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 6, 2023 11:10:22 GMT
He should have kept walking, straight past the window and towards Teddy’s apartment, but tonight he was actually contemplating going inside the coffee shop to speak to Penny. Nothing good would come of the interaction, but he was feeling bold. Bold enough to approach a dragon with anger issues. Plus he was itching to know what brought her to the coffee shop at this hour. No doubt within two minutes of walking inside Lawrence would regret his decision to approach Penny as she would accuse him of following her even though he’d lived in Mystic Falls longer than her. His finger was naked yet again. Hector made sure the ring was back in his pocket as soon as the vacation was over and Lawrence was forced to shy away from sunlight again. That brief moment of freedom had him missing his ring more than before, but it was gone. It wasn’t exactly easy to find himself a new ring either that fit within his very small budget. The witches and warlocks of Mystic Falls knew they were in high demand and therefore strapped a heavy price to daylight rings. It was money Lawrence didn’t have spare and he wasn’t the type of person who saved for a rainy day. Phoebe probably had countless rainy day funds, sporting her sensible hat, unlike her brother. It wasn’t his fault he was thrown out into the world at the age of nineteen with no idea how money worked. Well, that was his excuse, which was weak. He loomed outside the shop for a few minutes, dithering between going home or speaking to Penny. He couldn’t just walk up to her and say something along the lines about spotting her through the window a few times and wondering why she was always up so late because then she would certainly accuse him of stalking her. It was borderline considering he could take another route home, but chose this one so he could catch a glimpse of Penny through the window. Maybe the reason he was so attracted to her was because she hated him. It was a challenge. Lawrence bit the bullet and entered the coffee shop, flashing half a smile at the employee behind the counter as he headed over to where Penny was sitting. The place was virtually empty. “Maybe I was wrong… you’re actually an owl not a…” He slipped into the seat across from her, leaning forward slightly “Dragon.” He whispered before leaning back, settling into the seat, “Trouble sleeping? Or just a fan of overpriced trashy coffee?” He nodded towards the cup sitting in front of her. PENNY BARTLETT  |
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PENNY BARTLETT
Dragon
Posts: 77
Played by:
julia
Last seen Nov 3, 2024 18:33:41 GMT
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Post by PENNY BARTLETT on May 9, 2023 15:17:41 GMT
 ━ for a dreamer, night's the only time of day ━
Perhaps Mystic Falls didn’t have to be so bad after all. It had a twenty-four-hour coffee shop, and she even smiled as she sipped her drink and worked, trying to procure more items for the museum. This was why it should’ve been okay for her to work when she wanted, because Penny was awake at the oddest of times to do business with other curators across the globe.
Drinking another mouthful, Penny realized she’d finished her coffee and stood to order another. The girl who worked nights looked over-tired as she smiled and made Penny’s, yawning quietly as she pressed the lid on and handed it over. “Thanks,” Penny nodded and returned to her seat, preferring nights like this one when the barista wasn’t particularly talkative. Sometimes, Penny thought about telling her to take a break and taking her into the back to really wake her up, but she thought she’d give that another week or two before she made a move.
Penny’s eyes flicked up to the door when she heard it open, irritated that someone had burst the bubble of her solitary work session.
Irritated even further when she realized who it was. Of course. Why would it be anybody but Lawrence? He really was following her around, wasn’t he?
And there was no way it was a coincidence. Not when he came directly to her table and sat across from her, making himself comfortable like she’d invited him.
Penny scoffed at his shitty joke and rolled her eyes, though there was a ghost of a smile on her lips. She leaned back, away from her laptop, and sipped her coffee again. “Maybe I’m neither, ever thought of that? Perhaps not everyone fits into your vampire view of the world.” She raised her brows and smirked,
“A bit of both?” It was barely an answer. She didn’t have to expand, but fuck it, why not? The curator from Japan was slow to respond anyway, and Lawrence had always proved to be at least somewhat entertaining in the end. “I usually don’t sleep at this time. I’ve always found it easier to be awake at night but, unfortunately, the world doesn’t work that way. What about you? Was your coffin bed not properly cushioned?” Penny grinned, though it was a real smile this time, and not backed by her usual sourness. Her eyes ticked down to his hands as he moved, then back up to his face. “So much for your new daylight ring.” Had he truly lost it again? She knew he was young, but was he that stupid?
