2025-05-22 - The Landrydale Séance

"Holy shit, it worked," Carl murmurs, breathing out mist. He wasn't sure it would. He wasn't even sure that Landrydale was actually dead, after the big surprise with Alistair. He looks around, and clears his throat, and takes a step forward from his place near Eunice.

"You're in Michigan," he says, "not far from the laboratory. We've finished what you were working on, built the Revolving Door. We brought you here to answer some questions."

It worked! Eunice has a look of delighted amazement on her face before realising that may not bring confidence in others, so back to an expression of 'I do this every day'. "Welcome, Mister Landrydale. May I call you Edward? Anyway, I am Eunice." A wince there. "Yeah, it's a real name. Sorry if I, we, disturbed you. Hope you weren't doing anything...heavenly." Punning is perhaps not welcome in such situations. "Sorry." Then a nod towards Carl as he fills in some details. "And we found your friend. Alistair Waverly."

Really, Asher has no real talents that would help much at a seance. But they're always curious about new to them types of magic, and it's almost never a bad idea to have a medic on hand. So when they'd heard about what was going down tonight, there was no way they were going to miss it as long as their presence was allowed. They're wearing a Dr. Teeth & The Electric Mayhem tee under a black linen blazer along with old jeans and hand-decorated lilac chucks. They got a grey messenger's satchel worn diagonally across their chest. And since no one threw them out, they'd found a seat and hung their bag over the back of it. A few waves or smiles to those they've met, but, mostly Asher merely holds their silence, watching and waiting to find out what might or might not happen and trying to not interrupt. But when that translucent gentleman appears, Asher softly gasps, staring over at Carl, one of the few gathered they recognize. Their expression conveys pretty clearly without words, does this happen often? But he's too busy with information for the specter for them to be willing. to actually interrupt.

Being a part of the Magical Studies Club er.. Department, Byron Fox has tried to keep himself up-to-date on the going-ons with the magical things happening within the park, especially newer phenomena that sprung up since the 'earthquake' and everything. He's more of an observer than anything, but he has a keen interest in this ghostly conversation, thus he's here today. Settled into one of the comfortable chairs, he's idly snacking on some grapes as the others work their magic. He looks prepared to take notes and there's a video recorder set up to document this whole interview.

In a sense, he's also a little bit nervous, especially once Edward Landrydale actually shows up. There's a hint of tension in every muscle in his body hidden beneath his clothing and for now he watches in silence, quietly observing.

Garrett is here because of course he wants to see a real seance that is going to conjure a real ghost. Also he's in the Magical Studies Department and it's probably important for him to be here. Either way he's settled into a chair and already taking notes. Most of it on how Eunice did the summoning, and how the ghost looks. He peers to Byron and quirks his brow at him. Not wanting interrupt the questioning he taps his arm and tilts his head to non-verbally ask if he's okay.

Phineas is not part of the Magical Studies thing, but had an interest when he heard this was happening, as he has had his encounters with ghosts and the like. Perhaps he wanted to see how this event would conclude. He also would offer what help he could if it was needed. Otherwise, he's sitting in the shadows so as not to be noticeable. Maybe he even drew more shadows to do that. He has been intently studying what is going on here, and his focus is on the task at hand. Any waves or nods from others might have gone unnoticed. He's not trying to be rude. Just focused as he steeples his fingers together.

The gravedigger piano player has skulked off the boardwalk for this one. Ghosts historically here have loved to bother him as an audience so when it came to Eunice bothering them back? Yes, he wanted a seat for this one. Sitting back he upnods to Carl and offers to the group in a pronounced French Canadian accent, "Last time we had questions from all over a ghost nearly took out the lights in Lucky's. We may want to funnel question through Eunice."

Looking back to Carl he assures, "This goes upside-down I got your backup." There's a pause before he clarifies, "I brought alcohol." For the spirits or for them? There's an upnod to Phineas his fellow Boo'edwalk denizin before watching Landrydale appear. "We found all of him. Alistar showed up I hear."

