They had just survived another escape room.

This time only Kai and Jay.

And believe me, it was hard

Jay, sensing that the chaos wasn't over, glanced around nervously. "Where's Mia?"

Kai shrugged. "Probably off planning her next prank."

Jay sighed and pulled out his phone, deciding to relax for a moment. He had just scrolled through a few messages when a loud, gruff voice echoed from behind him.

"Well, well, well, look who's the little raisin now."

Jay froze, the voice was oddly deep and unfamiliar. Slowly, he turned around, his eyes widening in disbelief. There stood Mia, her tiny frame almost unrecognizable. She had found a big, scruffy fake beard from who knows where and plastered it on her face. To top it off, she wore an oversized hat that made her look like some kind of old lumberjack. Her arms were crossed confidently, and she spoke in the most exaggerated, gravelly voice possible.

"Who's scared of a little beard now, brother?"

Jay's eyes bulged, and he let out an exaggerated gasp. "Mia?!"

She stomped forward, putting on her best tough-guy impression. "Nope. Name's Beardy McGruff."

Kai, who had been watching from the side, nearly doubled over with laughter. "Oh my gosh, Mia! Where did you even get that thing?"

Mia, staying in character, stroked the fake beard dramatically. "Found it. Figured I'd try out a new look." She stepped closer to Jay, lowering her voice even more. "Now you're the one who looks like a baby."

Jay, absolutely horrified but also trying not to laugh, backed away slowly. "M-Mia, please. This is terrifying!"

Mia narrowed her eyes playfully. "Terrifying? You haven't seen terrifying yet."

She leaned in closer, her beard brushing against Jay's face as she spoke in the deepest voice she could manage. "You scared, little raisin?"

Jay stumbled backward, his hands waving in front of him. "Okay, okay! You win! Just take the beard off!"

Mia laughed, still in character. "Not until you admit I make the better beard-wearer!"

Jay threw his hands up in surrender, laughing despite himself. "Fine! You're the better beard-wearer!"

Kai, wiping away tears of laughter, leaned against the wall, still chuckling. "Mia, that voice... you sound like an old man who's been living in the mountains for decades!"

Mia puffed out her chest proudly, still keeping up the act. "I've been living off the land, growing this beard for years."

Jay sighed dramatically, shaking his head with a grin. "Alright, Mia. You win, just... get rid of the beard, please."

Mia, finally dropping the voice, let out a giggle. "Okay, okay!" She ripped the fake beard off and tossed it aside, her face returning to its usual innocent expression.

Jay shook his head, still trying to recover from the shock. "Where do you even come up with these ideas?"

Mia shrugged, her mischievous grin returning. "I just thought it would be funny! And it was, wasn't it?"

Jay groaned but couldn't help smiling. "Yeah, yeah, you got me."

Kai, still grinning, ruffled Mia's hair. "You definitely know how to keep things interesting around here, that's for sure."

Mia winked at Kai before darting off again, no doubt in search of her next prank victim.

Jay shook his head, watching her go. "I swear, this house is never going to be normal as long as she's around."

Kai clapped him on the shoulder. "Normal's overrated anyway."

Jay sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. But next time... no more beards."

Kai chuckled. "No promises."

Suddenly, the phone rang, and Mia lunged for it.

" Hello.... Oh, hey, Emma.... Wait, how?! They live in Australia!..... Okay... Uh huh.... Annie's sick?!.... Oi, and Rose and Nelson are on a vacation...... Okay, I'll pick you up in the van."

As soon as Emma ended the call, Mia ran to the garage and spinjitzued into exprorer outfit ( check Emma Lego friends jungle dress if you want a visual).

" Are you okay?" Jay called

“ Yeah, I’m fine. But there’s a koala here.”

Jay looked astonished. “ Here?! As in, here, here?!”

“ Yes, Ninjago.” Mia replied as the elevator door closed. She went down the elevator, and to the van.

BUt it would not start.
“ What?!” She exclaimed, trying again.

Then she saw the gas.

None.

She sighed, and ran to the elevator, where she was transported up. She ran to the monastery stables, and whistled. Snowflake’s ears perked up. Mia threw the doors open, grabbed her reins and slid on her back. “ We have to go, girl. Now!”

