Session 38

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Reading the Book: In Circles and Heat (2025-05-10)

Leaving the Library

• Mia, Det, and Siz exit the uncanny library.
• While the front areas appear normal, the deep interior had unmistakable signs of systemic magic shaped with precision.
• Siz insists on handling the books with extreme caution, warning: "Predatory cat energy in disguise."

A Plan to Study the Book

• Mia suggests a cautious review: scanning the text and filtering it through Chimes before any reading.
• Det and Siz agree. Mia calls for a shower and clothing change.
• The group splits up to meet at Siz’s house. On the way:

 - Mia notices she’s being tailed by face-tattooed figures in a car.
 - Siz finds a raccoon trying to break into her mushroom house and later yelling at it.

Reuniting at the Mushroom House

• Mia arrives first, mentioning the stalkers. Siz activates her home's aggressive security systems.
• The raccoon begins a """screaming match""" with the house’s expressive fungi.
• Chimes is set up with the scanned copy of the book to test for magical or memetic effects.

Chimes’ Analysis

• Chimes reports the scan is:

 - **"Narratively inert."**
 - Has **4% content integrity**, **0% semantic cohesion**, and **no temporal anchoring**.
 - "Like listening to a song that’s missing all the notes."

Controlled Reading Begins

• Siz enters a sealed magical silver circle to safely read the physical book.
• The first page she reads describes:

 - A quiet bar in a heatwave.
 - A small cook with knives.
 - A mysterious tailed woman watching patrons.
 - The suggestion of a beginning already in motion.

• Siz compares it with Chimes’ scan—**they do not match**.

Individual Perceptions of the Book

• Mia volunteers to read next. Her version is more introspective:

 - A tiefling woman watching the bar, imagining violence.
 - A focus on her perceptions and unspoken tension.
 - A suggestion that her inner experience shaped the moment of meeting.

• Det follows. Her version is analytical:

 - Focus on escape routes and structural integrity.
 - Reads the bar like a blast site about to collapse.
 - Notes quiet tension and potential disaster.
 - Declares preparation the difference between survival and chaos.

• All three versions differ entirely, seemingly tailored to the reader’s mind.
• Mia steps back, disturbed: “How did it know what I imagined?”