No One Can Hurt You Now (open!)

[Birdie]

Birdie giggled, then nodded and climbed off the bed, collecting her violin from off the floor. "I'll see you in an hour, then. Have fun with Maximus and Arianna." She grinned and turned to head down to her bunk at the end of the row, to have her brief nap at last.

[Rose]

About an hour later, Rose was still enraptured by the book. Her brow was furrowed as she read furiously, devouring the words on the page. She was almost late for her shift at Irving Hall, but she wasn't even paying attention to the time.

[Birdie]

Birdie had awoken a few minutes earlier, cleaned herself up a bit, and was now perched on the end of her bunk, trying to braid her hair into a long, thick plait while she hummed through pieces she was considering auditioning with. She glanced over at the clock above the door, then widened her eyes and got up.

"Rose, you aren't going to be late, are you?" she called down the row of bunks to the other girl.

[Rose]

Rose jumped, startled by Birdie's voice. She looked up at the clock and immediately shut her book. "Shit. Come on, let's go." She swung her long legs over the side of her bed and grabbed her coat.

[Birdie]

Birdie snatched up her violin and hurried after Rose, trying to smooth the last few flyaways down on her head. "I'm sorry, I thought you knew what time it was!"

[Rose]

"It's not a huge deal," Rose assured her, making her way downstairs. "I was apparently too engrossed in my book...Maximus succeeded, by the way." Her smirk was evident in her voice.

[Birdie]

Birdie rushed down the stairs behind her, hugging her case to her chest. "He did? What happened after that?" she asked and felt a little guilty for being so curious about a book that had the word "lascivious" in its title.

[Rose]

"Why don't you just read it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she opened the door. The cold hit her like a ton of bricks; she really missed Southern winters.

[Birdie]

"Can I?" Birdie asked, then squeaked and half-ducked behind Rose at the gust of wind that swept into the lobby through the door. She tugged her own sad-looking coat closer around her and hurried down the steps onto the sidewalk.

[Rose]

"I don't see why not," Rose said, heading toward Irving Hall. "It's not mine, but I don't think Tag will mind. Apparently she's quite infamous for her collection of shocking novels."

[Birdie]

Birdie made a mental note to find Tag and ask to borrow some of these novels. As they neared Irving Hall, she turned to Rose again. "Do you hear many people audition? What kind of music do they usually play?"

[Rose]

Rose shrugged, silently wishing they were inside already. This bitter cold weather was seriously not okay. "I don't really pay attention. Don't be nervous, though. I'm sure you'll do okay."

[Birdie]

Birdie rubbed the palms of her hands against her arms, trying to warm them. "You don't like music?" she asked as they reached the building at last. Hopefully it would be somewhat warmer inside.

[Rose]

"Never really thought about it one way or the other. I like to sing okay, but only when I'm...sick." Well, actually, she only ever sang to herself when she was nursing the wounds her father inflicted on her. But Birdie didn't need to know that.

[Birdie]

Oblivious to the meaning behind Rose's words, Birdie smiled and looked over at her. "Isn't that funny? How things are really important to some people, and not really all that important to others. I couldn't imagine living without music, and there's probably something like that to you that I've never thought twice about."