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 28, 2024 17:07:16 GMT
An apology spilled out of his with ease, but seconds later his brain processed what had just happened. He had told Penny he was sorry for his behaviour at the Christmas party. His mind had accepted he had done something wrong and he had something to be sorry about. It indicated emotions. He was feeling guilty about being an asshole to her. It wasn’t just the Christmas party either, it was from the moment she arrived back in Mystic Falls. Penny recognised this too. In his next sentence he was announcing his departure, getting to his feet. The cracks were expanding and feelings were seeping through. He needed to do something to cement those feelings back inside. He couldn’t even look at Penny as he rushed out of the coffee shop. Lawrence didn’t stop walking until he was a few blocks away from her. The fresh air hit his lungs as he inhaled deeply. He was panicking. How had those feelings started to creep back after a few months? He managed to keep them contained for two years last time, but people were putting pressure on him this time. Penny wasn’t intentionally putting pressure on him either. Each time he saw her the way he felt about her caused a stir of confusion inside. Did he like her? Did he care for her? If he didn’t then why the fuck was he meeting her most evenings in the coffee shop? Lawrence started to head back towards the club. It was nearly 2am, so someone would be crawling out of the club at this hour. A girl came staggering out the doors, alone, locking eyes with him. Goddamn it. It was Julian’s babysitter. She waved at him, yelling his name as she started to walk over. Then he realised killing Maddie would be perfect. It would deliver a message to Teddy, ensuring his best friend cut him off forever and prove to himself his humanity was still gone. “I’ll walk you home.” Their conversation was mainly about Julian and how much he missed his ‘Uncle Lawrence.’ He tugged Maddie down an alleyway behind the Grill, telling her to be quiet. He jammed his teeth into her neck, but within a few seconds he pulled back. Lawrence couldn’t bring himself to kill her. This should have been easy for him. An action with zero thought behind it, yet he was questioning himself. With the sleeve of his jumper he cleaned her neck before feeding her his blood. “Go home. Go to bed. Forget this happened.” Maddie stumbled off into the darkness. By the time he arrived back at Phoebe's apartment his mind was all over the place. He rushed into the kitchen, flicking on the tap, desperately cleaning his face. The t-shirt he was wearing was still stained with Maddie's blood though. His breathing had started to shake a little, as he attempted to remain in control of the situation. Everything would be fine. He just needed to close down whatever emotions were springing to mind. He inhaled harshly, closing his eyes as he did so. Lawrence dug deep inside, making sure his humanity was still off. Lawrence started to open all the cupboards in Phoebe’s kitchen, in an attempt to find stain remover. He rummaged loudly through each cupboard, “Goddamn it!” He threw one of the doors shut as he heard movement from behind. “Didn’t realise you were here. I thought you’d be down the club hanging off every man in there.” Like Lawrence wasn’t doing the same with the females in there. Usually he was searching for someone to kill rather than to sleep with, but tonight he failed. “Where the fuck is your stain remover?” He snapped as he turned to face Phoebe, his voice faltering as he spoke. Clearly he was agitated, like a volcano waiting to explode.. Normally he would brag about something like this, proudly telling his sister he’d drained a human. But he didn’t want to tell her what had happened. PHOEBE MURPHY |
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PHOEBE MURPHY
Vampire
Posts: 94
Age:
102
Occupation:
DA Intern
Status:
Single
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Oct 14, 2024 19:27:09 GMT
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Post by PHOEBE MURPHY on Mar 10, 2024 18:15:12 GMT
Teddy couldn’t have lit a candle without borrowed magic, but somehow he was always the one helping strip away the shields that had been held close around the softest, most scarred parts of her since she’d left the Valley. She’d thought it had been since Joseph had died, but standing there in the woods with her mom right in front of her, Phoebe could’ve told her exactly when each of those wounds had been incised. Tears had started to roll down her face right away, like they had when Teddy had come to her dorm room to offer up his empathy over killing someone they’d loved. Broken words following in those few minutes they’d had together.
As though they still rolled down her face, Phoebe scrubbed her hands over her face as she bumped her apartment door closed with her hip. The tears had dried up, the tracks they’d have once left down her cheeks melting away. Vampire healing could handle just about anything physical, but her heart still ached. If it hadn’t been for Hannya forcing Lawrence to turn his emotions off she never would have asked Teddy to summon their mom. It was a part of the past she hadn’t wanted to revisit, but even as hollow as it had left her, she was glad she’d done it. Some of the damage her parents behaviour had caused had melted away, relief filling the space where it had once been.
