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, 2022 17:55:24 GMT
 Green eyes drifted coolly over the things lounging in the bar. From the morass of sweating bodies upstairs he’d seen a few drift over to the door that led down here. He didn’t need x-ray vision or telepathy to know that there weren’t as human as they appeared – when you weren’t either it was an easy bet most of the time. Michael had bided his time up amongst that sweating, half-drunk, seething mass of humanity, refusing to be pulled out onto the dance floor when a woman smeared liberally with neon blue and pink glitter, eyes soft with too much liquor and maybe something else had tried to tow him out there. A beer nursed for an hour in the end before he’d seen enough. He’d slipped from his stool, keeping the nerves that knotted his gut from showing on his face or in his walk as he headed straight for the door.
Reaching out to Orlov’s people had been like putting his head straight back into the lion’s mouth. Orlov had survived as long as he had by drawing an absolute line on loyalty. Stepping away had been hard enough, although he imagined Orlov was merely biding his time there, trusting that eventually he would come crawling back. Sitting in a booth in a dive bar fifty miles outside of Mystic Falls yesterday, Michael had been on edge but the lacky who had spent the last forty years as one of Orlov’s ‘organisers’ in the hope of being turned had been more bothered about taking a little revenge on a man who would slaughter him for it – should he find out.
Michael managed a tight smile for a buxom blonde lingering in one corner, cutting his gaze away as though she had been little more than a speck in the corner of his eye. Orlov had been cold in business, had probably been known for being just the same in his little ‘club’. He’d been a member for centuries after all, drifting in, according to the Marv the Jealous, some time in the 1800s in London. Marv had called Orlov a wannabe Dracula, which was likely what was gonna get him killed instead of turned in the end. He couldn’t take the blame for that, Marv had chosen to slip him the information when he’d reached out.
And he’d chosen to walk into that lion’s den to see if any of the things in this town had heard anything about the whereabouts of a missing woman. It was almost enough to have him laughing as the hysteria bubbled up. He’d spent months searching for Sara with no more news coming from his sister or any of the people Karin had talked into helping her. Desperation had set in and soon enough Aubrey was going to be asking more questions he had no answers for. So, he’d reached his head back in slowly – wisely. Put Orlov’s connections to use, even if he didn’t trust the man further than he could throw him.
Slipping onto a seat at the bar, Michael cleared his throat, waiting for one of the bartenders who seemed to be manning the thing to approach. Green eyes latched onto one unloaded a crate of bottles at the end of the bar, brows knitting together. Jesus, this place seemed to employ nothing but teenagers down here, although with vampires that was always deceptive. The kid met his eye and Michael looked away uneasily.
He reached for the menu but sighed and shoved it back when another approached. ”Hey, a double shot of whatever’s decent on the top shelf and a beer … you got anything on …tap?” Brows still furrowed deep enough to cut creases in his brow, Michael straightened up on his seat and looked up into another face, not that much older – definitely no older than he’d been in New Orleans. Hours away but a handful of years ago it might as well have been another world, so much of it, and the people in it, hidden behind some curtain he hadn’t been allowed to tear down until the shadow had swarmed his family and dragged that curse up from somewhere deep inside of him the second the man’s blood had started to dry on his hands.
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LAWRENCE MURPHY
Vampire
Posts: 316
Age:
106
Occupation:
Bartender
Status:
It's Complicated
Partner:
Penny Bartlett
Played by:
Jodi
how does he know who he even is?
