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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zubkavich" data-source="post: 485832" data-attributes="member: 8810">Session Three: Follow The BugsWaiting for Mr. Melt to take a washroom break, Karen quickly flips the lid of the Snapdragon Box and grabs the note inside before he returns. Getting a chance to read it later, she finds the following written in the same flowing script as before:Greetings,I hope this letter finds you well. I am not sure when this will reach you; the sooner, the better. Time may be passing here faster than where you are. No matter.You should have a book somewhere in your possession. It may seem to be quite an odd tome, but do not be discouraged. The method of translating and securing it makes it hard to disseminate, but it must be done this way.You must know however, that by accepting this you take on a measure of risk. Keep yourself safe.MillerPulling out a pen, she surreptitiously writes another letter back to Miller and slips it into the box while Melt is busy writing a grocery list:Are you M. Coralsmythe the author? Did Sedrick tell you about me? Did you help him to read the book? How am I supposed to make sense of random words on a page? What do you mean about “time may be passing here faster”? I seem to get your letters once a day, if that helps you.What kind of risk? Strange hooded guys with claws trying to kill me type of risk?KarenHeading out to get groceries with Mr. Melt, Karen and her escort discuss what the “family” means to them and how they became involved in their criminal lifestyle. Melt seems offended being referred to as just a “leg breaker” and they poke fun at each other’s specialties.While on their way, they both keep carefully checking their surroundings, wary of another assault. While analyzing the environment around her, Karen picks up on something very subtle and odd, without even knowing why. The ants and other bugs on the sidewalk seem to be moving in a distinct direction. They’re not randomly crawling around, they’re all headed southwards towards “something”. No one else seems to notice, and Karen tries not to become distracted by it while keeping up her conversation with Melt. Her curiosity is definitely piqued, but she’s hesitant to explain it to him.After picking up groceries and dropping them off at the apartment, Karen bugs Melt to go for another walk. He doesn’t want to push their luck by heading out again, but she complains about being cooped up enough that he finally relents. Unbeknownst to him, Karen takes them on the same route that she noticed the bugs going.Their walk takes them down to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Karen scopes around the building and can see that the bugs are definitely converging on the museum. Mr. Melt is quite confused with Karen’s behavior, but tries to keep his eyes peeled for anyone who may be following them.Entering the museum, they notice that there’s a large Egyptian Mythological Art exhibit that’s recently opened. Melt jokes about Egyptian curses, while Karen is intent on seeing what’s gathering the bugs around the building, even if no one else has noticed anything strange.When Melt goes for a bathroom break, Karen scans the museum’s patrons, looking for anything out of the ordinary. A Japanese tour group is headed through the exhibit and one of the individuals seems to be wearing a strange hat that has a mosquito netting-type material hanging down in front of his face. She tries to get a better look at the man, but doesn’t want it to be obvious that she’s staring. Just as she thinks she might be able to see more, she hears a loud crash come from the men’s washroom. Becoming alarmed, she decides to check it out.Upon opening the door, she’s confronted with quite the sight. Mr. Melt is struggling with the hooded figure as they batter each other off of the urinals and sinks in the washroom. Melt looks winded though and has a massive welt on his forehead from where he’s been struck. Attacking the hooded figure from behind, Karen brings her leg up in an arching kick. When she strikes him, the man barely budges and her foot feels like it’s hit a brick wall. As it continues to batter Melt, Karen pulls back its hood and finally sees what’s underneath.A patchwork of flesh and muscle greet her eyes as she stares at the thing in horror. The man is a piecemeal body, with grayish-green skin, stitching and strange seams running all over its body. The thing turns towards her, but doesn’t attack. It first carefully lifts the hood back over its face, then stiffly reaches out to grab her with its clawed hands. Shaking off the blows he’s taken, Melt pounds at the thing, trying to bring it down. It seems like things can’t possibly get any stranger, when someone else enters the washroom.Karen can see out of the corner of her eye as the Japanese man with the strange hat casually opens the door and stands, momentarily watching the battle play out before him. Then he opens his mouth wide, wide like an anaconda, distending grotesquely