mikethompson-traceless

[mikethompson-traceless]

devilsroast​:

Aurora shook her head, curled brown hair bouncing around her face and falling into little waves as she let out a long sigh. “You’re fine. Really.” she said waving her hand to dismiss the comments, dismiss the thoughts into the ether. “Oh? Are there more people looking into it? Do you know who? I would love to chat with them and see if we have any of the same thoughts or ideas of how this could have come to pass.” she sucked in a long breath after speaking and glanced from Mike to the world around her for a moment. “So that was the craziest thing you’ve ever seen happen?” she mused letting out a long hum and slowly nodding her head.

-

“I think I mighta heard about Elaine lookin’ into things? I’m sure she’d be happy to talk about it, even if she wasn’t diggin’ into it already. She hangs ‘round here sometimes...” he took a look around, but failed to spot the fae. “Not here right now, though. She’s probs about... yay high?” He gestured in the air at Elaine’s approximate height. “Red hair, pretty friendly.” Was it a great description? Not really, but Traceless was a small enough town that there weren’t too many people who matched it. “‘Sides the swap, ya mean? Huh...” He paused, considering. “I’m not really sure. I mean, sometimes some weird shit’ll happen ‘round the full moon, but it’s usually more like witches holdin’ gatherings or whatever it is they do to do group spells, or sometimes fae? I’m never really around for that though - I’m always somewhere else, gettin’ my wolf on,” he explained. 

[mikethompson-traceless]

anastasiavasiliev​:

Sasha nodded, and sighed deeply. “Yeah, I used to. But not this year.” Or in a foreseeable future. Another werewolf she met on this place… They seems more friendlier than people of her kind (vampires). “I was thinking in try Spicy Girls or Matrix.” She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “I didn’t know that turtle was named Michelangelo, but I like the idea though. Maybe you check in ‘Cosplays’ store?! They may have things that can be useful for you. As for me I still thinking who I’ll be dressed.”

“Those are great ideas; I’m definitely digging the nostalgia vibe either way. Which Spice Girl d’ya think you’d be? Baby Spice? Posh? Sporty?” Any which way, he was pumped that she seemed interested in dressing up this year - Halloween was way more fun with costumes, as far as he was concerned. “Yeah, Michelangelo’s the one with the orange bandana. And hey, that’s a great idea - wanna come with? There’s a pretty good costume shop in Vegas.” He paused, trying to do the mental math. “Aw, shoot. I think it might be closed right now? Or maybe it’s sunny out?” He wasn’t really sure what time it was back home, but it probably was either a bad time for Sasha to be outside or a bad time to go to a costume store, based on what time it was here in Traceless. “Maybe we could try and hit one up in... London? Or somewhere else where folks speak English; I’m not great with languages,” he admitted. It was convenient that Traceless’s magic allowed him to understand people speaking in other languages, but that unfortunately didn’t carry over to the places Traceless’s doors lead to.

[mikethompson-traceless]

anastasiavasiliev​:

Sasha remembers seeing him around the town, even though, she’s very reserved person, hardly expands her ‘friendships’. She is ready to change that. Breaking the old habits. ❛ It’s me. Yeah. ❜ The Russian was glad he said his name, because she didn’t remember, she only memorized his physiognomy. ❛ Not really. I’m little excited about partying instead of working on this holiday. How about you? Got any costume ideas?❜

“Aw man, you usually work on Halloween? That sucks. Halloween’s no fun unless ya can get your party on,” he empathized. “I dunno what I’m gonna go as,” he admitted. “Maybe a werewolf? That’d be a little on the nose though, huh?” Probably, considering he actually was a werewolf. “Or hey, maybe this year I’ll bust out a ninja turtle costume for my namesake, Michelangelo.” He was too old to be named after a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but that didn’t mean Michelangelo couldn’t be named after him.

