DEREK HALE
Werewolf
Posts: 99
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 30, 2024 19:22:00 GMT
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Post by DEREK HALE on Oct 30, 2022 16:32:08 GMT
Bracing his hands against the tile, Derek let the hot water pound down on the back of his neck. He rotated his head slowly, closing his eyes against the stream of water down his face. These days it felt less like a washing away of what wasn’t him and more just a relaxing five minutes with the heat pounding down on his back. Thanks to Scott his skin was his own again, that awareness of every muscle, every fibre of himself back.
Whatever the Dread Doctors had done to him had been erased with Scott’s bite. Now the pain that echoed through him when he changed was familiar, each crack of his bones on the full moon – a week past now – feeling like a relief instead of a torment.
He straightened up, shoving his wet hair back from his face, and turned the shower off. Derek stood dripping for a moment before he stepped out onto the mat and wrapped a towel around his waist. There was no fear when he met his own eye in the mirror, it was his own face looking back at him, not some stranger’s. A little more lined these days, like what had happened had taken some toll on him, but the face he knew beneath that new spiderweb veneer all the same. The scars they’d left were all beneath, carved into his mind, unable to be entirely erased yet. Scratching at them was probably a bad idea, but some part of him still needed to know, needed to stop this happening to anybody else.
People were still going missing in Mystic Falls. A teenager’s face had been pasted across the front page of both local newspapers just a few days ago. They’d left school like normal, but somewhere between there and home … poooof! Were they in the Dread Doctors’ hands now? Being twisted by whatever means the Docs had, screaming, panicking, desperate to get home. Was the face they saw in the mirror ever going to be the same again?
It ran an icy finger down his spine as he brushed his teeth and dried off, the feeling not easing until he was fully dressed and padding out of the bathroom. The sun was barely up, the sky he could see through the hallway window streaked with colour. By now people would be waking up, heading for work in what seemed like a sleepy little town. Not him though, he had other plans, some that would maybe work out this time.
Derek paused in front of Erica’s bedroom door. There’d been no question about opening the apartment up to her, he might not have been an Alpha anymore but Erica was still his pack. He had turned her and he’d failed her once, it wasn’t about to happen again. He sat on the fence a moment more and then rapped his knuckles on her door. ”I’m making breakfast, if you want it, and … I’ve got an ask …” A big one. He could’ve asked any of the pack for the help, but Erica was there and he knew she’d have his back.
Teeth raking over his lower lip he padded away, still barefoot. Ten minutes later he had the bacon sizzling in one pan, eggs fluffing in another, although, crap, they were sticking. No amount of trying to practice this domestic stuff was making this part any easier. It had been simpler when he’d been sticking to a diet of toast and chips, the typical teenaged diet of convenience food. Scowling, Derek scraped the spatula over the bottom of the pan, trying to detach the eggs before they seared onto it like concrete. Hearing footsteps in the hall, he glanced up. ”They’re not burnt. Not yet.” They weren’t going to be. He dragged the pan off the burner, scraping again to loosen them. The tops were cooked perfectly at least.
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ERICA REYES
Werewolf
Posts: 72
Age:
22
Occupation:
Whitmore College Senior
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Nov 28, 2024 19:11:24 GMT
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Clawbacks
Jan 16, 2023 21:06:07 GMT
via mobile
Post by ERICA REYES on Jan 16, 2023 21:06:07 GMT
 Mystic Falls wasn’t Beacon Hills but it really did feel like home to Erica. After she found her way back from the Other Side she had spent ages trying to track down Derek and the others before finally finding out that they were in Mystic Falls and ever since then it was like she had finally found somewhere that she belonged. She hadn't felt that way about Beacon Hills for a long time, not since her first epileptic fit in fact, and even though joining Derek's pack had given her a sense of belonging with everything that they had been facing at the time she had found herself living pretty much in constant fear of dying. She hadn't let anyone see that fear, of course, but that didn't mean that she hadn't felt it. In the end it was that fear that had gotten her killed and in leaving she had turned her back on Derek, the one person who had taken a chance on her when everyone else had given up or forgotten that she even existed a lot of the time. It was ironic, really, but now that she was back she knew better than to make that same mistake again. This time she was doing things the right way, she had accepted Scott’s invitation to join his pack and she had accepted Derek's invitation to move in with him. Erica wasn't used to having help like that from others but she was doing her best to learn to accept it when it was offered and she was also doing her best to repay their kindness as much as she could. Derek had given her a safe place to live and he had helped her with college while all she seemed able to do in return was help make sure he ate properly and chip in with the bills a little when she could. It didn't seem like much but thankfully he didn't seem to mind and she really was grateful to him for that. Erica’s one regret was leaving Harley behind but she knew that she just had to believe that he was going to be alright. Instead of worrying about him all the time she was doing her best to focus on school and her friends and it seemed to be working so far. That morning she had ended up waking up early to finish off an assignment so that the rest of her day would be free considering that she didn't have any classes that day. She had heard footsteps approaching her bedroom door and she knew that it had to be Derek but she couldn't deny that she was surprised when he knocked on the door and said that he had made breakfast. That was normally her job these days so she wasn't used to him doing it at all. She knew that there had to be an ulterior motive behind it and her suspicions were confirmed when he said that he had a big ask. "Thanks, I'll be right there," she called back, jumping in the shower and getting dressed once she had emerged before heading into the kitchen. "Bacon and eggs a la Derek, this is definitely a big ask," she quipped as she opened the fridge and poured them both a drink. "Spill. I'd like to know what I'm being asked to sell my soul for this before I agree to it," she said as she took a sip of her drink before her expression turned thoughtful for a moment. "Are you alright with that or do you want me to take over?" she offered. DEREK HALE
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DEREK HALE
Werewolf
Posts: 99
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 30, 2024 19:22:00 GMT
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Post by DEREK HALE on Jan 28, 2023 20:07:15 GMT
The normal wasn’t as easy as people would have you believe. For decades Talia Hale had managed that for her family. They saw nothing wrong in what they were, they didn’t let what happened with every full moon change the rest of their lives. Their kids grew up eating their meals around the big table in the kitchen, the whole family gathering together while he’d yapped on about basketball or Cora had told them some rambling story about what was going in elementary school. People in Mystic Falls treated them with respect, like they were just another houseful of decent neighbours. Most didn’t have a clue what else Talia had done for the town, they didn’t feel that bite of shock the same way when Kate Argent and her people had burned the house down, hadn’t seen what that had allowed to come to Beacon Hills. Perhaps if she would’ve survived the Dread Doctors never would’ve dared set foot there.
