The Bureau Files: Series 3

ooOoo

"It's said that spirits dwell in objects into which people put their feelings. I've always thought that, if it's true, then the same must be true of artwork. So today, I shall immerse myself in work so as to impart my own spirit into my creations."

Weiss Guertena; Ib

x

Episode 3: The Living Gallery (Part 1)

"Fetch the stick, boy! Fetch! Good boy. Who's a good boy?"

"I can't believe you're petting the thing that tried to bury you last week."

Haru stopped scratching behind the komainu's ears and looked back to Muta, who had somehow managed to scramble up onto one of the roofs of the shrine, where he liked to think he was far out of reach of the Creation. She scoffed. "You didn't need to come, you know."

"Baron thinks it's a good idea if there are always at least two of us when we visit the mongrel."

"Mm." Haru tugged the rather hefty branch out of the komainu's mouth and tapped it against the ground. The komainu watched the stick with preparation to pounce. "So, no luck on the new Creation front?"

"Nada."

"Couldn't Baron just... you know, use magic to locate the new Creations?"

"And how exactly would we do that? If he tried to locate new Creations, the spell would just get messed up with the proximity of his own Creation magic. Nah, he just has to wait for news to crop up of stuff happening. Shouldn't be too hard. The magic probably didn't go too far."

"Since when have you been an expert on magic?" Haru asked. The komainu leapt for the stick and Haru was quick in dropping the branch before it misjudged the distance. A week had passed but there were still times when it underestimated how large it was. Or how small its companions were. "You asked Baron the same thing, didn't you?"

"Have you finished entertaining the dog or are we going to stick around in this dump for much longer? Because I can't tell you how much I love hanging around overgrown tips."

"You're such a grouch. Were you always like this or does being a cat come with a side order of sarcasm?"

"Why don't you take a trip back to the Cat Kingdom and test that theory out?"

"I'm starting to suspect you've always been this way." Haru whistled to the komainu – who had been chewing on the branch upon capturing it – and prompted it back in the direction of its base. The alarm over the attacks had died down, swept away by the next thing in the news, and it seemed like the shrine would disappear back into obscurity.

"We really should name it," Haru pondered.

"Name it? You don't want to name it. You name something, you're just gonna get attached to it and then you'll want to keep it..."

"We kind of are already keeping it," she pointed out. She scratched at the komainu's mane, earning a strange sort of dog-cat purr. "It's already starting to respond to 'boy' and 'dog'."

"Yeah. And?"

"Oh, never mind." Haru turned her full attention back to the creature, grinning as it nudged against her. "Right, time to sleep. Stay, you understand? Stay, and don't go anywhere until we come back."

The komainu rumbled its agreement – it seemed to prefer animal sounds over speech, and with its rough, gravelly voice, Haru couldn't blame it – and sat back on the statue base. There was a ripple of magic and suddenly it was not a creature of flesh and blood, but of stone. Haru patted it fondly on the muzzle.

"Good boy."

"Again, that thing tried to kill you."

"Yeah, but look at him now," Haru said. She started off along the road heading for the bus stop situated before the neighbouring graveyard. "He's nothing but a big softie." She grinned down at her companion. "Just like someone else I know."

"And this is what I get for offering to babysit you."

"I'm pretty sure it's the other way around, Buta."

"Hasn't that gotten old yet, Chicky?"

"Says the cat that's been using 'birdbrain' for the past twenty years. Pot and kettle, much? Hang on, I think my phone's ringing."

"I haven't been using it for twenty years," Muta muttered.

"Uh-huh. Just give me a minute. Michael?"

"Morning." The voice of Haru's boyfriend greeted her cheerfully down the phone. "I hope I haven't caught you at an inconvenient moment?"

"No, don't worry."

"No... Bureau business then?"

"Just finished up now, actually."

"What was it this time? Werewolves? Dragons? Dinosaurs?"

"Dinosaurs?" Haru echoed with a laugh. "I think you have the Bureau confused with someone who owns a Delores. No, it was just a bit of... petsitting."

"Oh."

"Do I detect a tone of disappointment? I wasn't aware you were so fond of the more dangerous Bureau cases."

"No, I only expected something with a little bit more... pizzazz," Michael settled on.

"If it helps, it's a living lion-dog statue."

"Now, that sounds a lot more up your street."

Haru chuckled. "So, did you merely want to hear my lovely voice, or was there a reason for the call?"

"Oh, your lovely voice is always reason enough."

"Smooth." Haru talked over the gagging sounds Muta was making. She wrinkled her nose at the cat as she took a seat at the bus stop. "Mature, Muta. Real mature."

"But, yes, you've caught me," Michael laughed. "I was wondering whether you might be free this afternoon."

"Why, Mister Banner, are you asking me on a date?"

"I believe that is what it's called. How do you feel about the new art gallery that's opened in town?"

"An art gallery?"

"Well, I was thinking it might be a nice change. You know, no running around, no crazy Bureau business and, hey, unlike the pet shop it's not going to smell of animal food or bird poop. So what do you think? If not, we could always see what's on at the theatre or the cinema–"

"No, no, a stroll through an art gallery sounds like just the thing. It's been a while since I last went to one. What's it called?"

"The Guertena Art Gallery. I'm thinking around fourish?"

"Sounds good. Alright, I will see you there, but it looks like the bus is coming so I'll have to catch you later, okay? Alright, bye."

ooOoo

"So how is the komainu fairing?"

Haru swung into the Bureau, dropping off her bag onto the sofa and going for the kettle. "Still friendly, alive, and nameless," she replied in response to Baron's question. "Talking of which, we really need to name it at some point. I don't suppose you have internet in here, do you?"

