Officer Thana was, objectively speaking, exactly Pratya's nightmare.
Handsome. Confident. Competent. And worst of all, he worked directly with Siripan every single day.
"Director Siripan speaks very highly of your office," Thana said as he led them through the Containment Bureau's entrance. "She mentions your efficiency constantly."
Pratya's entire face lit up. "She does? What exactly does she say? Does she use specific words? Is there a tone of admiration?"
"Pratya," Ruj said quietly.
"I'm just gathering data!"
Thana smiled. "She says you run one of the best judgment operations in the country. Very thorough."
"Thorough! Yes! I am extremely thorough!" Pratya walked faster, trying to match Thana's longer stride. "I actually have some ideas about improving containment-judgment coordination. Very innovative ideas. Revolutionary, even."
"I'd love to hear them."
"Would you? Because I have seventeen points prepared. With sub-points. I could present them now if you want. I'm very good at presentations."
"Maybe after the tour?" Thana suggested diplomatically.
They passed through several security checkpoints, each requiring different clearances. The facility expanded impossibly with each level they descended, revealing the true scale of the Containment Bureau's operations.
"This is Wing C," Thana announced, opening a reinforced door. "Our specialized containment section. We keep the really unusual cases here."
The corridor was lined with cells, but these looked different from standard spirit containment. Each one had specialized markings, unique barrier systems, and detailed warning labels.
Thana stopped at the first window. "This is probably our most frustrating case."
Inside, a beautiful woman with long black hair stood next to what looked like a miniature banana tree that grew directly from the cell floor. She looked serene, peaceful, completely non-threatening.
"That's a Nang Tani," Thana explained. "Banana tree spirit. Normally they're harmless, even protective. This one..." He sighed. "This one developed an obsession with a specific 7-Eleven in Nonthaburi."
"A 7-Eleven?" Junjao asked.
"She fell in love with the night shift clerk. Started appearing to him every night. At first he thought she was a normal customer. Then he realized she was always there, never bought anything, and her feet didn't touch the ground."
"That's romantic," Pratya said. "In a terrifying sort of way."
"It would be romantic if she accepted that he's married with three kids. Instead, she started causing problems. Spoiling the milk. Making the instant noodles taste like banana. Scaring away customers." Thana made a note on his tablet. "We had to contain her for everyone's safety. She's been sulking for two months."
The Nang Tani noticed them watching and turned away dramatically, her long hair swishing.
"She's giving us the silent treatment," Thana said. "Very mature for a two-hundred-year-old spirit."
They moved to the next cell. This one had extra barriers and warning signs.
"Don't look directly at her for too long," Thana warned.
Inside, a head floated near the ceiling, trailing organs and intestines below it. The Krasue drifted lazily, her face surprisingly pretty despite the grotesque body situation.
"Krasue," Thana said unnecessarily. "Found in Surin province. She was attacking livestock, draining them. Got bold and went after a farmer. His wife hit her with a wok."
"A wok?" Pratya asked.
"Iron. Spirits hate iron. The farmer's wife was very practical." Thana checked something. "This one refuses to accept she's dead. Keeps insisting she just has a 'medical condition' and wants to see a doctor."
"Has anyone told her she's literally a floating head with visible organs?"
"Multiple times. She thinks we're being rude."
The Krasue noticed them and floated closer to the window. Her intestines dragged behind her, making wet sounds.
"Stop staring," she called out. "It's impolite!"
"See?" Thana said. "Very concerned about manners. Less concerned about the whole detachable head situation."
Junjao felt queasy. "Does she have to... I mean, do the organs need to just hang there?"
"Apparently yes. We asked. She was very offended by the question."
They continued down the corridor. The next cell held a shirtless man who appeared to be doing push-ups.
"Pee Krahang," Thana said. "Flying spirit. Traditional folklore says they're shirtless men who steal rice mortars and fly around causing mischief."
"What did this one do?" Ruj asked.
"Stole forty-seven rice mortars in one month. Stacked them in a pyramid in someone's rice field. When we asked why, he said he was 'building a monument to his achievements.'"
The Pee Krahang stopped exercising and flexed at the window.
"He does that," Thana said. "Constantly. We think he's bored."
"Can't you give him something to do?" Junjao asked.
"Like what? Let him steal more rice mortars? The farmers are already upset."
"Maybe therapy?"
