding place. She mentally cursed at the stress from this game; and this was a little kid’s game? She went towards the kitchens sets; where they actually had cubical sized kitchen set ups. She looked around and saw no one near her or watching her; then again if anyone was she would be thoroughly creeped out. Mia crawled under the example kitchen sink; fitting only slightly in the cabinet area underneath. She certainly wasn’t a kid anymore.

{ooc: Let me know if I need to change Mia’s hiding place… I’ve never actually been in an ikea..}

[Brendan James]

"Death isn't a rule. Well... It's a rule to life because everybody has to die, but not this game. Death is a consequence to breaking the rules." he explained quickly.

"Teeen!" he hollered, figuring the girls were both on their way to hiding. As he counted, Brendan took small steps in any which direction, bumping into furniture and mumbling an 'excuse me' each time, just in case it were actually a person.

"Nineteen! TWENTY! Ready or not, here I come!" And the hunt began. Bren dropped to his hands and knees and began crawling around. He doubted either of them would hide somewhere that they could watch him. But hey, there were a few bunks beds. And he'd check there, but first to clear the most obvious of places, the closets.

When those were cleared, he grumbled "Drat" to himself, then out-loud to the girls. "I'LL FIND YOU MY PRETTY! AND YOU'RE LITTLE PINK HAIRED FRIEND TOO!"

[Deleted]

Um, yeah, okay. At this point, able to hear Brendan shout out to them wherever he was in the store, Kiara wasn't even sure if she wanted to appear from the hidden spot anymore. God knows how many people might have phoned a mental institution by now.
If they connected the dots and found out they knew each other, Ki and Mia might end up being labeled as crazy as well.

Groaning at herself, Kiara rubbed at her face. For some reason, based on his statement about finding her as 'his pretty', she could imagine him moving about through the store like Smeagle from The Lord Of The Rings. He was very capable of that.

Ki took her phone out, texting Mia. "How long do you think it will take before people drag him off to a looney house?"