"Well, I guess we found Alistair's body, but he's not dead. There were a bunch of divers with him too. I wasn't there, maybe some of us here can fill Edward in better?" Eunice replies before looking at the gathered crowd for assistance. "He has lost his memory though. We should probably have brought him down here. Might have jolted it back to see Edward." She ponders for a moment.

"This Siphon. It was on the ship that was lost with Alistair and his buds?"

Asher's gaze has been going back and forth between the questioners of Eunice and Carl, and the ghost himself, like taking in a match at Wimbledon. But when Jack mentions being there for backup if this all goes sideways, their attention turns to him. She doesn't recognize him from the clinic, or any of the other first responders, leaving them wonder who he is, and what talents he might have brought alongside the booze as backup. Having grabbed a seat near Phineas, they lean over once Jack has nodded that general direction and whispers very softly, "Any idea what kind of backup he has?" They leave an ear focused on Phineas in case of an answer, but their very strange eyes have returned to their Wimbledon back and forth.

"The Siphon took root in the lake," Carl says, "and started growing. That's what brought us all here, sort of. How we were able to finish the work, and to bring you here. The Siphon, the Looking Glass, the Revolving door, united. When we opened the door, Alistair came through." He nods to Eunice, confirming what she said. "I don't guess you have any idea why that might have happened?"

Jack gets an appreciative nod, and Asher a little grin, but he's a bit preoccupied to respond directly.

Listening to the questions asked, Byron's gaze lowers momentarily to look down at his notes, but his eyes can't help but linger on the ghost itself. He's about to answer, having his own notes in front of him, but Carl's got it covered and so he resettles back down. It's then that he catches Garrett watching him and he flashes his roommate a quiet smile and a playful wink and point, before returning back to listening to the conversation at hand.

He leans over towards the video camera to see if it's actually catching footage of the ghost at all, before jotting down a few more things into his notepad.

Blue eyes study the scene before Phineas. He's very interested in this conversation—a slight nod to acknowledge Jack and his wisdom of having only a couple spokepeople in this seance. Eyes now track to Carl and Eunice. "I also." His words trail right behind Jack's when he says what he does to Carl. But he did not bring alcohol. He met with spirit communication, likely or, you know, turn ghostly. He does not offer that yet. This is the beginning of what will either be a short or long night, and he is a patient man.

A wink is aimed in Jack's direction when he takes note of the up nod given in his direction. "He has gifts that are suitable for this kind of setting," Phineas murmurs towards Asher. He and Jack have not had an in-depth conversation, and he is perfectly fine if he is wrong. That is for after this is all over to confirm. He's not going to disrupt the conversation that is going on with the ghost, Eunice, and Carl as he makes his observations. And a conversation to have later with his roommate, Parker.

"Does someone want to get Alistair?" Eunice asks of the onlookers before back to Edward. "Would you like to see Alistair again, Edward?" She wasn't there for the door thing, so Carl can take care of that information. But... "So, if you weren't expecting to create a portal to other worlds, what was the siphon and glass for?"

Asher really isn't very useful here unless someone gets injured, so, they could help fetch Allistair, but. They don't know who he is nor where to find him. The do offer softly, though, "I can go, if someone can give me directions?"

"On the islands," Carl says. "It spread out. Tunneled up. Like it knew what it was for. We think it sent Alistair somewhere, even without the Door. Him and other people. The Door brought them back." He gives an occasional glance towards the Magical Studies representatives in attendance, inviting them to interject or correct him if he gets anything wrong. He doesn't have notes, the dumb-dumb, he's working from memory.

He does get the picture that this line of questioning isn't going anywhere, as nice as it is to fill the old ghost in on the fruits of his legacy. He shifts focus, following up on part of what Eunice asked. "We have reason to think the laboratory was attacked. That people were coming for your work. Do you know who?"