Last seen Nov 20, 2024 15:54:32 GMT
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Post by LAWRENCE MURPHY on Feb 19, 2022 11:50:15 GMT
 He was being such a mopey son of a bitch because of his ring and now he was stuck working on the night shift permanently. Well, until he pried the ring from Penny’s hands. Even Lincoln had a shiny new ring on his finger, which Lawrence quickly caught sight of the other day. Where the fuck had he got that from? He didn’t even want to ask and draw attention to his own situation. Still, his hatred for Penny didn’t stop him from locking lips with her on Halloween. He could confidently say she was no longer hiding the ring in her mouth. One day this would just all be a funny story, but for now, it was his living nightmare. He would mock the other vampires in New Orleans who hadn’t been blessed with a ring. It was held over them like some prize. Something you would win once you had pledged your loyalty to the vampires in the city. He didn’t need the appeal of a daylight ring to be loyal to the vampires. Having wandered America for so long, feeling lost, he was quick to say yes. Anything to be accepted. He was feeling vulnerable when he arrived, having not long turned his emotions back on. He needed to find people who would tell him everything was going to be okay. People who could empathize with him, and he found that quickly in New Orleans. He latched onto that for 50 years until he realized it was exhausting living in the city where trouble was brewing every day between the magic community and the vampires. One foot wrong could have got him killed. Everything that he sought in New Orleans he’d now found in Mystic Falls, but better. The town was calm and there was no one fighting to be on top. Here he had Teddy and Phoebe. A friend he never thought he’d find and a sister he never thought he’d see again. Slowly the pieces of his life were slotting back together having been broken for so long. He was no longer that angry resentful vampire. He was actually happy with his life (minus the whole missing daylight ring of course). There were times he wondered whether maybe being turned was actually the best thing to happen to him. It had all turned out okay in the end, despite the road blocks he had to overcome to get here. He pictured his parents on the other side, watching their two children be reunited. It was a massive fuck you to his parents. After everything though he was still bartending. It was literally the only thing he knew how to do. Pouring shots and shaking cocktails. He tried his hand at waiting once but didn’t have the patience. He set the crate down at the end of the bar, unloading the bottles. He glanced up as someone cleared their throat, obviously trying to get his attention. A simple ‘excuse me’ would have sufficed, but nonetheless, Lawrence pulled himself away from the crate heading over to the man. A double shot and a beer? Nice choice. His deep frown matched the male when he caught eye contact with the stranger. “Um… no tap, just bottles.” There’d been a handful of familiar faces pass through the town over the years. Cassie, although she looked exactly the same having been dead. Then there was Mackenize, but she’d aged and it took him a moment to recognize her (after she punched him. He was still somewhat pissed about that). “You look familiar. Have we met somewhere?” Down here it was easier, no need to explain why he hadn’t aged over the years. He turned back, reaching to the top shelf for a bottle of whiskey. 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 Apr 15, 2022 18:10:07 GMT
It was unbelievable how blind he’d been for most of his life. You lived in a place like New Orleans and you heard all the stories. There were damn witch tours through the city, showing off local ‘voodoo’ spots to keep the tourists happy – and encouraging them to dip their hands into their pockets. Loup garous out in the bayou, waiting to tear you to pieces on full moon nights. He and Karin had tormented each other with warnings about them as kids – best not sneak out after curfew, the loup garou’s gonna get you if you do. Like either one of them would’ve dipped their toe even that far into the pool of teenaged lawlessness. They’d had the most white picket fence upbring you ever could’ve imagined and now Michael was seeing it all with a dark tinge thanks to the brutal shattering of his rose coloured blinkers.
Orlov had twisted his life up and kept him as some sort of pet thief but he’d helped him cope with having his eyes opened that way. He hadn’t just nudged him into that pool of lawlessness, he’d kicked him in like a parent trying to teach their kid to swim by booting them into the ocean. Maybe Orlov had expected him not to make it back from the first job he’d sent him out on but he had and he’d kept himself afloat until the universe – and Karin, god damn her for not coming back to give him the whole story after Sara had gone missing – had righted things again.
There was no jumping back out of the pool though. Maybe he could wade out of it once they had Sara with them again but with each year – month - that had passed with her gone, it felt as though his life would never be ‘dry’ again, if it had been in the first place.
