It was beautiful. Sofia had to hand it to herself, her brain had gone all out with the scenery. She gazed up at the vaulted ceiling as her friend Clara dragged her towards the main office.

The marble stonework on the floor underneath her made the most delicious noise under her Victorian boots. Sofia amused herself while looking at the scantily clad statues, as her friend spoke to the receptionist.

"Hello monsieur, we are here to speak to the manager about a job opening." Clara smiled.

The man looked over his glasses at her and replied boredly,

"Of course. Right this way."

They entered a little office and were barely acknowledged by the man behind the desk. His hair was a wreck and he seemed half out of his wits.

"He demands payment... Not again, He's bleeding me dry." he muttered to himself. Crazed look in his eye. "But... If I can convince them... If they are stupid enough... They need not know!"

Clara exchanged a look with Sofia, and then promptly cleared her throat.

"Monsieur?"

He looked up at the two women and blinked, flushing pink. "Sorry mademoiselles, how may I help you?"

"We are here for the seamstress jobs." Clara explained patiently.

"Ah right." The man raked his hands through his hair and straightened his cravat. "Right, a thousand apologies ladies. May I see a sample of your work?"

"Of course." Clara smiled, pulling some samples out of a little brown carpet bag.

Sofia amused herself by taking in the sights around the office. The walls were covered with red fleur de lis wallpaper, and there was a red love-seat set against the wall. Bookshelves lined the wall behind the formidable desk, and papers littered nigh every surface.

It was exactly as she had imagined it, right down to the book accurate trapdoor on the ground just behind the manager's seat.

The manager stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Well this stitching is very nice. I suppose you can go speak to Madame Giry and she will find you a room to stay in. Quite frankly we just lost a few seamstress, and with the new management coming in... well that is no concern of yours. Report to the head seamstress in the morning. Adieu."

And with that he waved them out of the room.

They left quickly and Sofia looked over at Clara.

"What do you suppose got him all riled up?" Sofia asked, eyes twinkling.

"Beats me..." Clara shrugged, "Whelp I guess we should go find this Madame Giry then."

She looped her arm through Sofia's and they wandered down the hall.

A black clad figure stood halfway down the hallway, easily silhouetted against the white marble.

They reached her momentarily, and the dower frowning woman with a cane greeted them. She arched a brow at them as they approached her.

"You are the new seamstresses?" She asked with a glance towards Clara's carpet bag.

"Yes." Sofia nodded.

"This way." She barked, with a rap of her cane on the ground that caused both Sofia and Clara to jump.

Clara shrugged at Sofia and followed Mme. Giry down a hallway into the beating heart of the opera.

Ballet girls skipped down the hallways, moving together like schools of pink gilled fish. Sofia and Clara had to work hard to keep up to Madame Giry, as the girls parted like the red sea for her but paid no mind to the two seamstresses.

Soon they reached the end of the hallway and Giry turned to face them.

"-Here is your room, if you need anything you can speak to my daughter Meg, or Miss Christine Daae. Miss Daae resides in that room there. Now unless there is anything else?"

"No, thank you. This will do nicely, Madame." Clara smiled brightly.

There was a slight uptick at the corner of Mme. Giry's mouth, but that was all. She turned on her heel and in a swoosh of black taffeta she was gone.

"Shall we get settled then?" Clara asked, opening the door and hauling her bags into the room.

There were two somewhat dusty beds that Clara immediately set to brushing off, coughing as dust plumes filled the room. Sofia Giggled. And soon Clara joined her. They settled in, hanging their gowns in the wardrobe and tucking their trunks under the bed.

"There. Now are you ready to turn in for the night?"

Sofia frowned, "What about my head? You were so worried about it before."

"Oh! Right. Well, if there's a lump then we should worry." Clara shrugged.

"I suppose." Sofia replied.

Clara walked over and examined her head, feeling for bumps.

"So?"

Clara smiled awkwardly, "No bumps. Come on we'll freshen up for bed."

After using some old time-y tooth paste which was... an experience. (And not a tasty one.)

And washing her face, Sofia was finally ready for bed. Though as she lay looking up at the ceiling. She found herself wishing she didn't have to go to sleep. Surely when she did, she would wake up in the real world.

Clara snored softly in the bed across the room, but Sofia could not sleep. She felt strange being in a nightgown, instead of her normal Pyjamas.

It was then that she began to hear it. Footsteps.

Tap tap tap... then silence.

Then the most beautiful angelic voice she ever heard.

She sat up in bed and pressed her ear to the wall, as Clara snored on.

She thought back to the door that Mme. Giry pointed at.

Sofia shared a wall with Christine Daae... Did that mean...?

She cupped her ear.

A man's voice, indistinct. But powerful.

And Christine's clear reply. "Angel of music speak I listen~"