While the love-struck soldiers wandered the gardens with their fair companions, Klaus took solace in another form. He prided himself on being able to find the nearest alcohol within a day's time, and here he was, the day not even over. The cellar was damp and dark, but there were a few tables and chairs that had been moved around that made it habitable. It may not have been the ideal place, but there was no Elijah, and for that, Klaus was grateful.

He wasn't alone, either. Even if he abhorred his brother and the rest of the company, he still had decent companions. Tyler and Mason were cousins. They had joined the company against their will, which made them the perfect candidates for Klaus' henchmen, even if he would never call them that to their faces. They were his only friends in this God forsaken world, after all.

"Why are you so sad?" questioned Tyler, perusing through rack upon rack of wine. "You're normally sad, but even this seems to be a bit much."

Klaus swirled his wine, peering into the glass melodramatically. "There are multitudes of things to cause my sadness. It would logically follow suit that my sadness would follow in droves."

"You're always so gloomy," Tyler quipped, finally making a selection of wine and bringing it to the table. "If you listened to reason, we wouldn't be having this problem."

"If I sit and listen to your "reason," Tyler, what prize shall I win?" Klaus asked dryly.

"I know it won't end your suffering, but maybe it would bring around the patience to endure it."

Klaus snorted. "Ah, yes. Patience, that sounds like my strong suit, does it not?" He laughed bitterly. "I am truly amazed that you, with such a lack of control, are trying to give me advice on this subject matter. I am what I am. I will do what very well pleases me, whether that is sad or brooding or whatever I like. I am not called to smile when others make jokes, and I will eat when I'm hungry, not when it's convenient. I will not charm and flatter others to get what I want."

"And that worked so well last time?" He said pointedly. "You're lucky you're back in your brother's graces now. I cannot imagine you'd be so ready to lose it. After you challenged him, everyone was sure there was no way you would regain your status. But here you are, and you can't do something that careless again. I can't believe I'm being the voice of reason," muttered Tyler. "I understand you want your revenge, but we have to time it well."

"But Elijah tricks everyone into liking him! I would rather be hated than be adored by all of the people he kisses up to. I may not be moral, as my brother claims he is, but I am honest. I am a plain dealing villain, after all. I'm not after tricks." He motioned for Tyler to top off his glass. "And you say my brother trusts me, ha! He trusts me as much as he could trust a dog—one that he has put on a leash. If I were loose, I would bite him. If I was free, I should do as I pleased. But I'm not, so I must bide my time. Until then, leave my personality alone. I am the way that I am and I have no desire to change."

Tyler rolled his eyes at the dramatic outburst. "Can't you use your outrage to your advantage? At least you would get something out of it, and Mason and I wouldn't have to listen to you wallow all day."

He shook a finger at him. "I do not wallow."

"Sure you don't."

"Anyways," he waved his hand in the air. "I use it all the time. It's my only helpful quality. Who's there?"

Mason peeked his head around the corner of the stairwell. "Mason?"

Klaus sighed. "Yes, I can see that. Why are you late?"

Regaining his confidence and shaking the befuddled look, Mason trudged down the rest of the stairs. "I was helping prepare the dinner the Gilberts are hosting in honor of your brother."

"This is a valid reason to be late because…?"

Mason smirked. "Because I just overheard news of an intended marriage."

"Hmm," Klaus sat up straight. "This may the perfect opportunity for mischief to arise! Who is all this marital fuss about?"

"Only your brother's favorite lieutenant."

"Salvatore? The younger one that spends so much time on his hair?"

"The one and only. I can't stand that one. Not that the other Salvatore's any better." Mason was the blunter of the two Lockwood cousins. While Tyler could act without thinking, he typically came about things in a more tactful way. Mason threw no caution to the wind, which annoyed Klaus to no end, but the characteristic had made him rather useful in past circumstances.

Klaus tapped his chin. "He's high in rank and favor of my brother. Who's the lovely lady who has caught his eye?"

Tyler laughed. "Like it's hard to guess."

"What do you know?" Klaus demanded.

He shrugged, taking a swig of his wine. "He was making eyes at Caroline all afternoon, it's hard to imagine someone didn't notice."

Klaus went stiff. "Caroline? The pretty, blonde, lively one?"

"The very one."

"This will indeed be an interesting game," Klaus said darkly. "Not only does my brother's right hand man flaunt his station over me, but fancies the girl I do as well. This is the perfect opportunity to get back at my brother."

Tyler wiped his mouth and grinned. "Now we're getting to the fun part."

Klaus got up and began to pace. "How did you come to learn this, Mason?"

"I was moving furniture. The young Gilbert boy put all the men to work, and I couldn't seem to escape fast enough. Luckily for us, I ended up in one of the back rooms that Stefan and Elijah entered a moment later. They came to an agreement that Elijah would woo Caroline tonight, and once won, hand her over to Stefan."

Mood brightening, Klaus spun on his heel to face Tyler. "Come on, come on! This evening may be fun yet. At least we won't spend it cooped up down here. We have an impending disaster to cause," He grinned cruelly. "This might just save my mood from where it had been set to rest. It has always been Stefan's fault I never could overthrow Elijah—you can never trust a Ripper." Klaus shook his head. "If I can ruin his life tonight, I will indeed be overjoyed. Will you help me in this endeavor?"

Tyler stood up straighter. "Of course. To the death."

"Let's attend this lavish dinner tonight," Klaus mused. "Should we go set the scene?"

Mason laughed, ready to dive into whatever master plan Klaus was preparing. "Lead the way."