LAWRENCE MURPHY | |
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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
|
Post by LAWRENCE MURPHY on Jun 9, 2023 17:33:13 GMT
He’d always considered himself quite lucky when it came to impressing females, but it wasn’t like he was born with that gift like others. Like Hector. His first girlfriend was handed to him by his parents, with no leg work required, but since leaving Canada he’d felt like he’d improved his skills, yet it wasn’t working on Penny. She was never impressed by whatever he had to say for himself. Maybe it was the thrill of the chase that was pushing him back toward her, but arguably the chase was over. They’d slept together, more than once. She couldn’t hate him that much if she was willing to jump into bed with him. She even invited him out on a little date to the casino in London, where she spent the whole time trying to convince him to gamble more money. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t. There was a limit on his spending and putting a hundred pounds on black didn’t fit into his budget. Penny mocked him, but it can’t have bothered her that much as a few hours later they were in a hotel room. Lawrence didn’t want to risk bringing Penny to Hector’s apartment, since Hannya was there. It was a fight he’d love to see. She could spend hours denying she was a dragon, but Lawrence knew the truth. Dragons didn’t actually fit into his vampire view of the world though. Vampires, werewolves and witches slotted in nicely, but the rest didn’t. Especially not dragons and demons. They pushed vampires down the food chain. “Okay Charizard.” She was too scary to be called Charmander. His eyes narrowed slightly as he was about to speak up, telling her maybe she wouldn’t have trouble sleeping if she wasn’t drinking trash coffee, but she expanded on what she said. A smile formed on his face at her joke, “It needs new lining.” He didn’t bother sliding his hands off the table, trying to hide them away from Penny. She’d already spotted the ringless ring. “I took it off.” He said with a casual shrug, knowing she’d see through his lie. He paused for a moment, before deciding to expand on his answer too, “I tend to sleep in the day instead, so I’m usually wide away at this hour. Sometimes I kind of like it though. Everything is so quiet and calm at night.” He could walk down the sidewalk on a Saturday without having to weave in and out of locals. There were downsides though, such as having to watch everyone go about their business in the sun whilst watching from behind a window. It could be lonely, especially when his sister couldn’t see him because she was busy studying. He’d taken his daylight ring for granted, until now.
“So, what’re you doing?” He gestured towards the closed laptop in front of her, that she had been tapping away minutes before he arrived. PENNY BARTLETT |
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PENNY BARTLETT
Dragon
Posts: 77
Played by:
julia
Last seen Nov 3, 2024 18:33:41 GMT
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Post by PENNY BARTLETT on Jun 22, 2023 22:10:33 GMT
━ for a dreamer, night's the only time of day ━
She grinned again when he took her coffin joke on the chin, finding this air between them… weird, but in a good way. She didn’t want to break it, knowing calling attention to it would do just that. It was a light back-and-forth, gentle teasing, and while she was still mad her work had been interrupted, Penny didn’t speak to him bitterly.
Taking off his ring, though? Now that she didn’t believe. Her brows went up and she smirked, disbelief clear in her expression. “Sure,” she hummed quietly, taking another sip of coffee. He kept speaking, though, and she didn’t have trouble believing the rest of it. “It is,” Penny agreed, “Until someone else is awake and ruins your coffee shop ambiance.” She teased, “Is that only because you lost your ring, or were you like that before? Embracing the vampire lifestyle?” Her eyes glittered with playfulness, grinning as she lifted her cup to her lips again.