Her boots, with their thin crust of mud had been kicked off at the door, clothes dropped on her bedroom floor once. A scalding shower had removed any of the evidence of what the two of them had done with what Lawrence had hidden out in the woods – in an attempt to make sure this didn’t happen – but Phoebe’s mind was still on it as she curled up on her bed. Lawrence wasn’t gonna get his way and neither was that bitch of a demon. She was getting her brother back.
Hours of shitty reality TV had drifted past with her only watching it listlessly – that blonde bitch really did need to get her roots done if she honestly thought she was gonna sell some real estate. By the time Lawrence careened into the apartment like a human wrecking ball it felt like she’d already half slipped into a coma. She’d known that speaking to her mom was gonna take something out of here, but she was wrung out, in no mood for Lawrence snapping at her as she walked into the kitchen – her kitchen.
Phoebe crossed her arms over her chest, taking his dig about throwing herself at every guy in the club on the chin. Nine times out of ten she was there for him, but emotionless Lawrence probably couldn’t get that through his thick skull. Hannya had robbed him of the ability to give a shit about anybody, including himself. ”Why bother when I could be at home watching you tear the place apart,” she said dryly. It wasn’t like she’d actually slept her way across Mystic Falls, but why admit she actually had enough of a heart to care about who she took home?
The bottle of stain remover might’ve made a satisfy thunk as it hit Lawrence in the face, but Phoebe didn’t make a move to get it out of the cupboard under the sink. ”What’s wrong? Did someone inconveniently bleed all over your favourite shirt while you slaughtered them? That’s just rude.” Lawrence’s agitation would’ve been proof that at least he gave a shit about something, even if it was only a t-shirt.
For a long moment her gaze drifted over his face, taking note of each line of strain. Phoebe dragged her teeth over her top lip, her frown deepening. She’d been waiting for months to see some soft spot emerge that she could dig at it. ”I took a walk tonight,” she admitted finally, shrugging like it hadn’t been anything more than a little stroll after dinner. ”I found something out in the woods. I guess you’re no better at hide and seek now than you were when we were kids. Mom says hi, by the way. I guess you didn’t bother talking to her when you went and hid her out there to stop me from trying to get you back.” If he had maybe by now she’d have already gotten her brother back.
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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 Mar 15, 2024 0:34:11 GMT
Lawrence was starting to recognise the consequences of his actions and the way it was affecting everyone around him. If he killed Julian’s babysitter he knew Teddy would be devastated, but he’d have to explain to his child why his babysitter couldn’t come over anymore. Julian had already been through enough, being snatched by the Ghostriders. One day he would be exposed to the evils in the supernatural world, but Lawrence didn’t want to introduce him to them. Phoebe walking back into his life threw him off course to begin with. He was stuck between being happy she was still alive and being sad she’d been cursed like him. For decades he was under the impression she lived out her days in Elk Valley and she’d now found peace, but instead her human life had been ripped from her as well. It wasn’t long before he found out she’d mastered the art of not draining humans. Lawrence was terrified she’d be exposed to a different version of her brother and hate what he’d become. There were decades of mistakes stacking up when she arrived, but none of that mattered to her. Phoebe was just happy to be reunited with Lawrence. Now she was seeing the worst part of him. Someone who was unrecognisable but was still claiming to be her brother. A person who was willing to kill her friend just to deliver some kind of fucked up message. Tonight he retreated before delivering the same kind of message to Teddy, His gaze flickered over at Phoebe briefly. He wasn’t tearing the place apart, but he was seconds from ripping the cupboard doors off their hinges. Perhaps if he did so it would release the bubble of anger rising in his chest. It almost burst when Phoebe didn’t point him in the direction of the stain removed, but rather she made a snarky comment. “Phoebe…” He said through clenched teeth as he pulled another cupboard open before giving up and turning to face her, “Don’t start. I’ve had a rough night.” He desperately wanted to peel the top from his chest and throw it in the trash, never to be looked at again. It was a reminder of what he almost did, but was too scared to do. Should he give his sister a round of applause for going on a walk? He went to move past her, but she spoke again which caused him to stop dead. “What do you mean? How the fuck did you find her bones?” He snapped. The volcano was bubbling over, “Teddy helped you didn’t he? I told him to back off… I told you to back off!” The flood gates had opened and the first emotion through was anger. There was no stopping the rage that was rushing through Lawrence’s body. He took a few steps back from Phoebe, putting distance between the pair. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to speak to her? You know I wanted to speak to her. I want to know why she fucking abaonded us.” His hands were itching to grab hold of Phoebe, shake the truth out of her. Rather he reached for the cupboard door closest to him in a blur, ripping it down off its hinges and throwing it on the floor. It didn’t help him though. “I just need some goddamn stain remover so I can clean my top and go to bed.” Suddenly he became aware of just how much his hands had started to shake and the way in which he was struggling to regulate his breathing. Above everything he was devastated he’d missed the chance to speak to his mom because despite all the anger he felt towards his mom he still loved her. The red mist had started to fade a fraction. He couldn’t even look up at Phoebe, choosing to keep his eyes locked on the smashing cupboard door on the floor. “I needed to know why she couldn’t love me as a vampire... did she ever love me at all.” It was a question that had been plaguing his mind for decades. It had weighed him down, causing a horrendous ache in his chest. PHOEBE MURPHY |
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PHOEBE MURPHY
Vampire
Posts: 94
Age:
102
Occupation:
DA Intern
Status:
Single
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Oct 14, 2024 19:27:09 GMT
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Post by PHOEBE MURPHY on Mar 26, 2024 20:55:57 GMT
Reality TV could probably rot your brain, but in the end it didn’t feel like it had done all that much for her emotions. They were stretched thin around that hollow inside of her that no amount of blood could fill, stretching tighter as Lawrence ground out her name. She could be a bitch, Phoebe would be the first to say it about herself, but she wasn’t purposefully cruel – Teddy might have disagreed, but she hoped it would be a weak argument. Not wanting her brother to suffer had been one of the reasons she’d gone after the blonde bitch in the first place. She couldn’t hold her bitter laugh back now though, not after the night she’d had.
”I’m serious. What happened? Did Hannya finally kick your out of her bed? Did your dinner not agree with you?” Her gaze locked onto his bloody shirt, bile burning in the back of her throat. When she’d first arrived something like that might just have been Lawrence being a little sloppy feeding, but now he could’ve slaughtered everybody in the club without blinking an eye. It was why he was here, she was supposed to be the one keeping an eye on him when it wasn’t safe for Teddy to be doing that.
Had she not been looking closely enough? Had the signs of that switch creeping back on been so subtle that she hadn’t noticed them? She tried to remain nonchalant after he snapped at her, but Phoebe’s lips curled in a faint smile, satisfaction that she’d gotten to him cutting through. ”I mean I found her, Lawrence. Hiding her bones here was a mistake. I was going to track them down eventually.” Her chin came up as he instantly figured out just who had tracked down them. She shifted her weight, subtly easing further across the doorway, as though she could stop Lawrence if he decided to go and pay Teddy back for interfering in family matters.
Phoebe huffed out a breath, her lip curling. She crossed her arms over her chest, closing herself off against the emotional blows she was sure were going to come from the well of bitterness that seemed endless in Lawrence despite his emotions being shut off. ”I couldn’t let that bitch destroy you before, why do you think I’d just step back and let her turn you into someone else now? I want my brother back, Teddy wants his best friend back. We had a way of doing that, so I wasn’t gonna sit on my hands, Lawrence.” For him she’d tear her own heart out a dozen times over. She’d lost her brother once and had spent all those years mourning him, even after she’d learned that he was alive and out there somewhere.
He might have been stepping back from her now, like he could escape what she’d done. Fat chance, especially when she could finally break through the thick shell that had developed around Lawrence’s emotions when Hannya had forced him to turn them off. Like an eggshell, Phoebe swore she could see it cracking. ”And give you a chance to stop me?” She shook her head, taking a step closer. ”I wanted a way to get through to you…” Her mom had seemed like a way to do that, her battering ram. God, it had worked.
There was no squelching the flinch that rolled through her as Lawrence tore the door from one of the cupboards and slammed it down. ”Forget your shirt. That doesn’t matter, Lawrence…” And he knew it. Like an overtired toddler fighting sleep, Lawrence started to cave. He wouldn’t look at her, not even when he stood there shaking, his breath bellowing in and out. He was hurt and she could feel it, let alone him.