"He refuses. Says he's 'perfectly well-adjusted' and we're the ones with problems." Thana moved on. "This next one is sensitive. Viewer discretion advised."
The cell looked different. Softer. More like a room than a containment unit. A woman sat in the corner, crying softly, cradling something invisible.
"Mae Nak variant," Thana said quietly. "Died in childbirth. Baby didn't survive. She's been carrying the spirit of her child for sixty years, refusing to let go."
The woman looked up. Her eyes were hollow with grief.
"That's heartbreaking," Junjao whispered.
"We're trying rehabilitation. Grief counseling. But she's not ready to move on." Thana's professional demeanor cracked slightly. "Some cases are just... sad. No other word for it."
Pratya cleared his throat. "You handle difficult situations very well. That's admirable."
"Director Siripan trained me personally. She's excellent at maintaining professional detachment while still having compassion."
"She is! She's amazing! I've noticed that about her! Very perceptive of you to notice too! Though I noticed first, I think. Probably."
Ruj looked at Junjao. She mouthed the word "jealous" and he almost smiled.
They reached a larger room at the corridor's end. Multiple screens showed different containment cells. Staff monitored everything from a central command station.
"And this is where things get interesting," Thana said. "We have a situation developing in real-time."
One screen showed a house somewhere. Inside, multiple spirits were causing chaos. Objects flew through the air. Furniture moved on its own. A family huddled in one corner looking terrified.
"Poltergeist activity in Samut Prakan," Thana explained. "Started three days ago. Team Two is on site now trying to identify the source."
Siripan's voice came through the speakers. "Thana, can you hear me?"
Thana picked up a radio. "Yes, Director."
"We have confirmation. Three separate entities. All Pee Tai Hong. They're working together somehow, which is unusual."
"Territorial dispute?"
"Possibly. Or someone bound them together deliberately." Siripan paused. "I'm bringing in one of the entities now for questioning. Prepare Interrogation Room Three."
"Copy that."
Thana turned to the group. "Want to watch an interrogation? It's not normally part of the tour, but this could be educational."
"Absolutely!" Pratya said. "Very educational! I love learning! Especially about interrogation techniques! Which I'm sure you're very good at! Though I've read extensively about spiritual interrogation methods! Published papers, even! Well, one paper. A short one. But still!"
They went to a different area. Through a one-way window, they could see an interrogation room. The spirit inside looked angry and confused, a Pee Tai Hong who'd died violently based on the wounds still visible on his translucent form.
Siripan entered the room, carrying a tablet. She sat down across from the spirit with calm authority.
"Let's start simple," she said. "Why were you attacking that family?"
"I wasn't attacking them! I was trying to get them to leave!"
"Why?"
"Because they're living in my house!"
"You died in 1987. You haven't lived there for almost forty years."
"It's still MY house!"
Pratya leaned forward, watching intently. "Her interrogation technique is flawless. Notice how she stays calm? That's advanced training. Very impressive."
"She's just asking questions," Ruj said.
"Yes, but the WAY she asks! The tone! The body language! It's masterful!"
Thana was also watching Siripan work with clear admiration. "She really is exceptional at this. I've learned everything from her."
Something in his tone made Pratya's eye twitch slightly.
On screen, Siripan continued. "The two other spirits. How did you meet them?"
"I didn't meet them. They were already there."
"Already where?"
"In the house! They showed up last week! Said we should work together to scare the family out!"
"Who organized this?"
"No one organized it! We just... agreed!"
Siripan made notes. "Three violent death spirits spontaneously cooperating. That's not normal behavior."
"I'm not abnormal! I'm just angry!"
"About what?"
"About being DEAD!"
The spirit lunged across the table. Barriers activated instantly, holding him back. Siripan didn't even flinch.
"That's impressive," Junjao said.
And then it happened.
The same sensation from earlier crashed over Junjao, except this time it was overwhelming. She could suddenly see emotional states everywhere, painted in colors and textures around each person like visible auras.
The Pee Tai Hong: deep red rage covering layers of blue grief and gray confusion.
Siripan through the glass: steady green focus with threads of gold compassion.
Thana standing next to her: professional brown alertness mixed with soft pink admiration directed at the woman on the screen.
Ruj beside her: cool silver calm with tiny sparks of copper curiosity.
Pratya: bright yellow nervousness completely tangled with intense magenta affection and sharp orange jealousy, all of it pulsing and tangled and...
"Oh no," Junjao said out loud.