Muta made a beeline for the sofa, forcing Haru to snatch up her bag before he squashed it. "You've been here for how long, Chicky, and you still have to ask that question?"

"I'm ever hopeful," she said dryly. With the kettle starting to boil, she collected her phone and activated the roaming internet option on there instead. "Only the art gallery is new, so it's not going to be in any maps we have here... Baron, how do you think you spell Guertena?"

"Guertena? Like the artist?"

"Yes. Exactly like the artist. Assuming there's only one."

"G-U-E-R-T-E-N-A."

"Thanks." She started to Google the gallery's location, waiting patiently for the search engine to kick in.

"Why are you asking?"

"She's got a date with the kid," Muta grunted.

"Michael," Haru corrected.

"Hey, anyone younger than me's a kid. And when you get stuck with this lot," and the fat cat motioned vaguely to the Creations, "that's rare enough."

"Haru, did you say that Guertena has a new art gallery of his in town?" Toto asked, ignoring Muta, as he usually did when he wasn't teasing the feline.

"Not so many words, but, yes. Apparently. Why?"

"Weiss Guertena was an artist who has been known to have the potential to craft Creations." Baron answered. He glanced to Toto. "If a collection of his works have been amassed locally, then it might be worth investigating."

"You say that, but I've never heard of a painting coming to life," Haru pointed out. "I mean, if this Guertena's work is well-known enough to get a whole gallery put up of his work, surely people would have, you know, noticed that they're alive. Or something."

"Guertena appeared to have found a way to suppress the life of a Creation," said Baron. "His art appears other-worldly, almost alive to the viewer, in a way that is quite unlike any other. I do not pretend to understand it, nor do I know how he managed to make Creations and then send them into a dormant state, but it is evident from his artwork that there is Creation magic involved."

"And if we have spare Creation magic floating around," Haru continued, "then you're thinking that that dormant state might be broken? There might be a whole gallery filled with–"

"I doubt there will be enough magic for the whole gallery to be active," Baron reassured. "Only a few pieces that are perhaps less dormant than others. Regardless, it would be foolish to overlook such a situation." He rummaged through the drawers of his desk and pulled out a rather dull-looking stone.

"And... what's that?"

"Lapis lazuli."

"I'm not much of an expert on stones, but isn't it, I don't know, meant to be blue?"

Baron gave a feline grin and moved over to show her the rock. Digging the tips of his gloves into a crack, he peeled it open to reveal a sea of glittering stones hidden away inside. "This particular vein of lapis lazuli can capture the magic of Creations. If we discover a Creation that is a danger we cannot control, this gives us a non-destructive method of stopping them."

Haru gently took the stone from him and admired its depths. "Well, at least we'll be prepared." She glanced back to him. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. "I know... this isn't usually your style. Usually you prefer methods less... final."

"Newly-awakened Creations can be dangerous, Haru." Baron retrieved the rock and closed it back together. "Our first priority must be the safety of those around us; you were lucky last week, but there's no guarantee you'll be again."

Haru grimaced. "Thanks for the reminder. So. Plan?"

"It's been far too long since we visited an art gallery. It's about time we amended that grievous oversight."

ooOoo

From the depths of Haru's bag, Baron watched as the brunette glanced down at her phone for the third time in the last five minutes. Sensing they were in an emptier part of the gallery, he risked a whisper.

"Haru, why are you periodically checking your phone?"

She blushed and tucked the mobile back into her jacket pocket. "Sorry. I have a date with Michael here in a few hours... I'm just wondering whether it'd be wiser to cancel." She smiled weakly at the passenger in her bag. "Are you okay in there?"

"Quite comfy, thank you."

"Do you sense anything?"

Baron shifted to see the artwork Haru was standing at. Across the centre of the room, a collection of headless mannequins stood motionless. The trio of statues varied in colour, but all had the same, eerie disposition to them. "No."

"Thank goodness. They're kind of creepy."

"Agreed."

"Moving on?"

"Swiftly."

Haru continued along the gallery, pausing at the displays to see if any of the stray magic had found its way here. Some pieces were quite simple – a painting of a red lady – and others interesting – such as the display that seemed to be made of rainbow candy – while others were simply disturbing. Haru stood before one of the third persuasion, trying not to grimace. A sculpture of a tall, blue lady slumped where it sat, its skirts pooling on the floor as if it were melting.

"Anything?"

"No."

"Just what I wanted to hear." She headed into the next section to where a long, landscape painting swirled with fantastical, nonsensical colours. "You know, it's a shame Muta and Toto couldn't come," she said. "I guess we couldn't sneak everyone in. All the same, I would have loved to hear their thoughts on this place."

There was a thud from an air vent above and Haru was suddenly greeted with something akin to a sandbag slamming down onto her.

"Nice going, fatso. With a little more aim, you could kill someone with that move."

"Some of us weren't born with wings, chicken-breath."

Haru groaned and peeled her face off the floor enough to see the wad of white fur pinning her down. "And I had to go and open my big mouth. What are you doing, guys?"

"Did ya think we'd let you have all the fun?"

"You know they don't allow animals into galleries. Now, if you don't mind, please, get off me."

"Eh. Sorry."

There was a short scrabble as the Bureau untangled itself and returned back to their respective feet, paws, and claws. Haru rubbed her back ruefully, pointedly staring at Muta, and then remembered the figurine in her bag.

"Ah, shoot! Baron?!"

A hand rose out of the hand, easing its way between the tumble of mess that had become unseated at Haru's sudden fall. "For the record," a muffled voice managed, "I'm fine. Can someone de-glove me, please?"

