MICHAEL SHEPARD
Werewolf
Posts: 279
Age:
33
Occupation:
CIA Analyst/Thief
Status:
Married
Partner:
Sara Shepard
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Nov 10, 2024 20:02:50 GMT
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Post by MICHAEL SHEPARD on Dec 19, 2016 18:31:19 GMT
Trying to resist the urge to glance over his shoulder Michael approached the quiet apartment building at a sedate pace. Just a normal guy out for an evening stroll, walking off the day’s stress or an indulgent dinner at the Grill. Two out of three of those wasn’t bad – he just wasn’t a normal guy anymore. In three days’ time he’d be out in the woods that surrounded the two, surrendering himself to the base instincts that took over when the full moon transformed him. Even now he could feel the pressure of it, like it was lurking beneath his skin just waiting to burst free. A part of him wanted the freedom that night brought but he also dreaded it, dreaded coming to out in the woods, naked and vulnerable. There’d been enough of an itch between his shoulder blades as there was, that certainty that he’d become a target once again the minute he’d thrown in his lot with his fellow thief. Michael slipped his phone from his pocket, swiping his thumb across the screen in the memorised pattern to unlock it. Ana was likely back at the motel now, completely unaware of just where he’d gone to. She knew what had happened to his family, had probably read the files while he’d been out but he hadn’t told her just what he was doing to try and find out exactly what had happened. She knew enough about him as it was, telling her more would just put her in danger.
The D word rang through his head as he slipped down the alleyway behind the building, heading for the service door he’d seen when he’d made his way past here the last two nights in a row. He’d learned the hard way just a few days ago that routine could get him into trouble but in this case he’d taken the chance. The officer from the station who’d taken an interest in him had hopefully cut off surveillance after their little encounter in his room, leaving him free to break the law without her feeling it necessary to arrest him for breaking and entering. Michael slipped down the short flight of stairs silently, hand already reaching into his pocket for the lock picks he’d grown proficient with in the last few years. The lock snicked open easily, the knob turning in his gloved hand and the door swinging open to reveal the dark basement beyond. Michael let the door go, half hearing it closing behind him as he made his way slowly forward. One hand slipped beneath his dark coat now, fingers lightly resting on the butt of his gun. It was a mistake walking into situations like this without a little caution. The janitor’s rooms were at the end of the basement, light spilling from under the door. He could hear the sound of a TV beyond and the scuff of footsteps behind. Michael span, gun already out. A shadow moved by the door that hadn’t yet fully closed. Not wanting to risk bringing the whole town down on him Michael decided to bow out. Running forward, his steps faster than they’d been before he’d been turned he barrelled past whoever had followed him in, careening outside until he slipped on the stairs. There was clumsiness in haste, he knew that and yet there he was, sprawled on the stairs, his only option bringing the gun into view as he rolled over on his back and caught sight of the shadows moving again. ”I’d stay right there if you don’t want to get shot…” he warned, teeth gritted.
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ALARIC SALTZMAN
Hunter
Posts: 312
Age:
39
Occupation:
Headmaster and Teacher
Status:
Married
Partner:
Jenna Saltzman
Played by:
Emma
I find a way to keep going, because that’s what we do. We find a way to keep going.
Last seen Aug 31, 2024 22:48:56 GMT
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Post by ALARIC SALTZMAN on Jan 27, 2017 13:48:22 GMT
When Ric moved to Mystic Falls he had only had one thing on his mind, finding the vampire responsible for killing Isobel. He had spent such a long time believing that she had fallen prey to a killer but the reality of the situation was so much worse. She hadn’t been killed that night, she had sought out Damon Salvatore in the hope that he would turn her into a vampire. For a long time Ric hadn’t truly been able to grieve the loss of his wife since he had been so caught up in trying to figure out what had happened to her but now he knew that she had left him of her own accord. Even in their darkest moments he had honestly believed that Isobel had loved him and that they would work things out but now he knew that there was no chance of that. He hadn’t known why she had given him his ring to begin with, she had said that it would be able to protect him but it had never occurred to him that it might have been her way of saying goodbye. Looking back on it now everything made sense but back then he hadn’t been able to put the pieces together, nor had he really wanted to. Now he had no choice, however, and he was surprised by how little it really mattered to him anymore. His marriage was over, it had been for a long time, and even though it wasn’t easy he knew that he was ready to move on with his life. How he had been lucky enough to have Jenna come into his life he wasn’t sure but he knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had hated having to keep the truth from her, every day he’d had to lie to her about the supernatural and exactly what Elena had been finding herself being thrown into but now the truth was out and it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He wasn’t sure whether Jenna would ever be able to truly forgive him for keeping the truth from her but he still believed he had done so for the right reasons. Elena was the one who knew her aunt the best so he had had no choice but to respect her wishes and keep his mouth shut and he could