Jack slouches down in his sweat trying to get comfortable for the meantime in a chair a tad too short for him. He lets Carl catch up the deadman on the answers before adding. "There were no bodied found with the ship- no dead from it. Anyone that touches the divide disappeared. There was nothing left behind. So maybe it took him outside of range of a mailbox." At the simplest level. He looks to Byron and Garrett to see if they had notes for more as he, himself, did not quit his day job to hunt down that info.

"Actually, no, don't get Alistair" Eunice decides in Asher's direction. "Not sure how long Eddie will be around and the effect it may have on Alistair. Safety first when dealing with the spirit worlkd." Back to Edward. "Umm, we should probably point out that it is now the year two thousand and twenty-five, and we don't really even use mail anymore. Not with letters and those other things...stamps?"

"What if there was a 'strange' occurrence, which wouldn't be strange around here, happened and everyone was sucked through to another portal which sank the ship in the process." Eunice shrugs. "I don't really know. I'm just a maid."

Ok. No fetching the amnesiac that Asher doesn't know from an undisclosed location. They just give Eunice a nod and then return to watching and listening. They should have brought snacks.

As he's taking notes, Byron's pen taptaptaps onto his notepad as he considers a few things. "So, let me get this straight," Byron is just trying to untangle a few things, his brows are furrowed, "You and Alistair Waverly were together when you died? So you assumed he died as well?" There's a pause, "So when the ship went down, none of this stuff was constructed yet? The siphon? Anything? I mean, from what we know, the siphon's been doing all the heavy lifting at the bottom of Lake Michigan this whole time."

"All I can think of is something something time loop or portal loop and something happened. Why? Not sure, but it would be nice to know why." A look is given Jack and the others and he nods, "Right. There were no traces of human remains at the bottom of the lake when I'd taken samples. And then we got confirmation when those divers re-appeared, so, the siphon teleported them somewhere rather than... vaporized them." Much to his dismay at that time. Look, he's a forensic scientist.

Phineas is paying attention! He's just trying to recall conversations in the past and the dream he had shared with others, but it is all things that have been spoken out loud by others. His attention is on Byron as he speaks up. Doing his mulling as he figures things out.

"No argument here," Carl murmurs. Highly unusual is the rule of the day. The century and more, even, where all this stuff is concerned. He furrows his brow, trying to remember if he knew Landrydale had a kid. He really should have brought notes. Amateur hour. Oh well. Press on. "Have you got any idea what sort of circumstances might lead to something like that, besides highly unusual?"

"And, uh, what's your son's name?" Just to be safe. He's got his phone out, now, and one eye on it while he scrolls around, looking for something.

Asher isn't taking notes, but they're clearly paying attention, and the harder they think as they're puzzling through both the questions, the answers, and all the random esoterica they've picked up... The more quickly the oil sheen colors of their hair change, and the more noticeable it is how their unnaturally metallic eyes shimmer and pool. It's almost as if what's going on in their brain has started to show physically the longer and more intentionally they practice their own version of talents here at Spellbound. Something in Byron's questions has clearly set Asher's curiosity fuelled love of puzzles into a different gear. They turn and unzip their bag, pulling out a purple moleskine journal and a silver fountain pen out of it so they can start jotting down a few thoughts they want to dig into further after all of this wraps up.

As they grab their things from that satchel, they lean towards Phineas once more, asking very softly, "Do you know the name of the guy talking about time loops or portals?"

Jack looks back between the gathered as thoughts and further insights are shared. Looking to Byron he adds more options, "Or could be like cold sleep. Like those pods in Alien, but without Paul Riser making the situation absolute shit."

Looking up to Landrydale there's a small nod. "May 2025. It's not too bad. Welcome. You know why the ship sank? Was there a storm or something that was on record?" His hand turns over and he says to Carl, "Maybe if there was no storm it might go with your theory someone followed them out of Chicago and bothered them."