New York had allowed him and Laura to try and recover some of that, but it had slipped away thanks to Peter. Now Peter had slipped away here and somehow, thanks to the pack, that normal – as much as it could be – had returned. Breakfast around the table, usually cooked by Erica (probably out of self-preservation given that practice hadn’t made anywhere perfect for him. It was the bargain they seemed to have entered into after she’d turned up in town. Each side putting a little something forward. Now the eggs were his chip in the pot, an attempt at a decent one anyway.
She was probably expecting blackened eggs and cremated bacon when she walked into the kitchen, although the smell of both would’ve filled the house if he’d screwed up (experience had taught him that much when he’d been throwing the windows open to get rid of the stench). Amusement curled his lips for a moment as she took her little jab, although his gaze snapped back to the bacon pan as it spat. ”I’d have thought maybe it was more a case of I promise not to make you eat this if you’ll help me out today…” Not that it was turning out that badly. The eggs hadn’t stuck to the pan, they were stirring up black specks as he started to tip them out onto the two plates on the counter either.
His dark brows were furrowing as he put the egg pan in the sink and immediately rinsed it off. Another thing he’d learned the hard way – if you left eggs to dry out in a pan, it was like trying to scrape concrete off. Derek’s hands came up in a gesture of surrender as he moved back to get the bacon. ”This is the easy bit, I think I can handle it. You wanna grab the toast?” His chin jerked up towards the toaster – no smoke there either, although that was the really easy part. ”You know I was looking for the Dread Doctors before Scott gave me the bite? I want to start again. Maybe it’s like waving a red flag to a bull, but they’re still taking people. Another kid went missing day before yesterday. They’re being held out there somewhere and if we want to avoid another kid being turned into something, we need to try and track down them. You wanna ride shotgun looking today?” Not exactly a soul selling ask, but given what the Docs did to the people they took it wasn’t exactly gonna be a walk in the park. If they were found nosing around they weren’t exactly going to be given a warm welcome. They’d be together though, a harder prospect to take down than just some asshole werewolf who had no clue what was waiting out there.
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ERICA REYES
Werewolf
Posts: 72
Age:
22
Occupation:
Whitmore College Senior
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Nov 28, 2024 19:11:24 GMT
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Post by ERICA REYES on Nov 28, 2023 22:54:56 GMT
Derek had never been the kind of person who was good at cooking, he had always tried but ever since she moved in Erica had taken it upon herself to do most of the cooking. She had learned a lot while she was travelling trying to find Derek and the pack and she was more than happy to make sure that they had something edible to eat rather than whatever Derek tried to put together. That morning he actually didn’t seem to be doing too bad a job, though, and she couldn’t deny that she was proud of him even if she still couldn’t resist teasing him about it. She could have let it slide but that just wasn’t her and Erica knew that she was too set in her ways to change now. Of course he wanted a favour, that was why he had gone to the trouble of making them both breakfast, and Erica knew that she should probably run a mile right now but Derek was her family and she knew that she wasn’t going to turn her back on him again. She had made that decision once and it had ended up getting her killed so she knew that she wasn’t going to do that a second time. “Normally I would agree with you but this time you don’t seem to be doing too badly,” Erica admitted. She hadn’t expected that at all, she had actually expected it to be a complete disaster but Derek was doing a lot better than she had given him credit for. Taking a sip of her drink, all Erica could do was watch as Derek continued cooking. It was natural by now for her to offer to take over but Derek didn’t seem to want to take her up on that this time around and that surprised her. “Alright, if you say so,” she nodded as he said he thought that he could handle it. “Sure,” she said as he asked if she wanted to grab the toast. Making her way over to the toaster, she pulled the toast out and shared it out between the two plates. “Yeah, I remember,” she nodded as Derek asked if she remembered how he was looking for the Dread Doctors. As he said he wanted to start looking for them again, Erica’s eyes widened in surprise. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You know what they did to you last time, there’s no telling what they might do if they get hold of you again,” she warned, knowing that the last thing she wanted was for Derek to go putting a target on his back. He hadn’t done anything to gain their attention last time and they had still turned him into a shapeshifter, there was no telling what they might do if he deliberately went looking for them. “I should have known you would play the good Samaritan card,” Erica sighed as Derek mentioned another kid had gone missing. “I’ll go with you but only because I don’t like the idea of you being out there alone. I still think this is a bad idea and you’re going to owe me a lot more than breakfast,” she said as she stole a rasher of bacon from the pan and took a bite. DEREK HALE
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DEREK HALE
Werewolf
Posts: 99
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 30, 2024 19:22:00 GMT
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Post by DEREK HALE on Dec 21, 2023 18:43:39 GMT
”For once, you mean?” Derek asked on a snort. ”Maybe I should start watching some of those YouTube tutorials.” Or, alternatively, he could just learn to come straight out and ask for what he needed. For years he’d had to dance around things, hiding the truth about what was going on in situations to avoid having a target painted on his back. In the end that behaviour had cost him more than it had saved him. Still, like it took an eternity for rain to wear a mountain down into a hill, it had taken him a long time to work his way around to trying to make the sort of changes that allowed others close to him.