only hope that he and Jenna would be able to work through it. It had been a long time since he had last felt about anyone the way he felt about her and he knew that the last thing he wanted was to lose that. Making his way through the town something suspicious soon caught his eye. A man around his age seemed to be trying to avoid drawing attention to himself but the moment Ric saw him stop in front of a service door at the end of the alleyway he knew that the guy was up to no good. Without even thinking about it he made his way forward, catching hold of the door before it opened and making his way inside. Moving silently, Ric’s element of surprise was ruined the moment he lost his footing in the dark and the figure before him smacked right into him, leaving him only just able to maintain his balance although the other man wasn’t so lucky. Spying the gun in the man’s hand as he fell, Ric pulled out his own gun and aimed it at the man’s head. “I could say the same to you. What are you doing here?” he demanded. MICHAEL SHEPARD
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MICHAEL SHEPARD
Werewolf
Posts: 279
Age:
33
Occupation:
CIA Analyst/Thief
Status:
Married
Partner:
Sara Shepard
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Nov 10, 2024 20:02:50 GMT
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Post by MICHAEL SHEPARD on Jan 30, 2017 17:56:31 GMT
A full year on the road working for Erik Orlov, breaking into some of the most heavily secured buildings across the country and until he’d stumbled across Ana Roman he hadn’t even come close to being caught. His time with the agency had served him well, even if that time had been spent behind a computer screen and not out in the field. It’d given him the knowledge of security systems to be able to break through them, it had taught him trade craft even if it hadn’t given him the opportunities to put that craft to use. Yet, Michael had found, none of that had given him an ounce of help since he’d headed out of that security office and gone chasing after the girl that had caught his eye. He’d managed to realise what the cop staying at the same motel they were was up to before she broke into his room that night and avoided anybody in town realising he was no longer on the agency’s books but still, there’d been those little slips that had nearly cost him what he had left. Tonight was the worst of them, far worse than coming across old faces in town or walking straight into the police station without an ounce of official weight behind him. Michael knew the only way he’d survived the last year was to be vigilant, to constantly be aware of that target between his shoulder blades and yet when it had really come to it, he’d left that target wide open.
If it had actually been that time of the month and he’d had any control he could’ve turned, could’ve gotten himself out of there without much trouble but it wasn’t and that sort of control was a million miles away from him. More than likely Michael would’ve found himself tearing the guy’s throat out instead of trying to outrun him. That animal grace would’ve come in handy though, would’ve given him an edge as he’d tried to scramble out of the basement past the guy who’d followed him in. Feet slipping instead, he’d found himself sprawled on the concrete steps, gun in hand, threat on his tongue. A part of him felt like laughing, if only this guy knew he’d never shot a weapon outside of a target range in his life. Thankfully his hand remained steady, his finger a hair’s breadth from the trigger he had no real intention of pulling. ”Just taking back something of mine,” Michael muttered, knowing that the ‘I’m Jeff from 4B, I managed to leave my damn keys in my apartment’ weren’t going to wash now. He might’ve gotten away with that if he’d been just spotted in the basement but in his haste he’d run. ”Storage unit over in the corner has some of my old stuff. I was just looking to get it back. What were you doing creeping around down here with that?” Michael’s gaze dropped pointedly to the gun as he jerked his chin at it. He could already feel his hackles rising, a low growl starting deep in his chest, his body’s automatic response telling him to flee. If there was a trace of the guy who’d been there in his house that night was there in that unit it wasn’t worth being killed over. Better to run now and come back another day, as long as it wasn’t moved.
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ALARIC SALTZMAN
Hunter
Posts: 312
Age:
39
Occupation:
Headmaster and Teacher
Status:
Married
Partner:
Jenna Saltzman
Played by:
Emma
I find a way to keep going, because that’s what we do. We find a way to keep going.
Last seen Aug 31, 2024 22:48:56 GMT
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Post by ALARIC SALTZMAN on Feb 27, 2017 22:41:46 GMT
Ric knew that his life should have turned out differently, there was a time when he had thought that he and Isobel would end up settling down and having some kids of their own, but thanks to Isobel’s decision to leave him and become a vampire instead it just hadn’t worked out that way. They had made it as far as getting married and he had honestly thought that they were happy but she’d had other plans and he just hadn’t factored into them. Now all he had left of her was the ring she had given him before she left, the ring that had once belonged to the Gilbert family and had brought him back to life after Damon killed him, and he was surprisingly ok with that. For a while he had felt hurt that she had chosen a life as a vampire over a life with him but now enough time had gone by that he had realised that it was for the best. Her heart hadn’t been in it and instead of dragging things out she had given him a clean break by leaving him. He had honestly thought that she had died the day he had seen Damon feeding on her but she hadn’t and even though it had taken some time to get his head around that now he knew that he was better off