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Between receptions, the Keter floor was often the most subdued. Roland would be out delivering books to other floors or chatting with other patron librarians, leading to a lull in conversation on the floor of General Works. His assistants were mostly a quiet bunch, and Angela certainly wasn’t going to insert herself into their murmured conversations. While it could get lonely while Roland was off doing his deliveries, Angela was grateful for the peace and quiet so she could try and rest. The Library had absorbed so much light that she was becoming more and more human by the day, and she’d begun needing sleep a few weeks prior.
From all her knowledge of humans, she’d expected sleeping would be easy. Roland had clumsily instructed her to just lay down and close her eyes, but that wasn’t very helpful. Her mind would race for hours as she tried to sleep; she felt like she could be spending her time more productively by reading or writing, but her body demanded sleep even as she was unable to get any.
The only thing that kept her going was the quick naps she’d managed to take. They were short and plagued by nightmares, but at least she wasn’t spiraling into sleep deprived-psychosis. She’d seen many employees at Lobotomy lose their minds after an abnormality stole away their ability to sleep, and she dreaded that happening to her.
Even her powers were useless in the face of such a base human need. It was so surprising to be so powerless in the Library; she could manifest almost anything she desired, but she couldn’t force her body to stop requiring human things like eating, sleeping, and drinking. Gaining her humanity and freedom had been what she wanted all along, but she was still deeply frustrated by her inability to sleep properly.
“Miss Angela..?” Hod’s timid voice startled Angela out of her stupor. She rubbed her eyes and blinked rapidly at the doorway to her office.
Hod rarely visited, even after Roland had helped mend their differences. “What is it?”
“Ah,” Hod paused, looking conflicted. “Are you… okay?”
“What kind of question is that?” Angela pinched the bridge of her nose (a trick Roland had taught her to help stave off headaches).
“I was… I was talking to you for a while and you didn’t seem to notice me,” Hod said. “I just came to let you know that a new book appeared on my floor. Shortly after it showed up, it began resonating. Just like the books of abnormalities did before realizations.”
It took Angela a few moments to digest that information. A new book? Resonating? Hod’s floor had been completed a while ago, so why was there another abnormality book resonating? “What abnormality is it?”
“I didn’t check,” Hod said. “The cover was something I’ve never seen before, so I thought I would come to you first.”
Angela frowned and reached inside herself to check on Hod’s floor. In her mind’s eye, she could clearly see the neatly maintained shelves and milling assistants. Set clearly on one of the large tables was the book Hod had to be talking about it. Angela frowned as she tried to recall ever reading it, but she hadn’t. Like with Hod, the cover was unfamiliar to her.
She opened her eyes back up in spite of the overwhelming desire to keep them closed. She hadn’t slept for so long; her body was aching for it. Usually she would have snapped herself to Hod’s floor and demanded she take care of the realization so she could read the book, but…
“Ask Roland for advice setting up for the fight,” Angela said briskly. She hoped Hod wouldn’t notice how her eyelids were drooping. “He’s speaking with Hokma. If you hurry, you should reach him before he leaves.”
Hod nodded and gave Angela a searching look before leaving. What could a new abnormality mean? She should probably speak to Binah to see if she had something to do with it, but she was so tired.
Since she’d had better luck sleeping at her desk, Angela simply laid her head down, using her arms as a pillow. Even as her body screamed for sleep, her mind raced. Would she really make the one true book? Was Roland really what he seemed? How would the inevitable final battle play out? There was so much to worry about. She had so much power here, but sometimes she still felt helpless in the face of the unknown.
Like always, she didn’t notice when sleep finally overtook her. Unfortunately though, it was just as unpleasant as usual; as she became more aware of the fact that she was asleep, she felt that familiar sensation of fighting against her slumber. She tried to relax, but she just couldn’t. Her body was fighting too hard against the rest she so desperately needed.
Eventually, her body won out and she sat back up, more exhausted than before. She frowned and rubbed her forehead, sighing. She glanced at the clock on her desk. It had been about an hour, even though to her it felt no longer than five minutes. She focused on Roland to see where he was, and was surprised to see him walking through to her office.
“Hey, Angela,” Roland said, leaning against the door frame. “Hod took care of that abnormality and wanted me to bring you the book they got from it.”
Silently, Angela took the offered book. She read the introductory page and frowned even deeper. The Slumbering Maiden? “This wasn’t an abnormality that was in Lobotomy…”
Roland made a worried noise. “What does that mean?”
It felt like Angela would have usually been able to come up with a better answer, but at the moment, her mind was simply blank. “I don’t know. I have no idea where it could have come from.”
“Maybe it just never got used?” Roland offered, sitting across from her.
“That’s impossible,” Angela said, shaking her head. “In order to properly steal the light for myself, every abnormality had to be fully researched so I could take advantage of them during the battle for the Light. If there had been a hidden abnormality, we wouldn’t be here speaking to each other.”