Eunice winces at the flickering Eddie - it is a lot to take in. "Some people still send letters" she tries to assure him. "Old fuddy duddies mostly." Maybe pushed the assurance too far. "We might want to wrap this up, folks. Edward, you left all your research and notes to your son? After the ship sank, why didn't you try again? Why not build another siphon? Do you think it was sabotage? Is there anyone in your time who was poking about in your work that may have been plotting in a dastardly way? Sorry for all the questions. I can always try and bring you back again another time if you're willing, and interested."

Byron scribbles down a few more things, drawing arrows and the like. He seems satisfied enough with the answers given so far, even if he keeps a wary watch on the ghostly figure. "Wherever the siphon sent Alistair, time doesn't seem to pass. Like they're in a stasis, perhaps." There's a slow nod in Jack's direction.

A look is then given Eunice when she brings up that he can bring the ghost back another day if they were interested and his dark eyes return to Landrydale to see his response.

Shit. Flickering. Flickering can't be good.

"Edward," he repeats. He vaguely remembers hearing about some inconsistencies vis a vis Landrydale's location at certain points in time. Another Edward Landrydale would certainly explain some of that. He makes a note to mention it to the people who've dug more into the actual history of all of this. "Alright. Alright. Thank you, Mr. Landrydale. Just one more thing from me, please. Alistair's kid, was she on the boat with him when it went down?"

He flips his phone around. He's pulled up the employee directory, scrolled down to the picture of Estella Waverly. "And did she look anything like this lady?"

Garrett nods to Byron and saves his questions for later. Instead he keeps writing notes, especially when ghost begins to flicker as the time difference settles in. Though the information is priceless and he's quickly added them to his own notes. He figures that he'll compare with his coworkers later.

Asher starts scribbling onto a page in their notebook. Their ink is a bright violet, and their handwriting is small, neat, and incredibly orderly.

• Was researching magic and portals.
• Modern guests and staff develop wild magical talents.
• Were they magicians when they set sail? Or were they just looking for magic?
• Some modern talents include being in two places at once, going incorporeal, teleportation, etc.
• Any chance Allistair was one of the first to have somehow gotten hooked into what's happening to the rest of us?
• What if they didn't discover magic, but magic discovered Allistair?

Asher tears that page out and folds it neatly, tucking one corner carefully into one of the folds. Phineas didn't provide a name before Asher's patience grows more worried about flickering ending all of this, so they write on the outside of it: Dark-haired dude that looks like a cop, or at least a narc.

Then they pass it over to the person on the side opposite them from Phineas and hope that grade-school style it makes its way to Byron before all this wraps up.

Jack listen, but try as he may he can't not whisper a couple bars from the Beastie Boys just under his breath. "I'm tellin all y'all it's saaabotaaage'" that might be happening later for some Rockband. As they have an esteemed guest there he remains otherwise focused on this. "We're interested." He tells Eunice. He glances to Ashur's note- Sweet someone is taking notes so he has less to do. Banner day.

"The ghost?" Phineas says quietly to Asher. "Edward Landryale." If she was referring to someone else, he might have missed that. "In the dream I shared with others, the speaker that night was Dr. Alexander Weaver." He's not sure how helpful that was, but there you have it. Yes, sorry, Phineas was wool-gathering for a quick minute and was probably not giving the correct answers anyway. He shushes when the ghost starts to flicker—lots to think about and piece together.

"Thanks," Carl says, putting his phone away before he has to explain what it is to a Victorian ghost. He wracks his brain, trying to think if there's anything else he should ask while he has the chance. He's never done one of these before, he doesn't know if it will work again. Probably there are other questions that need asking, probably a lot of them. He can't think of what they are right now. "Should have invited somebody smarter," he murmurs under his breath, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.

"That's all I've got," he says, more to the room at large, and then to the ghost specifically: "Thank you, Mr. Landrydale. I hope it brings some satisfaction, knowing someone's completed your work."

Eunice nods along to the flow of information, hoping it will help fill in some gaps for the others in the room who are more informed than her. "Well, if it's any consolation, I think it's working now" she attempts to smile about all the work the pair did, adding to Carl's words. "We're just not sure how... But, hey, around here, it could just be magic. I mean, that's why you built the lab here, right? Because of all the weirdness." A glance around at the silent majority around the room. "Anyone have anything else for Eddie?"