”She didn’t stop loving us,” Phoebe managed hoarsely. She moved in until her bare toes were right on the edge of the destruction zone. Tear filled eyes locked on her brother as she reached across to grip his arm. ”She wouldn’t have done what she did if she didn’t love us. It’s love that breaks you Lawrence and losing us broke her.” Swallowing hard, she tried to get out the words that had turned on the tears in that clearing. ”Mom’s proud of you, of who you still are underneath all of this. When you’re alright again, she can tell you that herself. You can ask her all the things you want to know. You just have to come back to us first. Please.” The plea lodged in her throat, the word barely emerging as a whisper. It still had the power to send tears coursing down her face.
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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 Apr 10, 2024 20:34:29 GMT
Phoebe was pushing every single fucking button right now. He could have swung her hands around her neck and snapped it like a twitch. It wouldn’t have been the first time he considered doing so. He wouldn’t have come home in such a mess if Hannya gave him the boot. She’d done it before when she broke his neck and left him on the floor in a hotel room because he’d slept with Penny. Despite all that he was still crawling back to her. First it was the blood but now it was because he didn’t care. He gave Phoebe no response though because she’d only carry on pushing his buttons until he lost his temper completely. He was already on the verge. If Lawrence had given it some thought he would have realised it only took Teddy a few seconds to do a locator spell and find the bones. Even a newborn warlock could cast such an ease but Lawrence was too wrapped up with getting rid of the bones. He carelessly scattered his mom across the woods, like she was trash. “You didn’t track them down. Teddy did although I’m surprised he helped you considering he hates you.” Although he knew Teddy would have put their differences aside to help Lawrence. He was sickeningly nice like that. Same went for his sister. They were just both so fucking eager to bring Lawrence back, but it was working. It was written all over his face. “Yeah well I want some fucking stain remover. Can’t get everything we want in life Phoebe.” Lawrence wanted his parents to comfort him after he died, telling him everything was going to be okay. He wanted them to look after him, to make sure he didn’t turn into a monster. They threw him out like some stray animal though, expecting him to defend himself in the wild. A young boy with absolutely no life experience. Lawrence would have snapped Phoebe’s hands clean off if he found out what she was up to. Trapped her in a coffin and threw her in the sea. Anything to stop her from triggering emotions inside of him. “There’s no getting through to me. You need to fucking understand that.” Just the thought of missing out on speaking to his mom caused those walls to tumble hard. Beneath he was feeling so damn exposed and raw. Phoebe didn’t understand how it felt to have her emotions suffocating her all at once. The guilt, the rage, the remorse. Everything piled on top of him. She never would experience that feeling though because she’d never let her emotions control her. She was stronger than her brother, they’d alway known that ever since they were kids. The shirt was the least of his problems. He was prepared to set fire to it so he could erase the memory of this evening. The evening everything came crashing down around him. “It does… it does matter.” If he could wash away the blood from the shirt he could wash away the regret. He glanced down at the blood for a moment. How could he attack Teddy’s babysitter and risk leaving Julian wondering where she’d gone? Lawrence tore his eyes away from the broken door, looking up at his sister as his hand touched his arm. She was begging him to come back, promising that he could speak to their mom who was apparently proud of him. He slowly shook his head, “How can she be proud of me? I’ve turned into one of those cruel soulless vampires dad told us about. The kind who killed humans for fun.” The type who enjoyed hearing his victims scream and beg for their life. He’d done the same thing recently on his road trip with Remzi, leaving behind a bar full of dead humans. The bartender looked into Lawrence’s eye and pleaded with him, just like Phoebe was pleading with him now. “No… I can’t come back… I just can’t.” He stepped back from Phoebe, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he started to panic. “I killed your friend. I threatened you and Teddy… and then there were those people in that bar. The bartender cried so fucking much and I killed her.” He tugged harshly on his top, as tears started to well in his eyes, “You know who’s blood this is? Fucking Julian’s babysitter. I tried to kill her!” By now he’d started to run his fingers through his hair over and over, “I just wanted to save you Phoebe.” PHOEBE MURPHY |
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PHOEBE MURPHY
Vampire
Posts: 94
Age:
102
Occupation:
DA Intern
Status:
Single
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Oct 14, 2024 19:27:09 GMT
|
Post by PHOEBE MURPHY on Apr 20, 2024 19:19:14 GMT
There were times when she could do with hearing a dose of the truth, but this wasn’t one of them. Phoebe tried not to flinch as Lawrence casually threw the fact that Teddy couldn’t stand her guts at her. There was no denying it, or the fact that she probably deserved it. Thoughtlessness was no more an excuse for disregarding the feelings he’d obviously developed for her in that one night they’d spend together than avoiding him to protect her own scarred heart had been. She’d slept with him and had then acted as though he didn’t exist. As Teddy’s best friend, Lawrence had probably been just as outraged about it as he would’ve been if it had been some stranger who’d had a one night stand with him. As her brother, he knew exactly how it had been for both of them.