without her. Becoming a hunter and travelling across the country wasn’t exactly how he had thought that his life would turn out but he was making the best of it and it had to be said that being in Mystic Falls definitely had its perks. Jenna had helped him open his heart again and he had found some pretty good friends along the way, his best friend in fact being the vampire he had thought was responsible for killing Isobel. It really was strange how things worked out but he knew now that things had worked out just how they were supposed to. Now he had Jenna in his life and even though things were a little rocky between the two of them at the moment considering not too long ago she had discovered that he had been keeping the truth about the supernatural from her he knew he just had to believe that they would work it out. He definitely wasn’t going to give up without a fight but he wasn’t going to let what was going on stop him from doing what he was good at either. He might not have planned on becoming a hunter but he liked to think he had become a pretty good one and in a town like Mystic Falls it was important to keep everyone in check. He hadn’t quite known what to make of the fact that he had caught the guy before him so blatantly breaking in but he knew that didn’t really matter, not when he was determined to get to the bottom of what was really going on. “Why bring the gun if you were only taking back a few things that belong to you? The guys through there aren’t exactly armed and dangerous,” Ric challenged. He knew that they weren’t the brightest either but that was beside the point. As the guy asked what he was doing creeping around with a gun Ric shook his head. “If you think you’re changing the subject you don’t stand a chance. Put the gun on the floor and slide it towards me otherwise your pals in there are going to learn exactly what you were about to do.”MICHAEL SHEPARD
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MICHAEL SHEPARD
Werewolf
Posts: 279
Age:
33
Occupation:
CIA Analyst/Thief
Status:
Married
Partner:
Sara Shepard
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Nov 10, 2024 20:02:50 GMT
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Post by MICHAEL SHEPARD on Mar 4, 2017 20:01:55 GMT
Caution, it should’ve been a word that was seared across his brain these days and yet this time he’d gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar without an ounce of prior warning. If the cop’s visit to his motel room should’ve taught him anything, it was that he shouldn’t let his guard down in Mystic Falls. Orlov hadn’t trailed him here yet, as far as Michael could tell the thief didn’t have a clue they were coming, but those weren’t the only dangers in town. Not scouting the area, not checking more thoroughly before he’d cracked the lock and broken into the apartment building were rookie mistakes and after the last two years, he shouldn’t have been able to categorise himself as one of those anymore. He’d broken into dozens of buildings without coming within a mile of getting caught, he’d taken treasure after treasure back to his boss without one hint of a slip up and then his hormones had started to reawaken and suddenly the ground beneath his feet had grown slick again. Almost literally. Laying on his back out in the alley, the sounds of the apartment building filing the air behind the good Samaritan, Michael lamented ever agreeing to travel to Mystic Falls with Ana. It would’ve been easier to step away from the helping hand the woman had been offering. He could’ve made his own way here, hidden himself away until he found what he was after and left. Without her prying open his life Michael doubted he would’ve given in to the burning desire to start pulling the investigation into his family’s deaths apart. For a few more years at least he would have remained Orlov’s lap dog, waiting for the next scrap, brooding, praying, just wanting something more.
Right now he would’ve done with just being sure footed and fast enough to get away from the apartment building before the guy had been able to draw his gun on him. Weapons tended to make everything messy, even if they were only claws and fangs. Michael cocked his head slowly, one corner of his mouth half rising in a sour smile. ”I could ask you the same thing. Who walks around a town like this at this time of night carrying a gun? Unless you’re a cop…” In which case he likely would’ve seen the guy down at the station at some point since he’d started hanging around there, hoping to find some way to get information on what had happened to Sara and Abi. Green eyes flashed to the open door he’d run out of and back again to the guy. ”I wasn’t planning on taking any risks. Mystic Falls isn’t exactly Peyton Place.” And the guy facing him wasn’t exactly an idiot. All it would take was one call to have the guys inside running out and then the place would be bathed in flashing blue lights and if anyone connected to the murders was anywhere near the building they’d be gone in a heartbeat. Cursing under his breath, Michael kept his grip on the gun a moment longer, then reached down, setting it by his feet and kicking it forward. As the scrape of metal died away Michael heard another sound from within the building. Knowing he might’ve been caught with his pants down again he shifted, drawing himself up into a crouch even as his eyes flashed gold. Now he was screwed, doubly, triply screwed. ”Get back,” Michael warned in a hiss as the noise came again. If this was the guy who’d escaped the house in New Orleans, he wasn’t likely to come out like a concerned neighbour, there was likely to be violence and he didn’t want a bystander caught up in it again.
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ALARIC SALTZMAN
Hunter
Posts: 312
Age:
39
Occupation:
Headmaster and Teacher
Status:
Married
Partner:
Jenna Saltzman
Played by:
Emma
I find a way to keep going, because that’s what we do. We find a way to keep going.