Blind to what had been there all along. He’d realised it when he’d found out a couple of prior acquaintances were magical about a dozen feet above where he sat now. Now he got that slap of it again as he stared at the bartender. You got to know them if you spent enough time in the quarter, some coming and going rapidly, others staying until they knew what to bring you the minute you walked in the door or had the cab on speed dial for you bang on 11.20 on a school night so you could get the babysitter home by midnight. Most of those who’d stayed, Michael imagined, were probably still there, wondering from time to time where a couple of their regulars had gone. Some, it appeared, had made that same trip east. Coincidence? Maybe but he knew better than to trust in it now.
Clearing his throat again, Michael propped himself on his elbows, letting out a length sigh as the guy said no tap. A quick glance along the bar as he’d sat would’ve proved it, but that sense of déjà vu had put the blinkers back on in a different way. He gestured towards the crate at the end of the bar and shrugged. ”Whatever’s on crate then,” he said hoarsely. Michael managed to crack out a huff of laughter, although his green eyes kept a touch of that jade like hardness. ”I guess faces come and go when you’ve been around a while huh? New Orleans. Maybe you don’t recognise me without my wife.” Or the group of friends he’d drifted in and out with, their little group always drawn in by the music … or maybe something more in some cases.
Michael scrubbed knuckles over his mouth as he watched the guy fetch down the bottle of whiskey. These days he could’ve drunk the whole thing and he wouldn’t have had anything but a hole in his wallet. ”Michael,” he offered up,, as though that was anymore an explanation. ”My wife was … is, Sara. Can’t remember your name, although it’ll probably come back to me. I’ve always been good with names, and faces.” It had just been the depths he’d never been able to see clearly enough and that had been his downfall.
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LAWRENCE MURPHY
Vampire
Posts: 316
Age:
106
Occupation:
Bartender
Status:
It's Complicated
Partner:
Penny Bartlett
Played by:
Jodi
how does he know who he even is?
Last seen Nov 20, 2024 15:54:32 GMT
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Post by LAWRENCE MURPHY on Apr 23, 2022 20:53:02 GMT
He hadn't considered what was going to happen next, after his time in Mystic Falls came to an end. One day he would need to move on before people started to notice he wasn’t ageing. Usually, he managed to squeeze five years or so out of a place before packing up his belongings. Sometimes longer if he was in a city. His neighbours would eventually notice wrinkles and creases were appearing on their faces yet Lawrence looked exactly the same. Luckily he was surrounded by old people in the building. They never seemed to take much notice of things like that. They were usually too busy telling Lawrence he reminded them of their grandson. Some of them had foolishly invited him into their apartment, but he wasn’t the type to rip apart someone's grandparents. Other vampires would have jumped at the opportunity, but he tended to stick to the young population. Killing humans mindlessly wasn’t a sport he partook in anymore though. He had Hannya there who offered a vein and helped curb the cravings, plus his fridge was stacked to the brim with blood bags. There was no need to lure people out of the bar, feed on them in the alleyway and compel them to forget everything. In New Orleans it was common practice, but not so much in Mystic Falls. The town seemed to be pumped full of vervain too. It wasn’t safe to snatch someone off the streets and sink your teeth into them. Lawrence glanced over at the crates he’d just placed down, grabbing the nearest bottle. He cracked it open and placed it down on the bar. As he turned back around with the bottle of whiskey the male spoke. New Orleans, of course. Apparently, he knew this man's wife too. There had been hundreds of faces back in the city, but he tended to remember the locals unless they aged. He poured out a double shot, sliding it across the bar towards the male. “Michael and Sara…” His voice trailed off as his mind wandered. “Lawrence.” The guy didn’t look too old, which meant their paths had crossed in the last few decades. He grabbed one of the bottles from the crate nearby, cracking one open for himself as he searched the depths of his memories for this person. “Wait. Do you have a sister? Um…” Damn, what was the blonde werewolf’s name, “Karin!” He quickly exclaimed, before taking a sip of his beer. The little jigsaw pieces were