Muttering apologies, Haru rummaged through the bag to find that Baron had, indeed, become somewhat caught up in a woollen, left-handed glove. She tried – and failed – to resist a snicker as she freed him from its entanglements. "Need a hand?"

Baron brushed down his suit, picking off the loose strands that had come free from the glove. "Very funny, Haru." He pulled himself up and leant out of the bag to get a better view of their surroundings. Somehow, the arrival of the rest of the Bureau had gone unnoticed, and their corner of the gallery was still very much empty. "Well, now that you two are here, you might as well stay, as long as you can avoid attracting attention."

"They're a cat and a crow," Haru unhelpfully pointed out. "How exactly are they going to do that?"

"Point made."

"Yeah, but I don't think I can climb back up there," Muta grunted, nodding to the air duct they had broken through upon entry.

"You should have thought of that earlier," Haru muttered. She approached the painting stretching the hallway, jumping a little when Toto landed on her shoulder. "Fabricated World," she read aloud. She looked back up to the painting. The colours were bizarre, except for the references to Guertena's other artworks dotted about within. It was... quite mesmerising... Her fingers brushed against the frame absent-mindedly.

"Haru..."

"What?"

The lights of the gallery flickered and the tinny music that had been floating through, died. The silence that replaced it seemed... heavy somehow. Eventually the lights settled on a dim glow.

"Powercut?" she whispered. "Faulty generator or something?"

"Whatever it is, at least the lights are holding out for now," Muta said.

"I'm not sure," said Baron. "But that painting was definitely giving off Creation magic before. And, now..."

"There's magic all across the gallery," Toto finished.

"Not good?" Haru asked.

"Bit not good. Hey, fatso! What are you doing?"

Haru turned to see Muta scurrying along the corridor to the next section of the gallery. "You'll be spotted," she hissed.

"No, I won't."

"What makes you so sure?"

"That's easy." Muta sat down at the corner of the corridor and pointed a padded paw along the gallery. "Because there's no one here."

The rest quickly followed and confirmed that, indeed, it was now deserted. "Maybe... they all moved to another part?" Haru weakly suggested. "Maybe there was an announcement we missed... or something?" She doubted it, though. They were never that lucky.

"Nah, Chicky. This corridor's been deserted for a while now. Almost. I can smell it."

"Almost?" she echoed.

"A couple of people have passed through here, but that's about it. It doesn't smell like a busy place."

"Maybe they'll know what's going on," Haru suggested.

"Or they're part of all this."

"You always know exactly what to say, Muta."

"Haru, can you set me down?" Baron asked. "It might be better if I fly with Toto for now."

"Sure thing."

"We should probably continue our exploration of the gallery and discern whether things have changed with the sudden shift in Creation magic," he continued. He leapt onto Toto's back and the two took to the air. "Although, this time around, perhaps we should stay together. Who knows what we're going to find here."

"More empty corridors?" Muta offered. He trotted across the hallway and glanced down the stairs leading back to the gallery's reception. "Hey, Chicky. Whatcha looking at?"

"The windows... It was early afternoon when we arrived," she said. She tapped against the glass. "Now look at it. It's pitch black out there. Is it possible that we've skipped time or something?"

"Doubtful," Baron answered. "If it was merely night, one would expect to be able to see the street lights from here. Which makes it all the more strange."

As the rest of the Bureau started down the stairway, Haru lingered. She leant against the window, straining to see something other than the darkness. Then something did flicker and she found herself jumping back with nerves. She laughed a moment later.

Just her own reflection. She turned away.

"Haru, please don't linger."

"I know, I know."

There was a bang behind her.

She leapt around and now, where there had been only blackness before, there was the smudge of a handprint on the other side of the glass.

"What the–"

"Haru! Are you coming?"

Haru narrowed her eyes at the window, but now it all seemed still. She slowly stepped away before eventually turning around to follow after the rest of the Bureau. "Baron, this place is giving me the jitters. Something just slammed a hand against that window back there."

"Did you see what it was?"

"No." Haru rubbed at the back of her neck, trying to smooth away the nerves. "To be perfectly honest, it kind of feels like we're just being messed with. Let's get going."

The reception area was as empty as the upper gallery, made eerier yet by the flickering lights. Haru tried the front doors, only to be greeted with the rattle of a stubborn lock.

"We could break a window or something," Muta offered.

"Then where would that get us?" Toto scoffed. "We have to find the new Creation."

"Before it finds anyone else," Baron added. "Let's try the next room. Haru, if you wouldn't mind trying these doors..."

"Sure thing." She left the gallery's exit behind her and tried the ones Baron was motioning to instead. They came open with a willing click, to reveal a long, blue corridor pockmarked with letters dotted along the walls.

The Bureau stood silently at the threshold.

"What is this place?" Haru eventually managed.

"What's the matter?" Muta asked. "Didn't ya come through here earlier or something?"

"We did," Baron said. "But these doors led through into quite a different area before. This... This is new."

Haru stepped through and started to examine the letters decorating the walls. "Come," she read aloud. "Just... over and over." She glanced back to the others. "Should we do as it says?"

"Yeah, sure," Muta grunted. "Just follow the creepy instructions pasted over the walls. Can't see how that can go wrong."

"Do you have any better ideas?" she asked flatly.

"Yeah. Skedaddle."

"Uh-huh." Emboldened by the fact that nothing much had happened upon entering the corridor, Haru began to continue along, doing her best to ignore the wonky letters littering the walls beside her. "Hey, Baron! There's a door here. Looks like it might lead somewhere if we move this table out of the way."

Toto flew over to Haru, alighting on her shoulder. Baron stepped off and took a seat on her other shoulder. "It doesn't look too heavy," he gauged. "You should be able to shift it without too much trouble."