The man standing before her, still throwing out bitchy little barbs to try and deflect her from finally dragging his emotions back out wasn’t her brother. ”He doesn’t hate you though – although if you carry on being an asshole he just might by the time we’re done. To get his best friend back before that happens, he helped.” And God was she going to have to make it up to him afterwards. If this worked there was gonna be no big enough thank you to make up for it. Lawrence wasn’t going to get that stain out of his shirt, but she was going to get her brother back – was already halfway there if the look on his face was anything to go by – and that was all that mattered now.
Accusations had jammed in her throat as Teddy had summoned their mother, tears filling her eyes to the point where it had been like looking at the face she’d thought she only half remembered through a curtain. It was the same now. Phoebe could feel the pressure of it all between the arms she’d folded over her chest, the ache intensifying as she shook her head at Lawrence. ”Liar,” she said hoarsely. ”The only thing I understand is that I’m not going to lose my brother again. Losing you once was enough.” She’d admitted to their mom that she’d spent decades trying to find her way back to Lawrence and maybe there’d been some relief there on her face when she told her that she’d found him.
Was she going to have to play tug of war over that damn shirt to get his full attention now. As a shield between Lawrence and all those pesky emotions Hannya had encouraged him to rip out by the roots it was useless. ”No it doesn’t. This is about you, it’s about us getting you back.” It was about proving to Lawrence that he was worth fighting for, that there was something more than just the monster vampirism could turn you into inside of him.
Her brother’s denials started to shatter like the door he’d torn off of the cupboard. Phoebe met his eye and continued to hold onto his arm. This was where she got to shatter the wall holding everything back. She’d hold on to him if she had to through all of all, battering at it with her words until it crumbled. Her lower lip wobbled faintly at the half lie she’d told, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. ”Because that’s not you. You’re a survivor and beneath all of this you’re a good man.” What happened when his emotions were off didn’t count and that was what that blonde bitch had been counting on. She only got her kicks when Lawrence wasn’t in his right mind.
”You can and you will,” Phoebe shot back at him, taking another step towards Lawrence as he seemed to start losing his grip. She stopped as his admissions shot back. Her gaze dropped to the fabric balled in his hands, her breath hitching in her throat. ”You did,” she whispered, reaching for her brother to try and pull him into a hug now. ”You did all that for me. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be standing here now.” That didn’t excuse everything, but it explained it and she knew that Teddy would forgive him the same way she had battled to. ”Turn them back on Lawrence, stop being the version of you who would do those things. Talk to mom, let her see the better side of you. Let her tell you herself how proud she is, how much she loves you.” The things she hadn’t told them in life, but had screamed so damn loudly when she’d … when she left them.
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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 Apr 29, 2024 19:53:32 GMT
But that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted Teddy to hate him. Killing the babysitter could have been the final nail in the coffin if Lawrence hadn’t backed out. He was so close to ripping her apart, but then she went and mentioned Julian. Bringing a kid into this mess wasn’t fair. Julian had already gone through enough shit being taken by the ghost riders. He didn’t need his babysitter being murdered. He knew pushing Phoebe away was going to be a lot harder. She was a solid brick wall, refusing to move no matter how many times Lawrence tried to convince her to give up on him. Their parents gave up on him easier than this. As soon as they realised he was a creature of the night he was no longer a part of their family. The burden of becoming the next leader was passed down to Phoebe. Not only was she dealing with losing her sibling but now she was forced to lead a coven.