Last seen Aug 31, 2024 22:48:56 GMT
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Post by ALARIC SALTZMAN on Mar 30, 2017 21:19:18 GMT
Ric was getting used to strange things happening in Mystic Falls by now, he had learned about the supernatural the hard way and his search for his wife’s killer had eventually brought him to Mystic Falls but he hadn’t expected to find out that Isobel was still alive after all or that she had chosen to leave him. He had never thought that she would do such a thing and the truth was that finding out had broken his heart but now he felt like he was ready to leave that far behind him. He and Jenna were finally in a good place and he had high hopes about how things were going to go between them. It had taken her a while to get her head around the fact that he’d had to lie to her about the supernatural for so long but she had eventually understood and now they seemed to be moving on from it. In a way it was a relief to know that the truth was out in the open, he no longer had to worry about slipping up while he was around her or having to try and explain away the strange occurrences that went on in the town so in a way it was like a weight had been lifted off his mind. Mystic Falls was still a dangerous place to live in, however, so he knew better than to let his guard down completely. Catching someone in the act of what looked like a common burglary wasn’t something that he had expected to stumble upon that evening but thankfully he was prepared. He could have easily been caught off guard when the guy pulled out his gun but instead he had the upper hand and for that he was glad. As the guy spoke, Ric felt a half smile form on his face. “I’m not a cop, I’m just someone who knows that there is more to this town than there seems,” he shrugged. As the guy slid the gun along the floor towards him Ric stopped it with his foot before looking up quickly at the sound of someone moving further inside the building. As his attention turned back to the man before him it was clear that he too had been a little startled by the sound and before Ric knew it the guy was on his feet and his eyes had flashed gold. “What is really going on? What are you?” he demanded, his gun still trained on the man although he couldn’t ignore the feeling he was getting that the guy now wanted to protect him from whoever was inside the building. MICHAEL SHEPARD
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MICHAEL SHEPARD
Werewolf
Posts: 279
Age:
33
Occupation:
CIA Analyst/Thief
Status:
Married
Partner:
Sara Shepard
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Nov 10, 2024 20:02:50 GMT
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Post by MICHAEL SHEPARD on Oct 20, 2017 17:45:57 GMT
In New Orleans it had felt almost as though law enforcement was blind to the supernatural as well as any crime that ran deeper than the superficial. The police who had arrived the night Sara and Abi had been killed hadn’t wanted to see the motive behind the murder, they hadn’t wanted to dig in to an Agency investigation, they hadn’t wanted to admit that they wanted a quick, quiet close to the case. One of the perpetrators had been lying dead on the floor, and the other ... well, they would get him eventually. Only they hadn’t. Spending time in the sheriff’s department, Michael knew that the cops here weren’t so blind to what lurked outside. No department could have been so skilled at covering up the deaths of so many people out in the woods without having a deeper understanding of the supernatural. None of them knew what he was yet, not in the supernatural sense anyway, to them he was a CIA analyst, using a little of the privilege given to the thin blue line to try and dig into the supposedly closed case of his family’s deaths. He was still a grieving father and husband, a man unable to return to the job he’d once held, one who would do almost anything to find the truth, he was just also a thief and a werewolf. If given the chance tonight he would’ve indulged those sides of himself and broken into the storage space of someone he thought might be connected to those deaths. Only his chance had been cut short and now there was a chance he might get shot for just attempting it.
Could’ve fooled him. Michael had seen enough law enforcement officers handle weapons to know when someone had training. There’d been a familiarity with the weapon, an ease, that would’ve made it easy to yell police but as the guy said he wasn’t a cop Michael realised how short sighted he’d been. The sour smile took on a vaguely feral edge, green eyes narrowing faintly despite the lack of light out here. ”I thought I might’ve seen you around the station if you were working for Sheriff Forbes ...” He was betting that the ‘knowing that there was more to the town’ came from an immersion in the supernatural. The guy knew something hinky was going on here, knew enough to ask what was really going on and what he was rather than who when a sound from inside startled him into reacting in a way he wouldn’t have if he could’ve helped it. As the sound inside began to die away again Michael slowly began to raise his hands. He kept them up, half turning towards the guy he’d warned to get back. His mouth was a thin line now, his jaw flexing as his eyes settled back to their usual green. ”If you’re really a guy who knows that there’s more going on in this town than it seems then you won’t be all that surprised by the fact that I’m a werewolf,” he managed tightly. ”I was going on there to look for someone, or to be a little more accurate, evidence of someone. You might not be a cop but as someone who at least seems to respect the law a little I imagine you’ll understand why when I say it’s someone I think was involved in the murder of my wife and daughter.” All his cards were laid out on the table, if he was wrong about this guy then Michael imagined he might still be in trouble, either from the gun or from a quick call to 911. He was betting on the fact that the guy wouldn’t snap react that way though, he hadn’t yet and that had to be proof of something.
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ALARIC SALTZMAN
Hunter
Posts: 312
Age:
39
Occupation:
Headmaster and Teacher
Status:
Married
Partner:
Jenna Saltzman
Played by:
Emma
I find a way to keep going, because that’s what we do. We find a way to keep going.