"It's easy to say that when you're not the one doing the work." All the same, Haru leant her weight against the low table and easily budged it along. She misjudged the adjacent wall and the table jolted into it, unsettling the vase of roses atop it.

Instinctively she reached out to catch it, snatching up the vase in one hand and a single escaped rose in the other. She exhaled slowly and returned the vase to the table. "That was close." She raised the rose up to her face for inspection. There were two roses in total – the one she'd caught was a gentle lavender, while the other still in the vase was a vibrant orange. "Unusual colours, huh?"

"Chicky, don't turn around now, but I think ya'd better put it back."

"Why – oh–"

Where the word "Come" had once been spelt, now "Thief" covered the walls in menacing repetition. Haru backed away, and the letters appeared from her footprints. "Oh, come on. It was an accident! Look," she said, "I'm putting it back. Right where I found... it..." She turned around, but now the table had vanished, to be replaced with a sign pinned to the wall. "Oh, COME ON! Doesn't this place have any consistency?" she demanded. "It's like being in a dream!"

"You and the rose are unified," Toto read from the sign. "You must know the weight of your own life."

"'Cause that ain't threatening in the least," Muta said.

"There's more," Baron added. "When the rose rots, so too will you rot away."

"I don't like this," Haru murmured. "Now what do I do?"

"If the flower's linked to ya life, Chicky, then I suggest you keep good hold of it."

"He may be right," Baron said. "Better for you to protect it, lest it falls into the hands of someone less vigilant."

Haru tucked it carefully into her bag and could be heard to mutter, "Why is it always me?"

"'Cause yer stick yer nose in other people's business."

"Firstly, it was a rhetorical question," Haru retorted, pushing the door open and stepping through into another, equally-blue room, "and, secondly, I thought that was more Baron's department."

"What can I say, Chicky? He must be rubbing off on you."

"Why do you make that sound like an insult?" Baron asked.

"Have you seen the trouble you get into? I could be a nicely retired cat at this point, but instead I'm stuck here creeping around haunted galleries."

"In all fairness," Haru pointed out, "you were the one who decided to come." She rubbed at the back of her head subconsciously. "We told you two to wait outside."

"Haru – wait!"

At Baron's curt command, Haru halted. "What?"

The Creation on her shoulder pointed down to a plaque on the floor. Muta waddled over to it.

"Beware the edges," he read. He narrowed his eyes at the thin corridor before them. "Edge of what?"

"At a guess, I would say the walls," Baron offered.

"It's kind of nice for them to give us warning," Haru said. She shuffled forward along the corridor, being wary to follow the vague instructions. "I wonder what's so bad about the walls..."

A moment later, a silhouetted hand shot out from the wallpaper and grasped about in the empty air. Haru screeched and jumped back. She knocked against the wall on the other side and another hungry hand reached out. There was a scream as she leapt again back to the middle, and only afterwards did she realise it had been her. She ran along the rest of the corridor until she came to the end, where it widened out to reveal another door.

Here she collapsed against the wall, gasping for breath. It seemed the hands were only located along the narrower stretch of the passageway. Thankfully. Here there was only a door, accompanied by another vase. She dropped to her knees to examine the damage.

Baron slipped down to the floor, a little unsteady after the sudden buckaroo ride. "What happened? Did it get you?"

"Just scratched, I think." She pulled her torn sleeve up to reveal a fresh assortment of bloodied scars running across her arm. "And I liked that shirt," she said reproachfully.

"Should've kept away from the walls, Chicky."

"Wow, I didn't think of that, Muta. Thank you."

"No need to get sarcastic, kid."

"Pot and kettle," she retorted. She dropped her bag to one side and started to rummage through it for the first aid kit, bringing out the rose in the process. And, as she finally located the bandages, a single purple petal came with it.

Baron picked it up as Haru began to bind the scars. Then he examined the rose, his eyes flickering between it, the fallen petal, and the vase on the table. "Don't... cover your wounds just yet," he said slowly. "I have an idea. Could you possibly lift me to that table?"

Haru gave him her particular brand of 'look' that she reserved for his ideas, and then wound the bandage tight, tying it into place for now. "Let me at least stop myself from bleeding everywhere first." She offered her hand to him and, once he had stepped up onto it, raised it to the table beside her. "So what's this... plan?"

"It's like you observed before. This place runs on rules much like a dream – random, but logical in its own way."

"That's not exactly what I said."

"And so, perhaps we may find that this vase performs a service of sorts," he finished, ignoring Haru's comment. He dropped the rose into the vase and, upon the moment its stem met the water, its purple petals gave off an eerie glow. When the light subsided, the gap where the fallen petal had been was now filled.

Baron turned to Haru with a smug grin of feline proportions. "See?"

"Yeah, yeah," Muta said. "So it goes glowy and grows back. So what?"

"Haru, would you show us the injury you sustained from the hands?"

She glanced to the rest of the Bureau, shrugged, and untied the hastily-knotted bandage. As it came loose, it slipped away to reveal an unmarred arm. Her eyebrows raised and she flexed her fingers as if expecting the scratch to ease back into place. "Okay. Colour me impressed."

"I believe the plaque was being very literal in its warning. That petal," and here he motioned to the petal beside the first aid kit, "fell, I suspect, when you were attacked. The more wounds you accumulate, the fewer petals will remain on the rose."

A pregnant pause followed Baron's announcement. Muta was the first to break it.

"So... what happens if all the petals fall?"

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

Haru paled. "Fantastic. I always feel so much better after these little talks. Can we move on?" She withdrew the rose back from Baron and moved back to her feet.