[mikethompson-traceless]

oflark​:

Mike had an interesting way of thinking about the world. “I… don’t actually know, but I’m glad you got something out of your dreams.” Lark pressed her lips together. After considering the circumstances for a moment, she sighed, resigned that photography never really was meant to work out for her. She didn’t take very many photographs anyway- it didn’t help that both Lark and Steffi didn’t show up in photographs. What was the point of a selfie if it was just to show some empty clothes and the make-up that you applied using guesswork? “It’s dark, so I don’t think this picture is going to work out without the flash. It’s okay, we’ll always have our memories. Mine will have a touch of fear in them because that is a really big bird.”

Mike nodded, satisfied with Lark’s response. He was glad he got something out of his dreams, too. “Aw, I’m sure they don’t mean us any harm. Even birds of prey aren’t gonna go after somethin’ so big without a good reason,” he assured Lark. That was true as far as he knew, anyway. “Maybe it’s for the best that you’re not freakin’ it out with a flash, though.”

[mikethompson-traceless]

“Yeah? I think that’s a great idea,” Mike agreed. “Name’s Mike, by the way. You’re Sasha, right?” He’d seen the woman around a few times in the last few months, but as far as he could remember they hadn’t actually spoken until now. “So, if you’re gettin’ into the spirit of things - got any costume ideas yet?” 

❛ I think, this year will be the first time I’ll try to enjoy Halloween. ❜ In her past ‘Halloweens’ she was working, or traveling. There was no in between. Ever since she moved to live in this place, she’s allowing herself to enjoy 'this’ life.

[mikethompson-traceless]

butigotchains​:

“Oh yeah, that sounds dope!” HJ grinned, excited to go visit said pizza place. She had visited a lot of different places all over the world but going anywhere that wasn’t home was always fun. “You want to like lead the way?”

“Yeah, ‘course. Follow me!” Mike started on back to the café, a spring in his step now that he was on his way to get some pizza, and with a friend no less. Food always tasted better when shared with friends, in his opinion. Once they were in the cafe, he made his way on over to the door and opened it, New Orleans on his mind. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, he glanced back to make sure HJ had followed him on through. “Mind if we stop someplace first and pick up some chips?” They could have the pizza without chips just fine, but it wouldn’t be the same.

[mikethompson-traceless]

isobelcromwell​:

Isobel stayed silent as they heard Mike’s tone shift from playful to more serious in nature.  If a stranger had heard him, they might not have noticed it, but Isobel had been hearing his voice their whole life.  Not his life, of course; he was an old man.  Isobel hesitated on his words.  Mike actually might know a bit about certain changes that were…vampiric…in nature.  They remembered how tied up he was when his friend Vivienne was struggling.  But did that mean Isobel wanted to burden their cousin with their problems?  Not really.  Isobel wrested back and forth with the options, and eventually decided upon presenting the choice to Mike.  “It’s not…urgent,” they said finally.  “So, if you have a shift tomorrow, or just don’t want to deal with it, I get it.” And would probably be relieved if he said no, “But if you, you know, didn’t have anything else to do tonight, it’s okay if you hopped into one of my dreams.”  That was also a big if, depending on if Isobel actually fell asleep at some point tonight.

“Hey, ‘course I don’t mind helpin’ out. I got a shift tomorrow, but it ain’t until late - so ya won’t be cuttin’ into my beauty sleep,” Mike assured them. He would have been happy to go ahead and help out even if time was more limited of course, but it did work out nicely that he didn’t have to be anywhere for quite some time. “I’ll hold off on sleepin’ for a bit so you can fall asleep without my snoring,” he added. “Is there anything ya wanted to talk about before ya go to sleep, though?” It didn’t seem like they were particularly in the mood to talk things through while fully conscious, but he figured it didn’t hurt to check.

[mikethompson-traceless]

lostandenchanted​:

Mira sighed. Mike was a boy he’d understand what boys were thinking….right? He’d be able to give her the answers that she wanted. Hopefully seeing as though the person she should be talking to about all of it she was currently still angry at. “Ghost? Like they turn into a ghost? He didn’t ghost he Vampired…would that be the phrase.” Mira frowned trying to figure out exactly what to call it. “He told me he liked me and then disappeared for two years.” Mira said finally admitting what happened. “He’s back now but he thinks he had a valid reason for leaving and not talking to me for two years.” Mira said messing with the bottom of her hair. “I punched him.” She said looking away from her cousin knowing he was going to chastise her. 

