Look to the Future Part Five: February 13-14, 1926

February 13, 1926 Evening

The visit to Look to the Future took an emotional toll on the group. After returning to the safe house, they split up to either take a break or to work on their own things.

Judge Putnam

Sent another letter.

Kane Eastman

Just relaxed, because he’s cool as hell and almost nothing bothers him, ever.

Vivian and Ron

They first went to talk to Aoife, Ron’s one-night stand. Ron’s plan was to find out how to contact Aengus, Aoife’s brother (he of the jaw that Ron shattered), and arrange for a fair fight at a boxing ring “for honor.”

Ron learns, to his dismay, that Aoife was the one who told Aengus that she had had no-no times with Ron. Apparently, this was to get back at her brother for being too protective all the time. Realizing he had been played, Ron “paid Aoife for her services” and left, with a furious Vivian following right behind.

Ron

After dropping Vivian off at the house, Ron decides to case the Look to the Future building. While outside the main doors, he overhears two men (whom he later confirms are Lostalus Black and Bryan Slim) discussing a third man, “Carl,” who is getting very impatient with Slim. A hideous, unearthly bout of laughter from Black causes a normally impervious-to-social-cues Ron to flee the scene.

He returns to the safe house and wakes up Vivian. Vivian, being the scholar of the group, manages to piece together the missing bits of Ron’s story. She becomes convinced that Black and Slim are going to try to resurrect Carl Stanford. Furthermore, based on the painting Stephen Clark had made, Vivian is convinced that they will try to use Ron to bring Carl back somehow.

The walls of the safe house are thin, and so Johnny also hears this. Realizing that he may need to take care of Carl Stanford for good, he puts his own plans into motion.

Johnny

Jaunts through the gate box to Staten Island, where he acquires the surplus truck he had purchased previously. He pulls some strings to acquire a gun safe and several dozen chickens. He then makes the long drive back from New York, arriving in Boston early the next morning. His plan is to make another blessed blade, so that he can leave it in Carl Stanford’s resurrected corpse, if necessary. He also plans to fill the safe with Carl Stanford’s corpse, and cement, and hurl it into Boston Harbor, “in the hopes that that fucker can find some tea.”

That'll Hold Him

Mikhail

Having secured James’ release, Mikhail drives up to New Hampshire to meet up with the Clarks and Angie and make sure that James is getting settled in.

He arrives late that night, at Stephen’s secluded mountain home, to find the atmosphere tense. Angie and James are there, as is Deb and Pushok. Angie and Deb tell Mikhail that everything was fine until after it got dark. At that point, Stephen locked himself in the studio and would neither come out nor answer them.

At this point, a frantic Stephen comes out of the studio and, surprised but relieved to see Mikhail, drags him into the studio to show him his latest work. The painting depicts Mikhail and his friends all dying horribly in a white room, their bodies covered with engorged purple-black veins. Mikhail can see many tubes of black liquid on shelves throughout the room. Bryan Slim seems to be injecting Mikhail’s friends with this liquid while Lostalus Black looks on, grinning fearsomely.

Realizing that his friends are in danger, Mikhail asks to borrow the still wet painting. He places it, and Pushok, in his car and drives like a maniac to get back to Boston as soon as possible. He arrives shortly before Johnny does.

February 14^th, 1926, Valentine’s Day

And Then There Was Cake

The group catches one another up on their activities. Mikhail’s dramatic reveal of Stephen’s new work terrifies just about everyone. Ron fills the others in on his encounter at Look to the Future, and Johnny discusses his plans for dealing with Carl Stanford.

Ron and Vivian decide to go to church. Before they go, Ron leaves a note for the caretaker, ribbing him about his weight and asking the caretaker to get him a pineapple upside down cake.

Johnny asks Dr. Black and Kane to help him with the ritual to bless a blade. They slaughter lots of chickens in the backyard and gain themselves a third magical weapon. Then they proceed to clean the chickens so that people can cook them up and eat them.