Last seen Aug 31, 2024 22:48:56 GMT
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Post by ALARIC SALTZMAN on Oct 31, 2017 22:57:37 GMT
One thing Ric had learned pretty quickly after he arrived in Mystic Falls was that the town just seemed to attract the supernatural. He had first moved there in the hope of tracking down and killing the vampire that had killed his wife but since then he had learned the shocking truth – Isobel had been the one to choose to leave him and become a vampire instead. Damon Salvatore was the one who had turned her and even though he had tried to kill the guy a few times in the beginning, now the two of them had actually become friends. With everything that was going on it was good to have one person he could actually have a drink with and talk if he needed it and considering Damon had been nursing a broken heart lately he had a feeling that it probably did his friend good too. That was something that he hadn’t planned on when he moved to town, he had felt sure that he would kill Damon and then either move on or put down roots and live a normal life but none of those things had happened. Instead his best friend was a vampire and he was doing his best to keep a group of teenagers safe from the crazy world they had found themselves thrown into. Things definitely hadn’t worked out the way he had expected them to but he knew that he wouldn’t change that now aside from the whole Isobel becoming a vampire thing. He had people he cared about in his life once more and that was something that he knew better than to take for granted. His relationship with Jenna hadn’t worked out but they were still friends and he knew he would always care about her so he knew that it really was just one of those things. Ric knew to expect the unexpected when it came to what went on in the town but it had still surprised him when he had caught someone so obviously breaking into the building that evening. “That’s probably the last place you’d find me unless I got arrested for having too much to drink,” Ric admitted. He definitely didn’t tend to spend any time there if he could help it but at the moment he wasn’t ready to tell the guy where it was more likely that he could be found. He didn’t trust the guy, he had caught him breaking into the building armed after all, but as time went on he was starting to think that perhaps there was something more to it than a simple break in. The guy didn’t seem like the type to want to hurt anyone so there had to be another reason for it and he was determined to find out what that was. “I’ve heard rumours but I’ve never met one before. I seem to be surrounded by vampires at the moment,” he explained. He had known for a long time that there was much more out there and he had met lots of different creatures during his travels but werewolves were something that had evaded him until now although he really wasn’t at all surprised to learn that they too were real. As the guy explained about his family, Ric studied him carefully for a moment looking for any sign that he was lying but not finding any. “I’m sorry about your family. I understand the desperation, after my wife disappeared I did some things I’m really not proud of to try and find out what happened to her,” he admitted. He had been in a bad place back then and it had taken him a while to drag himself out of it. He got the impression that the guy before him was still in a bad place now so he knew what he needed to do. “You know what you’re looking for so I’ll keep watch while you go in there but only on the condition that no one gets hurt, do you understand?” he asked. Both of them going in was too risky if someone sounded the alarm and considering he had no plans to leave Mystic Falls he knew that he needed to keep his nose clean as much as possible but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t still help a little. MICHAEL SHEPARD
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MICHAEL SHEPARD
Werewolf
Posts: 279
Age:
33
Occupation:
CIA Analyst/Thief
Status:
Married
Partner:
Sara Shepard
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Nov 10, 2024 20:02:50 GMT
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Post by MICHAEL SHEPARD on Nov 12, 2017 18:01:54 GMT
The worst thing that was supposed to happen in a small town was drunk driving. They were supposed to be safe, folks free to grow up in them without worrying whether or not they’d be snatched from their front yard, folks free to grow old in them without having to read about dead bodies being found in the woods on a daily basis. His own neighbourhood in New Orleans was meant to be the same, somewhere safe to raise Abi, to grow old with Sara, loving her move every single day. Michael had never been able to picture his world erupting in that red glow of violence, had never pictured standing in the cemetery while both his wife and daughter had been interred beside his parents. Looking back now from a thousand miles away, from two years of experience doing things he never would’ve imagined doing then, Michael knew he should’ve been able to see it all coming but he’d been naïve. That naivety had cost him his family, had separated him from his sister and since he’d arrived in Mystic Falls had almost cost him his life. He had to cast the scales away from his eyes, had to start thinking smarter, acting smarter, or the truth would die with him when something bigger, something badder came along to show him the error of his ways.
It didn’t even have to be something supernatural. A bullet to the heart might do it, from a well-meaning bystander who’d caught him breaking into a building, from a cop sharp eyed enough to see what was going on … or from a drunk who got lucky. Michael’s eyes were still narrowed, studying the guy who’d found him. ”Occupational hazard for me,” he admitted, painting on that thin veneer of the half-truth again. He wasn’t on the agency’s books any longer but the thin blue line was thicker than most wanted to believe and he’d been relying on it to help him with his investigation. When Ana had been here he’d relied on her too, half trusting someone for the first time in a long time. She hadn’t been the only vampire in the town, far from it in fact, just as Michael was sure he wasn’t the only werewolf here. ”There’s a first time for everything,” he muttered. He hadn’t known of the existence of any of this until he’d started to turn with every full moon and Erik Orlov had stepped in to explain. Orlov had turned his life around, turned him into a different man. There was still enough Michael Shepard, husband, father, analyst, left in him to start to trust the guy who’d been holding a weapon on him only a moment before. ”So you understand,” Michael said hoarsely. ”I can’t just walk away if there’s something in there that’ll help me get them justice. New Orleans PD let this go once, I’m not doing that again.” No matter what it took, how many laws he had to break, he wasn’t going to leave this town without the truth. So far people here had been willing to help but Michael hadn’t expected this guy to. The instant the question slipped from the guy’s lips Michael was thumbing the safety back onto his gun, holding it out to the guy. The danger from whoever was inside hadn’t passed but if he had to, he had other ways of defending himself. ”Understood,” he promised. ”When I’ve looked you’ll get a proper explanation for this, I swear.” Something more than just the bomb of his family’s murder that he’d dropped on this guy in his desperation to get inside. Michael nodded to him in gratitude, then turned and slipped into the darkness of the building.
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ALARIC SALTZMAN
Hunter
Posts: 312
Age:
39
Occupation:
Headmaster and Teacher
Status:
Married
Partner:
Jenna Saltzman
Played by:
Emma
I find a way to keep going, because that’s what we do. We find a way to keep going.
