JUST A LITTLE BIT OF YOUR HEART | TO [2]

XV • AN OLD FRIEND CALLS

fifteen | un vieil ami appelle

Mikaelson Compound

A seemingly-emotionless Klaus Mikaelson has just taken a vintage painting off of the wall in his own private study, disclosing a safe that was built into the bricks behind it; he quickly spins the dial and puts in the combination to open it. Inside is a wooden box, which he opens gently as he walks away from the safe. Inside the box is a stack of old letters in fading envelopes. A short time later, Monique, Freya, and Elijah have joined him in the room.

"Looking through your victims' letters, I see." Monique gently mentioned.

"You collect trophies from all your victims?" Freya guessed incredulously.

"More like memorializing them." Monique Deveraux calmly corrected her.

"They're letters to their loved ones, to be specific." Elijah added on.

Klaus tries to ignore them, with an annoyed eye roll, as he starts to look through the old letters as if he's searching through it, "It was a phase."

"A phase in which we were forced to learn a different kind of stealth." Elijah slowly leans forward in his seat to continue the story for their own sister while his lover stays by his side, "You see, over time, Niklaus' enemies grew so numerous, we had no choice but to artfully withdraw from the world."

The noble brother earns an offended look from the paranoid old hybrid.

"And then..." Elijah earns relatable curious and exasperated looks from both young ladies, and he turns to address the blonde, "Well, I wouldn't exactly describe our presence in this city as discrete. Wouldn't you agree, Niklaus?"

Klaus, exasperated and frustrated, finally joins the conversation in earnest, "We all saw the white oak destroyed! Plus, this city is crawling with vampires, all of whom had no choice but to shield me from potential foes! Were I to die, they would die too. I couldn't have been more safe!" Until...

"And that was one of your advantages before it was taken away, thanks to Aya and Victoria. More specifically, Davina." Monique announced clearly.

By the dreadful reminder, a look of extreme concern comes upon Klaus' handsome face at the consideration of more threats, "And now my sire link is undone. Those very foes will come for me...Like never before." Soon.

A genuinely tired sigh leaves the blonde witch, "It's only been a few days since the link was broken. Must you jump into crippling paranoia already?"

She earns an irritated eye roll from the noble brother, "It's a default setting." Elijah effortlessly notices as his lover stifles her laugh in this grim situation.

"And for good reason!" Klaus snapped furiously as a serious reminder.

"To protect yourself, yes, but you don't have to do it alone." Monique said, visibly determined enough to aid his siblings to protect him at all costs.

Elijah gets up on his feet to walk over to where his brother is standing as an attempt to try to calm him down, "Yes, well, Niklaus, if it offers you any solace whatsoever, you've ransacked Aya's belongings, torched Aurora's hunting ground, and obliterated every last splinter of the white oak."

Klaus lowers his voice threateningly, "I would be mad to believe that."

The noble one does a simple shrug, "Perhaps you should see a therapist."