When he motioned to her laptop, Penny’s gaze flicked to the screen, and she realized the Japanese curator had responded. “Shit,” She muttered, ignoring Lawrence’s question for a moment as she set her coffee down and quickly typed out a response. Once she was done, she looked back up at Lawrence and smiled. “Work.”
It was the first time she’d had a conversation with him where she wasn’t annoyed within two minutes. It felt strange, like she had to smack him to make up for it (she didn’t, though━not yet). “Some museum curators in Japan━we’re discussing trading some items for a little while. Helps to be awake during their business time,” Why did her mouth keep doing that? Her cheeks were starting to hurt. “What about you? Making stalking your full-time job?” It wasn’t rude this time, punctuated with her expression, her eyes flicking over Lawrence as if she could find some clue from him on the outside.
LAWRENCE MURPHY | |
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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
|
Post by LAWRENCE MURPHY on Jul 18, 2023 20:39:51 GMT
Woah, he’d just managed to squeeze a laugh out of Penny. It was a genuine laugh too, not one of those icy ones she tended to give out to him or those fake laughs she let out the first night they met. He actually thought she was interested in him that first night, but she was only interested in his ring. A grin lingered on his face as he listened to her let out a cute snort into her cup. It was unfortunate things had gone so sour between the pair because there was a side of Penny that Lawrence wanted to discover. She couldn’t be one hundred percent bitchy and cold. There had to be more to her. Things weren't sour between them as they sat in the coffee shop though. They weren’t making harsh jabs at each other and trying to get a rise out of the other person. They were having a normal conversation. To a bypasser they probably looked like two friends catching up over a coffee, except they weren’t friends, but Lawrence had no idea what they were. Every time they saw each other they bickered about pointless shit before sleeping together. He didn’t know how to categorise that. Whatever it was though, he was enjoying it, even if it was temporary. It was a shame he wasn’t going to get to know the real Penny though. No sane vampire would casually take off their daylight ring, but he’d never been good with coming up with cover stories when being put on the spot. “Sure.” He mimicked her, knowing if he was really ruining her coffee shop ambiance she would have left by now or asked him to leave. “Only since I misplaced my ring. Before I was more of an early riser… how come you're nocturnal?” Now he knew there was someone in Mystic Falls who could keep him entertained during the evening hours, even if she did want to strangle him half the time. There were some pros for Penny staying awake during these hours then. So long as she wasn’t planning to trade his ring with the Japanese all was good. “Well… if you need someone to go to Japan with you I know a guy who’s just renewed passport and makes a great travel companion.” Technically he hadn’t renewed his passport considering it was the first one he’d ever had. Either way, Japan looked like a great country to visit. “I’m just on my way home from work and I spotted you through the window… thought I’d come in and say hello.” Lawrence was prepared for her to bite off his head within two seconds of approaching her table, but the longer they sat with one another, the threats of him losing his head diminished. PENNY BARTLETT |
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PENNY BARTLETT
Dragon
Posts: 77
Played by:
julia
Last seen Nov 3, 2024 18:33:41 GMT
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Post by PENNY BARTLETT on Aug 13, 2023 17:56:15 GMT
━ for a dreamer, night's the only time of day ━
If he got a new one, though, that would all change, and maybe she wasn’t thinking about it yet, but she certainly didn’t want him to… if only because he was more easily accessible at night time. Like the barista.
Fucking early risers.
“Couldn’t tell you. Researchers now call it a Circadian Rhythm Disorder. They didn’t have that when I was growing up.” Penny hummed lightly and shrugged. “Babies do that sleep-regression thing, y’know, when they reverse-cycle? When I started doing it, my parents thought it was temporary━turns out it wasn’t. It was harder to live exclusively at night during the sixteenth century.” She scoffed, not even realizing that perhaps she should be more guarded about this. She was about most things━but what would Lawrence do with this information? Decide he was too young to challenge her, that’s what. It only worked in Penny’s favour. “It’s easier now. I can do things like sit on my laptop in a twenty-four-hour coffee shop and nobody cares all that much.” She smiled. Nobody except for Lawrence, who would probably not leave her alone now that he knew. She found herself not fully hating the idea.