He doubted that Erica was regretting moving in yet, but there was still plenty of time for that to happen. They’d been working well together – even if she’d been the one doing the majority of the work in the kitchen. Like they had the first time around, they’d settled into the friendship pretty easily – with him not seeing her as the fragile girl the rest of the world had for years, and her not seeming to take offense at his sharp attitude. Erica was smart and fierce, loyal in the same way Scott always had been. She deserved to know what was going on with him, and to be a part of trying to keep the pack and everybody else in this town safe.
Derek smiled wryly at her, plucking the bacon out of the pan with a fork without incident. The bottom of the bacon was a little crispy, but that was how he’d always liked it. When she’d first moved in he’d given her a full run down of what had happened to him, how he still couldn’t remember the months between Beacon Hills and Scott and Stiles finding him here in Mystic Falls, how hard it had been to let go of the idea of ever being turned back or finally finding the things that had done this to him. Maybe getting it all out had been cathartic, but, of course, it meant that Erica knew the toll it was still taking on him in a way.
Shaking his head, Derek leaned back against the counter, the bacon only half served up. His brows furrowed, tension starting to build in his shoulders. He knew the rest of the pack were gonna think exactly the same way Erica did, which was probably why he hadn’t told any of them. ”I can’t sit around and do nothing,” he admitted tightly. ”Maybe it’ll piss them off, but I know that whatever they can do to me can be fixed again. If I sit around and do nothing at all, maybe there’ll be a hundred more people like me changed before someone else manages to take them down.” It wasn’t like he was the only one out there looking for them. Alix had been trying to stop them almost since the moment she was turned.
”Hey!” Derek snorted, grabbing the pan out of Erica’s reach to finish dishing breakfast up. ”Can’t be that bad if you’re already doing that. Take your plate to the table, come on, no matter what’s happening, we’ll eat first.” Derek’s lips curled faintly as he emptied the pan and set that in the sink to soak. ”I just know you’ve got a good heart. Alright … what’s this gonna cost me?” Whatever it was he figured he could probably find a way to skirt around it given that Erica had already agreed to go with him. It didn’t matter that she was only saying yes to protect him from himself.
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ERICA REYES
Werewolf
Posts: 72
Age:
22
Occupation:
Whitmore College Senior
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Nov 28, 2024 19:11:24 GMT
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Post by ERICA REYES on Jan 30, 2024 2:06:51 GMT
“Your words, not mine,” Erica smirked as Derek said that he wasn’t doing too badly with the cooking for once. Normally his cooking was awful and that was definitely something that Erica had remembered from Beacon Hills. She had learned a lot after she came back and she had been more than happy to throw herself into the cooking to make sure that they all had something edible to eat rather than having to eat out all the time. Erica hadn’t known what to do after she made her way back from the Other Side but after saying goodbye to her brother she had moved around a lot and she had learned even more about how to look after herself. She had already known how to cook but she had learned a lot more and she was always more than happy to let Derek reap the benefits. As he mentioned YouTube tutorials, Erica couldn’t help but laugh. “If you’re going to do that you’ll have to let me know so I can film it. The others will never believe it without proof,” she teased. It was such a not-Derek thing to do that she couldn’t see him actually doing it but just the idea of him giving it a try was far too amusing to her right now. Honestly, Erica knew that doing the cooking was the least she could do and she was trying to pay her way as well. She had never been very good at relying on other people and she had known that she hadn’t wanted Derek to feel like she was a burden. She knew he had meant it when he’d said that they were family and she felt it too but she wanted to contribute in whatever way she could, whether that was with cooking and bills or helping Derek find the people responsible for making him a shapeshifter. Truth be told Erica had still had a lot to learn about the supernatural world but she liked to think that she was getting there now. She hadn’t known that it was possible for someone to go from being a werewolf to a shapeshifter but apparently the Dread Doctors had found a way to throw the laws of nature out the window and do their own thing and that made them that much more dangerous as far as Erica was concerned. Taking a human and turning them into something supernatural was one thing but taking someone like Derek who was born into the supernatural world and turning them into something else entirely was sick and twisted and she knew that those responsible needed to be stopped. It had been a while since all of that had happened and they were still no closer to finding the people responsible despite the pack’s best efforts so if she was honest Erica didn’t hold too much hope but she knew that she would support Derek regardless. “I know you can’t, I get it,” she assured him gently. Derek’s life had been changed in a way that none of them could begin to understand but deep down Erica knew that she probably got it a bit better than the others did given how long she’d spent trapped on the Other Side. “You don’t know that for sure,” Erica corrected as Derek said that whatever the Dread Doctors did to him could always be fixed again. “If they somehow turned you into a vampire then Scott’s bite would kill you rather than turn you,” she said, not sure whether he’d thought that part through. A werewolf bite could solve a lot in Derek’s case it seemed but that was one thing it wouldn’t be able to fix. “I can understand you not wanting anyone else to go through what you did,” she nodded as she took a sip of her drink. “I’ve got your back, you know that.” She had made the mistake of turning her back on Derek once before and she knew that she wasn’t going to make that same mistake again nor was she going to let him face this alone. Erica couldn’t help but laugh at Derek’s reaction as she swiped a rasher of bacon from the pan but it didn’t stop her from eating it quickly. “It’s not as good as mine but it’s edible,” she smirked before grabbing her plate just like Derek had instructed and making her way over to the table. Setting her plate and drink down, Erica took her usual seat and waited for Derek to join her. “If you tell anyone that, I’ll make you regret it,” she warned as Derek said she had a good heart although there was no malice to her words. Erica was used to having to act tough and like nothing ever bothered her because it was what she’d had to do to survive even before Derek bit her but deep down she knew that he was right, she just wasn’t used to showing it. As he asked what it was going to cost him, Erica thought about it for a moment. She knew that Derek would probably try and get out of it anyway but she knew that it was worth a shot. “Driving lessons,” she said as she took a bite of her meal. “I wasn’t able to get my licence before I died and with everything that’s been going on since I got back I’ve never learned,” she explained, hoping that he wouldn’t mind. She had always made out that it didn’t bother her before but the truth was that it really did. “I have some money saved up so I can pay the going rate whatever that is, I wouldn’t expect you to help me for nothing.”DEREK HALE
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DEREK HALE
Werewolf
Posts: 99
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 30, 2024 19:22:00 GMT
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Post by DEREK HALE on Mar 9, 2024 18:59:23 GMT
Letting out a long breath through his nose, Derek shook his head. They had been his words, it was his progress, his amusement too. It had been too long since he’d had others around this much. Life with Laura in New York after spending his entire life with a house full of family around him had taken time to adjust to. They had been so subdued, grief filling that small space thickly enough that he’d been sure they’d both choke on it. After Laura had been killed it had only grown worse. Scott and the others had seen a loner, brooding in the charred remains of his house, like he wasn’t still carrying the burden of all that had happened. Cora’s return had started to break that up, like a piece of charcoal disintegrating, leaving behind sooty smudges, but finally drifting through his hands. Having Erica here was just like having both of his sisters back, the two of them ragging on him.
