It was a lively evening in New Orleans, and the French Quarter was filled with the sounds of a band playing jazz music. Tourists excitedly walked down the sidewalks, with smiles on their faces and drinks in their hands.
Among the people, there was a man who stood out from the others. But everyone was too happy, or for some people, already too drunk to notice. This man, with short brown hair, walked slowly down the street.
Unlike the people around him, he was not socializing, laughing or joking. Everyone was in party or casual attire, but this man wore a suit. His grey jacket and pants were neatly ironed, and he wore polished black shoes.
The suited man approached a bar. It had brick walls, with large windows in the front. Patrons could be seen inside, seated at a dark mahogany bar with matching bar stools with black cushions.
He paused at the doorway for a moment, before stepping inside.
Inside the bar, Marcel is talking and laughing with a couple of friends. The suited man stood behind Marcel. Marcel sensed a presence behind him. He turned around, his face in shock. A hint of worry came over his eyes, and his eyebrows turned upwards.
"Tristan!? What….."
Tristan almost smiles, with his eyes and mouth holding amusement. His eyes had a slight mocking look to them.
"How are you here? I killed Elijah! Are you a spirit?" says Marcel. He gets up from his stool and stands up.
"No, I'm not a spirit," replies Tristan.
"But you were in a shipping container! At the bottom of the ocean with the serratura keeping you in there. How are you here?" asked Marcel.
"You killed Elijah?" said Tristan, almost surprised, even through his composure. He turned his head to the side slightly and looked expectantly towards Marcel.
"I did… I thought I did! I bit him! He was supposed to die! There IS. NO. CURE!" shouted Marcel, kicking a barstool over. The bar stool hits the floor with a bang, and Marcel's friends get up from their stools and look at him.
Tristan actually smiled, amused again. "You bit him? What have you been up to this whole time? A type of…. Poison bite, I presume? Are you a hybrid? But even if you are a hybrid, hybrids don't kill originals."
"Lucien created a serum that creates an upgraded original. His bite could kill an original. Finn was brought back from the dead, but then Lucien killed him," Marcel explained.
Tristan raised his eyebrows, and looked displeased.
"Weren't you guys friends back in the day… or lovers?" asked Marcel, teasingly.
"Oh Marcel, you are a funny fellow, aren't you. No, we weren't lovers, but I knew Finn quite well."
"Quite well," said Marcel, using air quotes.
Tristan looks at Marcel, clearly annoyed. "Carry on with your story, Marcel. Apparently, you became the new leader of the Strix," says Tristan.
"So, Lucien was killed by hijacking the ancestral magic. He was supported by the ancestors. The Mikaelsons are true hypocrites. Always going on about "always and forever". And yet they sacrificed Davina to do that! They could have found another way", Marcel explained.
"Yes, we do share that hatred for the Mikaelsons," Tristan said.
"Anyway, so Lucien actually created two serums. He gave one to your sister, Aurora."
"Where is Aurora?" asked Tristan, concerned. "If you killed her-"
"I saw her leaving the Mikaelson compound years ago. Freya had her under some sort of sleeping spell, but since the Mikaelsons are gone now, Freya was not able to spell her again, so she left, and I haven't seen her since."
"You haven't seen her since? Are you telling lies, Marcel? I will kill you in front of all of your followers if you have touched even a hair on her head-"
"I'm not lying. Also, I am an upgraded original, and I can kill you easily. Your threats don't affect me," responded Marcel.
"Anyway, so the serum was removed from Aurora and Vincent stole the serum. I took it, and so here I am," said Marcel, smiling triumphantly. Marcel went over to a nearby bar stool and sat down.
"Marcel, that is quite the interesting story. Now, why are there no more Strix in New Orleans? There are groups of Strix from all over the world, but there are no longer Strix in New Orleans. A group of Strix from France were the ones who removed me from the box. Earlier on, they tried to contact the New Orleans Strix, but they received no answer."
Marcel smiled proudly. "I killed them," he responded.
Anger tinted Tristan's features. "They told me that you were made the leader of the Strix. And then you kill your own members."
"When I killed Elijah, I didn't want anyone getting in the way. I'll kill you next if that's what I need to do," said Marcel.
"If you apparently killed Elijah, my sire, then how I am still alive?" asked Tristan.
"That's what I want to know," said Marcel.