Last seen Aug 31, 2024 22:48:56 GMT
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Post by ALARIC SALTZMAN on May 9, 2018 21:58:22 GMT
Ric had learned the hard way that the monsters he had always thought were just stories were actually real but ever since then he had been studying so that he could learn as much about the world that he had found himself thrown into as possible and he had also been training himself so that he would know better how to defend himself and those around him. He hadn’t known all of the facts when he had seen Damon feeding on Isobel that night and it was only years later that he had finally learned the truth. It had taken him a while to get over the fact that she had chosen to become a vampire rather than spend her life with him but he knew deep down that if that was her decision then their marriage had been doomed to fail right from the very beginning. He had been in love a few times over the years, the first had been with Rory until she had disappeared one day without saying a word and it had felt like déjà vu to begin with when Isobel had done the same. With his wife he had at least had the chance to grieve a little, he had attended her funeral even though it had meant having to bury an empty casket and he had dedicated years of his life to tracking and killing the vampire responsible for taking her from him. This time at least he had some closure but he was pretty sure that the wounds caused when Rory left would never truly heal until he knew what had happened to her and why she had left him behind all those years ago. For now he was just doing the best he could with the way that his life had turned out and it had to be said that when he had followed the man into the building after he broke in he definitely hadn’t expected things to take the turn that they had done. It had looked like a simple case of breaking and entering and he normally wouldn’t have gotten involved with it but the flash of the gun he had seen from the alley had left him with no choice. There were guards working in the building and probably other innocent people too and Ric knew that far too many lives had been lost in Mystic Falls as it was without adding too many casualties to the list. He could have called the police but he had known that by the time they got there it would have been too late and he had sworn to himself that if there was anything he could do to stop the body count from rising any higher than it already had then he would do it so it had been a no brainer as far as he was concerned. “I can believe that,” he admitted as the man said that being in a police station was an occupational hazard for him. The truth was he would have been more surprised if that hadn’t been the case. As the man said that he understood, Ric nodded. “Unfortunately I do,” he said as he put the gun away. Meeting his first werewolf wasn’t something he had expected to happen that day but he knew by now that nothing should really surprise him anymore. “Trust me, I get it,” he nodded. He had been exactly the same when he had been trying to find out what had happened to Isobel so he knew that he couldn’t hold it against this man that he wanted to find answers. He still didn’t know the whole story but he knew himself well enough by now to know that once he did he would more than likely end up offering his assistance even more than he had done already. For now, though, as the other man agreed to the terms Ric felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. “I’m going to hold you to that but for now quit wasting time and find what you need. Go.”MICHAEL SHEPARD
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MICHAEL SHEPARD
Werewolf
Posts: 279
Age:
33
Occupation:
CIA Analyst/Thief
Status:
Married
Partner:
Sara Shepard
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Nov 10, 2024 20:02:50 GMT
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Post by MICHAEL SHEPARD on May 23, 2018 18:06:45 GMT
Had the shoe been on the other foot Michael knew he’d never have been able to let the other guy walk away. Weapons had been drawn, crimes practically confessed to and with his moral compass previously stuck firmly at North, he couldn’t have just let that slide. This guy wasn’t a cop, didn’t have the power to arrest him but his own compass could’ve been just as firmly stuck and Michael knew that meant he’d never have gotten inside. He could have offered up every sob story about his life, and thanks to the shadow, there were enough of those to break even the hardest heart, and it might have gotten him free of any trouble but he’d never wanted to use what had happened to excuse what he was doing. Had their deaths driven him to work for a vampire, doing things he knew were against the law? Yes, but he never would have blamed either Sara or Abi for that. He had made the choice, he had done so knowing that he would eventually find out the truth behind the shadow. Michael had admitted that tonight was his choice too. He’d come here looking to try and find one more breadcrumb on the trail towards the truth and if this guy in front of him could be entirely swayed to his side … and if the town’s actual cops didn’t come around the corner at any time to ask what the hell the two of them were up to out here in the dark.
A faint trace of grim humour finally worked its way across Michael’s face at the guy’s response to his admission. Undoubtedly he took his words literally, a thief finding himself at the station no surprise to anybody, but this was the absolute opposite. Trips to the station had to be kept to the right side of the law now. ”I bet you can,” he muttered. If he wanted to open up entirely he could’ve told him exactly who he was, offered to show a badge but Michael didn’t want too much of the truth coming out, not until he was done with his life of crime forever. Only, in the end, he had no choice about it. Admitting to what had happened to Abi and Sara had been like ripping off a band aid again and could have left him bleeding but there was empathy there, the gun finally being put away. Michael watched, his throat working as he studied the guy. ”I won’t ask how you do,” he promised. ”But because you do you know that I’m going to have to go in there. At the end of all of this, if I have to, I’ll take this to the cops.” If he couldn’t, Michael didn’t know what he was going to do. The shadow was bigger than anything the folks of Mystic Falls had fought before. Handing over his weapon now was a sign of trust, one Michael hadn’t known he’d be able to give when the guy had first turned up. The smile that tugged at the other guy’s face surprised him but Michael wasn’t about to turn down the opportunity he had. ”Watch my back?” he called back over his shoulder before he slipped soundlessly back through the basement he’d been in only moments before. Michael made quick work of the lock on the storage space for the apartment his suspect was in, fingers shaking only faintly as he began to rifle through the cardboard boxes of stuff in the dark.