Ron and Vivian come back from church. A short time later, the caretaker shows up with the cake. He also tells Ron that he has purchased, “an itty-bitty cannoli,” just for him. Ron at first vows to toss the cannoli into the garbage the moment the caretaker leaves, as he suspects this has been tampered with. Then he starts paying attention to the caretaker’s words and realizes that he is using the cannoli as a “subtle” metaphor to mock the size of Ron’s penis.

Ron decides to throw hands.

He is briefly restrained by Mikhail, who throws a hand over Ron’s mouth and tells him to shut the hell up, please. Ron shakes Mikhail off and steps forward, only to find himself firmly restrained by the iron grip of Judge Putnam.

“So. You work out.”

The judge manages to deescalate the situation with Ron, while Johnny takes the caretaker outside and gives him one of his chickens, “you know, for the missus?” The caretaker is extremely grateful for the gift and is about to leave.

This should have been the end of it, but then Ron burst through the kitchen door, threw the cannoli, and got the caretaker right in the face with it. The cannoli is filled with cherry juice, which stains the caretaker’s face. The caretaker wipes himself off, continues to mock Ron, intimates that he will come by tomorrow to “taste Ron’s cannoli” again, and then leaves.

Ron, very uncomfortable, vows REVENGE!

A Productive Afternoon

Everyone but Mikhail has pineapple upside down cake. While eating, they plan their next move. Realizing that they need a lot more information, and also realizing that they are relatively close to Arkham, MA, Vivian suggests that they go to Miskatonic University and study their books on magic and medieval metaphysics. Ron, Mikhail, and Judge Putnam all decide to go with her.

Meanwhile, Johnny, Kane, and Dr. Black plan to travel back to Kingsport. Johnny’s plan is to meet with Wilton, the old man who met with Bryan Slim a couple of days ago. Johnny hopes that Wilton can tell them something about Carl Stanford.

Go Fighting Cephalopods!

Roll Up the Windows, Darling...

A librarian assistant shows the group into the Rare Books section of old MU. Vivian looks up information on Nephrem-Ka and the Black Pharaoh. Mikhail tries to research why Stephen Clark is able to paint divinatory artworks. Judge Putnam surprises everyone by asking if he can have access to the University’s copy of the Necronomicon.

Ron gets bored and goes for a walk. He finds a display cabinet in a corner of the library which features a weird art object—something that looks like a warty doorknob with wires all over it. He takes it out of the display case and puts it in his pocket.

Meanwhile, the librarian assistant returns to the judge and says that Professor Armitage currently has the Necronomicon under lock and key, “for security reasons,” but tells the judge that she will speak to the professor and see if he can be granted a special viewing.

As all this goes on, Vivian takes copious notes.

The Terrible Old Man

...This is Lovecraft Country

Kane, Dr. Black, and Johnny reach Kingsport and Wilton’s house. Kane stays with the car, while Johnny and Dr. Black head to the house. They are greeted at the door by Wilton, who seems displeased that they exist. Johnny manages to make a little headway with Wilton by performing the Voorish Sign.

They are invited into the tumbledown house to have a meeting with Wilton. He says, though not in so many words, that he is a sorcerer in the service of Yog-Sothoth, and that he works with Bryan Slim from time to time. When asked about Stanford, Wilton bristles and says something about, “too much hubris, aye? He thinks he is a man with no need of masters. Foolish.”

Johnny asks Wilton how to get rid of Stanford permanently. Wilton explains that there are numerous ways to bring Stanford back, and that Stanford will always be able to be restored to life, unless and until someone is able to find and destroy the anchor for his soul. Wilton says that he does not know where Stanford’s anchor is, but he is sure that his master, “who sees all worlds and times,” will know.  Wilton gives Johnny a copy of a magical ritual that will help them learn this information from, presumably, Yog-Sothoth. Then he shoos them out of his house, and tells them never to return.

As the duo leave, they discover that Kane, having become increasingly nervous while waiting, has started the car and brought it around to the front of Wilton’s house. In silence, the three men drive back to Boston.