Derek’s grin broke through, his pale eyes rolling as he shook his head. ”That’s never happening. I can’t keep up my rep if you’re out there with videos of destroying a crate of eggs.” Stiles probably would’ve been right at her shoulder, whooping, tears running down his face. That wasn’t the Derek Hale he knew, it wasn’t the Derek Hale he was likely to see any time soon either. Some things were definitely best kept behind closed doors.
With Erica pitching in around the house, he’d been left to twiddle his thumbs more than before. In a way it was probably good for him to settle into a better routine, but spending most of the alone left his brain racing, looking for some way to make sure what had happened to him before couldn’t happen again. Like a splinter, the thoughts of the Dread Doctors had dug deeper over time – probably their intention when it came to their experiments. He wasn’t gonna be the one who went crawling back to them for answers, though, he was gonna be one of the people who took them down in the end. Derek met Erica’s eye, his mouth pinched in a thin line before he spoke. ”You still think it’s a bad move though?” he asked, already knowing the answer. Scott had saved him once, it should’ve meant a fresh start, but that was easier said than done. ”You can’t know that for sure. Has he tried turning any back?” With the nogitsune it had all been about changing the body. There was no proof it was that easy with the experiments, but it had worked on him, it had worked on Hayden, he had to believe it would again.
”I know,” Derek promised, touching Erica’s arm as he reassurance came. Like the pack, he knew he could rely on her no matter what. That meant he’d expected an honest opinion on the breakfast he’d set in front of her. For a second he narrowed his eyes at her scant praise, but then he was snorting softly. ”I’ll take that,” he murmured. Especially since it was probably about as it was gonna get for now. Grabbing his plate, Derek followed her to the table. ”You think they don’t know it by now?” Scott had a way of seeing beneath the surface, even if you didn’t want him to, it was part of what made him a good Alpha. He hadn’t had that sort of insight, but people had been loyal to him. ”I can do that,” Derek said lightly. He took a mouthful of eggs, swallowing them rapidly when Erica tried to tell him she’d pay. ”I’m not taking your money. You’re already doing enough helping me out here. You’re already helping me out, so we can call it square. You wanna start later on?” It’d be something else to fill the long hours of his day, distracting him from the hunt from the things that had tried to destroy his life.
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ERICA REYES
Werewolf
Posts: 72
Age:
22
Occupation:
Whitmore College Senior
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Nov 28, 2024 19:11:24 GMT
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Post by ERICA REYES on Mar 27, 2024 1:12:47 GMT
For most of her life Erica had grown up as an only child so she had never really known what it was like to bicker with a sibling. She was already a teenager by the time her younger brother was born and he was still a toddler when she had died. She had been the one to look after him more than her own mom had so she’d had to grow up pretty quickly but then again things had never been the same after her parents split up anyway. Her dad had remarried and he had step children she didn’t really know, her step mother had made her dad cut her out of his life and he had never fought against that so Erica had known it wasn’t worth trying to have a relationship with him after that. She had learned how to be on her own and look after herself and it had made her stronger but it had also been pretty lonely. Living with Derek now really was so different to the way things had been back in Beacon Hills. Now it was like having an older brother around and the truth was that Erica liked that even if she wasn’t really the best at showing it. “Spoilsport,” Erica smirked as Derek refused to let her film him watching a tutorial. “I hate to break it to you but I’m pretty sure at least some people are starting to see the real you now,” she added. Back in Beacon Hills Derek had been all business, he had cared about her, Isaac and Boyd but he had been so focused on training them and trying to figure out what was going on that there hadn’t been much time for anything else. Now he wasn’t an Alpha any longer it was almost like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and even though she could see that he was still haunted by what the Dread Doctors had done to him, this Derek was still different and she knew that wasn’t a bad thing. Erica couldn’t blame Derek for wanting to find answers about the Dread Doctors, a book had been circulated around town explaining what they did but no one seemed to know who they actually were and for all they knew they were still there taking people and turning their lives upside down. They had done it to Derek and they had done it to Hayden and Jasper as well. Erica knew that there were countless others who had been affected by them too so they needed to be stopped but she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t worried about what might happen to Derek if they learned that he was still digging. As Derek asked if she thought it was a bad move, Erica’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment. “I’m just worried about you,” she said at last. It was rare that she ever voiced concern about anyone but Derek meant a lot to her and she knew that she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him again. As Derek asked if Scott had tried turning any vampires back, Erica studied him carefully for a moment. “If he did he would kill them. You know as well as I do that vampire plus werewolf bite equals death,” she