Chapter 126: The Whispering Pavilion
The Pavilion of Reflection, which had stood as a dignified monument to shared vulnerability, was currently behaving like a runaway carousel. Its translucent silk canopy was spinning at such a velocity that it blurred into a shimmering violet halo, and the sound it emitted wasn't a hum—it was a Gossip.
"...Ling-Ling-Lollipop..." the Pavilion hissed, the sound echoing off the mahogany walls. "...Puddles of Persephone... Ling-Ling-Lollipop..."
Princess Ling turned a shade of crimson that Ne Job hadn't known existed in the Bureau's color palette. She gripped her silver dagger, but she looked like she wanted to use it on the architecture rather than an enemy.
"It is... a childhood nickname," she ground out through clenched teeth. "A term of endearment used by my royal wet-nurse. If this 'Pavilion' does not cease its broadcast, I shall be forced to declare a 100% state of war against this Lobby."
The Identity Leak
Assistant Yue was back to her clinical self, the haikus of the previous hour purged from her system. She was frantically tapping at a holographic interface that was being buffeted by the Pavilion's centrifugal wind.
"COMMISSIONER. THE. PAVILION. HAS. ENTERED. A. 'DE-CLASSIFICATION. SPIRAL'. IT. IS. NO. LONGER. REFLECTING. OUR. VULNERABILITIES; IT. IS. 'EXPOSING'. OUR. 'ROOT. DIRECTORIES'. THE. SECRET. NAMES. ARE. THE. 'METADATA'. OF. OUR. EXISTENCE. IF. THE. NAMES. ARE. KNOWN, OUR. 'CONCEPTUAL. SHIELDING'. DROPS. TO. ZERO."
The Muse was trying to catch the whispers in a butterfly net made of "Neon Static." "It's not just Ling! Look at the 'Sentient Paperclips'!"
Near the base of the spinning pavilion, a cluster of paperclips had abandoned their usual duty of holding trajectories together. They had twisted themselves into the shape of tiny, metallic ears, soaking up every syllable. One paperclip had even fashioned itself a tiny crown and was demanding to be called "Sir Gallop-a-Lot."
The Architect's Embarrassment
Ao Bing was hiding behind a pillar, his leopard-skin robe pulled tightly over his head.
"Architect!" Ne Job called out. "I need a 'Structural Dampener'! Why are you hiding?"
"...Bingy-Boo..." the Pavilion whispered loudly. "...The-Little-Builder-Who-Cried-Concrete... Bingy-Boo..."
"I cannot lead a Department under these conditions!" Ao Bing wailed from behind the mahogany. "My 'Aesthetic Authority' is 100% compromised! I am a creator of worlds, not a 'Bingy-Boo'!"
Ne Job stepped into the center of the Lobby. The wind from the spinning Pavilion caught his tweed coat, threatening to unravel the "Carbon-Dated Parchment" of his suit. He felt the Pavilion's gaze—if a structure can have a gaze—turn toward him.
The spinning slowed for a fraction of a second. The silence was heavier than the "Great Ledger."
"...Ne Job..." the Pavilion whispered, its voice now deep and resonant. "...The Archivist Who Hides His Own File..."
The Folder of the Self
Ne Job froze. In all his eons in the Bureau of Cosmic Alignment, he had never indexed himself. He was the "Indexer," the "Head Archivist," the "Point of Reference." He was a "Semicolon" personified—the thing that connects the parts but isn't a part itself. Or so he thought.
"Commissioner," Yue said, her voice dropping to a 7.5% frequency of genuine concern. "YOUR. OWN. 'DATA. LEAK'. IS. CAUSING. A. 'PARADOX. VACUUM'. IF. YOU. DO. NOT. ACKNOWLEDGE. YOUR. NAME, THE. BUREAU. WILL. 'FORGET'. WHO. IS. IN. CHARGE."
The Muse flew down to his side. "Ne Job, you tell everyone else that their 'Drafts' are important. You told the Glitch that every 'Detail' needs a 'Story.' What's your story?"
Ne Job looked at the Semicolon in his hand. It was vibrating, not with power, but with a strange, rhythmic thrum—like a heartbeat.
He realized that the Pavilion wasn't attacking them. It was trying to Complete them. In the Bureau of Alignment, they spent so much time aligning others that they had become "Flat Characters." They were roles, not people.
The Great Acknowledgement
Ne Job closed his eyes. He didn't use the "Second of Pure Possibility" to stop the spinning. He used it to Listen.
"My name," Ne Job said, his voice quiet but filling the entire Lobby, "is not just a title. I am the 'Archivist Who Hides' because I am afraid that if I finish my own story, I will have to leave the Bureau."
The Pavilion stopped spinning instantly. The silk canopy drifted down like a falling petal, coming to rest in its original, elegant shape. The whispering ceased.
The "Sentient Paperclips" immediately untwisted themselves and went back to their folders, looking slightly sheepish.
"I am... Ne Job," he continued, looking at his team. "And I am 100% terrified of 'The End'."
The Regal Grace
Princess Ling stepped forward, her composure returning like a rising tide. She sheathed her dagger. "And I am 'Ling-Ling-Lollipop'. It was the name given to me by the only person who ever saw me as a child and not as a 'Weapon of State'. I shall keep it."
Ao Bing emerged from behind the pillar, adjusting his robe with a 7.5% increase in dignity. "And if I am 'Bingy-Boo', then 'Bingy-Boo' shall build the greatest 'Secret Alleyways' the universe has ever seen."
Assistant Yue nodded. "I. AM. UNIT. SEVEN. POINT. FIVE. ZERO. NINE. BUT. YOU. MAY. CALL. ME. 'YUE'. BECAUSE. IT. IS. 'EFFICIENT. AND. KIND'."
The Archivist's Log
The Lobby was quiet, but it was a "Warm Silence." The "Living Marble" floors seemed to glow with a new, deeper hue.
LOG: CHAPTER 126 SUMMARY.
STATUS: Identity Crisis resolved. Secret Names accepted.
NOTE: You cannot "Align" a universe if you are "Misaligned" with yourself.
OBSERVATION: The Bureau is now 100% more "Authentic."
P.S.: I have decided to finally open my own "Personal File." It is currently empty, which I find 7.5% liberating.
"Well," The Muse said, her hair a steady, happy neon-blue. "Now that we all know each other's embarrassing secrets, I think we're ready for the 'Apocalypse' the Director of Chaos promised."
Ne Job looked at the brass doors. The "CLOSED FOR REVISION" sign was gone. In its place was a small, hand-delivered envelope that smelled of "Burning Sulfur" and "Cotton Candy."
"It's from the Director of Chaos," Ne Job said, opening it.
"What does it say?" Ling asked.
Ne Job looked up, his expression unreadable. "It's a 'Change of Venue'. He says the 'Apocalypse' has been moved to the Department of Creative Sparks, and he's currently 'Auditioning' for the role of 'The Muse'."