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ALARIC SALTZMAN
Hunter
Posts: 312
Age:
39
Occupation:
Headmaster and Teacher
Status:
Married
Partner:
Jenna Saltzman
Played by:
Emma
I find a way to keep going, because that’s what we do. We find a way to keep going.
Last seen Aug 31, 2024 22:48:56 GMT
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Post by ALARIC SALTZMAN on May 23, 2018 22:04:51 GMT
Ric had been ready to call it a day and head home when he caught the other guy breaking into the building but as far as he was concerned now he was at least going to need a beer after this. He didn’t know the full details about what was going on but he knew enough to know that even though the guy was breaking the law he was doing it for a decent reason. That was something that Ric could understand, after he had thought that Isobel had died he had done a lot of things that he wasn’t proud of in his search for answers and he had come close to doing the same when Rory had left too. Both times he had been left behind without any explanation whatsoever and he couldn’t deny that it had taken its toll on him. When it came to Isobel’s disappearance he now finally had some answers and even though those weren’t the answers that he had been expecting or that he had wanted, in fact when he had learned the truth he had felt like his heart was being ripped in two, it had still helped him gain some closure and he knew that the was what he had needed more than anything. He still didn’t have that when it came to Rory, he had never learned the truth about why she had suddenly left him behind without a word one day when they had been very much in love and happy but enough time had passed that his heart had healed somewhat and he had eventually found a way to move on. Needless to say he understood Michael’s need for answers and given everything that he had lost he knew that he wasn’t going to stand in the way of the guy being able to get them. “If it does come to that I’ll go with you, you don’t have to face this on your own,” Ric assured him, knowing that if the roles were reversed then it wasn’t something that he would want to face on his own either. “We can share war stories later but for now you need to get going,” he said as he took Michael’s weapon from him, putting it out of harm’s way so that he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt while the guy was in there. As he asked if he would watch his back, Ric nodded. “Of course now go, I won’t tell you again,” he said before turning his back on Michael and finding a spot that was out of the way so that he could see anyone coming into the building but they wouldn’t be able to see him. MICHAEL SHEPARD
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MICHAEL SHEPARD
Werewolf
Posts: 279
Age:
33
Occupation:
CIA Analyst/Thief
Status:
Married
Partner:
Sara Shepard
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Nov 10, 2024 20:02:50 GMT
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Post by MICHAEL SHEPARD on Jun 10, 2018 16:38:10 GMT
Michael had long ago stopped trying to understand people’s motives. It had never been as simple as something being labelled as good and evil. At the end of the day people rarely did something out of the goodness of their hearts and those who were sociopathic enough to kill and destroy didn’t do so merely because they were ‘evil’. There was always a myriad of driving factors, curiosity, generosity, envy, hatred, confusion, sympathy. He knew that when most heard the story of how his wife and daughter had been killed sympathy tended to erase anything else they were feeling in the moment. It gave people pause, left them forgiving him for things that Michael knew they’d not have forgiven anybody else for. The loss of Sara and Abi wasn’t anything he ever wanted to use for an excuse but it had been his motivation for so long that he could sometimes barely remember a time before it. Working for Orlov had allowed him to see something beyond it, when justice had allowed him to believe that someone would pay for their deaths, but Michael had realised when he’d arrived in Mystic Falls that he’d been painfully short sighted then. Before Mystic Falls justice had been a million miles away, not close enough to taste like it was now. Short sighted and naive at every turn and if he wasn’t careful, if he didn’t handle this right then he might remain that way. Michael knew he couldn’t let that happen. He had to be more careful, had to make sure he lived long enough to see them punished and to do that, he was going to help from those whose motivations he might never be able to unpick entirely.
The man standing before him had barely known him for ten minutes and yet he was offering to help. Michael didn’t know whether he was more confused over that or grateful for it. He’d tried to stop a stranger from committing a crime and now was offering to help clear up another. It was gratitude that won out, that had Michael’s throat tightening as he nodded at him. ”That’s appreciated. You don’t have to do it but … it’s appreciated.” Along with the evidence the tech had re-examined at the station it could all be taken to Detective Jones. She would see it prosecuted, would see those behind it put behind bars for life. Then he could allow himself to really breath for the first time in over two years. There would be time after, Michael desperately wanted to believe that. Time after every step too, he told himself as the gun was handed off and a grim smile curved his lips. He didn’t wanted to think about war stories now but later … there would be time. Not wasting what he had been given, Michael ran into the building and began to search. He didn’t need light to see the scant belongings filling the storage locker. A few misshapen lumps of furniture, dust coated cardboard boxes that had held nothing of interest so far. Michael moved to the next, shoving aside plastic bowls and kitchen towels, pausing when he felt a hard lump wrapped in one. He unwrapped it quickly, fingers shaking as he realised he was holding an address book in his hands. Not a smoking gun but the possibility of finding one at least. He shoved it into the waistband of his jeans, refolding the towel to push it back into the box. Continuing on through another half dozen boxes he found nothing. One last glance over his shoulder and Michael was locking the unit behind him. A sound from further into the building had him taking off at a run again. He heard a voice go up as his presence was noted. ”Run,” Michael called out to the guy who’d been helping him as he barrelled out the back. ”Someone’s going to be calling the cops and I don’t want to be standing around here giving another explanation. Let’s go!” He tugged at the guy’s arm, urging him along the alley, in the direction of the darkest end of it.