said, needing to make sure he knew that it might not be as easy to turn him back if something like that happened. “I know the Dread Doctors can do a lot but someone has to die to become a vampire, there isn’t any coming back from that.”A smile touched Erica’s lips as Derek said he knew she had his back. He might not be an Alpha anymore but he was the first Alpha she had ever known and Erica knew that she would always be loyal to him no matter what. Derek was family and she knew that she wasn’t going to run away when things got difficult like she had done before. She had paid with her life last time and she knew that she wasn’t going to make that same mistake again. “If you’re really interested in learning to cook, I can teach you if you like,” Erica offered, knowing that would probably be better for Derek than trying to learn from watching videos online. “They’d better not, you’re not the only one with a reputation to protect,” Erica scoffed as she took a sip of her drink. Deep down she knew that he was probably right, Scott had a way of seeing right through people and it never seemed to be long before the others followed suit as well but she knew that she still wanted to keep her reputation intact if she could. “Seriously?” Erica asked as Derek agreed to give her driving lessons. She really had thought that he would refuse or at the very least try and get out of it at a later date. She was quick to offer to pay but Derek was just as quick to say he wasn’t going to take her money. “It hardly seems fair, it’ll take a lot of time so I don’t expect you to do it for free,” Erica said, knowing that she would be more than happy to pay Derek for that time if he would let her. “You bet,” she nodded as Derek asked if she wanted to start later. DEREK HALE
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DEREK HALE
Werewolf
Posts: 99
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 30, 2024 19:22:00 GMT
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Post by DEREK HALE on Apr 16, 2024 19:39:17 GMT
His grin remained, turning smug around the edges as Erica griped. Publicity had been the last thing he’d wanted for so long. Allowing someone to find out what he was had been what had damned his family in the first place, so it had been natural to try and shove Scott and the others out of things when Peter had thrown the door open to a bunch of teenagers with no clue of what trouble they were in. Slowly Scott had dug deeper, pushing past all the barriers he’d set up. If he hadn’t there was a chance he’d have been dead, just like Laura, but Scott wasn’t one to give in. Thanks to the Dread Doctors the rest of them had been crushed to dust. There was no hiding now and maybe Erica was right, it was time to get used to it. ”Let’s hope they keep it to themselves,” he quipped dryly. It wasn’t like he had a reputation to ruin here, the same way he had back in Beacon Hills. Here nobody cared about the Hale name and honestly, he was starting to prefer it that way.
To the Dread Doctors he’d probably been nothing more than another faceless experiment. A success, maybe, but cast out still. From what Alix had told him, they likely still watched him for some sign of failure. He hadn’t seen them, but that had always been their pattern. Screw people up and walk away. The fact that they stayed in Mystic Falls so long had been surprising. Maybe it meant that there was some reason for them to still be here and that meant he had a chance of finally stopping them for good. Derek’s teeth scraped over his lower lip as he waited for Erica to answer him. If he’d asked Alix the same thing she’d likely have said yes. He might’ve been a part of the supernatural world since birth, but they were something he’d never faced before. ”It’s appreciated, but I’m fine,” Derek told her, being mostly honest. Some part of him was still struggling with what had happened, but he was himself again and that was the most important part.
”Under normal circumstances he would, but none of this is normal,” Derek muttered. His brows drew together, his expression growing grim again. ”We don’t know that the rules are the same…” But Scott wouldn’t risk checking it, not if it almost certainly meant death. He hadn’t been a vampire, Hayden hadn’t been a vampire, their DNA had almost been primed for them to be turned into werewolves – back into a werewolf in his case. There was a chance he could’ve continued to argue the point for days, but Erica would probably have been right every time. Some of the rules had been changed by what the Dread Doctors were doing, most had remained the same though.
He’d have said that leopards couldn’t change their spots, but look at him being all domestic and cooking something (being more than just edible was still a work in progress). No matter what happened, Derek knew that Erica and the others would back him up on it, his past crimes long forgiven, even if they weren’t forgotten. ”You wouldn’t want to film that too?” he asked lightly. Setting his plate down, he started in on it, pausing after his first mouthful to nod at her in acceptance of her offer. The two of them could try and disguise who they’d become, but it was as obvious to the pack as his lack of cooking skills was when it came to the eggs. ”I don’t think Stiles cares about reputations.”
Despite their mediocrity, Derek forked up some more eggs, nodding at Erica as she questioned his offer. ”Honestly,” he told her. ”If you hadn’t already helped me out more than I deserved, you’re pack. That means this stuff doesn’t come with a price tag. What else am I gonna do with my time? Take up knitting?” The amusement he’d lost drifted back into his expression as he chewed his mouthful. ”How about we start with the lessons then, you can drive us out there.” The roads weren’t exactly the easiest to drive, but at least they were empty most of the time.