“Us? You and Teddy yeah?” It took Lawrence flying off the handle to have them sitting in the same room together without wanting to leave, “Do you talk over your plans while you’re in bed together?” He bit back harshly. As far as he knew the pair of them hadn’t hooked up since that evening. Phoebe made sure of that by putting up a roadblock, protecting her feelings. Just like Lawrence was going with her right now. Protecting himself from the pain that was on the other side. He wasn’t ready to deal with that. Not yet. If he was going to come back he wanted it to be slow because he couldn’t handle his emotions flooding his system again. But he was losing grip on them. Phoebe’s words were eroding away at him, especially when she brought their mom into the conversation. “I’m not a good person. Maybe as a human I was, but not anymore.” He looked away from her, unable to handle the sight of his sister crying. As a human he was pure and innocent, but life had been cruel, twisting him into another version. He was forced to change otherwise he would have been dead within a week of leaving Elk Valley. Picked off by stronger vampires. He needed to develop a confidence he never knew he possessed and he needed to kill those who came for him. It was a kill or be killed world out there. His gaze returned to Phoebe, as she stepped towards him again, attempting to bring him in for a hug but he resisted, pulling away slightly. He knew as soon as he wrapped his arms around his sister it would be game over. Everything would come flooding back. For now he was trying to dig deep to keep it switched off. Lawrence took a few steps back from Phoebe. “No… you’re not doing this to me… I can’t let you do this to me.” He quickly threw his top near the pile of clothes near the washing machine. He bent down to pick up another top. One without blood down the front of it. “Mom doesn’t wanna speak to me.” His eyes met Phoebe’s, glistening with tears, “All of this is my fault. You, mom, dad. You’re all dead because of me. I shouldn’t have stayed down at the lake so late. Dad told me to never stay out past sundown, but I ignored him… I should never have killed dad’s friend and completed the transition. If I just went home and died as a warlock none of this would have happened.” He felt a single tear roll down his face, but he didn’t even rush to wipe it away. Seeing his sister in the club that evening filled him with a mixture of joy and sadness. It pained him to know she was also dead. Cursed to live the same life as him. All of this started with Lawrence’s stupid fishing trip down to the lake. PHOEBE MURPHY |
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PHOEBE MURPHY
Vampire
Posts: 94
Age:
102
Occupation:
DA Intern
Status:
Single
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Oct 14, 2024 19:27:09 GMT
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Post by PHOEBE MURPHY on May 17, 2024 20:04:18 GMT
Skin that had been thick as whale blubber had grown paper thin since she’d arrived in Mystic Falls. Peeling away one layer at a time, what was left tender enough to start to feel things again that she hadn’t wanted to. There was no way to drag it back though, not with everything that had happened. All she could do was hold onto what was left, pulling it around herself like an old spinster in a tattered dress, trying to pretend it like she was still some pretty young thing in a ball gown. Maybe flipping her own emotions off would have change that feeling – there were already those who thought she was heartless, they probably wouldn’t notice any sort of a difference.
Teddy would’ve likely heaved if he’d been standing there listening to Lawrence. If it wasn’t for her brother, the two of them would never have mended any fences to try and get through this. He’d said his part on the day he’d come to her dorm room and that was enough for him. ”Yes, me and Teddy,” Phoebe said stiffly, wishing that she hadn’t felt his words cut quite so deeply. ”I’m going to forgive you for saying that. Lashing out isn’t going to change anything.” Neither would continuing to toy with Teddy when they did cross paths. Using him was petty, a coward’s way of covering up the scars that he’d already seen too much of.
Lawrence could push them away all he wanted, but they both loved him enough to take it. On the surface Lawrence could seem like an asshole at the best of times. An idiot too. He was more than that though, so much more than the blood he’d spilled since he was turned. If their dad had waited a few weeks, he might’ve seen that for himself, trusting in his son enough to allow him to stay in the valley. Their mom had still been able to see it, but unsurprisingly, what happened to their son was down to their dad. Kick their son out, their daughter too, and watch his wife slip away. Phoebe hoped he’d suffered for it, but didn’t have it in her to wish him an agonising death.