“Nah, it’s an expression. For when someone just stops answering calls or texts, and ya just sorta never see them again?” It was slightly embarrassing to admit that this had happened to him multiple times, but supposedly that was just one of the joys of modern dating. “Vampired, huh?” He let out a low whistle. “That’s rough. I dunno if he shoulda stopped talkin’ to ya, but that’s not the worst reason.” It wasn’t like Vampires really went for Werewolf blood, but there were plenty of other changes he could think of that would be alarming for someone to deal with while trying to start up and navigate a new relationship. “Being turned is some pretty messy business - it can really change a person, make ‘em feel like they’re not themselves. He might not have liked who he was these last couple years, and wanted to keep ya out of it while he got his head screwed on, ya know?” He paused, considering. “Did he tell ya why exactly he did it? Y’know, before ya punched him and all.”

[mikethompson-traceless]

atticusofarborea​:

After a long day of doing nothing at the café, Atticus was ready to go back to the Ethereal Realm and recharge the old ‘magic batteries.’  He stood up and gave a small stretch after being hunched over his gameboy for so long, and got up to put his mug away.   His mind was preoccupied with the time, and getting back to the Realm, that he didn’t realize someone was trying to get his attention.  Atticus started to focus his energy on teleporting back, when at the last moment his mind registered that the “dude” was him.  He whipped around as the barista guy touched his shoulder, and everything went white as he and the guy–Mike, he remembered–went through the barrier into the realm. He couldn’t really think of anything to say at the moment.  “Oh, hey yeah,” he breathed, reaching for his gameboy.  “Have you–I should probably get you back.”  Atticus didn’t know how Mike would deal with being in the Ethereal Realm for the first time.  If it was his first time, that is.

The moment Mike touched Atticus’s shoulder, it felt like the world around them had disappeared. And not in a romantic, ‘the only two people in the universe’ kind of way - the café was just gone. A flash of light, and then In its place was... well, he wasn’t really sure. "Holy shiiiiiiit.” He very nearly dropped the Gameboy, but managed to hand it back to Atticus instead. “What is this - the Ethereal Realm?” Either that, or Atticus had knocked him out and they were dreaming right now, or someone had slipped him something weird. Rather than stick close to the man’s side as he probably ought to, he took a few steps off to the side to have a look around.

[mikethompson-traceless]

lostandenchanted​:

“I’m just so angry.” She said shaking her head. Though that situation wasn’t the only think making Mira angry. Mira wasn’t sure if she should even bridge this topic with her cousin but it had been bothering her so much lately that she didn’t know what to do about it. “Yes I mean like like someone Mike.” Mira rolled her eyes. “Okay well out of the people you’ve liked have any of them, told you how they felt and then kinda disappeared for awhile?” She couldn’t look at him. She knew that her question wasn’t embarrassing but Mira felt that way regardless. She played with her fingers as she waited for him to respond. He wouldn’t judge her or make fun of her right? 

Mike grinned when Mira admitted that she meant like-liking someone else, partly because it was fun to get her to say like-like. Of course, the fact that she was willing to open up about this was cause for celebration, too. He knew if he said something about his little cousin growing up she might decide not to share the details after all though, so instead he waited and listened. “I’ve had a few people ghost before,” he admitted with a shrug. “Not really after admittin’ feelings though - more like, instead of?” He scratched the back of his head, not really sure how much detail he should be getting into about any flirtations he might have had that had abruptly ended because he never heard from them again. “Did someone do that to you?” It wasn’t a tough question to guess an answer to, considering he was pretty sure Mira wouldn’t be asking about someone confessing and then leaving if it hadn’t actually happened to her. “Did they just leave? Or - are they back, or somethin’?” 

