Chapter 43: The Sit-In of the Forgotten
The Bureau had barely adjusted to its new, syncopated heartbeat when the smell of reheated microwave fish and "Unrealized Potential" began to waft from the breakroom. Ne Job, heading for his mid-morning "Victory Roast," found the entrance blocked by a velvet rope and a sign that read: RE-DRAFT US OR WE DON'T LEAVE.
"Commissioner," Assistant Yue whispered, her form slightly translucent as if she were afraid of being overwritten. "The Forgotten Characters have arrived. They've occupied the breakroom and are currently consuming the Bureau's entire supply of emergency biscuits."
The Ghosts of the Cutting Room Floor
Ne Job ducked under the rope and entered. The room was a 100% aesthetic nightmare. Sitting at the circular tables were the beings the Author had started, then abandoned, during the early chapters of the "Celestial Clockwork."
There was a version of Ao Bing who was half-beaver (from the Chapter 40 crisis); an early Princess Ling who was made of solid lead and had a tragic backstory involving a lost umbrella; and a character named Assistant Yue-B, who was identical to the current Yue but wore a very aggressive 1980s power suit with shoulder pads the size of dinner plates.
"Ne Job!" the Beaver-Architect barked, slamming a tail against the laminate table. "We're tired of living in the 'Trash Folder'! We want speaking lines! We want character arcs! We want a 7.5% share of the spotlight!"
The Breakroom of Broken Dreams
The presence of these characters was creating a "Narrative Drag." Because they were unfinished, they leaked Inconsistency. The coffee machine was producing liquid that was half-espresso, half-watercolor paint. The chairs were flickering between "Barstool" and "Rocking Horse."
"We can't just put you back in," Ne Job said, trying to ignore the 1980s Yue-B who was currently trying to "synergize" his filing system. "The story has moved on. We're in Chapter 43! There's no room for a lead princess or a... whatever you are, Steve-from-Accounting."
"I am a Pivot Point!" shouted a man who was just a pair of floating legs. "I was supposed to reveal the secret of the Mainspring in Chapter 5, but you skipped me for a cat gag!"
The 7.5% Cameo
The Architect, the Muse, and Pip stood in the doorway, watching the chaos.
"It's heartbreaking," the Muse whispered, her hair sparking with sympathy. "They're like half-baked cookies. You can't eat them, but you feel bad throwing them away."
"We can't integrate them," Ao Bing (the real one) muttered, staring at his beaver-double. "The structural integrity of the plot would collapse under the weight of so many redundant personalities."
Pip, however, was looking at the "Steve-from-Accounting" character. "Hey, Commissioner? Why don't we use them for the Background Details? You know, the stuff that makes the Bureau look busy but doesn't require a whole chapter?"
The Casting Call of the Unused
Ne Job looked at the crowd of forgotten faces. He realized that a Bureau of Legend needed more than just five main characters. It needed a "Chorus."
"Listen up!" Ne Job commanded, drawing his silver stapler. "I am declaring a Mass Re-employment Initiative. You won't be Protagonists. You won't get your own solo adventures. But... we are opening a new department: The Department of Atmosphere."
He began stapling "Background Extra" badges to the forgotten characters.
"Beaver-Architect, you are now the 'Head of Unusual Foundation Inspection.' Lead Princess, you are the 'Archivist of Heavy Metadata.' And Yue-B... you can keep the shoulder pads, but you're in charge of 'Aggressive Office Organization'."
The Chorus of the Bureau
The atmosphere in the breakroom shifted from "Depressed" to "Hired." The characters didn't vanish; they simply settled into the background of the Bureau. They became the people you see in the hallway, the ones carrying mysterious boxes or arguing in the distance, adding a 100% increase in "Lived-in Texture" to the story.
The "Inconsistency Leak" stopped. The coffee machine returned to producing Victory Roast (though it now had a slightly 'vintage' aftertaste).
The Archivist's New Staff
Ne Job returned to his desk, which felt significantly less lonely now that there were forty-three extra people pretending to work in the background.
LOG: CHAPTER 43 SUMMARY.
STATUS: Sit-in resolved. Bureau population increased by 7.5%.
NOTE: The Beaver-Architect has already pointed out three structural flaws in the Lobby. He's annoying, but efficient.
OBSERVATION: A legend is only as good as its extras.
P.S.: Yue-B has filed my 'Pending' tray into 'Urgent,' 'Extremely Urgent,' and 'Why Are You Still Here?' I think I like her.
The Muse leaned over his shoulder, watching as the Lead Princess walked past, her lead robes clanking on the floor. "It looks like a real office now, Ne Job. Busy, messy, and full of people who probably shouldn't be here."
"Exactly," Ne Job said, looking at the Semicolon. "And now that we have a full cast... it's time for the Great Bureau Audit."