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ERICA REYES
Werewolf
Posts: 72
Age:
22
Occupation:
Whitmore College Senior
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Nov 28, 2024 19:11:24 GMT
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Post by ERICA REYES on Jun 23, 2024 17:36:36 GMT
Erica knew that a lot had changed since she’d died, she had seen that as soon as she had made her way to Mystic Falls and reunited with Derek and the others. There was a time when Derek had been all business, trying to train them so that they could do whatever it was that they needed him to do, but those days were long gone now. She knew that things hadn’t been easy for him after he became a shapeshifter but it was more than that, now it was clear that he cared about those around him and he was really letting people in. Erica hadn’t been very good at that after being diagnosed with epilepsy so she had understood why Derek had tried to keep everyone at an arm’s length but it was good to see that things were different now. “I will but I can’t guarantee Stiles and some of the others will if they realise,” Erica shrugged. As much as she might like to tease Derek about certain things, she would always have his back and she knew that she wouldn’t intentionally drop him in it with the others. She might torment him slightly and threaten to tell them or show them embarrassing things he did but she knew that she would never actually subject him to that. He was family, the only real family she had after she’d left her brother behind in Beacon Hills, and he had done more for Erica than she could ever repay so she knew that she wasn’t going to let him down. “You can say that as much as you like but it’s not going to stop me worrying about you,” Erica admitted. She wasn’t good at any of this, she had been on her own for a long time before Derek turned her life upside down the day he made her a werewolf and it had taken her a long time to adjust to being a part of a pack. Now things had changed again and this time she was doing her best to get used to being a part of a family and that meant at least trying to be honest with the people she cared about no matter how difficult it might be sometimes. She knew that she hadn’t actually answered his question about whether she thought that what he wanted to do was a bad move or not but it was the best she could do. She could see why he wanted to do it, he still wanted to find answers about what had been done to him but Erica really didn’t like the idea of Derek putting himself in harm’s way again because she knew that he might not be so lucky next time. “You’re right, none of this is normal but you know Scott wouldn’t even try biting a vampire. Do you really want to piss off the Dread Doctors and be stuck drinking blood for the rest of your life?” Erica challenged, needing to make Derek see sense. She knew that what the Dread Doctors were doing went beyond the law of nature but there were some things that even they couldn’t mess with and she knew that the last thing she wanted was Derek being caught up in that. She didn’t much like the idea of him going out there on his own as she knew he most certainly would do if she refused to go with him so Erica knew that she didn’t have a choice in the matter. She had already died once and she was in no hurry to do that again and end up trapped on the Other Side for a second time but she knew that she could always count on Derek to have her back just like he could always count on her to have his. As Derek asked if she wouldn’t want to film it too, Erica shook his head. “No need, seeing it once is something I’d never forget anyway,” she smirked as she took a bite of her breakfast. She knew that Derek was trying to do things differently this time, ever since she moved in with him she had taken on the role of doing the cooking for them and yet here Derek was trying his hand at it. She wasn’t used to having anyone try and look after her like that, in fact she hadn’t had anyone try and do that since her parents split up, so it was strange to say the least but she still appreciated it. Erica felt a half smile touch her lips as Derek said he didn’t think that Stiles cared about reputations. “I think you’re right but I still can’t have everyone thinking I’ve gone soft,” she shrugged. Years ago she had built up walls to protect herself from getting hurt again and even though Derek and the pack had found their way through those walls, she knew that she didn’t want that weakness to end up on display for the whole world to see. Erica had really thought that she was pushing her luck when she’d asked Derek for driving lessons in exchange for going with him to check it out. She wasn’t good at asking anyone for help but it was something she’d really wanted so she could at least feel a little normal for once. It would mean a lot of time and effort on Derek’s part, though, and she really hadn’t expected him to agree to help her let alone to do so free of charge. She had been more than prepared to pay for his time but Derek seemed adamant that he wasn’t going to let her and she couldn’t help but laugh as he asked if he was going to take up knitting with his time. “Now that I would love to see,” she grinned. “I can just imagine you sitting by the fire in a rocking chair like an old woman, please make it happen,” she teased, her face full of amusement as she looked over at him. “Seriously though, thank you,” she said sincerely. Derek had seemed just as against taking any money from her when she’d offered to pay him rent so she knew that she was going to have to find something else to use it for, a car once she had her licence perhaps, but for now she knew that she just wanted to take it one step at a time. “Sounds good to me,” she said, taking a sip of her drink before finishing her meal and carrying her empty plate and cutlery over to the sink. “You cooked so I’m washing up, no arguments.”DEREK HALE
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DEREK HALE
Werewolf
Posts: 99
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 30, 2024 19:22:00 GMT
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Post by DEREK HALE on Jul 1, 2024 17:20:32 GMT
Giving a low groan, Derek hung his head. Erica was right, as she so often was. Stiles wasn’t going to change the habit of a lifetime and finally let something drop. The others weren’t quite as bad, but they all hung on once they’d sunk their teeth into something. It didn’t matter that hanging on might prove deadly, just that they didn’t have it in them to drop something. Derek puffed out a sigh. This, he supposed, was the lesser of a million evils. He could put up with Stiles’ mouth running, letting it all look like it was water running off a duck’s back. He’d huff and puff and threaten a bit and in the end, thankfully, something else would sweep in to capture their attention.
It all came from a place of care. That just didn’t make it easier. After Laura’s death he hadn’t wanted to get close to anybody. It was better to work on his own, to figure out what had happened to his sister before the sheriff put him in a cell. He hadn’t known what Stiles’ dad was like then. Once Scott and the others had started muscling their way in and he’d started to build his own pack everything had changed. Pushing people away then had only gotten them hurt, so slowly he had started to give in. Erica had always been one of those who’d pushed the hardest, and it had cut deep when she’d left. He released his lip and nodded at her, appreciation filtering across his features. ”How about just worrying about me a little less?” he suggested, his voice low. ”I meant what I said, I’m doing alright.” Better than before at least. That was a slippery sliding scale that he’d been fighting his way back up ever since Scott and Stiles had broken him out of that tomb.
If the Dread Doctors had left town all of this would’ve been easier. Alix had told him what their previous pattern was, but something about Mystic Falls had left them lingering here. By now Alix probably had a list of dozens of others who had been changed by now. His mouth pinched faintly as he looked at Erica, then finally he shrugged. ”Would I want to risk my own neck? No. It shouldn’t mean we don’t give others the choice though. If your only options are spending an eternity like that and trying something that might kill you, wouldn’t you take the chance?” Derek’s frown settled back in deeply. It wouldn’t have been the first time they’d tried something incredibly risky. It would’ve been the first time it had happened when their backs weren’t hard up against a wall though. Erica was right, maybe those assholes wouldn’t like it, but what was the other option? Just let them carry on conducting their sick experiments?
When he’d first been changed it had looked as though life was never going to be the same again. He didn’t recognize the man he’d seen in the mirror, mornings like this felt like they would never come again. It had started to shift back even before Scott’s bite had turned him back. Derek returned Erica’s smirk then nudged her with an elbow. ”It’ll probably take therapy to work it out of your brain.” As though there weren’t worse things they could probably do with having stripped out. Unfortunately Stiles’ mind was the sort that clung onto those little details, all the ones that everybody else preferred he would’ve forgotten. ”Your secret’s safe with me,” he said lightly. Sometimes it was easier to let that shell keep people at a distance than it was to face up to the fact that life hurt. It didn’t matter how much shields you tried to put into place, things would always find a way past them.