Roland frowned. “Huh. Well, it reminds me of some of the other abnormalities at least. It wasn’t as strong as the last ones Hod had to fight, either.”
“Which does it remind you of?” Angela asked. She was well aware certain abnormalities had pairs, like the wolf and the red hooded mercenary. Some even belonged to larger groups, like the Ozma abnormalities on Chesed's floor.
“I guess none in particular,” Roland admitted. “It’s just another one of those fairy tale bedtime stories you hear about.”
“Fairy tale bedtime stories?”
“Yeah, y’know,” Roland paused, searching Angela’s face for any recognition. “Like, stories of princesses or magical lands where a man behind a curtain runs a yellow city.”
“So… The abnormalities are based on fairy tales?” Angela asked. When she searched her mind, she had heard the term before: tales told to children, usually with a moral. If it involved animals, it was categorized as a fable. But she didn’t have any true concrete examples.
“Well… Some of them, I guess,” Roland said. “My grandma always said the tales we hear of today are garbled from the originals. She told me some of them, but even she didn’t know how they originally went. She used to tell me the stories to get me to sleep.”
“Garbled?”
“Like they were around in ancient times but we don’t know the real ones,” Roland said. “But I’ve heard of some of them. The big bad wolf, that matchstick girl, the woodsman, some others.”
Angela hummed thoughtfully. “Interesting. I wonder…”
Lost in thought, Angela’s eyelids started drooping again. She tried to stay focused. This information was so interesting and she was starved for new facts, especially when they came from Roland, but she hadn’t had the recommended amount of sleep required for humans in ages.
“You okay?” Roland asked, eyeing her from across the desk. “Having trouble sleeping?”
Angela sighed. If it had been anyone else, she would have snapped at them and told them to mind their own business, but it was Roland.
“Yes,” she said simply. “I can only sleep in short bursts, and I often have nightmares.”
“That’s terrible,” Roland said. He was frowning. “How much sleep did you get last night?”
“Maybe two hours,” Angela said, shrugging. “I was asleep for an hour before you came in.”
“I’m sorry I woke you up,” Roland said, beginning to get up to leave. “I guess I should let you–”
“Wait,” Angela said, almost urgently. “Please stay. I need to know what I’m doing wrong.”
Roland sat back down and chuckled a little. “Wrong? You can’t really sleep wrong, Angela. It’s a basic human need.”
She frowned. “Then why can’t I sleep?”
Roland looked guilty, wincing a little. “Ah, I shouldn’t have been so callous. I bet it’s hard to go from never sleeping to needing to sleep every day. Why can’t you sleep?”
Angela shrugged. “My mind races and I jerk awake whenever I manage to fall asleep for too long. It's like my body fights against sleeping. I can only really sleep for long stretches if I’ve pushed myself to exhaustion.”
“Your mind races? Are you worried about something?”
“Everything,” Angela said, nodding. “About whether I’ll be able to make my book, if we'll have to fight the Head… My guilt.”
“I see,” Roland said, humming thoughtfully.
“Didn’t you say those stories were bedtime stories?” Angela asked. “Would you tell me one?”
Roland shuffled in his seat, looking slightly embarrassed. “I dunno about that…”
Angela frowned at him, but still nodded. After all, she would never make him do something he didn’t want to do.
“Hey, hey, no need to look so sad,” Roland said before sighing. “Yeah, I can tell you some. I dunno if it’ll really help you, since you already know about the abnormalities.”
“What about the new one?” Angela asked.
Roland looked at the book between them. He flipped it open and skimmed a few pages, a look of recognition dawning on his face. “Yeah, I know this one. Alright, I guess I’ll try and remember how my grandma told it to me.”
Angela felt her heart soar; she loved when Roland talked, but doubly so when he told long stories. Everything he had to say was so fascinating. But, much to her chagrin, he didn’t immediately start telling her a story. Instead, he got up and gestured for her to follow him.
“Where are we going?” Angela asked, following him up the stairs. Her exhaustion was still present, but she no longer felt like she was about to fall asleep at any second.
“I have an idea to help you sleep,” Roland said. “And Chesed will be able to help us.”
Angela wrinkled her nose at the prospect of Chesed knowing of her struggles, but she still fell in step behind Roland. She trusted him to know what he was doing, even if she had no clue how Chesed of all people could possibly help her.
“Ah, hello you two,” Chesed said as they walked into his office. “It’s been a while since you were both here~. Would you like some coffee? I just brewed a fresh pot.”
“Nah, we’re actually here for the exact opposite reason,” Roland said. He sat on one of the sofas and patted the cushion next to him, inviting Angela to sit.
She sat and frowned at Chesed who just gave her a serene look.
“Ah, I see,” Chesed said. What did he see?
“What’s going on?” Angela asked.
“Chesed, would you mind warming us up some milk?” Roland asked.