slowly slotting together in his mind as he was starting to remember the family. A small smile formed on his face as he recalled the evening he met Karin, “Your sister followed me home from work one night. Pinned me against a wall asking me all sorts of questions about bringing people from the other side. Your wife and daughter.” She assumed Lawrence still had some kind of connection to the magic community and she wanted him to guide her to someone who could help. “I pointed her towards where she could find the witches who were willing to dabble in that kind of magic.” He didn’t exactly have a choice either, given Karin had slammed her hand into his chest, her fingers wrapped tightly around his heart as she demanded answers. She swiftly apologised, explaining she was looking for a way to bring two people back. Once she’d removed her hand Lawrence told her not to get her hopes up about it. Many witches weren’t willing to mess with magic like that. He couldn’t even offer her a spell, as such magic was never taught to him by his parents. He agreed to help Karin as he soon realised he recognised the woman Karin was trying to bring back. Sara. A familiar face around the city along with her husband. Unfortunately, word got back to the vampires he was helping a werewolf and even worse, he was looking for a witch. He had to cut ties with Karin for his own safety, “I tried to help her as best I could. Sorry.” 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 5, 2022 14:39:00 GMT
’There’s so much more to the world than you know, Michael.’ Orlov had sounded so damn calm, so worldly as he’d sat in the kitchen that had once been his parents’ and had peeled the scales off of his eyes. There were levels underneath he one he’d blithely lived in until he’d driven the blade into that man’s gut and had taken his first life. Some butted up so close against what had been his that it had been a wonder he hadn’t seen it. The streets of New Orleans apparently ran red with the blood of witches, werewolves and the vampires themselves, mingling with the blood of the humans who’d gotten caught up in it all. At the news he’d been happy to scurry away and not look too closely at the life he’d almost had. Maybe he should’ve looked more closely, maybe then it wouldn’t have taken so long to get Abi back.
The hole Sara still left in his chest yawned wide as Michael took the glass the guy pushed across the bar towards him. He’d felt it like he was missing a limb since the night she’d died but with the part Abi’s death had hollowed out filled in with his daughter again it just ached all the more now. Sara wouldn’t have had a clue that the guy was anything more than what he appeared, but given what she’d been up to while he’d been gone Karin might’ve done. His sister had obviously seen far deeper than he’d ever done and she’d been willing to wade deeper into those depths to get her family back.
Michael dipped his head slightly, lifting the glass for a sip as the guy mulled over their names. He made a small sound in his throat, brows furrowing as Lawrence provided his name. Had they ever known it? Yeah, yeah, he was sure Sara would’ve done. She’d known them all by name and used them often enough that people knew she considered them more than just servers. ”Lawrence,” he echoed, dipping his head in a nod that froze as Lawrence rolled straight over that towards Karin. ”Yeah, Karin.” His voice colder, his shoulders far stiffer now as worry clashed with that sense of reassurance he’d had. ”You know her?” One sandy brow rose, his throat going tight as he swallowed. Karin had been a part of their little group of friends in New Orleans, had been in and out of the bars as much as he and Sara had but after … she’d dipped into places he had avoided to try and protect her. It was almost ludicrous enough to set him laughing now but Lawrence was already answering him.
He watched with cool eyes, his face a stiff mask as the bartender started to explain. The only reason he had Aubrey back was because Karin had started to dig into those places he hadn’t gone. As Lawrence spoke, the shell that had suddenly formed around Michael cracked and he laughed. Abandoning the glass on the bar, he dragged a hand over his face. ”So you were the one who helped her out,” he said hoarsely. It was hard to picture his little sister being so forceful but what had happened had changed them all he guessed ”Has she been in touch since? She … she got what she wanted but there was … a complication.” He knew better than to immediately demand to find out just who the witches were. Sara and Abi getting back had changed things, now they weren’t looking for a soul but for a woman who had gone missing.
