Ren and Milla each thumped a final box into the living room of their new shared apartment. They were both estatic and jumping around like little girls. Let's not get things mixed up, they weren't usually like this, but they'd been planning this for what feels like forever, and the feeling of everything coming together, dare they say worlds colliding, was indescribable. There was a sense of freedom, and weightlessness on the two girls after moving away from their childhood homes for the first time. They'd been in their same small town for majority of their lives, and they're ready to start living what they believe to be their dream.

Ren and Milla had always been almost unbearably creative. Ren drew, and painted, and sculpted, pretty much any art thing she could do, she did. Milla was the same way, art, but she also liked to write, to sing, really anything that would allow her mind to express her dying need to create. So when they were both fifteen, and about to be sophomores in high school, they found something that rekindled that passion to create. Streaming.

At the time, there was nothing they could do but to sit and text about what they would do when they had the freedom of being adults, and both being from relatively lower class families, it was a balance of whether to follow their dream, or to find a job and get the education they'd need to help their families. Milla internally had stuggled with these thoughts, as a large subject of conversation with herself and her grandparents was how she would care for them when they grew too old to care for themselves, and Milla still intended to keep her promise to do just that, but with an added detour.

So, new apartment, new freedom, and endless time. What to do?

"We should get settled in then go to the fair on the quad right?" Milla asked Ren.

Did I mention they're both in college?

Ren nodded, "Sure. I want to at least get my bed set up so I can sleep when I get back."

Milla laughed, "I'm game. But I reckon we should probably get Internet set up as soon as possible."

"Yesssss. I believe that is priority number one," Ren said slumping to the ground on top of a sturdy box. Milla laughed, "Well we're getting nothing done with you sitting there missy."

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Milla and Ren got everything set up, the basics of what they'd brought. Which for the record was not enough to even live with. They needed to go by a furniture store. They had decorations, but other than that. . . Ziltch.

"Ooh! What about that lamp?" Milla asked. It was a lamp that had the base shaped as an elephant. "I don't know. We're on a budget. . ." Ren sighed.

Milla huffed, "Damn me and my hubris. I just impulsively want everything cute!" Ren laughed in response and pushed the cart down a different aisle of Ikea. "OH! That desk would probably be good for recording!" Ren exclaimed walking toward the desk.

The two stood side by side inspecting the desk. It was a glass top, with wooden panels as legs, but cubbies on either side, also made from wood panels to make shelves. It seemed decent enough, and cha-ching! It was on sale. The girls glanced at eachother, and after ten years of friendship, it was enough for them to mutually agree that they'd get the desks for their apartment. After carefully setting two into their cart, they moved to the couches where they chose a three cushion plush neutral creme colored couch. After finding an armchair that matched, they moved to the beds. They got a basic bedframe, and some cheap bedside tables, all made from what looked to be mahogany but most definitely was not. They also got a few miscellaneous bedroom essentials, including a couple cheap but livable matresses from a local matress store.

So on and so forth they got things for their bedrooms, all of which going a bit over budget, but not overtly so, and they ventured home and began to assemble the furniture. Starting with the beds.

"Oh. My. God. Why is this so hard!" Milla yelled throwing the directions dawn in front of her, successfully scattering piles of screws. "It wouldn't be so hard if you weren't so blind but demand to read the directions!" Ren yelled back frustrated.

"If I had perfect 20/20 vision I'd still have no clue what was going on!" Milla argued back. This was going no where.

"Just show me the picture!" Ren yelled before she snatched the thick pamphlet. "Oh for the love of-- I needed this!"

Milla just pouted until she calmed down and began to help assembling the frame again. Hours passed before they finished, and it was almost six pm. They started at 2pm. They didn't feel like assembling one more peice of furniture in the remaining hours of saylight, so they decided they'd just share a bed for the night because what else are friends for? They collectively stood and moved away from the mess of tools that littered the floor, and they changed into some newer clothes before going out to eat. They went to chili's, as that was a restaurant that was relatively cheap but had a nice ambiance, and they sat and ate.

⇜ ❦ ⇝

After a week of setting up, and getting ready for classes, they were finally settled in. They both worked jobs around the city the college was in, and they were trying to find a school work balance before adding something new to their plates. Neither were very sure what was going to ensue, as everything was new territory for them, but they knew one thing was for sure.

They were damn well excited.