A Little Bit of Peace and Quiet
Disclaimer: I don't own Sandman. Neil Gaiman has that honor.
It was too loud, Lucien thought with a frown on his face as he observed the scene before him. Normally, his library was quiet save for the occasional question or visit from Mervyn or Matthew. But today, it seemed, his library had become the meeting place of just about everybody in the Dreaming, be they dreamer or resident. 4 teenage girls giggled in a corner over a book, dressed in pajamas (if one would classify shorts and a t-shirt as pajamas). Another group of people sat chatting loudly, a stack of books between them on the table. A cat wearing boots was chasing a mouse, yelling as it ran through the aisles of books. To Lucien's immense annoyance, there was a group of old men with pipes smoking away as they read, their smoke causing him to wrinkle his nose in distaste. He disliked smoking in the library, with Mervyn being the only exception to this rule, and pipe smoke irritated him to no end. Letting out a little sneeze, Lucien frowned, wondering if it would be rude to just order everyone to leave the library for the day just so he could have some peace. Just as he was turning to leave and possibly go find a book to read, Lucien heard the sound of music coming from nearby. Not classical music, which he personally enjoyed, but heavy metal. If there was one thing Lucien detested more than anything, it was having overly loud music in his library. Letting out a low growl of anger, Lucien decided he had had enough for one day. Twirling around in a respectable about-face, Lucien went over to his desk, which was backed against a wall, and reached under it, a small smile spreading across his face as he tugged at something under the desk.
2 seconds later, the power in the library went out, and Lucien had his peace.