[mikethompson-traceless]

butigotchains​:

“Oh yeah, dunking is dope too.” HJ confirmed though for the most part she found it easier to mix it all together. It was a good combination either way though. “Definitely like way better together. Saves some chewing too, it’s all together and you just eat it. It’s like super fast food eating.” Maybe that just came from HJ and her limited lunch time at work and having to eat quickly. “Oh hell yeah, sounds dope. You should pick the place.”

Mike nodded emphatically, feeling very pleased with himself for consulting HJ on this very important matter. Clearly, she got it - and even better, she was free to grab a bite to eat wit him. “Sweet, I know a sick pizza place in New Orleans - you down for a field trip?” It wasn’t like it would be a particularly long trip, considering a quick walk to the café would put them out in New Orleans if that was the destination they had in mind. 

[mikethompson-traceless]

oflark​:

“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s hungry. If I was a bird, I’d like this area pretty well, but maybe not the part with people. We’re very noisy,” Lark said squinting up at the bird. Her vampire vision was a little better than a normal human’s, but it wasn’t that much finer considering how blood-deficient she was. “I kind of want a picture of it, but I think the flash would scare it off. Or scare us off. It gets bright.” She fumbled with her phone to get the camera out, humming to herself thoughtfully. She would probably go with whatever Mike thought was a good idea, but Lark wasn’t really sure at this point.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Maybe they’re just doin’ some exploring? That’s what I’d do, if I were a bird. I mean, I have been a bird, but just in dreams - never in real life, y’know?” He wondered how different it would be to be a bird in reality versus whatever approximation he’d cooked up in his dreams. “Can ya take a picture without the flash? It should be fine, long as ya do it that way. Turnin’ the flash on’d probably freak ‘em out.” He wasn’t sure about flashes in particular, but birds did seem to startle easily from what he’d seen.

[mikethompson-traceless]

professionalbusybody​:

「 ☾ ☆ ☽ 」

He came in dripping rainwater just like every other day, as that was the benefit-not-benefit of being local to Seattle. While not soaked so bad as to create a puddle for the next person to enter the shop to slip in, neither a WET FLOOR sign or a lazy spell to dry it up wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Rather than bother with the energy to perform the latter himself, he trudged farther inside, pulling his hair from the hood of his jacket while approaching the counter. “ Yes. Thank you, “ the atmospheric pressure from today’s drizzle had set a chill in his bones, fingers cold and stiff and knee aching with an old reminder of what it’d endured for his sake. A coffee would at least bring the feeling back into his hands.

Gray eyes flit about the shop while reaching into his pocket for his wallet, leather sides folded open with a monotone remark on the lack of patrons. “ Dead in here. Your tips must be suffering. “

-

Seeing the usual puddle coming in with Thomas, Mike made a mental note to clean things up next time he had a minute. Whether or not he would remember his mental note later was another matter entirely, but for now he had already moved on to other matters.

“No prob, dude - that’s $3.25.” The register produced the sum when he entered the order in, listed in U.S. dollars as if it knew which door Thomas had come in through. It probably did know, now that Mike thought about it, though he really didn’t have the first clue how that would work. Like a lot of things, he’d first started here he’d taken a second to think about now convenient it was for him, and left it that that. 

“Yeah, it’s uh - not the greatest,” Mike admitted sheepishly. This probably would have been a good time to plug that he wouldn’t be opposed to Thomas filling up his tip jar a little, if it had occurred to him. “There were some more folks in here a few hours ago during the... morning rush, probably? I dunno why this place gets crowded and empties out like that, when it’s got folks comin’ in from so many different time zones. Guess it’s lucky it does though, huh? Wouldn’t have enough time to chat much, otherwise.”   

[mikethompson-traceless]

(Closed starter for @professionalbusybody )

One of the stranger parts of Mike’s job was the fact that the place where he lived was nine hours behind the place where he worked. Between that and the lack of windows in Traceless cafe, it wasn’t uncommon for him to lose track of what time it was - despite the clocks on one of the cafe’s walls displaying the time of day in various parts of the world. He was having one of those time-uncertain moments when the door opened. He shifted his attention away from the clocks he’d been about to check and over to the possible customer, smiling in greeting when he saw who it was “Oh, hey man! Can I get ya anything? Your usual?” Mike suggested. People coming into Traceless cafe didn’t always order anything - the place was a stop on the way to Traceless village (not to mention a hub to a ton of other places), but Thomas stuck around and grabbed something to drink often enough that it didn’t feel like he was really going out on a limb making the suggestion.

