This idea is what inspired me to work on this series again, and I'm amazed at how fast I was able to write it. It popped into my head when I was watching one of my favorite Disney shorts, 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier', and I started thinking about the toys coming to life and how Creations were born. I hope you enjoy, and happy Valentine's Day!
Cross-posted on AO3 under AngelFace273
If you find yourself troubled by something mysterious, or a problem that's hard to solve, there's a place you can go where you will always find help; you just need to look for it. You see, it is a place that stands alongside time and somewhat outside of it, hidden such that it is in plain sight and buried within a labyrinth. To find it requires a special sort of guide.
This place is called The Cat Bureau. Those who wish for aid or advice find their way here, if they can discover the path.
It is here that our story begins.
The rain tapped softly against the windows of the Cat Bureau, the sound so soothing that it almost sent Haru Yoshioka to sleep. Shaking herself awake, she leaned forward in her chair and stoked the fire with a poker. That done, she reclined back with a sigh and glanced out one of the windows, hoping to spot one of the other members of the Bureau making their way to the house – but there was nothing but rain and darkness in the courtyard.
Haru shook her head and picked up her book again. Muta had wandered off to one of the many families who liked to feed him, and Baron had said that the assignment he and Toto were on might take all night, but she was determined to wait for at least one of them to come home before going to bed. She never felt comfortable sleeping in an empty house, especially in one that was supposed to have people in it.
Just as she was losing herself in her book, she realized that there was something off about the sound of the rain. She picked up her head and listened carefully; the rain went tap-tap-tap against the window, like it had for the past several hours. Suddenly, she noticed a different—more solid—taptaptap.
There was someone knocking on the door.
"Coming!" Haru called as she immediately stood. Instinctively she brushed down her long yellow skirt, fixed her pastel green blouse, and ran a hand through her soft brown hair. Anyone calling at this hour had to be a client, and since she was the only member of the Cat Bureau there she couldn't help but want to make a good impression. She hurried over to the double doors—the knocking had stopped after Haru's call—and pushed one open.
There was no one there.
Haru blinked and looked around the courtyard. It was hard to see through the rain and dark, but it was clear to see that the Refuge was empty.
"Excuse me," came from somewhere around Haru's waist. The brunette jumped in surprise with a yelp and looked down.
There was a little figure wrapped in a ripped piece of tarp, concerned dark brown eyes set in a pretty face peeking out, huddled just off to the side of the open doorway.
"I'm sorry," her voice like a soft bell, she stepped forward hesitantly, and Haru noticed that the girl's delicate feet were wrapped in ballet shoes. "But are you a Creation?"
Haru's heart went out to the girl, who sounded so hopeful, and crouched so she could be at eye-level with her. "No, I'm not," she told her gently. "But my husband is. Would you like to come inside for some tea?"
The little Creation—for that must be what she was—slumped in relief, all the tension leaking from her body. "Yes, please," she said earnestly. But something must have occurred to her then, because suddenly her eyes widened, she gasped "Oh! Wait a moment!" and flitted off into the darkness, shouting behind her, "I have to get Jack!"
"Hang on a sec!" Haru reached out a hand, but she was already out of reach. She stood up and opened both doors as wide as possible to let the light inside out. The Creation was by Toto's pillar, struggling to pull something on wheels and covered in more tattered tarp towards the Bureau. Haru immediately darted to the coat rack to pull on a raincoat and her shoes, and ran back out to help.
"Here you go." Haru handed over a warm cup of tea, though for the small Creation it was more like a large mug – she still reached for it eagerly and wrapped both hands around it as she thanked her host.
"It's my husband's special blend of tea," Haru commented over her shoulder as she poured herself a cup. "It's a little different each time he makes it, so I can't guarantee the flavor."
As she took a careful sip and moaned in pleasure at the taste, Haru took the opportunity to look over her client.
The tarp had since been discarded to reveal a little fairy of a girl dressed in a pale pink ballet dress, with a large rose at the waist and the pointe shoes Haru had noticed before. Her shiny brown hair was partially pulled in a bun, the rest framing her face in ringlets, and everything about her as dainty as a porcelain doll.
