Apprentices Pip and Fern are inspecting the Sleigh Bay staging area before the crucial Great Delivery Route run. They immediately notice material failures: adhesive seals on supply closets are peeling, and the sleigh runners feel colder and vibrate unevenly, mirroring the resonance drain seen elsewhere in town. The insulation padding for the Northern Heights run is missing entirely. Pip connects the peeling seal to failures at the Post Office, and Fern connects the vibration to the squeaking Carolers. Realizing standard modern insulation is failing, Pip remembers that the antique dealer Mr Finch stored ancient, inert felt padding within the Sleigh Bay's sub-level storage, meant for extreme cold. Their immediate goal becomes locating this emergency felt supply before the Route Master arrives for the final inspection, as an incomplete manifest means the entire delivery is scrubbed.