The next doorway led through into a large, spacey red room that was divided up by a maze of thin wall partitions. Along the edges were repetitions of the same painting – all of a lady that Haru recalled was originally red back in the art gallery. Now, however, they were an assortment of colours. They gave her the creeps. She shivered and started along the edge of the room. "Let's just get going."

"Those statues are kinda creepy too," Muta muttered.

"What statues?" Haru paused and looked along one of the partitions. The partitions ran parallel across the room and at the end of them were the headless mannequin dolls that Haru also remembered from the original gallery. Only now there were plenty more. All thankfully still and silent.

For now.

There was a crash across the room, but no apparent cause. Then again, most of the room was blocked off by the partitions. The group hurried on.

They passed by more portraits of the lady – all the same lady but simply varied in colour – until they came to another door. Haru tried it.

"Locked."

"Well, there will probably be a key about somewhere. I believe there is a door further along?"

There were two more doors, in fact. Muta nudged the one closest and it swung inward. The only thing present was another vase, but it was not empty. A bright orange rose, identical to the one that had been Haru's rose's companion, occupied it.

The door swung silently behind them as they approached the singular object of note.

"Do... Do you think I can return my rose?" Haru asked. "If I put it back, will the connection be broken?"

"You could try," Toto offered.

She removed the blossom from her bag and gently returned it to the vase. It glowed gently – although it had no petals to rejuvenate – but otherwise there was no grand response. No signs on the floor like last time or abrupt messages.

"So... feel any different, Chicky?"

"... Not really. How do we test this?"

"There's one easy way." Muta pushed himself onto his back paws and tugged a single petal off between his teeth.

A searing burst of pain shot through Haru, and she felt the wound from earlier opening again. Small tears pricked at her eyes from the shock of the brief, but sharp, sting. "You could have warned me," she growled. She snatched the rose out of the vase, now sans one petal. The water in the vase had disappeared upon her originally soaking the rose, so she couldn't easily heal it.

"Haru, do you still hurt?"

"No, Baron. It was just a twinge." She glowered at Muta. "I just wasn't expecting it." She drew the bandages out of her bag again and started to bind it with the ease of much practice.

"Hey, you said you needed to test it."

"You can make your own angel food cake in future."

Muta moaned at the injustice, while Toto cackled and landed on the table. "All the same, Haru; that was just one petal. If one petal can do that..."

"Then I really don't want to damage it any more, I know." Haru glanced down at the orange rose, still untouched. "Why is the other one there though? It's almost like it wants to be picked..."

"Why don't ya? Then you'll have twice the petals to lose."

"You're really not being helpful, Muta. Anyway, I don't feel... like it's meant for me. I can't explain it." She tied off the bandages and fingered the lavender rose gently. "It's like... this one called to me."

Muta gave a very forced cough. "Crazy."

"But not stupid," she huffed. "Or deaf. Stop that." She nudged the fat feline with her toe pointedly, before turning to the other cat. "Baron, what's your thoughts on this?"

The Creation was eyeing the rose. He had been unusually silent throughout the exchange. "I think it would be wisest for all involved if it was left untouched. Matters are quite complicated enough without another rose on the scene."

There was a scream from the main room beyond. The Bureau jumped and went running back out.

"What was that about complications?" Haru laughed.

They skidded back out into the main room, but there was no clear sign of the disruption. That was, until the third door – the door they had yet to try – opened and a trio of individuals sped out and knocked into the Bureau. Haru found herself thudding to the ground, with a twin bump as one of the newcomers made a similar fall.

She groaned and pushed herself back up. Her hands and elbows had taken the brute of the fall and she could feel the bruises already colouring. "Why me? Why is it always me?"

"It's 'cause you're the largest," Muta muttered.

"That makes no sense."

"There's more of you to run into. Now, get off."

Haru looked at the cat caught up under her legs. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I fall on you? I can't imagine what that must feel like."

"Very funny."

"Call it karma," she laughed, but she released the trapped feline. He scooted away and now Haru looked to the newcomers.

One was a young man, in his late teens or early twenties, and the other two were young girls of about nine years of age. Where one girl – a brunette – was dressed in a red and white school uniform, the other possessed a mane of blonde locks and a forest green smock. The man was the one who had screamed, and he seemed no calmer as he scrabbled away from the strangers. In his defence, the Bureau were a strange lot.

The two little girls, in comparison, seemed unfazed by the events before them. But then, they had probably encountered far stranger during their time in this living gallery. Haru dusted herself off and then shifted to a kneeling position, extending a hand to the girl nearer to her – the brunette in this case. "Hello there. I'm Haru. And this is Baron, Toto, and Muta." She pointed to each in turn. "What's your names?"

The girl blinked, and several dubious seconds ticked by. The blonde to her side skipped forward with a bubbly grin and dropped her tiny hand in Haru's. "I'm Mary," she said with a laugh. "And this is Ib."

Muta snorted. "Is that a real name?"

"Muta!" Haru gave a decidedly harsher nudge to the fat cat than before. "It's a very pretty name. Both of them. And what about your… other friend?" Brother? Friend? Relation? What were they even doing here?

The young man had finally composed himself, dusting down his bedraggled, slightly over-dramatic coat with an overall air of sheepishness. "Garry," he said. "Are you lost in this gallery too?"

"Just a bit." Haru spotted that Ib was clutching a red rose in her hand, and gave a sudden squeak of excitement. "You have one too!" She gestured to the flower, while trying to retrieve her own in the same moment. She almost dropped her bag in the process. "Does it drop petals when you get hurt as well?"

There was a pause from the other three, and Garry brought out a rose of his own. "And wounds appear when the petals are lost." His eyes travelled over the rest of the Bureau. "And... who are they?"