”You can say that all you want, it doesn’t make it true.” Phoebe wanted to grip Lawrence’s jaw, to force him to look in her eyes, but it seemed a step too far. He’d snap, another cupboard door would come down and he’d bolt before she’d had time to break down those last barriers. ”The brother I’ve always looked up to is still in there. You just have to believe in yourself the way I do, the way Teddy does.” He could tell Lawrence that himself once his feelings were back, easing Lawrence’s conscience the same way he’d tried to ease hers. It wasn’t your fault. This was though and no matter what, she would make up for it.
Her stomach twisted as Lawrence stepped back from her. The tears flowed faster, but her chin was rising, determination radiating from her. ”Unfortunately you haven’t got a choice. It’s happening. Your emotions are coming back, Lawrence.” She could see that in every frantic movement he made, in the tears that shone in his eyes, the same way they did in her own. ”She wants to speak to you,” she argued. ”She might be able to get you to believe what I can’t. This wasn’t your fault. You didn’t invite those things into the Valley. You didn’t kill us. They did. What happened to mom is their fault. This is all on them.” Her heart ached in her chest, feeling as though cracks were shooting through it as she heard the guilt her brother had carried all of these years spill out.
”How many times did I stay out that late without anything happening?” Phoebe asked. ”I should have gone with you that day. If I had, it might never have happened.” She’d have listened to Lawrence babble about lures and bait for hours if she’d known what would happen. Her head was shaking, the tears flowing fast enough that she couldn’t keep them all at bay. ”You weren’t in your right mind even then. The hunger was already burning in you, the same way it did me. How many people have you ever heard of managing to avoid turning? It doesn’t happen, Lawrence. You survived. It might not be the ever way you ever wanted to leave, but I’m glad you’re still here. I’m glad I have my brother. I’ll always love you, I’ll always be proud of you.” Now she really reached for him. Her hands gripping his biceps as she tried to pull her brother close. She might’ve been tiny, but she’d use everything in her to finish knocking down the last bricks standing in the wall that had separated him from his emotions.
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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 May 31, 2024 2:23:05 GMT
Everything had changed when he died. He felt a shift in personality and suddenly something inside of him grew darker, all fuelled by being abandoned by his parents. He’d never taken a moment to grief the person he was before. The person he’d lost over the years, but coming to Mystic Falls had somehow ignited his old self. He was happier for starters. The entire world wasn’t doom and gloom. At the start he had Teddy to thank for that, but now Phoebe too. She had helped to keep that light shining inside of him. But then Halloween came around and it was extinguished again. The darkness was back. “Look. I’m sorry you came looking for the brother you remember from Canada, but he’s gone… he fucking died and now I’m just this.” He gestured towards himself, “A vampire who kills people.” He never thought there would be a day where he’d be responsible for someone's death, never mind hundreds. But she was right. It was happening and the control was slipping through his fingers. Each time he tried to grasp onto his emotions he failed because there were just too many of them. Each of them tried to crush him as he tried to frantically keep afloat. They were dragging him under. “If they do I’ll just switch them off again!” He snapped back. He’d done it twice before, how hard would it be a third time around? But he was struggling to find the switch in the midst of everything. It didn’t want to be found, hiding beneath those stupid emotions. There were just so many things Lawrence could have done from the very start to avoiding everything. These were things he had played over in his mind for decades. What if he did this, what if he did that? “But I made things worse… I always make things worse.” Phoebe couldn’t deny what happened at Halloween wasn’t Lawerence’s fault though. He knew he was getting in too deep with Hannya, but he still didn’t pull himself away from her. He almost laughed at Phoebe’s comment. There were so many times he would wake up to find his sister climbing through his bedroom window in the early hours of the morning, hushing him to be quiet. In the winter when his window was shut he would stir the sound of tapping on the glass. It was a mystery how Phoebe didn't freeze to death some evenings. Lawrence would save his lecturing until the morning, not that Phoebe ever listened to him. He would always be telling her it wasn’t safe to go outside at night because things were out there. Things that would hurt them. It was ironic Lawrence was the one to be killed by such things. “But you hate fishing.” She would constantly complain it was boring. Lawrence swallowed harshly, trying to regulate his breathing. Phoebe’s words hit him like a train. “I can’t… I can’t be in this apartment right now.” He didn’t know where the fuck he was going to go, but he just needed to be away from Phoebe. He needed a fucking moment to himself, “I gotta go… I’m sorry.” He darted past her in a blur and left the apartment before he completely fell to pieces. PHOEBE MURPHY - end! |
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hope to see you in the discord! 