Come to think of it, that's probably exactly what she is, Haru mused as she took a sip from her own cup. A little porcelain doll. "Feel better?" She asked as the ballerina cradled her teacup, her face blissful, and she hummed in affirmation. "My name's Haru Yoshioka. What's yours?"
The doll hesitated, as if she had to think about it. "Katherine Langford," she said eventually. "Yes, that is the name my creator gave me, after his daughter. And this is Jack." She turned her head to look melancholically at what she'd been so desperate to bring in out of the rain. "That is the name I gave him."
Haru turned to look at the figure as well; it was a toy soldier standing straight and stiff, smartly dressed in a red and white uniform and carrying a pike. One would think that the first thing noticed of him was his missing left leg, cut off at the knee, but it was his face that drew in attention – what should have been a lifeless and empty face was full of warmth and longing. His mouth was curled in a gentle smile, and his blue eyes were fixated on the ballerina sitting on the couch, sending a clear message of love.
"…He's not a Creation, is he?" Haru asked softly, setting down her tea. Katherine shook her head.
"No, he's not." She carefully set her cup on the table in front of her and clasped her hands together on her lap. "We were both created by a toymaker, but I was part of his masterpiece. He poured his heart into a beautiful clock in honor of the daughter I mentioned, and I was its centerpiece. He loved working on me and the clock so much that I came to life. I suppose that he also had a touch of magic that he poured in as well, because afterwards every time my clock struck midnight, the toys in his workshop came to life."
Her smile turned bittersweet. "My Jack was not created so lovingly. He was part of a set of tin soldiers for the toymaker's son, and he didn't even have enough tin to finish his leg. He was shunned by his fellow soldiers for it when they all came to life, because he couldn't keep up or march in time with them."
"But then you two met?" Haru coaxed, and Katherine perked up and giggled.
"He spotted me posing in an arabesque, and he thought I only had one leg too." She held one hand to her mouth to try and contain her mirth. "He looked so sad when I put my leg down!"
Fondness overcame her laughter, and she gazed adoringly at her soldier. "Even so, it was almost love at first sight. He's just so sweet, and brave. And playful! I'm never bored when I'm with him."
"And he doesn't let his leg stop him!" She gestured her hands wildly. "He's always moving around, and he's so fast – that's why I named him Jack. Our maker's son had this little rhyme he liked to recite: 'Jack be nimble-"
"'-Jack be quick, Jack jumped over the candlestick'," Haru finished with her, and grinned. "I remember that. So why'd you leave?"
The ballerina became solemn again, her eyes downcast. "There was another toy – he wanted me for himself. I didn't much like him even before I met Jack, but he became worse after we met. He kept attacking Jack and tried to keep us separate. One night, he managed to push Jack out the window." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and her hands clenched into fists. "I thought I lost him forever. The other toys can't move outside the workshop, away from my clock; even if he survived the fall, he couldn't make his way back on his own."
As if the thought was too much to bear, Katherine launched herself off the couch and threw her arms around her soldier. Haru forgot for a moment that Jack was immobile, for his eyes were so full of sadness and longing that she was surprised he didn't immediately hold Katherine close and never let her go.
"I'm sorry," Katherine sniffed as she looked back at her host. "But it was a miracle that brought him back to me, and I just couldn't bear the thought of losing him again. We just had to leave."
"But I thought you said you guys couldn't move away from your clock?"
"They can't, but I can. I'm a Creation – I can move at will. We found a toy cart that I could pull for Jack, and I knew how to find the Refuge. We agreed that if we could just make it somewhere safe, I could find a way to give him life again."
"Well, you came to the right place." Haru stood up and crouched next to the couple. "This is the Cat Bureau; my husband started it to help people. And I think I know how to help you two."
"Are you sure about this?" Katherine asked doubtfully as Haru looked through Baron's collection of record discs.