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ALARIC SALTZMAN
Hunter
Posts: 312
Age:
39
Occupation:
Headmaster and Teacher
Status:
Married
Partner:
Jenna Saltzman
Played by:
Emma
I find a way to keep going, because that’s what we do. We find a way to keep going.
Last seen Aug 31, 2024 22:48:56 GMT
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Post by ALARIC SALTZMAN on Nov 28, 2018 21:32:31 GMT
This definitely wasn’t how Ric had thought that his day would end up going but the truth was that he had seen a lot stranger during his time in Mystic Falls. The moment he had seen Michael breaking into the place he had known that he’d had to stop it but he hadn’t expected the guy to tell him the story that he had done. That was something that Ric hadn’t seen coming and even though he still didn’t know the whole story he knew enough to know that the guy wasn’t looking to cause any trouble and he definitely wasn’t looking to hurt anyone considering Ric had his gun. Even though he was a hunter he knew firsthand that there were plenty of people who were a part of the supernatural world but just wanted to live normal lives. He had never thought that he would end up becoming friends with vampires, werewolves and witches but that was exactly what had happened during his time in Mystic Falls so he knew to keep an open mind. Michael had trusted him enough to reveal that he was there to try and find some information on the person responsible for the deaths of his wife and daughter and that was something that Ric could definitely understand. While it was true that he’d never had any children of his own he had been a mess when Isobel had disappeared and he had done plenty of things that he wasn’t proud of while he had been trying to find information on the vampire that had ‘killed’ her. Had he known that she had simply sought out Damon Salvatore so that she could leave him in favour of becoming a vampire herself then he wouldn’t have bothered looking for her at all but he had needed closure and he had eventually found it in Mystic Falls, albeit not in the way that he necessarily would have expected. Now all he could do was stand and keep a lookout while Michael searched for what he was after and it felt like it wasn’t long at all when the guy returned telling him to run. Ric didn’t need telling twice before turning and bolting back the way they had come. It was only when they were far enough away from the building and able to blend in with everyone else around them that he allowed his pace to slow and looked over at his companion. “Did you find what you needed?” he asked, hoping that after all that it hadn’t ended up being a wasted effort. MICHAEL SHEPARD
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MICHAEL SHEPARD
Werewolf
Posts: 279
Age:
33
Occupation:
CIA Analyst/Thief
Status:
Married
Partner:
Sara Shepard
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Nov 10, 2024 20:02:50 GMT
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Post by MICHAEL SHEPARD on Dec 3, 2018 20:21:40 GMT
Someone to watch his back hadn’t been what he’d ever anticipated tonight. Michael knew without a doubt that Ana would’ve been there to play look out for him if he’d have asked her to, might even have been there without asking if he hadn’t slipped out of the room while she’d been out herself. She had a way of getting under his skin, insinuating herself into his life, a way that might end up getting her hurt if Orlov or his shadow learned that he’d taken on a partner. The last thing he’d wanted to do since the day Abi and Sara had been taken was to bring someone else into this. It was why he’d left Karin, why he’d walked away from his life and why Michael now found a knot in his stomach at the thought of dragging someone else into this mess. Ric obviously hadn’t gone for a stroll this evening with the intention of getting himself caught up with a ‘criminal’. The guy didn’t deserve what might now be hanging over his head but even with a little knowledge of what he was on the fringes of now Ric hadn’t walked away. Michael was semi-grateful for that as he headed into the building without his gun. Thanks to his good Samaritan he was feeling a little naked without a weapon but at least there was someone waiting there for him when he came barrelling back out of the building with threats of the cops ringing in his ears.
Wise man that he was Ric didn’t seem all that keen on sticking around when he’d emerged, legs eating up the ground and the warning on his lips. The two of them scrambling away from the building as he caught the sound of the guy who’d obviously seen him calling the cops. In a town the size of Mystic Falls it wouldn’t take them long to get there but it didn’t matter, they were far enough away that the sirens only started to sound after they were already back out on one of the streets leading to the square, a street busy enough that two guys strolling down it didn’t raise a single eyebrow. Slowing down beside Ric, Michael reached under his jacket and tugged the dusty address book free. ”I’ve found something that might help,” he admitted. ”Who knew that career criminals were old school about writing things down.” Letting out a long breath, Michael glanced down at the book and then shoved it into his coat pocket. ”Let’s hope he wrote down the names of some of his associates. I guess you want to hear a little more about what I was doing back there. I know I didn’t really give you much to trust me on other than what happened to Abi and Sara. Let me buy you a drink to kinda make up for it?” A beer wouldn’t mean a damn thing if someone found out that Ric had been with him at the building but right now it felt like a little bit of repayment at least.
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hope to see you in the discord! 