Some of the information given is both sad and troubling, so Byron just asks aloud, mostly trying to figure things out himself, "So let's say that the siphon took Alistair and Estella as the ship went down. Why or how did it deposit Estella out later without her father?" That's when a note is passed his way and he curiously unfolds the piece of paper, before his gaze darts over in Asher's direction, one of his brows lifted.

Then when Carl mentions that he should have brought somebody smarter, Byron is quick to say, "Hey! I heard that," As he pops another grape into his mouth.

As they thank the ghost, he can't help but look between the ghost talkers, before he decides to offer his thanks too... because why not. "Uh, yeah. Thanks for answering our questions and helping us fill out some of the blanks."

Though as Eunice asks if they have any other questions for 'Eddie', that's when Byron looks back down at the paper in hand, thoughtfully, then decides to ask, "I did have one question. Was magic just something that happened and your true intent was more scientific, the uh... opening doorways into other worlds? Or was magic something you were seeking out?" With that said, Byron looks as if he has no more questions.

Asher has a lot of questions for the ghost, but they remember the warnings at the start to leave them for the experts. It's why they passed that note to Byron. They're relieved to hear that the crux of their wandering was deemed a 'smarter person' invited worthy query even if it was delivered second-hand by the looks like but hopefully isn't actually a narc.

"Yes, thank you, Sir, for taking the time to speak to us all." Phineas' voice is quiet and respectful when it seems this seance is drawing to a close. "I, for one, appreciate your answers."

"If there was nothing special about the land when they bought it, maybe the accident with the Siphon is allowing magic to bleed into this world around here" Eunice shrugs in Byron's direction...and then Edward says something similar but with more gravitas and believability. But, hey, she does feel a little smarter now. "Ooh, that sounds like 'Chariots of the Gods', Eddie. Ancient extraterrestial civilisation leaving 'magic' tech lying around. Cool. Though it does sound like Alistair was a bit worried about what your tech could be used for. And he may have had a legit reason for that worry. If labs are being attacked, then it sounds like they could still be after it. Whoever they are. But I guess Alistair would probably know more about that."

Jack listens and this is all very fascinating. It's not often one gets perspective from the past that is a welcome opinion. More soberly he murmurs, "Some accidents are the ones we miss most." A rare and sober moment from him. Curious he asks the specter, "Edward, where were you wanting to go? You build this machine, it works according to plan. Let's say all this happens. Where did you want to travel to?" Scientists have goals.

Asher thinks of the runes, and wonders if Edward could translate any of them. Suddenly, they flip a few pages in their notebook, scribble across the top of the page a singular word: TRANSLATION?!?

The rest of the page is covered with runes, and the one after that, and the one after that. There are also some color coded ciphers in various languages, numerical ciphers, and quite a few theories on GPS. But so far, all the end results are gibberish.

And that entire notebook suddenly gets shoved off along that same path once more, hopefully again to the hopefully not a narc Byron whose name they're REALLY going to need to find out at first opportunity.

Carl seems pleased that the ghost is pleased, at least. That's a worthwhile enough outcome for him, even if nothing else turns out to be new information. He gives Eunice a nod, good job type, and otherwise hangs back and listens and lets everyone else get their turn in. He's used up what he had in the tank.

Byron nods to Landrydale's explanation. He, himself, is a man of science, but obviously, he believes in magic because, well, look around them. Then a notebook is shoved his way and that gets a creased brow and another look pointed in Asher's direction. He even has this look as if saying: 'Why don't you show him the book yourself?'

When no attack on any labs is mentioned, Byron decides to say, "There was a group of people who tried to steal the siphon from under our noses and that entire dive team vanished. We now learned they went to wherever Alistair Waverly was this whole time." Another look is then given to Asher and he finally rises from his chair and wanders over towards the ghost, slightly hesitantly, and shows Landrydale the runes written in Asher's notebook, "Uh, can you decipher any of this, by chance? I wasn't sure if you would be to understand them or not because runes are found in a few places where the siphon and the other contraptions are concerned."