"It can't hurt to try," Haru replied cheerily as she held one up triumphantly. "You were made by someone pouring their heart into you, right? Plus, from what I've seen, both Creations and the Refuge have magic we can access. If you dance for Jack and really put your heart into it, your magic and the Refuge's magic should give him life." She went over to the gramophone tucked in the corner and beamed at Katherine. Seeing that she still looked doubtful, she added "Why do you think I'm able to be this size? It's something Baron and I really wanted with all our hearts, so now I shrink when I'm here at the Refuge."
Everything set up, she moved to Katherine's side and went down on one knee, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Just trust me. Believe in yourself. If I'm wrong, we'll just wait for Baron and the others to come back. But I know you can do it."
The ballerina closed eyes and took a deep breath. Letting it all out, she locked eyes with Haru and nodded. Smiling, Haru darted back to the gramophone and hopped onto the couch they'd pushed against the wall next to it. All of the furniture had been pushed up against the wall to make space for the Creation, and Jack was placed at the front of the room.
Katherine positioned herself in the center of the room, raised her arms over her head, and waited for her cue. Haru turned the gramophone on, and a single violin crooned from the horn over the sound of the rain.
Gracefully, Katherine lowered one arm as she swung a leg around into an arabesque, slowly turning on pointe to the music. Facing toward Jack, she quickly pirouetted and performed little tiny steps on pointe towards him, arms outstretched.
The little ballerina glided and twirled and flitted all around the room, her eyes never leaving her beloved soldier. As the music swelled, Haru was reminded of the day Baron first played this song for her, and she saw the same love and hope between the two that she had seen shining in Baron's eyes.
Katherine stopped before Jack and posed in the ballet mime for love, her hands over her heart, then reached one hand out to him. Suddenly, from her hand appeared little sparkles that floated around Jack like fireflies. She didn't seem to notice, her eyes locked with his as she kept dancing. Every time she held out her hand to him more lights appeared around him, making him almost glow. Finally she took the rose from her waist, closed her eyes and held it close to her face as she pirouetted, until she was in front of him once again. The music began to wind down, and she gave him a gentle, brief kiss, before sinking down to one knee, her other leg stretched out before her as she bowed over it, the rose held above her head.
Haru watched in awe as the lights that surrounded Jack began to sink into his chest, one by one until they were all gone. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, then he blinked. He blinked again as his face moved into an expression of surprise, then he lifted his hand to look at it. He then saw Katherine, still bowed before him, the rose still held aloft above her head. His smile was breathtaking, and he gently took the flower from her hand.
Katherine startled, not having noticed the magic working apparently, and looked up to see Jack holding the rose to his face, smelling it with a grin. The ballerina shrieked in joy and launched herself up at him, and the soldier dropped both the flower and his pike to catch her, swinging her around in his arms laughing with a hopping motion that left Haru impressed.
She was right, she noted with a grin as he stopped spinning and held his beloved close. He really doesn't let his leg stop him. Haru hopped off the couch and danced a little herself around the couple, giggling. "See? I knew you could do it!"
The two looked up at her, Katherine resting her head on his chest with a blissful smile. "Thank you," Jack said warmly. "I don't know how we can ever repay you."
"Katherine did all the work." Haru waved it off. "I'm just glad I could help."
"The rain's stopped," Katherine noticed, and they all looked out the window to see it was true; the rain had tapered off while they were preoccupied until it had ceased. Haru opened the door to the quiet sounds of the night air and the lingering smell of rain.
"You know," Haru mused. "All these other houses are empty at the moment. Now might be as good a time as any for you guys to pick one out for yourselves, if you wanted to."
The couple looked at each other, silently communicating, before looking back at her beaming. "I think that's a wonderful idea," Jack agreed warmly.
The soldier and the ballerina ran off playfully to inspect the other houses surrounding the courtyard, and Haru shook her head fondly before closing the door. I can't wait to tell the guys about my first solo clients, she thought as she began to put the furniture back to rights. I wonder how they'll feel about having neighbors.
I hope you enjoyed reading! I'd appreciate it if you left a review below with any questions/opinions/critiques. Again, I plan to write more cases like this, so if you have any ideas for me, I'd gladly welcome it. Bye!