Everyone turned to look at her.
The emotional colors intensified. She could see EVERYTHING now. Every feeling in the room in vivid, overwhelming detail.
"Thana likes Director Siripan!" The words burst out before Junjao could stop them. "Not just professionally! There's actual romantic feelings there! And Pratya sees it! That's why he's so competitive! And Ruj thinks this whole situation is amusing but he's trying not to show it! And I can see all of this like it's written in the air and I can't stop talking!"
Complete silence.
Thana's professional composure cracked. "I... that's not..."
Pratya looked simultaneously vindicated and horrified. "I KNEW IT! I knew I wasn't being paranoid!"
"Junjao," Ruj said quietly, but there was definitely amusement in his voice now. "Stop talking."
"I can't! The colors are everywhere! Siripan knows about both of them and she's trying to decide what to do about it but she's also focused on work and..." Junjao grabbed the edge of a desk, desperate for the overwhelm to stop.
Her hand landed on something cold.
The colors stopped abruptly.
She looked down. She was touching a sealed evidence container. Inside: a gold bracelet.
"That's Papang's bracelet," Thana said, grateful for the subject change.
"The one you destroyed?" Pratya asked.
"Yes. Completely. Shattered it into pieces last month after Papang manifested during an evidence transfer. I filed the destruction report myself." Thana stared at the container. "But it's back. Perfectly intact."
Junjao snatched her hand away from the container. The emotional colors flickered at the edge of her vision but stayed manageable now.
"Objects don't regenerate after destruction," Ruj said.
"I know that. You know that. Apparently Papang doesn't care." Thana picked up the container carefully. "This confirms what the Holy Spirits suspected. Someone is actively maintaining the binding. Feeding it power."
"After two hundred fifty years?" Siripan had entered from the interrogation room, having heard the commotion. She looked at Thana and Pratya, both of whom suddenly found the floor very interesting. "Did I miss something?"
"No!" they said simultaneously.
"Nothing happened!" Pratya added.
"Just a normal tour!" Thana agreed.
Siripan's expression suggested she knew exactly what happened but was choosing to ignore it for now. "And the bracelet?"
"Regenerated itself completely. Which should be impossible."
"Should be," Siripan agreed. "But Papang seems to be rewriting a lot of rules." She looked at Junjao. "What was that just now? The things you were seeing?"
"I don't know. Emotions appeared as colors and textures and I could see everyone's feelings and then I couldn't stop talking about them." Junjao wanted to disappear into the floor. "I'm so sorry. That was incredibly rude and invasive and I didn't mean to announce everyone's private feelings."
"You saw emotional states," Siripan said thoughtfully. "That's a rare ability. Soul Clarity, the old texts call it. Very few spirits can do it, and I've never heard of a living person manifesting it."
"Is it useful?"
"For my work? Extremely. For making friends and not humiliating yourself?" Siripan smiled slightly. "Less so."
"Great. I got the embarrassing power."
"You also confirmed the bracelet regenerated, which is crucial information." Siripan looked at the container. "If it came back after destruction, Papang's binding is far stronger than we estimated."
"Or whoever is maintaining it is very dedicated," Thana added, carefully not looking at Pratya.
Pratya carefully not looked back.
The bracelet sat in its container, ancient and innocent and terrifying.
"Well," Siripan said into the awkward silence, "I think we should continue this discussion in my office. Away from evidence containers and emotional revelations. Agreed?"
"Agreed," everyone said quickly.
As they filed out, Thana and Pratya maintained careful distance from each other while both trying to walk closest to Siripan, who seemed amused by the whole situation.
Junjao whispered to Ruj, "Did I just make everything worse?"
"You discovered a new ability, confirmed the curse is actively maintained, and revealed romantic tension that was apparently obvious to everyone except the people involved," Ruj said. "That's actually quite productive."
"I'm never living this down."
"Probably not."
"Can we just pretend this didn't happen?"
"Absolutely not. This is the most entertaining thing that's occurred in decades."
Junjao groaned.
Behind them, she heard Pratya say: "So... about those seventeen coordination improvement points..."
And Thana replied: "I'm actually very interested in hearing your ideas. Professional collaboration is important."
"Very important! Extremely important! We should collaborate more!"
"We should."
"Without competition!"
"Definitely without competition."
They were both lying. The emotional colors might be gone, but Junjao didn't need special powers to know that the rivalry was far from over.
This was going to be a long case.