Derek swallowed his eggs, then reached for one of the pieces of bacon, aiming it at Erica in warning. ”It’s never gonna happen, but if, by some absolute miracle, it’s never gonna be witnessed,” he warned before he snorted. ”I couldn’t sit still like that, not with everything that’s going on.” He’d never been like that and the restlessness had only grown worse since his world had fallen apart. Derek bit the end off of the bacon, smiling at Erica as he chewed and swallowed it. ”It honestly seems like the least I can do. Eat up.” The two of them seemed to hurry through their meal then, as though neither one of them could wait for the rest of the day to start. In Erica’s wake, Derek carried his plate to the sink. ”No argument from me,” he promised. ”I’ll go finish getting ready.” Ten minutes later he was back downstairs, brows raised. ”You ready?”
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ERICA REYES
Werewolf
Posts: 72
Age:
22
Occupation:
Whitmore College Senior
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Nov 28, 2024 19:11:24 GMT
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Post by ERICA REYES on Aug 30, 2024 0:53:55 GMT
Erica hadn’t known what to make of Derek at first, he had given her the chance to finally get rid of her epilepsy and that in turn would stop everyone around her seeing her as a freak so she had jumped at the chance. She hadn’t completely appreciated what she would be letting herself in for but somewhere along the way he had become family and the truth was that he was much better than the one she’d had before. Her parents hadn’t wanted her and the only reason she had stuck around in the first place was so she could look out for her baby brother. Now she knew Derek a lot better than she had back then and she knew there was a lot more to him than he liked to show the outside world. She had seen it for herself and she knew that the others had as well so it was far too late to go back on that now. Erica was good at keeping things to herself when she needed to but she knew there was no way that Stiles and some of the others would let it go. It all came from a good place, though, as they all wanted Derek to be happy. He had been through so much and she knew that things often didn’t seem to go his way but this time she really hoped that they would. Erica thought about it for a moment as Derek asked if she could worry about him a little less. “I guess I could try,” she nodded. “You do seem to be doing better lately but if that ever changes, you know you can talk to me.” That was something that wasn’t very easy for either of them and it never had been but they were family and Erica knew that if there was something going on then she wanted to be right there with Derek so they could face it together. They had been looking out for each other ever since she made her way to Mystic Falls and she knew that wasn’t going to change. As Derek spoke again, Erica’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment. “If they turned me into something that the bite could change then I’d want to give it a go but vampires are different, you know that,” she shrugged. “Once that change has been made it can’t be undone no matter how much a person might want it to.” Vampires always seemed to be the exception because becoming one meant that the person had died with vampire blood in their system. Erica knew that it was possible for people to be brought back from the dead, hell she was proof of that herself, but when she’d made it back from the Other Side she was still a werewolf and there were some things that just couldn’t be taken back. “Oh please, as if I’d want to forget watching you try out a tutorial,” Erica teased. It was something that she would never have associated with Derek so if he ever did decide to give it a try then she knew that she would want to remember it. There were a lot of things that she would much rather forget but Erica knew that she wasn’t a therapy kind of person. Talking about her problems wasn’t something that she had ever been very good at, she had learned to keep anything like that to herself years ago and it would be a difficult habit to break. “Thanks. If you ever tell anyone, I’ll make you regret it,” she smirked. Living with Derek meant that she got to see a side of him that the others didn’t and there were things that she could use to her advantage if she ever had to but she was sure that it would never come to that. The two of them get along really well and even though they teased each other like this, they never meant anything by it. Just the idea of Derek knitting was hysterical to Erica and the warning Derek gave her after she asked him to make it happen just made it even more so. “That’s where you’re wrong, I’d make sure I got to see that even if I had to find my way back from the Other Side again,” she grinned. It would be worth it to see Derek doing something like that, that was for sure. “I know you couldn’t right now but who knows, maybe when things settle down you’ll decide to give it a try,” she teased as she took a bite of her meal. If only wishing would make it so. Even as Derek said that giving her driving lessons was the least he could do, Erica still felt bad that he would be giving up his time to help her without getting anything in return. He had turned down the offer of her paying for his time but Erica knew that she would find a way to pay him back somehow. Nodding as Derek told her to eat up, Erica seemed to finish her meal in record time and moments later everything was in the sink ready to be washed up. “Alright,” she nodded as Derek said he would finish getting ready. By the time he emerged once more she had finished the washing up, put everything away and she had grabbed everything that she was going to need. “Yep, let’s go,” she said as she led the way out of the apartment and down to the car. “Are you sure you’re okay with me driving?”DEREK HALE
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DEREK HALE
Werewolf
Posts: 99
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 30, 2024 19:22:00 GMT
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Post by DEREK HALE on Sept 24, 2024 19:02:32 GMT
Pushing Scott away after Peter had turned him had been a dumb move. Still too arrogant, even after everything that had happened, he’d been determined to handle things on his own. Maybe if he’d been smart enough to let others in then they wouldn’t have ended up in the situations they had. Ego had hurt far more people than just himself and there were only so many apologies he could offer up for that, none of them worth anything unless he did something to back up the changes he promised to make up. Leaning on the others might have been a giant step forward in doing that, but there were still moments, like now, when Derek felt like he was on the brink of it and just couldn’t tip forward.
He could’ve told Erica not to worry about him at all, but there was no way she’d just switch that side of her off, trusting that he really was alright. They all knew better than that now. He had to prove it to them, to avoid plunging back in over his head again. Derek slanted her a faint smile. ”I am,” he assured her, although what he was asking her to do today was proof that he hadn’t shrugged off all of his emotional baggage yet. ”I know. Might be like prying it out of me, but I’ll try.” It was about as much of a promise as he could manage, one that he did intended to keep if things got to that point again.
