Chapter 33: Old Friends, New Friends

"Alright, Malena you are up to fight Caleb"

Violet leaned away from the cage as she watched two more vampires step inside of the "Boxing ring" as she called it. Malena was already shows her skills and it seemed like sooner or later she was going to be getting a ring. Caleb on the other hand already had a ring as Violet gave it to him after seeing his loyalty. Marcel was hesitant of the decision but so far, Caleb was the modern day Thierry. He was the youngest vampire they found at the age of nineteen. He had short, spikey blonde hair and was in the city on a musical spree. He came into the city with only a guitar and stayed with a lot more to offer. Malena had dark chocolate colored brown hair and stood out with her exotic Asian looks.

She watched carefully as the vampires began to fight in the circle. It was so fast that no human would see each hit, kick or anything else that happened. When one of them either had bitten their neck or had their hand in the right position to extract a heart, it was time to switch to a new vampire. King of the ring was the name of the game; it was a test to see who was last standing.

"The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about fight club. The second rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club, I could continue the rest of the quote if I wanted to"

All the vampires which had to be at least twenty including Violet looked towards the church doors. A female dropped her bags to the floor and looked through them to find her. Stepping away from the cage, she stared at the girl in surprise and zipped over to hug her. They both laughed and held each other close before pulling away.

"I thought you weren't going to come to New Orleans?"

"I wasn't planning on it but if not, I would be sitting in Covington by myself. I thought I'd celebrate Mardi Gras, eat some beignets and catch a few beads while I'm here"

"Everyone go do whatever you want. We'll continue this later tonight"

Violet waved her hand to dismiss the vampires who watched a little lost. She picked up the bags and guided the woman out the door to the compound. She was glad Marcel was sitting in the courtyard doing some business with other vampires. When he saw them, he wondered but had little knowledge on who she was with. The others left as she introduced them.

"Marcel, this is Tiana Hargrove, Tiana, this is Marcel Gerard"

"So this is the famous Marcel? I thought you look better in those old photos than in person"

Tiana joked and smiled as she held out her hand when he approached. He smiled warmly back. Tiana had jet black hair that just reached her shoulders. She was a little darker in tone than Marcel and had the most amazing eyes. People always told her she had cat eyes since they curved up more at the top. With full lips and a fierce body, she'd fit right in with the crowd. He offered a drink to each of them as Violet settled her one of the rooms.

"So how do you and Vi know each other?"

"Well she turned me into a vampire back in 1942. I was being the help in her plantation while she was down here with you. She turned me once she returned back"

"Let's just say she and a sense of loyalty and keeping secrets"

After all the years she spent with Marcel, that was one thing big that she picked up on fairly quickly. You can't just go out and turn random people into vampires like Klaus did. Loyalty isn't to be forced and you'll realize soon enough who is going to be loyal or who will stab you in the back. After feeling his phone go off in his pocket, he excused himself and left the two girls to themselves

"You know, I've missed having you around. I've missed Atlanta and it's like a piece of home is here with me"

"Speaking of, I wasn't about to stay in that house with Originals, let alone the guy who turns into a dog and will ruin the carpet"

They both laughed until Tiana spoke up. "Besides, I couldn't have them compel me and reveal all of your secrets"

"I've got nothing to hide this time around T" Violet held her glass out and they toasted to a new adventure ahead of them.

"Congratulations Marcel Gerard, you are now a member of the Strix"

Tristan smiled and held his glass up in the air. The other vampires did the same and all drank their champagne at the same time. Marcel held onto Hayley as he felt the werewolf venom messing with his head. It was a smart plan actually, and stupid at the same time. Mohinder, a member of the Strix was now lying dead on the floor pretty much at his hands.

"In my opinion, I think you should get that werewolf bite taken care of first then I can tell you the benefits of this group" Tristan smiled at him and Marcel had no other choice but to.

Hayley escorted him out and to the black car that she parked near the building. "Are you sure you're going to make it back to the Quarter? You want me to get Violet?"

Marcel shook his head as he slowly got into the car. "No, I'm sure I can make it for another fifteen minutes. I'd rather suffer from this than have to hear her scream at me"

He joked as she quickly made her way to the driver's side. Once she got in, he had his head placed against the window with his eyes closed.

"You really think this is a good idea, don't you?"

"I don't really have a choice but to get in with them. They came into my city unannounced and for what reason? I just got it back and I'm not about to let some vampires stomp all over it with their high end clothing and expensive tastes…Speaking of, have you heard anything from Elijah?"

She shook her head no and he could sense the movement. She hadn't spoken to any of them in a couple of days so she really didn't get a chance to ask them about the Strix. It was weird not having The Originals around for a couple of reasons. Marcel hated having to rely on Klaus and he never did in the 20's when he rebuilt the city. But after them being around for so long, it was almost like everyone needed them for something but couldn't get in contact with them.

"I could ask Freya, maybe she spoke with them through a spell or through Vi's letter"

It worried them when no one heard from them but if they were still alive, they knew Klaus wasn't dead. The only thing was it could mean Elijah or Rebekah could be injured or even dead for that matter. It seemed like New Orleans wasn't going to go back to its old ways from the past. Problems were constantly arriving and it was a battle for the city. Starting with the werewolves, to Originals, to witches, this was becoming the city that would never sleep…And would go down in flames and bloodshed.