Michael dragged his upper lip between his teeth and his tongue, reaching for the beer as he nodded. ”It’s appreciated. She managed something I couldn’t. Hey … I know it’s an ask, but are any of those witches here? In Mystic Falls?” Asking for favours still didn’t come easy but if Karin had talked Lawrence around once maybe he had a chance too.
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LAWRENCE MURPHY
Vampire
Posts: 316
Age:
106
Occupation:
Bartender
Status:
It's Complicated
Partner:
Penny Bartlett
Played by:
Jodi
how does he know who he even is?
Last seen Nov 20, 2024 15:54:32 GMT
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Post by LAWRENCE MURPHY on Jun 13, 2022 15:38:15 GMT
Once he arrived in New Orleans he tried to keep his past to himself, telling the other vampires the bare minimum. Where he was born, how old he was when he turned. He didn’t want them to find out he came from a long line of witches and was next in line to be the coven leader, given most of the vampires hated witches. Eventually, the truth slipped out though, but it went better than he expected. He wasn’t shunned from the vampires for belonging to the other side once upon a time. There were a few who questioned his loyalty from time to time, but after fifty years it was obvious whose side he was on. In the end it grew boring though. Lawrence was tired of them vs us war. Lawrence nodded slowly in response to Michael’s question, although he wouldn’t really say he knew Karin. The pair crossed paths that one time and it wasn’t a pleasant meeting either. If only his parents cared about him as much as Karin cared about her brother. He spent years believing the lies they filled his head with when he left Canada. Empty promises that they would save him from the curse of being a vampire. It seemed as though they didn’t even bother telling Phoebe that. At that point, their parents had accepted that they’d lost both of their children. It never needed to end up that way though. They were other routes they could have taken rather than kicking their children out of the coven in a world they were unfamiliar with. Phoebe was a little savvier than Lawrence though. Nothing scared her, whereas Lawrence lived in a world filled with anxiety about the unknown. Even when he looked out across the lake at night it would send a shudder down his spine wondering what lay beyond the darkness. According to his parents, it was bad people who wanted to hurt him and his family. If he ventured too far from their home he would find himself in grave danger. How could he have been so naive? His sister didn’t buy into any of it, often trying to reassure Lawrence, but he insisted their parents knew best. There was still an ache in his heart that his parents were so cruel to him and Phoebe. They could have easily tracked Lawrence down and told Phoebe where her brother was. Instead they were both left alone, completely unaware the other was out there somewhere, going through the same thing. Realistically if Karin had asked him nicely Lawrence wouldn’t have given her the answers she was looking for. Sometimes violence was the best option. “I told her what I knew.” Whether she pursued that path was up to her. “I haven’t seen her or spoken to her in a while now.” He rested on the bar, with his drink in his hand, “Complication?” He forewarned her that bringing someone back from the dead wasn’t as simple as it sounded. Sometimes the price wasn’t worth it. “Is she okay?” Had the witches turned on her? Teddy was the first person who jumped to mind, but there was no way he would let his best friend dabble in that magic. Then Cassie, but again, he wouldn’t want her dabbling either. “Why’d you ask?” By the sounds of it his family had returned from the other side, so what more could he want? 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 Jul 11, 2022 19:41:58 GMT
It had been hard not going back to Karin after he’d ‘gone over to the other side’. Not being around her while he continued to dig was safer than Karin coming by every couple of days to make sure he hadn’t slipped too far under all that darkness in his life. She didn’t know anything, couldn’t tell anybody anything about what he’d been up to. She could grieve without having to watch over him at the same time. Michael had felt his stomach twist every time he hacked into the cameras that were rife in the city now, watching her from afar. Better for the both of them hadn’t felt good, it had been like cutting off one of his last remaining limbs. And it had left him blind.