“No problem,” Chesed said. He began rummaging behind the counter and pulled out a metal pot and a hot plate.
“Milk?” Angela asked.
“Whenever I have trouble sleeping, a glass of warm milk always helps me get sleepy,” Roland said.
“Hmm, I’ve never heard of that before,” Angela said.
Roland gave her a small smile as Chesed poured milk into the pot. “Well, will you try it at least?”
Angela gave a small nod. “I’ll try anything if it means the possibility of getting rid of this exhaustion.”
“If I didn’t already know you didn’t drink any, I’d recommend you lay off the coffee if you’re having trouble sleeping, Miss Librarian~,” Chesed said. He poured some honey into the pot before rummaging through the wall behind him, only turning around after he pulled out a small container of flowers.
“What’s that?” Angela asked. She smelled something sweet as the milk warmed up. It might have just been placebo, but she started feeling sleepy again as she sat next to Roland and waited for the warm milk to be ready.
“Dried lavender,” Chesed said. He sprinkled some into the pan, stirring it patiently.
“It helps calm you down,” Roland explained. “Plus it smells pretty nice.”
Angela had to agree as a subtle floral fragrance filled the room. “Do you think coffee would help me feel more alert?”
Roland frowned and shook his head. “No, you should get your sleep schedule under control before trying something like coffee.”
Surprisingly, Chesed agreed. “He’s right. Of course, if you find yourself craving a pick me up once you’re able to sleep properly, you should come by and I’d be happy to brew you as much coffee as you’d like~.”
Roland snorted. “Maybe not as much as she’d like. The last time you brewed me coffee, I was up for almost two days straight!”
Chesed chuckled and turned the burner off, still stirring the sweetened milk. “Ah, I wouldn’t give Miss Librarian the heavy stuff straight away, of course~. But alas, coffee isn’t for everyone.”
Angela watched as he poured the warm milk into two mugs. He placed a cinnamon stick into each and handed them to Angela and Roland. Before she took a drink, she watched Roland drink. He looked happy as he tasted it, complimenting Chesed on his ability to make hot drinks.
Frowning and skeptical, Angela took a slow sip. “Ah. It’s good.”
“I’m glad,” Chesed said. “Perhaps you should go back to your floor so you’ll get the full effect close to bed.”
“Good idea,” Roland said. He started to get up, but Angela simply touched his arm and snapped them both back to her bedroom. For a moment, Roland looked disoriented, but he quickly caught his bearings and chuckled. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”
Angela sat on the edge of her neatly made bed and drank. The milk was quite tasty. It was sweet and rich, but not overly so. The lavender smelled nice and tinted the milk purple. Absently, she realized Chesed had strained the flowers from the drink so she didn’t have to pick any out.
“Do I really need to sleep in a bed?” Angela asked quietly. She felt small to be asking, but… She trusted Roland.
Roland paused to consider the question. “I guess you don’t have to, but I always sleep better in a bed. Why do you ask?”
“My nightmares are worse in bed,” Angela said.
“Nightmares…” Roland sighed. “I’m sorry you’re having nightmares. But listen, if you have any tonight, I’ll be sure to wake you up.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I know what it’s like to be stuck in a nightmare. No one deserves that,” Roland said, finishing off his milk. “Man, I gotta ask him to make me that again. Do you like it?”
Angela nodded. “It’s better than I expected. I knew certain flowers could be eaten, but I thought they would taste strange, but I like the taste.”
“Why don’t you get under the covers?” Roland asked, nodding at the bed. “You look like you’re about to fall asleep any second.”
Angela yawned and transformed her regular outfit into her bedclothes. She took a final drink from her mug of warm milk and crawled under the covers. It was very warm underneath, but not too warm. The rest of the room was cooler, something she’d read made sleep easier for humans. She'd never realized how cozy it could be in her bed.
“Where’s my story?” Angela asked, yawning as she gazed at Roland. He looked surprised that she was asking about it. “It hasn’t been all that long, so of course I wouldn’t forget.”
“Haha, I guess I just thought you weren’t being serious,” Roland said. “I’m not… A very good storyteller.”
Angela shrugged and pulled her comforter up to her chin. She stared at him expectantly.
“Alright, alright,” Roland said, chagrined. “Let me try and remember what my grandma told me about this slumbering maiden.”
Roland cleared his throat and looked at the wall thoughtfully. Angela was already enraptured by the story before he even began.
“In a faraway land, there was a beautiful daughter of a powerful leader. She was promised to become the next ruler, but a fairy more powerful than anyone else was angry at her parents for scorning her before the little girl was even born.
“And so, the little girl was cursed. It was a slow working curse, so it didn’t have any effect until she was nearly an adult. Right as she was about to take over the land, she fell into an impossibly long slumber…”
Though she was curious to hear more, Angela couldn’t keep awake for another second. As she drifted off, she let out a relieved sigh. She felt more sure than ever that she would have a dreamless, restful sleep.