[mikethompson-traceless]

lostandenchanted​:

Mira rolled her eyes at him. Of course he would say that. “I mean I wouldn’t go full wolf on them or anything.” She said rolling her eyes. “I can punch but I know how to control myself.” She muttered shaking her head. Mira groaned as he asked her. Did she really want to talk about it? That was a dumb question, yes she did but at the same time she didn’t. Mira wasn’t someone who enjoyed talking about her problems or really talking in generally but this whole situation with Deacon has made her want to complain non-stop. “Did you ever have someone you liked Mike?” She asked looking over at him. 

“I know ya can, I just - I dunno if that’d be enough,” Mike admitted. He wanted to say with certainty that anything done in human form wouldn’t lead to dome-shaped punishment, but he couldn’t. Had Fritz even been in wolf form when they’d nabbed the council leader’s money clip or whatever it was? He guessed they might’ve been treated a little different either way since they never really seemed to fully back into human mode, but he wasn’t about to go testing the theory. He really didn’t want to think about the matter any further though, so it was a relief that Mira seemed willing to talk about what else was bothering her. “Liked someone?” he repeated, for a moment not entirely sure he’d heard right. “Yeah, you could say that,” he admitted with a wry chuckle. He’d liked several people in is life, but one in particular was standing out in the forefront of his mind. “Ya mean like... like-like, right?” He asked, though he was pretty sure that must be it - she wouldn’t seem so troubled otherwise.

[mikethompson-traceless]

butigotchains​:

“Oh yeah, potato chips on pizza is dope. Just like french fries in ice cream.” HJ confirmed with a smile. Weird food combos were right up HJ’s alley. She liked weird things that tasted good together despite not seeming like they should. “I mean like, putting it on the pizza isn’t too different from just like eating them with.”

“Exactly! Man, how did I forget about french fries in ice cream? Though I gotta admit, I’d take french fries dunked in a milkshake over ice cream any day. It’s about the texture,” Mike added confidently. “It is pretty much the same - but something about eating them together hits different. It’s gotta be at least twice as good.” Not that he was any good with numbers, but he was assured of his assessment nonetheless. “Hey - d’ya wanna grab some pizza and potato chips? Or french fries n’ shakes? I dunno ‘bout you, but I’ve got a hankering for some serious snacking.” It wasn’t quite mealtime really, but that wasn’t going to stop him from munching on some rad eats. 

[mikethompson-traceless]

magiclessdavid​:

“It could have gone down after you got here, sure,” David considered this.  The doors were very reliable; that council thing—and their boss—made sure of that.  He caught the sliding drink from Mike, waiting for it to cool.  He could have burned his tongue trying it right away, but he actually wanted to taste it.  Maybe he was secretly onto something: the next cold brew, or PSL.  More likely though, it probably just tasted like a normal drink.  “Me too, man,” David was touched.  “Sure,” he agreed finally.  “I can check with you,” he set his drink on a table.  He didn’t usually make it a habit to go through the doors, but if they were down, he didn’t want Mike to get electrocuted. By himself, anyway.

Mike grinned, glad that David agreed with him that if they were the only people left, at least they'd both have some good company. Not that the world had probably actually ended, but - just taking a little look-see seemed like a good idea, especially when there wasn’t much else going on. “Yeah? Alright then, let’s give this a whirl - where d’ya wanna go? Vegas ok? We can just poke our heads on out to make sure it’s workin’ right,” Mike suggested. He’d be alright with checking any location, really, but if they were going to check one he figured it might as well be the place he was going to be headed after his shift was up. Besides, that was also the place where he best knew what things were supposed to look like, so he’d be able to tell right away if anything had gone weird. He stepped out from behind the counter, heading on over to the door.