Barnaby and Phoebe, two apprentices focused on historical textile and archive preservation, discover a new type of localized failure within the highly protected, centuries-old felt nativity scene. The scene is suffering from a localized coldness mirroring the resonance drain elsewhere, but is also exhibiting pigment erasure, suggesting a targeted attack on the visual memory of Christmas. Barnaby researches the preservation ledger and finds the emergency cure requires salted molasses and mica dust, materials only available in compromised areas. Phoebe insists they must use the secondary protocol: retrieving the original linen backing from the highly restricted Sub-Level Archive for Unapproved Ephemera. Despite Barnaby's strong adherence to rules, the escalating threat to the historical artifact compels him to pick the lock to the restricted archive, while Phoebe stands guard. The episode closes as Barnaby enters the dark archive, with the sound of the slow subterranean scraping echoing faintly beneath the library floor, linking this new material failure to the larger structural crisis.