Snowflake storned, and stormed out of the door head first. She jumped over the wall and landed on the stairs. She clomped down, missing about ten steps ( if not fifteen) at a time.

“ Emma!” Mia exclaimed as she rang her friend. “ Where are you?”

“ On the sidewalk near the monastery, but-”

Emma was unable to continue, because at that moment, Mia arrived. Emma extended her arm, and Mia grabbed it and hauled her onto the moving horse.

“ Where are we going?” Emma asked.

Mia looked at Emma. “ I thought you knew.”

“ Wha- OH!” She exclaimed. “ The koala, right!”

Mia slapped her head.

“ The forest. That way!” Emma clung onto Mia’s shoulders as Snowflake made a sharp turn.

“ Wait, you know which forest I’m talking about right?”

Mia nodded. “ There’s only one forest in all of Ninjago.”

Emma yelped and tightened her grip as Snowflake jumped over five logs in a row.

“ Your- horse- is- really- jumpy- WOAH!” Emma yelled as Snowflake came to a sudden halt in front of the trees. Mia hopped off and helped Emma down.

Then, she grabbed Snowflake’s reins and led them into the dense forest.

Emma took her sketch book out and started to quickly sketch the different animals saw- macaws, racoons, red fox, and even a gorilla.

Then, she saw a grey animal in a tree and sketched it quickly. She looked down at the sketchbook, then back at the animal, and back at her book.

“ Uh, Mia……?” Emma asked.

Mia looked up. “ Yes?”

“ I think we found the koala.”

“ What?! whe….. Oh.”

Emma laughed nervously. “ So…. you wanna go get it?”

Mia was going to nod, but she saw an injured fox.

“ Can’t. You have to do it.”

Before Emma could argue, Mia and Snowflake had already disappeared in the forest.

Emma sighed. “ Welp, looks like it’s just you and me, Koala!” She called.

The koala gave Emma a lazy look.

“ O- Kay. So….. Um…. d’oh, my darkness isn’t gonna work. Where’s Annie when you need her?” Emma muttered.

Then, she looked back at the tree.

Since she had nothing better to do, she sketched the tree.

That’s when a plan began to  formulate in her head.

“ Branches!” She exclaimed as she jumped up. “ I can use the branches!”

She took a deep breath, abandoned her book, and ran to the tree, grabbing the first branch, and then the next.

For the branches close together, she just ran up them like stairs.

For the far away ones, she would jump, grab onto the branch, and swing herself up about five branches.

And when she was slipping, she would grab onto the tree bark and steady herself out.

Then came the part when she looked down, and gasped.

“ Oh, I’m as high as the clouds!” She muttered.

She looked back at the koala, who was now starting to realize this was not its house.

She took a deep breath, and started to climb like a koala.

Yeah, you heard me right.

A koala.

She climbed and climbed until she was face- to- face with the creature. She gently extended a hand, and the koala sniffed it. Emma gently loured the koala to her arms, and then sighed.

“ Now to get back down….” She muttered.

She heard a voice. “ JUMP!”

Emma looked down at the small figure. “ ARE YOU CRAZY?!”

“ JUMP! MY WIND WILL CATCH YOU!”

Emma desperately looked for any other solution, but seeing there was none, sighed, closed her eyes, and jumped.

“ AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” She yelled, flailing her arms.

Then, a soft surface caught her. She peeked open, to see a cloud beneath her feet, gently guiding her and the koala ( who was now on her head) to the ground.

When Emma stepped onto the dirt, she sighed in relief.

Then she saw Mia was holding a camera.

“ DON’T tell me you took pictures of the whole thing!” She groaned.

Okay. I won’t.” Mia said with innocence.
‘
Emma groaned.  “ I got the koala you asked for.”

Mia rolled her eyes. “ You’re dramatic, you know that?”

“ As if I didn’t know.” Emma said, laughing as she and Mia walked out of the forest and onto the bustling street, where they hopped onto Snowflake, who trotted through the crowd.

“ We should do that again.” Mia commented.

Emma gave her a death stare. “ No.”

Mia laughed. “ Joking!”

Then she muttered under her breath, “ Kinda.”