When he’d found out from the witches who’d been there at the warehouse that Karin was the driving force behind getting Abi and Sara back he’d cursed himself for not keeping a closer eye on her. She’d waded into something she couldn’t have understood and he hadn’t known a thing about it. Would he have stopped her if he’d known? Maybe, and it would’ve lost him the future Karin had given him. He wouldn’t swap Abi for the world, but … he’d do almost anything except lose his daughter to get his wife back. There was a chance Karin would help with that. He couldn’t know until he tracked her down too.
Lawrence was the first breadcrumb he’d been sure of between here and his sister. He’d put Karin on the right path in the first place, even if she hadn’t given him much choice about it all. The laugh he’d let out was almost cathartic, but definitely painful, like it had split open something in his chest. ”So she dipped in, got what she needed out of you and headed off to pull off a miracle,” Michael said quietly without much question. It was exactly what Karin had done before Sara had vanished and his sister had run off to follow her trail. Lawrence wasn’t going to be able to lead him to Karin, but it was another piece to the story at least.
When his voice emerged again, it was low, tight enough that he shouldn’t have been able to emerge as anything more than a croak. Green eyes rose to meet Lawrence’s, the lines around them suddenly seeming deeper. ”Both my wife and daughter were brought back, but my wife vanished immediately afterwards. Karin went after her, she left Abi, my daughter, with the witches that brought her back.” He guessed Karin wasn’t advertising that fact. The people with Abi had warned him that dabbing with ‘death magic’ was dangerous, there were things out there who didn’t like nature being toyed with. Letting out a long breath, Michael shrugged. ”I hope so, but I don’t know.” That was why he needed to find his sister.
Christ.
Fingers pressed tight to his eyes for a moment before Michael reached for his beer again to drain it. He gulped, the cold foam doing nothing to loosen that choking feeling that started to bite back in. ”If I can trace them maybe they can trace Karin or Sara. I don’t know any …” They weren’t exactly keen to work with men like Orlov. Michael studied the empty glass for a moment before he slid it back towards Lawrence. ”I’m not like my sister, I’m not gonna threaten, but, I can make it worth you while.” Working for Orlov had been lucrative in one way, even if money hadn’t meant a thing to him.
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LAWRENCE MURPHY
Vampire
Posts: 316
Age:
106
Occupation:
Bartender
Status:
It's Complicated
Partner:
Penny Bartlett
Played by:
Jodi
how does he know who he even is?
Last seen Nov 20, 2024 15:54:32 GMT
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Post by LAWRENCE MURPHY on Aug 14, 2022 17:37:43 GMT
Everyone wanted someone back from the other side, but life wasn’t that simple. There weren’t many witches out there who were ready to click their fingers and bring back someones loved one. Rule number one of witchcraft. No bringing dead people back. It was just one of many rules his dad tried to lecture into his head. There were a million things he wasn’t allowed to do, but once he was banished from the coven he realised most of the things his dad told him were made up in some attempt to keep his children in line. Apparently he wasn’t allowed to associate with witches and warlocks from other covens or even read any grimoire that didn’t belong to his family because it would contain dangerous spells. His sister never bought the stream of lies that were fed to them, but Lawrence did. Afterall, why would his parents lie to them? Phoebe saw a world beyond Elk Valley, one which she wanted to explore without being constrained by the rules imposed in the coven. Her wish finally came true at twenty-one years old, but not in the way she hoped it would. It wasn’t through choice. The rule about bringing people back from the other side was still one he stuck to. Karin wasn’t concerned about what the witches should and shouldn’t do though. She wanted her family back. A miracle was the perfect way to describe what Karin was looking for, but he left it to the witches to deliver the bad news. They would either turn her away or agree to help at a high cost. When on their search for answers some people didn’t consider the fact that the other person was happier on the other side. Perhaps they’d found peace in the end and tearing them from that was hurtful. Lawrence kept his thoughts to himself regarding Michael’s wife though. “How long ago was that?” As if time mattered. Phoebe and Lawrence found each other decades later whilst dancing on a sticky dance floor in