Jack grins a wry smile. "That sounds very excellent. If we can figure that out maybe we can figure out how to have you join us in going. Maybe you can still see it. I think, hmm, is educational. Everyone should get to do something like that." in life, or in existence.

Looking to Eunice he says "How you feel about armoured horsie dragon trips?" He'd really need her or King to go probably maybe. "This is my level of experimental science if there's the hope of turkey legs."

"We need to get Alistair's memory back" Eunice muses before looking Carl's way. "In the movies, you just have to hit them hard on the head to get it back. Do you think there's a medical precedent for that?" She's only kidding. Probably. "Have we tracked down Eddie's family?" she asks the others, not being fully in the loop. "I suppose they no longer owned this land though." No need to point out to Edward that his son was also dead, though she may have given the game away. Though, why won't they hanging out in limbo...or wherever Edward Sr. was?

"Hey, count me in for dragons and witches and shit" Eunice grins at Jack. "But I ain't wearing a chain mail bikini. Nobody needs to suffer that. A chance of being in a heavy metal record cover for real? I'm there."

Eunice remembers her guest. "Thanks for coming along..." Did Edward have a choice? "Maybe we can talk again another time? You've been incredibly helpful."

Asher pulls another notebook from their bag, this one lilac. They open it, but aren't writing anything just yet. It seems as if, at least for now, they may be finished with their note (or book) passing to the not a narc. But when Eunice talks about head bonks, Asher winces. "Before you try that awful plan, I have a room-mate from the clinic. Maybe we could talk to him, see what we might be able to piece together between some conversations, and some, well..." They glance around the room and gesture with their fountain pen towards those who have gathered, "Some of this kind of stuff."

"I'll see if I can find a coconut," Carl smirks back at Eunice.

A translation book for the runes? That's news, he's pretty sure. He gives Byron and Asher a grateful nod for coming up with that line of questioning. "Knew it was a good idea," he mutters, "inviting someone smarter." Then, a little louder. "I don't know if we ever totally cleaned out the lab. Something to look into, anyway. And maybe Eunice can get us in touch with the other Edward, all else fails."

"I'm all for going into the world that has dragons." Phineas pipes up. Shaking his head in the negative, not that anyone asked him personally, but he says, "I don't think I have any questions. Maybe need to find a way to help those that have amnesia, and then if need be bring our friend back out?" A glance at Eunice as he says that. Trying to pitch his voice so it is towards those he is sitting with.

"I believe that everything that was collected from the lab earlier was documented." Byron says to Carl, "I'll double check, but if it's not in there, then it should be in the lab proper." With that said, he's already heading back Asher's way to return to the notebook to her. "I'm impressed with all that notetaking. Surprised that you haven't already signed up for the Magical Studies Department. Maybe next time, you'll be able to go up and ask your questions yourself rather than relying on me to do so." He then adds, "Not that I minded, of course."

As for how to jog Waverly's memory, he considers, "Hypnosis? I'm no expert in that department." He then turns back to Landrydale, "One more thing before you go, maybe you know something that could bring back Alistair Waverly's memory. An old joke, an old story. Something shared between the two of you. Anything that might help."

Byron is already heading back to his chair to check on his video camera and the rest of his belongings, figuring they were finishing up.

"Thanks," Asher tells Byron as he hands back their notebook. Sketched among the runes were also drawings of a super cute rat some know as The Freak. But when those compliments follow, their cheeks darken. The admit softly, "I was really scared of mine for a long time. It has teeth and bites sharper than I'm really confident with." Not that it always stops them. "But if you all need a medic around for more dangerous things and there's enough hours for a full time pay doing it?" They don't shy away from admitting, "I've always loved a good puzzle." They're about to introduce themself and find out if he's got a name other than 'possibly a narc' but he's already off again, so they just shrug and start to repack their satchel instead.