They ran through streets lined with streetlamps, slowing to a walk when it became crowded, then picking up the pace on empty stretches. Melody's bag was heavy, thumping against the small of her back with every running step, yet it all started seeming funny after the first few minutes of awkward sprinting. By the time they entered the entrance hall of the dorm, they were both laughing, somewhat hysterically in Melody's opinion. Madeleine was glowing, there was colour in her face from running, and nothing in her field to give Melody any concern. Melody pressed and rubbed beneath her ribs, she had an ache there from the unaccustomed exercise, but thankfully it subsided after a few moments.
They climbed up to the first floor, Melody leading the way. The dorms at Brunnhold were assigned by gender as well as year, so all the rooms in this building were taken up by girls in their ninth year of studies. She listened as Madeleine chattered on happily about being glad to have a room to herself, now that she was in the 6th form. "I wouldn't like to room with anyone now." Melody admitted easily enough, "More than privacy, I want the freedom to set up my space and my routines as I like. I don't want to worry about inconveniencing someone else, " They had reached her room by this time. Melody unslung her bag and held it between her body and the wall, rummaging inside the outer pockets for the room keys. Taking out the keys, and fitting them to the lock she continued, "To be honest, having to interact with people all the time would stress me out, so my room is my refuge." She gave the door a push, and smiled over her shoulder at the younger girl.
"Come in!" then paused, "Oh. I should have warned you, I keep a pet osta... You don't mind do you?" Madeleine seemed agreeable enough and the girls entered the dorm room. Cinder jumped down from her perch on the top of the shelving with a loud chirrup and walked over to Melody. The bag she placed on the floor against the desk and gestured at Madeleine to do the same. "This is Cinder," Melody picked up the grey cub in her arms and gestured to the single bed that had been pushed against the wall the room shared with the corridor. "Make yourself at home, just give me a few minutes to put my things away." The affection in the older girl's voice for the small creature in her arms was unmistakable.
The room was typical of the dorms, not huge, but spacious enough for a single student. The standard arrangements of the furnishings had been changed around somewhat to eke out a little more space. A long desk stood against the wall, and Melody had had additional shelving fixed to the wall above the desk. Books, grimoires and art supplies could be seen neatly stacked there. A few sketches had been tacked to the wall above the bed. Melody hung her cloak on the hooks near the wardrobe and drew the curtains closed over the narrow windows. She let the osta cub down, and ushered it out of the room with a nudge of the foot. "Go on.. Go find something to hunt." The cub arched its back and padded away, Melody removed her boots by the door, let the door swing close and finally turned to Madeleine.
"So Miss Gosselin," she tried smiling awkwardly, "when you had a roommate, how did you spend your time after curfew?" It was an awkward question, but Melody had visions of herself and Madeleine just sitting and effectively staring at one another. Surely any talk would be better than that possibility?