into a gaping maw. From inside that hole comes the sound of fluttering wings and a dozen or more black misty birds pour forth, filling the room with chaos. The hooded figure bellows an echoing inhuman roar and tries to escape as the birds surround it, tearing at its flesh and eyes. The figure stumbles towards the nearest wall and smashes at the bricks, desperate to escape the birds’ onslaught. In the midst of the melee, Melt picks up Karen and they rush to the hallway. As the door swings closed behind them, Karen takes a quick glance back and notices that the birds aren’t reflected in the mirror. While the museum security surrounds the washroom area and the police are called in, Karen and Melt slip out an emergency exit, trying their best to stay out of sight.Catching their breath, Melt and Karen have more questions than answers. What kind of freak is this man they’ve been fighting? How does he know where they’re going? Karen asks Melt about the birds and the Japanese man, but Melt says that he didn’t see anything odd, only that the man stood and watched while they fought. Melt assumes that the hooded figure ran because of “whatever bad drugs trip he’s on” and Karen lets the subject drop, realizing she’d have a hard time convincing him of what she saw.Trying to calm down back at Karen’s apartment, they both agree that they won’t be taking any more unplanned walks. Conroy phones a few hours later and lets them know that he’s coming to pick them up in the morning so that all three can meet Claudio at the airport. Regina’s funeral is in two days and Claudio wants to take stock of the things that have happened in his absence.Exhausted, Karen quickly checks the Snapdragon Box before going to bed. Finding another note, she sighs and opens it up:Greetings,I hope this letter finds you well. My full name is Miller Smythe. I am from the land of Coral. These letters must traverse time and space, so I don’t know when or where you are receiving them.I am a sage of sorts who is trying to stop a great evil. It is attempting to leave our land and enter yours. The fact that you can communicate with me bodes well for our efforts. The book finding its way to you so soon is also excellent. I had no idea how it would come into your possession, only that it would do so eventually.Stay strong,MillerTired and irritated at the lack of answers, Karen scrawls him a hasty note before falling asleep:Coral? Where’s Coral? Are you in the States? Travel time and space? This is damn weird. Assuming I believe all this, what kind of evil are you talking about? So you did write the book then? I still can’t read it. I just got attacked by a guy with a stitched on face while some Asian guy spit out shadowy cloud birds. If this is your doing, I don’t want anything to do with your damn book!KarenThat night, Karen has an unexplainable dream. She recalls her encounter with Regina perfectly, but the sounds and voices are totally changed. When Regina’s mouth opens, she’s saying completely different things and advising Karen about the events that have happened in the last few days. Karen can respond, but only when her mouth was open in the original conversation, creating strange and jarring sentences. Regina tells her to stay calm and to ask Claudio to introduce her to an Eskimo man named Onan Aalak. Regina says that Onan can see the supernatural just as Karen sees it, and can help her to understand it better.Waking up feeling a bit better, she and Melt get themselves cleaned up and presentable to meet up with Claudio. The old mob boss is quite concerned about the “drug crazed killer” after Karen, and promises her that he’ll be rubbed out as soon as they find him. The museum attack made local news, but the only person in custody seems to be the Japanese man. Karen can’t understand how a figure as conspicuous as the stitched-skin man could escape.Staying at Claudio’s estate for the night, Karen tries to relax a bit and enjoy the spacious surroundings. After an extravagant dinner, Conroy takes her for a quick drive to Buzzard’s to finally pawn the loot from her break-in from a few days before. While there, he also pawns some jewelry and makes her promise not to tell anyone about it. She asks him where he got the jewelry and what the money is for, but all he’ll say is that he’s having “financial difficulties”.The funeral the next day is a somber affair. Karen notices that there are a lot more people attending then she had anticipated. All sorts of people young and old who had come to the old Italian woman for advice. The wake at Claudio’s afterwards is filled with various members of the mob, many of whom seem to be there more for free food then to remember the woman that they just saw buried. Heading to the patio out back, Karen watches the sunset over the water. As she’s about to head back inside, one of the guests steps out on the patio. It’s the Japanese man from the museum.“Hello Karen, my name is Setakawa Kasuna. Do you have a few moments to speak with me?”</blockquote>

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