“It’s difficult when the museum wants me to cover tours…” She cut herself off, cursing quietly as the Japanese curators beckoned her attention. Once she’d replied to them, her dark eyes were flicking up to Lawrence’s brighter, bluer ones, as he practically invited himself on a trip to Japan with her. “One chance meeting in London and you’re my travel companion now?” Her eyes glimmered along with her smile and the teasing tone in her voice. Penny sipped her coffee again.
“You wouldn’t need a passport with the way I travel. But I’ll think about it━if they ever want me to go to Japan.” The idea sounded nice now, but she’d probably decide against it once she thought about it a little more.
He decided he’d come say hello? Penny didn’t actually think Lawrence was stalking her, but that didn’t seem to fit the kind of relationship they had. “Because we’re such good friends?” She asked sarcastically and finished the rest of her coffee. “How was work━anymore miscellanious creatures try to con you out of the daylight ring you just took off?” Penny lifted a brow and smirked, then slowly stood. “Do you want something?” She asked, pointing towards the counter where the barista tried desperately to stay awake while scrolling through her phone.
LAWRENCE MURPHY | wrap soon? just let them stay coffee shop cuties? |
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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
|
Post by LAWRENCE MURPHY on Aug 17, 2023 19:36:36 GMT
They had introduced so many disorders over the past century it was difficult to keep up with them. He’d certainly never heard of the thing Penny was talking about. “Sounds like you’d make the perfect vampire.” She’d never be yearning for a daylight ring. He smiled a little, waiting for her to scoff at the idea of being a vampire or waiting for her to crack a joke that she’d make a better vampire than him, which he wouldn’t dispute. Fuck, Teddy could probably make a better vampire than Lawrence. He wasn’t equipped with the skills needed to be a good vampire when he left home, everything he learned was from the vampires in New Orleans, which at times was questionable. “But yeah no one gives a shit if you're nocturnal nowadays.” Hunters were probably struggling to distinguish between the vampires and the humans at night. Ah, yes the tours. Just like the wonderful tour Penny gave him at the museum that ended with a sprinkle of casual assault. Most of the time he’d been punched he’d deserved it, but he wasn’t sure he deserved getting struck by Penny. “I’ve always wanted to go to Japan.” Okay, that was a straight up lie. Lawrence had zero interest in that side of the world, but because Penny was going he wanted to go as well. Their meeting in London hadn’t ended in a raging argument, which was strange. It ended in them ripping each other's clothes off, which had become a common occurrence whenever they met. There were no complaints from Lawrence about that aspect, but it was unlikely this encounter was going to end like that. A quick scan of the shop confirmed there was nowhere for them to go. His attention bounced back to her. “Teleportation?” Or flying like a massive fucking dragon through the sky. She was petite, so how did she grow into something so big? It was a question which would never be answered, at least not by Penny. Maybe Kit could shed some light on it, afterall the wolf owed him a favour. Their status was unknown, but they certainly weren’t friends. “Yeah, we’re the best of friends.” It seemed like the hate she felt for him was disappearing slowly though considering she’d just shared a fraction of her history with him. Lawrence still hadn’t figured out how Penny knew about his history. Another unanswered question. “Boring as always… no pickpockets in there tonight.” He matched her smirk. Phoebe would be pissed if she caught Lawrence engaging in a pleasant conversation with the woman who stole his ring. There was no point glancing back at the menu because his order was always the same. “Americano.” He watched as Penny headed over to the barista, his eyes locked on her whilst she ordered their drinks. He was actually warming to the idea of going to Japan with her, even if it was just a passing comment. But there was a chance she’d sit back with their drinks and start being a complete bitch to him, throwing them both back to square one. Hating each other. PENNY BARTLETT the end! |
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