Abruptly, Haru realised that, to a stranger's eyes, Baron was not too unlike the animated artworks that attacked without discrimination. "He's a Creation," she interceded. "A little like the living paintings, but... different. And so is Toto. They're all friendly. It's okay." She really wasn't doing her best explanations here. Perhaps she should have left it to Baron.

There was another crash, and Garry jumped more than any of them. Ib shuffled closer to the young man.

"Anyone know what that is?" Haru asked.

"I'll bet next week's cake that it files under 'not good'."

"I said I wasn't making you any cake," she scowled. She noticed that the newcomers – or Garry, to be precise – was staring at Muta. "I know he talks – it's fine. It's getting him to shut up that's the trick. So... any clue as to what made that sound?"

"It's the Ladies," Garry said. "They come to life."

"And by the Ladies, you mean the portrait of the woman that is repeated all across this room?" Toto asked. "Those Ladies?"

There was another crash and now they could hear the sound of a painting frame being dragged across the floor. Multiple frames, in fact. All heading their way.

"We could just hide in the room back there," Muta whispered.

"It's a dead end," Haru reminded him curtly. "What about you, Garry? How did that room back there look?"

"Another dead end, but it might be better than waiting out here to get caught–"

"And then what?" Baron asked. "The Ladies will simply block us in and then we will truly be out of options. There was a third door back there – locked, but perhaps it will yield a more permanent solution. Does anyone have a key?"

"Like this?" Ib piped. Her voice was soft, however it didn't seem to be because of nerves or shyness, but simply because she was naturally soft-spoken. She brought a bright red key out of her pocket.

"That fell when one of the Red Ladies came after us," Garry said.

"Well, hurry up and try the door, kiddo! I don't want to be snacks for any hungry paintings."

The enlarged group dashed back to where the first door had been, but now it was open. Without too much time for asking questions, they fled in and slammed the door behind them. Another door stood across the room, but for now they came to a halt.

"Let's just... catch our breath for now," Garry gasped. "Who knows what might be in the next room."

"Agreed. At least it seems that the doors will keep our attackers out," Baron said.

"But what about the windows?" Ib asked, and she pointed to the two windows that looked out to the main room they had just escaped from.

There was a long, long pause.

"Can they come through the windows?" Haru whispered.

There was a loud thud from one window.

"It looks like that's about to be answered, Chicky."

"Then I suggest, Miss Ib, that we use that key at your disposal to move on," Baron said. There was another thud, and Haru saw the shadow on the other side throw itself against the glass. "Quickly."

The little girl nodded and went for the door. At the same moment, one of the Ladies succeeded and the glass came smashing in.

It was indeed a Red Lady, but she had been transformed from the serene painting she had been back at the original gallery. Now she was torn free from the canvas – or, at least, her upper half was – and she dragged herself forward, hauling her frame behind her. She was beyond any form of human language, denoted to only the most basic of animalistic growls.

If they had somewhere to run to, the slow onslaught would have been laughable. But, as things stood, they were blocked in an enclosed space with a snarling, clawing creature coming for them. And, if she was a Creation like Baron or Toto were, then she would only tire long after they did.

Haru stood before Mary and heaved a bookcase over, sending it toppling almost over the woman. The Red Lady pushed herself back just in time and continued her relentless advancement. "Ib, how is that door coming?"

"It's jammed!"

There was another crash and a Green Lady landed through the remaining window. She was built much like the Red Lady, only with a change of paint. Garry followed after Haru's cue, and started to pull on the nearest bookcase. "It's okay, Ib! You can do it."

There was a click and Ib gave a cry of relief.

"Good job!" Haru threw one last book at the Green Lady and turned to run, only for the Red Lady to get a swipe in at her ankle. She gave a yelp and delivered a nasty kick in retaliation. She was the last to run through the door, which Muta and Toto slammed the moment she passed.

The corridor before them was long and empty and – thankfully – silent.

The group came to a complete halt, all in various states of after-panic. Toto and Muta were almost too shaken to bicker, while Baron tried to rein in their argument, and across the corridor Garry was kneeling down beside a shaken Ib.

Haru joined the latter two, and saw that the little girl was no longer so steady on her feet. She had seemed so quietly able during their short interactions – she had shown so little fear in the face of meeting them – that Haru only now remembered how young their charge was. "Is everything okay?"

She arrived just in time to see Ib faint.

ooOoo

It was a subdued group that gathered in the following room.

Here, the wallpaper had shifted from its blood-red shade to a purple instead, and only a single painting hung over one such wall. A still-unconscious Ib was wrapped in the protective folds of Garry's coat, while the owner himself sat across the other side of the room. Mary sat beside the still form of her friend, worriedly waiting for her to wake.

Haru approached Garry and crouched down before him, with the Bureau following at her heels. She collected a bottle of water from her bag and offered it to him. "Have some. You're probably going to need it."

He smiled weakly and took the drink. "Thank you."

"So, now might be a good time to ask how you ended up here with two kids on your tail," she prompted gently. "Did you know either of them before this all started?"

Garry paused in drinking to shake his head. He recapped the bottle, but didn't return it to her. "Ib was the first one I found – or, rather, she found me in this place. One of the Ladies had taken my rose, and Ib was the one to rejuvenate and return it to me. We came across Mary later in our pursuit for an exit, and decided that our best chance of escape lay in banding together. The more the merrier, after all!" He gave a tired smile, and Haru wondered how long he had been maintaining a positive façade for the two girls.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

Garry frowned. "It's... It's hard to say. Sometimes it feels like barely any time has passed at all, and at others we could have been here weeks..."

"In places where there is an overabundance of magic, such as this place, time often becomes difficult to discern," Baron said. "I doubt, however, that it has been weeks, since the art gallery had only recently opened when we became trapped, but our main priority should be locating an exit for now. Mr Garry, may we take a closer look at your rose?"

