Cherubella enters the resting pantheon, and just like the other visitors in the place, she lets out a longing sigh as soon crosses the threshold. She doesn't sigh for what she finds inside, but for everything left outside, specifically in her house.
The resting pantheon follows the same decor of fluted pillars and ivory walls, though an ambrosia fountain is added in the center, shaped like a music box, from which soothing music also emerges. Instead of furniture, fluffy white sheep roam.
Only the lambs look happy, while the angels seem frustrated at having to be there. Everything is due to an order of Jerahmeel, administrator of sacred resources, who after evaluating the obsessive rhythm of God's creations for work, decided to establish a mandatory one-hour rest every 25 years, a term that the angels managed to fight since at first Jerahmeel wanted to force them to rest once every decade. A madness.
Cherubella sighs again, floats to the fountain, and uses a pitcher that a friend made her, to collect ambrosia. The taste, a union of all the delights of creation, cheers her up a bit, but after choosing a fluffy sheep to sit and pass the minutes, she begins to think about all the files she left abandoned at home. In an effort to distract herself, she pays attention to the background conversations among the other angels.
"And what do you think about the first commandment?" says one angel.
"Better than the second, but worse than the third," replies another.
"Ah... I am the same"
A long silence ensues between the two.
Another evil imposed in the resting place: it is forbidden to talk about work. Which is a problem when work is usually the main motivation of most angels. They tend to frown upon idleness, perhaps because an idle attitude reminds their fellow angels expelled from heaven in antediluvian times.
Fallen angels. Just thinking about them makes Cherubella's ambrosia taste sour. She shakes the head to clear her mind, and proceeds to stroke the sheep's head on which she takes a seat. The animal bellows in appreciation for the affection. The sheep are very docile animals, they were brought in and raised by Jerahmeel to expedite it's work of moving between dream cycles.
Cherubella drinks another pinch of ambrosia and looks up at the ceiling. In the background, the angels continue to converse, though they lower their voices a bit to deal with a more delicate subject.
"Wasn't it supposed to be Superior Ramiel's turn to come today?"
"I heard he was very busy. Found a huge inconsistency in the math"
"Where?"
"Fantasia, I think"
"Fantasia always causes problems. They should just delete it"
"It doesn't merit deletion... At least not yet. It's also suspected that someone made a mistake, maybe threw a soul in the wrong place"
"I doubt it. If there's a mistake, it has to be one of the guys downstairs. Those demons are always playing a dirty game"
The second angel agrees.
Cherubella freezes when she hears that. Did one of them make a mistake? Unlikely, even so, ethics makes her think: Fantasia, she recently sent a soul there.... What if she was the cause of the incongruity...? Shakes her head, denying the possibility. She trusts her aim. But it's also true that Fantasia tends to be a place with unpredictable weather for souls, and she didn't look all the way to make sure Jimbo landed in the right place either.
The incipient worry becomes a weight on her stomach, as if she had swallowed an ingot. Fearful of a possible error, Cherubella gets up from the sheep and slips out the door, without hurrying too much because she doesn't want the others noticing that she left before time. But the girl does not manage to cross the threshold, a tall angel, blue-haired, strict look, and elegant suit, enters with an abacus under his arm. Cherubella almost collides with Ramiel's chest, but manages to stop and retreat before the impact.
Ramiel frowns. Cherubella tenses up like a board.
"Novice Cherubella, I see you continue to have only two wings" It's hard to tell if it's a casual remark, or a criticism.
"Huh? Y-Yes. Perhaps... Perhaps I haven't pushed myself hard enough, superior Ramiel"
"Do not despair. Blessings await those who act with patience"
Ramiel prepares to continue on his way, but Cherubella quickly steps in again, unable to keep the question to herself. Barely controlling her stuttering, the minor angel asks about Fantasia.
"We are in the resting pantheon, novice Cherubella. We can't talk about work"
"Please. I won't be able to rest properly if I don't get my doubts out of the way first. Look at my wings, they're very, very tense"
"Hmm... You resting wrong would be problematic, Jerahmeel would be upset and make a drama about it. I'll just tell you not to worry, everything is fine"
"Huh...?" Cherubella blinks repeatedly- "So there was no mistake in the accounts?"
"There was... But it solved itself"
Something very strange happens: Ramiel smiles, a small, barely imperceptible movement at the corner of his lips.
"Destiny is set in stone, just as God's creation is perfect. When faced with a mismatch, the universe moves to balance the scales. Sometimes, on the most satisfying occasions, I would say, it doesn't even need to lift a finger"
Cherubella places a hand on her chest and sighs in relief. Ramiel ignores the girl's gesture, goes and sits on one of the available sheep. He remains there, with his back erect, in total silence, giving the world a distant look for a whole hour.
After the break, Cherubella returns home, and although she took Ramiel's words for granted, she still looks through the peephole of the canyon to make sure Jimbo is in the right place. She looks closer to the cabin in the mountains, and finds a mother nursing her baby. The baby has eager and curious eyes, looking quite alert. Cherubella is not surprised, Jimbo, despite his indifference and sedentary lifestyle, had a good head on his shoulders. Perhaps, in the end, if he ends up getting his wish to become a hero.
The angel smiles and walks away from the canyon.
All is right.