a sweaty nightclub. He knew Michael didn’t have an endless life, so searching for someone for decades wasn’t possible. His family had an expiry date unlike him and his sister. Lawrence knew what was coming next. Michael wanted someone to do a tracking spell and as much as he wanted to help he wasn’t prepared to offer Teddy or Cassie’s name up no matter how much money Michael was willing to offer. “I don’t really know any witches and warlocks… maybe ask around in here though, someone might offer you a name.” His mom would always tell him he was a terrible liar as a kid. He could stumble over his words and look uncomfortable, but he’d had years to perfect the skill now. “You’ll be sure to find one in Mystic Falls or New Orleans.” That was one thing he could guarantee amongst the lies. They were easy to find if you looked hard enough, “You won’t find any in here though… majority of them hate vampires.” Unlike Cassie who had doe eyes for one vampire in particular. He reached forward, taking Michael’s glass before pouring him another drink. He pushed the glass back towards the man. MICHAEL SHEPARD - wrap up with yours? |
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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 Aug 23, 2022 18:56:02 GMT
Orlov had lived for centuries, surviving like a cockroach somehow. Avoiding hunters and competition to turn up in New Orleans just weeks after Abi and Sara had died. Encyclopaedic knowledge swirled through behind those flat eyes, drops of it rolling free like tears for Michael to collect. A thirsty man given just enough to survive, never enough to be sated and finally realise what was really gone on. When the witches had told him how they’d brought both of them back it had been almost impossible to believe that Orlov hadn’t known about it. Anybody with a heart might’ve withheld the revelation, to stop his hopes from being raised when there was a chance it wouldn’t work in the first place. If Orlov had ever had one, though, it had turned to dust when he’d turned.
Lawrence was doing the same now – although Michael was willing to beat there was still something resembling a heart in his chest, albeit one that beat too slow to be human – drip feeding, although it came without that same sense of there being an ulterior motive. He didn’t want to keep his pet thief from running off to play husband and father again.
Caution. That was what the guy had tried to give Karin when she’d tracked him down and now he was doing the same with him – it’s not as easy as you think. No shit. Easy hadn’t been a concept in his life since he’d first seen those blips in the data working their way down the screen. Michael breathed in deep through his nose, counting off the months, the days in his head. ”A little over a year ago. I stayed here with Abi, I was hoping somehow Sara would find her way back here, even if Karin didn’t find her.” It wasn’t like he could have her listed as a missing person, not with people at the station aware of the murder. Getting Abi into school had been hard enough, records edited just enough to hide the fact that his daughter wasn’t in a grave in New Orleans.
If Sara couldn’t find them, if Karin couldn’t do what she’d sworn to, maybe someone else could. Blood called to blood and with Abi here, they had a starting point. Taking her blood would give her hope, maybe of the false kind, but Michael wasn’t ready to admit this was a wild goose chase and slip back into being a widower. As Lawrence started to let him down, Michael hunched his shoulders and laughed tightly. He hadn’t seen any sign of Orlov in town since before he’d gotten the call about Abi, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have ties here. ”Maybe,” Michael echoed hoarsely. ”If I get lucky.” In Mystic Falls it might’ve been as easy as throwing a dart and seeing who it hit, but trusting any of them was harder said than done.
Nodding slowly as Lawrence continued to caution him, Michael slipped off of his stool. Basically it was a matter of heading back to a drawing board that had been empty in the first place. ”No thanks. Seems there’s always plenty of hate going around. You take care. I’ll see you around, huh?” He’d probably said the same thing all those years ago in New Orleans. Words had a power to them, echoing across the years until you could almost choke on them. Michael felt that tighten like a fist around his throat as he stepped back, leaving that fresh beer on the bar. He just needed the right person to speak that desperate call to his wife aloud and maybe then he would have his family back. Maybe. Hunching his shoulders, he headed out of the bar, feeling like the weight on them hadn’t budged an inch.
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hope to see you in the discord! 