"It's just Garry." The young brought forth the flower he had kept in hand after using his coat to bundle up the unconscious Ib. The blossom was a bright, beautiful blue. "And... considering what happened last time I lost this rose, I hope you won't begrudge me if I keep it for now."

"I understand."

"It's blue," Haru said. She reached out to prod its petals, and then remembered the situation when Garry moved it away. "Sorry. It's just... I don't think I've ever seen a blue rose before."

"They do not naturally exist," Baron said. "However, mankind has attempted for many years to attain such colouration through dyeing and genetic manipulation. And, all this in consideration, it is not as though our current location is particularly hindered by reality."

Muta snorted and joined them. "Gee, what tipped ya, Baron? Was it perhaps the monster ladies or the funky roses that gave the game away?"

"So you've got that blue rose," Haru remarked, ignoring Muta's less-than-helpful comments, "and Ib has her red rose, and I have mine... so who does the orange one belong to? Wait, does Mary have a rose too?"

"She possesses a yellow rose," Garry said. And then, a moment later, he echoed with, "The orange one?"

"Yeah. When I took mine, there was an orange rose with it. So... does that mean there's another person here? I don't know about you, but when I took mine, I... I just knew it was for me. Even if it was mostly accidental," she muttered. "So the orange rose is probably for a certain person, right?"

"Maybe," Baron said.

"Hey! Ib's waking up!" Mary cried.

"At last," Garry muttered. He rose back to his feet and joined the tiny brunette's side. "Rise and shine, Ib. How do you feel?"

The child was clutching at the coat that had served as a blanket as she stared a little too anxiously at the crowd about her. "I had a nightmare," she murmured.

Garry's brow creased. "Oh... I see. You poor thing... I can't say I'm surprised... Being exposed to such frightful sights... you know? Perhaps I should have woken you. I'm sorry... I didn't even notice."

Ib was silent. It seemed to be her natural state. Luckily, Mary seemed to be more than able to fill the silence. "Hey, Ib, I'm sure you'll be fine! We're going to get out of here together, after all!"

Garry offered the bottle of water that Haru had lent him. "Here. Don't worry... We don't need to go just yet. Let's rest here a while longer before we set out again." He grinned down at the little girl when she finished with the water. "Ib, would you look in the pocket of that coat?"

She rummaged in the aforementioned pocket and brought out a yellow sweet.

"You can have that," Garry said. "Feel free to eat it." For a moment, his façade faltered, but it was back up and beaming a moment later. "I may not be the most reliable person for such a situation... But if you find yourself thinking, "I can't take it anymore!" just tell me, okay? If need be, I'll try to carry you on my shoulder."

Ib considered this, and then gave a swift nod.

"Great! When you're ready to get moving, just say so."

The lights in the room flickered and then went entirely. The gathering of Bureau and lost humans was dropped into absolute darkness and there was a scattering bout of exclamations.

"It's alright," Baron was saying. "I can summon my magic–"

"I have my lighter," Garry said at the same time. He was quicker in bringing forth a light, banishing the darkness with the small flame of the lighter. Mary gave a squeak of surprise as the open flame flickered into life. "That's better..."

"Turn it off!" Mary ordered. "Turn it off!"

"Maybe ya should listen to her," Muta said slowly. "I don't think this place likes fire."

Across the room, freshly-scrawled writing was scattered along the walls and floors of the otherwise quiet room. "NO" encompassed one wall, while "DON'T KILL ME" swallowed the floor entirely. Haru slowly moved away from the wall that was scarred with "STOP".

"Can we move on to the next room?" Haru whispered. She eyed the nearest warning, scrawled across the floor as it was. "I really don't want to stick around here."

Muta pushed against her legs. "I agree with Chicky. Let's go."

"Good decision," Garry said, and he pushed forward onto the next door. The corridor was violet, like the room they had just left, and thankfully with the lights working. Garry quickly snuffed out the lighter before this corridor could react to the open flame as well. "Mary, are you okay? The room back there didn't scare you, did it?"

As he knelt down before the little blonde, Mary gave a nervous shake of her head. "No. I'm okay."

"That room was a little frightening," he assured her, "and it's okay to be frightened. We'll just keep on moving together, that's the ticket! We'll get out of here all together, I promise. Okay?"

Mary edged towards Ib. "Yeah. I'm fine."

As one group, they continued along the hallway. This one was mercifully a good deal less eventful than the ones that had come before, although the eyes of the paintings seemed to watch them pass by. Haru hurried over to where Toto and Baron were slowly flying, with Muta close on her heels.

"This place is still pretty creepy," she whispered. "How big do you think it is?"

"It's difficult to say," Baron replied.

"I mean, the art gallery only had, like, four rooms. This doesn't add up."

"That's because this is no longer the art gallery we started out in."

"Wait." Muta stopped and Haru almost tripped over him in the process. "So where are we? 'Cause this looks an awful lot like the gallery."

Toto snickered at Muta's expense. "Have you really not worked it out yet, puddingbrain?"

"I'm also in the dark here," Haru idly reminded him. "So, where are we?"

"We're inside one of the paintings."

"What?" There was a skittering of small feet, and Ib ran over to join the Bureau. Mary and Garry followed quickly behind. "We're in a painting?"

"Yes."

Haru pondered Baron's answer. "This all began when we were standing in front of that landscape piece," she said. "What was it called, again? Fantastic World?"

"Fabricated World," he amended. "Yes. It was only after standing before that painting that the gallery apparently came alive. That was because we were pulled into the world of the painting, in which the other art pieces come alive. This would explain a lot."