There’d been things that they’d faced before that had been mysteries, evil things just looking to cause mayhem and pain wherever they went. In the end they’d figured them out together, but coming to Mystic Falls had just proven to him that there was so much more out there that he’d had no clue about. He doubted that even Talia had known about half of what they’d end up facing. Derek grunted lightly at Erica’s response. ”Different or not, I don’t think I could end up living like that. I wouldn’t stop trying to find a way.” Just as he hadn’t stopped after those things had changed him. Some might not have seen the change as a major one, but everything had ever known had been tied to him being a werewolf. It wasn’t just taking on a different shape on a full moon, it had been like he would never be himself again.
”I’d want you to,” he said with a snort. ”It’s probably not gonna be a pretty sight.” But the others wouldn’t care. If Stiles got his hands on that sort of thing he’d be bringing it out any time he wanted to get a reaction out of him. Since Stiles and Scott had rescued him from the cave it was as though his threats didn’t hit as hard with Stiles anymore. Setting his fork down, Derek mock zipped his mouth. Just as he grumbled at Stiles to try and keep him in line, Erica always would with him, although he’d seen too much of the softness within her to trust that she’d really make him regret opening his mouth.
His grin twitched into place for a moment before it flickered away. ”That’d be the only time it’d happen – to get you back from there.” And since he didn’t have to bring Erica back, he wasn’t about to pick up the needles. Tucking the rest of the bacon into his mouth, Derek eyed her for a moment long before he nodded. ”Maybe,” he agreed. For now though they had other things to handle, ones that might give him that more settled life. Keen to get going he’d carried his plate over to the sink and had then headed upstairs to finish getting dressed. ”Thanks,” he murmured honestly as he arrived back to find all the washing up already handled. Grabbing his keys from the table by the door, he followed in Erica’s wake as they headed to the car. He paused for a moment on the sidewalk and then offered his keys up to her. ”More than okay with it. You need to learn and it might as well be in a good looking car. You know how to start her up?” He waited for her to unlock it and then slipped around to the unfamiliar passenger side to slip inside.
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ERICA REYES
Werewolf
Posts: 72
Age:
22
Occupation:
Whitmore College Senior
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Nov 28, 2024 19:11:24 GMT
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Post by ERICA REYES on Nov 28, 2024 19:10:45 GMT
Erica had half expected Derek to tell her that she needed to stop worrying about him but thankfully he hadn’t. Truth be told she wasn’t sure that she could do that even if she tried, her parents had stopped being parents to her after they split up and she’d had to leave her brother behind in Beacon Hills. Derek had become her family and Erica knew that she wasn’t about to let anything bad happen to him again if she could help it. She knew they were alike in a way, neither of them was good at letting people get close to them but they cared about each other and Erica knew that she was always going to have his back just like he would always have hers. “I know but you’re still obsessing, even you can’t deny that,” she shrugged. She couldn’t really blame him, after all the Dread Doctors had taken being a werewolf away from Derek and for him that had been hardwired into his very DNA. He wasn’t like the rest of them, he was born a werewolf rather than being bitten so she could only imagine how awful that must have been for him. It was natural that he would want to stop them getting to anyone else and perhaps get revenge while he was at it but Derek had a habit of getting himself into trouble and Erica knew that she wanted to be there to reign him in if she needed to. “I don’t doubt that. Trying to get something out of you can be as difficult as trying to get blood out of a stone sometimes but you know I won’t give up.”Normally when they came across something that was posing a threat to others they were able to deal with it pretty quickly but the Dread Doctors were different. They had been active for years and no one seemed to be any closer to figuring out who they were. Erica knew that it had to be frustrating for Derek but he wasn’t going to give up looking for answers and Erica knew that she in turn wasn’t going to give up helping him a much as she could. As Derek spoke, a sigh escaped Erica’s lips. “Derek, there is no coming back from being turned into a vampire. That’s the point. If you get on their bad side and they decided to turn you into one then Scott’s bite would kill you. I know you’re stubborn but would you really rather die than live as a vampire?” That seemed stupid to Erica, she knew some vampires and they were good people so she honestly couldn’t understand Derek’s logic but then again she wasn’t entirely sure that he had really thought it through. The Dread Doctors seemed to be rewriting some of the rules but becoming a vampire meant that the person was dead and nothing could change that. “I know you would but wanting it doesn’t make it so,” Erica teased as Derek said he would want her to forget watching him try out a tutorial. That just wasn’t something that would ever happen as far as Erica was concerned, it would be far too amusing for her to ever want to forget. “That’s what would make it so good, it wouldn’t be the same if you watched one and managed to pull it off,” she grinned. Erica knew that she had changed a lot since she had come back and she knew that a lot of it had to do with Derek and the pack but at the end of the day she was still the same person and she really wouldn’t pass up that chance for anything in the world. Derek had said that she had a good heart and deep down Erica knew that she was right but letting others see that meant making herself vulnerable and that wasn’t something that she was very good at. As Derek said the only time he would ever sit by a fire knitting was to get her back from the Other Side, Erica couldn’t help but laugh. “Aww, you really do care,” she teased. “I’m flattered.” Truth be told Erica knew that she never wanted to find herself stuck on the Other Side again if she could help it but she knew that it wasn’t something that she would necessarily have any control over. Last time the Alpha Pack had killed her and there hadn’t been anything that she could do about it but Erica knew that things were different now. She had Derek and the pack around her so she wasn’t on her own any longer and she knew that she had to believe that that would make a difference. It didn’t take Erica long to do the washing up while Derek finished getting dressed and soon enough they were heading outside. Taking the keys Derek offered to her, Erica shot him a look as he asked if she knew how to start the car up. “We’ve met before, right? Do you really think I could stand living with my mom and her scumbag boyfriend without stealing one of their cars now and then?” she asked, an eyebrow raised as she looked over at him before climbing into the car. That had only ever been for a joyride when she’d needed to get away for a while though, she had never actually been taught how to drive or been given any proper instruction so she knew that this was going to be different. “This is so much better than the ones I’ve driven before,” she admitted as she slipped the key into the ignition and started the car. DEREK HALE
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hope to see you in the discord! 