"Are ya gonna add to that or are ya just gonna leave it at that?"

"I was about to continue, Muta. Like I mentioned back at the Refuge, Guertena is an artist who has been known to create Creations–"

"Smoothly said."

Baron ignored Muta this time around. "–but his artworks do not appear to be alive like most Creations – for example, myself and Toto."

"Yeah, we got that."

"I was merely adding it for the benefit of those not acquainted with Creations. As I was saying – and please refrain from further comment, Muta–"

"Eh."

"–most Creations are able to come alive and move about." A vein twitched in Baron's forehead at Muta's stubborn contributions. "Not Guertena's works, however."

"What if they only came alive at night or something?" Haru asked. "You know, like Night at the Museum."

"I – what?"

Haru hesitated. "Sorry. Movie reference. But what if they do only come alive when people aren't around, and that's why there's no record of the paintings being... you know, magical or something?"

"We investigated into Guertena's pieces years ago," Toto said. "We never spoke to the man, because we were not sure whether he was aware of what he was creating, but it was clear that the artworks are not awake, like we are."

"Toto is correct. We quickly established that the artworks you see in the gallery are, for want of a better word, dormant. However, that Creation potential must go somewhere. It is now clear that the painting he called Fabricated World was used as a way to store that magic. Thus, he created artworks that almost seemed alive, without having the complication of sentient Creations."

"So... like, a super-Creation?"

Baron smiled. "I suppose so."

"Which is why all the paintings are coming alive here. Because they're like... echoes of the original Creations or something?"

"Precisely that."

"That's all fine and good, but how're we gonna get out of here then?" Muta trundled over to Haru. "What about your portal magic, Chicky?"

"I can't do it without something that is already a dormant portal."

"Eh. Fat lot of good you are."

"Look who's talking." Haru was about to add more when their progress along the quiet corridor came to a shambling halt at the branching hallway that lay before them. Two doors – identical in every aspect – lay at the end of two corridors separated at a fork. At the critical junction hung a painting of vibrant yellow flowers entangled thick with vines.

"Meh. Multiple choice. I hate multiple choice."

"So what do we do?" Haru mused aloud. "Should we stick together or–"

"We should split up," Baron said. "Garry, Mary, and Ib – you should take the room to the left, while the rest of us investigate the door to the right. Report back as soon as the contents of the next room has been discerned. Is that all understood?"

Garry nodded. "That seems sensible."

"Geez, shouldn't at least one of us have stuck with the newbies?" Muta asked upon entering their designated room. This one was filled with boxes and – thankfully – inanimate sculptures, with a door at the far side that looked promising. "They're probably just gonna get into more trouble."

"Then why didn't you volunteer?" Toto cackled.

"Muta has got a point though," Haru said. "This is seem strange for you, Baron."

"That's because we've found ourselves in a strange situation." Toto alighted onto one of the boxes, where Baron stepped down onto his own feet. "One of those three individuals back there are not who they claim to be."

"'Course they're not," Muta grumbled. "They never are. So? Who's the guilty party?"

"That's the problem. I do not know."

"Then how do you know one of them is lying?" Haru asked.

"I can only tell that there is a disruption of Creation magic about them. I presume it is only one causing the disruption, for it is too mild to be shared between more than a single entity, but that doesn't lessen the issue at hand."

"So… until we know who they are, we have to be careful around all three," she summarised. "Great. Sounds about normal." Haru rubbed at her forehead. "Why can't it be cute bunnies and butterflies for once on these cases? Okay, so, one of them is lying… but all three appear to be as lost as we are. Maybe… Maybe they're not malevolent. Maybe they're just different. After all, Baron, you and Toto are both Creations too."

"Perhaps, but it may be wise to exercise caution."

Muta snorted. "Yeah. They're probably gonna be evil."

Upon finishing scouting the single room, the Bureau exited and started towards the other door. As they approached, the others emerged. "Any luck?" Haru asked.

"Nothing but a creepy, creepy room," Garry said.

"They weren't creepy," Mary insisted. "I think they were rather cute!"

Haru decided against asking. The two children seemed unaffected, although Garry looked shaken. "Is it a dead end?" she prompted.

"I'm afraid so." The young man shivered again and shook off the nerves finally. He attempted a smile. "What about the other room?"

"It seems to consist of mostly cardboard boxes and dormant artworks," Baron replied. "However, there is a door that looks like it should enable us to progress."

"Great!" Mary skipped ahead of them, her hand in Ib's. "Let's get going then!"

As she passed by the flower portrait, there was an itching, crawling sound. From within the canvas, the blossoms inside began to surge forward until they were writhing against the painting's limits.

"It's… It's okay, I think," Haru said slowly. She began to sidle over to where Ib and Mary stood. "I don't think… they can do much… So if we just keep moving–"

There was a crunch and vines broke up through the floor. Haru grabbed the two girls and dragged them out of the vines' way, scraping her foot across the plants in the process. She spun round in time to see a wall of vines – vines that looked like they had been torn straight from the painting – rise up and form a solid wall across the corridor.

ooOoo

Teaser: "I think you'll find that it isn't just anyone who can be pulled into a Creation world. Mostly it is restricted to children, those with open minds, or those with magic in their veins. Or… Creations. So... Garry, which are you? Who are you?" / "Well, if you get to the last petal and you're going to end with 'loves me not', you just count the stem too! That way, they always love you." / "A Creation living in this place cannot leave unless it takes the place of someone in the... real world." / "Did you wait when I asked you?" Haru retorted. "Did you listen when I begged you to stop?" She shook her head, tears of her own springing up. "Touch that final petal and I'll make sure you burn." / "Then take mine. Take my rose."